Showing posts with label Project. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Project. Show all posts

The Project Issue #41 - For Teachers!!




Four student projects for the ESL/EFL class, to use or adapt according to level, contents, or any other variables. I made these for my teen courses, from pre-intermediate to advanced.



THE SONG PROJECT
        
THE READER PROJECT
        
THE ADOPT A CITY PROJECT

THE LIBRARY HUNT PROJECT

THE SONG PROJECT



Student Project

 
Songs are heard on the radio, on television, everywhere. 
The words or lyrics are often poetry of a special kind. 
They may be rhymed or unrhymed, serious or amusing, 
and often, written to inform about social conditions, 
personal situations or emotions.


WHAT


You will :    
...analyze or look closely at the lyrics of a song of your choice.

...complete the worksheet, and submit it to your teacher on/before the deadline.

...present the song to the class.

LANGUAGE NOTES

Native speakers often make grammatical errors, but are unaware of them.  DON'T is regularly used instead of DOESN'T

This can occur for one or both of the following reasons:
Þ     poor education
Þ     regional variation

Some songs contain slang that not even native speakers know.

HOW

-Team up with a classmate or work alone.
-Choose a song you like.
-Find a copy of the lyrics online. Try www.lyricsondemand.com or other sites.
-Read the lyrics first and try to understand them. You don’t have to translate the lyrics word by word, just try to find out what the song is all about.
-Look up the meaning of words or phrases in a dictionary. Pick some words or phrases from the song that you would like to learn.
-Complete the worksheet
-Get your chosen song in a pendrive, CD or let your teacher know which song you have chosen.
-Bring the lyrics with you, and present the song to the class and all you have learned about it.

TIP :   As a student you should learn at least  8 to 10 new words a week.
Songs are a good way to do it.

SONG ANALYSIS WORKSHEET
  1. Title, author and date of song:
  2. What is the mood or genre of the music? 
  3. Is there a message or emotion the song is trying to convey? If so, what?
  4. Are there any words or phrases that need specific interpretation? If so, identify and define them.
  5. What are some of the strong words used to convey the message of this song? (Look for verbs and adjectives with the nouns they modify.)
  6. Do the lyrics have any “secret message” or symbolic meaning? If so, what?
  7. Is there any historical event portrayed in this song?
  8. If you could choose another title for this song, what would it be?
  9. Do you agree with the writer? Why or why not?




 Make sure the contents are appropiate!!!!   Deadline: _______________________

THE READER PROJECT



 STUDENT PROJECT

It’s all true! Reading takes time... But when you study a language, reading  is sort of important.  The easiest way to learn to love to read is reading for pleasure. This is different from the reading you do for study. When you read for pleasure, you choose the book that you read and you will not be tested about it. All you have to do is enjoy the book!

Guidelines for Choosing a Pleasure Reading Book
  1. Go to the Easy-Reading section at the library. Choose a book for INTERMEDIATE level, which interests you*.
  2. Preview a book to help you decide if you want to read it.
  3. Choose a book which is not too easy or too difficult.
  4. Remember, you are reading for pleasure!
  5. Avoid reading a book if you have already seen the movie, and do not choose a book that you have already read in a different language.
  6. Plan your reading:  read a certain number of pages or for a certain amount of time every day or whenever you have some free time. Divide the book into sections and decide by when each section must be read. 
  7. After you finish a book, fill in a book response sheet.
*You may read your book in the original but the intention of this assignment is to become fluent in English reading, and to have an enjoyable reading experience. A simplified version will help you do that.

Book Response Sheet

Title of Book : ____________________________
Author: ___________________________
Publisher: _______________  Date Published: _______
Number of Pages: _____    Types of Book:  Fiction  -  Nonfiction
Why did you choose this book?
What did you like best about this book?
What did you like least about this book?
Level of difficulty for you: _____ Easy _____ OK _____ Difficult


THE ADOPT A CITY PROJECT


STUDENT PROJECT

 Language is the mirror of culture. It reflects life conditions, events, experiences,  way of life,  traditions, habits and geography.  The more you know about a place where that language is spoken  the more prepared you will be for understanding references, humor, and context of many kinds.   The US has fifty states and a federal district and at present the number of towns and cities is estimated in over 30,000.



WHAT 
-Make an A4 poster or factsheet with visuals and data of your city.

-Include all the different information you can find. 
-Share your poster or factsheet with the class.

TIP :   Dig in and find information that YOU consider interesting

HOW
-Choose a city in the United States that sounds attractive to you.

-Look for data and visuals in encyclopedias, the internet, and library books.

-Include information about location, tourist attractions, history, monuments, industry, population, immigration, food, celebrities, etc. Look for interesting facts to add color to your project.

 -Synthesize the information you've gathered into a comprehensive, logical report. Check your spelling.

- Make a poster, collage or factsheet in one A4 paper, copy pasting, drawing, writing, etc. Bring a copy share it with your classmates.

HAPPY EXPLORATION!

THE LIBRARY HUNT PROJECT

Adapt activity according to library selection, class level or any other variables.

STUDENT PROJECT




In an age where technology rules, it’s easy for books to lose popularity. Remember they  entertain, inspire, make you laugh, or just take you away from your own world for a while.  That’s the magic of books! Look what you can find at our library


LIBRARY SCAVENGER HUNT 
RULES: 1. the task is INDIVIDUAL!  2. Keep silence inside the library 3. Solve all the 6 CLUES  4.The winning hunter will be whoever completes all clues in a correct way first.

1)        Match the book to its author, and write the reference code for each book. For example: “COL” or “SMI 120”

Nicholas Sparks -  Ursula Le Guin – Mark Twain -



TITLE
AUTHOR
REFERENCE CODE
Tom Sawyer              


The Notebook          


A Wizard of Earthsea    




2)        Find a book by Ray Bradbury where you can meet the mysterious Mr. Moonshroud, who leads eight boys on a journey back through the centuries to discover the real meaning of Halloween. 

_____________________________________________

3)        Go to the easy-reading section at the library and find 3 books for young adults, intermediate level:  

1._________________________________________
2._________________________________________
3._________________________________________

4)        Can you find any Harry Potter’s books at the library?   YES / NO

5)        Write the names of 3 Stephen King titles and their dates of publication.

1._________________________________________
2._________________________________________
                       3._________________________________________

6)        Find a book about...


a musician or band

a biography or autobiography

a specialized dictionary