Pedagogue Blog

1. Working with People

As per the teachers’ standards, you inspire and motivate your pupils and know what makes them tick. You might even be able to say the same to their parents, too! Soft skills like working with people shouldn’t be underestimated: they’re key in many jobs, and some might say they can’t be taught. As a teacher, you’re likely emotionally intelligent and supportive, able to engage with children on their level and help them to achieve their best. You may have dealt sensitively with pastoral issues that have occurred.

But this isn’t limited to your pupils: in your work with colleagues, senior staff, and parents, you may have encountered situations that working well with others has gone a long way to solve. So think about what you can draw out of those experiences and where else you might be able to bring those skills to bear.

2. Communication

One skill you’ll likely have gained from teaching, if you didn’t have it already, is public speaking and presentation skills. You can explain ideas clearly and concisely, and you know how to make what you’re saying interesting and easy to understand and read the audience well. As for written communication, you’ll have high standards of spelling and grammar, and you can give constructive and useful feedback. And all those lesson plans, class blogs, and school newsletters have given you experience writing different content for different audiences.

3. Time Management

You work to tough deadlines and are probably a multitasking genius. (Think of the last time you had 30 school reports to write by the end of the week!) You know how to prioritize, and you can work under your own steam to meet complex and changing needs.

4. Organisation

I don’t know about you, but I made myself very organized and efficient when I first entered the classroom. It was either that or become buried in paperwork and never resurface again. All your lesson preparation has equipped you with planning skills: you can anticipate how long a unit of work will take, plan this out and then adapt if necessary along the way. You manage lessons’ pitch and pacing with attention to children’s learning and have organized school trips to the smallest detail.

5. Teamwork

Many of us form great relationships with our teaching assistants and other teachers, and we can make a great team. You might have planned schemes of work with other teachers, shared responsibilities, and brainstormed new ideas; you’ll have delegated tasks as appropriate to teaching assistants, ensured they have what they need to do an effective job, and made the best use of their skills and experience. You may well have supported your colleagues when they’ve struggled and been kept in return.

6. Work Ethic

Everyone who teaches has an excellent work ethic. We’re used to putting in the hard work and seeing this pay off in children’s learning and development. We’re determined and persistent in facing obstacles (ask any teacher about behavior management), and so many of us are willing to go the extra mile, leading clubs, volunteering for fundraisers, or taking on additional duties (such as organizing the Nativity!).

7. Teaching

Although this sounds obvious, some employers may not be aware of all this involves unless you tell them! You’ve taught others new skills and knowledge through practical activities, written tasks, and assessments. You’ve led larger groups, and you’ve taught one-to-one. And you can adapt your teaching methods to your audience, changing tack if you pick up that what you’re doing isn’t working. You can give clear explanations and useful feedback. You may have mentored newer teachers or trained other staff, too.

8. Computer Skills

You’ve probably used Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, and Excel) to prepare lessons and resources and track pupil data. You may have used content management systems such as WordPress or Blogger to post class blogs. You’re probably also familiar with a range of social media. You might even have other technological skills unrelated to teaching, which you should list – you might be a whizz at Photoshop or experienced in video editing software. Although this point does veer more into technical skills, it’s still relevant if you feel it’s something you could bring to another job.

9. Attention to Detail

You’ve proofread and edited children’s work, fact-checking and catching errors as you go. You’ve used your strong SPaG and numeracy skills to teach English and Maths and respond to gaps in children’s knowledge; you may have designed creative resources, and you’re accurate and precise in producing lesson plans that cover all learning needs.

10. Problem-Solving

Every teacher has had a moment – probably quite a few moments! – where we’ve had to think fast to deal with a challenging or unexpected situation. You might have come in to find that the whiteboard’s broken, or Ofsted is visiting tomorrow, or a safeguarding issue has arisen. These situations require us to think on our feet and do what we can with what we have, which is a useful skill! If you’ve worked as a supply teacher, too, you’ll have particular experience with adapting what you’ve got to suit a change in plans that happens at the last minute.

Active listening means giving a speaker your full attention and trying to understand the complete message.

Signs of active listening can be verbal or non-verbal. They include:

• positive reinforcement;
• remembering;
• asking questions;
• smiling and nodding;
• staying focused.

Why is active listening important?

Being an active listener can have many benefits. As we already mentioned, active listening involves understanding the point behind what someone is saying, not just the words.

In the classroom, this translates to improved learning and understanding, as pupils are better able to retain information and are less likely to get distracted. Active listening skills in the classroom are essential – they ensure that children learn effectively and efficiently and understand what’s being asked of them.

Furthermore, in terms of being an important life skill, active listeners:

• tend to be good at communicating and problem-solving;
• can work more quickly;
• are more resourceful and productive;
• experience fewer misunderstandings.

Top Tips for becoming an excellent listener

Do you want to improve your listening skills? These top tips are super easy to implement and are guaranteed to make you a more effective listener!

• Tip 1: Face the person speaking to you.

One of the most distracting things a person can do when you are trying to talk to them is to avoid eye contact with you. It is distracting and gives the impression that you’re not interested in what the other person says. Whether looking down at your phone, scanning the room for another person, watching the television, or something else, avoiding eye contact is not a sign of being an effective listener.

Therefore, eye contact is a super important listening skill. When someone is speaking to you, making eye contact with them shows that you are engaged and interested in what they are saying. To make sure you do this, you can remove any distractions that may be around you. This may mean turning off the TV, putting down your phone, etc.

• Tip 2: Listening actively but within reason.

Carrying on from the last tip, while making eye contact with the person speaking to, it’s also equally important not to scare them. Staring unblinkingly at someone as they try to converse with you can be just as distracting as not paying any attention to them, so it is crucial to strike the right balance. To do this, relax and try not to overthink it.

There is no set measurement for how much eye contact to make with the person speaking to you. Generally, you can go by how much eye contact feels natural. But, of course, this will vary from person to person.

• Tip 3: Don’t interrupt.

One of the most important listening skills for kids to develop is not interrupting when another person is speaking. This message will be drilled into them, likely at home and school. They will be expected to sit quietly and listen attentively as the teacher speaks from the moment they start school. This listening skill, like anything, takes some time for children to develop and perfect, but by the time they are in their second or third year of school, they tend to be pretty good at it.

While they are taught not to interrupt in the classroom, kids often don’t apply the same rule to their conversations with friends. When the power dynamic of ‘teacher and student’ is removed, kids typically feel comfortable throwing rules out of the window and interrupting whenever they want. To some extent, this is to be expected in excited conversations amongst friends, but it should be avoided whenever possible.

Interrupting isn’t usually done out of rudeness but enthusiasm. When people are engaged in a conversation, they want to give their opinion. Furthermore, if the person speaking is detailing a problem that they’re having, it can be very tempting to interrupt with various solutions. While the intentions behind these interruptions are good, the outcomes are still negative. Therefore, it is always best to air on the side of patience and wait until the other person is finished speaking to voice your thoughts.

• Tip 4: Don’t get side-tracked by unnecessary questions.

This tip follows from the previous one. When conversing with someone, especially if they are telling a story with many different elements, it is easy to get sidetracked. This is not always a negative thing. Tangents can be super fun and interesting aspects of conversation, but there is a time and a place for them. You mustn’t push the person speaking into tangents by asking slightly irrelevant questions. Doing this prevents can be very frustrating for the speaker as it stops them from properly finishing their story or making their point and shifts the control of the conversation over to the listener.

Asking questions is not a negative thing across the board. However, like most things, they can be useful when used correctly. Sometimes asking questions will be necessary to ensure or solidify your understanding of certain aspects of a person’s story. For instance, if a person is telling you a story about their sister living in Spain, it would be okay to ask questions like “Which sister is this again?” or “Whereabouts in Spain is she living?” These questions don’t side-track the conversation or shift the topic at all. Instead, they allow the person speaking to continue their story, but with added details.

• Tip 5: Try your best to empathize with the person speaking.

This listening skill is particularly useful if someone shares something emotional with you or confides in you about something personal. Empathy is the ability to deeply understand and feel what another person is experiencing from their point of view. By being empathetic, you are essentially placing yourself in another person’s shoes.

Being empathetic when a person is sharing something emotional with you is an excellent social skill that will make the other person feel seen and heard. You can also affirm your empathy by making short remarks, such as, “I understand” and “That must have been so hard for you.” It is best to use these phrases sparingly so as not to distract the speaker and primarily convey your empathy through facial expressions.

While empathy is perhaps most important when listening to an emotional story, it is also a great skill to use when listening to more upbeat tales. For instance, empathy can manifest as laughing heartily at a funny story told by a friend.

• Tip 6: Pay attention to tone and non-verbal cues.

Human beings are complex creatures, and, as such, a lot of what we say is often never vocalized through words. Instead, we reveal our deepest and most important thoughts through body language and non-verbal cues. This listening skill is key to effective communication in school and the workplace.

Regardless of your conversation with a person, a lot can be learned from their non-verbal cues. Are their arms crossed? Are they holding their head in their hands? Are they gesturing with their hands a lot?

As we live in a technology-centric time, there are situations in which we cannot pay attention to a person’s body language. These include email, text messages, phone calls, messages on social media, etc. In the case of a phone call, you can listen carefully to a person’s tone of voice to gain extra insight into their mindset. For instance, a person could tell a seemingly normal story, but if their tone seems unhappy, you can know that they might be sad.

What can prevent good listening?

Many factors can stop you from being a good and active listener. Let’s have a look at some of these factors and how you can avoid them:

• Wandering thoughts

One of the biggest threats to effective listening is wandering thoughts. When someone is speaking, it can be tempting to latch onto just one or two sentences of what they have said. Unfortunately, doing this means you will likely. This is an innocent mistake to make and can happen for several reasons. For example, if someone speaks particularly quickly, it can be hard to follow what they say. As such, the brain grabs at anything it can get a hold of, and you tend to end up with just a few snippets of their story. This is why communication is a two-way street, it is not enough for the listener to be engaged, and the speaker must also be mindful.

• Daydreaming

Daydreaming is something everyone does, and while it is not inherently bad, it can be very fun; it is a huge barrier to effective listening. When someone is speaking to you, be sure to pay close attention to what they are saying. This means keeping your mind focused on the subject of the conversation before you, not fixating on the stories in your head.

• Physical blocks and barriers

Sometimes our surroundings act against us and stop us from listening effectively. Despite your best efforts, paying attention to what someone is saying can be difficult if loud noises and distracting visuals surround you. These external distractions are particularly prevalent if you are speaking to someone outside. They also tend to be present in a lot of classrooms. Having 30 kids in one classroom can result in a pretty distracting environment. Therefore, it is sometimes a good idea to have a designated talking area where you and your students can go to have important conversations. You can keep this area quiet and distraction-free to promote effective communication.

• Constant interruptions

As mentioned earlier, interruptions are a huge barrier to effective listening. If you or your students interrupt conversations a lot, it is a sign that you need to work on your listening skills.

Five active listening group activities

Simon Says

This classic game is a good active listening group activity. Great for children who can’t keep still, it allows them to practice paying attention to instructions and using the information they hear to act.

The Telephone Game

In this game, one person presents a sentence and whispers it to the next person in the circle or line. This person listens carefully before whispering the punishment to the person on the other side. The sentence travels down the line or around the process until it reaches the final person who says it out loud. In the end, you can see how much the sentence has changed and how well everyone has been listening.

Follow The Directions

Give every child a piece of paper and ask them to listen carefully. Then, read a series of short, simple instructions and ask them to draw the directions they hear. See who can be the most accurate.

Popcorn Storytelling

You can use active listening to build a story together in this activity. The first person begins the story with something like, ‘Once upon a time, there lived a great green dragon with a spiky tail.’ The next person uses their active listening skills to add something new to the story.

Spot The Change

Read your children a short story. Then read it again with a few changes. After that, Childrenthey can raise their hands when they hear a change clap. Even better, this is a simple activity that you can incorporate into your normal story time at the end of the day.

Amerigo Vespucci

Amerigo Vespucci was a famous 15th-century Italian explorer. Find out ten interesting facts about Amerigo Vespucci & discover Amerigo Vespucci’s significance.

10 Interesting Facts About Amerigo Vespucci

Amerigo Vespucci was an Italian merchant, explorer, and navigator in the 15th century, whose discoveries shaped the world as we see it today. Here are ten interesting facts about Amerigo Vespucci:

1. Vespucci and Christopher Columbus: In 1496, while working for the Medici family, Vespucci met and worked with Christopher Columbus. At this point, Columbus returned from his journey to the Americas. Columbus and Vespucci bonded over their shared love of exploration.
2. Vespucci is said to have discovered Cape St. Augustine and the Amazon River: During his 1499 voyage to South America, after reaching the coast of Guyana, Vespucci turned south and found the mouth of the Amazon River. He is then believed to have traveled as far as Cape St. Augustine.
3. Vespucci discovered Rio de Janeiro and Rio de la Plata: Vespucci’s voyage to the Americas in 1501, which Gonçalo Coelho led, was arguably his most successful. On this voyage, Vespucci discovered Rio de Janeiro and Rio de la Plata as he sailed along the coast of South America from Cape Sao Roque to Patagonia.
4. America is the feminine version of the word Amerigas.
5. A German cartographer was responsible for naming America: In 1507, Martin Waldseemüller, a German cartographer, created a world map using the information gathered during Columbus and Vespucci’s travels. He then named America using the Latin form of Vespucci’s first name, Americus and took the feminine version, America.
6. Vespucci was the first person to identify the New World as a new continent: During his 1501 voyage, Vespucci was the first person to propose the idea that America was a completely different continent from Asia. He came to this conclusion as he realized that America was much larger and differently shaped from how Asia had been described. In 1502, Vespucci relayed his findings in a letter to his friend, Lorenzo di Pier Francesco de Medici, which is when the term ‘New World’ was coined.
7. Vespucci named several constellations: On his voyage back from the New World in 1502, Vespucci named several constellations, including the Southern Cross.
8. In 2012, a coin was minted in Vespucci’s memory.
9. Vespucci is blamed for stealing peoples’ thunder: There is a significant amount of debate and controversy surrounding the letters that detail Vespucci’s achievements, and, as a result, many believe that he stole his discoveries from other explorers.
10. Vespucci was awarded honorary Spanish Citizenship: In 1505, Vespucci was given the title of Pilot Major of Spain by King Ferdinand. This made Vespucci an honorary citizen of Spain.

Amerigo Vespucci: Early Life

Amerigo Vespucci was born in Florence, Italy, on the 9th of March 1454 to Nastagio Vespucci and Lisabetta Mini Vespucci. In childhood, Amerigo was heavily interested in books and maps, a fascination that would continue throughout his life. The Vespucci family held a high status in Florence then and were close friends with the famous Medicis, who ruled over Italy for over 300 years. Amerigo even worked for the Medicis as a banker and later as a supervisor of their ship-outfitting business. This job led him to move to Seville, Spain, in 1492.

During his time as supervisor of the Medici’s ship-outfitting business, Vespucci’s love of exploring grew. As part of his job, Vespucci would see the ships of renowned explorers at the time being prepared. This gave him invaluable insight into the actual business of exploration.

In the 15th century, European leaders utilized explorers to expand their empires and wealth. At this time, many explorers were focused on finding a northwest route to the Indies, as this would allow them to trade more easily and thus increase their country’s wealth. This was no easy feat, as voyages in the 15th century were much more arduous than nowadays. Just one trip could take years to complete. Furthermore, by the middle of the 15th century, most trade routes to Asia were controlled by Muslims. This meant they could charge whatever prices they liked for goods, both outgoing and incoming, and ships traveling to and from Europe and Asia. As a result of this monopoly on the existing trade routes, the need to find new ones increased greatly.

As part of his role in Seville, Vespucci worked closely with Christopher Columbus in setting up one of his first voyages. In 1496, the two men had the opportunity to talk with one another and discovered that they had much in common, including their love of exploration. This meeting with Columbus accelerated Vespucci’s interest in exploration and discovery. Moreover, Vespucci possessed many key skills in seafaring and exploration, such as cartography and astronomy. Finally, as people during the Renai

Vespucci’s First voyage

There is a dispute amongst historians over the date of Vespucci’s first official voyage. Some reports state that he set off in 1499 for the northern part of South America and the Amazon River. As he went, Vespucci gave names to the places he saw, such as the ‘Gulf of Ganges,’ as he still thought, like many explorers at this time, that he was in Asia. One of Vespucci’s great achievements was in improving celestial navigation techniques. He could even accurately estimate the Earth’s circumference within 50 miles.

Other historians look to a letter dated 1497 to suggest that this 1499 voyage to South America may have been Vespucci’s second trip. The letter is addressed to the Gonfalonier of Florence, a high official on Florence’s supreme executive council. In it are details of a voyage to the Bahamas and Central America. If the contents of this letter are correct, then Vespucci reached the mainland of the Americas over a year before Columbus did. However, some historians contest the authorship and contents of this letter and claim it to be a forgery.

Vespucci’s Most Successful Voyage

On the 14th of May, 1501, Vespucci set off for the New World. He voyaged along the coast of South America, all the way down to Patagonia, coming across the Rio de Janeiro and Rio de la Plata rivers. During this voyage, Vespucci began questioning whether he was entirely in Asia or a different place.

Vespucci was heavily inspired by the works of Marco Polo, who was a merchant and explorer in the 13th century. Polo’s accounts of his travels provided tremendous insight into the continent of Asia, especially concerning its geography, inhabitants, and the opportunities it possessed. During his explorations, Vespucci used Polo’s works as the basis of his assumptions.

One of the notable discoveries that Vespucci made when sailing around South America was that the sky contained different constellations that were not visible in Europe. Vespucci’s skills in cartography and astronomy came in very handy throughout his voyaging. On this 1501 trip, these skills led him to discover that the areas they explored proved larger and differently shaped than previous accounts of Asia. This discovery resulted in Vespucci concluding that he was entirely on a different continent. This suspicion was solidified when Vespucci was sailing to the southernmost point of South America, Tierra del Fuego. Again, Vespucci concluded that he was encountering a new continent that stretched much further than anyone had previously guessed.

Throughout this voyage, Vespucci wrote letters to a friend back in Europe, which detailed his travels and his profound discovery of the New World as a separate continent from Asia. These letters also contain many accounts of Vespucci’s interactions with the indigenous people in the New World and provide descriptions of their religious practices and beliefs, diet, marriage habits, and much more. These letters were published in many different languages and sold extremely well, even better than Columbus’ letters.

Vespucci embarked on other voyages throughout his life, none of which would be as successful as this one in 1501. In 1508, Vespucci was made a Pilot Major in Spain, a prestigious position. This position required using Vespucci’s incredible navigational skills, and throughout his time as a Pilot Major, he helped develop and standardize navigational techniques. He worked as a Pilot Major until his death on the 22nd of February 1512. Vespucci died of Malaria at around 58 years old.

Amerigo Vespucci’s significance and legacy

Amerigo Vespucci is remembered for several important reasons. First, he had a long career in sailing and explored many places. He also developed new technologies and methods for making sailing the world more accessible to other sailors. Here are just of the facts that show Amerigo Vespucci’s significance:

• He was the first European sailor to explore the mouth of the mighty Amazon River
• He developed a method for determining longitude while at sea; previously, sailors would use their reckoning and experience to determine their longitude. Instead, Vespucci was able to use a series of maps and celestial navigation to track the ship across the ocean safely.
• He discovered the continent of America and was able to discern that it was a previously unknown continent, not Asia.

Who named America?

While it would be fair to assume that Vespucci named the new continent he had discovered after himself, it was called for later! It was first written down as America by a German clergyman, Martin Waldseemuller.

In 1507, Waldseemuller and other scholars worked on a cosmology book containing many large world maps. Aware of Amerigo Vespucci’s significance to America’s discovery, he suggested they be named after him. The maps were sold in great numbers, and the name was fixed into history.

Later on, in 1538, a cartographer called Gerardus Mercator gave the name “America” to both the northern and southern areas of the New World, and they have been known as North and South America since then.

How do crystals form?

Crystals can be naturally-occurring precious gems like quartz or everyday substances like sugar and salt crystals or snowflakes. They can also be artificial, like synthetic diamonds. Crystals can be used decoratively in our food, making analog watches tick!

The process of liquid cooling into a solid crystal is called crystallization. This mostly happens underground in volcanic fissures. Magma (liquid rock) cools and solidifies with similar molecules gathering together and creating an angular shape.

These bonded ions tend towards regularity and stability as it’s easier to form into. Their shape is known as a polyhedron, a three-dimensional polygon with flat faces, straight edges, and sharp corners. This is a self-organizing system that defies entropy.

The final crystal lattice can be affected by the minerals involved, the temperature, the pressure, and the rate of cooling. Sometimes they also form from mineral deposits as water evaporates, like natural salt.

You can have liquid crystals – as used in LCD screens. Glass is a supercooled amorphous liquid that isn’t crystalline, while crystal glassware with lead content is more costly but not crystal in structure!

Is a crystal a type of rock?

Crystals are made of minerals, and rocks are also made from minerals or sediments, but they are different. All crystals are minerals, but not all minerals are crystals. Minerals have a crystalline atomic structure.

Meanwhile, rocks are composites of minerals with a less uniform structure. Rocks aren’t clear like many crystals – although you can find crystals formed within igneous rocks, such as a vein of quartz. Stones and pebbles are just smaller pieces of rock.

In jewelry, crystals and colored stones are referred to as precious or gemstones. A gem is a rare mineral with a pure formation, but not necessarily the regular faces of a crystal – such as amber or opal. Crystals are generally defined by their shape.

The study of these is called gemology and crystallography – but you probably guessed that! This comes under geology in science. Some people believe that certain crystals and gems are lucky or have healing qualities – this kind of alternative medicine unproven by scientific evidence, dating back to Ancient Greek.

What kinds of crystals are there?

The chemical bonds of crystals can be metallic, ionic, covalent, van der Waals, and others. As a result, you can get the following shapes of crystal lattices:

Triclinic, monoclinic, orthorhombic, tetragonal, trigonal, hexagonal, and cubic.

They call have sparkling flat faces and a symmetrical atomic arrangement, but these names refer to their structure and how made sides they have. If every atom is in a perfect, repeating pattern, they are an ‘ideal’ crystal, but many have crystallographic defects or impurities.

Some of the common crystals you can find are:

• Quartz (sometimes used to keep time)
• Amethyst
• Citrine
• Snowflakes/ice
• Salt
• Sugar

A rare kind of crystal is a diamond made of compressed carbon. Manufacturing synthetic diamonds are very useful as they are one of the hardest substances on Earth and are needed for many applications. However, as they are uncommon and difficult to mine, retailers of engagement rings drove the price and demand.

The unethical practice of extracting these precious crystals in wartorn African countries led to them being known as ‘blood diamonds’ or ‘conflict diamonds.’ This came to international attention in the late nineties.

Many different dinosaurs lived at other times during the Mesozoic era:

• Some dinosaurs walked on two legs, and some walked on four legs. Some could do both.
• Dinosaurs could not fly. However, other prehistoric reptiles could fly.
• Some dinosaurs could wade or paddle through the water. However, dinosaurs did not live in oceans, lakes, or rivers. Other prehistoric reptiles could swim and eat sharks.
• Some dinosaurs were fast and agile, while others were slow and lumbering.
• Some dinosaurs had thick and bumpy skin.
• Some dinosaurs had feathers.
• Some dinosaurs were armor-plated. Others had horns, spikes, or crests to defend themselves.

Dinosaurs can be grouped into the following categories:

Armored dinosaurs – these medium-sized, four-legged herbivores had body armor, and some even had tail spikes. Examples of armored dinosaurs include Gastonia, Stegosaurus, and Nodosaurus.

Ceratopsians – these dinosaurs were herbivores with parrot-like beaks, bony frills, and, sometimes, horns. Examples of ceratopsians include Triceratops, Centrosaurus, and Achelousaurus.

Euornithopods – these medium-sized herbivores usually walk on two legs. Examples of ornithopods include Iguanodon, Parasaurolophus, and Edmontosaurus.

Sauropods – these very large herbivores mostly walked on four legs. Examples of sauropods include Brachiosaurus, Diplodocus, and Pelorosaurus.

Large theropods – these large carnivores walked on two legs. Examples of large theropods include Carnotaurus, Allosaurus, and Tyrannosaurus rex.

Small theropods – these small carnivores, herbivores, and omnivores walked on two legs and sometimes had feathers. Examples of small theropods include Oviraptor, Troodon, and Velociraptor.

Teacher Appreciation Week for Kids

At one point or another, we have all had a teacher. Teachers come in all shapes, sizes, and specialties, be it a collection of different and well-versed professors or a tutor whom you learned from for only a few weeks. With all of these hardworking people looking after our students, shouldn’t there be a time to show them some appreciation and thanks? Well, there is! Teacher Appreciation Week is a time to hold your teachers up with gratitude, give them special presents, and show how much you truly appreciate their efforts in teaching you or your children everything they know! Let’s learn about the history and importance of Teacher Appreciation Week together!

What is Teacher Appreciation Week?

Teacher Appreciation Week is when schools, students, parents, and more come together to show their teachers the appreciation they deserve! Created in the 1950s, Teacher Appreciation Week was crafted to let teachers have a week to experience their pupils returning their knowledge and respect!

Many students may organize teachers’ parties or celebrations, while others prepare gifts. Some establishments may even give their teachers a day off as a reward for their hard work! Regardless, Teacher Appreciation Week is a time to show your teachers how much you care for them and the knowledge they bestow upon you!

When is Teacher Appreciation Week?

Teacher Appreciation Week occurs at the beginning of May, during the first full week. From May 1st to May 8th in 2022, schools, colleges, and other organizations and establishments will each prepare for this holiday in their special way! This week of appreciation is never moved, but some states may adjust Teacher Appreciation Day (which occurs in the middle of the week, usually on May 5th or 6th) to suit their school seasons better. For example, in Massachusetts, Teacher Appreciation Day was moved to November 6th for a time and now resides on the first Sunday of June for their annual Teacher Appreciation Day. Most other states stick to the first week of May, though!

History of Teacher Appreciation Week

Teachers have existed for thousands of years, even before what we know as schools! Philosophers, writers, and scientists were all teachers in their own right, creating theories and passages taught at meetings with like-minded individuals. Teaching is perhaps the oldest known profession in the world, rivaling even kings or lords. The first known teacher could be Confucius, a Chinese philosopher, or the Greeks, who placed value in agoras (gatherings of philosophers and students who discussed the world, life, and the value humans put into everything around them) and educating children. Teacher Appreciation Week was not created so far in the past, however.

Around the mid-1940s, Teacher Appreciation Day emerged from not-so-well-known origins. Ryan Krug was a Wisconsin teacher looking to inspire gratitude from the government and students who all benefited from their school teachers and tutors. He called his local educational leaders, which soon led to him convincing political leaders to try and establish the very first Teacher Appreciation Day! Though his efforts were not met through his singular contribution, his earnest attitude and wish for this annual celebratory day for teachers inspired many other educators throughout the nation. Teacher Appreciation Day finally reached the ear of Congress when an Arkansas teacher by the name of Mattie Whyte Woodridge made a very important call to a certain First Lady

Theodore Roosevelt’s wife, Eleanor Roosevelt, was a prolific writer who understood the importance of educating the youth of America. Mattie called Eleanor, relaying Krug’s notions of introducing a Teacher Appreciation Day into the national calendar. Eleanor agreed with their fight for teacher appreciation and went to Congress to implore them to establish a day for Teacher Appreciation in 1953. The National Education Association joined Eleanor, Indiana, Kansas, and other establishments in lobbying for the day until Congress conceded in a one-year-only Teacher Appreciation Day on March 7th, 1980. This single day turned to the NEA observing Teacher Appreciation Day every first Tuesday of March for the following years.

Teacher Appreciation Week was finally created in 1985 when the National PTA assigned the first week of May to the annual holiday. The NEA then made Teacher Appreciation Day fall on the Tuesday of the week-long event. From then on, Teacher Appreciation Week has been observed by every state and almost every school in the nation. Students, parents, and administrators come together around the United States to honor those hard-working people who have brought light and education to the masses!

Are There Other Teacher Appreciation Holidays?

Around the world, teachers everywhere work hard to bring knowledge to their students. Thus, it is to be assumed that many other countries have their own Teacher Appreciation Week! October 5th is World Teacher’s Day, observed by over 100 countries worldwide! This group includes Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Serbia, Portugal, Russia, and more!

Puerto Rico celebrates Teacher Appreciation Day the Friday before Mother’s Day. Some countries like Latvia celebrate in the fall and usually either cancel classes taught by teachers or have courses taught by older pupils, allowing teachers to break from the usual hustle and bustle of teaching! Most coOf course, mosties have their special

Why is Teacher Appreciation Week Important?

Many people do not get offered the appreciation they may deserve. The highest among them are our teachers, who work hard every year to craft lessons and create safe spaces for their students to learn and grow without worry. Teacher Appreciation Week is important because these people deserve to be recognized for all the work they put into their craft! Students may not realize just how much work their teachers put into their classes.

It is easy to look past the work teachers put into each little assignment and task. Some students may not notice if a teacher adjusts something in the classroom or creates more engaging worksheets! This is why appreciation days are necessary– to make a chance for those missed moments to shine!

Teachers possess many skills, responsibilities, and desires like any other person! By showing a teacher your gratitude towards their work, they will feel confident to strive for bigger and better endeavors in the future. Therefore, always showing how much you care for your teachers is vital!

What are a Teacher’s Responsibilities

Teachers have many vital responsibilities to do their job well, like any other job. Most of your teacher’s roles may seem obvious to a student: they curate worksheets, homework, readings, and research to give to students and keep their workspaces clean (this can vary depending on the teacher, many have to keep an entire classroom tidy! That’s a lot of work), grade papers, tests, and homework, and continue to learn from furthering research that occurs even after they are out of school. That’s a lot of work for one person, yet all teachers are ready to do it all!

If you want an easy-to-remember list of your teacher’s responsibilities, here are five that all teachers probably focus on to ensure they are in top form!

1. Support: Your teacher is here to support you with classwork or mental health guidance. Not all teachers are well-versed in helping students who struggle with mental health, of course, but they are pillars that can be nice to lean on when working through a certain class! Always remember your teacher wants the best for you, so ask for help and support if you need it!
2. Helping: Support and help may seem like similar responsibilities, but they are different in very important ways. You can lean on a supportive teacher and ask for help in endeavors, but a helping teacher can help you when you’re having trouble with a question, research, or a bully. Your teacher will help you, be sure to ask!
3. Mentor: All teachers are mentors. Mentors, in general, stand as leaders, be they in knowledge or available power, that are there to help guide individuals down a certain path. In that sense, all your teachers are your mentors in higher education. You may find yourself with one teacher knowledgeable on a skill you wish to obtain– that teacher becomes your mentor!
4. Learning: Teachers must continue learning even after they are out of school. Teachers are students in their sense, developing skills to help better their classroom and better aid the previous responsibilities on this list. In addition, teachers must keep up on current events related to their field of study, new findings, and more! Research is just as important as homework!
5. Informer: Finally, your teacher is an informer. They will share their knowledge with you to better aid your understanding of the concepts at hand. Your teacher’s major responsibility is informing and teaching students about the world!

How do you Become a Teacher?

Becoming a teacher is rather simple in the long run. Most states have their particular practices and licenses required. Still, the universal norm is that you must obtain a bachelor’s degree in any study you desire, complete your state-issued teacher preparation program, pass the exams required to allow you to teach in your state, and then apply for a teaching license. Certain conditions, like New York, can give you consent allowing you to teach worldwide, while others only allow you to teach in the state where you acquired the license! Once all these tests and permits are complete and gathered, you can start applying for teaching positions!

How to Celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week

Teacher Appreciation Week is, of course, a week-long event! So there are numerous ways to celebrate your teachers throughout this week! If you are a parent of younger children, you can help them celebrate their teachers by helping them by sending cards or e-mails to their teachers! Thank you cards made with your children’s drawings and writing will mean so much to the teachers who watch over them daily!

Older students can bring their teachers gifts! It may be cliche to get your teacher an apple, but I don’t know a single teacher who would turn down a delicious snack! In addition, candy, pencils, sharpeners, erasers, chalk, scissors, and even gift cards to office supply stores or general online shops are all wonderful gifts that your teachers will appreciate! These gifts will also help out in the future when your teachers may need help gathering supplies for class.

Some teachers may offer to host a party during the week in their classroom! Students should pitch in by decorating, cleaning the classroom, and preparing snacks for the party day! Your teachers will feel the love if you all help them celebrate this week of appreciation! And afterward, be sure to help them clean up!

5 Facts About Teacher Appreciation Week

• Have you ever wondered just how many teachers are out there in America? According to the National Center for Education Statistics, there are probably around 3.1 million full-time teachers in public schools and 0.4 million teachers in private schools. That’s a lot of mentors, not even professors in higher education!
• The National PTA’s Facebook offers a variety of fun ways to show your teachers your appreciation through gift ideas and questions that you can answer that will help you show your teacher your appreciation! These questions are uploaded every day during Teacher Appreciation Week
• Since its inception in the 80s, Teacher Appreciation Week has never been skipped and is always observed by the National PTA and the schools who celebrate it!
• Why do kids give teachers apples in cartoons and movies? Back in the day, it was a parent’s job to feed their children and the Frontier teachers who worked at the schoolhouses! So students will bring a snack to their teacher at the behest of their parents! And this tradition continues to this day, making apples a symbol of knowledge and school.

Eleanor Roosevelt, the first lady who implored Congress to establish a Teacher Appreciation Day, was a powerful advocate for the youth of America and believed schools should be safe spaces for any child to learn!

There are four body bone types: short, flat, long, and irregular. The irregular bones of the human body are the vertebrae, sacrum, coccyx, maxilla, mandible, temporal, sphenoid, ethmoid, zygomatic, palatine, inferior nasal concha, and hyoid.

Types of Bone

The human skeleton is made up of bones of all shapes and sizes. There are some tiny ones, such as the inner ear bones, and some large ones, like the bones in your arms and legs.

Bones that are longer than they are wide are called long bones. They consist of a long section of bone with two thicker ends. They are mostly composed of compact bone but may have a large amount of spongy bone around the ends. Long bones can be found in the thigh, arm, leg, and forearm.

In contrast, there are also plenty of short bones. These bones are called ‘short’ because they are about as long as they are tall. Because of this, they tend to look almost cuboid. They are mostly made of spongy bone with a thin layer of compact bone for stability. You can find short bones in your wrist and your ankle.

Flat bones are thin, balanced, and usually curvy in shape. For example, you can find curved bones in your skull.

That brings us to irregular bones. Irregular bones are grouped only because they don’t fit into the abovementioned three categories. They do, however, have some similarities. For example, they are usually made up of spongy bone and a thin layer of compact bone, just like short bones. Before we look at the different kinds of irregular bones’ functions within the skeleton, we need to look at the materials bone is made up of.

What is compact bone? What is spongy bone?

Bone is made up of several different layers and materials.

• The top layer of bone is called the periosteum. This is a membranous tissue that covers the surface of bones. It’s very important for repairing and growing them.
• Next up, there’s compact (or hard) bone. This layer is heavy and very dense. It gives the bone strength. This is the part you see when you’re looking at a skeleton.
• There’s also spongy (or cancellous) bone. There are lots and lots of layers of this spongy bone. The spaces in the cancellous bone are full of blood vessels and bone marrow. Red blood cells, some white blood cells, and platelets are made here. Bone marrow is thick and jelly-like, and its job is to make blood cells.
• Bones are made out of a protein called collagen. A mineral called calcium phosphate makes the framework of the bones hard and strong. Bones store calcium and release some into your blood if other body parts need it.

Irregular bones: Function and Facts

The Spine

Your spine, or spinal column, comprises a set of irregular bones called vertebrae. There are 33 in total! Your spine holds you upright when you’re standing or sitting and lets you twist and bend.

The spine protects the spinal cord. This big bundle of nerves sends information from your brain to the rest of your body.

The Sacrum

This is a large bone at the bottom of your spine. It’s almost triangular. This bone strengthens your pelvis, making it more stable. It also protects your bladder and intestines.

The Coccyx

The coccyx is often referred to as the tailbone. Humans had a tail a long, long time ago. Even though we no longer have seats, the coccyx still has a job. This bone is an attachment point for tendons, ligaments, and muscles like the gluteus maximus.

Irregular Bones of the Skull

The human skull is made up of 22 different bones. These bones work together to protect the brain and support your face. But, did you know that the biggest ‘Homo skull ever found is the skull of a species that researchers named Homo long, or ‘dragon man’? The skull was found in Northern China and measures 23 centimeters long and more than 15 centimeters wide! It is believed the owner of this skull lived between 146,000 and 296,000 years ago.

Now, let’s find out more about the irregular bones’ function as a part of the skull:

The Temporal Bone

These bones are found at the base and the sides of the skull. The temporal bone is made up of four parts. These are named the squamous, mastoid, petrous, and tympanic parts. They are underneath your temples and contain the insides of your ears.

The Sphenoid

This is another bone that makes up part of your skull. It can be found in the middle of the head, towards the front. The bone looks a little bit like a pair of wings. It is one of the seven bones that make up the orbit or eye socket.

The Ethmoid

The ethmoid is also an unpaired bone in the skull. It separates the nasal cavity from the brain and can be found at the roof of the nose, between the orbits or eye sockets.

The Zygomatic Bone

This bone is more commonly known as the cheekbone. It connects and articulates with the maxilla, sphenoid, frontal, and temporal bones.

The Maxilla and the Mandible

The maxilla is the upper, fixed part of your jaw. The mandible is the lower part of the jaw. You can only move the mandible used when speaking and chewing. Your teeth sit in the maxilla and the mandible: your top teeth are in the maxilla, and your bottom or lower teeth are in the mandible. The word “mandible” comes from the Latin mandibula, which means ‘jawbone’ or ‘one used for chewing.’

The Palatine Bones

These bones are located above the uvula in the throat. They make up the hard palate with the maxilla. This bone has an opening for arteries so that blood can flow around that area of the body around the nasal cavity.

Inferior nasal concha

This is one of the three nasal conchae in the nose. It extends along the wall of the nasal cavity and is made of spongy bone curled up like a scroll. These three nasal bones are lined with mucus, so when air passes through the nasal cavity, it is warmed, moistened, and cleaned.

The Hyoid Bone

The hyoid bone is a horseshoe-shaped bone between the chin and the neck. It is the only bone in the human body that is not connected to any other bones nearby. This bone provides attachment to the muscles of the tongue, larynx, epiglottis, pharynx, and the floor of the mouth.

How many islands does Indonesia have?

There are over 17,000 Indonesian islands. Of these, only around 6,000 have people living on them. These vary from vastly populated islands such as Java, with a population of over 150 million (similar to the population of Russia), to islands such as Adonara, with a little over 100,000.

Some of the islands included within Indonesia are split between Indonesian territory and the territory of other countries. Indonesia shares the island of Timor with East Timor, the island of New Guinea with Papua New Guinea, and the island of Borneo with Brunei and two states of Malaysia.

What are Indonesia’s five largest islands?

Below you will find the five largest Indonesian islands listed. These refer to the size of the island rather than Indonesia’s territory on those islands (for example, only half of New Guinea is part of Indonesia).

New Guinea: New Guinea is the largest island in Indonesia, although Indonesia exists only on the western half of the island. This is the world’s second-largest island after Greenland. The two Indonesian states of Guinea enjoy a special autonomous status meaning they have more control over their affairs.

Borneo: The second largest island in Indonesia is also shared with other countries. Borneo is famous for its orangutans, which can be seen in the wild in Indonesian Borneo.

Sumatra: This is the largest island that Indonesia solely occupies. Sumatra is famous for its unique wildlife, home to the Sumatran tiger, Sumatran elephant, Sumatran rhinoceros, and orangutan. Unfortunately, all these species are critically endangered due to deforestation.

Sulawesi: This island’s unique layout, featuring four peninsulas and a mountainous interior, means that the island’s inhabitants use the sea more than roads to stay connected to the different parts of the island. Sulawesi is also home to the world’s oldest known cave art.

Java: Java is the fifth largest island in Indonesia but accounts for over half of the entire country’s population. The capital city of Indonesia, Jakarta, is in Java and is home to over ten million people, making it South East Asia’s largest city. Due to its population and being home to the capital, Java is a culturally and politically dominant island in Indonesia.

Other famous Indonesian islands:

Bali: Bali is possibly Indonesia’s most famous island owing to its incredible popularity with tourists. Over 80% of the island’s economy comprises the tourism industry.

Whereas across Indonesia, most people are Muslim, Bali is an outlier because over 80% of its population follows Balinese Hinduism. This gives Bali a distinct culture, seen in its art and architecture.

Lombok: Lombok is another island popular with tourists. Lombok is famous for its beautiful waterfalls. Its also renowned for its beautiful beaches and popular surfing spots.

Komodo: Komodo is particularly famous for one of its fauna: the Komodo dragon. The Komodo dragon is the largest lizard in the world and can reach 10 feet in length. They are fierce predators and have been known even to eat water buffalo. Komodos are protected in the Komodo National Park.

Komodo is also popular for its mangroves and coral reefs which make for excellent diving spots.

The Solar System

If there is one topic that kids are almost guaranteed to be interested in, it is outer space; hence, this is at the top of our list!

Kids can sink their teeth into a range of sub-topics within the solar system topic. For instance, you could assign kids a planet each and get them to do in-depth research into that planet. Then, at the end of the project, you will have tons of information on each of the planets in our solar system.

Some other space-themed research topics that your students will love include:

• The History of Space Travel
• Should Pluto be a Planet?
• Types of Stars
• Life on the Moon
• The Future of Space travel
• Do Aliens Exist?

Dinosaurs

Dinosaurs are as close as we can get to real-life monsters, making them a fascinating research topic for kids. There are tons of different areas of dinosaur research that your students can delve into. For instance, kids could research the general history of dinosaurs or the extinction of dinosaurs. Kids could even focus their research on present-day archaeology, and what they do with the fossils and dinosaur bones they find.

Another idea for a dinosaur research topic is to assign each child in your class a specific dinosaur and get them to research them in-depth. They would be responsible for finding out about that particular dinosaur’s diet, temperament, genetic makeup, hunting technique, habitat, etc. Then, at the end of the project, you would have a vast amount of research into different dinosaurs.

Volcanoes

Another of our ideas for good research topics for kids is volcanoes! There are around 1,500 active volcanoes worldwide, 500 of which have erupted in the past. This gives you plenty of choices should you want to assign students a volcano each to research. There is also a rich history behind volcanoes where kids can get stuck. They can also take a more scientific approach and examine how volcanoes are formed.

Here are some research topic ideas for volcanoes:

• The Biggest Volcanic Eruption in History
• What Happened at Pompeii?
• Can We Predict Volcanic Eruptions?
• What Triggers a Volcanic Eruption?

 Extreme Weather and Natural Disasters

Similarly, extreme weather and natural disasters make for really good research topics for kids. Natural disasters, like tornadoes, blizzards, earthquakes, and hurricanes, are dramatic and highly destructive. This makes them fascinating for kids to study. Kids can research specific cases of extreme weather, like The Great Galveston hurricane, which is known as the deadliest natural disaster in history. Alternatively, kids can examine natural disasters, looking at what causes them, how people can protect themselves, where they occur, etc.

The History of a Country

An idea for a research project would be to assign your students a country each and get them to research it in-depth. Of course, this can be any country, so your options are endless! This project has many benefits, namely that it will give kids an increased knowledge of the world around them.

Black History

Black history is a really important research topic for kids, particularly poignant during February for Black History Month. There are many different ways to approach research projects about black history. For example, students could study black history and other civil rights movements over time. Alternatively, you could assign each child a foreign black history leader to research about.

Holidays Around the World

All kids love holidays so that they will love this research topic too! Holidays are celebrated in many different ways worldwide, with each culture having unique traditions and festivals. For instance, how Christmas is celebrated in the United Kingdom is completely different from how it is observed in Japan.

Assign each child a different holiday and country and get them to research how that holiday is celebrated in that country. This is great as it will increase kids’ awareness and understanding of the world around them. It is also just really fascinating and tons of fun for kids.

Women in History

Women in history is another super important research topic for kids to find out about. A great idea would be to focus on this topic during March for Women’s History Month. Similar to Black History projects, there are many ways to approach Women in History as a research project. One approach would be to get kids to study the overall timeline of women in history and women’s rights movements over time. Or, you could assign kids specific women’s rights movements or significant women involved in them and get them to research them in-depth.

 Scientists and Inventors

Scientists and inventors are a vast and fascinating research topic for kids to get stuck into. The number of inventions kids can research is endless, so you will have plenty of topics to choose from. One idea for this research project would be to assign kids a particular inventor and get them to research their life, works, and achievements. On the other hand, you could get your students to explore a specific invention.

Looking at different innovators and their creations can be fascinating, so it cut our list of research topics for kids. Your students will have a specific person to explore before creating a model of their invention or discovery. You can find everything you need in the scientists and inventors research unit.

Ancient Civilizations

Last but certainly not least is Ancient Civilizations! This is a good research topic for kids because there are so many ancient civilizations to choose from. Some examples of ancient civilizations are the Greeks, Incas, Aztecs, Egyptians, Maya, Persian, Romans, and Chinese.

There are a wide variety of different research topics to do with ancient civilizations. Here are a few of our favorites (all of these research topics can be applied to any ancient civilization):

• What Life Was Like in an Ancient Civilization
• Medicine in an Ancient Civilization
• Food and Nutrition in an Ancient Civilization
• What did they wear in an Ancient Civilization?
• How did this Ancient Civilization end?
• What was the main religion of this Ancient Civilization?

1) How Do You?

Pretend you’re a robot that can be controlled only by the voice commands of your student. Ask them to direct you to do a simple task such as make a sandwich, cook an egg or build a space rocket (ok – maybe not that last one!). You can only do exactly as they tell you to. This game is even funnier played with realia (real-life objects). Fabulous for practicing imperative forms or time word connectors, such as before, after, and when.

2. Top Cards

Great for practicing comparative and superlative forms. Divide the cards into two piles, one for each player. The player who goes first chooses an attribute from his card and reads out the value. The other player reads out their value. The player with the best value (normally the highest) wins both cards. Twinkl has loads of options for Top Cards games – including dinosaurs, trees, predators, and dinosaurs (did I mention dinosaurs?), but this one is a great place to start.

3. Snakes and Ladders

Studying advanced prepositions is already the most fun you can have. But this speaking game somehow makes it even better! It’s a snakes and ladders prepositions practice game that can easily be adapted for a one-to-one class – make your student answer all the question cards. It’s a win-win situation.

4. Dice Conversation Starters

Just something simple to add to the conversation. Use the dice as a starting point for different topics. You can make your own with a template after using our pre-designed ones.

5. Speed Debates 

A fabulous way to start a lesson is by having a three-minute speed debate. It can be really simple: ‘You’re a teenager who wants to come home at 11 p.m. tonight; I’m your mum/dad who thinks you should be home by 8:30. You have three minutes to persuade me. Go!’

These cards can be used for speaking or writing activities and include plenty of ideas for mini-debates you could have, such as ‘students shouldn’t have to do homework.’ It’d be interesting if you lost that debate

6. Pelmanism

An easy memory game for a one-to-one or small group. Cut the cards out and turn them over. Could you take turns turning over two cards? If they match, you can keep them. This one is ideal for improving reading and pronunciation skills in young learners, but you can make pelmanism cards for just about anything.

7. Conditional Sentence Chains 

A great activity for practicing conditional clauses. Take turns to complete sentences. Swap papers and repeat. End up with something ridiculous.

You can also have a lot of fun with a similar writing activity. You and your student start writing a story with the same first line. After a minute, swap papers and continue each other’s stories. After another minute, swap again. Continue until you have two brilliant, nonsensical stories. It is great fun, and no preparation is required!

8. Getting to Know My Teacher

Make sure your student has the chance to ask the questions. Ask students to make their guesses on this worksheet and then see how many they got correct. Encourage them to ask follow-up questions for extra practice with the question form. Different points if you can find many things in common with your student – it’ll help you have many items to discuss in the future.

9. Make Your Own Board Game

Whatever grammar point you learn can be turned into a board game. Some teachers are reluctant to try a board game activity with adult learners, but it can still be really fun – and all learners need some fun in their classes.

10. Dominoes 

This game is ideal for practicing phrasal verbs in a one-to-one class. And who doesn’t love phrasal verbs? I know, right? They’re my favorite thing, too! Whoops – sorry about that; I left the ‘sarcastic’ setting switched on on my keyboard. Students struggle with phrasal verbs, and you can see why – these combinations of verbs and prepositions make little intuitive sense and have many meanings. This phrasal verb game helps students practice some of the most common in a one-to-one match.

11. Guess Who?

A classic game for learning words connected to physical appearance, perfect for just two players. Have one player select a person on the board. The other player has to ask yes/no questions and identify who the other player has chosen. Extra points if they can answer in short form: ‘Yes, he has’ or ‘No, he hasn’t.’ Here’s a simple version of the game, but there’s also a pirate version, too, if you fancy!

12. Bingo

This is a great game to play if your students ever ask you about the differences between American and British English. Perfect for just one student, too. Examine the differences between British and American vocabulary and see if students can use all the words in a sentence. Bingo!

13. Spot the Difference

For young learners, spot the difference is a fantastic five-minute game. Make it into a speaking activity by encouraging your student to answer in full sentences, using prepositions where relevant.

14. Imagine the Topic of the Day

I couldn’t recommend this more for bringing something extra to a one-to-one class. Imagine getting a different picture and questions daily – so you’ll always have something to discuss. You can also look at previous images organized by topic (I do love it when things are organized by topic) so that you’ll have something that connects to the theme of your class. Magic.

15. Wheel of Questions

A print-out, cut-out, and color-in game for reviewing the question form of the present simple, present continuous, future simple, and past simple tenses. Perfect for beginner or elementary level students who need a little more understanding of question form. Use our pre-made, free version or inspire students to make their own.

16. Wheel of Fortune 

Spark a conversation with this wheel of fortune activity. It’s wheely good! (I’m so, so sorry.) You could extend this into a lesson of in-depth discussion and debate, and there you have it – a no-prep class. Done.

17. Fortunately, Unfortunately 

A super simple game, with no resources required and a minimum of just two players. One person says a sentence beginning ‘Fortunately…’ and the next person has to begin the next sentence with ‘Unfortunately…’, e.g.

Fortunately, it was Saturday, and Mr. Dinosaur could sleep until 10 a.m.
Unfortunately, his neighbors woke him up! They were having a water fight.
Fortunately, they invited Mr. Dinosaur to play with them

I think you can see where this is going!

18. Write a Play

Bring out your student’s inner actor with our resources for inspiring script writing. Writing, practicing, and performing a play can be a fabulous way to improve fluency, especially contractions. We’ve got you all setup and ready to go into Hollywood with our pack for playwrights. My students especially loved making a film – it’s something they can share with their friends and family to show off their talent and English.

19. Role-Play Games 

Great for keeping a younger student entertained and learning English. A role-playing game is a fantastic way to practice those all-important functional language skills: the phrases we use for daily interactions. Twinkl has loads of resources to facilitate practice, and you can transform your classroom into pretty much anything, from a vet’s to a museum, to a space station!

20. Anagrams

Play this game with letter tiles, such as Scrabble tiles or something similar. Younger students love this, as it’s a way to practice spelling without having to write anything. Teenage and adult students enjoy this game, too – it’s a fun way to be competitive and inventive with the English language.

21. Name Five Things

A five-minute activity for the end of class or a way to introduce a new topic for the day. Name Five Things can be extended by asking questions like ‘Which one is your favorite? Why?’ or ‘Which ones have you tried/seen/played?’.

22. Story Sacks

Bring reading to life for young learners. Ideal for having a ton of fun in the classroom by making masks and acting out the story. It can be played in a one-to-one class or with a small group.

23. Ten Strikes and You’re Out!

Ideal as an extra activity, whether you have one student or 100. You knock down one of the ten bowling pins every time a student gets a letter wrong. If all ten go, the teacher is the winner.

A bookmark is something you attach or place on the inside of a book before closing it to help you remember where you were up to. Some common everyday objects you can use for bookmarks are receipts, slips of paper, ribbons, or paperclips.

There are other strategies; besides bookmarks, people use to remember page numbers. For example, writing down or memorizing a page number, leaving a book open face-down, or folding down the top corner of a page. Folding corners (also called ‘dog-earing’) is frowned upon by librarians and book owners as it damages pages and looks messy.

How to Make a Bookmark

Bookmarks can take many shapes and forms and can be as creative as you like when creating your bookmark. Depending on the shape and size of the bookmark you’d like to make, you’d approach the process differently.

Creative Homemade Bookmark Suggestions and Ideas

There are countless fun and crafty ways to make a bookmark with your students or child. Here are a few great suggestions to get you started:

• Attach a button to the end of a paperclip. If you can find an oversized button and paperclip, even better. To mark your page, clip the decorated paper clip onto it (perhaps even a few pages to help secure it) and close the book.
• Make an elastic loop and decorate it. Cut a strip of elastic a little bigger than twice the length of your book and sew the ends together to form a circle. Next, decorate it by sewing felt decorations, buttons, or anything else you like. You could even sew on a little felt arrow if you want to remember which line you were up to. To save your page, loop the elastic over all the pages you haven’t read and close the book.
• Use photographs of friends and family. For a twist on the classic bookmark, decorate your beloved page-keeper with images of the people closest to you, so they’re with you for all the adventures you may go on.

The roots are the part of a plant that attaches it to the ground or support. The function of sources in plants is to convey water and nourishment to the rest of the plant via numerous branches and fibers.

While roots lie underground in most plants, they can also be aerial, especially in water areas.

Four main functions of Roots

Roots have four key functions that help them sustain the plant they support. The functions of roots in plants include:

• Absorbing rainwater and releasing its nutrients.

• Structurally supporting the plant in the soil, performing as an anchor.

• Storing food and nutrients.

• Aiding plant reproduction.

Working in conjunction with the stem, which transports and distributes the nutrients throughout the plant, roots make such crucial chemical processes as photosynthesis, branching, and flowering possible.

What are Roots made up of?

For roots to fulfill their vitally important role within plant structure, they must have anatomy fit for purpose.

These different parts of the root system help them to work as efficiently as they can:

• The apical Meristem – located at the tip of the root- is the growth tissue protected from harm by a root cap.

• Epidermis – this is the ‘skin’ of the plant and is responsible for the production of root hairs. These hairs are responsible for mineral intake.

• Vascular Cylinder is the core of the root and is surrounded by the cortex.

• Pericycle – this is where the lateral roots spring from.

Different Types of Roots

Just as there are different types of plants, there are also other types of roots. A plant with roots will have one of two different root types

• Fibrous Roots- a plant with roots of this type will grow a wide network of long thin sources under the surface, although these roots don’t grow too deeply into the soil. While this does mean that plants with fibrous roots aren’t anchored in the ground quite as well as plants with other root types, the large number of sources does provide stability. As a result, plants with fibrous roots are  This wide network of roots also means that the plant has a much greater reach when extracting water and nutrients from the soil. Examples of plants with this type of root include grass, wheat, and rosemary.
• Tap Roots- a plant with roots of this type will grow a thick ‘main’ seed straight down, deep into the soil. From this central root, many smaller roots will grow laterally off it. Sources of this type ensure that the plant is firmly anchored in the ground. Examples of plants with Tap Roots include parsley and coriander. Some plants will grow an especially thick tap root and store nutrients. Examples of this include carrots and parsnips.