AMERICAN MYSTERIES
All levels
UNSOLVED BREAKOUT
In this breakout activity, students will discover some of the greatest unsolved mysteries in America. They read about ghost stories, vanished colonies amd cursed islands. They will also try to solve some Mayan mathematics. To solve the different puzzles, students will have to echange and collaborate. I would suggest you seize the opportunity to keep traces of their oral interaction. This activity was created for secondary cycle 2 students but could be used with enriched students at the first cycle.
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TALK DETECTIVES
All levels
C1 Teaching Strategy
Using talk detectives in the ESL classroom is a great way to teach students how to successfully interact orally in English. What are talk detectives you ask? In a nutshell, while students are interacting orally, the appointed talk detectives walk around the classroom and look for specific observable elements in the discussions. Not only does it help students better understand oral interactions, but it creates peer-generated observations for the student portfolio.
These tools can be adapted to use with students as early as Elementary Grade 3 up to Sec 5.
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Do We Need Zoos?
EESL All Levels, Core Cycle 2
Conversation Stations
Are you familiar with STEAM (or STEM) education? It is a problem based learning method that provides students opportunities to learn creatively using Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics. These conversation stations emerged from my interest in knowing more about STEAM education. What’s great about it is that these conversation stations can be used with most secondary students. Advanced learners will deal with the issue in depth while others will deal with the issue on a superficial level. This project can also be used for those of you teaching remotely with students from different levels.
ORAL INTERACTION
Cycle 1
Activities for Video Calls
These ten different oral interaction activities were created for intensive English teachers who wanted to keep their students interacting orally during this social distancing period. Each oral interaction activity comes with an introduction activity and a wrap-up. Although they were created for intensive ESL, teachers could use them with other levels as well. These activities were also thought out to be long-lasting and they will definitely be useful for both Elementary and Secondary teachers once we're all back to our normal lives. Please watch the explanation video before downloading the files.
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THE CASE OF THE MISSING STUDENTS
Cycle 1
Breakout Activity for Cycle 1
A school trip gone bad, missing students, and a ransom note make for a perfect way to foster oral interaction. In teams, students will be invited to solve different puzzles to save the students before the inthinkable happens. While working together to figure out the puzzles, students will explore and learn about the beautiful province of Nova Scotia and its Cabot Trail.
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THE CASE OF THE MISSING DJ
Cycle 2 - Year 3
Breakout Activity for Sec 5
When the ministry's ESL exams are over with in June, it's sometimes challenging to keep the students motivated and engaged. This breakout activity is a fun activity to use in the last classes of the year. Students will try to figure out what happened to the DJ as he's gone missing from the prom. They will have to collaborate and interact orally to solve six different puzzles.
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TECHNO TASK CARDS
Cycle 1 and 2
Using Chromebooks in ESL
Here is a series of thirteen different task cards for ESL students to use with Chromebooks or with a Google for Education account. The different tasks include the creation of an interactive greeting card, the production of a weather report, the invention of a fake Facebook profile for a celebrity, the making of different videos using an online video editing tool and so on. Increase students' motivation and engagement by offering them the choice of a task.
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ROBOTICS IN ESL
Cycle 1 and 2
Using Mbot Rangers in ESL
Learning to program in the ESL classroom is an interesting way to interact orally in English while developing problem-solving skills. This activity was created to introduce Mbots in the secondary ESL classroom. Students will first explore vocabulary related to programming with a front-loading activity. Then, they will experiment with the basics of programming online before programming a real robot.
THE POSTCARD PROJECT
Cycle 1 CORE & EESL
Interactive Postcards
Creating postcards is one of my favorite activities to do with students. It is such a flexible activity and can be adapted to suit almost any theme. This postcard isn't the traditional postcard. Using online tools, students will create an interactive postcard of a randomly assigned country. They will have to do a quick research online to find a video and information to use in their written message. Then, students will add their postcard link on a world map to combine all the class' postcards. This postcard template could also be modified to be used as a C2.
DIGITAL SCAVENGER HUNT
Cycle 1 - CORE & EESL
QR Codes and Christmas Traditions
As an educator, I strongly believe that learning about culture is a key part of learning a language. To me, learning about other countries, landmarks, social habits, cuisine, art, and music can help shape the students' minds and make them better citizens of the world. Here's a little scavenger hunt about different Christmas traditions from around the world. Students will learn about different traditions and celebrations in Argentina, Greece, Kenya, Japan, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, and other countries through reading texts and watching videos they will access by scanning the QR codes. Have fun!
PASSPORT TO VIRTUAL REALITY
Cycle 1 - CORE & EESL
Baby Steps Towards VR
In this project, students will discover various locations around the world by going on six different day trips. While doing so, the students will complete a passport to get country stamps. The length of a day trip varies from 20 minutes to 45 minutes, as each day trip contains an optional writing task. An explicit model is provided for each task. Tasks are also separated in different levels to allow for differentiation. Don’t forget to look for the “Going Beyond” activity for older or stronger learners. Are you a virtual reality newbie? Don't worry! It's perfect for beginners.
GONDOLA RIDE
Cycle 2 Year 1
Descriptive Writing
When you think about it, the main purpose of describing a place or character in a text is to help the reader create an image in their mind. Using descriptive words related to all five senses is a very effective strategy to improve the personalization of a descriptive text. In this lesson, students will learn how to use their five senses to better describe their very first gondola ride. They will experience this Italian landmark through virtual reality.
MYSTERY SKYPE
Cycle 1 EESL & CORE
Authentic Interactions
The main objective is to have students from intensive ESL classrooms interact orally in English with students from other regions. Another educational aim of this project is to broaden the students’ horizons about the different cultures of the world. In traditional Mystery Skype events, two classrooms interact together and ask questions to one another until the students guess in which city of the world the other class is located. The students are engaged and the situation is definitely authentic.
NETFLIXING
Cycle 2 - Year 3 - CORE
Opinion Text
Binge-watching is a fairly new cultural phenomenon. In this lesson, students will first learn about the concept of binge-watching. They will need to collaborate in order to research the topic and take a stand on whether or not the arrival of new television services such as Netflix is harmful for teenagers' health. As a final task, they will have to write an article for an issue of the Parents with Teens magazine. This magazine is mostly read by parents of children of all ages but especially teenagers.
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CRUNCHY CRITTERS
Cycle 2 Year 1
Engaging Students Through Yukiness!
Entomophagy, the practice of eating insects, is the avenue chosen to hook students to this gruesome learning and evaluation situation. A definite cultural taboo in the Western world, the use of insects as food has been acknowledged by many as a solution to the rising cost of animal protein and other related issues. In this LES, students will learn about entomophagy by watching Can Eating Insects Save the World, a documentary by the BBC. Different activities will also guide them to their final task, the writing of a business plan to promote entomophagy.
RED CARPET
Cycle 1 Year 2 - EESL
Book Reports 2.0
Are you looking for a new way for students to explore and reinvest information from texts? Are you tired of old -fashioned book reports? This project is for you! This project can be done with an online short story (EPIC for Educators) or a paper version of a story. The students will become movie producers and create a movie trailer for the short story they have read. The students will plan the pictures and videos they'll need for their storyboard and act out the different scenes when necessary. Lights, camera, action!
A DIGITAL WORLD
Cycle 2 - EESL
Digital Citizenship
The topic of digital citizenship is a major topic of discussion nowadays. As teachers, we should heighten awareness towards the norms of appropriate and responsible use of technologies. In this activity, students will get to learn more about their digital profile. They will also discuss different technology-related case studies in regards with digital footprints. Finally, students will create a video trailer to promote the appropriate use of technologies.