Halloween Time

 (proceed to read with ghostly voice ) The Spookyest night of all, when the ghost walks among us and vampires and witches take the city ...  However, the most scary question is... WHAT TO DO WITH MY STUDENTS?!?!?

Halloween for children. 

- Hanged Halloween: PRINTABLE, orange cardboard, scissors, glue,  thread and of course colour pencils.
After practising basic Halloween vocabulary: Ghost, spider, black cat, pumpkin... My youngest children get to colour in one of them and glue it to a piece of orange cardboard. They need to ask for it in English 'I want a cat' (of course, sometimes I only get ' cat, please' haha)

TIP: if they are too young, cut them before giving them to the children so they only have to colour and glue it. 

      : if they are a bit older you can try getting them to write the name of what they're doing. 

 - Foot Ghost: All you need is a piece of white paper, pencil colours, scissors and the child foot!

Trace the foot and once they've finished, cut it. We will do a face where the ankle was, children can draw the face or - if they are old enough  - wiggle eyes. Do as much as you need to decorate the classroom. 

- Handy Spiders: Basic material, white paper, colour pencils, scissors and two hands. 

Trace the hands in the piece of paper. They are going to need help as they need to do both hands, I let my students to pair and they help each other or if I happen to have an older child, then he is in charge of helping the little ones. 

TIP: Colour the hands before cut it them, otherwise the might break the fingers and then... drama. 

When the have it all coloured and cut, glue the hands trying to form a 'V' with the thumbs - that would be spider mouth-. Draw/Glue eyes.

Finally, my favourite! Ghostly glass!

You need: A plastic glass, white crepe paper, wiggle eyes, glue, scissors and thread.
Optional: paper circles to practice letters and glue them at the end of each crepe paper strip.

With my young learners, I use three circles where they should write 'Boo'. Children love doing this because they get to glue things together and it can get messy.

Older kids, five circles to spell the word 'Ghost'.

And last but not least: Halloween Trivia! meant for teens and adults. I love trivia games basically because I consider them a superb way to practice vocabulary while playing and relaxing at the end of the lesson.

Five categories which provide around 15 minutes of game. I divide the class in teams and they have to get at least two points of each category. Adults play in pairs and they need to get two points of each categoty.

I hope you find this games/activities useful and that you have a Spooky week!

B.P

Forthnight Game. Clue!

Happy Wednesday!

To start off the month I bring you some mistery, it's the classic game: Clue.                                     

Of course, I haven't invented the game but I've gathered all the essential for you. In addition to a new way of playing, to make it more 'classroom friendly'. First step: Get ride of the dide. 

Second step:  DownloadGame_Clue

I normally use this game as a way to practice the right questions/answer dynamic because sometimes students don't go further than the yes o no answer and as teachers we know the importance of a full short answer. 

So, I don't use a dide, I simply give to the students at least one card of each, until there are none left. And one of the brown long papers where they take notes. 

When I'm playinh with A2/low B1, each student need to think of a question  when it's their turn and if someone has a card which proves them wrong, he or she shows the card ONLY to the student who have done the premise.

If I am playing with higher leves, we add could/should + present perfect. As every two rounds of questions, they need to elaborate a theory of who, with what and where.

Also, I enjoy a bit of theatre and before we start I play the theme song of Murder She wrote haha. 

Hope you enjoy the game as much as my students do, 

Lots of icing, 

B.P. 

Back to work!

Hello again my fellow Puddings!

I really hope you have had a relaxed summer and that you have a whale of a time. My summer has gone way too fast in between canvas, oil paintins, English grammar books and of course some 'tapas' and lots of ice-cream.

So, let's get down to business and start this school year full of beans and with out batteries charged.

To start the month I decided to go with a fun idiom: Have a whale of a time. 

The idiom has been created with a little help of the student slang at the end of the nineteenth century, as 'whale' was used in reference to someone exceptionally strong or brilliant. 'He's a whale at soccer.' 'She's a whale in English.' And so, a whale of a time, means a great time in large quantities (let's not forget whales are rather big animals). Of course, you might have curiosity about how whale got to mean great, there's more info here, but the recent meaning of the idiom is certainly not too old.

Also, I've learnt that sometimes my students are more keen on knowning differents uses for the same expression, so this year we will be doing a bit of both: origin and usage. 

Have a nice beginning of the course! 

See you around, 

B.P 

Monday idiom. Have a blast!

Finally my beloved Pudding we've reached the end of the School year, now we can all enjoy a lovely summer and ...

This awesome expression has a certainly blurry and unknown past which it's not written anywhere. What I can tell you is that this expression has a synonym; Have a ball! and they both mean to have a great time.  

So, see you with more expressions, games and activities when we all get back from a well-deserved holiday!  

Have a blast fellows! 

B.P 

Monday idiom: Hit the books.

My deary Puddings,

It's that time of the year when our students have to hit the books and prove their knowledge. Also, it's that time when we have to be more supportive and understanding, we all know that being too nervous can really make things go wrong.

Sadly, it doesn't mean that students get to literally hit or kick the books out of frustration. But there are a few, rather fun, origins for this idiom and I've decided to choose the one most interesting/fun for me. 

We know that 'Hit' as a verb has different meanings, one of them is: to Star or begin. Some people said it could have been originated after the idiom: Hit the trail, which cowboys used when starting out on a journey. Why did I think that's fun? Because they haven't said how trail became books. 

So, I created my own origin. I think this idiom is such because when you have to study during college, books are heavy and often hard and so when you open it on the table you're hitting the table with it. Therefore you hit the books (technically you hit the table with a book but let's not get to technical).

Good luck on your exams!!

B.P

Monday idiom. Once in a blue moon.

Hello Puddings! 

Holidays are just around the corner and we all need a big last effort to enjoy a well-deserved lazy summer.

When I'm on holidays I enjoy a good cup of tea and a mystery novel. Once in a blue moon, I'm very lucky and there's a summer storm which creates the perfect atmosphere. 

Also, summer is the time to meet friends and maybe a trip to the beach. I am normally late, however, in summer I'm late once in a blue moon because I have lots of free time.  

"Once in a blue moon I listen to folk music,"

"I go to the cinema once in a blue moon."

Although a literal 'blue moon' (light blue, do not expect a bright colour) may occur due to specific atmospheric conditions: volcanic eruptions or large fires leave particles in the atmosphere which could colour the moon, the phrase has nothing to do with the actual colour. 

Every two or three years, a year has 13 full moons instead of 12, that extra moon is know as 'blue moon'. Nonetheless, the moon wasn't always blue. 

Back to Mediaeval England, we can find the first known use of the expression in an anti-clerical pamphlet published in 1528. One of the characters does a sarcastic reference saying "Yf the say the mone is belewe* we must beleve that it is true".  'Belewe' is an Old English word which had two separate meanings. One of them was 'blue' and the other one was 'betrayer'.

So, it seems that later on in time and owing to the rarity of an extra moon, 'Blue moon' is used colloquially to mean a rare event. 

Good luck with your marks and make your once-in-a-blue-moon activities into habits now that you will have the time. 

Cheerio,

BP

*I also found the term: Blewe. 

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Info: www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2013/06/the-origin-of-the-phrase-once-in-a-blue-moon                 

       www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/once-in-a-blue-moon.html

       https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_moon#Origin_of_the_term

Fortnight Games. Speaking activity. Blast from the past.

Hello Puddings! 

How is your week going? are you ready for a new game? 

It's well-known we respond better to grammar if its contained inside of a game and in this fortnight game I would like to show you: Blast from the Past! 

Blast from the past is an excellent way to revise the past tenses, also, it's very easy. The dynamic is either in teams or individually if it's a small group. Each student has to pick a card and to speak about that topic for a certain amount of time to win a point for their team/or themselves. 

I normally adapted to their level: 

 - A2 - 30 seconds, 

 - B1 - 45/60 seconds - Depending on time, number of students. 

 - B2 - They need to go over 60 seconds to score. 

My B2 students really enjoy and it's also a fun way to prepare them for the speaking exam -Trinity, Cambridge, or any of them-.  Click on the name to download Blast from the past

Enjoy! 

BP. 

Monday idiom. By the skin of my teeth

Hello Puddings! 

This Monday I almost didn't post anything however I did it by the skin of my teeth. It has being a busy month and with the exams just around the corner my time is running rather short, however this Monday I manage to keep my appointment with you and our idioms! 

"She got in the train by the skin of her teeth."

"We made it for the deadline by the skin of our teeth"

I'm sure you've guessed its meaning by now but just in case: By the skin of someone teeth means 'just in time' or 'just barely'. We all know teeth don't have skin and so the idiom refers to such lack.

 It was first written in the Geneva Bible, 1560, Job 19:20 - literal translation of the original Hebrew - "I haue escaped with the skinne of my tethe"(1). A pious man, King James Version, tested by the god, lost family, friends, money and even health. Nonetheless, at the end he still kept his faith, and he was supposed to say: "My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth"(2).

Despite its biblical origins it simply means 'Just barely' nowadays.

Have a jolly week and get everything done not by the skin of your teeth!

BP

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(1) http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/83000.html

(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skin_of_my_teeth

Fortnight Games. Personality Adjectives Taboo.

Hello everyone!

Today I bring you a must have game in every teacher's folder. Maybe one of the most loved games (among with Hangman - which is a Must game to review vocabulary-) could be Taboo. From young learners to adults, Taboo, is an excellent way to improve their speaking skills. Also, this version of Taboo would help them to reassure their knowledge.

Taboo Preview

The idea of this Taboo is explaining the word on top of the card without using the adjectives below. It is a different concept from the common taboo because I believe they are more receptive to increase their vocabulary when they are playing. So, by showing them synonyms students start to remember different ways to say a word. In addition, I found that when they play normal taboo some students tend to block and start to fell too self-conscious  to talk. 

There's another possibility for this cards. After a few days of playing with them, students can play in reverse, which means only saying the three adjectives below the team needs to guess the Main adjective. It has had good results because when they play common taboo they read the adjectives and allow themselves to remember maybe one or two from the list, so the new adjectives become part of their back-up list of vocabulary. 

Here is the link for the first set of cards:Download Personality Adjectives Taboo.

Enjoy and have a fun learning!! 

BP 

Monday idiom. Know something by heart.

Hello all again!

Ready for today's idiom? Its origin is quite uncertain however it should be part of every student set of idioms. 

'I know Shakespeare poems by heart'. 

'He's learnt many equations by heart'. 

For Spanish people it would be easy to understand if we say 'know something from memory' as they will translate it.  Also, you could say its meaning is very similar to 'Learn by heart' and I guess they share an origin. 

For the ancient Greeks the heart was the most noticeable internal organ and so for them it was the seat of memory and intelligence. This belief was passed down through the ages and became the basis for the English expressions 'Learn by heart' and 'Know by heart'. 

Again, both idioms origin is uncertain however it's always good to relate them with a story the students can remember. 

Cheerio and have a jolly week! 

BP

Monday idiom. Cry wolf!

Hello!

Let's star the week with a great idiom which also comes with a story.

Once upon a time there was a shepherd boy who was bored of just watching the village sheep. He decided to do something funny to amuse himself, so, he took breath and cried 'Wolf! Wolf! The Wolf is chasing the sheep!' and the villagers came running up the hill to help the boy chase away the wolf. But once they arrived, they found no wolf. The boy was laughing at the sight of their angry faces. 

'Don't cry wolf' if there is NO wolf!' The villagers told the boy off, but he just grinned and laugh. 

He did the same every morning for two days. 

The third day, a real wolf came by and alarmed the boy sang out as loudly as he could 'WOLF! WOLF!' however, no one came. The villagers thought he was fooling them again and so they didn't come.

Later on, everyone wondered why he hadn't returned to the village and they went up the hill to find the boy. He was weeping behind a rock. 'There really was a wolf today' he said. 

As they walked back to the village an old man tried to comfort him saying 'Nobody believes a liar... even when he is telling the truth'. 

So, can you guess the meaning of today's idiom?

That's right! Exagerate, lie or simply ask for help when you don't truly need it. 

If you want to show this idiom to children or you want them to know it by heart, there's a video in youtube telling the story. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKWktweAZb0  Even adults have enjoyed it! 

Have a jolly week! 

BP

Crafts: Mother's Day!

Ahoy!

Mother's day is coming and with it children's excitement for doing something for their beloved mother.
I would like to show you this year handcraft, specially designed for children between 3 and 6 years old. They enjoy tracing letters and it's also good to help them to develop writing skills.

First, there's a Mother's Day Card you can do with some Cupcakes paper molds - I chose hearts printed but actually any print would do just find-. Some fluffy fur balls (you can see what I mean in the pictures above these lines) and the basics: Glue, scissors and cardboard.
Second, there's also a Bookmark which they can trace the letter and decorate as they please. It's very simple but very efficient. My personal recommendation with them if you printed them in just printer paper, you - or children- can stick it in colour cardboard so it's more sturdy and also personalised.

Mother's day bookmark

Mother's day card

Click in the images and save:

   - Mother's day Card.

   - Bookmarks printables.

Monday idiom: At the drop of a hat.

Hello again!

Mondays are for idioms. Idioms are a manner of speaking, not very recommended in formal style writing but students love to guess their meanings and they feel more confident with their English, once they are able to used it properly.

This week:

Do hats fall down slowly or quickly?

Exactly, quickly!. So, that's the meaning of this idiom. Being able to to think or do something without hesitation, instantly. 'She was ready to go at the drop of a hat' or 'you can't just buy a car at the drop of a hat, you need to give it a thought'.

Enjoy your week!

Regards,

BP.

Monday idiom: An arm and a leg.

Hello again!

How was your weekend? I hope you've had a good one and are ready for our Monday idiom!

Today, we have one which is body related even in Spanish, let's see if you can guess its meaning with some examples:

   'This jacket cost me an arm and a leg'

   'Food there doesn't cost an arm and a leg, it's quite affordable'

Any clues? What if I say in Spanish we say 'cost me an eye' or 'cost me a kidney'?

That's right! In English things don't cost eyes, they are expensive as an arm or a leg. There're many stories about its origin, my favorite is the one Art related. It's said that painters used to charge you according to the size of the painting, therefore the cheapest option would be head and shoulders, then including arms and so on, being a full body with legs the most expensive.

More info about its origin at: www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/arm-and-a-leg.html

Until next Monday idiom!

Regards,

BP

Proof's in the pudding

      Hello to everyone! 

As an English teacher I sometimes see my students struggling with some verb tenses, for others the issue is Vocabulary and how to practice it. Learning English shouldn't be a constant challenge and so with this project I'm aiming to share helpful techniques and information to make the process easier. So, let's get down to business.

That is probably one of the most common sentences that my students listen to when they feel lost trying to understand the inner logic in English. What's the meaning of it?

Well, basically it means that you have to try, use or experience something before judging its quality*. For my students, it's the sentence to say 'Don't give up without giving it a go' and so far it's prove itself helpful.

Fun enough, according to The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations is attributed to Cervantes in Don Quixote. Much has been said about it and many say it's a 'loose paraphrase', crucially the Spanish word for pudding: 'Budín', doesn't appear in the text. If you are curious about it check the links below to read more about it. 

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/proof-of-the-pudding.html

http://www.word-detective.com/2008/12/the-proof-is-in-the-pudding/

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*http://dictionary.cambridge.org/es/diccionario/britanico/the-proof-of-the-pudding-is-in-the-eating