Peter Black at Theatre U22

On 20^th December 2016 students of classes C1 and G1 attended a theatre show at Theatre U22, which is a modern drama theatre scene with a café in Prague 10-Uhříněves.

Students’ reviews...

"It was an amazing experience, I immediately want to go and see the second story of P.B."

"I understood almost everything. I'd go again. Actors tried to speak slowly so that we understood them. It was funny as well... "

"That was great! I understood all."

"The story was quite short but it was a happy end. I want to see it again! I hope they´ll put on other shows. Good job!"

"I think the performance was really well done and funny; especially the actors were very convincing. The scenery was realistic and just the perfect setting for this play."

"I did like the play for the characters that were played by the guy that played Rocco and the homeless guys because they were really funny and they had made the play more interesting. I was also kind of shocked when I realised that the whole play was played by only 2 actors and 1 actress. On the other hand I didn't like the ending because I didn't quiet understand it but I guess that it has more parts that explains the first part.

My final opinion is that the whole play was alright and I would recommend it to people that have this kind of humour which I also have."

Implementing CLIL method at language learning

Using CLIL method at primary and secondary schools can be beneficial for the students as its main aim is to acquire knowledge of curricular subject content through a foreign language.

The main aim of CLIL lessons is to develop students‘ communication skills and increase students talking time during the lessons. 
Integrating content and language is not a new concept. However, the importance of implementing the concept has become more essential in current internationalised environment of schools.

Our school EDUCAnet Praha is a great example of a school were teachers successfully implement CLIL method in teaching.

High School Days 2016 in Prague

Studying abroad may change the way you view all kinds of things which you´d previously taken for granted...

Studying abroad during high school is the perfect way for gaining the international perspective, life skills and independence.

A unique opportunity has arisen and we visited High School Days 2016 Fair organised by Alfa Agency.

We met and interacted with admission representatives from wide range of study institutions, colleges from different countries in Europe from Britain, Ireland, Spain and from overseas countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA. 

A Project Day - Creation videos at EDUCAnet Praha

Gone are the days when teaching at schools was all about reading and discussing books and papers because these days, it is all about interaction, innovation and most importantly creativity.

Support creativity and competitiveness were the main purposes of a PROJECT DAY held and organised by EDUCAnet Praha on 4th October.

 It was a great example of collaboration within the net of EDUCAnet schools and also a shining example of interdisciplinary collaboration.

The theme of the Project Day was MAKING A VIDEO on a RETRO OBJECT.

Planning, scripting, rehearsing were the most important steps for a video project.

Students came up with genuine and unique ideas.

The winning video...

A Floppy Disk

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-X52QindMPgbzkwRzZ0QjZnTjg/view?ts=5809eada

ELT Czechlist: Ideas from the Heart of Europe

This year in September, the 11th International and 15th National ATECR (Association of Teachers of English of the Czech Republic) Conference was held at the SPŠE Ječná and Pedagogická fakulta UK with plenaries by Šárka Dohnalová, Ben Dobbs and Louel Ross Calleja. 

The conference was really a great event, full of inspiring presentations, networking and socialising. Networking is one of the most important advantages of attending a conference. A great way to meet colleagues and peers is one of the most rewarding components of conference attendance and also a unique opportunity to talk to the speakers, book authors and publishers.

It was just a lovely kick to new school year!

 

Inspiring new publications...and ideas that work!

Snowball fighting in the classroom...a great gap filling activity

Playing snowball fighting in the classroom sounds a bit childish, though it always works with older students too.

The game is a great way to energising students, change the pace, fill a gap or just as a fun activity after introducing a topic.

During our very first English classes we played our snowball game as a whole class and we really enjoyed it. 
After the activity students  all sat comfortably and get busy with First (FCE) preparation – Reading and Use of English Exam strategies.

New trends in foreign language teaching

Language teaching approaches, methods and procedures are constantly undergoing reassessment. New ideas keep emerging created by technology. Students nowadays have access to an incredible amount of English-language material online. But while this is clearly beneficial, it can also be a bit overwhelming.

The idea of spaced repetition is not new but it still works. More and more language-learning apps use the principles of spaced repetition, such as Lingopolis or Olive Green.

They are sites that adapt materials for students like Easier English Wiki that provides students (and teachers) with free materials based on articles from New Internationalist magazine. Newsmart is an app that uses daily, up-to-date content from the Wall Street Journal to teach language and develop reading and listening skills.

Nowadays, every student carries a powerful mini-computer, video camera and audio recorder in their pocket, a Smart phone, and teachers are finding new ways to use this technology in the classroom for learning English.

However, not all the latest trends rely on technology. A very noticeable trend is towards more creativity in the classroom. Creativity is becoming one of the most important 21st-century skills.

Great examples are Oxford Discover a series, based on the 'four Cs' (critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity) and the Macmillan Life Skills series, which treats broader soft skills such as raising self-awareness, and influencing and managing others.

New resources from our #ELTons2015 winning Life Skills site are now available to download!
http://ow.ly/O4Dsn

If you only read 6 things this week...

A superb way how to master ENGLISH!

How liers fool us all the time
a great article I would recommend for reading...

   Repetition makes a fact seem more true, regardless of whether it is or not. Understanding this effect can help you avoid falling for propaganda, says psychologist Tom Stafford.

READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE...on
www.bbc.com/future/story/20161026-how-liars-create-the-illusion-of-truth

Subsribe, get access to the latest unique articles and improve your English!
And if you only read 6 things this week, you will soon master it!

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A memorable Red Letter Day - Sports Day at Educanet Praha

It was a special, happy, and important day that everybody will always remember...

It was a  DAY full of fun, excitement and various competing sports activities.

The activites  were dedicated not just to having fun, playing together but also to promoting physical activity and health for everyone!

Students are encouraged to engage in sports and outdoor games on the regular basis.

Life is also just like a game. Sometimes, you win, and sometimes you lose. Participating in various games and sports adevelop a feeling of sporting spirit.

DofE in action at EDUCAnet Praha 6.- 8. 06. 2016 POSAZAVI - Bronz and Silver level

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is a challenge all the time. It was on our expedition too... Aside from that, it's also one of the most enjoyable things you have ever done, gives you great motivation to get up off the sofa and live life, and is a fantastic way to make some of the best friends.
In a nutshell, to complete the Award you have to undertake a variety of activities comprising one from each of five separate categories over a period of time.

Aim of the expedition

To develop initiative and a sense of adventure and discovery, by planning, training for and completing an adventurous journey as part of a team.

Achieving your Award is an adventure from beginning to end and this section can give you some of your most memorable experiences!

With a team, we planned an aim for our expedition, decided the location and did lots of training to make sure we´re fully prepared and know what we’re doing!  We worked  as a team to organise all of this and helped to plan our expedition. 

The whole experience  gave us laughs, arguments, joy and frustration along the way.  But, in the end, we had better team and leadership skills, not to mention bags more confidence and a rucksack full of great memories!

Benefits

Gain an appreciation of and respect for the outdoor environment.

Learn the value of sharing responsibility for success.

Learn the importance of attention to detail and organisational ability.

Develop and demonstrate enterprise and imagination.

Become more self-reliant.

Become more able to overcome challenges.

Recognise the needs and strengths of others.

Improve decision-making skills and the ability to accept consequences.

Gain skills to reflect on personal performance.

Facebook and new apps for English learners

Recently, I have read articles about decrease in daily Facebook users, specifically among teens. In other words, teenagers are still on Facebook; they're just not using it as much as they did.

To understand where teens like to spend their virtual time nowadays, just watch them on their smartphones. All the fun stuff is happening on their mobiles.

Facebook has become a social network that's often too complicated, too risky, and, above all, too overrun by parents to give teens the type of digital freedom. 

Their world revolves around Instagram and gradual exodus towards WhatsApp, WeChat, KakaoTalk, etc.
However, Facebook with more than 1 billon users worldwide is still a leader among social networking sites.
The question is how can you, as a student of English, use Facebook and all those apps to your own benefit and improve your language skills?

On Facebook there are lots of groups and you can join them. They can help you practice your English. They pose questions, mill games, videos, stories that you can read and play along with and they challenge you to use your English properly.

When you join these groups you are going to meet a lot of other people just like you. These people want to learn English and they are trying to it on Facebook.

If they wanna learn English and you wanna learn English you can do it together.

After you find friends you could have a chat with them or use your skype hangouts on Google.

You can also study grammar. There are hundreds  of grammar sides. Teachers have uploaded lots and lots of different charts, rules and exercises on to Facebook and you can join those pages. 
The pages are being updated  almost daily and you can see more and more rules, learn grammar and get better at English. After all the father of modern English literature William Shakespeare has his Facebook account - pages...
https://www.facebook.com/WilliamShakespeareAuthor/

A lot of people post videos on Facebook  to help you practice your listening in English. And if you do that it is like being with someone.You can hear them talking, listen to the proper  pronounciation, so it can certainly help too. 

The last thing you can do to help yourself learn English on Facebook is that you find a page that you are interested in or people that you are interested in. Read the conversations right there. They are really good at talking and they use a wide range of vocabulary. 
The more you read the better you will get. 

And let's not forget mobile apps. With these apps for learning English, it'll almost be like playing a game  no more boring vocabulary and grammar exercises!

So those are all different ways that you can try to improve your English using Facebook and different apps.

Share, learn and enjoy English...

Facebook pages:
https://www.facebook.com/myenglishteachers
https://www.facebook.com/grammarly
https://www.facebook.com/GrammarUpdates
https://www.facebook.com/bbclearningenglish.multimedia

Apps:
http://openlanguage.com/library/learn-english/10/culture-show/478/top-5-ios-apps-for-learning-english

YouTubers and Vloggers

Most of us can’t live a day without watching YouTube music, funny or some educational videos. Can you imagine your life without watching YouTube at all? Probably not.

YouTube has become the most important media in people's lives. It is mainstream media that completely permeated global media culture.

YouTubers are already mainstream stars and celebrities. They are making lots of money from their self-built careers. What is it like to be a YouTuber or a vlogger? Why make YouTube videos?

As I know that a few students of mine are successful vloggers I asked them. YouTubers sit and perform for the camera. It is not so easy to become famous and successful as it seems. Vloggers are documenting their daily lives, giving advice on everything and sharing their thoughts on the world around them. Actually, they are vlogging their life online.

Shakespeare not just for the Graduation Exam

The date of the graduation exam for 4th graders is just around the corner and the upcoming weeks can be a stressful period for all students.

You may say…it’s high time you started cramming for the final exam. Does it really help? This hasn´t been conclusively proved, yet.

You start to panic, your mind usually goes blank and things can downhill very quickly. You obviously won't have time to cover everything.

Most of us are connected 24/7. Here is my study tip to help you get a grip on Shakespeare. The best way is to join a free online course:

Exploring English: Shakespeare, from Monday 18 April 2016 to Sunday 29 May 2016.

The British Council’s team of educators will guide you through the course and you will get the opportunity to share your ideas and opinions with people from all over the world.
Improve your English language skills, learn about Shakespeare’s life and plays, increase your confidence, and get ready for your final exam.

Here is the link:

https://www.britishcouncil.cz/en/events/exploring-english-shakespeare

In the end…my favourite quotation:

"Ignorance is the curse of God; knowledge is the wing wherewith we fly to heaven."

                                                                     William Shakespeare

AND THE OSCAR GOES TO…

These days we are talking about film industry, awards and stuff in our classes. The Oscars, BAFTA, the Razzies, etc.

Each year millions of people tune in to see if their favourite actor, film and director had been nominated and picked up the top award. The gold statuette prize, called an Oscar, is the highest honour in the movie industry. It can turn an actor into a legend or a movie into a classic.

The Golden Raspberry Awards, often shortened to the Razzies is an award ceremony in recognition of the worst in film.

A few tudents came up with an idea to make films and organise a competition on the BEST and the WORST movies.

The categories copied the Oscars and the Razzies. Best /Worst - Screenplay, Picture, Actor/Actress in a Leading Role, Actor/Actress  in a Supporting Role, Special Effects, Stunts, Camera and Director.

Students teamed up and made films on different topics of their own choice.

The nominees were all the films the students shot. The best ones have been awarded...received recognision and got the best mark.We were enjoying the lesson and had lots of fun.
The best films have been uploaded to the school YouTube storage space.

Better English more Opportunities

English is the most commonly used and an important language in today’s global society. Knowing English will make you more employable in every country in the world. It’s the language of business, the internet and modern culture. Having a confident grasp of English is essential in helping you get the most out of your career. 
It is good to make English your hobby and improve your English through different activites you enjoy.
The British Council has a wide range of free online resources to help adults, teenagers and children learn English. The resources include videos, mobile apps, games, stories, listening activities and grammar exercises.
Boost your confidence, improve your language skills, have better English and grasp the opportunity.

Some good tips:
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/explore-english-language-culture

An amazing trip to London

In order to get the best out of London we organised a school trip. Our top priorities were to make the trip safe, and most of all, fun!

London and the South East have one of the mildest climates in the UK, but the weather can be unpredictable. Londoners get used to carrying both an umbrella and sunglasses to be prepared for all eventualities!
We did the same.

We spent over a week in the very central part of London, but didn´t experience even a sign of clouds, rain and windy weather. 

We were lucky!

March was just the perfect choice and time to explore London's outdoor attractions.
We have visited the notoriously famous places of interest and of course much more...

We went behind-the scenes of the Harry Potter film series, located at the Warner Bros. Studio where it all began.
We just couldn´t miss the amazing THE MAKING THE HARRY POTTER!

Comparatives and superlatives are ready. Are you?

Today's English lesson in C1/G1 was more interesting than usual.

Throughout the lesson, the students get plenty of practice using comparative and superlative structures.

This fun class activity is an imaginative and insightful way how to teach students to associate comparatives and superlatives with a variety of questions.

The class is split into two or three big teams of three or four.  Each group is given a copy of the board game, a dice and counters, which should all be placed on the START square,

Students must form comparatives or superlatives and then answer the questions in full and give extra details.

If a student cannot form the question correctly or fails to provide an answer, he/she should miss a turn.

The winner is the first students to the FINISH.

Today we all WON. Had fun and learned a lot!

                            

Interactive performances in The Bear Theatre

The Bear Educational Theatre is famous for its uniqueness and ability to amuse the audience. We have already seen a few performances in REDUTA, and frankly, we never got bored with them.

In February we saw two performances. My favourite ones: The History of England Part 1 and The History of England Part 2.

The Bear interactive theatre is unique for many reasons. I want to lay stress on two aspects. The shows are supported by lots of teaching materials. They are informative, provide lots of facts and  of course very professional as well. They also have ability to create genuine emotional reactions and motivate students to feel positive about learning the language.

During the performances students positively got involved, laughed and had a lot of fun.

In a nutshell, we learnt a lot and laughed a lot!

THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND PART 2

Titanic: The Exhibition

World exhibition TITANIC arrived in Prague!

As I am a his-story devotee I did not hesitate to see the exhibition Titanic immediately I had come to know about it.

Firstly, because the story of the legendary ill-fated ship Titanic is notoriously famous and secondly, cause the film Titanic, a fictional story of lovers who fall in love aboard, staring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, was one of my favourite movies for a long time.

It was a truly incredible experience.

We saw hundreds of original artefacts parts of the ship's equipment, furniture, china and personal items of passengers rescued from the famous wreck. Felt the atmosphere of luxury of the period interiors with a perfect reconstruction of the cabins, engine rooms and could hear the noise of the engines.
Seeing all those, remind me of the movie Titanic. There was a place, the grand staircase, which is from the famous scene in the film where Jack meets up with Rose by the clock with spiralling stairs.

One exhibit also included an iceberg - it could be the one that sunk the Titanic...

We could even touch the fatal iceberg!

However, the best part of the exhibition was that as you entered, you were given a replica boarding pass of one of the actual passengers that was aboard the Titanic. Towards the end of the exhibition you could check on the wall where the names of the passengers were listed, whether you survived or not...

For all students from primary and first grade of secondary school the exhibition was pretty immersive with lots of details and touching stories about the people that would have been on the Titanic.

I have taken lots of photos, but you must see the exhibition with your own eyes!

I am just enclosing a promo photo sent by my daughter from the very first day of the exhibition. 
Guess which of the passengers is my daughter?

COMPETITION: Best in English 2015/2016

Students spontaneously seek competition with their peers. It is not surprising that education and competition are familiarly related. It is natural for students to compete and, therefore, understandable that competition is put to educational use.

On the one hand students are eager to explore their boundaries and expand their horizons...On the other hand many students feel it is difficult to express their talents in school. Exams and group assignments do not always capture students’ unique skills or accurately measure the ability to apply skills to real-world problems.

By participating in a competition students benefit from the opportunity to show their talent and apply skills. Obviously, not everyone who enters the competition will win. But this is not time wasted, it is time spent learning and growing. Competitions should provide an enriching and stimulating experience.

We organise several language competitions and also take part in competitions organised by different organisations and educational institutions. This academic year our school EDUCAnet Praha participated in competition Angličtinář roku 2015/16. For the first time it had an international dimension in a competition BEST in ENGLISH.

We called on all those who wanted to check their knowledge with students from other schools and possibly get one of the many rewards.

The competition was held on 27 January 2016 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Unfortunately, the number of competitors was limited. Over 20 students took part, the best ones.

The online Test compiled on the B1-C1 levels of the European Framework of Reference included grammar, listening and orientation of the text. The test lasted exactly 60 minutes from the log in. After completing the test students were acquainted with their accomplishments. They did their Best.

The final results will be announced on February 18, 2016. We are excitedly waiting to the final scores and hoping for the best results for our Best!

Complete information can also be found on the website ar.czech-us.cz. 
You can also visit Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/1007672592609430/