So why not teach some phrases that relate to the cold!
Wish I had a class to make a lesson out of these...someday maybe...
http://blog.grammarly.com/post/41436269394/cold-weather-idioms
Friday, January 25, 2013
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Liking Language (English)
I really like this video from Stephen Fry.
I agree with everything he says. He speaks very clearly, I feel I could maybe use this in an advanced English class...ohhhh :)
Anyways enjoy, also if you are a teacher, have you used this video? Or do you have an idea for how to use it? I'm thinking some kind of reading activity, and then watching it after....hmm hmmm
I agree with everything he says. He speaks very clearly, I feel I could maybe use this in an advanced English class...ohhhh :)
Anyways enjoy, also if you are a teacher, have you used this video? Or do you have an idea for how to use it? I'm thinking some kind of reading activity, and then watching it after....hmm hmmm
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Getting an ESL (EFL) job in Germany
Sorry for how long this post took!
Partially I am lazy, and I forgot, and today after deciding I wanted to write this post I couldn't find the new button that blogger had to make posts...anyways here we go.
How I got to Germany:
I took German at university and there is a lovely little program put on by the DAAD where Canadian students who have graduate with a German degree can go to Germany and assistant teach at different high schools in Germany. Other nationalities can also apply, but there are different restrictions (for example the English girls I met on this program did not have to have a finished degree to go to Germany. It all has something to do with the Visas). The program lasts for eight months, you get paid a stipend (read no taxes!), and you only HAVE to work 12 hrs a week. It's pretty sweet, and if you like it, and your school likes you, you can always stay a second year (as I did!). After the second year though, you are on your own!
Other places to look for jobs:
I also worked at a company called inlingua which was good. They have schools all over Germany ( and Europe!), and it's a really easy job. All you really need is to be an English native speaker. Now depending on where you go the school will be more willing to help you get your visa. If you go to a bigger city where there are more English speakers, they could be less inclined to help you, but you never know! There is a German visa for people between 18 and 30 (work and travel), which is pretty easy to get as long as you have a job. A big help at many inlinguas is to have a basic knowledge of German or at least a willingness to learn, a drivers license (they have lessons outside of the school and you get paid more for those!), and some knowledge of business English. Some downsides of inlingua are that you will probably only get hired as a free lancer, and sometimes that can be tricky at the visa office. For some reason if you say you want to work as a free lancer many cities in Germany then want a company that you are working for....which seems strange...Also as a free lancer you won't be guaranteed hours (though this was never a problem I usually had to turn hours down!) and you won't get any health insurance. Health insurance in Germany is pretty pricey, but it depends on how often you feel you will need a doctor... inlingua will also help train you if you have no experience, they have all the books and tests and example lesson plans for every unit you have to teach. So it's definitely good if you have never taught, and no one comes and watches your lessons so if you are more experiences you get a chance to use your own stuff :) Just keep your students happy and no problems will be had!
There is also Berlitz and Wall Street English. Berlitz is supposed to be similar to inlingua. Wall Street only hires full time contract, so for visas they are waay easier. But Wall Street likes it if you already have a visa...tricky!
If you want to work in a German high school as a teacher you have to have two subjects (I'm pretty sure speak German). But every state is different in Germany in NRW they have this program , which a friend of mine used to get into the system. She had History and German, but taught History and English, she also had to do 2 years of half teaching half university courses before she could become a full teacher. But once there she was a gov't employee and it's a pretty good job then!
So yes that's a bit to consider about living in Germany and teaching, pretty much I would recommend going for an inlingua job and then working through the system into a high school or even university level teaching position it's much easier from within Germany.
Hope that was helpful! And thanks for reading!
Here is another blog post about teaching in Germany, and it gives a clearer picture of what it is like to teach at inlingua. http://blog.young-germany.de/2012/04/teaching-english-in-germany-faq/
Partially I am lazy, and I forgot, and today after deciding I wanted to write this post I couldn't find the new button that blogger had to make posts...anyways here we go.
How I got to Germany:
I took German at university and there is a lovely little program put on by the DAAD where Canadian students who have graduate with a German degree can go to Germany and assistant teach at different high schools in Germany. Other nationalities can also apply, but there are different restrictions (for example the English girls I met on this program did not have to have a finished degree to go to Germany. It all has something to do with the Visas). The program lasts for eight months, you get paid a stipend (read no taxes!), and you only HAVE to work 12 hrs a week. It's pretty sweet, and if you like it, and your school likes you, you can always stay a second year (as I did!). After the second year though, you are on your own!
Other places to look for jobs:
I also worked at a company called inlingua which was good. They have schools all over Germany ( and Europe!), and it's a really easy job. All you really need is to be an English native speaker. Now depending on where you go the school will be more willing to help you get your visa. If you go to a bigger city where there are more English speakers, they could be less inclined to help you, but you never know! There is a German visa for people between 18 and 30 (work and travel), which is pretty easy to get as long as you have a job. A big help at many inlinguas is to have a basic knowledge of German or at least a willingness to learn, a drivers license (they have lessons outside of the school and you get paid more for those!), and some knowledge of business English. Some downsides of inlingua are that you will probably only get hired as a free lancer, and sometimes that can be tricky at the visa office. For some reason if you say you want to work as a free lancer many cities in Germany then want a company that you are working for....which seems strange...Also as a free lancer you won't be guaranteed hours (though this was never a problem I usually had to turn hours down!) and you won't get any health insurance. Health insurance in Germany is pretty pricey, but it depends on how often you feel you will need a doctor... inlingua will also help train you if you have no experience, they have all the books and tests and example lesson plans for every unit you have to teach. So it's definitely good if you have never taught, and no one comes and watches your lessons so if you are more experiences you get a chance to use your own stuff :) Just keep your students happy and no problems will be had!
There is also Berlitz and Wall Street English. Berlitz is supposed to be similar to inlingua. Wall Street only hires full time contract, so for visas they are waay easier. But Wall Street likes it if you already have a visa...tricky!
If you want to work in a German high school as a teacher you have to have two subjects (I'm pretty sure speak German). But every state is different in Germany in NRW they have this program , which a friend of mine used to get into the system. She had History and German, but taught History and English, she also had to do 2 years of half teaching half university courses before she could become a full teacher. But once there she was a gov't employee and it's a pretty good job then!
So yes that's a bit to consider about living in Germany and teaching, pretty much I would recommend going for an inlingua job and then working through the system into a high school or even university level teaching position it's much easier from within Germany.
Hope that was helpful! And thanks for reading!
Here is another blog post about teaching in Germany, and it gives a clearer picture of what it is like to teach at inlingua. http://blog.young-germany.de/2012/04/teaching-english-in-germany-faq/
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
More for the book club with gr 9s
We wrote a test today to see if the class actually read the book (Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac).
Here is a copy of the test, I just thought up a couple questions trying to see if they had read AND understood the story...ha!
Here is a copy of the test, I just thought up a couple questions trying to see if they had read AND understood the story...ha!
Memoirs
of a Teenage Amnesiac Test
- Why was Naomi at school during summer (when she fell down the stairs)?a) She was attending summer school.b) She was doing work for the year bookc) She was working on her photography project.d) She was just walking around with her best friend, Will.
- How many years did Naomi forget?a) 1b) 10c) 5d) 4
- Naomi was adopted by her parents Grant and Rosa Porter. TRUE/FALSE
- Who was James Larkin?
a) Naomi's tennis
playing boyfriend who she forgets after falling down a flight of
stairs.
b) Naomi's best
friend and co-editor on the year book.
c) Some guy who
rode in the ambulance with her after the accident.
d) Becomes
Naomi's boyfriend; he is depressed about his brother dying; makes
videos.
5.
Naomi doesn't like Chloe at the end of the book. TRUE/FALSE
6.
Which school subject(s) helps Naomi remember?
a) French
b) Math and Physics
c) Photography
d) Gym
7. Naomi becomes a bridesmaid for
her dad and his new wife. TRUE/FALSE
8.
Name one example of Naomi changing. Explain how she changes.
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
9.
“For
a moment, I would not even realize who I was looking at, and,
instinctively,
I
would turn away.“ Who
says this? Why? What are they talking about?
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
- How did Naomi lose her memory?
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
Thursday, April 12, 2012
English Stack Exchange Question
And the one I asked today about 'I wish' statements...
We shall see if I asked it correctly or if it gets voted off for being useless ; )
http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/63914/difference-between-he-wishes-it-didnt-and-he-wishes-it-wouldnt/63915#63915
We shall see if I asked it correctly or if it gets voted off for being useless ; )
http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/63914/difference-between-he-wishes-it-didnt-and-he-wishes-it-wouldnt/63915#63915
English Stack Exchange Question
I forgot I was posting my English Stack Exchange Questions here!!!
Anyways this is one from awhile back about how to end business emails or letters in English.
http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/55161/whats-the-difference-between-yours-sincerely-and-sincerely-yours
Anyways this is one from awhile back about how to end business emails or letters in English.
http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/55161/whats-the-difference-between-yours-sincerely-and-sincerely-yours
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Song Ideas for Beginner to Intermediate English Learner's
Songs are a great way to learn a language. I don't think that they should be the only method, but every once and while they are good change :).
I've used a song from the Barenaked Ladies (woot Canadian content!) called 7,8,9. It has a bunch of fun word plays (when you joke about something using words; clever use of words), for example seven ate nine. These are great for your intermediate students and even with beginner students working out what these mean as a group is great.
Some ideas for how to use songs:
1) Cut up the lyrics and let the students listen to the song while putting the lyrics in the right order. Helpful tip: Make sure to mix up your lyrics before cutting them up. I've had students just try and line up to my cuts, totally not the point of our exercise!
2) Standard fill in the blanks. An oldie, but a goodie.
3) For intermediate to advanced learner's you can switch some of the words in the song with rhyming words. Depending on their level you can tell them how many switched words there are, or underline the words that have been switched or let them have a go at it in partners. If you are having difficulty finding rhymes I like to use this website http://www.rhymezone.com/.
4) Let them watch the music video of the song and have them guess the story (this only works when there is a music video, unless you a exceptionally skilled in youtube videos). Then read the lyrics together and see who was closest to the real story. Another version of this is to have a set of pictures that relates to the text in the song and let the students listen to the song while they put the pictures in order.
5) Listen to the song and try to sing along with it. This works especially well with young, beginner learners. I haven't tried this with adults yet, but depending on the song I could see it working!
6) I used the BNL song with a group of intermediate students and we just looked at the words and phrases that were unknown to my students and discussed the German equivalents. You could then move the discussion into English idioms (see my post here for some examples). We also talked about cultural differences for example in German cats only have 7 lives while in English they have 9.
Anyways that was a very short list of what you can do with songs in an ESL or EFL classroom.
Here is the video for BNL 7,8,9. You google the lyrics.
I've used a song from the Barenaked Ladies (woot Canadian content!) called 7,8,9. It has a bunch of fun word plays (when you joke about something using words; clever use of words), for example seven ate nine. These are great for your intermediate students and even with beginner students working out what these mean as a group is great.
Some ideas for how to use songs:
1) Cut up the lyrics and let the students listen to the song while putting the lyrics in the right order. Helpful tip: Make sure to mix up your lyrics before cutting them up. I've had students just try and line up to my cuts, totally not the point of our exercise!
2) Standard fill in the blanks. An oldie, but a goodie.
3) For intermediate to advanced learner's you can switch some of the words in the song with rhyming words. Depending on their level you can tell them how many switched words there are, or underline the words that have been switched or let them have a go at it in partners. If you are having difficulty finding rhymes I like to use this website http://www.rhymezone.com/.
4) Let them watch the music video of the song and have them guess the story (this only works when there is a music video, unless you a exceptionally skilled in youtube videos). Then read the lyrics together and see who was closest to the real story. Another version of this is to have a set of pictures that relates to the text in the song and let the students listen to the song while they put the pictures in order.
5) Listen to the song and try to sing along with it. This works especially well with young, beginner learners. I haven't tried this with adults yet, but depending on the song I could see it working!
6) I used the BNL song with a group of intermediate students and we just looked at the words and phrases that were unknown to my students and discussed the German equivalents. You could then move the discussion into English idioms (see my post here for some examples). We also talked about cultural differences for example in German cats only have 7 lives while in English they have 9.
Anyways that was a very short list of what you can do with songs in an ESL or EFL classroom.
Here is the video for BNL 7,8,9. You google the lyrics.
Another good song from BNL is If I had a Million Dollars, great for teaching the 2nd Conditional.
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