"Sports"

Sports and exercise are good for us!. Look and read in this picture the different sports we can do or practice!. 

"Inside a Bedroom"

Look and read the things we can find in a bedroom!. 

"Where Are your Things?"(Game)

This is a fantastic game!. Practice prepositions in English and school objects!. Ready, steady...go!. 

"The Sounds in English" (Phonetics)

I love this chart!!!. Click to learn the sounds of the phonetic symbols in English. It will help you to improve your pronunciation and to know how to say the words when using a dictionary. 

"On the Farm" (Farm Animals Picture)

Look, read, say and remember all the nouns of animals we can find on a farm!. 

"Types of Housing"

Look at the different types of housing we can find in the world!. 

"Please Be Quiet" (Sing-along song)

Hello again!. I know you love this song, children!. And you like singing it!. Remember!: Silence is necessary. If you are quiet, you work and learn more easily!. 

"Mona Lisa Quiet" (Management Technique)

I recently read and other English teachers told me about the "Mona Lisa call/response technique".  I think it is perfect, specially for pupils of the 1st cycle!. My students usually hear me say "Mona Lisa quiet" because of the noise level display. These directions are so clear, specific, and fun!. 

So, I decided to print and laminate the picture to place it in each classroom!. We may add some other instructions, such as: 

• Stay in your seat.
• Raise your hand.
• Only talk to people at your table.

I write these rules on the board and review them at the beginning of class each week. When students violate a rule, I direct their attention back to the board before going any further. While my normal teaching style is more relaxed, this system works to restore some order to the chaotic class.When I need students to return attention I say "Mona" to which they reply "Lisa" and follow the Mona directions.

I recommend the "Mona Lisa" technique!. 

Don't forget to leave a corner in your classroom to put this visual you will see below!. I call it "Before you speak...THINK". Children will appreciate silence in the classroom while they are doing their tasks or they participate in an oral activity or any other information exchange. 

Pattern Practice Chant - Past Tense Verbs 3

This is another video to practice simple past tense and the pattern, "What did you do today?".

Vocabulary includes:

• Ride/rode a bike
• Climb/climbed a tree
• Shake/shook my bum
• Swim/swam

"Pattern Practice Chant - Past Tense Verbs 2"

This is a simple video to practice simple past tense and the pattern, "What did you do today?". It's a chant, so you will remember the vocabulary very easily!. 

Vocabulary includes:

• Read/read a book
• Write/wrote a letter
• Draw/drew a picture
• Take/took a nap

"Ordinary Love" song by U2

"Ordinary Love" is a song by rock band U2. It was written to honour Nelson Mandela and is included in the biography film Mandela: "Long Walk to Freedom". 

U2 had been friends with Nelson Mandela for several years, having played concert performances in South Africa.This song has been awarded as the best original song prize in the 71st Golden Globe Awards.

Here you can read the lyrics: 

And here you can see the another official video with the members of the famous rock band. 

"Nelson Mandela (Biography)"

• Occupation: President of South Africa and Activist
• Born: July 18, 1918 in Mvezo, South Africa
• Died: December 5, 2013 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
• Best known for: Serving 27 years in prison as a protest against apartheid.

Biography

Nelson Mandela was a civil rights leader in South Africa. He fought against apartheid, a system where non-white citizens were segregated from whites and did not have equal rights. He served a good portion of his life in prison for his protests, but became a symbol for his people. Later he would become president of South Africa. 

Nelson Mandela became a leader in the African National Congress (ANC). At first he pushed hard for the congress and the protesters to follow Mohandas Gandhi's non-violence approach. At one point he started to doubt that this approach would work and started up an armed branch of the ANC. He planned to bomb certain buildings, but only the buildings. He wanted to make sure than no one would be hurt. He was classified as a terrorist by the South African government and sent to prison. 

Mandela would spend the next 27 years in prison. His prison sentence brought international visibility to the anti-apartheid movement. He was finally released through international pressure in 1990. 

Once released from prison, Nelson continued his campaign to end apartheid. His hard work and life long effort paid off when all races were allowed to vote in the 1994 election. Nelson Mandela won the election and became president of South Africa. There were several times during the process where violence threatened to break out. Nelson was a strong force in keeping the calm and preventing a major civil war. 

How long was Nelson Mandela in prison? 

He spent 27 years in prison. He refused to bend on his principals in order to be released and stated that he would die for his ideals. He wanted all people of all races to have equal rights in South Africa. 

Fun facts about Nelson Mandela

• Nelson was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.
• July 18th is Nelson Mandela day. People are asked to devote 67 minutes to helping others. The 67 minutes represents the 67 years Mandela spent serving his country.
• Invictus was a 2009 movie about Nelson Mandela and the South African rugby team.
• He had six children and twenty grandchildren.

From:www.ducksters.com

Now, let's watch this video about Mandela's life!. 

"School Day of Non-Violence and Peace"

Every 30th January we celebrate the "School Day of Non-violence and Peace".

But why?. Because we commemorate the day when Mahatma Ghandi was killed. He believed in non-violence to fight for human rights.

And in USA they observe another day in January as a date for peace, 15th January, because Martin Luther King was born that day in 1929.

But, what do they have in common?.

They stood up against things that were unfair... but peacefully!. They had a dream and they fought for it with non-violence and peace.

Nelson Mandela has the same dream as Ghandi and Martin Luther King, so this year 2.014 we will celebrate the "School Day of Non-Violence and Peace" at Garre Alpañez school with activities related to this nice and tenacious man. 

"Nelson Mandela speaks on Tolerance" (Video)

This inspiring Tolerance message from Nelson Mandela you can watch, has run in 82 countries. It debuted on April 30, 2006 in the program 60 MINUTES on CBS.

There is no world leader with greater stature on the issue of Diversity and Tolerance than Nelson Mandela The power of his words in this message defines how Mandela has lived his life and why he was able to lead South Africa from the repression into a peaceful democracy.

"Life's an Equation (Lyric Video)" by Chenoa (Song)

María Laura Corradini Falomir, popularly known as Chenoa (born June 25, 1975 in Mar del Plata, Argentina, but raised in Majorca, Spain) is an Argentine-Spanish female music artist who became successful after appearing on the TV contest "Operación Triunfo". Her music style could be described as pop. Most of her music is in Spanish, although a few tracks on some albums were recorded in English. Her last album, "Otra Dirección", includes some versions of the main songs in English. 

This song, entitled "Life's an Aquation", tells us the necessary balance we need in our life (" You can get happiness but only with frustration"..."Life is an equation, we need pain, tears, laughter and love"). I would describe this song as optimistic and realistic!. I love it!.