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From Ancient Greek Theatre and Drama to ESL/EFL Classroom: Kick Off with These Resources

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Fully into summer holidays and ancient Greek drama festivals are being held around the country. Watching at least one ancient Greek drama performance has always been in my summer holidays agenda as a natural part of it, since my hometown is close to an ancient Greek theatre with a long festival history.

Walking on the sleekly eroded stones, along with the flow of  spectators, I cannot help but think of a similar procession some two and a half thousand years ago, only not for an evening’s entertainment but for an all day experience. Ancient Greeks came to watch three entire tragedies, followed by a comedy play as this was the scheme for the drama contest taking place.

There is no contest in our days, but it is definetely considered great honor  for directors  and actors as well to have the chance to present their work in one of these theaters. As for the audience, I am sure they share a similar attitude towards the didactic nature of ancient drama with their ancestors. The theatre in ancient Greece was regarded as a place of instruction, an educational institution.

These thoughts triggered my desire to scan the web in connection to esl/efl and here we go:

ANCIENT GREEK THEATRE AND DRAMA

bbc.co.uk           photos, facts, activities, games for children

greece.mrdonn.org        information, clip art for children

youtube.com      tragedy and comedy

theatrefolk.com         who,what, where, when of ancient greek theatre and drama

artsedge city dionysia

artsedge.kennedy-center.org           historical development of theater in Ancient Greece for high school students along with a “Stage your own Tragedy” online application

Δείτε το στο slideshare.net

odysseus.culture.gr            theatres and odeums in Greece

whitman.edu      a virtual reality tour of ancient theatre in Greece

youtube.com     the ancient Greek theatre – the theatre of Epidaurus

greekfestival.gr           Epidaurus festival 2014

 

MAKE ANCIENT GREEK DRAMA MASKS AND COSTUMES

activityvillage.co.uk    mask craft

education.scholastic.co.uk   mask craft

hunkinsexperiments.com    dress up in a Greek chiton

 

LESSON PLANS ON ANCIENT GREEK DRAMA

childdrama.com   a Greek play project

brighthubeducation.com       Greek Theatre history in a fun way

incredibleart.org   art lesson plan: Greek Theatre  Masks

ket.org          characteristics of Greek Theatre                                           logo_atk_2

Role-playing is essential for children. Drama is a wonderful way to introduce language learning , letting kids improvise, assume roles and use the language in an entertaining way. Explore some of the thoughts and research bibliography about the use of drama in the EFL/ESL classroom in Chris Boudreault’s article at iteslj.org and also check Using Different Forms of Drama in the EFL Classroom at hltmag.co.uk 

For a quick brainstorm about the different aspects concerning drama in the classroom go through this presentation:

Δείτε το στο slideshare.net

 

PLAYSCRIPTS, IDEAS AND INFORMATION ON DRAMA AND LANGUAGE LEARNING

freeeslmaterials.com      an extensive list of links

shellyterrell.com              ideas, improvisation games, resources

esldrama weebly

esldrama.weebly.com      play resources

freedrama.net                   free playscripts

childdrama.com                lesson plans 

kidsinco.com                      playscripts

one-act-plays.com           browse this site for one-act playscripts

 

 

“All come true, all burst to light!” Oedipus

So, what can come true on your classroom stage?

Microbeads and Plastic in our Products: A Mega Threat to the Environment

Super-clean, super-smooth, super-white seem to have become a common routine, if not an obsession, for most of us. We meticulously apply our toothpaste and scrub with no second thoughts. However, apart from the damage we may cause to the top layer of our skin, we also cause serious damage to the environment. Why is that? It is because of  microbeads, the tiny polyethylene particles contained in exfoliating products. Furthermore, our synthetic fabric clothes seem to add to the problem because of the microfibers they contain. 

Watch the following videos to see how this is happening. Complete the missing information as you watch.

A)  

  1. Microbeads are found in … and …
  2. Their size is less than … milimetre.
  3. Water treatment plants are not … to filter them out.
  4. Microbeads … organic pollutants in the water and they form toxins.
  5. These toxins are … to the fish.

B) 

 

  1. How serious does this problem seem to you? Why?
  2. What actions can be taken do you think?

Look at these articles for more information:

Microplastics Threaten Marine Life In The Great Lakes

Plastic particle water pollution

Microfibers, Macro problems

ANSWERS

A)

  1. toothpaste/face scrubs
  2. one
  3. equipped
  4. absorb
  5. transferred

 Dedicated to 5th June, World Environment Day and 8th June, World Oceans Day.

Unusual Greek Customs-Project by Grade E

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 The students of Class E1 prepared and displayed their project on “Unusual Greek Customs”. The customs chosen were “The Day of Babo” and “First Weekend of Lent”. It was an excellent activity for the students to investigate, learn new vocabulary, use the Present Simple, collaborate.

Here comes the procedure followed:

  1. introduction of the project topic
  2. assigning the students with the task of finding information in Greek about 2-3 unusual Greek customs
  3. having each student choose one custom and describe it in brief in class
  4. recording each custom on the board
  5. having the students vote for two of the most interesting customs
  6. assigning two different students with the task of writing a brief description of each custom and bringing it in the next class
  7. distribution of these descriptions in photocopies
  8. board translation of the descriptions by the whole class (great collaboration kids!)
  9. assigning different tasks to the students: bring stationary, engross text, find photos, write captions, help with the layout, etc.
  10. composing the final pieces

In order to help my students better understand and organise their information I also handed them the following questions to answer:

  1. Where does this custom take place?
  2. When does it take place?
  3. What does this custom celebrate?
  4. Who can take part?
  5. What do people do this day?
  6. Where does this custom come from?

Amazing work, dear students!

Christmas Lesson Plan with Grade E / Χριστουγεννιάτικο Σχέδιο Μαθήματος με την Πέμπτη Τάξη

roll paper wish-houses

Being motivated by the wonderful crafts site krokotak.com , (which I presented in an earlier article here), I came up with a two-days lesson plan that included various activities, culminating in the construction of these roll paper wish-houses.

The aim of the lessons was to create a relaxed Christmas mood, where the language skills would be practiced effortlessly and where pupils could demonstrate other skills like imagination, designing and crafting. The theme of the lessons was Christmas Wishes and some useful ideas and printables follow. Here’s the plan:

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(περισσότερα…)

My Name in English Handwriting Sheet – Φυλλάδιο Εργασίας:Το όνομα μου στα Αγγλικά

name handwriting sheet with photo frame

We have been doing so much with introducing ourselves and recognising names in Grade A and B! In addition to the curriculum activities, I thought that an extra writing one would be a great learning tool for the pupils to practice writing their names in English. So, I created the above handwriting sheet, which I am happy to share with you, along with some ideas I used in class.

Έχουμε κάνει τόσες πολλές δραστηριότητες με την Α και Β τάξη για να συστηνόμαστε και να αναγνωρίζουμε τα ονόματά μας! Επιπλέον από τις προτεινόμενες δραστηριότητες, σκέφτηκα ότι μια δραστηριότητα γραφής θα ήταν θαυμάσιο μαθησιακό εργαλείο, ώστε οι μαθητές να εξασκηθούν να γράφουν το όνομά τους στην Αγγλική Γλώσσα. Έτσι δημιούργησα το παραπάνω φύλλο εργασίας, που με χαρά μοιράζομαι με εσάς, παράλληλα με μερικές ιδέες που εφάρμοσα στην τάξη.

You can find the handwriting sheet below in PDF format, but before getting there, you may be interested in the following steps I followed in class.

Μπορείτε να βρείτε το φύλλο εργασίας παρακάτω σε μορφή PDF, αλλά πριν φτάσετε εκεί, ίσως σας ενδιαφέρουν τα βήματα που ακολούθησα στην τάξη.

Read more

(περισσότερα…)

Easy Hand Puppet Craft

Last week, after a brief internet research on readymade hand puppets, which provided me with some adorable but rather costly choices, I decided to resort to a well-known, chain  toy-store, where I anticipated to find what I was looking for at a reasonable, not to say, thrifty price.

To my dismay, I only spotted some classic, fairy-tale puppets of plastic heads and cloth dresses, which did not satisfy my standards.

As I was wandering around, already making crafting plans in my mind, I caught sight of a container full of fury like, door air stoppers bearing an animal head and two paws. I immediately fell in love with the tiger! The rest of the story you can see below. It was so easy to transform it into a puppet tiger, which every student at school loved! 

O O

Stage 1

my cute door air stopper intact

 

 

 

 

 

 

O

O                                                                                                                                                        Stage 2

♦Cut the body at a convenient length

♦Empty the stuffing from body but       leave enough in  head and paws

 

 

 

                         

     Stage 3

♦Turn the end points 1-2 cm inside

♦Use some seaming adhesive to iron-paste them together

and

proudly

finally

 

O

O

Stage 4

The puppet is ready!

Isn’t our Jae (his name) cute?

I am so excited with Jae! What’s even more exciting though, is the fact that there is actually a real Jae in London Zoo! I discovered this, while searching for a convincing reason why Jae is only speaking English.

Well, our Jae regularly visits us from London Zoo and this gave us the chance to watch relevant videos, which you can see below, and tells us his own and other endangered tigers stories and sings and plays with us. The first day I introduced him in class I wish I could have photographed those happy, shiny faces and all the hugging and teasing that came along!

What’s the story?

image

When Octo met Pinky, it was love at first sight. He had never seen such a beauty before and she had never felt so ecstatic in her life. Their little lodging soon became a refreshing love nest. They held hands and hugged and kissed tenderly while they were floating in real bliss.

However, soon everything changed. That day they hadn’t been holding each other for long when suddenly …

 

WATCH the movie to find out what happened. Then WRITE the rest of the story.

 

 

REVISE some short story basics here.

USE  the prompts to help you:

  • a yellow-gloved hand / the scales / a container 
  • a tall, thin fisherman driving his three-wheeler
  • narrow streets
  • the box of the van
  • the door of the van
  • windshield, windshield wiper
  • the bank / the side wall of the street
  • swimming pool
  • ink
  • washing line
  • a sea gull

CONSIDER the following connectors to make your sentences clear and interesting.

  • Connect with 

at first / afterwards / later = (Moments later) / then = (At that moment) / in the meantime / meanwhile /

 

I read the morning papers for a while. Afterwards, I checked my e-mails.

First I read the morning papers for a while and then I checked my e-mails.

 

At first, I couldn’t understand a word. Later, however,I was able to communicate quite well.

 

The wedding is on Sunday, but  in the meantime I have to prepare the lady’s night out.

 

They’ll be here soon. Meanwhile, let’s have coffee.

 

  • Contrast to show unexpected result with

Nevertheless/However/Yet/Nonetheless         Even so

 She waited watching the front door all morning. Nevertheless/However/Yet/Nonetheless, nobody came out of the house.

 It’s raining. Even so, we must go out.

 

  • Emphasize with

in fact    indeed    as a matter of fact     actually 

 

He is quite wealthy. In fact, he is one of the richest men in the town.

 

I like cycling. As a matter of fact, it is my favorite sport.

 

Lewis is a highly talented f1 driver. Indeed, he has an extraordinary gift for driving fast cars.

 

Song, English practice, briefing on Internet addiction

 

Watch the video, listen and fill in the missing lyrics. The correct answers are further down this page.

Internet Junkie by Honor Finnegan.

Woke up this morning quick as 1-2-3 
There’s something’s out there just  __1__ for me 
It’s like a world of __2__in an impossible world 
Just __3__up the mac and let the magic unfurl 
I need to use the bathroom, I need to be __­­4­­__
Let me check my facebook first instead

 

Got something on my back like a __5__monkey 
I’m an internet user, I’m a facebook  junkie 
An AIM __6__, and a twittering fool 
When I’m not plugged in, I don’t know what to do 
I got this __7__feeling in the back of my mind 
Let me check my email one more time

 

The first thing in the morning, last thing before bed 
Got to __8__that itch, the monkey must be fed 
I don’t want to __9__out so I gotta check in 
Give me a mouse and a pad, and let the party begin 
Got some dishes in the __10__, some laundry on the bed 
Let me check my youtube first instead

 

A __11__ – google it 
A celebrity – google it 
A TV show theme – google it 
An SNL scene – google it 
If you can think it up, search and you will find 
Man the internet really __12__my mind 
The latest tragedy – google it 
What’s the weather gonna be – google it 
Did I win the lottery? – google it 
Do you wanna buy my CD – google it 
Honor Finnegan 
If you get it wrong, you’ll get a google __13__
Did you mean Honor Finnegan? 
Or Honor Finnigan? 
In any case, you’re gonna find me, and you can buy my CD 
If you google it!

 

I could go for a __14__, I could take some B6 
But my DSL is __15__, just one more fix 
I could drink a little java, I could drink a little chai 
But my internet browser gives a __16__good high 
Give me a good safari __17__, or a firefox hit 
Man the internet is some really good (laugh)

 

There’s something on my back 
There’s something on my back 
There’s something on my back, y’all 
And it’s __18__  than crack 
It’s 2:00 in the morning 
Am I losing my mind? 
It’s 3:00 in the morning 
Am I losing my mind? 
It’s 4:00 in the morning 
Am I losing my mind? 
If I check my email, my facebook, one more time?

 

AIM = American OnLine Instant Messenger

SNL= Saturday Night Live

B6   = one of the vitamins

DSL= Digital Subscriber Line (DSL, originally digital subscriber loop) is a family of technologies that provide Internet access

java = programming language and also another word for coffee (relevant to origin)

chai = another word for tea

 The missing lyrics are:

  1. waiting
  2. possibility
  3. boot
  4. fed 
  5. world-wide
  6. fiend
  7. nagging
  8. scratch
  9. miss
  10. sink
  11. recipe
  12. blows
  13. suggestion 
  14. run
  15. calling
  16. mighty
  17. rush
  18. worse

 

 COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

  1. Why did the woman wake up in a hurry this morning?
  2. What was waiting for her?
  3. Who was on her back?
  4. What are the jobs she needs to do? Short them in categories:                                                                                         SELF CARE            HOUSEHOLD           INTERNET 
  5. Which are her priority jobs? How do you think she feels? Why?
  6. Have you got any internet priorities in common? How do you use the internet? How much time do you spend on the internet daily?
  7. How much do you empathize with the woman?
  8. Why does she call the internet “a world-wide monkey”?
  9. Why do you think “It’s like a world of possibility in an impossible world”? (3rd line)
  10. What makes the internet so addictive do you think?

 

Find the derivatives missing in the following piece, from a study published in the journal Addiction Research and Theory by Dr Shumaila Yousafzai of Cardiff Business School.The correct answers are further down this page.

While conventional videogames have an ending, or may become boring and __1__[repeat] , Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs) are an __2__[exhaust]  system of goals and __3__[succeed] , in which the character becomes stronger and richer by moving to new levels while accumulating treasures, power and __4__[weapon].

In recent years, the __5__[problem] use of online videogames has received increased  __6__[attend] not only from the media, but also from psychologists, psychiatrists, mental health organisations and  __7__[game] themselves.

A number of studies from different cultures are providing evidence that around seven to 11% of players seem to be having real problems to the point that they are __8__[consider]  pathological players. Some are reported to have been playing for 40, 60, and even near 90 hours in a gaming session.

 

 ANSWERS

  1. repetitive
  2. inexhaustible
  3. success
  4. weaponry
  5. problematic
  6. attention
  7. gamers
  8. considered

 

 Interested in learning more about internet addiction and how to prevent it? Study a relevant infographic and watch this video:

EXTRA TEACHING IDEAS:  Get your students to suggest useful tips to prevent internet addiction after some discussion and a web search. They could turn their ideas into a presentation or infographic to share on the school site.

 

Are you your handwriting?

What does your handwriting reveal about you? Check this infographic and find out.

LESSON PLAN IDEA

We teachers can use this infographic with our students and have them comment on their own or each other’s handwriting after they have completed some writing task. The idea of analyzing personalities can make writing and checking seem less of a burden and more of a game. Discussion can follow with students commenting on the accuracy and credibility of their findings.