SHEDDING LIGHT ON PUMPKIN CARVING!

Halloween is upon us once more and as you know it's one of my favourite times of year. As an EFL Teacher it is part of my job to teach you about the customs and traditions of English speaking countries and as I dealt with the the history of Halloween last year, this time round I thought I'd do something a little more practical. A quick how-to on pumpkin carving. You don't have to celebrate Halloween to have fun doing this and if you are careful you can save the pumpkin pulp and bake pies, soups or dry the seeds for a great snack - recipes links included! (Purple words explained below.)

WARNING: Sharp knives must be used so be very careful and get an adult to help you if necessary!

1. You can use any kind of pumpkin, marrow or courgette to create a Jack o' lantern. Wash the outside as you want your lantern to glow!

2. Using a sharp knife, cut off the stalk section remembering to leave enough of the flesh around it to use as a lid. If you are using a long thin vegetable such as a marrow or courgette, you can slice it about one third from the top.

3. Using a soup spoon or a table spoon hollow out the vegetable so you are left with about half a centimetre of skin/flesh left. If you you are using a marrow or courgette don't forget to do the lid as well! This is the longest, hardest and messiest part so be patient and persevere!

 

 4. Now you can carve your design. If you need guidelines draw it with a permanent marker on the outside first. There are two ways to cut; either cut pieces away to make holes so the flame is visible or cut way just the outer skin and leave a little flesh so the flame glows through the opaque flesh.  Faces are traditional but I have seen beautiful scenes, abstract designs and even pictures copied from books!

5. Tea lights are the best for lighting your pumpkin as they have a foil base and none of the wax spills.

REMEMBER: Candles are dangerous and must be kept away from flammable objects such as curtains and furnishings. You should never leave your Jack o' lantern unattended whilst lit.

RECIPES
American Pumpkin Pie
Greek Pumpkin Pie
Smashing Pumpkin Soup
Roasted Pumpkin seeds

For lots of other things Halloween I found a great site last night called Halloween Forevermore, check it out! It has film reviews, stories and articles about Halloween 365 days a year!

VOCABULARY
shed light on - to make something easy to see/understand
pulp - soft string inner part of a pumpkin
marrow/courgette - vegetables of the same family as pumpkins
glow - shine in the dark
flesh - soft part of the pumkin that can be eaten
slice - cut
hollow out - take the insides out of something so that it is empty inside
skin - the hard outer part of the pumpkin
persevere - keep trying
opaque - allowing light but niotimages to pass through
abstract - with no clear design
wax - what candles are made of
flammable - easily catch fire
unattented - alone

Happy Halloween!

Miss!




 

Speaking/Listening - A teacherly back-to-school ramble (Part 2)

Learning a language entails speaking that language. In my book, if you can't speak you haven't really learnt a language (I exclude Latin and Ancient Greek and other languages that are no longer used on a daily basis from this argument!) The three most common choices for a language learner are English Lessons, chatting to someone who is a native speaker or to friends who are learning the same language. However, classroom time is limited, if there are no native speakers in your neighbourhood to practise on and your friend's English is worse than yours; what do you do?

If you have time and money to spare visit a country where the language is spoken,either for a holiday or to live/work! On a more realistic basis, you could join an on-Line learning Community such as The Mixxer, this is and Adult education site and you must be over 18 to use it, not because of its content but for reasons of safety of the users. Minors are allowed but with the permission of a parent or guardian. Babbel/Friends Abroad and italki are other such sites.

Sing your English! Yes, I'm serious! There are endless videos with lyrics on You Tube and other sites where you are sure to find your favourite songs and hey presto! Karaoke here we go! Invite friends round and make it a party!

Worried about accent and pronunciation?  Don't! As long as the person you are speaking to is not puzzling over what you are saying, a hint of a foreign accent is a lovely thing! Regional accents tend to be very popular these days. Not so long ago (well quite a while ago now I think about it!) I was turned down  from a job on the radio due to my too English accent! Even so if you fancy getting your accent right try Learn the Accent.com.

If you are still despairing, fret no more, we are all in the same boat! I've mentioned this poem before in my posts but here's Benny Lewis, the Irish Polyglot, reading it and there are great pictures and a phonetic translation too.

Benny has a great website so if you are studying ANY Foreign language sign up and find new ways to do old things! Fluent in 3 months!

Listening is an underrated skill but essential if you are to communicate effectively. I believe it is also one of the most enjoyable to exercise. Think how often you hear your native language on a daily basis and more importantly, where you hear it. Translate these into English. The radio and TV are bound to figure there somewhere.

Try uploading an English speaking Radio to your phone/PC and listen to that instead of one in your native language. You will hear music, news, debates, plays and loads more! Check out Lamplight Theatre (For kids of all ages), Focus on the Family Theatre, Ranger Bill (Kids adventure stories), BBC Radio 4 Extra (Stories read aloud). There are many more out there.

Watch TV series/film without the subtitles altogether or with English subtitles, tune into English channels. Most people can find BBC World News on TV (in Greece at least).

You can even listen to audio books, search the Web for your favourite stories read in English! Try LibriVox which has a huge selection of free audio books to choose from. They are all read by volunteers but to a very high standard.

Next and last instalment Reading/Writing coming soon! If you are interested in the Scottish Referendum I have added a pdf to the CAUSE FOR DEBATE section too.
 

Plenty of time... A teacherly back-to-school-ramble! (Part 1)

Freddy Mercury sings "No time for losers, cos we are the champions..." (See the previous post.)

As much as I love the music of Queen I have to disagree with this sentiment! I have plenty of time for anyone who loses, of doesn't gain the grades they want in exams or fails to achieve in any other project they have set their sights on completing.

No, (I can hear all you realists out there harking on) I'm not a deluded 'everyone can win' type (not exactly) or even worse, 'every student deserves an 'A+'.

"That ain't gonna happen!"

(And anyone who tells you otherwise is a bare-faced liar!) 

I believe that everyone can do their best and achieve what they want if they are determined to. That goes for just about anything . (No, George, I don't mean that if you really want to, you can surf the Milky Way. That is a fantasy not a goal.)

First of all, have a look at this video. It's about ADHD but more importantly about how we learn and how we judge learning/passing/winning or whatever label you want to put on it.

(Thanks to Colin for sharing this so I can share it with you.)

 

You know which part I like the most? (One of many!) The bit where Sir Ken says 'Don't Copy! Because that's cheating!...Outside of school that's called collaboration.' It reflects something I always tease my classes about.

"If I could enter you in the exam as a group, you'd get straight As!"

It gets a laugh more often than not and students know full well that I'm not angry at them. Some of you might be tutting at my unruly classes but remember collaboration is a really important life skill to learn. "It's the stuff of growth." 

 

That put me in a bit of a sticky, hypocritical situation as the thing is I have to 'train' my students to pass exams where 'collaborating' most certainly doesn't go down well. What I try to do is to make the fun bits fun and get through the necessary, pen-on-paper, hard work, so let me quote Sir Ken again, "Our Children are living in the most intensely stimulating period in the history of the earth." (Sir Ken Robinson, educationalist) 

and use his idea of  'divergent thinking'. Use all this lovely 'genius' you had as a preschooler and answer this question:

 

How many ways to learn English can you think of?

 

Throughout September, I'm going to post some sites where you can find interesting things to help you learn English as well as all kinds of other hints and tips for helping you listen, speak, read and write better. Hope to be of some help...

 

Miss

 

 

 

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

The summer has passed us by once more and we are all thinking (dreading?) back to school. The blog took a bit of a hiatus during this period but now it's back with a monthly up-date for August.

First of all, with the PTE results out yesterday, the last of the Greek summer exam results in EFL, I'd like to congratulate all my students who tried so hard this year and with such difficult pressures that are happening out of school, your achievements are truly great! I dedicate this video to you all!

 

Secondly, When I started teaching I used to take photos of my classes at the end of the year.(I don't know why I stopped, I found the albums while clearing out the basement over the summer!) I was wondering what you think about about my adding some photos of classes past to the page? I probably taught your cousins, parents(!!) or even teachers(!!). I really don't remember all their names so perhaps you can help me out! What do you think?  

 

Miss!

The long break or a musical interlude?

(Click on the coloured words as you read)

School's out for summer or so the song goes but that doesn't mean that you should forget English. (Now I know I sound rather like a boring teacher but bear with me.) I recommend you put all you've learnt into practice in fun ways.

Galaxidi, Greece.

1. Most importantly get out there and speak to someone (who doesn't speak your language but speaks English) and learn about them. Make friends with the person on the next sun lounger. Give that lost looking tourist help and directions (even if they don't understand what you've told them, they're already lost so it won't matter)!

2. Find a radio station that you like through the Internet. (I recommend BBC Radio 1 for all the latest pop in Britain.)

3. Watch movies and pop videos with English subtitles or English language TV to help your listening skills and build vocabulary.

4. Take an English book out of your local library, buy a magazine in English on a topic you love and read all about it or subscribe to a blog you like.

5. Write a diary of the summer in English - you don't need to show it to anyone and it doesn't matter if the spelling and grammar are all wrong this still helps you become familiar with writing. If you feel more confident try writing a short story and if you are even more confident send it off to a competition (try 99 fiction net for Free very short story competition) or even a publisher!

Whatever you decide to do, stay safe and enjoy your summer holiday!

Miss!

An American flavor to Spring!!!

May is here and the weather is beginning to look up at last. The hills are verdant and the swallows and storks have returned and I was reminded of two poems my dad taught me which I will pass on to you. There are a lot of differences between British and American English, in grammar, spelling, (The latter of which is more logical in American English thanks to Weber's Standardisation) and accent. Accent is something that isn't really taught these days so long as 'pronunciation doesn't impair comprehension', neither is it talked about although it is one of the things that makes a language rich. So FYI the first poem highlights one regional American accent: The Bronx.

SPRING IN THE BRONX

ee Cummings or Ogden Nash or Anon

(Depending on who you ask!)

 

Spring has sprung,

the grass has ris,

I wonder where all the boidies is?

They's on the wing,

but that's absoid,

the wings is on the little boid!

 

NOTES



boid = bird

absoid = absurd



 

You can probably spot the grammatical errors here (there are 4) - I hope you can anyway! They are representative of the very distinct Bronx accent. (I have seen many longer versions but this is what I learnt as a kid!) 

 

The Bronx is a suburb of New York City

 

 

 

SPRINGTIME IN THE ROCKIES

Anon

 

'Twas springtime in the Rockies

and the snow was raining fast,

when a barefooted girl with shoes on

came slowly running past.

She turned straight round a corner,

to see a dead donkey die,

took out a pistol to stab it

and got kicked in the eye. 

 

This is a poem of contradictions - when one thing is the opposite of the other and cancels it out. Can you  find 6? This apparently isn't even an American poem but something to do with the Welsh infantry! The Rocky Mountains are in the U.S. at least!



 

The Rocky Mountains, U.S.A.

 

 

 



THE MONUMENTS OF MEN

I thought that with George Clooney getting his Parthenons and Pantheons mixed up it would be fun to debate the Parthenon Marbles this month. It seems to me that the Brits, when it comes to our own country and culture, are all very protective in one way or another. When it comes to the culture of another country some are also very possessive.

George Clooney recently reignited the debate about the Parthenon Marbles (or Pantheon Marbles as he accidentally called them) in a press conference in February for the launch of his new movie The Monuments Men.

No matter how much the British Museum would like to sweep this issue under the carpet once and for good it is sure to keep rearing its ugly head as long as it is kept in the media. There are a hundred ways in which this could be debated and both sides have their supporters. Where do you stand?

Read the following articles and form your own opinion.
This is George Clooney's reaction to (Lord Mayor of London) Boris Johnson's comments and gives you some idea of the reasons why the marbles should be returned to Greece.
http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/feb/16/george-clooney-boris-johnson-parthenon-marbles
This article was published when the Parthenon museum opened and shows the British Museum's reasons for keeping them in Britain.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/journalists/richard-dorment/5699534/The-Elgin-Marbles-will-never-return-to-Athens-the-British-Museum-is-their-rightful-home.html

Click here for a worksheet that goes with both articles.
Parthenon Marbles Worksheet

There will soon be a short summary of points to argue in the new 'Cause for Debate' section, as well as a super Museum Visit role play for levels B1 - C2!

Vocabulary
to reignite the debate  -  to start people talking about a controversial issue
to sweep sth under the carpet  -  to hide and/or forget sth
to rear one's ugly head  -  to have a problem/ difficult/embarrassing issue appear when you least want it