Category Archives: Resources

Reading or listening to a biography?

Audio, Listening, Resources, , , , ,

Nobody can deny the pleasure one gets from reading a good book. I always boast  that I’ll never be bored as long as I have a good book by my side.

Reading certainly helps  students learn and biographies are definetely something quite light to read . Today I want to show a website I came across just by chance when I was looking for information about Whitney Houston (rest in peace). The site is called biography.com and here you can watch exclusive biographies about famous people like Christian Dior, Bob Dylan, Sarah Palin or Michael Jordan to name just a few. What I especially liked about this site is that you can choose between watching a minibio (2-4 minutes) or watching the full bio. What’s your choice? Don’t tell me  I think I can guess .

Now, watch this minibio about Pablo Picasso and tell me what you think about this site.

Two Timesavers: BusyTeachers.org and ISL Collective.com

Audio, Grammar, Speaking, Vocabulary, Writing skill

Being a full time teacher doesn’t mean that I’m not also a full time mum. I am! Trust me! When I get home from a school packed with teenagers I go home to more teenagers, my own children. They take up most of my free time. I help them with their homework, cheer them up when they have had a problem at school, cool them down when necessary, take them to their different after school activities – none of them in the same place where I live… and a long etc. Have I ever mentioned that I also try to teach them some English?
This means that I don’t enjoy as much free time as I did when I worked in the afternoons/evenings in the EOI, so I ‘ve had to look for timesavers and these are, in my opinion, the best online.

BusyTeachers.org is an amazing site offering about 6,300 worksheets divided into skills: grammar, pronunciation, listening, writing, reading, vocabulary. ..etc. . You can also find ppt presentations to illustrate what you are teaching. It’s free and you only need to register to download the files.

ISL Collective is probably my favourite because of the quality of the worksheets. Teachers from all around the globe contribute by uploading their own home-made materials. It is 100% free and you only need to register. Teachers and students of German, French , Portuguese , Russian and Spanish will also find lots of worksheets.

Give them a go and let me know if you know any other great timesavers!

Fontself: Spice up your worksheets with funny fonts

Create your own stuff, Funny Stuff,

Fontself  has got cool fonts and smileys to add a personal touch to your worksheets, emails, websites,posts or social networks. You can choose from a variety of cool fonts or you can create your own. I have just used some of these fonts in a boring worksheet I have prepared about the future. You’re welcome to do it here and find the key here.

SlideShark: convert your PPT to your Ipad format

freeware

I’ve been using my Ipad for a year and I couldn’t be happier with it. There are lots of apps that I use for fun and there are some more that I use to help me in my daily teaching. One of them is SlideShark, created by the same people who created MyBrainShark(post here). SlideShark is a free app for converting and viewing PPT files on your iPad. SlideShark converts your PowerPoint files without losing any of your original formatting, transitions, or animations.

To use SlideShark  you need to register but don’t worry it’s free . Then , just upload your PPT files  and  SlideShark will convert the files for you. Instal  the free SlideShark app and  you can access your converted files on your iPad at anytime and display your presentation in the classroom.