READING SKILLS: THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA

 

“The princess and the pea” is a famous fairy tale that originated
in Denmark and was first published by Hans Christian Andersen in 1835.
The story revolves around a prince who wants to marry a real princess.
However, he finds it difficult to determine whether the princesses
he encounters are genuine.

One stormy night, a young woman claiming to be
a princess seeks shelter at the prince's castle.
To test her authenticity, the queen decides to place a pea
under twenty mattresses and twenty featherbeds and
offers the princess a place to sleep for the night.
The next morning, the queen asks the princess how she slept.
The princess complains that she experienced great discomfort
during the night and could hardly sleep due to something hard in the bed.
The prince and the queen are convinced that she is
a real princess because only a sensitive princess
would be able to feel a tiny pea through such
a large number of mattresses and featherbeds.
The prince marries the princess, and they live happily ever after.

The story of "The Princess and the Pea" is often seen
as a tale that highlights the importance of sensitivity,
refinement, and delicacy, especially in distinguishing true nobility.
It suggests that physical appearances can be deceiving
and that true royalty lies in the qualities of the heart.

I have done a reading activity about this story with the ICT tool Genially. I hope you like it.

Click below to read the story:

THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA

WEBGRAPHY:

https://www.guiainfantil.com/articulos/ocio/cuentos-infantiles/the-princess-and-the-pea-cuentos-

tradicionales-en-ingles/

https://www.shortstories4kids.com/2020/07/princess-pea-short-story.html

https://app.genial.ly/

FOOD AND DRINKS WITH WORDWALL

 QUIZ GAMES and other webtools in  WORDWALL.NET

Wordwall.net is an online platform that provides tools and resources

for creating interactive educational activities, primarily for teachers and students.

It offers a wide range of customizable templates and games

that can be used for various subjects and grade levels.

Users can create interactive quizzes, word games, matching activities,

and more, using the platform's intuitive interface.

With Wordwall.net, teachers can design engaging learning activities

by incorporating multimedia elements such as images, videos, and audio files.

These activities can be shared with students either by generating

a unique code or by using a direct link.

Students can then access the activities on their devices,

participate in the interactive tasks, and receive immediate feedback.

This website also includes features for tracking student progress

and performance.

Teachers can view and analyze data related to student responses,

allowing them to assess individual or class-wide understanding of the material.

This data can help inform instructional decisions

and identify areas where additional support may be needed.

I love the website wordwall.net as it offers teachers ways

to motivate our students' learning through different types of games.

I have created a quiz game with which students will be able

to work on vocabulary about food and drinks. I hope you like it!

Click below to play

QUIZ GAME: FOOD AND DRINKS

MANIPULATIVE MATERIALS: THE HOUSE

 Hello everyone!

In this post I would like to talk to you about the advantages that manipulative materials offer for learning new vocabulary.

Manipulative materials can be highly beneficial when learning vocabulary for several reasons:

• Manipulative materials engage multiple senses, such as touch and movement, which can enhance the learning experience. By physically interacting with the materials, learners can reinforce their understanding of vocabulary through hands-on experiences. This approach is particularly effective for kinesthetic and tactile learners who benefit from physical engagement.
• They provide a concrete representation of abstract concepts, making vocabulary more accessible and easier to grasp. Instead of relying solely on verbal or written explanations, learners can manipulate objects or visuals that directly represent the vocabulary being learned. This helps in creating a strong mental association between the concept and its representation.
• Some of them, such as flashcards or picture cards, include visual elements that aid in memory retention. The combination of visual and tactile input can strengthen the learning process by providing multiple points of reference for the new words.
• They often provide context or thematic associations that help learners understand and remember vocabulary more effectively. For example, a set of vocabulary cards related to a specific topic, like animals or household objects, allows learners to explore the words within a coherent framework.
• By actively manipulating objects or interacting with visuals, learners become more involved in their own learning and are more likely to stay focused and motivated. This hands-on approach can make vocabulary acquisition more enjoyable and increase learners' overall engagement with the material.
• The use of manipulative materials promotes multisensory learning, which has been shown to enhance memory retention and retrieval.
• They can be customized and adapted to suit individual learners' needs. This flexibility allows for a personalized and tailored approach, ensuring that the materials meet the unique requirements and learning styles of each learner.

In this publication I want to share with you some manipulative materials. You can work vocabulary about the house with these materials  in your classes. 

I hope you like it!

 Download the PDF document here

The house

Introduce yourself in English and four other languages

 INTRODUCE YOURSELF

You can teach your students to introduce themselves 

in English and four other languages with these manipulatives. 

The other four languages are: Latin, French, Spanish and Asturian Language.

In this way your students will learn about other countries and their cultures.

Download the PDF document here: 

Saludos y presentaciones

IMPROVING ORAL SKILLS IN PRIMARY SCHOOL

 

Improving oral skills in primary school can be achieved through a variety of engaging activities that encourage speaking, listening, and effective communication. Here are some activity ideas:

1. Show and tell: Allow students to bring in an object of their choice and describe it to the class. Encourage them to use descriptive words, adjectives, and complete sentences to communicate effectively.

2. Role Play: Assign students different roles or scenarios and have them act out conversations. This could include scenarios like ordering food at a restaurant, going to the doctor, or buying groceries. Role-playing helps develop conversational skills and builds confidence in speaking.

3. Debate or Discussion groups: Assign topics of interest and divide the class into small groups. Encourage students to research, gather information, and engage in debates or discussions. This activity helps develop critical thinking, listening skills, and the ability to express opinions

4. Storytelling circle: Arrange a storytelling circle where each student takes turns sharing a short story or personal experience. Encourage them to use expressive language, proper sequencing, and engage with their audience.

5. News Reporting: Assign students to research and present news articles or current events. They can deliver a short news report in front of the class, summarizing key points and providing their own insights. This activity enhances research skills, speaking fluency, and presentation abilities.

6. Poetry Recitation: Introduce students to different forms of poetry and encourage them to choose a poem to memorize and recite in front of the class. This activity improves pronunciation, rhythm, and public speaking skills.

7. Picture Descriptions: Provide students with various pictures or images and ask them to describe what they see. Encourage them to use descriptive language, express their opinions, and explain their interpretations.

8. Group Story Creation: Divide the class into small groups and assign each group a starting sentence or scenario. Each student adds a sentence to continue the story, and the process continues until a complete story is created. This activity enhances listening skills, collaboration, and storytelling abilities.

9. Interview Activities: Arrange interview sessions where students pair up and take turns interviewing each other. They can prepare a set of questions in advance and practice active listening and responding appropriately.

10. Public Speaking Challenges: Organize periodic public speaking challenges where students have to deliver short speeches on various topics. Provide constructive feedback and encourage students to improve their delivery, clarity, and confidence.

Remember to provide a supportive and encouraging environment throughout these activities. By incorporating these oral skill development activities into your primary school curriculum, students will have ample opportunities to practice and improve their speaking and listening skills.

ANIMALS. Activities to work on listening comprehension and pronunciation.

ANIMALS

Activities to work on listening comprehension: 

For the first three activities I have chosen a Youtube video in which six different

animals are described. 

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jc9eb1p9jxg 

ACTIVITY 1: 

Timing: 15 minutes

Resources: computer, video projector and photocopied worksheets

with the activities, pencils/pens.

In the first activity the students will have to write

in the gaps the words that they are listening in the video.

They will only hear descriptions of three of the six animals.

The teacher won’t show them the video. 

ACTIVITY 2: 

Timing: 10 minutes

Resources: computer, video projector, photocopy worksheets

with the activities and pencils/pens.

Later, in the second exercise the students will have to guess

which animals were described in the first exercise

and they will have to write the animal’s number next to the pictures’ animals. 

For this activity, students will listen again to the descriptions of the first 3 animals.

ACTIVITY 3: 

Timing: 10 minutes

Resources: computer, video projector and questions papers. 

Finally, the third activity consists on watching the full video

and guessing the names of the other three animals.

Furthermore, students will can play at making

the imitations of the animals that appear in the video. 

LISTENING: Can You Guess Which Wild Animals are Hiding?

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jc9eb1p9jxg 

Activity 1: Listen to the audio and complete each gap with a word.

1. I am __________ and _________ .

I live in __________ . 

Who am I?

I’m good at climbing __________.

I like to _______ bamboo.

Who am I?

I am a __________ . 

2. I live in the _________ . 

I have bright ____________ .

Who am I?

I have a large _________. 

I lay white _________ .  

Who am I?

3. I live in the __________ .

My fur is ___________ with black __________ . 

Who am I?

I have big _________ and a long __________ .

Who am I?

Activity 2. Look at the pictures and write which number is each animal.

You have to read the information of exercise 1. 

Activity to work on pronunciation: 

Activity 4: “What’s on my head?”

Timing: 15 minutes

Resources: animals flashcards, elastic headbands and paper sheets with questions. 

Students will play “What’s on my head?” game to practice pronunciation.

Students can be grouped into teams of five.

One of them puts one of the flashcards on his head without seeing the animal’s picture.

The card will be held by the elastic headband.

This student will have to ask his classmates questions

to guess what animal he has on his head.

His classmates will only be able to answer "yes" or "no" to the questions.

The teacher will give a list of questions about animals to the students. 

Activity 4: 

“What’s on my head?” game

QUESTIONS:

Am I big?

Am I small?

Am I green/brown/red/yellow…? (Colours) 

Have I got tail?

Have I got fur?

Have I got feathers?

Have I got stripes?

Have I got spots?

Have I got scales?

Do I live in the sea?

Do I live in the forest?  

Do I live in the jungle?

FLASHCARDS’ EXAMPLES:

BIBLIOGRAPHY: 

Banzo, H. (2018). Programación didáctica 1er curso de educación primaria.

Área de inglés. Colegio Oficial de Doctores y Licenciados en Filosofía y Letras

y en Ciencias de Aragón. Retrieved April, 25 from: 

https://cdl-aragon.es/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Programa_1th.pdf 

British Council (2019). Wild animals flashcards.

Retrieved April, 24, 2023 from:

https://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/print-make/flashcards/wild-animals-flashcards 

Homer ( July, 6, 2015) Can You Guess Which Wild Animals are Hiding?. Youtube.

Retrieved April, 21, 2023 from:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jc9eb1p9jxg  

Navarro, A., Lonch, S. & Díaz, X.C. (2015) Short Oral Activities in class. 

Retrieved April, 22, 2023 from: https://apliense.xtec.cat/arc/sites/default/files/

ShortOralActivitiesinclass_didactic_plan.pdf 

Ramsay, N (2006-2023). Animal flashcards. 

Retrieved April, 24, 2023 from: 

https://esl-kids.com/flashcards/animals.html 

Royal Decree 126/2014 of 28th February, that establishes the curriculum

for Primary Education.