Creative writing in the classroom

Writing is a "must" in any language lesson. Writing helps you think, organize your ideas, evaluate what you've thought and how you've said it. Nevertheless, writing is usually the most neglected skill in our curriculum. At best, we model sentences and then ask our students to write similar ones, exchanging a noun/verb/adjective here and there. Especially now - with the advent of  21st century skills and their emphasis on creative and critical thinking, we need to begin "Creative Writing" in our classes.
Writing poetry is an "easy" way to begin writing creatively -be it haikus, diamond poetry or other forms of  preset structures. Poetry stems from our emotions; does not necessitate strict  grammatical structure and employs  numerous adjectives.
Please go to Ian's blog: http://esldog.blogspot.com/
Read his suggestions for beginning writing poetry in the EFL classroom. It's marvelous and can be done from fifth grade up, for sure.
In addition,  I strongly suggest reading his Dear Aunty letters - they are hysterical!
I am indebted to the Britih Council for introducing me to Ian's blog.

Collaborative Projects: What, Why and How*

A collaborative project is a student centered, joint learning venture.

·         It can be global, country, inter-city, or even just class based

·         It can be an inquiry, a quest, an exploration, or an exchange of ideas

·          It must have a clear English Language learning outcome.

·         It must require HOTS.

·         It must apply and develop ICT skills.

·         It must require interaction.

·         It must be motivating.

Suggestion for s Successful Project:

1. State clearly and succinctly:

• the goal
• the instructions
• the assessment

                                                                         

2.       Create projects that require the students to react to each other’s ideas: interaction!

3.       Stay small and concise.  Have a simple, specific objective; finish it and begin a new project.

4.       Prepare careful and simple instructions and limit your project stages.

5.       Provide links (for elementary students) but have the students create their content: facilitate and navigate: don’t ‘dictate”.

Suggestion for Topics:

·         My City: My Favorite Place

·         My Favorite Song (movie/book/TV show)

·         Comment on a Poem (read an online poem - add a verse/ illustrate/write your opinion)

·         Write an online school newspaper

·         Interview a “celebrity” (a student/ a teacher/ the principal/ the  janitor/ the secretary)

·         Questions and Answers (‘Dear Abbey…’)

·         Opinions on Controversial Topics

*I am indebted to the British Council, Learning Technologies Course, for some of the ideas appearing in this article.
Judymu

Action, Interaction and Reaction: The New Pedagogy

When the Ministry of Education talks about "bringing our educational system into the 21st century", it is pointing us in the direction of a change in our entire way of thinking about education - from the dual perspective of both student and teacher.
Three tenets compose this new philosophy:
1. A new literacy, based on media, information and communication, or, as it's known by its common name: ICT – Information communication technology (Enter: Internet!). Yet this is only one of the three principles that make up the new philosophy. Indeed, I consider it an "enabling principle".
2. A change in our thinking processes - a switch to creative and critical thinking (Enter: HOTS) which manifests itself both in the types of questions and assignments we give our students and in our own lesson objectives as well.
3. A shift to "connectivity" on the one hand and "autonomous learning" on the other; the development of interpersonal skills and collaborative work as well as individual research skills (Enter: Projects).
Unfortunately, many of us are forgetting principles 2 & 3; many of us are focusing on ICT in the classroom as if ICT is the be-all and end- all of the New Pedagogy; many of us are just integrating digital tools within our old type of lesson plan because we were told to do so.
So how do we implement the New Pedagogy in the classroom?
Three words: Action; Interaction and Reaction!!

THANK YOU CHANNI FOR THIS REMARKABLE YOUTUBE YOU SENT US!!!

HAPPY, KOSHER, RESTFUL, AND ENJOYABLE PESACH TO ALL!

http://jumu7777.glogster.com/glog-passoverjm/
Click on the link to see the full glog!

...and when PassOver is Over...

According to this wonderful song - there are at least 20 things you can do with your leftover matzo!

Passover is around the Corner

Who's that knocking at my window? It's not the little dreidle this time, (as the song goes), - it's the sound of crumbling matzos!
Yes, it's matzo time again!
For some nice suggestions and video clips - why not enter my MatzoMania wiki?
http://matzomania.wikispaces.com/space/about