Tell the Wolves I'm Home - first discussion

Snapshot from today - starting to read "Tell the Wolves I'm Home"

Made a laminated "plan for reading" with my class SA15P as we started reading the above book today. Looking forward to discussing the many trials and tribulations of Greta and June.

ENG 5 - working with news articles

My agenda for the first half of 2017

As I am writing this it is freezing cold outside. All of a sudden, after months of mild weather, the frosty and shivering cold winter has made a visit.. I suppose it is a welcomed one, after all. :) I am sitting and writing my agenda for 2017, things that I am planning for my students, things that I am especially looking forward to during the first half of 2017. There will be a focus on reading at the start of the semester in English 6, and in English 5 we will take a look at news articles and then move on into a creative writing-project with inspiration found in the art of Banksy and Alice Pasquini. English 6 will then dive into a Spoken Word-theme and I am all excited about that one! More to come - all the best for the New Year! /Pernilla 

Happy Holidays and Peace to All

I am taking a week or two off from work and I will be back here in the beginning of January. Until then - Happy Holidays! 

Snapshots from today

Final lesson and what is better than to focus on some small talk (interaction) while decorating gingerbread cookies. Very Christmassy! An informal, creative, cozy and fitting end to a great semester! 

Presentations about female short story writers

On Monday my students in NA16F finished their studies on female short story writers and one part was to - in their study groups - gather information about one female writer and additionally summarize one short story by the same. The questions to be answered were:

• Where and when was she born? Include a photo of the author in the presentation.

• Where did she live growing up?
• With whom did she live during her childhood?
• When did she decide to become an author?
• Has she won any awards?
• What kinds of books has she written? (Themes in the books?)
• Summarize the short story you read by the author and tell it to the audience.
• Comment on how easy/difficult is was to find information about the author. What sources have you used? Were your sources reliable? Why/why not? Include a list of sources at the end of the presentation

The students worked with a joint Google Presentation and made an oral presentation in addition. Here are some of their presentations:

Students as teachers - instructional grammar videos

During two weeks my students have worked on making instructional grammar videos for the target group: year 6/7 in school. Here is a taste of some of them...more will come: 

Skype session with Melbourne, Australia

Yesterday we Skyped with Benjamin Lannen and his students from Melbourne, Australia. We were able to kind of quickly guess that they were from Australia (due to their accent) but it was a bit trickier locating their city. However, after a while it was revealed that they were in Melbourne in the south-east. Among other things, the students learnt what Lamingtons and Tim Tam's were....and it's all good! :)

Showing us what Tim Tam's are

Anna, Aphinya and Soleman asking questions

After having figured out that they are in Australia

A December classic - short film

DECEMBER from Andreas Pasvantis on Vimeo.

Reading comprehension strategies

Snapshot from today - reading different text genres

We are focusing on reading in English 6 - different kinds of genres such as scientific articles, poems, short stories, non-fiction texts and integrative texts. These are the ones we are using, practicing before a reading comprehension test in early January. Discussing reading strategies too.

Poem about America - by student in ENG 6

Right now we are reading different types of text genres in English 6, and after reading "Let America be Great Again" by Langston Hughes, one student decided to write a response poem. I thought this poem pin-pointed a lot of current things in today's America...what do you think? 

Poem about America

America portrayed itself with all the good things it used to be. 

A home for the brave, land of the free. 

A land of pioneers and a people of adventurers. 

Nowadays, a nation controlled by business ventures.

Because all things great will decline, which is a must.

Why? Because mankind has arrived with his greed and lust. 

- Anonymous student ENG 6

Follow Pernilla's English Classroom on Instagram for updates on what's happening in the classroom!

Do you want to see what is going on in Pernilla's English Classroom? Follow the Instagram account named just that for ideas on apps, web pages, documentation and videos taken from the action in the classroom.

Comprehension questions to "The Famous Poll at Jody's Bar"

Story map - write notes while reading your short stories - NA16F

US Election - demographic maps

MIL (Media and Information Literacy) week 2016 in Brazil

Global MIL Week 2016: MIL at the heart of learning and education

© UNESCO

The inspiring second day of the UNESCO-led Global MIL Week 2016 Feature Event in São Paulo, Brazil, brought to light the relevance and urgency of policy on Media and Information Literacy (MIL) around the world. Media and Information Literacy and the Global MIL Week received high recognition from the government of Brazil, with the Secretaries of the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Transparency, Oversight and Control and the State of São Paolo. These high-level officials together with representatives from UNESCO, the University of São Paulo and the Global Alliance for Partnerships on MIL expressed commitment in advancing MIL and called for it to be placed on the global development agenda.

Uncertainty: a difficult task for education

Marco Antonio Zago, Rector of the University of São Paulo and the keynote speaker of the Feature Event, underlined the “uncertain” times we live in. “Universities have the difficult task of educating for times of uncertainty. We don’t know which technologies will be available but we know they will be different than today”, he said. He pointed out that “we need to look into strengthening the behaviors and abilities to take decisions, to communicate and argue and to train for the future”. And this is a challenge as well as a responsibility. He noted that “Universities are the sisters of freedoms”.

“This conference also provides us with responsibility, to think critically about the purpose of MIL and what kind of society we want to live in. We are here to seize the opportunity that UNESCO provided,” said Carolyn Wilson, Chair of GAPMIL Interim International Steering Committee and instructor at Canada’s Western University.

How to measure the impact of MIL policies?

During the first plenary sessions, focusing on MIL as a tool for bridging the divide between learning and living in formal, informal and non-formal education, Alexandre Barbosa, Director of CETIC.br approached a critical issue of public policies – their impact (or lack thereof) over the lives of youth in Brazil. Using research conducted by CETIC, such as the Brazilian Kids Online Survey, Barbosa highlighted that MIL can reduce the gap that exists between the learning and everyday empirical experience in formal, non formal and informal education environment.

Paulette Karr and Paulette Stewart from the University of the West Indies added another perspective on this: “Research done shows that technology issues were not at the heart of the problem. It was more policy and infrastructure”, they concluded. The importance of policy was also highlighted by Ismar Soares, professor at the School of Communication and Arts at USP, who stated that “this conference can promote dialogue surrounding public policies, so that we can empower educators in Brazil”.

“Learners at the centre of a networked world”

Tessa Jolls, President of the Centre for Media Literacy, USA, noted that education reform is needed, as “through MIL, learners are placed at the centre of a networked world where MIL is brought to the centre of all learning.” The first plenary session opened with a recollection that 2 November is the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists and the appropriateness that Global MIL Week 2016 was opened on that day. Journalists were recognized as important information providers relevant to MIL, as are librarians, archivists, museum creators, researchers and academics. All were called upon to offer a moment of silence for journalists killed in 2015 and 2016.

Exciting time for MIL education

“Today the majority of our schools are still following the Industrial Revolution model; a bell signals when we must start and finish, students wear uniforms, there is a professor”, highlighted Rosa Maria Vicari, UNESCO Chair for ICTs in Education, adding that access to technology is viewed as a challenge. “The new media provide possibilities and opportunities, with many new models”, she concluded at the round table session “Innovation in MIL Education: transforming learning in a multimedia environment: best practices and pedagogical models for MIL and teacher’s education”. The fundamental role of teachers in MIL education was further reinforced during other round table sessions. Primary school education is very important but most teachers are not currently trained in MIL, so its integration into their curricula is crucial.

Intercultural impact and critical attitudes

MIL skills are also having a profound impact on intercultural dialogue. Prejudices often exist because of a lack of knowledge; most people are afraid of what they do not know. Grassroots and everyday collaborative activities will contribute to reducing fear and promoting mutual understanding, and so can the media and journalists.

Dennis Reineck from Deutsche Welle (DW) Akademie shared a project carried out in Cambodia and Palestine focused on the use of social media amongst rural populations who were not aware of how to use it. “There was a bit of knowledge there, but mostly it was about motivation among young people and, along with that, access to developing critical attitudes,” Reineck explained, highlighting that MIL competencies, among others, are knowing how media work and demanding media quality.

Global MIL Week 2016 is led by UNESCO in cooperation with the General Assembly of the Global Alliance for Partnerships in Media and Information Literacy (GAPMIL), the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and the Media and Information Literacy and Intercultural Dialogue (MILID) University Network and hosted by the University of São Paulo, Brazil. Global MIL Week’s Feature Event was celebrated from 2-5 November 2016 in São Paulo.

source: 

http://en.unesco.org/global-mil-week-2016/global-mil-awards

Two more videos from Florida - SA16M

Two more videos arrived from Vero Beach, Florida 

Global Read Aloud - slow chat questions for week 6 of All American Boys