COVID-19 Advice for the Public (World Health Organization)-Learn and Reflect
“Pandemics: The Big Picture” από World Economic Forum διατίθεται με άδεια χρήσης CC by-nc-sa-2.0 
STEP 1: Load the following link. Read and/or watch the basic measures that WHO (World Health Organization) proposes to protect yourself and others against the new coronavirus. Use an online dictionary to help you with vocabulary.
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public
STEP 2: Take two online quizzes to check your knowledge on coronavirus.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/03/17/learning/News-Quiz-Coronavirus.html
STEP 3: Answer the following questions.
QUESTIONS: Which basic protective measure from the ones you read in STEP 1 do you find the most difficult to follow? Why? What can you do/have you already done to refine your habits? Is there any tip you can share to help others follow this protective measure? How can this measure help you and the community? How do you spend your day now that we are all staying at home?
Upcycled Wall Art
Start the new school year with some hands-on motivation and upcycling! Old books or newsparer pages can be turned into wall art for students rooms by just applying some water colour or adding inspirational quotes. Get a few ideas below.
www.favecrafts.com Bird-and-Text-Collage-Wall-Art
www.instructables.com How-to-make-upcycled-art-with-old-books
April Fool’s Day In Artistic Lies
This quote by Pablo Picaso is a perfect match to the Day!
Celebrate the annual tradition of April Fools’ Day in a completely different way. Instead of playing practical jokes on each other, explore how “lies” and deception can create art, op art! Op art is short for ‘optical art’. The word optical is used to describe things that relate to how we see. Op art works like an optical Illusion. Artists use shapes, colours and patterns in special ways to create images that look as if they are moving, curving or blurring. When looking at Op art, our brain is deceived into believing a complete lie! The Op art movement was inspired by advances in computing, aerospace, and television in the 60’s.
Find a selection of Op art worksheets below to get creative and talk about shapes, lines and the feelings you receive. A list of descriptive words to critique art may come handy!
Op Art Worksheets at bonlacfoods.com
Op Art Worksheets and Optical Illusions at mindgearlabs.com
Op Art in Steps at tanaallen.weebly.com
Op Art inspired by Vasarely at woojr.com
The Singing Tree: An Interactive Installation
Technology, art and inspiration have combined into a glorious interactive Christmas tree in the halls of the world’s largest museum of decorative arts and design, the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London. Every year, the museum commissions a designer to create a Christmas tree for the Museum’s Grand Entrance. This year, it’s the set designer Es Devlin who has installed a mesmerizing, constantly changing audiovisual Christmas tree, to which you are asked to contribute. You don’t have to be in the city to do so. You can actually do it online! Watch the video below to see how this year’s tree was made, where Es Devlin’s inspiration came from and how people actually transform the tree. For more information visit the relevant page and if you feel like it, contribute your own wish-word to the tree!
https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/christmas-tree-installations
Exam Tips To Improve Fluency And Gain Time
Hesitating for too long during the Speaking Part of any exam is a piece that every candidate wishes and needs to improve. It usually happens when you don’t know what to say after a difficult question for example and it may get worse due to anxiety. This can be overcome with practice and a stock of useful phrases that will really buy time. So, watch the following videos and follow the tips to see how they work with you (They are suitable for every intermediate and above exam, I think!) The first one uses music and rhythm to help you repeat and remember!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7n3OYFGCRno&feature=youtu.be
Back to School Activities and Motivation
photo: pixabay.com
Browsing around for new school year first day ideas, I came upon some activities that would be interesting to try out. I also found some classroom posters that are really cool. So here they are:
1] TeamExercises is a youtube channel full of team games that can be used throughout the school year. You can absolutely find a game to start the day!
2] A first day lesson proposal that uses poetry and can match all levels.
3] Just a reminder for Categories, the classic vocabulary game that most students love playing and can be adapted to match a first day by asking for classroom objects or school subjects or school routine verbs!
4] Free download colourful icebreakers along with suggestions on how to use them.
5] 10 Motivational Posters for Your Classroom to brighten up the space and also generate discussion about classroom rules and moods!
6] Finally, an article on how to be kind to ESL learners!
If crafting sounds as a more appealing first day activity, here’s an older entry with some ideas: last-minute-new-school-year-crafts
Easter Competition Lesson Plan
image from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk7N-Rsv408
This is an idea for an Easter-themed lesson that combines language and computer skills, but mostly fun. The tasks that the students are asked to complete are both practical and intellectual in the form of a competition.
Make A Bunny Napkin-Give Instructions
Easter tables are begging for colourful and cute decoration so follow the video and learn how to fold a napkin into a bunny. Can you give instructions for it? Check yourself further below.
![[Picture+27.png]](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_L-deInbQA9c/SeDNgqLjkwI/AAAAAAAAAzw/9hVA5v5j340/s1600/Picture+27.png)
image from http://www.designdazzle.com/2009/04/bunny-napkins-and-a-beautiful-table-setting/
Hey, Doodle! Are You Talking To Me?
Do you ever find yourself drawing aimlessly, just playing with curves, lines and shapes, creating patterns or figures for just no reason? You probably do and this is called doodling read more (περισσότερα…)
Salad Decoration: Know Your Fruit And Vegetables!
Photo: www.hellowonderful.co/post/8-CREATIVE-WAYS-TO-GET-KIDS-TO-EAT-SALAD
Summer indulges us in fruits and vegetables inspiring nutritious creativity! Either for a party or our personal pleasure, salads can be refreshing not only to our palate but eyes, too. Have a look at this collection of what I think easy and impressive salad decoration ideas along with their instructions.
Photo: www.savvymom.ca/index.php/partysavvy/easter-party/4184/food
Beginner or not, revise and play with some fruit and vegetables vocabulary with the following resources.
photo: www.simplifylivelove.com/easy-summer-fruit-snack/
GAMES
Listening matching game at digitaldialects.com
Fruits Listening Memory Game and Vegetables Listening Memory Game at eslgamesworld.com
Fruits crossword puzzle and Vegetables crossword puzzle at iteslj.org
Choose the kind of word game you like at manythings.org for fruit and vegetables
QUIZZES
Vegetables vocabulary quiz at englishmedialab.com
Comprehension exercises at tolearnenglish.com and a4esl.org
Fruit listening quizzes and Vegetables listening quizzes at 123listening.com
Two Poems About Rain
Rain In Summer
How beautiful is the rain!
After the dust and heat,
In the broad and fiery street,
In the narrow lane,
How beautiful is the rain!
How it clatters along the roofs
Like the tramp of hoofs!
How it gushes and struggles out
From the throat of the overflowing spout!
Across the window-pane
It pours and pours;
And swift and wide,
With a muddy tide,
Like a river down the gutter roars
The rain, the welcome rain!
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)
April Rain Song
Let the rain kiss you.
Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops.
Let the rain sing you a lullaby.
The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk.
The rain makes running pools in the gutter.
The rain plays a little sleep-song on our roof at night –
And I love the rain.
Langston Hughes (1902-1967)
Read the poems. List all the verbs that the poets use for the rain. Describe the images of the rain in each poem. Are there any similes in the poems? Compare the two poems: how are they similar/different? What feelings do you get from them?
You can copy these poems on a template or write your own and create some art. Get inspired!
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