Advantages and challenges of teaching large classes

Teaching a small group of students is a whole lot easier than teaching a large group. But unfortunately due to budget and space constraints, many ESL schools only offer large classes that may consist of 50 or more students. No matter what the size of your class is, an ESL teacher has to come up with ideas and activities that will interest and engage his / her students. Fortunately, there are many coping skills and activities that will make your job easier.


Advantages of Teaching Large Classes

• Classes with many students will be quite noisy. But they also offer a high energy setting that is more fun and exciting.

• Classes will go by quickly when there are numerous students seeking your attention. In fact, while teaching a large class you will never find yourself looking at the clock. Lessons and activities will take longer to complete, so there will be no need for fillers.

Challenges of Teaching Large Classes

• You may never to get to know your students as well as you would like to. You may also feel anxious about being outnumbered by your students.
• Grading assignments and tests will take longer than you would like to them.

• That you are teaching a large class doesn’t necessarily mean that you will get fatter pay checks than those teaching smaller classes.

More distractions

• It is quite easy to get distracted in a large class. There will always be latecomers. You will also find plenty of students chatting while you are teaching and that can be pretty distressing.

From: Englishpractice.com

PASSIVES PRACTICE B1 LEVEL

This activity seems to be easy , but it has its difficulty, DON'T RELAX!!
You can check your answers with the keys in the comments section of this post.

(Parece un ejercicio fácil de pasivas, pero cuidado! comprueba tus respuestas en los comentarios de la entrada)

1. Change the following sentences into passive voice.

1. I know him.


2. His conduct will surprise you.


3. His failure disgusted his parents.


4. One must endure what one cannot cure.


5. They say that honesty is the best policy.


6. He had to pay the fine.


7. What does this box contain?


8. I want you to do this.


9. I expect you to help her.


10. Women like men to adore them.


11. One should help the poor.


12. The farmer grows vegetables.

Words that are easily confused

Doubt and suspect


To doubt is to think that something is unlikely.

I doubt if he will come.

I doubt whether you can finish the work in time.

To suspect is to believe that somebody is guilty or something is true.

How could they suspect him of murder?

I suspect that my servant has stolen my watch.

Drown and sink

Drown means ‘die by immersion in water’. In British English, both active and passive forms of drown can be used to talk about accidental drowning.

He drowned while swimming across the river. OR He was drowned while swimming across the river.

In American English, only active forms are used to talk about accidental drowning.

To sink is to go beneath the surface of water.

The explosion sank the ship. (NOT The explosion drowned the ship.)

Facility and felicity

Facility means something with a particular function.

A wide range of facilities is available at the sports center.

Felicity means intense happiness.

Only the virtuous can experience true felicity.

Hard and hardly

Hard means difficult.

You have given me a very hard problem to solve.

Hardly means scarcely

She had hardly arrived when she was put to work.

Prescribe and proscribe

To prescribe is to recommend remedy

Doctors should be wary of prescribing antibiotics for minor infections.

To proscribe is to ban something.

REVIEW OF ENGLISH TENSES

This worksheet gives a general vision about the commonest English tenses. This quick guide is ideal for revising Grammar before your final exams.
(Esta ficha os permite tener una visión rápida y general de los tiempos verbales ingleses para exámenes finales de gramática.)

Review of English Tenses

2nd BACHILLERATO EXAM

This exam has been our proposal as a retaking examination in May. If you have a doubt about the keys for the exam, please send us an email and we'll provide them to you. Good luck!
You can get more exams in our book: English in SELECTIVIDAD

(Este exámen ha sido puesto en Mayo como exámen para recuperar; os puede servir para practicar SELECTIVIDAD, o para los que debéis recuperar en septiembre. Podéis adquirir más exámenes y una guía apra hacer el exámen de Selectividad adquiriendo nuestro libro : English in SELECTIVIDAD )


English Exam 2 Bachillerato

Rewrite the following sentences (2)

ACTIVITY ONE: Rewrite the following sentences, substituting the verb form for the words given in bold letters.


1. The manager sent no reply for a few days.

2. He accepted all of our proposals.

3. His story did not give me any amusement.

4. It is my belief that he does not mean what he says.

5. The cost of this bag is $10.

6. No invitation was sent to the Mayor.

7. I don’t think that he will be successful in his attempts.
Answers:

1. The manager didn’t reply for a few days.

2. He accepted all that we proposed.

3. His story didn’t amuse me.

4. I don’t believe that he means what he says.

5. This bag costs $10.

6. The Mayor was not invited.

7. I don’t think that he will succeed in his attempts.

ACTIVITY  NUMBER 2: Rewrite the following sentences using the adjective form of the words italicized.

1. He succeeded in his attempt.

2. Fortunately we were well-armed to fight the enemy.

3. Francis Bacon was a man of remarkable industry and intelligence.

4. He takes much pride in his looks.

5. In all probability the meeting will take place today.

6. You can easily get the job if you try.

7. He who shuns labor cannot prosper.

Answers:

1. He was successful in his attempt.

2. It was fortunate that we were well-armed to fight the enemy.

3. Francis Bacon was remarkably industrious and intelligent.

4. He is very proud of his looks.

5. It is probable that the meeting will take place today.

6. It is easy to get the job if you try.

7. He who shuns labor cannot be prosperous.

Rewrite sentences in English

Rewriting sentences in English is sometimes a harsh task, but it develops our communication in the English language. Try this activity and you'll guess your level.

Rewrite Sentences

We show our new book about SELECTIVIDAD

We feel really proud of our guide for spanish Selectividad ( English test to apply for a University in Spain).
This book contains the knowledge acquired by teachers throughout years , after checking hundreds of Selectividad exams. You will find 15 real exams from different communities. they include the keys for the exams, explanations for the composition, possible answers for the reading comprehension, etc.
Besides, it also includes guidance about the Selectividad exam itself and the different parts of this examination. On the other hand, you will find vocabulary, antonyms, synonyms, common prefixes, semantic fields, false friends, etc. This book constitutes the best help for teachers in class and for students to study at home and when they run over before the day of the exam.

You can download a pdf copy of the book or get a physical copy in the cover of the book. Thank you!

Os presentamos nuestro nuevo libro: Inglés en Selectividad, totalmente actualizado y adaptado a la prueba de selectividad 2011. El libro incluye 15 exámenes resueltos de diversas comunidades, para que el alumno se autoevalue, o el profesorado lo pueda usar en clase. El libro incluye además consejos y orientaciones deprofesorado corrector de la prueba de Inglés; analizando cada parte del exámen. Del mismo modo, incluímos unas recomendaciones a la hora de realizar la redacción, y numerosos anexos de vocabulario que incluyen: False friends, sinónimos y antónimos, prefijos, campos semánticos etc. Esperamos os sea de gran ayuda. podéis adquirirlo haciendo click sobre la portada del libro en Ebook con descarga pdf por sólo 4 euros o en libro físico . 

POPULAR ACRONYMS in ENGLISH

This list is an extension of another post about Acronyms we've puplished some time ago. they are useful in every day English.
Have a look!
(Esta lista de abreviaturas del Inglés es muy útil en clase y fuera en la calle, ya que son muy utilizadas por los anglófonos)

HOW MEMORIZE ENGLISH VOCABULARY

MEMORIZE ENGLISH VOCABULARY, A NIGHTMARE?

The best way to memorize words, according to scientific studies, is to write in English and Spanish several times, saying them while writing. However, there are people who can not tolerate, this automatic process. We recommend you put aside your anger and try to do what is proven to work. If you insist on doing otherwise is your choice, just make sure you are memorizing the word.

Become robots! this way isn't funny but it's fast!

Cómo memorizar vocabulario en inglés:

La mejor manera de memorizar palabras, según estudios científicos, es escribirla en inglés y en español varias veces, diciéndolas mientras las escribes. Sin embargo, hay gente que no tolera bien este proceso automático. Te recomendamos que pongas a un lado tu disgusto y que intentes hacer lo que está demostrado que funciona. Si insistes en hacerlo de otra manera es tu elección, sólo asegúrate de que estás memorizando la palabra.
Learning like a robot isn't fun... but it's fast!

Así que, escribe cada palabra con su traducción cinco veces. Sin embargo, después de cinco palabras (cada una copiada cinco veces), tómate un respiro y comprueba tu progreso mediante un test rápido de las palabras. (Si escribes las veinte palabras totales, copiadas cinco veces una después de la otra, será demasiada información para ser asimilada y acabarás con dolor de cabeza y sin progreso alguno).

Y no hagas columnas (los adolescentes siempre intentan hacerlo así). En otras palabras, no escribas la palabra inglesa cinco veces seguidas en una columna, una debajo de la otra, y después su traducción al español. Escribe la palabra inglesa y su traducción en la misma línea una vez y luego repite esto cinco veces.

Cuando haya terminado, trate de repetir la palabra en  Inglés y su significado en su lengua varias veces  en voz alta. Aunque al principio te sentirás ridículo, esta es la mejor actividad para mejorar tu confianza en la lengua extranjera.

So, write each word five times its translation. However, after five words (each copied five times), take a break and check your progress at a rapid test of words. (If you write twenty words total, copied five times one after the other, it will be too much information to be assimilated and end up with a headache and no progress).

And do not make columns (teens always try to do so). In other words, do not write the word five times in a column, one above the other, and then translated into Spanish. Write the word and its translation into the same line once and then repeated this five times.

When you finish, try to repeat the english word and its meaning in your language several times ( it's OK) aloud. Although at first you'll feel ridiculous, This is the best activity to improve your confidence in the foreign language.