Happy Summer!!

Happy Summer 3rd and 4th graders! 

I wanted to say how happy I am I got to be in class with you the past 2 years! 

Thanks for all the laughs, smiles and hugs! I've learned so much and I hope you have too :)

I'll miss you! 

The 4th graders will remember this song from last year!

Goodbye!

I just want to say thank you for being awesome students this year! I know how much effort you have given to speaking English! Keep up the hard work and I'm sure you will do amazingly well in the future!

One last thing...

… and enjoy your holidays! 

You deserve it!

Leah 😊

I'll Miss You! Thank You, Thank you!

One last reading. Enjoy!

Summer Plans

Hello 3rd and 4th graders!

We're getting closer and closer to Summer holidays!

Things are still uncertain and I know things might be different this Summer than other years. But! The weather will be hot and it will be nice and sunny! 




What are some things that you are looking forward to in the holidays?

In the comments list some things you are going to do during the Summer! 
And that you hope to do. These can be big and small! 

For example: 
This Summer I don't know if I will go home to California, but I know that I will see my friends and have fun with them. I hope I can go to the beach! I am going to go on hikes in the mountains, I will go on runs, read lots of books, and I am also going to do some studying. 

Hello World, in American Sign Language

Hello boys and girls!



Today we are going to learn how to sing the chorus of the song, "Hello World" by Red Grammer, in American Sign Language.

What is sign language?

Sign Language is a visual means of communicating using gestures, facial expression, and body language. Sign Language is used mainly by people who are deaf (unable to hear) or have hearing impairments. But anybody can learn it :) .

Is sign language the same in other countries?

There is no universal sign language. Different sign languages are used in different countries or regions. For example, American Sign Language (ASL) is different from Spanish Sign Language.

Hello World

Lyrics:

Chorus:
Hello World! My old friend
It's another day, I'm glad to see you again
The sun is up, I'm ready to play
Hello World! So what do you say?
There are bikes to ride, frogs to find
Forts to build, trees to climb
Dolls to dress, beads to string
Teams to choose, and songs to sing
(Chorus)
There are games to play, ducks to feed
Berries to pick, books to read
Fish to catch, friends to meet
Jokes to tell, cookies to eat
(Chorus)
(Instrumental chorus)
(Double Chorus)
Hello World! So what do you say?




Comment below:
What is sign language?

Chester Zoo REOPENS!

One of the UK's most popular zoos, Chester Zoo, has confirmed it will reopen on the 15th of June.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the reopening of all English zoos at his Downing Street press conference on Wednesday, June 10, following a week-long campaign that saw Chester Zoo fighting for its survival.

A public campaign to save the zoo saw more than £3m raised through donations, after staff at the attraction were scared that they would have to close for good when the government ordered them to remain closed.

Chester Zoo boss, Jamie Christon, said: "A week ago we were in despair, not knowing when we would reopen, or if we could even survive if our gates had to remain closed for much longer. But the support of our global community has completely humbled us. It’s wonderful that, together, we have been heard. We’ll be forever grateful to those who lent us their voice in our moment of need. To them we say thank you, from the very bottom of our hearts. We are also incredibly thankful to the government for taking this step, for us, and for conservation of threatened species."

Questions:

1. What is the name of the UK Prime Minister?

2. What did the UK Prime Minister announce?

3. When did he make the announcement?

4. What is the name of the popular zoo in the UK?

5. How much money had the public raised to save the zoo?

6. Why did the zoos have to close?

7. What are the problems with closing the zoos?

8. Was Jamie Christon happy that the zoos are reopening?

Opposites

Hello students!
Today we're going to practice a bit with some antonyms.

Antonyms are words that have opposite, or contrasting meanings. 
For example: light and dark; big and small. 

In the image below, fill in the missing pairs of words for each sentence. 
In the comments, write what you think are the correct answers! Also, write a few pairs of opposites that you think of! In addition, if you want an extra challenge, write sentences using these opposites. 

Irregular Verbs: A Harry Potter Story

Complete the text with the correct form of the verbs - using the past simple tense:

Harry Potter _________ (1- BE) a very special boy. He _________ (2- BE) a young wizard. His hair ________ (3- BE) black and his eyes ________ (4- BE) green. He ________ (5- HAVE) a scar on his forehead. He ________ (6- LIVE) with his aunt, his uncle and his cousin. He ________ (7- NOT BE) happy living there because they ___________ (8- NOT LOVE) him.

One day, he ________ (9- GET) a letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He ________ (10- BE) a new student there!!  He ___________ (11- BUY) a new pet too - an owl. Its name _________ (12- BE) Hedwig.

Rubeus Hagrid ____________ (13- RESCUE) Harry from his aunt and uncle's house and __________ (14- GO) to Diagon Alley with Harry. There, he ____________ (15- BUY) his new clothes, books and his wand.

He ________ (16- GO) to school for the first time by train on Platform 9 ¾. There, he __________ (17- MEET) his new friends: Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. They __________ (18- TALK) and __________ (19- EAT) sweets and chocolate.

They ____________ (20- ARRIVE) at school and __________ (21- HAVE) a big dinner with all the students and the teachers. A special hat (the Sorting Hat) __________ (22- SELECT) a house for the students. Harry, Ron and Hermione __________ (23- BECOME) members of Gryffindor House. They _________ (24- BE) very happy!

At school, they __________ (25- TAKE) Potions classes, History of Magic classes and Defence against the Dark Arts classes. Harry also ____________ (26- PLAY) a sport - Quidditch. He __________ (27- HAVE) a broom, the Nimbus 2000, because he __________ (28- FLY) and __________ (29- CATCH) a ball - the Snitch.

Draco Malfoy ________ (30- NOT LIKE) Harry. He ________ (31- BE) a member of Slytherin House and always __________ (32- TRY) to beat Harry. 

Now answer the following questions:

1. Who did Harry Potter live with?

2. Did Snape rescue Harry Potter?

3. What did Harry Potter buy?

4. Where did Harry meet his new friends?

5. What did the Sorting Hat do?

6. Which house were Harry and his friends sorted into?

7. Did Harry play a sport?

8. Did Draco Malfoy like Harry? 

 

The Paper Bag Princess

Hello boys and girls!

Today we are going to listen to The Paper Bag Princes by Robert Munsch.

Comment below:

After listening to the story, answer one of the following questions:

1) Do you think the princess was brave? If so, how was she brave?

2) Compare Elizabeth to a more traditional princess. How is she different?

3)  What happened at the end of the story?

4) Who are the characters in the story?

Must / Mustn't / Have to / Don't Have to

Here is a reminder of how to use must / mustn’t / have to / don’t have to:

Must: we use must when we feel an obligation to do something – you decide!

Example: I must phone my sister for her birthday.

Mustn’t: we use mustn’t when we are not allowed to do something.

Example: you mustn’t eat in class.

Have to: we use have to when the obligation comes from external factors – somebody else decides!

Example: I have to pay taxes.

Don’t have to: we use don’t have to when we are not obliged to do something.

Example: I don’t have to write a long letter.

Choose the correct option:

1- I must / have to visit my friend. It is her birthday.

2- Sam has to / must wear uniform at school.

3- You don’t have to/ have to go to the supermarket. I’ll do it.

4- You don’t have to / mustn’t swim in this part of the river. It is very dangerous.

5- You must / don’t have to drink a lot of water in hot weather.

7- I have to / must tidy my room this weekend.

8- We have to /mustn’t arrive late to school.

Rewrite the sentences using the words given:

1- You are not allowed to talk during the test. (mustn’t)

…………………………………………………………………………………………………….

2- It isn’t necessary to bring food. (don’t have to)

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

3- I’m obliged to finish this letter before midday. (have to)

………………………………………………………………………………………….………….

4- You are not allowed to leave the classroom without permission. (mustn’t) ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...

5- It isn’t necessary to pay for the tickets. They are free. (don’t have to) ..........................................................................................…………..

Can you write 4 of your own sentences using must / mustn't / have to / don't have to? 😊

Zombies Don't Eat Veggies!

Happy Monday young readers!

Today I would like you to read along and watch the video of "Zombies Don't Eat Veggies!"

This book is fun and and funny, and has some Spanish words too! Because the family in the story speak both Spanish and English. 

In the comments below: Summarize the story in English.

In the end, the reader says "Don't forget to be authentic", what do you think that means? 

Did you like the story? Why?

Don't forget to put together your time capsule and send a picture of you with it to Englishassistantseuropa@gmail.com if you would like me to add it to the blog :). 

Crazy Hair Day!

Hello Everyone!


Today you are going to watch a story called Crazy Hair Day by Barney Saltzberg. After watching the story please complete the activity "Which Came First?."



Watch the story:
Username: poulsboes
Password: flix

https://bookflix.digital.scholastic.com/pair/detail/bk0100pr/story?authCtx=U.600104215



 Complete activity:

https://bookflix.digital.scholastic.com/pair/detail/bk0100pr/whichcamefirst?authCtx=U.600104215

Time Capsule: Final Page!

Hello young historians! Happy Friday! 

Today we're going to make our final time capsule page and staple our time capsule booklet together! 

Add any additional pictures, memories, or artwork that you want to have as part of your time capsule. Write the date, year, and sign your book. 

You can staple the booklet at the top lefthand corner, or three across the left-hand side.   Remember you can always go back to the Time Capsule posts and add in any that you missed before  stapling it together. 

In the comments, write what you added to your last page, and if you're happy with how your time capsule ended up! 

You can email a picture of you with your finished Time Capsule to englishassistantseuropa@gmail.com and I will add it to the blog. 

Here is Victor of 3A with his final time capsule!

High Frequency Words

Hello boys and girls!

Today we are going to learn about high frequency words, also known as sight words.


What are high frequency words? 

High frequency words are common words, words that appear very often in written texts. They are a mixture of decodable words (words that can be sounded out) and tricky words (words that have to be learned and recognized by sight).


Why is this important?

It is really important that children learn how to read these words as they will make up a large proportion of the words they will be reading in everyday texts. Research has shown that just 16 words, such as ‘and’, ‘he’, ‘I’ and ‘in’, ‘the’, ‘to’, ‘you’, ‘said’, ‘are’, ‘she’ and ‘was’, make up a quarter of the words in a piece of writing, whether it’s for adults or children.



You do not have to learn all the words at once. You can practice 10 words a week or whatever you feel more comfortable with. **Remember** First, you learn how to read them. Do not worry about spelling them, you can learn how to spell them later. The purpose of this is to learn how to recognize/pronounce the words when you are reading. This will help you gain reading fluency.


How will you understand the meaning of the words? I suggest you read lots of books with great visuals. Scholastic Bookflix is a great online resource in case you do not have physical books.

Here's the link:
https://bookflix.digital.scholastic.com/home?authCtx=U.600104215
Username: poulsboes
Password: flix


Here's an introduction video about the first 100 high frequency words you will encounter in your everyday reading.

I also have a list that you can use to practice at home during the summer.

Cinemania!

Let's talk about movies!

Answer the following questions:

- Do you like to watch movies? Why/why not?

- Which movie genres do you like the most? Why? (action, comedy, sci-fi, fantasy, romantic, etc.)

- Do you have a favourite actor/actress? Which films has he/she starred in?

- Do you prefer to watch foreign films or films from your own country? Why?

- Do you prefer to watch movies at home or at the cinema? Why?

What do these words mean: 

1. ‘Script’ means

a) an idea

b) a written story

c) negation

2. ‘Genre’ means

a) a film

b) a modern movie

c) a kind of movie

3. ‘Character’ means

a) a man

b) an individual played by the actor

c) a woman

4. ‘Soundtrack’ means

a) songs with no words

b) all the songs in a movie

c) a set of ten songs

5. ‘Role’ means

a) a character in a movie

b) an idea for a movie

c) a message

6. ‘Subtitles’ means

a) a song

b) the translation of the film on the screen

c) a dialogue

7. ‘Horror’ means

a) funny

b) frightening

c) dull

8. ‘Western’ means

a) life in the 19th century in Western America

b) a criminal

c) a new film

9. ‘Critics’ means

a) people who like things

b) television people

c) people who write reviews 

10. ‘To release’ means

a) for a movie to be available for the public to see

b) to act in a play

c) to rehearse

 

I’m am going to tell you about one of my favourite movies now – UP. Have you seen this movie?

Here is the plot: 

Carl is a shy, quiet boy. Ellie is his friend. They are fans of Muntz the explorer. They grow up and get married. Carl sells toy balloons and Ellie is a zookeeper. They want to save their money to visit Paradise Falls, but Ellie gets sick and dies.

Later …

Carl lives alone. He does not want to move out of his house into a retirement home. He turns his house into an airship.  He uses thousands of helium balloons to make it fly.

 

A young boy called Russell goes with him.

There is a thunderstorm. The house is near a large ravine opposite Paradise Falls. They hope to reach the falls before the balloons deflate. They meet a large bird who is trying to reach her chicks, and a dog named Dug who has a special collar so he can speak. 

Russell calls the bird Kevin.

Carl and Russell meet a pack of dogs. They go to the dogs’ master. He is a very old man. He is Muntz the explorer. Muntz is a bit crazy. He wants to catch Kevin the bird. 

They run away, but Muntz’s dogs chase them. Muntz catches Kevin the bird and Russell is angry.

Alone in his house, Carl looks at some photos and finds a note from Ellie. She tells him to go on an adventure.

  He looks for Russell, but Russell is floating away with some balloons to find Kevin. Many of the balloons on Carl’s house have burst, so Carl takes the furniture out of the house so it can float up again.

Russell is captured by Muntz, but Carl rescues him and Kevin. Kevin goes back to her chicks and Carl and Russell fly home to the city in the airship. The house lands on the cliff near Paradise Falls just as Ellie wanted. Russell wins a special badge for helping old people.

Can you find the best opposites for these adjectives?

shy

quiet 

sick

dead

angry

floating

light

special

crazy

large  

calm

ordinary

small

alive

sensible

sinking

well

noisy

outgoing

heavy

Can you match the words for baby animals?       

Cat .................................          Horse ............................

         Dog ................................          Whale ............................

         Bird ................................          Bear ..............................

         Sheep ..............................         Cow ..............................

         Kangaroo .........................          Lion ..............................

         Insect .............................          Duck ...........................…

pup
kitten
duckling
joey
larva
chick
lamb
foal
calf
cub
calf
cub

Let's do some laundry!

Hello everybody!

Today you get to practice clothes vocabulary by doing some laundry.

Hanging out your Laundry

Directions:

1) Use the vocabulary below to help you draw the clothes you would like to hang on your clothesline.
2) Draw and cut out your paper clothes.
3) Tape a length of string across a sheet of paper, so that it actually hangs.
4) Tape 2 craft sticks on either side of the string to look like a clothesline.
5) Label your clothes. 

Example:

                                                                    Ariadna, 2B

                                                        Alvaro de la Fuente, 1B

                                                                    Carolina, 1B

                                                                 Alvaro Roldan, 1B

                                                                    Ariadna, 1B

                                                                        Alma, 1B

                                                                Martha, 1B

                                                                    Hector, 1A

                                                                    Laura, 1A

                                                                Haron, 1B

                                                             Maria, 1A

                                                            Lucia, 1A

Let's Talk about Space!

Choose three of the following questions / sentences to answer / talk about:

Name as many planets as you can in English.

Have you ever looked through a telescope? What did you see?

Do you think there is other life in the universe? What kind of life? What would aliens look like?

Do you think we will ever communicate with intelligent aliens? When and how will this happen?

Would it be a good idea to build a permanent base on the moon? Why or why not?

Would you like to be an astronaut? Explain why or why not.

Do you think people will ever take holidays in space? Describe how you think this will work.

How big is the universe? How and when was it created?

How long would it take to travel to another galaxy?

What is your favourite sci-fi movie or TV show? Tell the plot.

Should money be spent on space programmes while there is still so much poverty on Earth? Explain your point of view.