Classroom Activities with Jazz Chants, Buncee, Tellagami & Storywars
Jazz Chants
Goals
- Improve oral communication
- Improve pronunciation
- Learn new vocabulary
- Develop body and facial expression
Age and Rationale
Ages 6-9. It is important to develop body and facial expression as early as possible. Also, young children often enjoy chants.
Step-by-Step
- The teacher sings a jazz chant about Christmas. The students repeat it.
- Assuming a class of 20 students, the teacher divides the class into four groups of five students. Each group focuses on a specific topic, such as weather, food, clothes, or family.
- Each group creates its own jazz chant.
Assessment
Students will be graded on attitude and the lyrics of their song.
Buncee Projects
Goals
- Learn about the works of Gaudí
- Improve summarizing skills
- Improve internet research skills
Age and Rationale
Ages 11-12. Students of this age are better equipped for a field trip to a large and busy city like Barcelona.
Step-by-Step
- The class goes on a field trip to Barcelona. During the tour, they observe the different works of Gaudí.
- Students use the digital tool Buncee to create individual posters. They include videos, photos, documents, websites, interesting facts, etc., that they find.
- They add their work to their English Portfolio.
Note: The teacher shares photos of the excursion on Google Drive so students can add them to their work.
Assessment
The teacher assesses the students’ attitude during the excursion. Additionally, the teacher evaluates the quality of the poster. The poster needs to have a clear and attractive presentation, showcasing all of Gaudí’s works with accurate information.
Tellagami Activities
Goals
- Improve oral communication
- Practice grammar and vocabulary
- Develop descriptive skills
Age and Rationale
Ages 10-12. At this age, descriptions can be more complete, and more detailed clues can be provided.
Step-by-Step
- The teacher asks the students to create a zoo of the rarest animals in the world.
- In pairs, students choose an animal (without repetition).
- Students create a Tellagami character describing their chosen animal (including interesting facts, nutrition, physical description, etc.).
- The next day, the class views the character explanations on tablets or laptops. A discussion follows about how they imagined the animals, whether they liked them, etc.
- Finally, the students who created each character reveal a photo of the animal, and the class compares it to their imagined version.
Assessment
Students will be graded on organization, content, and their ability to explain the information.
Storywars Collaborative Writing
Goals
- Improve writing skills
- Enhance creativity
- Develop cooperative work skills
- Maintain story consistency
Age and Rationale
Ages 10-12. Students at this age have better control of grammar and vocabulary, allowing for more complex goals and more complete chapters.
Previous Work
The activity will begin in September to be ready for Halloween. The teacher will write the first chapter of a horror story.
Step-by-Step
- In class, students read the first chapter written by the teacher.
- The teacher divides the class of 20 students into five groups of four. Each group has one hour to write the second chapter. The teacher provides guidance on the whiteboard, such as steps to follow.
- In the next class, the groups present their chapters, and the class chooses the one they like best. The teacher adds the chosen chapter to the Storywars website, and the class uses the opportunity to correct mistakes. Students review grammar and vocabulary.
Note: This is a long-term project. Four chapters will be written. The final chapter will be written collaboratively on Halloween. The completed story will be printed and displayed.
Assessment
The teacher will assess the chapters written by the groups of four. A rubric will evaluate the quality of writing, grammar, and coherence, using the following levels: expert, accomplished, capable, or beginner.