Teaching about life values:”The Letter “- Coca Cola Christmas Commercial 2020

It all started during the second covid19 quarantine,in December 2020.

It was then, when I decided to teach my students about what matters in life the most: our presence!

To do so, I decided to share one of my favourite 2020 Christmas commercials: “THE LETTER “.

It can be watched in one of my most favourite teaching apps: THE LITERACY SHED.

Why?

Last December ,with a 2nd countrywide lockdown in place, each and every citizen had been quarantined within the four walls of their home, since mid-November. As teachers, it had become not only our duty but also our responsibility towards to our students to follow it diligently, as it is a much-needed step to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Spending most of their time indoors had increased the time my students spent with our family members. Ever since, this has reinstated the fact that it is only your family which is beside you through thick and thin. You have got once in a lifetime opportunity to spend so many days altogether with your family, and it is better to not waste them.

The most essential of all, being in a lockdown has made us realize the importance of the freedom we all had and the importance of the most precious gift of all, a gift that money can’t buy: family!

After all, there’s no point in suffering through a global crisis if we don’t learn something from it. “No challenge, no change,” 

What I actually taught my students ,during our December webex lessons, was the importance of being present!

Actually, we had already started working on Acts of Kindness to our nearest and dearest, long before December, using this inspiring “Random Acts of Kindness Calendar”!

Being Present

This is the summary of the main ideas we talked about ,during our online lessons.

“Want to know one Christmas gift that everyone will really love this year? Having your full, devoted attention at all your holiday gatherings.

This Christmas season, put in the extra effort and do your best to be fully present when around your family and friends. I promise you it will be much more enjoyable for everyone (including yourself).

Give the gift of your sincere, undivided attention. Listen, really listen, without thinking about how you’ll respond; listen with the intention to understand, because people need to be heard: sometimes that’s all they need.

Your sincere presence, your authenticity, is one of the best gifts you can give; your offering is to be with your nearest and dearest.

Let others know how grateful you are for their presence in your life. Say, “thank you” and “I appreciate you” and “I love you.” It’s one of the greatest gifts.”

“For it is in giving that we receive.” – St. Francis of Assisi

THE LESSON PLAN STEPS

I decided to use one of my favourite wordcloud web tools in order to have all my students to share their ideas about which gifts ” only you can give” !

Sharing my screen and my most favourite virtual whiteboard app, I presented them with the topic I wanted them to brainstorm about: Christmas gift ideas for kids.

The next step was to have them work in groups, using the webex breakout rooms feature, to discuss their ideas.

They had to share all those ideas with the whole class, afterwards.

Finally, I shared my own idea about which are the three best gifts we can give to others!

Time: People always say time is money, but it doesn’t have to be. Time is one of the biggest and inexpensive gifts you can give yourself and others. Giving yourself the gift of free time can truly help your perspective in life.

Love: The gift of love, shouldn’t really need much explanation. Unfortunately, many celebrated Christmas and New Year’s without their loved ones this year. We should never forget to tell those people we do care about, that we love them, tomorrow is never promised.

Attention:There’s no doubt, Christmas will always be associated with presents; however,we should never underestimate the importance of spending a little extra time with someone, loving others. Giving, is better than receiving. Some of the best gifts we can give, can’t be wrapped as they come from the heart.

IN A NUTSHELL

Watch the film on YouTube here

Watch the film on Vimeo here

The story

One Dad, planning on working away for Christmas, takes his daughter’s letter for Santa with him to post.  Unfortunately, he misses the ‘post boat’ and a series of mishaps means that he ultimately ends up delivering the letter to The North Pole himself. 

He receives a lift home and is surprised by the contents of the letter when he gets there. 

Few more teaching ideas you can also use, especially with older students

• Discuss and share ideas for some gifts ‘only you can give’ this Christmas. 
• Write diary entries in role of the girl. 
• Create an inner monologue for the father. 
• Describe the epic journey and the sights he sees on his travels. 
• Recount the journey in the first person. 

Outcomes

• Narrative retelling
• Informal letter -if you wish. I asked them to write their letters to Santa, asking for …GIFTS THEY CAN ONLY GIVE!

Our Magic Box Treasure hunt

Research Says: The benefits of using games in the classroom are various. they “range from cognitive aspects of language learning to more cooperative group dynamics.” Games also lower the affective filter and encourage “creative and spontaneous use of language,” promote “communicative competence.” What’s more—games are fun.

Treasure hunts (aka scavenger hunts) can be arranged in a variety of ways, and so they are suitable for any level.

Here’s one of the things I do, with my junior classes  :

I bring a “Magic Box ” in class and ask my students to fill it in, with …”magic things”!

They make their own word cards, with their favorite “magic items ” on . They are asked to draw items, based on vocabulary studied.

I hide these  vocabulary cards around the room and use verbal, visual or audio clues, to direct the students to where the cards are. (They can only keep the card if they can name the item, or pronounce/spell what’s on the card correctly). I generally only let one student loose at a time to prevent scrapping !…

I love working on Treasure hunt games, with my junior classes, the most.

Of course, as the students progress we can make the treasure hunt (clues etc.) more difficult.

 

General intrsutions

How to Play

1. Students are divided into groups.
2. Each group has a list of items/cards to find.
3. The rules are explained: Students are to find as many items as they can within an allotted time period. They can find the items in any order, but the team must stay together.
4. Inform players of the area of the hunt.
5. When the time limit is up, the teams meet at the designated spot.
6. Each group responds with their card item spelling/definition/ etc.
7. If they do it right, the team is awarded one point.
8. The team with the most points wins.

How to Make It

1. First, prepare the list or cards of items to find
2. Make sure the items can be “found” in the area that you have the scavenger hunt.
3. Select items based on vocabulary studied.

Variations

1. Students can each submit a card/item to be found.
2. With older students, you can use clues, with a certain part of speech (e.g., adjective or adverb).
3. The game concludes after so many cards are found instead of being limited by a certain time frame.

 

 

TESOL conventions and me

I always get to extend my professional learning network via adding to it more like-minded teachers and educators.

 I am a proud TESOLER!

I decided to  join Julia Alivertis  in one of the conventions in Athens a few years ago  and have  been attending most Tesol conventions since then… Since the concept of attending conventions  was introduced to me, I have attended at least one convention  a year. To me, it is like any other occasion that comes annually, like birthdays and anniversaries. I look forward to it because it is also one way I can travel!

I believe that, Tesol Conventions , are a great way for teachers to get to meet other educators and exchange their expertise and learn from each other.Personally speaking, each such event  I attend I come out of it with a bunch of new ideas to try out or to investigate further. I also always get to extend my professional learning network via adding to it more like-minded teachers and educators.

I return to these conferences primarily because of their multi-disciplinary nature, their strong support of learner-centered education and their focus on student engagement.  I believe that attending the Tesol Professional development  events , improves my teaching by increasing my awareness of the power of engagement within the school teaching environment. I can also happily attest to an increasing confidence from having acquired new skills and the ease in implementing changes. I have noticed an increased joy in my teaching and a greater willingness and ability to make changes to my courses and teaching strategies. This greater enthusiasm has transformed the classroom environment in a most positive way as well as encouraged a greater collegiality and appreciation of the contributions of both my colleagues and my students.

With my favourite university years friends !

More random thoughts about Tesol conventions I have attended so far:

I like that there are so many people from so many places, lots of variety of backgrounds. I like the content and feel there are always  many offerings I want to hear. I like that they “practice what they preach” in terms of utilizing active learning techniques even for the plenary

I enjoy seeing how many people are  passionate about improving their teaching and bringing back ideas to their colleagues. This conferences rejuvenate my excitement to re-vamp my syllabus every year and apply some of what I learn at the conference as well as share with others what I learn.

I like that I meet a lot of people who share my passion for teaching and learning and who are  not shy about responding in workshops or starting conversations. I like that workshops are teaching-focused and not discipline specific. I enjoy every session I attend,  because of the wonderful spirit of the participants, all eager to learn and share their wisdom

It is nice to take specifically dedicated time to reflect on teaching practices and to talk with like-minded colleagues. Some sessions provid new and interesting ideas…

I like that I meet a lot of people who share my passion for teaching and learning and who are not shy about responding in workshops or starting conversations

I come back with so many great ideas about how to be a better teacher. Also, I find out that I am doing some things pretty good already which is  good for my self-doubting soul.

 Love the enthusiasm. Love the common theme of wanting to be better teachers. We love what we do, all of us, wish to get better at it and learn from each other

Also, the networking opportunities and the practicality of most presentations.

I love the practice-based content. I’m rather sick of coventions  that are all theory and no practice.

I like that there are so many people from so many places, lots of variety of backgrounds.

I love the the feeling of belonging to a group that shares the same  passion, the knowledge we get from presentations, and interacting with our peers and experts in the field. What good it will do depends on how you view the experience. Sometimes we go to a presentation, and it was not what we thought it was going to be. It is hit-or-miss, really. However, if you look at it from a different angle, you still may be able to extract something from the experience. It opens minds and it opens doors.

I have found that, Tesol events  do have an effect on your teaching philosophy and practices, without your being aware of it: how open-minded you are to changes, how much of a team player you are, how much you want to improve and offer your students a variety of activities, and so on.

Once you get your “conference mode” turned on, you want to attend as much as you can if time and money permit. The next thing you want to do is to present. Get in the game! It may take  me a while before I finally get  the courage to present.

The important thing is to keep learning, to know what’s hot and what’s not! One really easy way to do this is to attend professional development events and become a member of a professional organization such as Tesol!

The conventions parties are unforgetable!! Meeting with colleagues, outside the classrooms is awesome!