HAIKU SPRING POEMS

This week we've been working on writing HAIKU poems. A Haiku poem is Japanese and is typically written using 3 lines of 5 syllables, 7 syllables and 5 syllables. More verses can be added keeping this format.

  Steps to the activity:

  1. First we brainstormed SPRING vocabulary. Students worked in pairs and wrote out the vocabulary in their notebook.

  2. Once we had the vocabulary, we went over the rule for making a HAIKU poem. We looked at some examples and counted out the syllables.

  3. In pairs, they played around with the vocabulary and made the first three lines. They had to count the syllables and eliminate extra words or syllables. They had to be flexible with the GRAMMAR!

  4. The teacher corrects the first three lines to make sure students are following the rule.

  5. They wrote out 9 lines, following the 5/7/5 syllable rule.

   6. On a white paper, they wrote out their poems and illustrated them with small drawings.

7. They were put up on the wall to decorate the classroom.

  8. Photos were taken of the process and the final product. A photopeach was made to display the activity. Animoto, stupeflix or any other video tool could be used.

  Here is the final product!

  HAIKU POEMS FOR SPRING on PhotoPeach

SANT JORDI - HAIKU POEMS

Have your students write Haiku poems and record them reading them out. As it was Sant Jordi today, I first brainstormed vocabulary related to the legend of Sant Jordi. They had all of the words on the board in front of them. Then we went over the rules of a Haiku poem. A Haiku poem is a traditional Japanese poem and generally has three lines, the first with 5 syllables, the second with 7 syllables and the last line, once again with 5 syllables. They wrote out their poems fairly quickly. They had to be reminded that it had to be 5 syllables, not 5 words. Once they had finished, I recorded them reading out their poems. I used Vocaroo. It's fast and simple and the code is sent to you directly. Once that was finished, I put their poems together on a Stupeflix video and added illustrations and music. This is the final product.

DIGITAL STORIES WITH STUPEFLIX

My students and I have been working on digital stories this past month. Some have used a new tool called Stupeflix, whilst others have used Moviemaker. I'm really happy with the results and I'd like to share a couple of their examples. They've all worked really hard and I think they've learned quite a lot. Obviously they've had to practise a lot of English (Script writing, dubbing photos and images, subtitling), however, they've also learnt some other great skills; use of technologies, problem-solving, pair-work, negotiation. All in all, they seem to have enjoyed themselves and I am very proud of the final results! Feel free to comment. Would love to hear from you!

IATEFL ROUND UP

Rob, Andy and Nik round up the Iatefl conference with a last interview of some stats and impressions.

Surprisingly, There have been viewers from 157 different countries! According to the numbers, well over 100000 teachers have been watching videos of the sessions and interviews so organisers are very pleased and proud of this year's participation. With easy online access to the live sessions and interviews, teachers from all over the world have been able to access and follow just as if they had actually been there. In fact, Nik mentions that some teachers who were actually physically present at the conference were walking around with their ipads and tablets, listening in on some of the live sessions at the same time. Isn't technology fantastic?!

Some points worth mentioning:

- There was a lot of talk about bridging the gap between research and classroom practice. Good to hear!

- Teachers need to be clearer with their feedback and they need to challenge students more. We are too easy on our students!

- Nik was also thrilled to have shared chats with Scott Thornbury about technologies and their positive role in education.

- Iatefl is enabling more and more teachers from all over the world to get together, physically or virtually, to share ideas and get together socially to talk about TEACHING.

All in all the conference has been a great success and they want to let us all know that online coverage of the conference will be available for the next year. Check out this link to watch videos of the many interviews and sessions that took place. http://iatefl.britishcouncil.org/2012/