Alphabet Books Year 2

This year will be the second year my students have the chance to send their books around the globe. Again, I am asking for teachers who would be willing to take a student made book and try to work it into their class. The books are simple alphabet books often including a rhyme, and always including pictures! Assuming we get the budget approved, we will try to send the books to 14 different schools (it may be less). In addition I get to send eBooks to schools! All I ask for in return is that you take a picture or video of your students with the books. If you are interested please fill out the following form. The books should be done and sent out by May, 2014!

Preparing for the First Week of School

One of my new mugs I received at Christmas

You can get your own!

It is funny how many students don't realize that teachers can dread the first day of school. For Christmas this year I got a new mug. I LOVE it. It has a travel top, but isn't aluminum (I just don't like the taste of coffee from metal). The mug contains the funny phrase, "Yes, I know they are mean to you at school and call you names, but you still have to go.... You're the Teacher!"

Now, I love my job. I love teaching. I love lesson planning. I even like grading essays! However, I HATE the first day of school.

I know that many teachers have their classes for a full year, but at my school (high school and university) I teach a new batch of students each semester. That means that every January I get the, "new student jitters." As I am sitting in my office trying to tweak lessons, toss them and completely overhaul a few things I have a knot in my stomach for the new students that will come.

I don't mean to imply that I don't like my students. I just get really nervous before the first day of classes. So, when I was catching up on some reading this weekend I decided to check out Wayne Sheldrick's, First Week of School.

I think a lot of the book is out of touch (it relies on teachers having their own classroom which for many teachers just isn't a reality), but the basics of setting down class management early is really spot on!

If you also have a new batch of students coming in on Monday, you may like to give his book a read. It is GREAT for new teachers, but I am sure even veterans will find a few new ideas (or just be soothed that they know exactly what they are doing). It loosened my knot a little by reinforcing some of the basics I believe in and reminding me that while the first week is important, it is pretty easy to prepare.

Most importantly, it is affordable (about $3), so it won't break the bank.

I still feel overwhelmed, but I know I will get back into the swing of things. What about you? How do you combat those butterflies?

Classroom Management Books

I’ve written a lot about classroom management because I feel it is one of the things that people expect teachers to just, “learn.” While it is true that every teacher needs to learn their own personal classroom management personality, that’s no reason not to learn from others.

This blog will cover three books covering the topic of Classroom Management

Price: Currently $28.00 Length: About 72 pages
Special Education Classroom Management for Urban Teachers is a quick read written specifically for Elementary and Middle School teacher who have special education students. I recently saw a Facebook post by the British Council about Special Ed students in EFL classes. I don’t often see this topic mentioned, so I thought it was nice to catch this e-book on sale.

The author is an Educational Consultant Adrienne Johnson and the entire book is basically about the premise that, “Learning will not occur until the environment is conducive to learning.”

This is a pretty quick read that is great for new teachers, or teachers who are new to public schools. It has seven chapters. The first chapters include tips useful for any class and chapter six is specifically for special ed students. I didn’t really read anything that was groundbreaking, but I didn’t disagree with anything I read!

Most of the advice was solid and advice I follow and share with teachers: Make rules and stick to them.

Keep your students from goofing off

Some of the advice was a bit different than what I do: Review your rules every day so your students know that the rules are not negotiable. Nonetheless, I understand why it would be useful, and see why Adrienne suggests teachers do this.

The book basically gives general advice and then goes through with specific ways to follow that advice. Such as, “Beware of empty time,” as a teacher you can have learning centers, give students worksheets, or keep books out for students to read during their down time. 

Now, the author has one chapter specifically for Special Ed and that advice seems pretty solid. Again if you are a newer teacher or one who has never taught in a public school before this is a great book filled with some logical advice.

You don't need to yell!

Price: Currently $5.05 Length: About 133 pages  
Classroom Management Made Easy: Eliminate discipline problems by teaching students how to take responsibility for their own behavior is by Wayne Sheldrick.

I am a HUGE fan of teaching students responsibility. Yes, you may go to the bathroom, but you are responsible for the information taught while you are gone. Yes, you may turn work in like, but you will lose points.

This book essentially reviews a method of classroom management which encourages students to really learn responsibility for these actions.

Do you want to teach students to mindlessly follow your rules?

Are you looking for a way to punish students whenever possible?

Is your job just to teach your subject and nothing else?

If you answered no to the previous questions you may find Wayne’s book a useful read.

Price: Currently $.96 Length: About 160 pages  
I am going to end with the longest book Effective Classroom Management: An Interactive Textbook is a book compiled by Michael S. Mills. However, as stated the book is based on the, “accomplishments (and failures) of so many teachers.” As such it used to be free, now it is still under $1!

This book is probably the most jam packed. It covers different methodologies, different problems and different solutions.  One the other hand, I also find it a bit… chaotic to read. Nonetheless, it really gives you a very well rounded approach to many different classroom management ideas.

Are there any must reads you have found that revolutionized the way you manage your class? Is there a great book you would suggest for new teachers that covers all the basics? I’d love to check out your suggestions. Tweet me @eslcarissa or leave a comment below.

A punny book! Pun Enchanted Evenings

People often ask me where I come up with puns and jokes that I use in class. For the most part I remember them, but I also read up on joke books and twitter jokes sometimes.

A recent purchase is from David R. Yale! His book Pun Enchanted Evenings: A Treasury of Wit, Wisdom, Chuckles and Belly Laughs for Language Lovers -- 746 Original Word Plays has 746 funny puns!

Not all of them are perfect for the classroom, but a lot of them are. Since Wednesday I presented on teaching pronunciation with humor  I thought I'd pick out ten of his puns that show different types of connected speech.


The jokes in red show examples of connected speech where consantants and vowels connect to one another making parts of separate words sound like they are only one word: 
  
What bodily function tells you to use the bathroom?
Urinate sense! (Your innate sense)

What do you call a hotel with a really bad fiddle player?
A vile inn (violin)

Why should you use a pencil to draw a level line?
If you use a pen you get an ink line. (incline)

Why can't you agree with everything your spouse says today?If you did that, it would make it, "Yes, dear! day." (Yesterday)

How is an honest ant like a student who misses class?
They are both true ant. (truant)

The blue puns show that when the same sound (or similar sounds) ends one word and starts the next, we tend to only pronounce the sound once. 
  
What would you call a narcissistic sea creature?
Self Fish (Selfish) 

What would you call a tan gotten on horseback at a high altitude?
A mount tan (mounatin)

The jokes in purple show us that since English is a stress based language often syllables become unstressed. For example, mother will become motha.
 
What would you call a lock that keeps a hacker in Tampa from accessing your  records?
Tampa Proof (Tamper proof)

What would you call a machine that made fuel out of soda pop?
A coca coaler (coca cola) The unstressed shwa takes over the "er"

What is a gamblers version of heaven?
A para of dice (paradise)

To be honest I did not like all 746 puns, but at least 500 of them made me smile, and the vast majority were very unique. If you are looking for a solid pun book to dig up some treasures in class it is worth checking out less than $10 for the paperback and less than $4 for the e-book.

Alternatively you can add @bestpuns on Twitter where puns are shared for free!

Where do you usually find your jokes or puns?

Book Review: English As a Second Language: Learn English Fast and Have lots of Fun

Since I've been talking about students putting in the extra effort and movies in class, I figured this would be a good time to introduce a quick book review of a book I read a few weeks ago.

Title: Englsh As a Second Language: Learn English Fast and Have lots of Fun Author Binh Phan Price $4.87 Pages 55

Who should buy it? This book is definitely made for ELLs more than ELTs. It would be a useful book for an ELT to have a loan out to students, or a book you could suggest you students look into on their own.

What’s it do? This book goes through different, “fun” ways to learn and practice English. It covers, Movies, Songs, Games, Chatting / Blogging, and Reading.

In each section it explains:

Why you should do this:

Example:  The book explains that there are many benefits to singing. Your body increases its oxygen intake, balances its metabolism and aids the motor skills between primary senses and the brain. It also tends to put you in a better mood, and most people consider it fun. Since the brain associates fun as something pleasant you are more likely to retain the information in the lyrics!

How you should do this:

Example: For reading, the book suggests that you read out loud, read and record your voice, read books that movies are based on, read animated stories, read comics, read Fairy Tales, and read English jokes. In each category it tells you why reading this specific type of text is good and what people will probably enjoy it the most. It also gives examples of where to find things in this category to read.

Is it any good? The author admits he is not reinventing the wheel. Most of the information in the book is common sense and probably stuff that you already tell your students. However, many students are convinced that their teacher’s advice isn’t as great as someone who wrote a book. If you think your student would get a wakeup call from the book, or just needs to hear what you have said from someone else then YES the book is worth buying.

Plus, after the book is over he gives away another e-book of his for free “Learn English Fast, A guide to improving your English with accelerated learning techniques and unstoppable motivation.”

And wait, there’s more! If you leave a review and share it on Facebook or twitter he will gives your student access to two weeks of the, “Learn English Fast ‘n’ Fun” program.  Perhaps those two weeks would be of some help to your students?

I’d love to know if you end up reading this what you think, or if you have any similar ideas feel free to leave a comment!

Participle Phrases Alphabet Book

Every year my Advanced I students learn participle phrases.

Part of them practicing is to create a children's alphabet book using participle phrases (e.g. A is for Alligator: Looking beautiful in her tutu and ballet slippers, the alligator danced across the floor..)

In an effort to get my students to see that their work is about more than just a grade, I had hoped to send copies of the book to other teachers who could read it in their class. No cost would be present for teacher other than promising to send back pictures, letters, drawings or videos from their class so my students could see that their assignment did affect others.

This would not happen until the fall (probably November, but maybe October).

The book would NOT be anything professionally made. If I can get school approval for some budget, it will be bound with wire binding. If not, it will be stapled. Illustrations will probably be drawn by the students.

If you are interested please let me know by filling out the following form:



If you have any questions please leave a comment below.

Thank you so much for your time!