Toxic Trespass
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Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Earth Week in ESL Centres
We spent Friday doing an activity around the colourful and informative Toronto Star GTA section chart about recycling in last week's paper (Tuesday, I think?). The students really got into it and it was an excellent language/awareness-raising activity. They had to ask and answer questions about what you are supposed to do with different items - compost, recycle or put in the garbage. I looked around and noticed that so many students now use plastic water bottles and that the old Chinese glass jar tea holders were fast disappearing. When I mentioned this, they said it wasn't convenient (new word this week!) because the glass breaks! Then I told them about the new island that was discovered in the Pacific and they eagerly wanted to know what country it belonged to. I said China was part owner, along with many other countries. The awareness raising continues! Anne
Here is what happened in my Literacy class last Friday. I was preparing my students for the 20 Minute Toronto Make-over, and I was explaining that many people from offices and children from schools all over the city were going to join in the clean up. Then one of my senior students commented: "Government help." It was an epiphany to me, comparable to your child's first word. I myself hadn't perceived it as a government business, but more as a citizen engagement, but thanks to my student I got to see the event from his perspective: it did come from the mayor - the event designation and time, organizing and advertizing of course, and he put it in those two words so well. This inspired me so much that during the next session, which happened to be in the computer lab, I seated them around my computer and we wrote a mail to cleanandbeautiful@toronto.ca (shown in the second slide of my presentation) thanking the city for organizing this event. My students felt very important and capable of writing to the government!
I can't wait for Wednesday to show them the reply from the City that came the very same day.
Such real life situations that often come unexpectedly are the most motivating in the process of language acquisition. I wish you a lot of joy and fun in creating them. Radmila
Here is what happened in my Literacy class last Friday. I was preparing my students for the 20 Minute Toronto Make-over, and I was explaining that many people from offices and children from schools all over the city were going to join in the clean up. Then one of my senior students commented: "Government help." It was an epiphany to me, comparable to your child's first word. I myself hadn't perceived it as a government business, but more as a citizen engagement, but thanks to my student I got to see the event from his perspective: it did come from the mayor - the event designation and time, organizing and advertizing of course, and he put it in those two words so well. This inspired me so much that during the next session, which happened to be in the computer lab, I seated them around my computer and we wrote a mail to cleanandbeautiful@toronto.ca (shown in the second slide of my presentation) thanking the city for organizing this event. My students felt very important and capable of writing to the government!
I can't wait for Wednesday to show them the reply from the City that came the very same day.
Such real life situations that often come unexpectedly are the most motivating in the process of language acquisition. I wish you a lot of joy and fun in creating them. Radmila
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
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