DID YOU KNOW THAT...

...in many American cities, the streets have numbers instead of names? This way, if you are on the 3rd Street, and want to go to 9th Street, you know you will have to walk six blocks.
...in some American cities, such as New York, the words street and avenue are used interchangeably, the only difference being that streets run in one direction and avenues cross them?
...in many American cities, the houses on the block between 1st and 2nd Streets are numbered from 101 up to 199; those on the block between 2nd and 3rd Streets are numbered 201 up to 299, and so on? This way, if you want to go to 1134E Monroe Street, you know that the house is located on the east part of Monroe Street, between 11th and 12th Streets.
...the principal streets of a city - those which carry the most traffic - are given such denominations as avenues, boulevards, turnpikes, highways, expressways, freeways and parkways?
...many highways, expressways, freeways and turnpikes have complete access control, that is, cars can only enter them at some specific places?

"LABOR DAY "- DIA DO TRABALHO

Labor Day is a legal holiday that honors working people and the labor movement. It is celebrated on the first Monday of September throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada.

Two men have been credited with suggesting the celebration of Labor Day in the United States: Mathew Maguire, a machinist from Paterson, N.J., and Peter McGuire, a New York City Carpenter. Both played an important role in staging the first Labor Day parade in New York City in September 1882.

Nowadays Labor Day celebrations include parades and meetings by labor organizations, but for most people it is a day of rest and recreation. Occurring just before most of thr nation´s schools reopen, American families use the three-day weekend as a final summer vacation.

SOME EXERCISES - 7TH AND 8TH GRADES

WORKING ON AFFIRMATIVE STATEMENTS

Complete the paragraph with was or were:

Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.) --------- a great Greek military leader. His birthplace --------- Pella, the ancient capital of Macedonia. Alexander´s parents --------- Philip II, king of Macedonia, and Olympias, a princess of Epirus. His teacher -------- the philosopher Aristotle. As a king and general, Alexander --------- very popular with his soldiers. They ------
very loyal to him. By 323 B.C., countries from Turkey to Afghanistan ------- under his control. At the time of his death, Alexander ------- only 33 years old.


The facts below are false. Correct each one by rewriting it as a negative statement. Then use the word or prhase in parentheses to write a true affirmative statement.

Example: The pharaohs were generals. (kings)
The pharaohs weren´t generals. They were kings.

1. Cleopatra was a Persian general. (Egyptian queen)
2. Columbus was a lawyer. (explorer)
3. Picasso and Rembrandt were astronomers. (artists)
4. William Shakespeare was a French writer. (English)
5. Cervantes was an American inventor. (Spanish writer)
6. Marie Curie and Albert Einstein were doctors. (scientists)
7. Beethoven was a German king. (composer)

SOME GRAMMAR EXERCISES - 5TH AND 6TH GRADES

SUBJECT PRONOUNS:

1. Complete the sentences with: You, He, She, It, We and They.

1. Mrs. Harris is a teacher. --------- is a good teacher.
2. Juan is in the car. -----------is in the blue car.
3. Mr. and Mrs. Welch are Americans. ---------- from New York.
4. The chair is new. ---------- not old.
5. You and your friend are new students. -------- are in my class.
6. Derek and I are students. ---------- are in college.

2. Complete the paragraph with am, is, or are.

My name ------- Mike Goodrich. I ------ the president of Compugames. It------ an Internet videogame company. Our employees --------- from all over the world. I ------- from Seattle. Celia Rivera-------- the vice president of Compugames. She ------ from Puerto Rico. Ruth McMaster and Carol Cheng ---------- two new employees. Ruth ------ from new York, and Carol --------- Taiwan. Diego and Dana ------ our new trainees from Brazil.

3. Complete the sentences. Use subject pronouns and be contractions.

1. Mr. Walsh is our computer technician. -------- from Canada.
2. Compugames is a company. --------- in Seattle.
3. Mark and Pete are new employees. -------- game designers.
4. Ana and I are students. -------- from Mexico.
5. Some employees are in college. ------- busy.
6. My name is Hiro. --------- from Japan.
7. Carol is at work. -------- a sales manager.
8. You and Donna are new employees. -------- in my department.
9. Rocket Race is our new video game. -------- fun!
10. Our offices are on Jackson Street. -------- big.

Source: Grammar Sense

Susan Kesner Bland

Oxford

MUSICAL PUZZLE

This is a different way to work with songs; choose a song your students like, then cut it into lines, paragraphs or the like. Divide the class into groups of 5 to 10 students, play the song as many times as necessary so that your students will put the parts in order. You should help the students while they´re working.
If you prefer, you can stick the parts of the song around the classroom; divide the class into two groups and while they listen to the song they have to search for the sentences and stick them in the appropriate order.
After you can ask one of the students to write the lyrics on the board, and then the whole class can sing and translate it. You can also work with the grammar topics you´ve taught in the previous week etc.


"SONG"
HALO


Remember those walls I built
Well, baby they´re tumbling down
And they didn´t even put up a fight
They didn´t even make a sound
I found a way to let you in
But I never really had a doubt
Standing in the light of your halo
I got my angel now
It´s like I´ve been awakened
Every rule I had you breakin´
It´s the risk I´m taking
I ain´t never gonna shut you out
Everywhere I´m looking now
I´m surrounde by your embrace
Baby I can see your halo
You know you´re my saving grace
You´re everything I need and more
It´s written all over your face
Baby I can feel your halo
Pray it won´t fade away
I can feel your halo,
I can see your halo,
Hit me like a ray of sun
Burning through my darkest night
You´re the only one that I want
I´m addicted to your light
I swore I´d never fall again
But this don´t even feel like falling
Gravity can forget
To pull me back to the ground again
Chorus

In the sites below you can find lots of activities with songs:

www.vagalume.com.br
www.lyrics.com

TEACHING THE IMPERATIVE

This is a different way to teach the imperative, your students will have a chance to see words they´ve learned used in different ways. It´s also a chance to taste a famous American cookie.

How to make chocolate chip cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups flour 1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 teaspoon of baking soda 1 egg
1 teaspoon of salt 2 cups of chocolate chips
1 cup of soft butter (or break a bar of chocolate into
3/4 cup of sugar pieces)
3/4 cup of brown sugar

Directions:

Turn on the oven to 375° Fahrenheit
Mix the sugars, butter and egg.
Add the flour, baking soda and salt, then mix.
Add the chocolate chips, then mix.

Put teaspoons of dough
onto a pan, 2 inches apart
Bake 8-10 minutes or until cookies are light brown.
Cookies will be a little soft.
Wait for a few minutes, then take them off of pan.
Now eat and enjoy them!

MANY DIFFERENT WAYS TO SAY "VERY GOOD"

You´re on the right track now!

You´ve got it made.

Super!

That´s right!

That´s good!

You´re really working hard today.

You are really good at that.

That´s coming along nicely.

Good work!

I´m happy to see you working like that.

That´s much, much better!

Exactly right.

I´m proud of the way you worked today.

You´re doing that much better today.

You´ve just about got it.

That´s the best you´ve ever done.

You´re doing a good job.

That´s it!

Now you´ve figured it out.

That´s quite an improvement.

Great!

I knew you could do it.

Congratulations!

Not bad.

Keep working on it.

You´re improving.

Now you have it!

You are learning fast.

Good for you!

Couldn´t have done it better myself.

Aren´t you proud of yourself?

One more time and you´ll have it.

You really make my job fun.

That´s the right way to do it.

You´re getting better every day.

You did it that time!

That´s not half bad.

Nice going.

You haven´t missed a thing!

Wow!

That´s the way!

Keep up the good work.

That´s the best ever.

You´ve just about mastered it.

Perfect!

That´s better than ever.

Much better!

Wonderful!

You must have been practicing.

You did that very well.

Fine.

Nice going.

You´re really going to town.

Outstanding!

Fantastic!

Tremendous!

That´s how to handle that.

Now that´s what I call a fine job.

That´s great.

Right on!

You´re really improving.

You´re doing beautifully!

Superb!

Good remembering.

You´ve got that down pat.

You certainly did well today.

Keep it up.

Congratulations. You got it right.

You did a lot of work today.

Well look at you go.

That´s it.

I´m very proud of you.

Marvelous.

I like that.

Way to go.

Now you have the hang of it.

You´re doing fine.

Good thinking.

You´re really learning a lot.

Good going.

I´ve never seen anyone do it better.

Keep on trying.