HUMAN LIBRARY

        When I heard about the human library concept, pooofff! I got it, liked the peer teaching-learning based idea in it and  thought: I must do something with it, it must work for my goals. I came up with an awesome speaking activity for any level... Beginner to upper... You may plan a controlled, semi-controlled or completely free one for yourself... As I always say, have it your way 😉
        For a controlled one, you determine the whole process: the topics, place, the partners...etc.
        The topics will be enough for the semi-controlled one.
        Aaand your job will become easier with the upper levels. Set them free, get your seat and enjoy the show...

ELLA ELLA CINDERELLA

     This is the story of Ella. Oh, poor Ella! Sweet, lovely girl...

     Downhall is a small town. Ella lives in a big house in this small town with her parents. Her father is a rich man, her mother is a housewife. Ella's father James always goes faraway countries and doesn't come back for a long time. When he comes back home in the end, Ella and her mother get very happy.

     One day, James goes out of the country for business again. He stays away from his home and lovely family for six months. When he returns home, he learns that his adorable wife, Bella has got a fatal illness. After a very short time, she passes away. Ella and James mourn for her for a very long time. They always think of her and their happy past days. 

     Father and daughter keep on living on their own until that day. Oh, that dark day... The day that James explains the ugly truth to Ella, the day that Ella's nightmare begins. James falls in love with the black widow, Hannelore. Hannelore is a middle-aged, evil minded woman; she also has got two horribly ugly and cruel daughters.

 
     In two weeks' time, James gets married to the black widow. Then, Hannelore and her daughters move James and Ella's home, they start living altogether.

     Everything goes well at the beginning. Dinners, parties with nobel families, lords... After two weeks, James has to go faraway countries for business again. In fact, he doesn't want to leave his daughter alone but he convinces himself that Hannelore and the girls will be good friends to her through his absence. However, he never comes back... His ship can't survive a strong storm, sinks and he gives his last breath in the deep ocean before seeing the pretty face his beloved daughter and saying goodbye to her.

     After James' announcement of death arrives home, the black widow and her daughters, shedding crocodile tears for a few days, start treating Ella like a maid, despising and insulting her. Ella, becoming unhappy day by day, falls into despair. She sleeps in the kitchen and talks only to her animal friends.

     One day in the town it is spread that, there'll be a ball in the palace and the prince will choose his future wife at this ball. Hannelore, the girls and Ella, hearing this, become very happy. After seeing Ella's happiness, Hannelore says that she will never go to the ball and locks her in the attic on the day of the ball.

     Ella lies on her bed desperately and begins to cry silently. Aaaaannd poooofff! Suddenly, a fairy appears in the room and promises to send her to the ball after dressing her up like a princess; but on one condition: "She has to leave the ball before it strikes 12 o'clock at night." 

     The fairy godmother does her magic and dolls Ella up. A gorgeous dress, glass slippers, silky hair...

 
    Ella sets out to the palace on a pumpkin carriage with her servants. Nobody, including the prince, can take their eyes off her. The handsome prince approaches and asks her to dance. They keep on dancing non-stop for hours until Ella notices that it's midnight. After hearing the bell ringing, she rushes to her carriage. However, on the stairs she falls down and loses one of her slippers. The prince ,running after her, can find only the glass slipper of the woman he fell in love with at first sight; but he is decisive to find her and he plans to visit all the houses in the town one by one, make all the single ladies try that glass slipper on until finding the love of his life.

     Wow, wow, wow! The royals are in front of Hannelore's house. Now, it's their turn to try that slipper on. The trumpets blow, the prince and his servants come in. The ugly sisters try the slipper on one by one, but it fits none of them. One of the servants, noticing Ella, says :"It's your turn". "But she is our maid!" opposes Hannelore in a surprised manner. The prince says: "Her being a maid doesn't mean that she can't be the love of my life!" and orders his servants to give the slipper to Ella. She puts it on and it fits her foot as if it has been made for her.


     The prince, finding  his love, hugs her so tight and takes her to the palace right away. Their marriage is celebrated all through the country for days and nights aaaaaannd they live happily forever and ever...

     By the way, if you happen to ask about the cruel witches; of course, they pay for what they've done. And their punishment is living whole their lives with wickedness and falsehood...

                                                   THE END :) 

     

THE BOOT IS ON THE OTHER FOOT ;)

         Things are changing now :) This time the students need to choose the incorrect answers.

-This activity works well for intermediate to advanced level students.

- Prepare a kind of "quiz show" questions: as well as general knowledge you can ask commonsense - trick questions to allow calculated answers.

-All they must do is to choose the incorrect answer.

-It's really enjoyable and I can make sure that you'll have great fun :)

STORY CHAIN

-Give one sentence from the story to each student on a piece of paper. (not in the correct order)
-Then, each student reads out their sentence in turn.
-The students need to put the sentences into the correct order by listening and understanding.
-At the next step, they sit or stand beside the student who has the preceding sentence and complete the story chain.
-When all the sentences are done, they read out the complete story.
 
             Take it easy and have it your way :)      McD...

STOP TALKIN' THE TALK, WALK THE WALK ;)

 

        Hi again colleagues! It's really been a long time since the last one :) I've been tied up with a great deal of school stuff... But they're all gone now and I'm free and with you!! :D

        Let's begin the activity. As you can see from the title, it's pretty flamboyant and challenging. The pupils are going to make their own music video for famous songs.

• Divide the students into groups of six. (You may change the number according to your conditions and needs.)
• You should pick some English songs. According to the age and level of the students, they could be children songs or easy adult songs such as Lenka's "Everything At Once".
• Assign a song to each group. Before getting started; make them listen to their own song, help them understand and pronounce it. Then, keep your hands off and let them move as one body and one mind.
• They cowork, decide, design, choreograph, perform altogether and try to their best.
• The hardest part of the job is the instructor's. The best performance has to be chosen... I think, you'd better pick up a few colleagues (music, physical education teachers... etc.) with you as a jury and make your decision together.
• The winner group deserves a good prize :) Mine was recording the best performance and publishing it on our custom event which is going to happen at the end of the term.

        Take it easy... See you soon...
                                                    Mcd :)

GONNA BEAT YOU :)

   
       It's a different type of "rock,paper,scissors" game. Instead of using their hands, pupils are expected to use their whole body in this activity.

• The instructor should determine a body position for rock, paper and scissors shapes.
• The pupils are divided into groups of three.
• They are informed by the teacher about the positions.
• Each group stands in line and when the instructor gives the start, they shape their body as a rock, a paper or scissors.
• The rock beats scissors, the scissors beat paper and the paper beats rock.
• At each turn, the losers are eliminated one by one and the winner keeps until s/he loses.
• At the end, the group which has the most members wins the game.

       This could be a great energizing warm up idea. I hope you're gonna enjoy it, too.

       Take it easy. See you soon...  McD

FUNNY IDIOMS AND PHRASES - WHAT IF THEY WERE REAL?

          Here are the realistic drawings of funny English idioms and phrases... We had great time doing it :) Good idea for teaching idioms and developing creativity... It worths trying ;)

BOSSY CIRCLE

         If you want to teach "imperatives" or "action verbs", this activity is exactly what you need.

-Prepare a visually supported worksheet for the verbs you're going to use.
-Let the pupils work on it for a few minutes.
-As the instructor, get in the middle of the circle and mime all the verbs one by one and make the pupils act them, too.
-Then, start giving orders: "jump, run, point to the teacher, sleep, swim, crawl, brush your teeth, yawn...etc.". (At this step you'd better not mime, just give orders. Let the students find out what to do themselves.)
-What you do is just a warm-up :) Now, it's the real bosses' turn :) Each pupil comes up, acts like a boss and gives orders to his/her friends and they do whatever s/he wants them to do :)

         I've twenty students. So, it took us nearly an hour to get to the end. However, they never got bored or tired. (To be honest I did after a long tiring day :) )
         Teaching verbs is much more funnier in this way. I hope you're gonna like it :)

         See you soon...
         McD...

MI-MI-MI-MI MICROPHONE SHOW

            We have got only one basic rule for this activity: "SHOW MUST GO ON..." under all circumstances :).
             Everyone taking part in the activity should be able to memorize the lyrics of an English song and sing it from the beginning to the end... (Or you can determine the song/s to be sung)
             The instructor chooses the singer who is going to come on the stage. One by one, all the attendants sing their own song, but how?
             The audience (other pupils) take their place in front of the stage. They have the remote control of the singer. As their turn comes, they instruct the one who is singing like "volume up, volume down, fast, slow... etc". You can also use feelings and emotions. Whatever you say or write, the singer has to sing his/her song in that way, non-stop :)
           

             It's a great warm-up idea. We had great time doing it. I hope that it will work with you, too. Have it your way :) Take it easy...

SAVE YOUR SHIP

• Determine a lexical area of vocabulary. (fruits, animals, adjectives, stationery... etc.)
• Prepare a worksheet or a list of words for the students to study on. (visually supported, not in the mother tongue)
• When the pupils feel ready for the game, divide them into groups of four or five.
• Choose a captain and a shooter for each group. (the rest is the crew.)
• Let the pupils to pick a name for their ship.
• Then let the game begin :)  

 Here is how:
The ship that the instructor picks starts first. The captain says the first word (from the vocabulary list they studied beforehand), then the crew one by one till the shooter's turn comes. The shooter says his/her own word and then another ship's name. (All the pupils should say different words from the list). Now the ship chosen by the shooter has the turn and they do the same. If the captain of the ship cannot give a word in two seconds or one of the crew and shooter repeats the same word, their ship sinks and the group loses the game. It goes on until one ship is left and becomes the winner.

Did it work?
Absolutely yes! It's an enjoyable and challenging way of learning and teaching vocabulary... I'm sure you and your pupils are gonna love it!