170 years ago the first Morse code message was sent on an experimental telegraph line from Washington to Baltimore.

The following is a Morse Code message:

.... . .-.. .-.. --- / . ...- . .-. -.-- -... --- -.. -.--

(Guess what I wrote!)

The history of Telegraphy:
http://inventors.about.com/od/tstartinventions/a/telegraph.htm

The first Morse code message:
http://www.historyofinformation.com/expanded.php?id=551

Samuel Morse:
http://www.samuelmorse.net/

The history of Morse Code

Try to write your own Morse code message with the Morse code translator!

http://morsecode.scphillips.com/jtranslator.html

"This mode of instantaneous communication must inevitably become an instrument of immense power"

Morse, 1838

"Of all the marvelous achievements of modern science the electric telegraph is transcendentally the greatest

and most serviceable to mankind …

The whole earth will be belted with the electric current,

palpitating with human thoughts and emotions …

How potent a power, then, is the telegraphic destined to become in the civilization of the world!

This binds together by a vital cord all the nations of the earth.

It is impossible that old prejudices and hostilities should longer exist, while such an instrument has been created for an exchange of thought between all the nations of the earth."

Charles F. Briggs and Augustus Maverick, "The Story of the Telegraph", 1858

How communication has changed in time

Let's see how communication changed through the ages. Have a look at the following infographics.
Click on the images or on the links below each image to enlarge:

http://dailyinfographic.com/the-evolution-of-communication-infographic/communication

http://blog.voxox.com/blog/bid/302283/Infographic-The-Evolution-of-Communication

http://techow.net/2012/04/02/how-communication-has-evolved-over-the-ages-infographic/

Also technology in school has changed over time!

http://elearninginfographics.com/timeline-of-educational-technology-in-schools-infographic/

http://elearninginfographics.com/classroom-technology-evolution-infographic/

Watch the following two videos about how technology

is changing in education.

Students' task

After reading all the information and watching the videos about the communication evolution, write a report about your impressions.

Has the way children study changed for the better?
Do you use technology in your school?
Do you think studying with computers, iPads or mobiles can be more productive?
Do you enjoy using new digital tools? Why?
What are the pros and cons about using technology in the classroom?

Of course you can't use paper and pen for your report...

Choose one of these tools and have fun!

https://www.blendspace.com/ (to collect your web resources)

https://www.thinglink.com/ (if you want to add any links to an image)

http://popplet.com/ (for your mindmaps)

http://piktochart.com/ (to make your own infographic)

http://www.storyjumper.com/ (to create your e-book)

School is almost over...

We've been working hard and we are going to enjoy some well-deserved rest!

Let's think about the school year just spent together.

What have I learned?

Did I enjoy my lessons and my teachers?

Did I have fun with my school mates?

Which are the most memorable moments?

What would I like to say to my teachers and friends now?

What am I doing next summer?

How will the next school year be?

This year we have been learning a lot of grammar.... but we've been trying to use new technology, as well. Let's try to put the things together! You can choose one of the following activities which allow you to prepare your report or tell your story using images, photos and videos!

Students' activities

Let's divide our activities into three parts: past, present and future.

PAST

Make a presentation or en e-book about the topics or the events you liked the most using one of the following tools:

(for infographics and posters)

(for presentations using images)

(for e-books)

Storyjumper

Revise and use the Past Simple and the Present Perfect.

PRESENT

Imagine you are the teacher for one day. Choose one topic and prepare your lesson selecting your web sources on:

Blendspace

or prepare a presentation using:

Haiku Deck

Powtoon

Revise and use the Present Simple and the Present Continuous.

FUTURE

This school year is over and the summer holidays are about to begin! Where are you going on holidays? What would you like to do? Which places would you like to see?

Which class or new school are you attending next year? How do you imagine it? Use the foolowing tools to tell us about your future plans or expectations:

(for your presentation)

Prezi

(to tell about your journey)

Tour Builder

Revise and use the Future Forms (Will; Present Continuous; To be going to).

Enjoy your holidays and always...

Aesop was an ancient Greek fabulist. He is presumed to have been born in 620 B.C. Unfortunately not much is certain about his life but some agree that June, 4th was his birthday. It's an opportunity for us to talk about fables. Aesop's fables's characters are animals, often with a humorous twist, and his tales always have a moral and a lesson to teach.

If you want to read, watch or listen to Aesop's fables click on the following links:

Aesop's fables summaries:

http://englishmicrodot.blogspot.it/p/aesops-fables-adapted-for-esl.html#AF1

Youtube cartoons about Aesop's fables with subtitles:

https://www.youtube.com/show/aesopsfablesanimatedstoriesinenglish

Aesops's fables audio files with a printable transcript:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learning/schoolradio/subjects/english/aesops_fables

SOME TASKS FOR YOU

1) WEBQUEST

Now click on the image below to open my Blendspace lesson and, after reading all the information, write a report about Aesop, his most famous fables and morals.

2) MY OWN FABLE

The following is a Padlet board I made for you. There are 5 simple steps to create your own fable. Click on the image below to open the board, then click on each step to open a link.

Then, make a presentation with Projeqt (you can pin your presentation's URL on my Padlet board!). Click on the link below to open my short example.

We can believe that aliens exist or not, it is a very fascinating and intriguing topic anyway!

June and July are UFO months! First of all, the famous Roswell UFO incident took place in the U.S. in June or July 1947. Moreover, July 2nd is the official World UFO Day (in the past also June 24th was celebrated as the UFO Day, until the World UFO Day Organization declared July 2nd to be the official UFO Day).

As usual, this is just an opportunity for us to have a different kind of lesson... and this time the topic will be full of mystery!

LET'S LEARN A LITTLE MORE ABOUT UFOS

UFO means Unidentified Flying Object, that is any unexplained moving object flying in the sky.

Ufo sightings have been reported since ancient times...

The first Ufo sightings:
http://www.theastralworld.com/aliens-ufos/first-ufo-sightings.php

List of reported Ufo sightings from antiquity to the 21st century. you can even select a list by location:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_reported_UFO_sightings

Cave painting, Sego Canyon, Utah - estimated up to 5.5000 B.C.

Medieval painting

Egyptian hieroglyphics

ACTIVITIES AND GAMES FOR KIDS

Let's have some fun with our young learners!

Esl printables:
http://www.eslprintables.com/reading_worksheets/reading_comprehension/ufos/

Alien printables, mazes, puzzles and coloring pages for younger learners:
http://www.printactivities.com/Theme-Printables/Alien-Printables.html

Funny aliens games for young kids:
http://www.wartgames.com/themes/science/UFOs.html

Space crafts for kids:
http://www.craftjr.com/space-crafts-for-kids/

THE SOLAR SYSTEM

Talking about Ufos could also be an opportunity to discuss about the universe or the environmental problems (see my previous post about an aliens' message from the space).

Space and the solar system:
http://simpleesl.com/english-worksheets-activities-games-outer-space/

Games about the solar system:
http://www.eslgamesplus.com/space-solar-system/

MOVIES

There are plenty of movies about Ufos and aliens.

Students woul be so happy to watch some of them!

List of films featuring extraterrestrials:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_featuring_extraterrestrials

Space alien movies for kids:
http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/genres-movies/family-friendly/space-alien-movies-for-kids/

Aliens movies for teens:
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/lists/alien-movies-for-tweens-and-teens

MY OWN ALIENS STORY

Ok, we have just learned something about Ufos. Now it's time to write a story!

Click on my Thinglink image below and then click again on each link. You will get some more information about aliens. Choose your type of flying saucer and your alien's specie, read about abductions and crop circles... and invent your story!

Talking about food and recipes can help ESL learners improve their:

food related vocabulary
oral skills (brainstorming, discussion, giving instructions)
written skills (describing and giving instructions)
knowledge of different cultures (learning foreign recipes, food and traditions)
healthy habits

RECIPES VOCABULARY AND ACTIVITIES

Here's a great site with exercises and activities about cooking and kitchens:

http://www2.issbc.org/janis-esl/subtopicrecipes.html

Some printables:

http://www.eslprintables.com/vocabulary_worksheets/food/recipes/

Cooking worksheets:

http://busyteacher.org/classroom_activities-vocabulary/food_and_drinks/cooking-worksheets/

Vocabulary about cooking:

http://englishwilleasy.com/english-through-pictures/food/food-preparation-recipes/

http://www.vocabulary.cl/Lists/Cooking-Instructions.htm

Students' task

Prepare a mindmap about cooking vocabulary using a mindmapping tool.

BRITISH RECIPES

Some British recipes:

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/british

http://www.britainexpress.com/articles/Food/index.htm

Recipes and meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner):

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/cuisines/british

British and Irish festive cooking:
http://britishfood.about.com/od/festivecooking/

Cuisines by country:

http://www.foodbycountry.com/

http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/blogs/80dishes

Students' task

Choose one recipe and prepare it at home. The next day show your classmates how you prepared it (or make avideo!).

HEALTHY RECIPES

Recipe calculator to calculate the nutritional information of a recipe:

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp

Healthy recipes:

http://uktv.co.uk/food/homepage/sid/6037

Healthy food to prevent heart disease (British Heart Foundation):

http://www.bhf.org.uk/heart-health/prevention/healthy-eating.aspx

Students' task

What do you do to keep yourself fit? Describe your diet and your habits using apresentation tool.

You have a lot of information about food and cooking, now. You are ready to create...your digital magazine! With Glossi you can publish your own magazine with text, images, links or videos. It's very simple, have a look at my short example:

Click on the image to open

Students' task

Create your own web magazine withGlossi! Write your articles, add images and videos and have fun!

SOME RESOURCES

FIFA official site:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/vocabulary/football.shtml

Fuleco, Brazil 2014 mascot:
http://en.mascot.fifa.com/

The World Cup Stadiums 2014:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup/10383648/World-Cup-stadiums-a-venue-guide-for-Brazil-2014.html

HISTORY

A brief history of the World Cup:

http://content.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1989102,00.html?xid=rss-photoessays&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+time/photoessays+TIME:+Top+Photoessays

SOME FOOTBALL VOCABULARY

Football vocabulary:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/vocabulary/football.shtml

FOOTBALL RULES

The rules of football:

http://rulesoffootball.co.uk/

ACTIVITIES AND PRINTABLES

Quizzes and printable worksheets:
http://www.esolcourses.com/topics/the-world-cup.html
http://www.esolcourses.com/topics/football.html

World Cup worksheets:
http://www.eslprintables.com/Vocabulary_worksheets/Sports/World_Cup/

INFORMATION ABOUT BRAZIL

Brazil:

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/countries/brazil.html

http://www.infoplease.com/country/brazil.html

http://www.mapsofworld.com/brazil/information/fact.html

YOUR TASK

And now it's up to you! Let's make a digital sport magazine about the World Cup events. Last time I used Glossi (in my previous post about food and recipes), now I've tried Joomag.

Here you can find a short example of our sport web magazine.

You can write articles, add images, links or videos and keep us informed about the World Cup news!

Click below to open my example

Become a digital journalist! Some advice for you:

Summer is usually holiday time and some of us are planning a journey. We often consult a map to decide which places we want to visit and to define our route. Using digital maps before, during and even after our journey, can be great fun!

These are some free map tools that can make our trip more enjoyable and can also be very useful as summer tasks for our students!
(If we are not planning a trip, just imagining where we would like to go in the future could be very amusing and stimulating.)

BEFORE LEAVING

Before leaving let's have a look at the time zones. With the Time Zone Converter map you can easily convert a time in one location to the time in another location just with one click.

If you want to know how long your journey will take, you can use the Trip Calculator Map. Simply enter your average speed and start clicking. You can know how long your journey is and how long it will take to complete.

Now, a very useful tool to compare different cultures.

If you don't know exactly where to go, if you are wondering which country is right for you, try Ifitweremyhome.

If we were not born in our country, what would our life be like?

This tool is a gateway to understand life outside our country. You can compare living conditions in your own country to those of another.

Some examples:

http://www.ifitweremyhome.com/compare/GB/IT

http://www.ifitweremyhome.com/compare/IT/GB

DURING YOUR JOURNEY

Mapskip is a very original tool. The world is a canvas for your own stories and photos. You start from a map, you click on the place you like, you add your mark and write your story about that place. You can tell your adventures adding your pictures, links or videos. It could be great to update your journey in real time!

My example about the town where my school is located:

http://www.mapskip.com/stories.php?story=6681

AFTER YOUR JOURNEY

Tourbuilder is a fantastic tool! You have the whole world to put your stories on! It allows you to write your stories directly in the various countries of the world where they are set.

You will need to install the Google Earth Plugin (it only takes a couple of minutes), if you haven't already.

You can add your photos, videos or links to describe the places you visited.

Tour Builder takes track of all your movements on the map and this is the final result. Watch my brief example about my Cambridge experience! Choose "enter Street View" on the map to watch 3D the places I saw!

My example.

https://tourbuilder.withgoogle.com/builder#play/ahJzfmd3ZWItdG91cmJ1aWxkZXJyEQsSBFRvdXIYgICA8KrmkggM

The following is a very good site suggesting some other mapping tools for schools:

http://cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com/Mapping+Tools

STUDENTS' TASK

Describe your real or imaginary journey using the above map tools. Write some information about the country you are going to visit, the time zones, the distances between a place and another and describe some cultural differences between this country and your own.

Then, with Mapskip or Tour Builder add some pictures, videos or links to all your destinations.

HAVE A NICE TRIP!

Next July I am going to London with some of my students. I would like to give them some information before leaving. Here there are some activities, videos, tips and a final webquest!

Top 10 Attractions of London

A brief history of London:
http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/a-brief-history-of-london

If you want to investigate the British history further:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/

A virtual tour

Now let's take a virtual tour of London! Click on the image above. You are on the London Eye and you have the whole city at your feet! Choose a place and click on it. You can take a virtual tour of each landmark and have all the information (clicking on "More Information") about its history. After visiting a place, click on "Back to London Eye" to go back in your capsule and choose another destination. Sometimes, while visiting a place, you will see the following button:

It redirects you to the website of that specific sight. Click on it to have more information.

The Tube

While visiting London, you can't help taking the Tube! It's the easiest way to get around the town. Visit the following site to learn more about the London underground, there are some useful tips for the travellers:

http://www.visitlondon.com/traveller-information/getting-around-london/london-tube

How to use the London Tube

The London tube is the oldest underground in the world. It was opened in 1890. Let's practise to use the tube map! Click on the following image and look for your destinations:

WEBQUEST

Now you are ready to complete this simple questionnaire I prepared for you about London! Surf the sites I suggested above, watch the video you will find at the beginning of the webquest and answer the questions. Write your name and click on "send" at the end of the quiz. If your answers are right you are ready to leave!

See some other posts of mine about London.
London landmarks:
http://thetravellingteachers.blogspot.it/2013/09/london-august-2013.html
London museums:
http://thetravellingteachers.blogspot.it/2014/05/international-museum-day-may-18.html

Today I would like to talk about poetry. Could it be useful in an EFL class? As usual, I try to imagine some activities that involve the use of different digital tools.

What's poetry?

At the following link you can find some great definitions (I made the above word cloud from some of these definitions using Tagul):
http://poetinthecity.wordpress.com/2011/03/16/what-is-poetry-50-definitions-and-counting/

Why study poetry in an ESL classroom?
Poetry can help you reach many goals. Take a look at the following map I created with Cacoo:

Click to enlarge my diagram

Some links about the different kinds of poetry

Different types of poetry:
https://www.youngwriters.co.uk/glossary-poetry-types
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/learning/glossary-terms?category=forms-and-types

Examples of different types of poetry:
http://examples.yourdictionary.com/types-of-poetry-examples.html

Forms of poetry:
http://www.poeticterminology.net/index.htm

What about writing a poem?

Watch the video

Where to begin? Have a look at this diagram I made with Cacoo.

Click to enlarge my map

Some more tips

Some useful figures of speech:
http://esl.about.com/cs/reading/a/blpoetry.htm

To find rhymes:
http://www.rhymezone.com/

Let's practise!

Magnetic Poetry is a funny tool to write poems. You have to choose some words to create your masterpiece! Try it! Watch my example at the following link:
http://play.magneticpoetry.com/poem/Original/kit/15415/?h=8444d213e9cd688d306fa98d2aa7ca79

You could also make a poetry magazine where you could collect all your poems! Joomag is a great web tool.

Have a look at my example by clicking on the picture below:

"Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words."

Robert Frost

Stereotypes are generalizations about groups of people, they can be positive or negative, they can be based on some truth or completely invented. Clichés about national stereotypes can be great fun, but they mustn’t become prejudice! In this post I will try to talk about some stereotypes in a funny way. By laughing about the most common national stereotypes, you can understand the futility of some prejudices and the great value of diversity! I think that discussing about some national stereotypes could be very useful to understand not only other cultures, but even our own! In fact, looking at us through the eyes of someone else might make us think!
At any rate, to really understand a culture you have to experinece it first hand!

"To travel is to discover that

everyone is wrong about foreign countries."

Aldous Huxley

SOME ACTIVITIES

First of all, let's have a look at some of the most common national stereotypes:

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NationalStereotypes

Some printables:

http://www.eslprintables.com/Vocabulary_worksheets

/Culture_and_traditions/Stereotypes/

What is your opinion, after having surfed the above sites? Do you know any other stereotypes about your country or about a foreign nation? Do you think that travelling could help better understand another culture? Why?

Now, let's listen to this song.

"Englishman in New York" by Sting

Can you recognize any stereotypes in the song?Which adjectives or nouns are used to describe a British man? Are there any adjectives that refer to American people? Can you understand any differences between English and Americans?

Now watch the following video from the BBC and listen to what the British think about their own country's stereotypes.

How would you describe British people? What do you know about the British? Have you ever been to the United Kingdom?

Take a look at the following presentation. I have tried to compare British culture to my own culture summarizing the most popular stereotypes about these two countries. I have surfed the Net to take the pulse of the situation (I considered both the Italian and the British point of view) and I found some interesting and funny opinions (and videos)!

Sometimes it's good to laugh at some particular aspect, characteristic or attitude but, remember: we should never disrespect anyone!

Now prepare a presentation about some other cultures, using videos, links, songs, people's opinions or whatever you like! Remember to use irony always respecting others!

45 years ago man landed on the Moon. Let's celebrate this event talking about our magical satellite. It has always inspired artists from all over the world. How can we talk about the moon in our EFL classes? Here you can find some activities that involve the use of digital tools.

First of all, some information about that great day.

The first Moon landing

First Moon Landing-July 20 1969

Surf the following sites to get more information.
Nasa:http://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/what_does_nasa_do.html#.U58bD5R_utI

Apollo 11:http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/apollo11_40th.html#.U58XTpR_utI

A day in the life aboard theInternational Space Station (some videos from the space!):http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/teachingfromspace/dayinthelife/index.html#.U58Y4JR_utJ

A brief history of rockets:http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/k-12/TRC/Rockets/history_of_rockets.html

A clickable spacesuit experience:http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/spacesuits/home/clickable_suit.html#.U58cF5R_utI

The Moon

Facts about the Moon:http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Moon

The Moon:
http://nineplanets.org/luna.html

A tour of the Moon by Nasa

STUDENTS' TASK

Now imagine that you are a journalist. Write an article on Joomag and tell your readers about the first Moon landing. If you prefer, you can also imagine that you are an astronaut: describe your rocket, your spacesuit and your daily routine in the space.

The Moon in Arts

Poetry

Have a look at my presentation about some famous Moon poems. At the end of the slide show there are two videos about poems (and haiku) writing . What about trying to write to the Moon?

(For more information on how to write a poem see this post of mine:

http://thetravellingteachers.blogspot.it/2014/06/poetry-in-our-efl-classroom.html)

STUDENTS' TASK

Poems about the Moon often use a figurative language. You could try PicLits to write a poem starting from a picture. Once you choose your image, you can use the "drag and drop" option: you have some nouns, adjectives, adverbs and verbs related to that picture. Moreover, if you click on "Learn It" you'll have some information about the basics of creative writing.

Painting

Some famous moon paintings:

http://framingpainting.com/famous-paintings/famous_moon_paintings.html

STUDENTS' TASK

Now, use Drawing to make your moon painting! If you are not so good at drawing, don't worry. This tool gives you lessons and examples! Have fun!

Music

OLD AND NEW MOON SONGS

http://www.moonlightsys.com/themoon/lyrics.html

http://www.indierockcafe.com/2009/09/songs-about-moon-from-magnetic-fields.html

Fly me to the Moon - Frank Sinatra

Blue Moon - The Mavericks

Man on the Moon - R.E.M.

The Moon Song - Karen O

STUDENTS' TASK

Can you play any instruments? Can you compose music? Try Noteflight to compose your song to the Moon! Write your song's lyrics, as well. Listen to the songs above and reflect on the imagery that they suggest.

Are you planning a trip abroad?
Do you need English to communicate?
Let's revise some vocabulary!

For many of us it's time for travelling, some are going abroad and need to revise some vocabulary and expressions...

In this post I have just put together some resources about the basic English vocabulary for travelling. Surfing the Net, I found some interesting videos that could be very useful for our students (or anyone else who is planning a trip).

Vocabulary about travel:

http://esl.about.com/library/vocabulary/blwordgroups_travel.htm

http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/vocabulary-lesson-travel.php#.U8P9M5R_utI

Talking about travel

Airport vocabulary:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/flatmates/episode50/languagepoint.shtml

At the airport

Vocabulary and expressions about hotels, rooms and accomodation:

http://www.learn-english-today.com/vocabulary/hotel-rooms-vocabulary.html

At the hotel

Checking into a hotel

Vocabulary about restaurants and eating out:

http://www.esolcourses.com/content/topics/food/eating-out/at-the-restaurant.html

http://www.learnenglish.de/vocabulary/eatout.html

At the restaurant

Ordering at a restaurant

Vocabulary about shopping:

http://www.learnenglish.de/vocabulary/shopping.html

Going shopping

Vocabulary and expressions about directions:

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/words/asking_the_way_vocabulary.htm

http://it.talkenglish.com/LessonDetails.aspx?ALID=408

Asking for directions

Your travelling teachers went in the UK with their students this July!

We think that study tours are very important for esl students and

we would like to share our experience with you.!

Why are Study Tours so important?

International study tours are a great opportunity for learners to combine an overseas travel and cultural experience with studies focusing on the language. Study tours emphasise experiential learning and allow students to explore new territories, cultures and people. They combine theory with real-life experience and cultural perspective.

By studying abroad students will:

Meet new friends from around the world.
Gain new perspectives on things they normally wouldn't have.
Improve a foreign language and learn a few things they didn't already know.
Learn to be more independent.
Immerse themselves in a completely different culture.

Before leaving some of our students were a little anxious!

Here there are their most common questions.

Our students’ questions (and our answers)

Will I find it too difficult?

You can always ask for help, teachers and college staff will be always there for you.

When you learn English in an English-speaking country, you will have to use English in everyday life and this is a very quick way to learn. You will learn in a real environment. This is a authentic education!

Will a different culture be a problem for me?

Being in a different country and having to learn different ways of behaving could be a little difficult at the beginning, but remember: studying and travelling abroad broadens your horizons and gives you the opportunity to know different cultures. In today’s increasingly global society, it’s very important to possess the skills to communicate across cultures.

Will it be useful for my future?

It will be very important for your CV.

Employers look for applicants who can speak English and had some experience abroad. The fact that you went in an English speaking country and used the language in a real context will make a really good impression. Moreover, you will get a certificate that will be very important for your CV.

Will it change my life?

You will never forget the new experiences and the international friends you will make. Moreover, you will become more independent and responsible, in fact travelling without your family is a chance for you to learn to fend for yourself and to manage your own finances.

Our experience in Bristol at the University of West England

Watch some pictures!
Click on the image below to open, then hover on each photo to zoom.

Or watch the video clicking on this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0By_QOh1kvifvbDVlT2ExRHFjYzg/edit?usp=sharing.

simplebooklet.com

STUDENTS' TASK

Answer the following questions:

Have you ever had an experience like that?
Did you enjoy it?
Why? Or why not?
What did you like most?
If you have never studied abroad, yould you like to? Why? Or why not?

"Establishing lasting peace

is the work of education"

Maria Montessori

In this hard time for peace I suggest some activities to talk about love and tolerance.

Listening

Listen to the following songs about peace:

"Playing for change" songs bring together musicians from around the world to talk about peace and to fight war.

Gimme Shelter - Playing For Change

Love Is All - Playing For Change

Imagine - Playing for Change

War/No More Trouble - Playing for Change

A Better Place | Playing For Change

In the above video there are not subtitles. Can you understand what they are saying?
Write down all the words or sentences you can catch.

Some other classics

One love - Bob Marley

John Lennon - Give peace a chance

U2 - Peace on Earth

Writing

Answer the following questions:

What do you think about war?
How do you think conflicts should be solved?
Do you know anyone who has fought in a war?
What war has your country fought in the recent past? What do you know about that?
Do you think that war always solves problems?
Which is the best way of achieving peace in your opinion?
Conflicts are around us everyday (in our family, school, etc.). How do you respond to conflicts?
Do you know any important people who promoted peace and non-violence?

Now have a look at the following diagram I made for you. Are there any other words that you would use to define "war" and "peace"? Use them to compose some sentences.

https://cacoo.com/lang/en/

Speaking

Form two groups of students: one group is in favour of force and war to resolve conflicts, the other is in favour of peace and diplomacy. You are on a TV talk show, make a debate!

Reading

Read about some famous people who promoted world peace in their life, then write your impressions:

http://www.biographyonline.net/people/world-peace.html
http://listverse.com/2011/06/05/top-10-peaceful-men/

http://worldpeace.org.au/messages.asp

http://www.biography.com/people/groups/nobel-peace-prize-winners

http://www.britannica.com/nobelprize/article-9487436

“If we don’t end war, war will end us.”

HG Wells

Friendship day was originally founded by Hallmark in 1919. In April 2011 the United Nations officially recognised 30th July as International Friendship Day but many countries celebrate it on the first Sunday of August.

"On this International Day of Friendship, let us cultivate warm ties that strengthen our common humanity

and promote the well-being of the human family. "

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

"The International Day of Friendship was proclaimed in 2011 by the UN General Assembly with the idea that friendship between peoples, countries, cultures and individuals can inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities.

To mark the International Day of Friendship the UN encourages governments, international organizations and civil society groups to hold events, activities and initiatives that contribute to the efforts of the international community towards promoting a dialogue among civilizations, solidarity, mutual understanding and reconciliation".

Surf the following sites for more information:

http://www.un.org/en/events/friendshipday/

http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/un/friendship-day

SOME CLASS ACTIVITIES

ABOUT FRIENDSHIP

READING AND WRITING

How could you define friendship? Have a look at the following website: http://friends.com/definition-of-friendship. Then write your own definition of "friendship".

Read this article at http://friends.com/rules-of-friendship about the rules of friendship and add your own rules to the list.

LISTENING

Some songs on friendship

"Count on me" - Bruno Mars

"I'll be your friend" - Amy Grant

"Friends are friends forever" - Michael W. Smith

"Any time you need a friend" - Mariah Carey

"I'll be there" - Mariah Carey

"I turn to you" - Christina Aguilera

"That's what friends are for" - Dionne Warwick

"You've got a friend" - James Taylor

"You're my best friend" - Queen

"You've got a friend in me" - Randy Newman

SPEAKING

Talking about friends

A conversation about friendship

Friendship Soup Recipe

After having watched the above videos, prepare an oral presentation about your best friend. Tell:

how long you have known him/her,
what you have in common,
which are the things you like about him/her,
what is you personal "friendship soup" recipe.

August is time to take a vacation for many people and the two most common places people choose for their holidays are the beach and the mountains. Which do you prefer?

THE BEACH

SOME RESOURCES

Great resources about the sea and the oceans:
http://www.henry4school.fr/Vocabulary/sea/sea.htm
http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/themes/summerattheseaside/

BEACH VOCABULARY

VIDEO

Maybe you already know some of the most common marine animals....
but what happens in the deep sea?

Deep sea creatures

SOME SONGS ON THE SEA

"Beyond the Sea," Bobby Darin

"Under the Sea," from Disney's "The Little Mermaid"

"Octopus's Garden", The Beatles

"(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay," Otis Redding

THE MOUNTAINS

SOME RESOURCES

Some resources about the mountains:

http://www.eslprintables.com/vocabulary_worksheets/places/the_mountain/

http://santiamalpineclub.org/mountain/climbing/terms/

MOUNTAINS VOCABULARY

VIDEO

What is a mountain?

SOME SONGS ON THE MOUNTAINS

"Rocky Top", Osborne Brothers

"Rocky Mountain High", John Denver

"Mountain Music", Alabama

" Sugar Mountain", Neil Young

STUDENTS' TASK

Write an essay about these two different types of holidays. Which do you prefer? What are the main differences between the beach and the mountains? Can you find any similarities? Consider the types of activities you can do in each place, the climate and the location.

Nowadays more and more people read the news on the Net, so the way we read and even write a newspaper article is definitely changing.

Have a look at these American surveys on how the Internet is affecting traditional journalism and how it'schanging the way viewers and readers get news.

There are plenty of digital tools you can use to read or even write newspaper articles. I am going to show you just some of them.

READING

Here you can read the breaking news from the world:
http://www.breakingnews.com /

Here you can filter the news by language, country or newspapers:
http://newspapermap.com/

WRITING

A simple way for journalists, designers and creators to weave interactive stories:

http://cartodb.github.io/odyssey.js/

You may also try Storymap. It is a free tool to help you tell stories on the web that highlight the locations of a series of events. You can use it to tell a story with photographs, historic maps, or other image files.

http://storymap.knightlab.com/

Ok, we have just seen some digital tools we could use to read or to write newspapers articles. But now let's see something more general.
Do you really know how to read a newspaper?
Could you really write a good news article?

HOW TO READ A NEWSPAPER

Some tips for you in this mindmap of mine:

How to read the News On-line vs in Print

HOW TO WRITE NEWS ARTICLES

How to write articles the quick and easy way

How to write the perfect newspaper article

Now have a look at the following mindmaps I made for you:

Some links from my blog you can find useful

More information about creating digital magazines:

http://thetravellingteachers.blogspot.it/2014/06/its-time-to-travel-lets-consult-some.html

http://thetravellingteachers.blogspot.it/2014/06/football-world-cup.html

Colours, music, stalls, floats and costumes. The biggest European street festival is held in London in August.

London's Afro-Caribbean communities have celebrated their traditions since 1964 but learn more about this festival clicking on the following Blendspace lesson I prepared for you:

Notting Hill Carnival

SOME ESL RESOURCES

Notting Hill Worksheets and Printables

http://www.eslprintables.com/cinema_and_television/movies/drama_movies/notting_hill/

http://www.eslteachersboard.com/cgi-bin/pdf/index.pl?read=1937

Carnival vocabulary

Practice some Carnival vocabulary, and then take the test at:

http://www.tolearnenglish.com/exercises/exercise-english-2/exercise-english-90943.php

ESL Resources on Carnivals around the World

The most famous carnivals:

http://www.michellehenry.fr/carnivals.htm

A Video Quiz: Carnivals from around the world:

http://www.eslvideo.com/esl_video_quiz_low_intermediate.php?id=15668

The most famous Italian Carnivals

Have a look at the following information I've put on Thinglink about three famous Italian Carnival cities. Moreover I've added on Thinglink some videos I've mixed up with Metta. Enjoy!

YOUR TASK

What's your favourite Carnival? Do you celebrate Carnival in your country or city? Write an essay about some particular traditions or masks that characterize your country or city's Carnival.

This month my blog is one year old!
I started it last September after a training course in Cambridge.
I've used it in my classrooms and it has been a great experience!
I suggest every teacher to start blogging.

An educational blog can change our students' way of expressing themselves. Learners are asked to leave their comments. In fact, being published is an incentive and motivation for many students. Even the most shy students might feel empowered by being able to express themselves better in a written discussion than in front of a class.

Blogs support writing, reading, listening and speaking skills . Students can enter reflections on posted questions, publish essays or questions and share opinions.

You can also reach some important goals concerning technology. Students can understand the ethical, cultural, and societal issues related to technology; they can use technology tools to increase productivity and creativity; they can improve their knowledge of other disciplines through the foreign language; they can use the language both within and beyond the school and, in the end, they can start becoming life-long learners by using the foreign language for personal enjoyment and enrichment.

In the following Blendspace lesson I've put together some useful resources about blogs in education:

An experience
Blogging with students: how and why

Now take a look at my Popplet presentation.

Click below to open the mindmap, then zoom and scroll around.

ConstitutionDay commemorates the formation and signing of the U.S. Constitution on September 17, 1787

Here you can find some resources to easily understand the American form of government and its Constitution.

What is the Constitution of the USA?

Click on the two images below to get information

The Preamble

Now let's try to understand the USA form of government. Move your cursor over the image by Kids.gov below. I have edited it with Thinglink so now it's interactive!

And now take a look at my Blendspace lesson. You can find more information, games, quizzes and videos.

Some more materials for teachers

Worksheets, printables, games, quizzes and activities:

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/constitution-day/printables/

http://www.abcteach.com/directory/holidays-months-and-seasons-holidays-constitution-day--4304-2-1

http://themes.atozteacherstuff.com/182/constitution-day-constitution-week-activities/

http://www.softschools.com/themes/constitution_day/

http://government.mrdonn.org/constitution.html

STUDENTS' TASK

Now you have got a lot of information!

You need to rearrange ideas, so try Popplet to create your own mindmap. You can add images, links and videos! Have fun!

Happy...

The first Morse Code message - May, 24 1844

End of the school year - Some activities using digital tools (and revising grammar!)

Aesop's moral stories - let's talk about fables using digital tools

UFOs time!

Food and recipes - some activities to improve English using digital tools

Football World Cup

It's time to travel: let's consult some maps... or create one!

London - let's make preparations for our journey!

Poetry in EFL classes

How much truth is there in national stereotypes? - Some funny activities to overcome prejudice

July, 20 1969 - One giant leap for mankind

Article 13

The importance of Study Tours

"Establishing lasting peace is the work of education"

Gimme Shelter - Playing For Change

International Day of Friendship (July, 30th) and Friendship Day (August, 3rd)

Summer holidays: Beach vs. Mountains

Newspaper articles: some new (and old) ways of reading and writing

Notting Hill Carnival - August, 24 and 25 2014 - What's your favourite Carnival?

For teachers - why should we use blogs in our classroom?

US Constitution Day - September, 17