How to design an engaging worksheet for students.

Do your students groan when you hand out worksheets?  Well that doesn't have to happen.  If we spend a little bit more time and thought to design, worksheets can be more engaging.

I found a video that will help you to design more effective worksheets:
 http://www.lynda.com/Business-Elearning-tutorials/Teacher-Tips/141465-2.html

This is very important information, I know that we all have lots of experience in writing worksheets, but this will help us teachers be more effective.

Good luck!
Rachael Alice http://rachaelorbach.weebly.com

There are FOUR ways that we can say the Future Tense

There are FOUR ways that we can talk about the Future Tense in English.

The first two are called the Future Simple.

1.  Will  - used to make a prediction  or talk about the future.
The form of the Future Simple with Will is very simple.

We use the word will and then the verb in the base form.

I will do my homework.  This is a perfectly good sentence in the Future Simple. "Will" signifies that the action is in the future, and the verb "do" is the action.  Let's write another one:

You will attend the meeting at 12:00 noon.

"will" is the marker for the future, and attend is the action.

2. Be Going To. - used to talk about plans in the future.

The form of Be Going to has to be conjugated to agree with the subject of the sentence.
I  am going to . . .
He is going to
She is going to
It is going to
You are going to
We are going to
They are going to

I am going to set up my schedule for next week.  This sentence is an action that indicates a plan for the future.

He is going to write the report next week.
In order to make this form of the Future more clear we often use a time marker such as next week. tomorrow, tonight, next year, next month

3. Present Simple talking about the Future: We use a time marker, either in the beginning or at the end of the present simple phrase.

The form is a regular Present Simple sentence.
I begin my new class next week. - Here the time marker is at the end of the sentence.
Next week, Cory starts his new job. - Here the time marker is at the beginning of the sentence.

4. Present Progressive talking about the Future  - Actually "Be Going To" is a special form of the Present Progressive talking about the Future.

The form is the same as we used for Be Going To, but we can use any Present Progressive tense verbs.  In order to make it more clear that we are talking about the Future, we use time expressions but this usage is more for the immediate Future, next week, tomorrow, or later today.

I am flying to Europe tomorrow.
She is leaving next week.
They are working on the project in the afternoon.


How do you know which form of the Future to use when speaking or writing?
Check whether the sentence needs more than one verb. If the sentence needs will, then you won't need an infinitive like to play

. I am going to play the piano now.
 "to play" is an infinitive. When you use the Present Progressive or Be Going to, you will have an infinitive.

When the sentence uses the Future Simple with "will" there is not infinitive.

I will play the piano.  Here the sentence does not need an infinitive.  The verb 'play' is in the present tense.

Now use your new skills in the Future Tense and do this exercise.

Exercise:  Print out this page and fill in the missing verbs in the Future, from words in the Word Box. There are more words than you need, and some may be used twice. You might have to conjugate verbs to make them fit the sentence. Some sentence can use more than one choice.

Word Box: will, be going to, plan, perform, see, hear, jump, sew,  sing, dance, be flying, be leaving.


1. We ___________________ to France this year because I want to study French.

2. We ____________ go to London this summer because I _______________ study English at the University.

3. The company_______________ to expand next year.

4.  Sam ______________ work at his new job in London, so I_____________be able to meet him for lunch at least once a week.

5. You _______________ start your new job next week.

6. David _________________ his new classical guitar compositions tonight at The Yellow Submarine Club.

7. The editor __________________ read ten books next month.

8. The computer hardware companies ____________ lay off workers, while the cellphone companies are expanding.

9. I ____________________see the new movie tomorrow night.

10.  Tomorrow, she________________ the company.

Project about Conflict for 5 points

 ב"ה

 

This is a project about Conflict that I have used for 5 points.  Good luck

Rachael Alice 

Rachael Orbach English Teacher

Project About Conflict

 

Introduction

Stage 1 - Defining "Conflict"

Stage 2 - Using Conflict Vocabulary

Stage 3 - The Two Sides of a Conflict

Stage 4 - Expressing Your Opinion

Stage 5 - Presenting Your Work

Evaluation

Benchmarks

Project Plan

 Introduction

Conflicts between people or groups and in different societies are common. They often occur when people do not communicate, are unable or don't want to consider different points of view and refuse to accept the traditions and beliefs of other people. The negative aspects and harmful behaviors associated with societies that do not value cultural pluralism may be lessened when people take the following steps:

face their prejudices;
work on identifying common beliefs, interests and goals;
learn about each others' customs, traditions, and histories;
listen to new perspectives with open minds;
respect the rights of others to promote the common good.

In this project you are going to examine a conflict, learn more about it and then express
your opinion about that conflict in a letter to the editor of a newspaper.

Stage 1 - Defining Conflict:

1. Find definitions of the noun "conflict”  in different dictionaries and copy them onto your page.
2. Now you are going to write questions for a survey. Write the title "Conflict Survey" on your planning page and then write ten questions for a "Conflict" survey.
3. Conduct your survey in your class and /or at home.
4. Write a report about the results of your survey. You can use a diagram or pie chart to show the results.

Stage 2 - Using Conflict Vocabulary:

1. Find a quotation or quotations that you identify with about conflict, prejudice, intolerance or hatred.
• Quotations About Conflict
• Quotations About Hatred
• Quotations About Anger
• Quotations About Argument and Conflict
• You can find more quotations here
• Copy the quotation you chose onto your project page.
2. Read these words and explanations connected with Conflict Resolution:
   
   COMMUNICATE

Some conflicts start because people misunderstand each other. Talking things out and explaining might take care of it.

NEGOTIATE

When two or more people decide to work out a conflict themselves, they might follow a set of steps. The steps help them work out the conflict or negotiate.

MEDIATE

Sometimes people want to work out a problem but have trouble negotiating. They might ask someone to help them. That person is called a mediator. He or she mediates the conflict by helping the people work it out. The mediator does not tell the people what to do; he or she helps them decide for themselves.

ARBITRATE

Sometimes a mediator does solve people's problems. Then he or she isn't called a mediator. He or she is called an arbitrator. When people ask an arbitrator to help them, they must agree to do whatever the arbitrator suggests.

LITIGATE

When people can't work out their conflict themselves, they may go to a court and have a trial. They hire lawyers and go before a judge. A judge is like an arbitrator. The lawyers try to convince the judge that their client is right. The judge decides who is right according to the law and decides what solution there should be.

LEGISLATE

To legislate is to make something the law or a rule. Some kinds of conflicts cause people to try to change laws or rules so the problem won't happen again.

3. Now, write something about the quotation you chose about conflict, prejudice, intolerance or hatred.
• Use at least one of the words above (negotiate, mediate, arbitrate, etc) in your writing.
• You may write your opinion about this quotation.
• Do you agree/disagree with the quotation? Explain why.
• You may write a little anecdote (story) illustrating the quotation.
• You may give some examples to explain the quotation.

Stage 3 - The Two Sides of a Conflict

• Examine an example of conflict, prejudice intolerance or hatred anywhere in your society, school, city, country or in the world.
  

 Here are some examples of conflicts:

Israeli and Palestinians
Internal conflicts in our country – worker’s unions, disabled people, ethnic groups, religious and nonreligious people,
Catholics and Protestants in Ireland
Osama Bin Laden and the USA
Man’s conflict with the environment

• Choose a conflict you would like to study.

• Answer these questions about the conflict you've chosen to study:
1. Who are the two sides of this conflict?
2. How do they express the conflict?
3. What are the causes of the conflict?
4. Who are the leaders in this conflict?
5. What is the history of this conflict (in short)?
6. What is a possible solution or solutions for this conflict?
7. Where did you find your information? (bibliography)
8. What is your conclusion about the conflict you studied?

• Check your grammar and spelling.
  
  

• Stage 4 - Expressing Your Opinion
  
  Readers can express their own opinions about subjects in the "Letters to the Editor" section of every newspaper.
1. Write a letter to the editor of a real newspaper stating your opinion about the conflict your project is about.
2. Now follow these steps:
   
   [Write your name here.
   Address and telephone number.
   Email address here.
   Write the date here.]
   
   
   The Editor, [Write the name of the newspaper here.
   Write the newspaper's address.]
   
   Dear Sir/Madam,
   
   Re: [ write the issue you're writing about, e.g. "Conflict in Ireland" or the name and date of the article you're referring to]

Paragraph I
Paragraph II
Paragraph III

Sincerely yours,
[Your Name]

3. NOW FOLLOW THESE GUIDELINES:
• Write in short, get to the point quickly.
• Try to add something personal in your letter.
• Divide your work into clear paragraphs, check your spelling and use connectors where possible.

Stage 5 - Presenting Your Work:

Written Presentation:

The written presentation is in fact a presentation of the final draft of ALL the written stages of this project. Your project should be submitted in an organized and neat fashion in a folder. You may illustrate it. Make sure to include the following components:

1.                  Cover page. Title of project, your name, class, date.

2.      Table of contents.

3.      Introduction.

4.      Sections of the Project (Include here all the stages of the project that you did)

5.      Conclusion.

6.      Bibliography. (Don't forget to cite all the internet sites you used in your project

7.      Reflection. Write a page in which you express what you learned/gained through doing this project.

8.      Appendices.

9.      Illustrations.

General Reflection Sheet :
Please write your reflections about the whole "Conflicts Project" and include this page in your Written Presentation.

1.      My name is:

2.      The title of my project is:

3.      I learned these things while doing this project:

4.      I especially enjoyed this part of my project:

5.      I especially disliked this part of my project:

6.      I learned these new skills:

7.      I learned these new words:

8.      Finally, I'd like to say that...

Evaluation of Stage 1 - "Defining Conflict":

Criteria	Excellent (20-25 points)	Good (15-20)	Needs Improvement (0-10)
Copying definitions for "conflict"	I copied more than one definition correctly onto my page	I copied one or more definitions with some mistakes	I didn't copy any definitions
Writing your own survey	I wrote 10 correct questions in my survey	I wrote less than 10 correct questions	I didn't write any correct questions
Conducting the survey	I conducted the survey among more than 10 pupils	I conducted the survey among less than 10 pupils	I didn't conduct the survey at all
Writing a report about the survey	My report is clear and correct	My report is quite clear with a few language errors	I didn't write a report
Sub-total	........points	........points	........points
Total	.	.	........points

Evaluation of Stage 2 - "Using Conflict Vocabulary":

Criteria	Excellent (12-14 points)	Good (9-11)	Needs Improvement (7-8)
Copying a quotation about conflict, hatred, prejudice, intolerance	I copied more than one quotation	I copied one quotation	I didn't copy a quotation
Understanding the words and explanations connected with Conflict Resolution:	I understood all the words	I understood some of the words	I didn't understand the words
Writing about the quotation	I wrote a page about the quotation I chose	I wrote less than a page	I didn't write anything
Using paragraphs in writing	I divided my work into more than two clear paragraphs	I divided my work only into two paragraphs	I wrote only one paragraph
Using correct spelling	I wrote without any spelling mistakes	I wrote with a few spelling mistakes	I wrote with many spelling mistakes
Using correct grammar	I wrote without any grammar mistakes	I wrote with a few grammar mistakes	I wrote with many grammar mistakes
Connection between the quotation and the writing	My writing explains the quotation I chose	My writing is somewhat connected to my quotation	My writing is not at all connected to my quotation
Sub-total	........points	........points	........points
Total	.	.	........points

Evaluation of Stage 3 - "The Two Sides of a Conflict":

Criteria	Excellent (9-10 points)	Good (7-8)	Needs Improvement (5-6)
The two sides of the conflict	I explained clearly who the two sides of this conflict are	I partially explained the two sides of the conflict	I didn't explain the two sides of the conflict
The nature of this conflict	I explained clearly how the sides express the conflict	I partially explained how the sides express the conflict	I didn't explain how the sides express the conflict
The causes of the conflict	I summarized the causes of the conflict	I wrote about the causes of the conflict but not only in my own words	I didn't explain the causes of the conflict
The leaders in this conflict	I clearly explained who the leaders in this conflict are	I partially explained who the leaders in this conflict are	I didn't explain who the leaders in this conflict are
The history of this conflict	I summarized information about the history of this conflict	I wrote about the history of this conflict but not only in my own words	I didn't write about the history of this conflict
A possible solution/s for this conflict	I clearly explained my suggested solution for this conflict	I partially explained my suggested solution for this conflict	I didn't suggest a possible solution for this conflict
Cover page, table of contents, bibliography	I included all three with no mistakes	I included two out of the three	I didn't include any of them
Neatness	My work is very neat	My work is mostly neat	My work is not neat at all
Grammar and Spelling	I have no grammar or spelling mistakes	I have a few grammar and/or spelling mistakes	I have many grammar and/or spelling mistakes
Conclusion	I wrote a clear conclusion	My conclusion is quite clear	I didn't write a conclusion
Sub-total	........points	........points	........points
Total	.	.	........points

Evaluation of Stage 4 - "Expressing Your Opinion":

Criteria	Excellent (15-17 points)	Good (12-14)	Needs Improvement (8-11)
Letter-writing format	I used the correct letter form: greeting, body, closure	I used a partially correct letter form	My letter form is incorrect
Grammar	I have no grammatical mistakes	I have a few grammatical mistakes	I have many grammatical mistakes
Spelling	I have no spelling mistakes	I have a few spelling mistakes	I have many spelling mistakes
Punctuation	My punctuation is correct	I have a few punctuation mistakes	I have many mistakes in punctuation
Using paragraphs	I organized my letter into paragraphs with clear topics	I organized my letter into paragraphs with clear topics for only one paragraph	I didn't organize my letter clearly
Expressing an opinion	My argument is easy to understand	My argument is partially easy to understand	My argument is unclear
Sub-total	........points	........points	........points
Total	.	.	........points

Evaluation of Stage 5 - Written Presentation:

Criteria	Excellent (9-10 points)	Good (7-8)	Needs Improvement (5-6)
Cover page	My cover page is attractive and includes all the information	My cover page is quite attractive but doesn't include all the information	I didn't do a cover page
Table of contents	My table of contents is clear and correct	My table of contents is quite clear and correct	I didn't include a table of contents
Introduction	My introduction is clear and relates to the topic.	My introduction is fairly clear and relates partially to the topic.	I didn't include an introduction
Sections of the Project	My presentation is organized and includes all the sections of the project	My presentation is partially organized and includes most of the sections	My presentation is not organized and includes few of the sections
Conclusion	My conclusion shows that I understood the conflict I studied	My conclusion is only partially related to the conflict I studied	I didn't write a conclusion
Bibliography and Appendices	I included a clear bibliography and appendices	My bibliography is not clearly written or I didn't include appendices	I didn't include a bibliography or appendices
Reflection* Please use the General Reflection Sheet below	I wrote a reflection page which shows that I learned something through doing this project	My reflection page is minimal	I didn't write a reflection page
Mechanics	I have no grammar or spelling mistakes	I have a few grammar and/or spelling mistakes	I have many grammar and spelling mistakes
Graphics, Illustrations	The graphics I used are relevant to the topic I chose	The graphics I used are not relevant to the topic I chose	I dind't use any graphics
Bonus	My work is creative and original	.	.
Sub-total	........points	........points	........points
Total	.	.	........points

Oral Report on a Book

Here are two documents that you can use when you want students to do Oral Reports in Class.  They can also be used for practice of the Oral part of the Bagrut.  

This one you need to copy paste. 


1.      How to do an Oral Report.

a.      write your report, as notes.   Make points: a, b, c,
b.      Practice saying your report in front of the mirror.
c.      Make the talk interesting, use examples,
d.      Have a handout for the audience to refer to
e.      Don't look at your notes, but look at the audience.
f.      Use eye contact to make sure that your audience is listening


This document is in .jpg so you need to download it

Good luck, 

Rachael Alice Orbach 
0527500608

Teaching words in Hebrew

I usually only post on this blog in English, but sometimes when you have a very low level class you need to explain in Hebrew, what you need the students to do.

Here are teaching words in Hebrew that will help you to be more articulate when speaking to your class.

Good luck!
Rachael Alice
0527500608 rachaelalice@gmail.com

Extra Material for Mind Matters Leonardo DaVinci

Inventions Unit  You can use this either as homework, or as a Quiz.

Name: _______________________ Date: ______________________

1. When was Leonardo da Vinci born? ________________________________

2. Name two inventions that he invented

a.___________________________  b. __________________________________

3. What were his most famous paintings?

 a._______________________________ b.___________________________

4. Adrian Nicholas is a famous___________________________________

5. Leonardo designed a __________________that was only tested recently. 

6. Leonardo was ____________________________handed.

7. What is he most famous for?________________________________ 

8. Adrian Nicholas's parachute was from drawings from the 

      year______________

9. He ______________________war. 

10. He died in the year______________________

Rachael Alice Orbach 

http://rachaelorbach.weebly.com/english-teacher

0527500608

Shana Tova! May we all have a Good and Sweet New Year!

Here are some resources that we can use to jazz up learning of vocabulary!
  http://www.teach-nology.com/platinum/graphicorganizers.html

I am available for Private Lessons, to 'shadow' a special education student in English, to prepare for Bagrut for the coming school year!

Rachael Alice Orbach
0527500608
http://rachaelorbach.weebly.com/english-teacher