Using powerful images for speaking

Looking at these beautiful powerful images about our bicentennial celebrations I thought that they could be used to promote speaking in class.

Some suggested ideas:

1-Look at the photos and answer questions like:
a-What can you see here?
b-Can you see an old lady'
c-How many children can you see?
d-What are they waering?
e-What colour are they wearing?
f-How many flags can you see?
g-Are they wearing hats/caps/boots/uniforms?
h-Can you see a soldier/teacher/boy/girl in this picture here?

2-Pair work:
Make two copies of one of the photos and erase (paste a blank piece of paper on some of the items/people in the picture. Both students (A & B) have different versions of the same picture. In turns, They will have to tell each other what is missing in each so as to form the full picture.

3-Making questions: Divide the class into groups of 4 or 5. Then, ask students to think of questions for the rest of the class to answer. Give them some time to prepare them and present them to you on a piece of paper.
After you checked them, each group will take turns to ask one question at a time and the rest will answer. If the answer is correct, the group will score a point.

4-Oral group narratives: Students will produce a narrative by adding one sentence to what has been said before.
Example:
Teacher: "Last 25 May was a bright sunny day and everybody in Argentina..."
Student A: "Last 25 May was a bright sunny day and everybody in Argentina celebrated our bicentennial as a nation. People went to out into the street carrying light blue and white flags."
Student B: "Last 25 May was a bright sunny day and everybody in Argentina celebrated our bicentennial as a nation. People went to out into the street carrying light blue and white flags. My mother woke me up very early and we walked to the Square where the celebrations took place."
Student C:"Last 25 May was a bright sunny day and everybody in Argentina celebrated our bicentennial as a nation. People went to out into the street carrying light blue and white flags. My mother woke me up very early and we walked to the Square where the celebrations took place. We sang out anthemn very loudly."
Student D:
:"Last 25 May was a bright sunny day and everybody in Argentina celebrated our bicentennial as a nation. People went to out into the street carrying light blue and white flags. My mother woke me up very early and we walked to the Square where the celebrations took place. We sang out anthemn very loudly. Then, we saw the parade."
This goes on until all students have said their contribution to the whole.
Later, they can remember the whole story together and write it on the B/B. (blackboard)

These are only some ideas. Can you think of some more?

Good luck, all the best, ma.ma.

Scaffolding Instruction Strategies

Scaffolding Instruction Strategies
Techniques to Scaffold Learning in the Elementary ClassroomBy Beth Lewis, About.com Guide

Here is an interesting article giving practical techniques for scaffolding learning.

These specialized teaching strategies are geared to support learning when students are first introduced to a new subject. Scaffolding gives students a context, motivation, or foundation from which to understand the new information that will be introduced during the coming lesson.
Scaffolding techniques should be considered fundamental to good, solid teaching for all students, not just those with learning disabilities or second language learners. In order for learning to progress, scaffolds should be gradually removed as instruction continues, so that students will eventually be able to demonstrate comprehension independently.

Scaffolding instruction includes a wide variety of strategies, including:

•activating prior knowledge
•offering a motivational context to pique student interest or curiosity in the subject at hand
•breaking a complex task into easier, more "doable" steps to facilitate student achievement
•showing students an example of the desired outcome before they complete the task
•modeling the thought process for students through "think aloud" talk
•offering hints or partial solutions to problems
•using verbal cues to prompt student answers
•teaching students chants or mnemonic devices to ease memorization of key facts or procedures
•facilitating student engagement and participation
•displaying a historical timeline to offer a context for learning
•using graphic organizers to offer a visual framework for assimilating new information
•teaching key vocabulary terms before reading
•guiding the students in making predictions for what they expect will occur in a story, experiment, or other course of action
•asking questions while reading to encourage deeper investigation of concepts
•suggesting possible strategies for the students to use during independent practice
•modeling an activity for the students before they are asked to complete the same or similar activity
•asking students to contribute their own experiences that relate to the subject at hand