Flash Anzan

Posted: November 29, 2012 | Author: All.at.C | Filed under: lesson plan | Tags: abacus, Flash Anzan, pronunciation, reading, speaking, vocabulary | 8 Comments

One of my students prepared an activity for class last year where we made our own mini-abacus and learned how it’s used to make calculations in Asia, something that was far more interesting than it sounds! His son was learning the method – called “Aloha” here in Spain – but known as Soroban in Japan. So when the Guardian ran an article on Anzan (and you’ll have to read to find out!), I had to take advantage. The video of a Flash Anzan competition will blow your mind……

Flash Anzan Teacher’s Notes

Evolution

Posted: May 22, 2012 | Author: All.at.C | Filed under: lesson plan | Tags: evolution, images, personalisation, reading, speaking, time-lapse, vocabulary, YouTube | 8 Comments

I came across this short video while reading the paper, clicked on it and was strangely mesmerised. I found it beautiful and compelling but at the same time very thought-provoking. I then discovered two more things: firstly, that I was one of the few people on the planet still unaware of its existence and secondly, that not all people felt it was as pure and innocent as I did. The exercise also makes use of the online comments on the article in the paper, which is something I think is a brilliant resource for vocabulary and discussion.

Click here for the Teacher’s Notes.

Graffiti Safety First

Posted: April 5, 2011 | Author: All.at.C | Filed under: lesson plan | Tags: advertisement, art, chunks, images, reading, road safety, speaking, vocabulary, YouTube | 1 Comment

This video sequence, which rapidly went viral, is a brilliantly conceived idea with a strong emotional impact. It’s perfect for eliciting language – both to describe what’s happening and how it makes us feel. It was part of a road safety campaign which also involved graffiti artists, so this lesson plan uses both topics and combines art, article and advert.