Bienvenida

 Bienvenid@ a mi Blog,

Mi nombre es Oscar Adrián Esquer Gama y soy Pedagogo, además me dedico a la enseñanza de la lengua inglesa.

Te invito a conocer este Blog, en el cual encontrarás temas referentes al aprendizaje del inglés, así como tips y herramientas que te pueden ayudar a desarrollar tus habilidades.

Te ayudaré a desarrollar tus habilidades escritas de la lengua inglesa.

Have fun!

Games

En el link que aparece a continuación, podrás practicar vocabulario relacionado a los días de las semana en inglés. 

👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇

https://es.educaplay.com/recursos-educativos/8263704-days_of_the_week.html

Videos to practice and learn English

 

Question Tags

Do you know how to use question tags like is he and didn't you?

We can add question tags like isn't it?, can you? or didn't they? to a statement to make it into a question. Question tags are more common in speaking than writing.

We often use question tags when we expect the listener to agree with our statement. In this case, when the statement is positive, we use a negative question tag.

She's a doctor, isn't she?
Yesterday was so much fun, wasn't it?

If the statement is negative, we use a positive question tag. 

He isn't here, is he?
The trains are never on time, are they?
Nobody has called for me, have they?

If we are sure or almost sure that the listener will confirm that our statement is correct, we say the question tag with a falling intonation. If we are a bit less sure, we say the question tag with a rising intonation.

Formation

If there is an auxiliary verb in the statement, we use it to form the question tag.

I don't need to finish this today, do I?
James is working on that, isn't he?
Your parents have retired, haven't they?
The phone didn't ring, did it?
It was raining that day, wasn't it?
Your mum hadn't met him before, had she?

Sometimes there is no auxiliary verb already in the statement. For example, when:

... the verb in the statement is present simple or past simple and is positive. Here we use don't, doesn't or didn't:

Jenni eats cheese, doesn't she?
I said that already, didn't I? 

... the verb in the statement is to be in the present simple or past simple. In this case we use to be to make the question tag:

The bus stop's over there, isn't it?
None of those customers were happy, were they?

... the verb in the statement is a modal verb. Here we use the modal verb to make the question tag:

They could hear me, couldn't they?
You won't tell anyone, will you?

If the main verb or auxiliary verb in the statement is am, the positive question tag is am I? but the negative question tag is usually aren't I?:

I'm never on time, am I?
I'm going to get an email with the details, aren't I?

In the next link you can find a game to review Question Tags: 

 Question Tags Quiz

What is Future Continuous?

 The future continuous tense is used for activities that will be in progress at a point of time. The action will start before that point of time and will continue after it. The point in time can be given by time expressions or by other activities.

It describes the idea that an action will happen in the normal course of events. It refers to routine activities, not intentions, decisions or plans. 

- I'll be writing to you again. (I always write to you, so I'll do it again, as usual.) 

- They'll be leaving on Friday. You can join them. (They normally leave on Fridays.) 

- Everybody will be working on a computer sooner or later. (If nothing special happens.)

In the next video, you will find more information about Future Continuous.

In the next link you will find a Kahoot! Game to practice Future Continuous Tense:

👉👉👉👉👉👉Future Continuos Kahoot👈👈👈👈👈👈

Learn English through songs

 Songs are a great source of ‘real-life’ language and you can use music to practice lots of different language skills. Most of all, songs are a fun way to learn English! Cambridge Language University give us some tips for teaching and learning English.

Choosing good songs for learning

The best learning happens when we have fun. So it’s really important to choose music that your child likes. The best songs for learning English are:

• not too long (1–3 verses)
• not too fast (easy to sing along)
• in everyday English (not too many new or difficult words)
• clear (you can easily hear all the words).

Learning tip for 5–12 year olds
Choose songs with lots of rhyming words and rhythms that repeat. This makes it easier for children to learn new words and start singing along.

The Sing and Learn videos from Cambridge Assessment English are an ideal way to learn, remember and use new language.

Your child could also try singing along to nursery rhymes. They can practise lots of different vocabulary. For example: numbers (‘Ten in the bed’), animals (‘Old MacDonald had a farm’), colours (‘I can sing a rainbow’), weather (‘Incy wincy spider’), vehicles (‘The wheels on the bus’), left and right (‘You put your right mitten in’), actions (‘If you’re happy and you know it’), materials (‘This is the way we lay the bricks’).

Learning tip for 13–18 year olds
For teenagers, learning through songs is a great opportunity to combine their interests and learning the language. If your child is interested in a song, they will be determined to understand it.

Remind your child that pop songs sometimes use informal, everyday language. It’s important to understand that English is used differently in different situations. For example, the English in pop songs probably wouldn’t be right in formal writing.

Learning activities – practising speaking and pronunciation

Singing is great for learning the rhythm of a language. It helps us learn how words are linked together in connected speech.

Singing along can be challenging, even for native speakers. So help your child with these easy steps:

1. Find the song lyrics online, or find a music video with subtitles. For example, Sing and Learn is great for younger children.
2. Read the song lyrics out loud. Look up any unknown words in a dictionary.
3. Listen to the song and read the lyrics at the same time. Encourage your child to sing along.
4. When they’re ready, try singing along without looking at the lyrics.
5. Remember, they don’t have to get it perfect straight away! It’s actually more effective to repeat regularly.

Some children find it hard to speak English because they are shy or lack confidence. Singing with other people can help. It creates a safe space for children to practise expressing themselves aloud. Ask other family members to join in when your child sings at home. They don’t have to be musical. They simply need to be enthusiastic!

Improving pronunciation

When you learn a new language, there are lots of unusual sounds your mouth isn’t used to making. Singing helps our mouths to form the right shapes and make these sounds loudly and clearly. Singing also helps us learn how stronger and weaker sounds are pronounced differently in English.

Learning tip for 5–12 year olds
Sing along to phonic songs. This is a good way to practise the different sounds of the English language.

• Practise pronouncing one-letter sounds (for example, a, b, c). Go to YouTube and search for: phonic songs english language.
• Practise pronouncing two-letter sounds (for example, ou, ue, ch, th). Go to YouTube and search for: phase 3 phonics digraphs.

Learning tip for 13–18 year olds
Print out the lyrics of your child’s favourite song. Underline some of the words. Guess the number of syllables in each underlined word. Listen to the song and check how many you got right. Is one of the syllables pronounced more strongly? Now try singing along.

For a more difficult challenge, ask your child to clap along with just the strongly pronounced syllables.

Learning activities – practising reading, writing and listening skills

Any chance to hear English is helpful. Even if it’s just putting on background music during mealtimes, playtimes or when you’re travelling. But to really improve their English, your child will need to listen carefully. Make some time to understand the song lyrics and think about what they mean.

Learning tip 

Writing activity:

• Songs can be a great inspiration for creative writing. Listen to a song. After 10–20 seconds, pause the music. Ask your child to draw whatever comes into their head. Play another 10–-20 seconds, pause and draw again. Keep doing this until the song finishes. Your child should have several drawings. Ask your child to write a short story to go with their pictures.

Reading activities:

• Print out some song lyrics. Cut up the lyrics into separate lines or verses. Ask your child to guess the correct order. Now listen to the song to check if it’s right.
• To prepare for Cambridge English Qualifications, children should practise thinking about the main ideas and messages in a text. You can use song lyrics to practise this type of reading skill. Encourage your child to think about the meaning and emotions of a song. What would they put in the music video for this song? You could film your child performing their video. Then watch the official music video. Are the ideas the same or different?

Listening activities:

• Play some fun games to help your child practise listening carefully. Choose 10 words from a song. Then choose two or three extra words that aren’t in the song. Write the words in a random order and give the list to your child. Play the song and ask them to tick the words they hear.
• Print out some song lyrics. Change 5–10 words. Then listen to the song. Ask your child to ‘spot the differences’. For example, in the Cambridge English song Going into town, Part 1 you could change some of the nouns (‘town’ to ‘village’, ‘bus’ to ‘train’, ‘friends’ to ‘family’, ‘film’ to ‘movie’, ‘pool’ to ‘sea’).
• Ask your child to listen to a song and invent an action for each line or verse. Then ask them to teach the dance to you. Did you know that actions can help children to understand and remember new words? Research shows that dancing increases memory, concentration and understanding at all ages – so get the whole family to join in!
• Younger children can also try doing the actions to the Sing and Learn songs. Download the free learning activities (PDF) for each song.

What are the different ‘levels’ of learning a language?

 

What are the different ‘levels’ of learning a language?

There are many different levels of learning a language. It’s like stepping up a ladder. For example:

• Young learners of English usually start with very simple things like numbers and colours. 
• Next, they might learn vocabulary and grammar linked to everyday topics, such as animals, family, food and drink, sports and games.
• Then, they might start to read about their favourite animal, wr
  ite about their brothers and sisters, listen to a song, or talk about the games they enjoy playing. 

So, what exactly are the different levels of language learning? Well, many teachers and experts around the world use the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The CEFR has six levels from beginner (A1) to very advanced (C2).

How is the CEFR used?

The CEFR isn’t just used in Europe. It’s used all around the world. It is a practical tool that can be used to organise study content in classes, curriculum, learning resources and exams. By using the CEFR, we can be confident that material is suitable – not too easy and not too difficult.

All our exams and online learning activities are available at the different levels of the CEFR. The level-based approach brings several benefits:

• Clear learning objectives: our level-based exams clearly show the skills that need to be mastered at each level.
• Better progress: our research suggests that level-based exams are motivating and children enjoy moving up the language learning ladder one step at a time. They are also more aware of what they need to work on next to progress.
• More feedback for parents: schools say that Cambridge English Qualifications help them to increase communication with parents. They say that parents are more aware of their child’s strengths and weaknesses, and more able to support their child with their learning and motivation.
• Develop test confidence: our research suggests that learners feel less anxiety if they have taken an exam at the previous level. With our level-based exams, children can develop their skills step by step – building their confidence and preparing them for taking more difficult exams in the future.