Tag: 5th grade

Posted in 5th Grade

Food posters – 5th grade

Posted on by Vivi Hamilou
5
Food Posters – Primary School of Efxeinoupoli, Greece

I don’t know about your teaching context, but posters seem to be our favourite project in my school, especially if learners are urged to work collaboratively on them! Every time we get to the 2nd unit of our 5th grade Pupil’s Book, my learners are very excited to create food posters! They use magazines, leaflets, markers and crayons, they add a lot of imagination and give it all they’ve got with colourful cardboard backgrounds, stickers and glitter! The moment their posters are on the school noticeboard they attract everybody’s attention and positive comments and our corridors gain a more personal and familiar touch! I am so proud of their work and contribution to this beautiful, educational and inspiring result!

Posted in 5th Grade, Projects, Public Education

ENGLISH BREAKFAST AT SCHOOL

Posted on by Vivi Hamilou
Primary School of Efxeinoupoli

English Breakfast at school has been a tradition at whichever Primary School I have ever been appointed to for years! When my 5th graders reach Unit 3 at the listening task that shows pictures of some children making pancakes as a surprise breakfast for their parents, that is when my learners are introduced to the fact that it is their turn this year to enjoy English Breakfast at school!

5th Greade Course Book

5th Greade Course Book

This school year, my 5th graders at the Primary School of Efxeinoupoli, Greece, had been completely unaware of this tradition I have been following, as I am their new English teacher! When we reached this page some time after the Christmas holidays and my learners were presented with the idea of having English breakfast at school, they were so excited and could not wait for the time to enjoy it to come! However, it was necessary to allow some time to inform their parents and get their consent for the learners’ participation, therefore we proceeded with the necessary official paperwork (please, feel free to request a copy of the consent form, should you need it! This is its online version and it has been slightly altered in the printed version for the parents to sign!)!

Before I start describing what a great and educational experience it has been, let me note that it is not very difficult (or expensive) to organize such an event at school, as most of the schools already have a room for learners to have lunch in. You only have to be prepared to do all the cooking! Our English breakfast normally includes tea, milk with cereals, chocolate chip muffins and pancakes – these last two delicacies will keep you busy in the kitchen, depending on the number of the learners you have to cook for! If you are lucky enough to have a cooker available in school, perhaps you can add eggs and bacon in the menu – unfortunately we could not! Learners are usually asked to bring a cup, a bowl and a tablespoon for the cereals, some fresh milk, honey and/or praline, whereas you, the teacher, (or the school) can provide for the cereals (regular corn flakes), the tea, plates, forks, paper tablecloths, muffins, pancakes and, of course, the pancakes recipe printed in Greek for two reasons: their mums are going to ask for it and/or you can use it as homework (ask them to write the recipe in English for the school blog, for an English-speaking friend, a padlet wall, etc)! Here is the recipe card we used this time:

English breakfast, this year, occured twice in our school, on two different dates, due to the fact that there are two 5th grade classes at the Primary School of Efxeinoupoli. I am not sure that words can describe the excitement and the satisfaction of everybody involved and the discussion we all had on the nutritional value of breakfast as a meal was interactive, educational and eye-opening to many of my learners – as they themselves have stated!  All learners have participated and it is really worth emphasizing how organized, helpful and disciplined they have been throughout the process! Here are some shots of this unique experience for all of us:

You can also check out our school blog post and our padlet wall where now my 5th grade learners are invited to post their thoughts on their experience of the  English breakfast at school, as well as the English version of the Pancakes Recipe I gave them in Greek!

Μετάβαση στο padlet.com

 

Posted in 5th Grade, 6th Grade, Public Education

VOCABULARY LEARNING: CAN IT BE FUN?

Posted on by Vivi Hamilou

Vocabulary learning is a significant part of language learning. The more words a student learns, the better s/he becomes at receptive (reading and listening) as well as productive (writing and speaking) skills in the target language!

Every learner has his/her own way of studying/learning/consolidating new vocabulary. If you travel back to the times when you were a learner, you will definitely find you or your fellow classmates writing words in notebooks, making your own dictionaries with new words and their definitions, repeating words in an attempt to memorize them, or grouping them based on their meaning. And, no matter which strategy you followed back then, almost all of them leave you with a sense of dullness, exhaustion and/or vainness.

Nowadays, learners have the opportunity to work with new vocabulary in many more interesting ways, provided that they are willing to devote some time, have access to a computer with internet connection and are introduced to the right sites to refer to in order to pursue vocabulary enrichment. This year, at the Primary School of Efxeinoupoli, Magnesia, Greece, we are trying to make vocabulary learning and revision a bit more fun, by exploiting the Digital School and Photodendro! Learners will be introduced to specific links suggested by the enriched version of the digital school book and found at the digital educational repository called Photodendro.

Having, for instance, introduced the very first pages of the Unit 1 in the 5th and 6th grades, learners now have the opportunity to visit the school blog and practice with different vocabulary tasks related to the lessons we had in the aforementioned classes. To be more precise, 5th graders are invited to practice email reading and writing, and vocabulary related to computer parts, whereas 6th graders have the opportunity to revise countries and nationalities, as well as flags and Geography!

All of my 5th and 6th grade learners promised to work on these tasks as they were intrigued when they were presented with their content today and they said they would have plenty of time to devote over the weekend! And, although it is too soon to tell how this whole effort goes, their wide open, sparkling eyes tell me that vocabulary learning and revision may become indeed more fascinating and effective!

Have a great weekend, everyone! 😉

Posted in 5th Grade, Public Education

ENGLISH BREAKFAST AT SCHOOL

Posted on by Vivi Hamilou
Primary School of Sourpi
Primary School of Sourpi

English Breakfast at school has been a tradition at the Primary School of Sourpi for three years! When our 5th graders reach Unit 3 at the listening task that shows pictures of some children making pancakes as a surprise breakfast for their parents, that is when they realize that it is their turn this year to enjoy English Breakfast at school!

5th Greade Course Book
5th Greade Course Book

We reached this page some time before the Christmas holidays, however we decided to organize the breakfast in January, as we were very busy at the time! Unfortunately, an accident kept me away from school for three weeks after the holidays and, when I got back, I had to walk on crutches! To make a long story short, today was finally the great day for the English breakfast at school!

And before I describe how great it was, let me note that it is not very difficult (or expensive) to organize such an event at school, as most of the schools already have a room for learners to have lunch. You only have to be prepared to do all the cooking! Our English breakfast includes tea, milk with cereals, chocolate chip muffins and pancakes – these last two delicacies will keep you busy in the kitchen, depending on the number of the learners you have to cook for! Learners are asked to bring a bowl and a tablespoon for the cereals, honey and/or praline, whereas you (or the schools) can provide for the fresh milk, the cereals, the tea, plastic plates, forks and cups, paper tablecloths, muffins, pancakes and, of course, the pancakes recipe printed in Greek for two reasons: their mums are going to ask for it and/or you can use it as homework (ask them to write the recipe in English for the school blog, for an English-speaking friend, etc)! Here is the recipe card we used today:

Δείτε το στο slideshare.net

This year, our English breakfast at school was warmly welcomed by the 5th grade learners who had been patiently looking forward to it for so long! They helped with the setting of the table during the first break and, when the time came, they allowed me to serve tea and milk with cereals. While they were trying their tea, we discussed the undeniable nutritional value of breakfast as a meal and we compared what English and Greek people normally have for breakfast. While we were discussing, chocolate chip muffins appeared on the table and the excitement cannot be put into words! And as they were trying their muffin, pancakes were served! And, although they could try them with honey, since we stressed (and they already know) that it is lighter and healthier, all pancakes were covered in praline in no time! I wish I could show you their faces in a video … pure joy and excitement! Pancakes really impressed them! They found them delicious and stated that they fell full with only one pancake!

Here are some pictures of our English breakfast today:

Δείτε το στο slideshare.net

And here are some links to other English breakfasts at different schools:

Primary School of Sourpi, 2014

Primary School of Pteleos, 2011

Primary School of Amaliapolis, 2011

1st Primary School of Almyros, 2010

Posted in School Paper Articles

CITIES AROUND THE WORLD – English School Paper, February 2011 Issue

Posted on by Vivi Hamilou

CITIES AROUND THE WORLD
by our 5th graders

As part of a course book project, 5th grade learners present different cities in the world!

LONDON
by Helen Kaltsouni

London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom and the largest urban zone in the European Union. London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its founding by the Romans who called it Londinium. In London you can find people with different cultures and religions, and more than 300 languages are spoken there. The Greater London Urban Area is the second largest in the E.U. with a population of 8.278.251, while London’s metropolitan area is the largest in the E.U., with total population of between 12 million and 14 million.

In London you can visit the ‘Big Ben”, the Bukckingham Palace, St Paul’s Cathedral, Tower Bridge, St Margaret’s Church, the Tower of London, the Palace of Westminster, Madame Tussaud’s Museum, e.t.c. Also, London is home to numerous museums, galleries, libraries, sporting events and 40 theaters. London’s Chinatown is the largest in Europe. The London Underground network is the oldest underground railway network in the world and the most extensive after the Shanghai Metro. For more information, you can visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London

LARISSA
by George Papargiris

Larissa is a big Greek city. Today 124.367 people live there. Larissa is next to a big river. Its name is Pinios. The river is 185 kilometers long. Larissa has got a big plain. People can grow a lot of things. Larissa has got a lot of beautiful things. You must visit it!

ISTANBUL (Turkey)
by Danae Xiromeriti

Istanbul is the largest city and port of Turkey. It is the cultural, economic and industrial centre of the country. The population of Istanbul is about 13 million people and it was the capital of Turkey until 1923. Istanbul is named after its founder Constantine, the Great. This city is a historical treasure that will impress and charm you.

Everywhere around Istanbul there are a lot of monuments indicating its history. The most famous is the church of St Sofia, the archaeological museum located in the region Eminonu, between the park Gulhave and the palace of Topkapi. Other famous attractions are the museum of carpets and rugs and the art museum. For more information, you can visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Istanbul

ROUSSE, MY HOMETOWN
by Valentina Velikova

I come from Rousse, in Bulgaria. It is a city which has a population of 165.285 people. It is in the northeastern part of the country.

Many tourists visit Rousse and it is called “little Vienna”. Tourists usually visit the Monument of Liberty , which was made by an Italian sculptor, Aleksandrovska street, which is the main streets of the city and it is full of shops and Rousse Historical museum which was built in 1904 and people can see 140.000 items in it (clothes, china, glass and silver items).

Now, I live in a Greek village, so I miss my hometown very very much it is a beautiful city with wonderful places to visit.

LOS ANGELES
by John Kalantzis

Los Angeles is the biggest city in California State in the USA (United States of America). It has a population of about 3.000.000 people, but with the suburbs the population is 6.000.000 people. It is the biggest city of the USA with the biggest extension.

Los Angeles was made by the Spanish Phillip de Neve in 1781. It was a Mexican city, but in 1835 it was added in the USA.

Los Angeles has got lots of sights, like its city hall with the 32 floors, the temple of ‘Romaeocatholics’, the temple of ‘Mormonon’, Griffith’s park, Disneyland, the state of Hollywood, the state of Beverly Hills where the stars of the cinema live.

Los Angeles is a very big and a great city too!!!