This is a very interesting tool to study biographies in a different way.With Fakebook you can invent a profile of any historical or fictional character. Your result will be a Facebook-like page!You can add images, links, videos, "friends", comments and "likes"! I think it could be very useful to study history or literature. Below you can see some Fakebook pages:Nelson Mandelahttp://www.classtools.net/fb/28/S63EfP3Bill Gateshttp://www.classtools.net/fb/18/NRd7eiBI personally created the following brief example with my students. Some time ago we watched the movie "The king's speech" about king George VI(http://thetravellingteachers.blogspot.it/2014/01/holocaust-memorial-day-january-27th.html) so the Fakebook page is about the period between king George V death and the outbreack of world war II.There are some quotes, original pictures and links to original videos, as well. Have fun! Albert Windsor fakebook pagehttp://www.classtools.net/FB/1049-4XFSKpNow choose a historical character or a celebrity and enjoy creating your own fakebook page!

Here are some interesting writing tools to make writing activities more attractive.You can play with words to create your text and you can link your words to images.Then you can share your material.Watch my simple examples.PicLitYou choose an image from the Piclit gallery and you add some text. You can "drag and drop" choosing from different suggested nouns, adjectives and verbs or you can write "freestyle".My example:http://www.piclits.com/viewpoem.aspx?PoemId=237190CapzlesWith Capzles you work most of all with images. You can choose an image as your background and then you can add your own pics or videos to create a sort of presentation. By clicking on each picture it is possible to add a brief description. I think it could be very useful to describe a trip or a school activity.My example:http://www.capzles.com/3d3a9ba0-7533-45ca-bb0b-f6a97e03ac8cMapskipThis is a very original tool. The world is a canvas for your own stories and photos. You start from a map, you click on the place you like, you add your mark and write your story about that place. You can tell your adventures adding your pictures.My example:http://www.mapskip.com/stories.php?story=6681StorybirdWith Storybird you choose some images and write a story drawing inspiration from those pictures. Very useful to write a story and improve creativity and imagination.My example:http://storybird.com/books/the-teacher-and-the-little-girl/?token=gtq94fygeuMagneticpoetryYou can write your own poems choosing among different suggested words. Very funny!My example:http://play.magneticpoetry.com/poem/Original/kit/15415/?h=8444d213e9cd688d306fa98d2aa7ca79

International Workers' Day is celebrated on  May 1st in many countries and is a national holiday in more than 80 nations. But, while in some countries this day is officially Labor Day,  in others it marks the traditional Spring festival known as May Day. Other countries, as the United States, celebrate Labour Day on another date.Below you can briefly see what happens on this day in Italy and in Uk but I would like to take the opportunity to talk about jobs. You can work on this topic whatever your English level is. You can just learn the different jobs in English or you can practice writing a CV and talking about yourself for a job interview.May, 1st in ItalyIn Italy the first May Day celebration took place in 1890. It  celebrated workers' achievements in their struggle for their rights and for better economic and social conditions.Nowadays  the 1st May's Concert, organized by Italian Labour Unions in Rome in Piazza San Giovanni, is very popular. It is attended by more than 500,000 people every year and involves participation of many famous singers and bands. To learn more about May, 1st traditions in Italyhttp://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/italy/labor-dayMay, 1st in the United KingdomOn this day people celebrate the coming of summer. Many May Day activities have now been moved to the new May Day holiday on the first Monday of the month,  a bank holiday. To learn more about May Day traditions in the UK:http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/questions/mayday.htmMay, 1st is the occasion to talk about jobs.Surf the following sites.Here it is a list of different professions and an explanation of what each person does in that profession:http://www.vocabulary.cl/Basic/Professions.htmHere you can find useful vocabulary, expressions related to jobs, typical interview questions and answers:http://www.learnenglish.de/vocabulary/jobs.htmlHow to write a successful CV:http://www.bbc.com/news/business-15573447CVs and covering letters:https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/advice/getajob/cvs/Pages/default.aspxAnd now watch the following videos:What's the difference between work, job and business?How to find your dream job if you are not sure what you want to doTell us about yourself. Interview questions and answersNOW IT'S UP TO YOU!ROLE PLAYNow, you can choose to be an employer or an employee. In the first case, write a simple vacancy announcement, a profile of your ideal candidate and some questions you would like to ask during the interviews.In the second case decide which kind of  job you want to apply for, write a brief CV and prepare a presentation of yourself, of your qualities and abilities.In a second moment, we can simulate some job interviews in our classroom!

If we want to talk about foreign literature in our EFL class, watching some movies could be very useful. I choose six films based on some British and American novels for children. Three of them (Alice in Wonderland, A Christmas Carol and Peter Pan) allow us to talk about the 19th century literature. The others (The Polar Express, The Golden Compass and Harry Potter) can be used to talk about modern or contemporary literature.In the following Blendspace lesson that I prepared students can learn some information about some authors of books for kids. You can see the trailers of the six movies. Then you can read a list of some movies taken from children novels if you want to go on watching other films and reading other books. Finally there is a presentation of mine with some information about the novels' authors and the major themes of their books. You can also do some quiz.Click on the link below and have fun!An English Cineforum: some movies based on novels for children.Below teachers can find some interesting links about using movies, videos and  novels in their classroom.Movies and novels in EFL classes: some links for teachers.I made the above poster with PiktochartClick on the following image if you want to view my presentation outside the context of the Blendspace lesson. Enjoy your

WORLD LAUGHTER DAYWorld Laughter Day was born in India on January 11 1998. It was organised by the founder of the Worldwide Laughter Yoga Movement.He said that laughters stimulate positive emotions and can help us feel better. Not only they can improve our mood, but they are also good for our body. In fact laughing brings more oxygen to our body and brain.When we are in our classroom we sometimes get bored...Let's try to have some fun... and learn at the same time! Jokes can helpmotivate to speak, listen, read and writepromote a relaxed atmospherestudy the language in a real-life contextunderstand informal and colloquial expressionscompare different culturesLet's see some jokes!Surf the following sites to read jokes, riddles and punsJokes between students and teachers:http://freejoke4u.blogspot.it/2010/09/short-jokes-between-teacher-and.htmlJokes:http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/jokes.php#.U2IlB4F_tMQJokes:http://academictips.org/blogs/jokes/Funny short stories:http://academictips.org/blogs/funny-short-stories/Jokes, riddles, puns, misuse of english: http://iteslj.org/c/jokes.htmlSome jokes listed by difficulty and grammar goals:http://www.esljokes.net/contents.htmlSome students' tasks 1Read the jokes above, choose one and learn it. Then you will tell it to your classmates. If there are many characters, choose some friends and act the joke toghether.2Surf the above links, choose one joke or funny short story and then write something similar using it as a model.3Now invent your own joke!4Choose a joke, a pun or a short story and translate it. Do you think you could translate  all the jokes literally? If not, why? Think about something very funny about your country and about Britain and tell or invent a joke about that. 5Read some jokes about the misuse of English. Choose one and tell what makes the joke. Did similar funny situations ever  happen in you classroom? HAVE FUN!

May, 11th is Mother's Day. Another occasion to improve our students' writing skills and stimulate their creativity. This time we tried Storyjumper. It is a great simple tool to create e-books. The following is a brief example of a Storyjumper book, just to give the idea of what you can do. I asked my youngest students to make a little book for their mothers.They had to:Surf the Net to find imagesUpload their own images or photosChoose their scenes as backgroundWrite a sentence for each imageWrite a brief text Draw some characters using the "Props" Click on the image belowIt is a very funny activity because students can draw their own characters (choosing their dresses, faces, hair, etc), they can choose different props (animals, food, objects, etc.), they can use their own pictures to write a story.  Have fun and be creative!

Teacher appreciation week: May, 5-9Teacher appreciation day: May, 6To celebrate this Teacher Appreciation week I chose a digital tool. Padlet is a digital notice-board. Double-clicking anywhere on the board you can leave a message, a link, a picture, a poem... (If you drag-and-drop your text-box you can move it wherever you want).I'm going to ask my students to write something (positive or negative) for/about me. They can use their real name or remain anonymous.This will be very useful toget a quick feedbackbecome aware (or have further confirmation) of my strenghtsbecome aware of any problemsmake the students feel important by telling them I really need and consider their opinionI've just created my students' board, click on the image below...If you clik on this other image, instead, you will open a blank Teachers' Board I've just created for all the teachers who want to tell their opinion about teaching! Leave your comments (you don't need to log in)!!

 Tour Builder is a free fantastic tool! You have the whole world to put your stories on! It allows you to create or explore stories directly in the various countries of the world where they are set.You will need to install the Google Earth Plugin (it only takes a couple of minutes), if you haven't already.You can take a 3D trip inside stories!It could be very useful to study history, geography, literature and even storytelling.If you want to create your story-trip  you have to choose your destination on the Google mapadd your photos, videos, linksdescribe the places, pictures, photos or videos you put in (you can give a general description in the "tell the story" box and you can also describe picture by picture)insert some links if you want people to get more informationTour Builder takes track of all your movements on the map and this is the final result. Watch my brief example about my Cambridge experience! Choose "enter Street View" on the map to watch 3D the places I saw!Some students' tasks:1Describe your last school (or family) trip. Mark all the places you visited on the mapAdd some pictures or videosDescribe the places you visited2Is there an esotic place in the world you would like to visit?Choose a destinationFind some photos about that place on the Net and add themInvent a travel route Add some links to give information about the places you would like to visitWrite the reasons why you would like to go thereLet's go travelling!

"Families Matter for the Achievement Goals" is the 2014 International Day of Families' motto.To learn more:http://www.family2014.org/home.phpUnited Nations site:http://undesadspd.org/Family/InternationalObservances/TwentiethAnniversaryofIYF2014.aspxInternational Day of Families was founded by the United Nations Programme on the Family. Family is the core of a society so it is essential to have good and healthy relationships with our relatives. But every family is different, there are many different cultures and many ways to conceive a family.Let's see some definitions:"The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State" (United Nations, 1948)."Society’s definition of ‘family’ is rapidly expanding and has come to include single parents, biracial couples, blended families, unrelated individuals living cooperatively, and homosexual couples, among others. Unfortunately, family policy has been slow to catch up to changing trends in modern lifestyles" (J.M Crawford)."A family consists of two or more people, one of whom is the householder, related by birth, marriage, or adoption and residing in the same housing unit. A household consists of all people who occupy a housing unit regardless of relationship. A household may consist of a person living alone or multiple unrelated individuals or families living together" (U.S. Census Bureau, 2005)."We define family as any group of people related either biologically, emotionally, or legally. That is, the group of people that [a person] defines as significant for his or her well-being" (S.H. McDaniel)SOME STUDENTS' TASKS                   1 (for younger learners)What is your famiy like?Is it a traditional or a modern family? Describe your family' s members and make a family tree.2Listen to the songs below. Which one do you like the most? Why?Tell what the author wants to say in your opinion.What does "family" mean to you?"We are family" by Sister Sledge invites the whole family to unite and get up and sing."My father's eyes" by Eric Clapton"In it I tried to describe the parallel between looking in the eyes of my son and the eyes of the father I never met, through the chain of our blood", said the author.When we are teens we often have problems with our parents. Later we realize how precious they are. This is the theme of the next two songs."Mama" by Spice Girls"You're gonna miss this" by Trace Adkins"In my daughter eyes" by Martina McBrideYes, parents are there to support their children but sometimes, when audults feel down they find the strenght to go on in their children' s eyes.Some other songs about familyList of songs about family:http://www.buzzle.com/articles/songs-about-family.htmlSongs about family with music and lyrics:http://www.songsforteaching.com/familysongs.htm3Below you can see a very famous family!What do you know about the Royal Family?Did you witness some recent events that particularly struck you?Choose one member of the Royal Family and tell his/her story.To learn more about the Royal Family:https://www.royal.gov.uk/thecurrentroyalfamily/overview.aspx

MUSEUM COLLECTIONS MAKE CONNECTIONSMay, 18 is the International Museum Day. The theme for 2014 Museum Day proposed by ICOM (International Council of Museums) Advisory Committee is "Museum collections make connection" suggesting that museums help create bonds between visitors and different cultures and generations. For more information:http://icom.museum/events/international-museum-day/"After all, isn't the purpose of the novel, or of a museum, for that matter, to relate our memories with such sincerity as to transform individual happiness into a happiness all can share?" Orhan Pamuk, The Museum of InnocenceSome students activitiesThe following activities about museums could be  useful  in our EFL classes for many reasons:to enrich vocabularyto talk about foreign culture (and culture or art in general)to enhance listening skills (through videos), reading skills (through the websites' contents) writing skills (through essays and compositions), speaking skills (through oral reports)to talk about giving or asking for directions (through maps activities)1) Let's start with a video about some useful museum vocabulary by Linguaspectrum Interesting English2) Then, let's go to London to visit some of its most famous museums!Click on the link below to have some information about the major London museums:http://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/sightseeing/tourist-attraction/museum/major-museums3)  Now let's have a 3D tour and let's see where the most famous London museums are on the map thanks to Googleearthweb.4) Let's watch the following video to get some more information about the top five museums to visit in London by Howcast.5) Now, click on the Thinglink image I prepared and have some virtual or online tour! Once you open the image, you have to click on each icon you see on the map. The stars bring you to each museum site and the circles allow you to have a virtual tour! 6) Now, try to answer the following questions:You have just seen some of the most interesting London museums, could you tell which one you like the most and why?Have you ever been to London? Did you already visit some of these museums? If you didn't, talk about a museum you visited and about the things you saw.Do you think art and cuture can connect different people and countries? Why?"Museums are living institutions that help create bonds between visitors, generations and cultures around the world. The museum is an institution that preserves and communicates the past, yet it is grounded in the present. In its very essence, it is a link between the generations, as it allows present and future generations to better comprehend their origins and history."ICOMIn a museum you can travel through time and space... and you can live fantastic adventures... VISIT A MUSEUM!"When I was growing up, my mother would take me to plays and museums, and we'd talk about life. Those times helped shape who I became."Jill Scott