Dear Teacher,
In an exciting new collaboration with TSA, Tune Into English now offers a Summer English Academy in the UK, featuring a combination of English language in the mornings and a practical, artistic academy (Rock, Dance, Drama) in the afternoon. The course finishes with a final concert to show off the work that has taken place. You can see full details by following the link on the homepage of www.tuneintoenglish.com or by clicking here.
In the meantime, it is almost Christmas! This month’s three additions to the Downloadable Worksheets section of the Teachers’ Area of the website are appropriate for the festive season. The first is the Bob Geldof-led charity single Do They Know It’s Christmas? by Band Aid. This raised millions for famine-stricken Ethiopia in 1984, with subsequent versions in 1989 and 2004 continuing the fundraising. This worksheet was submitted by Mena Bianco in Naples. You and your students could also take the time to click on the Free Rice link on the right sidebar – rice donations are made to developing countries for each correct Vocabulary question answered.
For many children Christmas means presents, and the second addition is about a rather unusual toy – the worksheet for Coin Operated Boy by The Dresden Dolls, sent in by Silvana Fazio from Sondrio, features a crossword and gap fill.
The third worksheet is Your Guardian Angel by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, with a tense review, written by Claudia Cantaluppi from Como.
There are also five other Christmas worksheets on the Downloadable Worksheets section of the site: Happy Xmas (John Lennon), Last Christmas (Wham!), Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer (Dr. Elmo), Thank God It’s Christmas (Queen) and the traditional Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer.
There is also a special Christmas Karaoke area of the Tune Into English website, featuring over 100 festive favourites, so why not have a special lesson on Christmas songs?
Thank you to all of you who hosted the Tune Into English Roadshow in 2010. My 2011 calendar is rapidly filling and I would be delighted to come to your school. You can see a large selection of videos and photographs from over four years of the Roadshow on facebook – there is a link on the home page of the Tune Into English website. Those of you in the Modena area are very welcome to come along to the Christmas party at Chez Miss Papi (Campogalliano) at 17.30 on December 22nd, with the Tune Into English Roadshow For Kids – full details are here.
Finally, the video of Tune Into Italian, as presented in Ireland in September, is now online – you can see this on the page on the Roadshow menu, or by clicking here.
I would like to wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a peaceful and prosperous New Year. I will also be spending time with my family, so may not be replying to emails until mid-January.
Best wishes,
Fergal Kavanagh
Tune Into English
www.tuneintoenglish.com