READING TOOL: TIMETOAST

TASK 2.4  : A timeline with TimeToast

This is my experience using TIMETOAST.

The main objective of this activity is making the students read a biography written in the past simple  which is  the tense they are revising in class at the moment.For this purpose students will have to create a timeline with the main life events of the famous singer Michael Jackson by making use of the tool TimeToast .

The adavantage of using this  instrument is helping the students  read for a specific purpose in a creative and collaborative way , activating the skill of searching for specific information  as well as  discriminating between main and secondary ideas in a medium lenght text and revising the structure of a biography .

It was important to explain to the students the need to order the work into steps for a successful result, highlighting the necessity  to start reading the text carefully by separating important and secondary ideas by paying attention to dates , vital for the cronological oder of any biography and the division of information into paragraphs.Some of the problems which arised while doing the activity were the lack of knowledge of the meaning of certain words and and the fact that for some students it was a bit difficult to distingish between important and and unimportant ideas or details.

The students liked the collaborative nature of the activity as they normally get bored when reading individually and they find the purpose for reading clear enough to feel motivated.

In this ocassion I divided students in groups of 4 but  I would reduce the number of members in each group to 3 next time to better control and ensure the active partcipation of each student in the group.

Timetoast helped me to make students get involved in the lesson easily and  collaborate with peers to achieve a common aim.

https://www.timetoast.com/timelines/2188519 TIMETOAST

INNOVATIVE TEACHING PRACTICES SUPPORTED BY THE FOCUSED USE OF ITC TOOLS IN THE LANGUAGE CLASSROOM

ReflectIion on Reading Habits:

TASK.2.2

All the pictures show people reading in very different situations.

In the first picture we can see a group of people reading in a  library. I guess they are reading in that place for academic or profesional purposes and they chose that place as they require concentration and can enjoy a quiet and peaceful atmosphere  with all types of books available around.

In the second  image I see and old lady and little girl.It looks an old pic.The lady is pointing something in the book calling the girl’s attention. Probably she is explaining her something related to the image and the girl seems to be enjoying; if we take into account her level of attention.It makes me feel great to realize that adults ( probably a relative in this picture) and not teachers introduce children into the pleasure for reading.

In the third picture I see an old lady reading on an e-book or i-pad, a modern way to read quite extended nowadays as it allows to store a great amount of texts and books and easy to transport anywhere.Perhaps the woman enjoys more reading using this modern format as it let you make words bigger what is perfect for sight problems at certain age.The image reflects that new techonology and innovation is not just something for  young people .

In the fourth picture I can see a classroom where all the students are reading the same book.This image is quite shocking for me as those young students look very concentrated reading in silence and as far as I am concerned  Spanish students tend to be noisier and prefer more dynamic activities.I think it is quite difficult for teachers to make students read in the classroom in an individual way for more than 5 minutes.Sure they aren’t reading for pleasure and they have been given a reading task by the teacher in a history or literature lesson. Though weird, they look well behaved and concentrated but not really enjoying and feeling forced to do it so as not disobey the teacher.

In the last picture there is a  man reading a newspaper in the street. He seems to be focused on his reading but sitting on a chair in a not very comfortable position.Maybe he works around and h is taking a rest from work  to relax out He is probably reading a newspaper to be informed of what is happening all over the world.

I LOVE READING but I do it now that I am adult, FREE  to decide on WHEN and WHAT I read .Because of my studies, I was required  to read a lot  in the past for  university projects, exams, fulfilling academic and professional purposes,etc….what didn’t let me  too much time to read for pleasure. I personally think that reading becomes  a hobby and even a must in your life when the motivation  for reading comes from your own decision and not from any source of pressure or compulsion .It is also true that parents and teachers help to develop the habit when we are young but at the end of the day it is you who decide what makes you feel good .Nowadays  reading is one of my favorite hobbies. It makes me feel good and forget about my daily routine. I enjoy mystery ,romantic and historical books and I love  thrillers. I prefer reading paper books and in the English language, unless the author of the book I want to read is Spanish or the book is written in Spanish.I read the same genres in both languages However,I always take my tablet when I travel because it is easier to carry and you can have any book you want to read.I always read at night before I go to sleep (it is the most peaceful moment of my day)  and also at the weekend when no plans makes me opt for the plan of reading.

WELCOME TO MY BLOG !

Hello !!!
My name is Judith and I am a Secondary school English teacher. For a long time I have been thinking about setting my own English blog where I can upload interesting and useful activities my students can use to both check for exams and practice as well as to broaden their knowledge.

Who is this blog devoted to?

This blog is especially designed for students in Compulsory Secondary Education (1st, 2nd,3rd,4th ESO) and Post Secondary Education ( 1st and 2nd Bachillerato).