iTeach: Blog-urile colegilor

Pronunciation in English

Alexandra Naghi — Thu, 15 Apr 2021 14:48:48 +0300

Pronunciation is an important part of teaching vocabulary, which enables the proper use and understanding of new words in English. Sounds and spelling can be very challenging to students who learn English, because of homophones, such as: draft/draught and because of words with similar forms, which have different pronunciations, such as: foot, flood, food.
According to Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries, English language pronunciation comprises the following aspects: consonants ( b, c, d, etc. – w, y – beginning of word or syllable – e.g. you, wool), syllabic consonants, vowels ( a, e, i, o, u – sometimes y, w – e.g. boy, cow), weak vowels, weak forms and strong forms, tapping of /t/ and the glottal stop.
Also, according to experts, vowels sounds can be short or long, irregular (e.g. father, flu, put), or there can be a silent e (e.g. rate, here, site) and they can form teams with more than one sound - ea – short e sound (e.g. bread, dead, lead, etc.), long e sound ( e.g. eat, meat, treat) or long a sound ( e.g. break, great, steak); oo – short sound / / (e.g. book. food, good, etc.) or long o sound ( e.g. floor, door, moor); ou – short au sound (e.g. bought, house, mouse) or long ou sound ( e.g. thought); ow - short au sound (e.g. brown, cow, now) or long ou sound ( e.g. blow, low, know).
As for consonants pronunciation, c can be hard (c + a / c + o/ c + u - c = /k/ sound – e.g. cone, can, cube) or soft ( c + e/ c + i/ c + y – c = /s/ sound – e.g. cells, circular, cycles); k can be used instead of c followed by e, i, y ( e.g. keep, kiss, Kyle); g can be hard ( g + a/ g + o/ g + u – g = /g/ sound - e.g. gave, good, guy) or soft (g + e / g + i/ g + y – g = /j/ sound– e.g. gel, ginger, gypsy – exceptions: give, get, girl, etc); final f changes to v + es to make plurals ( e.g. wife – wives; wolf – wolves); y – does not change to i if preceded by vowel ( e.g. play – played – playing) but otherwise changes to i if adding –ed not –ing ( e.g. cry-cried-crying);

English Affixation

Alexandra Naghi — Thu, 15 Apr 2021 13:55:54 +0300

The authors Ruth Gairns and Stuart Redman, 1993, consider that affixation is the process of adding prefixes and suffixes to the base item, making it possible for items to change their meaning and part of speech, for example: man; man + ly = manly; un + man + ly = unmanly.
According to Rochelle Lieber, 2009, English affixes can be divided into the following common semantic categories:
a) personal affixes, which form nouns related to people, from verbs or nouns, such as the suffix –er (writer, runner – person who does an action) or the suffix –ee (trainee, employee); b) negative affixes give negative meanings to words, for example: the prefixes un-(unhappy), in-(inactive), non-(non-functional), while privative affixes, which mean without, such as: the suffix – less (hopeless, shoeless) or the prefix de- (debug, debone);
c) prepositional and relational affixes refer to space and time, for example: the prefixes over- and out- (overcoat, outrun);
d) quantitative affixes are related to an amount, for example: the suffix - ful ( helpful, handful) and the prefix multi- (multifaceted);
e) evaluative affixes comprise diminutives (something smaller), for example: the suffix – let ( booklet) and augmentatives (something bigger), for example: the prefix mega- ( megabite).

Using short stories for pre-teaching vocabulary

Alexandra Naghi — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 16:37:45 +0300

According to James Scrivener, telling a short story or a personal anecdote is a good strategy to organise words before teaching them.
This strategy involves the following stages:
• The teacher tells the story, illustrating the meaning of words by miming, using flash cards or drawing them on the board.
• While telling the story, the teacher explains or translates the meaning of new words and asks comprehension and concept questions about new words that come up.
• After telling the story, the teacher asks comprehension and concept questions.
• While telling the story, the teacher pretends to forget words and asks the students to tell those words.
• The teacher tells the entire story, with the new words and retells it, pretending to forget the new words.

Teaching and learning vocabulary through Word Play

Alexandra Naghi — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 16:33:37 +0300

Having fun is very important when teaching and learning vocabulary. Activities involving games are a good strategy to make students interested in learning new words, especially at a primary and intermediate level. Here are a few examples: At the primary level: 1. I Spy is an interactive game, in which the teacher can give the students clues, for example: I spy with my little eye…something round and red (a ball). Rhymes and songs are used to introduce new words. 2. Guess my word is another interesting game for young learners, in which students take turns to draw things on the board, part by part and the others try to guess the word, for example: Is it a mouse? No, it isn’t. / Is it a cat? Yes, it is. 3. Word search is a game that involves a 10X10 grid, with letters and a list of words is given, to be discovered by students. This is an activity that can be applied to 3rd and 4th grade students, on various topics, such as: Colours, Animals, Weather, etc. 4. Twenty objects is a game that uses classroom objects, which students have to memorize in one minute and write down the correspondent words, with the objects out of sight. It is a good memory and spelling game. 5. Hangman is a fun game to play with the whole class. The teacher or a student writes dashes on the board, representing the number of letters. Students guess the letters and the correct ones are written on the correspondent dashes, while the incorrect ones have as a result the drawing of a “hangman” element. At the intermediate level: 1. I Spy using more difficult words to give clues, for example: I spy with my little eye…something that can either be black or white and on which students write (a board). Then, the meaning of discovered words is discussed. 2. Guess my word with parts of speech and clues of beginning letters. 3. Crosswords puzzles can be used at this level to help students learn new words or definitions or to make a revision of vocabulary words 4. The acronym game involves writing a word vertically on the board and asking students write a word starting with each letter, related to the acronym. It is a good activity to encourage students’ creativity and enhance their writing skills. 5. Word bingo is a game with many variations, such as: • Picture Bingo involves calling out words related to the Bingo card pictures; • Synonym Bingo, gives students words with the same meaning as the ones on their cards and • Antonym Bingo, which involves opposite words.

Strategii de motivare cu implicarea activă a elevilor în activitatea didactică

Alexandra Naghi — Sun, 28 Mar 2021 17:56:31 +0300

În activitatea de cadru didactic aplic o serie de strategii de motivare, cu implicarea activă a elevilor în activitatea didactică, după cum urmează:

• Punctele roşii primite pentru activarea în timpul orelor sau pentru munca suplimentară, menite să inpulsioneze elevii mai puţin silitori ( 3 puncte roşii, un punct în plus la notă);
• Aplauzele la sfârşitul unei activităţi pe grupe sau frontală ( de exemplu dacă au cântat sau au recitat corect, dacă au pronunţat corect sau au fost foarte activi);
• Afişarea posterelor rezultate din diferite activităţi, a felicitărilor cu diferite ocazii sau a compunerilor deosebite pe afişierul aferent limbii engleze, semnate, pentru a putea fi admirate de toată lumea;
• Recompensa sub formă de dulciuri – de exemplu grupa câştigătoare în urma unei activităţi sau a unor activităţi primeşte o ciocolată, restul clasei câte o bombonică;
• Obişnuiesc să îi spun Thank You sau Very Good fiecărui elev care iese la tablă sau dă un răspuns corect, oferindu-le un feedback imediat; etc

Teaching English to young learners with songs and games

Alexandra Naghi — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 17:55:37 +0200

Teaching English to young learners can be very challenging and it is very important to use modern strategies, such as music and games, in order to engage students in the learning process and help them acquire new information, by having fun. Here are some examples:
‘Ten little Indians’: “One little, two little, three little Indians…” is a song for very young learners, to enhance numbers from 1-10, that can be combined with mime, showing fingers for each number. Students like it very much and they remember it very easily. (According to the School Syllabus no.3418/ 19.03.2013 for Preparatory, 1st and 2nd grades – Numbers from 1 to 10 + Singing songs adequate to age).
‘Are you sleeping, brother John?’: “Are you sleeping?/ Are you sleeping?/ Brother John, brother John/ Morning bells are ringing/ Morning bells are ringing/ Ding, dang, dong/ Ding, dang, dong!” is a song that young learners like, because they use their hands to show the sleeping mode and to mime the ringing of the bell in the morning. It is a great way for them to repeat and learn the family member – brother and the question – Are you sleeping? ( According to School Syllabus no.3418/ 19.03.2013 for Preparatory, 1st and 2nd grades – Family members + Singing songs adequate to age.)
‘ I love mommy’ : “I love mommy/ I love mommy/ Yes, I do/Yes, I do/ And my mommy loves me/And my mommy loves me/ Yes, she does/ Yes, she does” is a song on the music of “Are you sleeping brother John” used for Mother’s Day. ( According to School Syllabus no.3418/ 19.03.2013 for Preparatory, 1st and 2nd grades – Family members. + Singing songs adequate to age.)
‘ Happy Mother’s Day’: “Happy Mother’s Day to you/ Happy Mother’s Day to you/ Happy Mother’s Day, dear mommy/Happy Mother’s Day to you!” is another song on the music of “Happy Birthday” used to enhance the word “ mommy” and the significance of this important day. (According to School Syllabus no.3418/ 19.03.2013 for Preparatory, 1st and 2nd grades – Family members, Celebrations + Singing songs adequate to age.)
‘ Param, said a little green frog one day’: “Param, said a little green frog one day x 3/ Param x 3/ But we all know frogs do yappy, dappy, doo, yappy dappy, doo x2/ They don’t do param…” is a movement game, in which students strike their upper legs twice, while saying “param” and wave arms in opposite directions, while saying “yappy, dappy, doo”. It is great to enhance the animal “frog” and the colour “green”, while having a lot of fun. It is suitable for all primary school students. (According to School Syllabus no.3418/ 19.03.2013 for Preparatory, 1st and 2nd grades – Animals, Colours + Singing songs adequate to age.)
‘Old McDonald had a farm’ is a well-known song, used to enhance pets and farm animals, as well as the sounds they make. (According to School Syllabus no.3418/ 19.03.2013 for Preparatory, 1st and 2nd grades – Animals + Onomatope + Singing songs adequate to age.)
‘There are two crocodiles’: “There are two crocodiles and a big fat monkey/ Two little snakes are crawling/ A big bird is flying/ The cat, the mouse, the elephant don’t harm anyone/ But only you can’t see the two unicorns.” – is a movement game, translated from Italian ( Ci son due cocodrilli…) used to it to enhance new vocabulary(animals and movement verbs) with students from grades 1-2, but it’s also suitable for grades 3-4. ( According to School Syllabus no.3418/ 19.03.2013 for Preparatory, 1st and 2nd grades – Animals + Onomatope + Singing songs adequate to age.)
‘If you’re happy and you know it’ is another well-known movement game I use to enhance body parts: hands, feet, fingers, etc), but also verbs (clap, stamp, give a hug, etc). It is also suitable for all primary school students. (According to School Syllabus no.3418/ 19.03.2013 for Preparatory, 1st and 2nd grades – Body parts, Simple actions + Singing songs adequate to age.)
‘The alphabet song’ is a repetitive, easy and fun way, used for teaching and reinforcing the letters of the English alphabet, with young learners. Some activities based on the listening of this song may include: filling in missing capital letters in a row, matching words with correspondent letters, etc. (According to School Syllabus no.3418/ 19.03.2013 for Preparatory, 1st and 2nd grades – Children’s Songs and Rhymes).
‘Colours’: “Hello purple, hello blue/ Red for me and green for you!/ Hello orange, yellow, too/ Red for me and green for you/ Goodbye purple, goodbye blue/ Red for me and green for you!/ Goodbye orange, yellow, too/ Red for me and green for you” is a song used to revise colours. Students are asked to listen to the song, sing along and point the colours of the rainbow. (According to Annex 2 of the School Syllabus no. 5003/02.12.2014 – Colours).
‘It’s my job’: “I’m a policeman in my town/ All day long/ I walk around!/ It’s my job/ It’s what I do./ It’s my job/ I like it, too!/ I’m a fireman in the town./ All day long/ I run around…etc.” is a song used to revise jobs. Students have to listen to the song, sing along and fill in some sentences, according to the song and to some pictures, for example: a) I’m a policeman. b) I’m a fireman. c) I’m a milkman. d) I’m a postman. Another related activity is mime. A student stands in from of the class and imitates the position or action of a person doing a job, from the previous activity, while the others have to guess his/ her job: “Are you a policeman?” “Yes, I am.” (According to Annex 2 of the School Syllabus no. 5003/02.12.2014 – Jobs).
‘Listen to my tummy!’: “Are there any burgers?/ Are there any peas?/ Is there any chicken?/ Is there any cheese? Listen to my tummy/ Glipper, glapper, glupper!/ Listen to my tummy/ I’m ready for my supper!, etc.” is a song used to reinforce food words. Students have to listen to the song, sing along and then play a game: one student starts by saying “In my fridge there are some apples”, another student adds something to the list: “In my fridge there are some apples and some cheese”, and so on. (According to Annex 2 of the School Syllabus no. 5003/02.12.2014 – Food).
‘Animal homes’: “ The cheetah in the grassland/ Faster than a man/ The cheetah in the grassland/ The fastest in the land!/ The python in the rainforest…/ The camel in the desert…/ The whale in the ocean…etc.” is a song used to teach animal habitats. The students have to listen to the song, sing along and complete the homes of the animals in the images, for example: a) cheetah - grassland; b) python – rainforest; c) camel – desert; d) whale – ocean. ( According to Annex 2 of the School Syllabus no. 5003/02.12.2014 – Animals and habitats).
All in all music and games are very useful techniques, in teaching and learning English, at a young age, that make teachers’ job easier and more efficient and help students learn English in a relaxing and interesting way.

English word formation

Alexandra Naghi — Sat, 27 Feb 2021 13:14:07 +0200

English Word formation can be made by three ways: affixation, compounding and conversion. English affixes are divided into five semantic categories:
1. personal affixes:
• the suffix –er (writer, runner – person who does an action)
• the suffix –ee (trainee, employee)
2. negative affixes:
• the prefixes un-(unhappy), in-(inactive), non-(non-functional)
3. prepositional and relational affixes:
• the prefixes over- and out- (overcoat, outrun);
4. quantitative affixes:
• the suffix - ful ( helpful, handful)
• the prefix multi- (multifaceted)
5. evaluative affixes:
• diminutives - the suffix – let ( booklet)
• augmentatives - the prefix mega- ( megabite).

The Origins of Modern English Vocabulary

Alexandra Naghi — Wed, 17 Feb 2021 20:39:06 +0200

Modern English vocabulary comprises words from languages such as: Germanic (Old English, Scandinavian, Dutch, German), Italic or Romance (especially Latin, French, Spanish, Italian), Old Greek, as well as from about 300 other languages, as following:

1. English words from Old English:
• basic concepts and things: life/death, love/hate, day/night, heath/cold, etc;
• cardinal numerals;
• ordinal numerals – except second- word of Latin origin (secundus);
• personal pronouns – except they, their, them – Scandinavian origin;
• auxiliary verbs – except used – French origin;
• most simple prepositions;
• all conjunctions.
2. English words from Scandinavian:
• common nouns: mother, brother, man, wife, grass, summer, winter, band, birth, bloom, race, root;
• verbs: bring, come, get, hear, meet, call, die, rid, scare, sprint, want; adjectives: happy, ill, ugly, weak;
• name of colours: grey, green and white;
• possessives: mine and thine;
• cardinal points: North and West.
3. English words from French:
• official and legal terms: president, legislature, congress, constitution, parliament;
• residence related words: city, village, mansion, residence, domicile; cooking verbs and
• nouns: boil, fry, roast, toast, dinner, supper;
• names of jobs: carpenter, plumber, tailor, painter;
• terms related to: politics, diplomacy, fashion, literature, art, ballet.
4. English words from Classical Greek and Latin:
• scientific terms: telephotography, photomicrography;
• nouns: hypothesis, metamorphosis, sympathy, synopsis, synthesis; adjectives: hypodermic, melancholic, phosphorescent, synchronic;
• nouns: supposition, transformation, compassion, conspectus, composition and
• adjectives: subcutaneous, atrabilious, luminiferous, contemporary, etc
5. English words from other languages:
• Dutch – deck, dock, skipper ( sea-related words); cookie, boss, waffle (American English); apartheid, commando, trek ( South African);
• German – terms related to geology, literature, philosophy, psychology ( inferiority complex, wishful thinking); adjectives (unclear, meaningful); other words (round trip, ring road);
• Italian – music terminology (allegro, cantabile, vibrato); words related to architecture ( corridor, cupola, piazza); literary terms (burlesques, stanza, canto);
• Spanish – cigar, mosquito, tornado, vanilla;
• Arabic – alcohol, assassin, algebra, sugar, syrup, zero; Hebrew – amen, messiah, rabbi, Sabbath;
• Hindi – guru, cheetah, shampoo, punch, polo;
• Welsh – flannel, penguin;
• Persian – paradise, chess, salamander;
• Finish - sauna;
• Russian – soviet, vodka, sputnik;
• Hungarian – paprika, goulash;
• Chinese – tea, ketchup; Japanese – karate, tsunami, shogun, samurai;
• Polynesian – taboo, tattoo;
• Portuguese – flamingo, molasses, marmalade;
• Basque – bizarre.

Bibliography

https://www.britannica.com/topic/English-language, David Crystal, Simeon Potter, 2009.

Technical English Vocabulary

Alexandra Naghi — Wed, 17 Feb 2021 20:38:09 +0200

English Vocabulary comprises the Academic Vocabulary (words that do not belong to a content area and which can be found in academic texts, for example: consist, occur, establish, significant, recognize, respond, etc.) and the Content Vocabulary (specific words from a certain domain or area and which are present in lessons, in the form of definitions and examples, such as the Technical English Vocabulary).
Technical English Vocabulary is divided into fields of work, from which I would like to underline the ones related to the profiles and specialties of the students I teach, as following:

1. Automobiles:
• models: bus, executive, jeep, lorry, sports, pickup, small family, supermini, truck, etc;
• body shaping and painting: body panel, cast, cut, spray gun, press shop, steel, mould, fibreglass, forge, etc.;
• automobile system: alternator, radiator, engine, distributor, fuel tank, tail pipe, coil springs, drum brake, steering wheel, clutch, accelerator, etc;
• advertising: air conditioning, electric windows, sunroof, airbag, ABS ( advanced braking system), central locking, etc.

2. Electrical related words include:
• electrical engineering: systems, devices, assemblies, electric power, signals, electronic circuits, control systems, superconductors, robotics, radar, fibre optics, turbines, generators, transformers, motors, lighting systems and appliances, etc.;
• electrical problems: overload, overcurrent, short circuit, etc;
• electrical protection: rainproof, dustproof, waterproof, etc.;
• electrical devices: cable, circuit, fixture, fuse, ground, switch, etc.

3. Electronics:
• general terms: transmission, reception, storage, video signals, semiconductors, transistors, computer aided design, etc.;
• function of electronic circuits: amplification, generation, modulation, radio wave, etc.;
• electronic components, for example: battery, capacitor, diode, energy, generator, resistor, transistor, etc.;
• impacts: digitalization, fidelity, high speed, storage system/ capacity, manufacturing cost, etc.

4. Textiles related vocabulary:
• general terms: fibres, yarn, knitting, braiding, fielding, synthetic, dyeing, bleaching, napping, polishing, brushing, pressing, clothing, rugs, carpets, curtains, etc.;
• fibres: cotton, linen, nylon, silk, wool, etc.;
• techniques and processes: blending, braiding, net-making, weaving, knitting, etc.;
• qualities and fibres: absorption, elasticity, flexibility, wash and wear, shrinkage control, etc.;
• care labels inscriptions: washing, ironing, dry-cleaning, tumble drying, etc.

The chalenges of an English teacher

Alexandra Naghi — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 12:08:09 +0200

English is a global language, spoken by hundreds of million of people all over the world, both as a first and as a second language and it is used in various fields, such as business, medicine, science, academic, journalism, literature, diplomacy, modern technology, etc. So, nowadays, it is necessary not only to speak good English, but also to have language certificates, in order to enter a University, to gain scholarships, to have a good job and a good position in the society. Also, it is very useful when travelling abroad and when using social networks and modern gadgets.
Teaching English as a foreign language is not easy, because it implies a lot of patience and communicational skills, especially when dealing with young learners and teenagers, at different levels. As an English teacher it is very important to create a safe and supportive environment, use many visual supports, make fun lessons, set classroom rules, use different learning techniques and use modern technology.
As a primary, lower intermediate and technological high-school teacher, vocabulary has been a challenge for me, because I have been trying, for ten years, to find and use the best strategies and methods for my students to learn English as easy and as fun as possible, although many times it can be quite difficult to keep them motivated and involve them actively in the learning process.