Transportation

Managing to get around a city is important thing when traveling or living in a new area.  Second language speakers need to be able to ask where something is or how to get somewhere.  Today’s post is about transportation and finding your way around.

Vocabulary

Car

Bus

Train

Bicycle/bike

Motorcycle

Scooter

Truck

Van

Taxi  

Boat

Plane/Airplane

Ticket

Fee

Bus fair

Grammar

How do I get to ____________?

Where can I find a(n) _____________?

How much does taking a ____________ cost?

How much for a __________ to go to ______________ from here?

Warm Up

Video

• Procedure: Teacher shows a video  and students make the noise of each transportation as it is says in the story.

Play Time

• Procedure: Teacher brings in toys about transportation and allow students to play with them. 

Practice

Charades

• Procedure: 

1. Teacher writes down various modes of transportation actions on slips of paper 
2. Students are divided into two teams
3. A representative from each team comes to the front of the class and picks a SECRET mode of transportation to ACT OUT (without saying anything) for their team
4. The first team to guess the mode of transportation correctly gets a point 
5. A new representative goes forward and acts out another mode of transportation

Arrange the Story

• Procedure: 

1. Students listen to a story twice.  The first time they just watch and listen 
2. The second time, pairs or small groups of students are given piece of paper with the different types of transportation on them (bus, airplane, boat, etc.) and they are to put them in order according to the story 

Tell me a Story

• Procedure: Students are given pictures or flashcards of a type of transportation.  Depending on the students levels, they either write a sentence or story about that type of transportation. 

Concentration

• Procedure:

1. Teacher creates game pieces of pictures of types of transportation on half the cards and then names of the transportation on the other half of the cards
2. Students in groups of 2-6 shuffle the cards and lay them face down like the picture. 

   

   Source: Crayola Teachers

3. Students take turns turning over two cards at a time.
4. If they find a match (picture that goes with the word) they keep the pair and get another turn. If students do not find a match they turn them back over in the same spot and the next students gets a chance. 
5. The game is over when there are no more cards to turn over.  The student who has the most pairs wins the game.   

Production

Drama

• Procedure: Students work in pairs to create a skit/drama about using one of the types of transportation. 

Commercial

• Procedure: Students work in pairs to create a commercial to try to persuade people to buy or use that specific type of transportation.

Story time

• Procedure: Using pictures or show a movie on mute, students write a short story (as short as a paragraph) that includes using transportation.  (Cars clip) 

Classroom Management Series #1: When Students Verbally Harass Others

This is our last classroom management post until I return to the States and I get settled.  But it is an important issue to tackle! 

Unlike last week's blog post, this one is more serious thus needing more dedication to solving these issues.  This week we are talking about students verbally harassing other students. 

What is verbal harassment?

• Name calling
• Accusing and blaming
• Saying mean jokes
• Threatening
• Criticizing and judging
• Ordering them to do things
• Constant monitoring or checking in
• Embarrassing in public
• Yelling
• Starting rumors

This is a serious issue and must be addressed immediately in order to protect the victim and addressing the underlying problem.  Please include parents, principal, and anyone else to help address long standing verbal abuse/bullying. 

Even if you see it as a one-time thing, please do not ignore.  We as teachers may not see all attempts at verbal harassment, and we are in a great position to positively influence ALL students. 

Please remember to treat all students fairly the one harassing and the one being harassed.  Students look up to you.  But if you isolate a student it will be more difficult to impact that student positively. 

Preventive Solutions

• Talk to last year’s teachers to see if any students have issues with each other
• Separate students who have had problems in the past
• Create a space where students can sit/stand to cool down after an argument or work where they feel safe 
  
• Use “Report Bullying” handout for students to fill out when they are bullied or witnessed bullying 

  

  Download a copy HERE

• Set aside “Talk with Teacher” time each week

Responsive Solutions

• Separate students immediately
• Talk to students separately
• Allow time for students to talk about it with supervision
• Ask the person harassing:
• Why are they doing it?  
• What can they do to stop it?

This will be my last scheduled post before my hiatus as I go back to the United States as a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer.  Please continue to check for new ideas.