Goal n° 7 - Make a Small Change to your Curriculum

  I recently took the Cambridge CAE exam and the results just came up: I PASSED!!! I excelled on the Reading, Speaking and the Use of English tests, got a real good grade on the Listening test, but totally wrecked my Writing Test, which could have been one of my best grades... SNIF! After telling my students hundreds of times NOT to write a draft, guess what I did? I don't know what I was thinking, but I totally lost track of time (something you should NEVER do on a test like that!) and not only couldn't finish my second composition, but also wrote it at the wrong page. They probably declared that second text void (I already expected they'd do that, but hoped they wouldn't) and for that reason my goal of passing with a grade A went down the drain! I had to settle for a grade B, which is not bad at all, but I still have that bitter taste of stupidity in my mouth!!!! Lesson taken, lesson learned!!

But what is the CAE exam, exactly?

Cambridge English: Advanced, also known as Certificate in Advanced English (CAE), is an in-depth assessment of English for people who want to use English in demanding work and study situations. 

What’s in Cambridge English: Advanced? 

Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) is a thorough test of all areas of language ability. The format of the exam divides into five papers: Reading, Writing, Use of English, Listening and Speaking. 

Some of the reasons to take the exam, according to Cambridge:

Why Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) is a badge of excellence:

• Accepted globally as proof of high achievement.
  More than 3,000 educational institutions, businesses and government departments around the world accept Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE)as proof of high-level achievement. 
• A certificate with endless opportunities.
  Helps you develop the language skills you need for success, and can be used for your university and student visa applications in the UK and Australia.
• It provides high-level English skills for academic and professional success.
  Preparing for Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) helps learners develop the skills to make the most of studying, working and living in English-speaking countries.

T3 End of the Year Speeches

T3 students performed their end of the year speeches in a fun and relaxed way. Each pair chose a country or city to talk about and the result was really nice. Some of them even brought something from their place's local cousine!!!

Red Balloon's Got Talent

Children's Day over at Red Balloon was really nice. Red Ballon's Got Talent was a success and the students had a great time showing off! Have YOU got any tallents? WE HAVE! We are naturally COOL!!!! LOL

Goal n°6 - Be a Beam

At this time of the year, we usually start to feel a little tired, a little stressed out and our "light" seems to fade a little. I know I do, and I know my students do, too. With that in mind, I decided that my goal for October planning should be to try and spark things up a bit for myself and also refuel my students energy. So I tried to create some different games, make some changes to otherwise "boring" exercises and move my students around more. And since it was Halloween month, candies helped me a lot with the process! Their dentists will be a little upset, but students were all for it!

J2 - Speeches

  J2 performed their first longer speech. Well, not a speech per say, they actually wrote an essay on their favorite animals and read it in front of the class. It was the cutest thing ever!

Video Time

Watching teacher Guilherme in action during a T1 class!

T3 Be a Chef

And T3 students present: THE BIS SWEET!!!  

Fun, learning and eating at the same time! Who needs more?

T3 Book Song

These T3 students rock every time there's a song on the book! So much fun!!!!

The Cup Song

The Cup Song was a real hit among the students this year! Of course my little divas got addicted to it as well (believe me, "addicted" is a mild word here!!), so we practised, practised and practised some more. And the results were actually pretty good! Check it out:

Goal n°4 - Rescue the Fun!!

With the new book and new planning for T2, playing games had become something extremely hard to do every class. In fact, the planning itself was so full that completing the activities on a daily basis was a challenge, so games were almost impossible.
  After the July vacations I decided that my "back to school" goal should be to revert the situation and rescue the fun for my T2 students. Thankfully, the planning seemed to understand my intentions as well and gave us a break, so we could have some fun at the end of each class (most of them, anyway!).
 I was happy to see that my students felt the change and started to ask for different games everyday!

Drama Class Release

Having some fun during break! We played Guess Who for the Drama Class Release and it was fuuuun!

Fresh Start Meeting

Today we had our first 2° semester Local Meeting. Fresh start and a sweet welcome back present!

Goal n° 3 - Voice your appreciation

  Who doesn't like to be recognized in a positive way? I know I like to hear, “Well done,” and I bet you do too. I think we all want that. I'm of the opinion that the person who says, “I don’t need a pat on the back to know I’m doing a good job,” needs it more than anyone! I make that assertion because they probably never get praise and their reaction is a self-defense mechanism. It would stink to acknowledge you want praise but never get it.
  I always made sure to praise my students, but I don't recall actually thanking them for their effort, or for coming to classes or for trying hard to speak English all that often. I wrote things like that on their report cards at the end of the year, but saying that in person during classes felt kind of "unnatural" to me.
  So I made it my goal for the June planning to remind myself to look at my students from time to time and tell them how much I appreciated their effort for the little things they did, like doing their homework and speaking English during break time. 
I don't know if that affected their learning processes, but I could tell they were happy for hearing me say the words and I was overjoyed!!!

T4 - Prepare for the Reading

  Let's face it, FCE Reading Exam can be no picnic at the park. It's not so much that it's difficult, but the truth is it's kind of exhausting (a.k.a. boring!). At least to me, it is. The good news is that, since the answers are all there, all you really have to do is focus. Trust me, if I can do it, so can YOU!
  But there are some important tips that may help you get that perfect grade you're looking for. Check them out:

WHAT TO DO:

• Read the sources, titles and subtitles of the texts where given – they are there to help you.
• Read each text carefully before you answer the questions to get an overall impression and understanding of it. This includes Part 3, the multiple-matching task.
• Check the words around the gap carefully. Remember, the missing word(s) may form part of an idiom, fixed phrase or collocation. (Part 2)
• Check that the completed paragraph makes sense in the passage as a whole. Remember, the missing sentence must fit the context of the passage. (Part 2)
• Keep an overall idea of the development of the text. You will need to check that the sentences chosen to fit the gaps in the base text fit the progression of the argument or narrative as a whole. (Part 2)
• Read the questions carefully and check each option against the text before rejecting it. (Part 2) 

WHAT NOT TO DO:

• Don't try to answer any questions without referring carefully to the text.
• Don't spend too much time on any one part of the paper.
• Don't forget to record your answers on the separate answer sheet.
• Don't assume that if the same word appears in the text as well as in an option, this means you have located the answer.

  Here's a video with tips and techniques on how to prepare for the FCE Reading Exam.

And since practice makes perfect, why not take a few minutes and try some online exercises? Click on the links below:

* Flo-Joe
* Exam English
* Using English

If you need any extra help, leave me a message and I'll do whatever I can to help you!

Take care. Bye bye!

FCE Listening Tips

Hey there, T4 gang!
Just stopped by to show you a quick video with some useful techniques on how to prepare for FCE Listening Exam. Stay strong!

Luv yall!!!

T4 - Practice your Listening skills - FCE

Hey, yall!!!

Watching movies and listening to your favorite songs in English will certainly help improve your listening skills. But for the FCE Listening Exam, that alone is not enough to get you a good mark. If you really want to succeed your Listening tests, you should practice for the specific exercises found on the exams, apart from being able to recognize the unique sounds of the language.
  I've found some nice online practice Tests and exercises to get you started. Click on the links below and good luck!

1- Exam English - exercise 1, exercise 2, exercise 3, exercise 4, exercise 5
2- British Council - Exercises
3- English Tests - 2 Full Mocks
4- Test Maximiser - Full Mock

Red Balloon at "1° Festival Gourmet Vero"

This month Vero magazine organized a goumet festival and Red Ballon was there to have a lot of fun with the kids. I was there, too!

Goal n° 2 - Seek Feedback

  I have always welcomed constructive feedback no matter where it came from, because I know I'm faaaar from being perfect and listening to other people's opinion on your work may really help you see yourself through different eyes and use that to improve.
  A while back I had some issues with a challenging student who was very intelligent, but also a bit rough on the edges with me and his classmates. So I decided to sit down and talk to him about how he felt in class and if there was anything I could do or change in the way I conducted my classes to help him feel more motivated and friendlier. I know it's going to be a year long process and achieving this particular goal will depend on both of us, but that conversation helped me think of some new ideas for our classes and I could immediately see a little change in his behaviour.

T2 Be a Chef

 Marshmallow Chocolate Bars - they looked kinda "yukky", but tasted real good!!!!

T3 Speaking Test SOS

  Attention, T3 students!!!
  Next week you're going to have your first PET Speaking Test. And to help you prepare for it, I made you a list of useful sentences, practice websites and videos showing other candidates taking the test. Ready to become an expert? So let's do it! Click on the links and watch the videos.

PART 1- 
  Part 1 lasts about 2-3 minutes. In Part 1 the examiner will ask you questions. These could be about home, work, where you live, what you do, your family, etc.  You do not have to give long answers to these questions. However, you should try to say more than short one or two word answers.

1. Click here to see some of the questions and practise your answers.
2. Video for Part 1  

 

PART 2-

  Part 2 lasts about 2-3 minutes. In Part 2 you have to talk to your partner about a situation which is illustrated on a sheet of paper. Make suggestions and discuss alternatives.

1. Sample of Part 2. 
   
2. Another sample with tips and a chance to record your own participation. Click here.
3. Video for Part 2

PART 3-

  Part 3 of the PET Speaking exam lasts about 3 minutes. The examiner will give you a colour photograph and ask you to talk about it on your own for about 1 minute. 

1. Practise for Part 3 here. 
2. Samples and more practice. Click here. 
3. One more, with examples. Click here. 
4. Video for Part 3 

PART 4-

  Part 4 of the PET Speaking exam lasts about 3 minutes. The examiner will ask you and your partner to talk about something based on the topic in the earlier Part 3 task.

1. Practise for Part 4 here.
2. Video for Part 4

And here are some links with useful phrases and tips for all parts:

1. Slides with all the parts- http://www.slideshare.net/msmary7th/pet-speaking-guide
2. Explanations, samples and phrases- http://writefix.com/?page_id=359
3. Clive's English- http://clivesenglish.blogspot.com.br/2010/04/pet-speaking-exam-practice.html
4. PDF with detailed explanations- http://www.liceogramsciolbia.it/Documenti_scaricabili/Lingua%20inglese/PET_Speaking_Exam_advice_sheet_for_tutorials.pdf
5. Quizzes to practise for the Speaking Test- http://studentweb.usq.edu.au/home/D1222041/html/quizzes.htm

HOPE YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL TEST!!!

Mini Chefs in Action

  This morning my favourite J2 girls had the chance to become little chefs! We had the Be a Chef activity and they made a Strawberry Banana Smothie. I explained the recipe, we practised the related vocabulary and then it was their time to work. We decided to spice the recipe up a notch and added vanilla ice cream. It turned out great and they had a blast!!
   We even made a second batch to give the moms!!! So much fun!!! Check out the pictures!

Cute, huh? And here's a small video of them working:

And, of course, the recipe:

Strawberry Banana Smothie

- 1 cup frozen strawberries

- 2 cups orange juice

- 1/2 cup milk

- 1 sliced banana

- 2 table spoons sugar (we used brown, but any sugar will do)

- about 5 table spoons vanilla ice cream (our bright idea!)

Toss everything in a blender, turn it on and that's it! Drink up!!!

And they perform again!

Here's another video of the coolest J2 girls in town, this time performing "The Numbers Rap", from their Students Book. Rock stars!!! Ninoca was absent and we missed her!

The Family Song - J2

My J2 TA performing "The Family Song", from Smile Students Book. They are true stars!!! Thank you, girls!

Be a Chef T4 MD

   Now it was time for T4 MD to cook and learn! We also chose Jamie Oliver's Sundae, but I actually call it Tati Oliver's Sundae, since I've made some twists on the original recipe to make it taste even better... hihihi!

We had a blast and ate our brains out!!!!

Be a Chef T4 MC

  I love this time of the year, and I bet the students do, too! Is anything more fun and yummy than to make a delicious layered sunday while learning English at the same time? We had lots of fun doing this activity. can't wait for the next one!

Welcome, 2013!!!

   2013 is moving at full speed and lots of cool things have happened at Red Balloon and my private classes! 
   As an ESL teacher and tutor, I often look for ways to energize lessons, and new material to help my students engage with English. I often adapt lesson plans according to their interests, and how they would like to use English. Other times, I incorporate already existing materials from articles or clips from YouTube. Here, you will be able to find helpful material that will be useful for an everyday usage of English, and interesting clips about history and culture in the US as well as other English Speaking countries.
   If you are an English student, please feel free to use the material posted here to help you in your study. Let me know how they help!