А це мої найменші та наймиліші учні.

Ми до Різдва вже готові!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

      Christmas in different countries

Often hailed “the most wonderful time of the year,” Christmas is a season of unity. This doesn’t just extend to family; Christmas is one of those rare occasions which truly unites people world-wide.

Universally recognised, it is an event which language, and international borders, bringing people together through Christmas games, presents, food, and traditions. What is fascinating is the different ways in which we see Christmas around the world.

1.   England

English Christmas traditions in England begin early in December, and are preceded by the very English complaining that the holiday starts earlier every year.

Advent calendars and candles count down the days to Christmas Eve, trees are dressed and houses decorated, and on the 24th, Father Christmas visits down chimneys to leave presents for children on the ‘Good’ list.

Children will leave out snacks for him and his reindeer – traditionally a mince pie and biscuit, washed down with beer and whisky. Church plays an important role, with Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, and a service on Christmas morning.

Dinner is the next priority, with turkey traditionally the centrepiece, next to the equally important roast potatoes, veg, gravy, stuffing and, most importantly, Yorkshire puddings. This is usually followed by the Queens Speech at 3pm, along with games, fun, and usually some snoozing!

2.   Malta

As Malta has a large Catholic population, the tradition of Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve is popular.

Churches will be filled with lights and nativity cribs (or Presepiu), and decorated with important figures.

Christmas night will be celebrated by placing a figure of Jesus on the main altar, to act as a central focus for the event, and this tradition continues with three Magi figures being placed in the crib at Epiphany.

Many enjoy the run up to Christmas by visiting local Presepiu, and carol singers can be found everywhere.

The Maltese will also enjoy a traditional Christmas lunch, famous for the sheer amount of food! Consisting of the largest capon, which has been roasted at the local bakery with vegetables and potatoes, followed by the Treacle Ring and washed down with a delicious hot Chestnut and Chocolate beverage, the dinner is a wonderful time to spend with family and indulge!

3.   France

The French have their own unique Christmas traditions; the main Christmas meal, Réveillon, is eaten on Christmas Eve, following the midnight Church service, and usually includes turkey stuffed with chestnuts, goose, oysters and foie grad.This is also when families will exchange gifts, though they may also be given on December 6th, the feast of St Nicholas, or January 6th for those who can wait that long; the Feast of the Kings, meaning that French Christmas’s keep the magic alive for a while!

Leading up to Christmas, children will write letters to Pére Noel, and it has been French law since 1962 that all letters must receive a postcard in reply!

In return, they will leave shoes by the fire, in the hope that he will fill them with presents and sweets, in a contrast to the stockings found elsewhere.

Cribs and crèches are also part of the Christmas build up, and comprise not only of biblical figures, but bakers, merchants and other random characters!

4.   Spain

Spanish Christmas traditions are focused closely on religion, with most people attending ‘La Mis Del Gallo,’ – The Mass of the Rooster.

This is based on a belief that a rooster crowed on the night of Jesus’s birth! On Christmas Eve, families will sit down to ‘Pavo Trufado de Navidad,’ a traditional Christmas dinner consisting of turkey stuffed with mushroom truffles.

The celebrations continue as people celebrate in the streets with guitars, drums and singing. A favourite phrase on this evening is ‘Esta noche es Noche-Buena, Y no Es noche de dormir’ – “Tonight is a good night and it is not for sleeping!”

Following Christmas, the Christmas Story occurs on Epiphany (January 6th), which celebrates the Three Wise Men bringing gifts to the baby Jesus.

This is the day on which stockings and shoes are left out, presents are exchanged, and a traditional ‘Christmas Day’ is celebrated, with more good food, fun, and coal for naughty children!

5.   Japan

Japanese Christmas traditions are very unique.

Still not seen as a religious holiday, there is more of a focus on spreading happiness, and Christmas Eve, is seen as a romantic day for young couples to exchange gifts and tokens, look at the Christmas lights, and eat a romantic meal; unlike many countries, the Japanese pick fried chicken as their Christmas dinner!

There is a gift giver, which translates as ‘Mr Santa’, but the focus is Hoteiosho, a figure more closely associated with Buddhism. While the Japanese Christmas may be unusual, their New Year is closer to a Western Christmas, with a focus on family, prayer, greeting cards, and special meals.

     Take a deep breath before you go in, and try                     to enjoy it. Good luck!              

Before going into your first class with a new group you may feel a little nervous. It can be quite daunting to stand up in front of people if you are not used to doing so.

Even experienced teachers often feel nervous on day one with a new group and many claim that the adrenaline actually helps the class go well. So, don’t panic if you feel a few butterflies in your stomach.

There are several things you can do to help make the first day less daunting and ensure that the class goes smoothly. Firstly, be clear of your objectives.

• Usually these will include:
  
  • Getting to know the students’ names
  • Letting the students get to know you and you them
  • Assessing the level of English of the class

• If you come out of the first class and you can remember a few of the students’ names, a bit of information about some of them and you have some sort of idea about their level of English, you have done well! Don’t be too ambitious with your first lesson plan. Keep it simple and achievable.
• If you have the chance, find out as much about the students as you can beforehand. Ask other teachers about them and they may be able to guide you as to their level and which individual students may need special attention.
• Try to make a good first impression on day one. Wear your smartest clothes and look professional! Don’t overdo it, and make sure you are comfortable, but first impressions do count. A confident smile as you go into your first class will help to create a good atmosphere in the room.
• Keep your plan for day one very simple and make sure you are comfortable with the activities you have planned. Write them out in your own words on a sheet of paper so that you can refer to it if your mind goes blank. Here are some ideas for first class activities that can be used with all levels and age groups. They should help you to achieve the three objectives listed above.

Learning NamesIt’s vital to learn your students’ names as soon as you can. Invest time at the beginning of the course to learn them and make a conscious effort to do so. It is so much easier to create a good relationship with the class and call on students to answer questions when you know their names.

• Labels or name tags
  Take sticky labels to the first class and ask students to write their names on and wear the stickers. Wear one yourself to make them feel comfortable about them. Alternatively students can make name tags on squares of card to fold in half to put on the desks in front of them. The advantage of tags is that if you have a big group you can ask them to put them out in the first few classes until you know everyone’s names.

• Concentration
  Move the chairs into a closed circle and sit in the circle with your students. First, teach the hand actions of lap (both hands to lap), clap, left click, right click. When they get the hang of it, add these words in time to the rhythm “Concentration, concentration, concentration now beginning, are you ready? If so, let’s go!” On the first finger click, you say your name, and on the second click you say the name of someone in the circle. You have passed the turn to the person you nominated on your second finger click. Then they say their own name on the first click and the name of another student on the second. Start by going round in a circle, then bounce the names around.

• Add an adjective
  After an initial introduction, tell students you want to try to learn their names. Introduce yourself by saying, “my name’s Jo and I’m Jealous”. (Replace Jo with your name and an jealous with an adjective which has the same first letter) Emphasise the fact that your adjective starts with same letter as your name by stressing the pronunciation of both the sounds. Invite the students to introduce themselves in the same way. This activity can really help you to get to know the names quickly. You may find though that the adjectives stick in your mind better than the names!

Getting to know each otherYour students will probably be eager to find out information about you. It’s also important for you to find out about them so you can tailor make your future classes to suit them better. For example, if you find out you have several fans of the same pop group in your class you may decide to use a song by the group in a future class. If you have a group of football fans you will be able to tap into this interest at a later point in the course.

Here are two very simple activities to do this.

• Personal Star
  Draw a star on the board and inside it put 5 or 6 answers to questions about you. (My answers are Blue, Oliver, November 22nd, 1974, Brazil, Cornwall, and111.)
  
  Tell students that the star contains information about you. Ask them, “What are the questions?” If they don’t get the idea give an example. Tell them “My favourite colour is blue. What question do you need to ask to find out this information?” Elicit from them, “What’s your favourite colour?” and cross out the word ‘blue’ from the star. They should be able to ask you questions to eliminate the rest of the clues. They may be tempted to ask “Who’s Oliver?” for example. Encourage them to ask the question properly before crossing off the information. If your students struggle with this, you may decide to focus on question forms at a later date.
  
  When they have asked you all the questions, put the students in pairs. Ask them to draw their own personal star and put 5 pieces of information about themselves inside. In pairs they can ask each other questions to find out about their partner. If your students already know each other well encourage them to put different things that their partner won’t know about them. For example, they may put the name of a pet or a favourite actor. When they have all finished, ask them as a group to tell the others what they have found out about their partner.

• True or False?
  Write 3 statements about yourself on the board, 2 true ones and 1 false one. Grade the statements depending on the level of the class. For beginners I put:
  
  • I practice yoga three times a week
  • I have two sisters
  • My favourite singer is Dido
    (all in present simple)
  • For a more advanced level you may put:
  • I have ridden an elephant
  • I once did a bungee jump
  • I hate waiting in queues
    (a mixture of tenses)

• Ask students to guess which one is false. They could have a class vote to see if they can guess. They will then probably ask you to elaborate on the information received. Then, ask the students to do the same and write 3 sentences about themselves. In small groups or as a whole group students read out their sentences and the others guess the false one.

By this stage in the class you may have some sort of idea of the level of the group. It can be a good idea to ask the students to do a piece of writing for you early on in the course so you can find common mistakes to work on in future classes. One way to do this is to write a letter (or postcard, or e-mail) to your class introducing yourself. Then, ask them to reply to you with information about themselves. You will be able to find out more about the individual students. You could ask them to include information about the areas they find easy or difficult in English and the areas they would like to try to improve in your classes.

I hope this has given you some ideas for your first class.
Take a deep breath before you go in, and try to enjoy it. Good luck!

By Jo Budden
First published 2008

  У 2019 році реєстрація для участі в ЗНО розпочнеться

                                      5 лютого

Наказом Міністерства освіти і науки України від 28 вересня 2018 року № 1036 затверджено календарний план підготовки та проведення зовнішнього незалежного оцінювання 2019 року.

Відповідно до наказу реєстрація осіб для участі у зовнішньому незалежному оцінюванні триватиме з 5 лютого до 25 березня 2019 року. Керівники закладів освіти зможуть зареєструвати учнів (слухачів, студентів) для проходження ДПА у формі ЗНО до 18 березня 2019 року.

Звертаємо увагу на те, що додаткового періоду для перереєстрації учасників зовнішнього незалежного оцінювання 2019 року не передбачено. Тож змінювати реєстраційні дані можна буде тільки до 25 березня 2019 року.

До 30 квітня 2019 року зареєстровані учасники зможуть завантажити зі своїх інформаційних сторінок запрошення-перепустки, де буде зазначено час і місце проведення тестувань.

Основна сесія зовнішнього незалежного оцінювання почнеться 21 травня тестуванням з математики і завершиться 13 червня тестуванням з хімії. Тестування з української мови і літератури відбудеться 23 травня, з іспанської, німецької, французької мов — 27 травня, з англійської мови — 28 травня, з фізики — 30 травня, з історії України — 4 червня, з біології — 6 червня, з географії — 11 червня.

Інформацію про результати основної сесії зовнішнього незалежного оцінювання з усіх навчальних предметів буде розміщено на інформаційних сторінках учасників тестування до 25 червня 2019 року. Результати зовнішнього незалежного оцінювання з математики, української мови і літератури та фізики буде оголошено до 14 червня, з іноземних мов та біології — до 20 червня, з історії України, географії, хімії — до 25 червня.

Реєстрація для участі в додатковій сесії зовнішнього незалежного оцінювання окремих категорій осіб, які не мали змоги зареєструватися в основний період (зокрема, учасники антитерористичної операції, особи з окупованого Криму та непідконтрольних Україні територій Донбасу), триватиме  з третього до 20-го травня 2019 року. Графік проведення додаткової сесії зовнішнього незалежного оцінювання буде оприлюднено до 30 квітня 2019 року. Результати зовнішнього незалежного оцінювання учасники додаткової сесії отримають до 18 липня.

Цікавою та енергійною вийшла наша співпраця

Проектна робота – вид роботи (переважно в групах), метою якої є підготовка кінцевого продукту англійською мовою – альбому, подання інформації тощо. Мета цього виду роботи – дати учню можливість виконати незалежну роботу, побудовану на знанні мови та уміннях і навичках, здобутих упродовж певного періоду вивчення теми. Проектні роботи ідеальні для різнорівневих груп, оскільки кожне завдання може бути виконане учнями, що мають різний рівень підготовки. У процесі проектної діяльності учні реально спілкуються між собою і з навколишнім світом англійською мовою.

Семінар вчителів англійської мови у Львові 

Навряд чи хто стане сперечатися з тим, що робота у школі - багатогранна, неосяжна й енергозатратна. Хто ж у школі може бути нашими помічниками? По-перше, це - наші колеги, інші вчителі, але, на жаль,  часто виходить так, що вчителі, працюючи в одному педагогічному колективі, по суті абсолютно ізольовані один від одного. Наприклад, кожен учитель іноземної мови дає для СВОЇХ мовних груп СВОЇ теми, СВОЇ граматичні контрольні й усілякі тести. Уявляєте, скільки роботи треба виконати кожному вчителеві? 

Тому ,такі семінари дають змогу не тільки відпочити,а й обмінятися досвідом та ,просто,поспілкуватись.