Newsletter #4
Newsletter #4
Hi there
How has your week been? It was my second week back on campus and the quiet and the masks and the wiping down of desks are all starting to seem strangely normal.... Not sure if this is a good or bad thing, but still. As Covid rates seem to be on their way up again in many places, I hope that you are well and that you enjoy this week's little offering.
Dictogloss
Dictogloss has long been one of my favourite activities for the classroom. It's easy to prepare as a teacher and hugely useful for listening, vocabulary development, speaking and a holistic approach to grammar. Oh, and writing... It's pretty much got the lot! If you're not sure what I'm talking about or if it's been a while and you'd like a refresher, this free resource on my site goes through how to do it. It works just as well online - just put pairs into Breakout Rooms to write their version of the text on a Google doc, so that you can easily monitor what they are writing.
Sneak preview
This week's sneak preview is a video I've made, describing how you could use a speaking game idea with another free resource from Twinkl ESL. It's a conversation game based on Snakes and Ladders. Whilst this is a bit of an old chestnut, it's great for getting learners speaking and the resource includes question cards at three levels, so easy prep for you.
Useful website
Finally, my website of the week. This is another one of those things that you may already know about but if you do, it definitely bears a repeat viewing. If you don't know about this, it's super-useful and I know that you'll love it- Scott Thornbury's A-Z of ELT. Here's my challenge for you for this week. Put aside 15 minutes (over a coffee/ tea/ beverage of your choice) and read one of his posts every day for a week. See how much more knowledgeable you feel by the end and feel free to drop me a line to let me know what you found most helpful. As a recommendation, try D is for Dictation if you've enjoyed the Dictogloss stuff above, or (one of my personal favourites) A is for Automaticity.
That's about it for this week. Have a good one and I'll see you next Sunday :)
Best
Jo Gakonga
How has your week been? It was my second week back on campus and the quiet and the masks and the wiping down of desks are all starting to seem strangely normal.... Not sure if this is a good or bad thing, but still. As Covid rates seem to be on their way up again in many places, I hope that you are well and that you enjoy this week's little offering.
Dictogloss
Dictogloss has long been one of my favourite activities for the classroom. It's easy to prepare as a teacher and hugely useful for listening, vocabulary development, speaking and a holistic approach to grammar. Oh, and writing... It's pretty much got the lot! If you're not sure what I'm talking about or if it's been a while and you'd like a refresher, this free resource on my site goes through how to do it. It works just as well online - just put pairs into Breakout Rooms to write their version of the text on a Google doc, so that you can easily monitor what they are writing.
Sneak preview
This week's sneak preview is a video I've made, describing how you could use a speaking game idea with another free resource from Twinkl ESL. It's a conversation game based on Snakes and Ladders. Whilst this is a bit of an old chestnut, it's great for getting learners speaking and the resource includes question cards at three levels, so easy prep for you.
Useful website
Finally, my website of the week. This is another one of those things that you may already know about but if you do, it definitely bears a repeat viewing. If you don't know about this, it's super-useful and I know that you'll love it- Scott Thornbury's A-Z of ELT. Here's my challenge for you for this week. Put aside 15 minutes (over a coffee/ tea/ beverage of your choice) and read one of his posts every day for a week. See how much more knowledgeable you feel by the end and feel free to drop me a line to let me know what you found most helpful. As a recommendation, try D is for Dictation if you've enjoyed the Dictogloss stuff above, or (one of my personal favourites) A is for Automaticity.
That's about it for this week. Have a good one and I'll see you next Sunday :)
Best
Jo Gakonga
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Write your awesome label here.
THANK YOU!
Your download has been sent to your email inbox.
If you don't see it, please check your Junk or Promotion folders and add jo.gakonga@elt-training.com to your contacts.
If you don't see it, please check your Junk or Promotion folders and add jo.gakonga@elt-training.com to your contacts.
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