Welcome to HAVE FUN WITH ENGLISH

I would like to welcome all students at the EOI Pontevedra to a blog where they will find a lot of information about the school together with a wide range of activities to practise and improve their English. I´m sure most of them will find the activities in the blog both amusing and enjoyable! Hope you learn a lot... and please, let me know if there is anything you want me to include!!

Wednesday 15 December 2021

PLAYING TRIVIA: CAN STUDENTS BE THE PROTAGONISTS?

Whether the subject at hand is movies, geography, or '80s ballads, playing a trivia game is always a fun way to spice up your lessons so that the class community can bond and compete over shared knowledge in a motivating environment. However, I had been struggling for ages to come up with some sort of new version of the game that had a greater impact on language learning than just that of  "You got the wrong answer". Luckily, I came up with a clever idea when I found the @simplificamates template on Twitter. It was just the perfect game to give my class trivia a new twist. 

It is true that the template @genially_es provides is great for the classic "correct vs incorrect" feedback type. However, David´s template goes the extra mile! If you use his template (he has been generous enough so as to share it on Twitter馃檹), students will not be able to know whether their guesses are right until the end of the game. So, if they fail any of the questions, they have to go back to start and play again. What a nightmare, or is it?

As there is no other way to get positive feedback than playing until the end, the debate is guaranteed as students strive to get all the right answers! No wonder they will hate starting from scratch! On top of that, once they get all their correct guesses (hopefully, it will not take them too long!), you may add very interesting feedback or even follow-up questions, which really worked out for me.



I have been using this template with the forums of my blended learning courses, bringing students' contributions and comments into our at-school lesson. I must admit it did the trick. Students got actively involved and their work at home paid off! You may give it a try below... even though answers were based on the students' posts onto Moodle, they should not be too hard to guess. Up for a challenge?

Tuesday 9 November 2021

SCHOOL LIBRARY ACTIVITIES: COME AND JOIN US!

Our school library is now involved in planning two activities that will definitely provide our students with great opportunities to foster a culture of extensive reading and knowledge. You may have a look at these two links below to get informed:

I hope you find the occasion to take part in any of these!

See you all at our school library for more reading experiences!


Monday 18 October 2021

FIND YOUR VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY AT SCHOOL!

Opportunity is calling! Free volunteering is a wonderful way to see the world, learn new skills and help others. So, get informed about the school library initiative to offer students new opportunities to grow up in our community. 

As usual, at the beginning of the school year, the school library is opening up its volunteer programme. Would you like to join and support our school? We need you!! Take part in this rewarding experience and assist others in your community by volunteering now.

For more information about the programme at the library have a look at the school website.

By becoming a volunteer you are making a valuable contribution to school! The gift of your time is priceless!





Thursday 7 October 2021

LET'S GIVE OUR TEACHER ASSISTANT A WARM WELCOME!

I am glad to inform you that our English Department has just been appointed a new foreign language assistant for the school year 2021-2022.  Her name is Nasly. She is from New York and she will presumably be involved with conversation classes. This is her first time in Pontevedra and is really looking forward to working at our school community. We just can't wait to meet Nasly. Please, let's get ready to greet her with open arms!!

Tuesday 5 October 2021

OUR SCHOOL LIBRARY IS BACK!

Our school library has just opened its doors and we want to celebrate! You are all welcome to take the school library quiz. Just visit the library and have a look at all the books and amazing things on offer. Fill in the quiz you will find on one of the tables and cross your fingers! You might get a stroke of luck and become our big winner. 

Have a look at the school library blog for more info.





Sunday 19 September 2021

OFF TO A FRESH START!

It is that time of the year again... September is about to finish soon and school children are already used to getting up early every weekday and grabbing their school bag in a rush so as not to miss the bus that will take them to their well-settled routine. Our summer blues has definitely vanished, hasn't it?


However, even though both primary and secondary school teachers have already plunged into the school curriculum, we - of course, EOI teachers - are still struggling with the preparatory work for school year 21-22: enrolment periods, virtual classroom management, getting to know each other lesson plans, ice breakers... we are set to start in just a few days! As usual, it often depends on the Autonomous Community we live in or even our local Education Authorities. But for better or worse, it is that time of the year again for EOIs...


I have already been designing the new beginning. This year I will be teaching C1.2 again but the school course comes with an extra bonus: a Blended C1.1 English course I just can't wait to teach!


No wonder I am preparing a plethora of resources I will be sharing with my school community. Here is one I am particularly proud of: my @wakelet compilation of online dictionaries, translators and corpus dictionaries. I hope my blended course students find it useful. I will definitely devote some time to providing the right instructions on how to make the most of them. I love collocation dictionaries and expanding my students' knowledge on how to sound more natural. It is most likely this will help. Wish me luck and all the best for the new EOI school year!!

Thursday 3 June 2021

END OF THE YEAR EXTRAVAGANZA!

 Waving handend-of-the-year ceremony. I just did not know how to thank my students for their endless effort and constant support. So, I came up with this idea of designing original certificates to encourage them all go on with their learning.

At the end of the year, we awarded the diplomas and recalled a great year of learning. Now I hope they all go ace that C1 test! 馃挭


Thursday 20 May 2021

E TI DE QUEN VES SENDO?

Dear all, 馃憢 

I am proud to present you with the project that our school has been carrying out this year regarding idioms. In the presentation below, you will be able to see a lot of different idiomatic expressions in the different languages that you can study at school. I am particularly proud of the English section, as a lot of familiar faces appear. Please, take a look 馃憖 and judge for yourselves!

Do not hesitate to share this wonderful work. Show your family and friends what we are up to at school.

I would like to thank my C1 students for their contributions and enthusiasm!

Friday 23 April 2021

#WORLD BOOK DAY

We are willing to celebrate World Book Day at school for the year 2020-2021. Here are the projects that students have shared to help us find new reading adventures. If you are willing to find your next favourite book and become the perfect reader, you cannot miss the presentation below. An inspiring book can be a great therapy to cope with the end of the school year!

Wednesday 24 March 2021

XI CONCURSO MICRORRELATO

O Equipo de Dinamizaci贸n da Lingua Galega da EOI de Pontevedra, en colaboraci贸n coa Concellar铆a de Normalizaci贸n Ling眉铆stica do Concello de Pontevedra, convoca o XI Certame de Microrrelato en Galego “EOI de Pontevedra”.

DATA: XOVES 15 de abril 谩s 19:30h (duraci贸n: 2 horas)  

LUGAR: sal贸n de actos da EOI de Pontevedra e, simultaneamente, nas secci贸n do Valle Incl谩n, A Estrada e Lal铆n.  

RELATOS: as persoas participantes deber谩n crear un texto literario de 150 palabras como m谩ximo “in situ”, durante 2 h, a partir da “inspiraci贸n” que lles suxiran 3 palabras escollidas polos escritores colaboradores no certame.  

PARTICIPANTES: Poder谩n participar no concurso todas as persoas que o desexen (sexan ou non alumnado da EOI de Pontevedra).  


Non dubides en participar e moita sorte! Pon 谩 proba as t煤as habilidades literarias! Mais de 450€ en premios!


Monday 8 March 2021

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY 2021

Our #EscuelasAmigas project "Remarkable women from Galicia and Navarra you should know" can't miss this chance to celebrate #internationalwomensday2021 #DiaInternacionalDeLaMujer today! Just in the nick of time to highlight those women who have inspired us throughout time. Have a look at the contribution that students from EOI Pamplona and EOI Pontevedra have made and learn how our project is evolving!

Tuesday 2 March 2021

LINGUISTIC EXCHANGES AT EOI PONTEVEDRA: BRINGING LANGUAGE LEARNERS TOGETHER

Now that you are studying a foreign language, would you like to connect with native speakers abroad and share your passion for learning? The Equipo de Dinamizaci贸n da Lingua Galega at school is carrying out a new project aimed at bringing together language learners who can support each other. They are organizing exchanges in different languages that will allow students to find a partner to chat and improve their linguistic skills as they also acquire first-hand cultural knowledge. 

Do not miss this opportunity to practise the language you are studying and become more confident! Who knows? You may find a friend for life!

Wednesday 17 February 2021

OUR SCHOOL LIBRARY PROJECT: A VISUAL DICTIONARY ON IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS

One of the projects our school library is carrying out this year is related to idiomatic expressions and how they may encapsulate key aspects of the culture of the target language our students are studying.

As you all know, according to the CEFR, C1 students are expected to be familiar with these idiomatic expressions as they allow the inquisitive language learner a deeper appreciation of the language. So, I found this project a great opportunity to let my students dive straight into the wonderful world of sayings.

The presentation below has been carefully designed to kick-start my next session on idioms and I hope it sets the mood for my students to be willing to make their own contribution to the project. Let's find out!

Thursday 11 February 2021

FANCY A BLIND DATE WITH A CLASSIC?

Love is in the air and our school library knows it. How about getting yourself a blind date with one of the vintage classics recommended on our social media? Follow us on our Twitter or Facebook accounts and indulge in a nostalgic reading experience with the hashtag #citaascegascunclasico. 

Monday 1 February 2021

#ESCUELAS AMIGAS 20-21: A COLLABORATION PROJECT

Dear all,馃憢

It is already happening. My C1 students are about to embark on an exciting adventure contributing to a new project for #ESCUELAS AMIGAS.

I will show you the bits and pieces of the project on the blog. However, I am happy to inform you that we have just got in touch with @cristinakata, an English teacher at EOI Pamplona, and her C1 English students there. We have decided to work on remarkable women from our area to let students in Pamplona and Pontevedra discover some interesting facts about hidden female figures they should all know. 

I hope this project helps students at both schools improve their linguistic skills. It will definitely open their minds to new cultures and traditions: those that students from Pamplona are willing to share with us. I have promised my students the tasks will be as easy as pie馃槄 but they will definitely boost their speaking skills!馃帳馃帳

I am convinced that this fresh challenge will contribute to their motivation and interest in not only English but also Galician culture! 

I´ll keep you posted about how the project evolves! 


  


Friday 8 January 2021

2021: OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW

Isn´t it absolutely true that some of us might prefer to forget about 2020? There has been plenty going on. So, it might not be too hard for students to look ahead to 2021 as an all-round change. 

My first class in January will be devoted to going back in time and reflect on how we will remember the year that has just come to an end, trying to come up with some positive thoughts and hopes for 2021. If the @wooclap game above does not do the trick and is not motivating enough, I´ll try to spice up the class a bit with this video from my first-class-in-the-year post in January 2020. 

Hopefully, both activities will get my students in a cheerful mood to play an idioms game, as there is an English idiom for every aspect of a new year! If this does not work, I do not know what will!