Adjective-Comparison

Fill in the comparative and superlative forms of the adjectives.

Example: new - _____ - _______

Answer: new - newer - newest

1) old -  -
2) bad -  -
3) difficult -  -
4) large -  -
5) good -  -
6) big -  -
7) easy -  -
8) much -  -
9) little -  -
10) interesting -  -

Adjective or Adverb

Fill in the words in brackets as adjective or adverb as in the example.

Example: Peter works ______ (slow).

Answer: Peter works slowly.

1) He  reads a book. (quick)
2) Mandy is a  girl. (pretty)
3) The class is  loud today. (terrible)
4) Max is a  singer. (good)
5) You can  open this tin. (easy)
6) It's a  day today. (terrible)
7) She sings the song . (good)
8) He is a  driver. (careful)
9) He drives the car . (careful)
10) The dog barks . (loud)

Choral Speaking

Public Speaking

10 ways to be great student

You've decided to go back to school. Dare to be the best student you can possibly be. Here are 10 ways to be a great student.
1. Take Hard Classes
You're paying good money for an education, make sure you get one. There will be classes that are required for your major, of course, but you will have a fair number of electives as well. Don't take classes simply to accrue credits. Take the classes that really teach you something.

Be passionate about learning.

I once had an advisor that said to me when I expressed fear of a difficult class, "Do you want to get an education or not?"

If you've got children, I understand that this isn't always possible. Children should always come first. But if you don't show up for your classes, you're not getting that education we discussed in No. 1.

Make sure you've got a good plan for seeing that your children are cared for when you're scheduled to be in class, and when you need to study. It really is possible to raise children while you're going to school. People do it every day.

3. Sit in the Front Row
If you happen to be shy, sitting in the front row can be very uncomfortable at first, but I promise you, it's one of the best ways to pay attention to everything being taught. You can hear better. You can see everything on the board without having to crane your neck around the head in front of you.

You can make eye contact with the professor. Don't underestimate the power of this. If your teacher knows you're really listening and that you care about what you're learning, he or she will be extra willing to help you. Besides, it'll feel like you've got your own private teacher.

4. Ask Questions
Ask questions immediately if you don't understand something. If you're in the front row and have been making eye contact, your instructor probably already knows by the look on your face that you don't understand something. A polite raising of your hand is all you need to do to indicate you've got a question.

If it isn't appropriate to interrupt, make a quick note of your question so you don't forget, and ask later.

Having said this, don't make a pest of yourself. Nobody wants to hear you ask a question every 10 minutes. If you're completely lost, make an appointment to see your teacher after class.

5. Create a Study Space
Carve out a place at home that is your study space. If you've got a family around you, make sure everyone understands that when you're in that space, you're not to be interrupted unless the house is on fire.

Create a space that helps you make the most of your study time. Do you need absolute quiet or do you prefer to have loud music playing? Do you like working at the kitchen table in the midst of everything or do you a quiet room with the door shut? Know your own style and create the space you need.

Update! Research shows that varying your study space improves memory: 3 Ways to Improve Memory While Studying

6. Do All the Work, Plus More
Do your homework. Read the assigned pages, and then some. Plug your topic into the Internet, grab another book at the library, and see what else you can learn about the subject.

Turn your work in on time. If extra credit work is offered, do that too.

I know this takes time, but it'll ensure you really know your stuff. And that's why you're going to school. Right?

7. Make Practice Tests
While you're studying, pay attention to the material you know will be on a test and write a quick practice question. Start a new document on your laptop and add questions as you think of them.

When you're ready to study for a test, you'll have a practice test ready. Brilliant.

8. Form or Join a Study Group
A lot of people study better with others. If that's you, form a study group in your class or join one that's already organized.

There are lots of benefits to studying in a group. You have to be organized. You can't procrastinate. You have to really understand something to be able to explain it out loud to someone else. Grace Fleming, About.com's Guide to Homework and Study Tips, has a great article on Study Groups.

9. Use One Planner
I don't know about you, but if I had a separate calendar for work, school and life, I'd be a complete mess. When everything in your life is on one calendar, in one planner, you can't double-book anything. You know, like an important test and a dinner with your boss. The test trumps, by the way.

Get a great calendar or planner with enough room for several daily entries. Keep it with you at all times.

10. Meditate
One of the best things you can do to improve your entire life, not just school, is meditate. Fifteen minutes a day is all you need to feel calm, centered and confident. If you don't know how, here's an easy way to learn: How to Meditate.

Meditate any time, but 15 minutes before you study, 15 minutes before class, 15 minutes before a test, and you'll be amazed at how well you can perform as a student.

How to be a good teacher

Classroom Management

1. 1
   Set the example. Remember that you are the teacher. It is important for you to be like a "superhero" figure in their eyes. Remember that your students look up to you and will thus try to mimic your dispositions. If you are rude or inappropriate, they will have an inappropriate model for their behavior. It is vital that students see you as a person with confidence, so that they follow your lead, and feel comfortable trusting you. Students, of all ages, need someone they can lean on, look up to, and be able to trust.
   Ads by Google

   Small Business Apps

    Google Mail, Calendar & Docs for small business. Sign Up Now!
   www.google.com/apps
2. 2
   Have well-defined consequences. Set specific consequences for breaking the rules. Decide what those consequences are and then implement them consistently. Your consequences should follow a procedure that starts with a non-verbal signal (such as just looking at the student), to a verbal signal (asking the student to please stop talking), to a verbal warning (if this continues there will be consequences), to the implementation of the consequence. The consequences are up to you and depend on the program of the school. Many schools have a detention system (students do despise detentions), or perhaps writing lines, or sitting away from other students.
3. 3
   Be compassionate. Great educators form strong relationships with their students and show that they care about them as people. They are warm, accessible, enthusiastic and caring. Be open to staying at school after-hours to help students or get involved in school-wide committees and activities, and they demonstrate a commitment to the school.
4. 4
   Set some ground rules. You should have 3-5 rules that the students know about. These are the rules that, when broken, are subject to the consequence scheme outlined above. Try allowing the class to suggest the ground rules: have a class discussion and write ideas, it makes the class feel they are listened to and that you care about their opinions and input while also setting some groundwork that they will feel loyal to because they've made it. Act as a mediator to make sure that the rules decided upon are appropriate. Some may be, for instance, be quiet when the teacher is talking, respect each other, and finish the homework and classwork.

5. Lesson Planning

   1. 1
      Have an objective. When you are planning a lesson, the most vital part is the objective. What do you want your students to take away from the lesson? If the objective is powerful, deep, and reflects what you really want students to learn, it will be reflected in the lesson.
   2. 2
      Have a solid plan for your lessons. Each and every lesson should be divided into three simple parts that reflect your objective.
      • First should be the "lecture" part of the lesson. This is where you teach something new to the class (of course allowing for questions or comments when applicable).
      • Dedicate the second part of class to something that involves a collective group work element where students can work with whoever they want. Near the end of this part, you can have a discussion session where groups voice their findings/opinions, and give marks for adequate participation.
      • The final part of every lesson should be where the students return to their seats and work QUIETLY on one final task, such as answering specific questions written on the board, or drawing a picture related to something they learned that lesson. The students should only talk to you (if they have a question about what/how to do it) or the person sitting directly next to them. This is the wind-down part where students get a chance to work on and understand the material on their own.
   3. 3
      Assign relevant homework. Rather than assigning something different every night, it is wise to assign one or two more substantial assignments on Monday and then collect these assignments on Friday.
   4. 4
      Consider giving quizzes. You may want to have a quiz every Friday to assess how well the students are grasping the material. You can judge how well you are teaching by how well the majority of your students perform on the quizzes.
   5. Effective classroom management is among the most important skills to have as a teacher.
   6. It bears mentioning again that, making your lesson plans, the most important element is the objective. The other parts of the lesson (part for "lecture teaching", part for students working, and part for quiet working) spring from or arise from that objective.
   7. It is important to have some distance from your students, particularly for the first 2 weeks of the term. If you cannot keep a professional distance from your students, it is because YOU have the need to relate to them on a more personal level, probably because you're lacking that somewhere in your more personal life. It is your responsibility to recognize this and deal with it.
   8. Your evaluation (i.e. tests and quizzes) should be formed based on the original objective. It should evaluate how well the students met the objectives you set out when planning your lessons.
   9. You should be at least 1-2 weeks ahead in terms of your lesson plans.
   10. It is never too late to start to implement these tips and ideas.

How To Teach Your Child English

Teaching your child or tutoring your pupil to learn English is an excellent idea in today's world where English is becoming increasingly THE language through which diverse cultures communicate. If you speak English don't let that precious gift go to waste and be sure to pass it on to your child, but don't blow it before you begin! Do not nitpick and notice too that your child or pupil is not covered in colourful feathers, no, you are not teaching a parrot!

Thank you for coming along with me to learn how to make your private tutoring or English teaching effective and fun. If you go about tutoring in the right way you will find your child or pupil loves learning English and spending time with you. If you teach in a traditional way, with a textbook, then you'll have your work cut out because your pupil will consider these extra English lessons to be like yet more schoolwork and a chore.

Don't blow it before you begin!

Let's look at a couple of big no-nos first, and these apply to parents AND private tutors. The first really big issue with teaching your child is to instil in him or her the belief that he or she can succeed. It does not take much to blow this step! For example I've had a parent tell me how her daughter has no English skills whatsoever and is useless at English because the French primary school are totally incapable of teaching it. That may be true, but you should have seen the little girls face fall when she heard that! Set the right example by showing your child you believe he or she can learn English easily. Your child will flourish if she knows that you love her unconditionally and are proud of her, wherever she is on the learning curve.

Nit picking tutors beware!

When it comes to pronunciation watch out that you are not such a nit picker that the child freezes up and becomes paranoid about opening her mouth! This can happen VERY quickly in the first few lessons so take extra care. Remember that the child is making her best attempt to imitate you on hearing those first few English sounds. Don't penalise her by making her repeat it over and over, and it's never right! Put yourself in the child's shoes and you'll feel a little FRUSTRATION!! "Forget it, English is way too hard, I can't do it so now I don't want to do it, stupid irrelevant subject anyway…"

You cannot correct everything that the child says; it's just demoralising, so let pronunciation errors through and work on them gradually over time.


Your child is not a parrot

A classic error is to mistake your child for a colourful bird with a small brain that is supposed to mindlessly repeat everything you say. Actually no offence to parrots here intended, they have infinite intelligence on some levels. Here's a typical scenario. Mum bends down towards little Johnny holding a fork and says "fork, Fork! FORK! Say fork Johnny, fo-o-or- k!" Johnny looks at mum and thinks, "why should I say that? Why is she saying that like some kind of loony, if that's English then it's weird and I don't need it!"

Engage your child through English games


Instead of this bizarre behaviour it's better to give your child a reason to use English words and this can be done through language games, plays and skits, stories and songs. Now with children under three you don't use structured language games but instead play along with the child, chatting away using simple language and repeating the same words often. You are relying on the fact that the subconscious will be picking up the sounds and entering the database, and rest assured they will be!

However with children aged three and up English tutoring can take on a more structured form. The best way to introduce new vocabulary is through language games. When the new words have been learned follow up with more games where the words are used in sentences. That's how you introduce grammar, by repeating sentences that contain the target grammatical structure you wish your pupil to learn.

An effective strategy

Repetition IS the mother or skill, but not parrot-fashion, instead create a reason for the required repetition through the game. The best way to understand this is to see it done. Let me give you a link to a demonstration video of a private tutor teaching a six year old English, her first ever English lesson. In the video you will also see the tutor with an eleven year old, also using language games and a role-play. You'll find the video on www.HomeEnglishTeacher.com

All four skills may be taught like this. Initially one uses listening games to introduce new vocabulary OR grammar, not both at once. Continue with more games to practise speaking – this is a drill type of activity, disguised in the packaging of game that encourages accuracy and is a starting point for speaking fluency too. Next play some different games using word cards as opposed to pictures or real objects so that the children see how words are spelled. After that practise writing – again, also through games.

It's logical that a pupil should hear words several times before being expected to say them. Likewise a child needs to see a word written before you can expect him or her to write it.

Priorities

If your child is learning English at school then I recommend focusing on listening and speaking in your private lessons because usually those are the elements that are lacking in the school environment.

Your child or pupil may very well be MILES behind the school curriculum and hopelessly lost. Well my recommendation is not to worry about that, but to build a strong foundation. Firstly make your lessons fun and not tense, because applying pressure during lessons is not likely to work. It's like pulling on a flower to make it grow faster. Instead your flower needs a little sunshine, a little rain and maybe some fertilizer to help it grow faster, i.e. some encouragement, an effective teaching strategy and some enjoyment in learning the subject.

Build a strong foundation with the BASICS. After all what chance does your pupil have in learning fancy tenses if she has not mastered the present tense? In addition remember that school exams are not only chance in life to succeed. It's more important to nurture a love of the subject and a desire to learn than to try to flog someone through an exam which they have no chance of passing, or rush and pressurise a young beginner. Why? Well life goes on a long time! We can have many chances to take exams and to learn. So keep the joy of learning alive and one day that seed will flourish into an autonomous plant.