December

December

In December, we learned about villages, towns and cities. First I showed the students photos on a Power Point of the different kinds of place and asked them questions about Alcala. For example, 'does Alcala have a shop?' and they had to say 'yes it does' or 'no it doesn't'. Then we played a classification game where they had lots of different photos of villages, towns and cities and they had to classify them into the correct pile. For example, if there was an airport, they had to put it in the city pile. This was a great activity because they had to classify in a scientific way and think for themselves!

On the last lesson before Christmas we made Christmas cards together, which I directed in English. It was lovely because they really can't get enough of arts and crafts.

November with Language Assistant Daniella

November

Class Rules

In November we learned about class rules! We made some big gestures like love hearts with two hands and learn rules such as 'be kind', 'put your hand up', 'be quiet'. The students played Bingo with pictures of different classroom rules and also watched some fun videos about classroom rules. We asked them why we have classroom rules and despite being so young, they understood why it is important to be respectful and kind to each other in the classroom.

Chores

We also learned about Chores with a fun PowerPoint (so they could see some pictures) before playing a game where they had to come up to the blackboard and point to the correct chore that we said. They played in pairs to make it competitive and motivate them! Then we did some role play where the students acted out the chores in front of the class and the others had to guess what chore it was. This was really good for getting them to have fun and be confident in front of their classmates. They also practiced their English by asking each other 'Can you wash up / make your bed' etc. They should ask each other at the front of the class though because when they are in pairs, they start speaking in Spanish! Finally, we did some colouring of the chores so that they could consolidate what they learned before playing a game of Bingo, which they loved.

Family

We learned about family in the last week of November with Peppa Pig. I used a Peppa Pig PowerPoint which was interactive with lots of sounds (which they loved). I asked them questions about Peppa's family, for example, 'Does Peppa Pig have a Grandma?' 'Yes she does'. 'How many brothers does she have?' 'She has one' and 'Does she have a sister?' 'No she does not'. 
Then I showed them my family and asked them questions about their family. For example, 'Have you got a....' and then they reply 'Yes/no' and how many brothers/sisters etc. 'What is there name?', 'There name is'.

Then we did a scientific survey! They had to go and ask each other how many brothers/sisters/grandparents etc they had and fill in a survey table to count how many brothers the class had in total, for example. They really enjoyed this interactive, communicative activity and had to ask each other in English, which was a big challenge. 

Finally, we did a family tree where they reviewed the names of family members by filling in a family tree and colouring at the end. Using Peppa Pig was a big success as they love Peppa Pig, so I will definitely be using Peppa again in my lessons.

October at CEIP Antonio Rodríguez Almodóvar

October at CEIP Antonio Rodríguez Almodóvar

A whole month working as an English Language Assistant at CEIP Antonio Rodríguez Almodóvar has flown by. My name is Daniella and I am 23, from the United Kingdom and currently teaching English at CEIP. I am in science classes teaching science in English, which I love because the students get to practice their English through their science learning. I think I am the first British language assistant that the school has had, so I am looking forward to bringing some British culture into the classroom. This brings me to one of the most exciting days so far at school… Halloween!

Halloween at CEIP
It was so amazing to see Halloween celebrated at CEIP by all the teachers and students. I was blown away by the costumes. Halloween originated in Scotland and Ireland so it was a great festivity to intertwine with some British cultural history!

First Impressions of English & Intentions
I have been so impressed by the high level of English across the year groups! The first step to learning a new language is motivation and to be motivated the children need to be excited and confident. I hope I can make the students have fun with their English learning and not worry about making mistakes (as that is how we learn after all).

Science
With 1A and 1B we have been learning about the body in science, which is a great excuse to get the kids up and active. We have been playing games where we say the name of a part of the body and then the student has to touch that part. They love it! And it is even better when they tell each other a body part and practise their English.