I’ve come across a piece of a poem by Walter Savage Landor:

“More people are good because they are happy than happy because they are good”

Sad, but true… think about it!

Merry Christmas!

Futurelab: A very good website for those who want to spend some time this Christmas reading some good articles on ICT and education. Many good ideas and reflection… the use of new tools, its application,  and also downloadable handbooks.

After a while without posts, here’s one with interesting websites for your lessons. They are worth a look during the coming holidays: ESL and Clil have room here… enjoy!

This website has a large list of online activities to foster reading and writing skills. Among the long list, I have chosen two applications:

Character Trading Cards is an application based upon the popular trading cards students use. Here students can customize their own cards making up different characters with their specific features: Mood, weaknesses, strengths, problems, approach to life… Students fill the card with the information required in an easy step-by-step process.

These trading cards can be printed and used in order to create stories or role play situations. Writing, reading and speaking in a bunch!

Fractured Fairy Tales helps students create brand new stories out of classical fairy tales which are fragmented and reused after changing some of its characteristic traits (part of the plot, characters, end of the story…) An easy interface with easy write and click instructions. Really catchy!

Buid Your Wild Self

An extremely nice website for young students created by the New York Zoos and Aquarium Authority. Choose the animal parts you want to have in your own wild self, and create a new species in the animal world! Navigation is easy and the library has many different options … good fun!

The parts you have chosen will help you make up the name of this strange creature. Learn about its habitat and how it reacts to the world around it… Your students will love it!

Hector’s Home

Good website with animations and road education! Hector’s Home gives students a very good time with some very spooky short films where Hector, the main character, moves about the city and learns the most important aspects of road education.

You can watch the films and do the activities and games that appear as you move around.

Teachers can enter a special area where very useful lesson plans are provided. They’re worth a look, believe me!

A really catchy website, they learn road education as they practise their English.