Tips & tricks – BOOKR Class https://bookrclass.com English Teaching App Thu, 11 Jul 2024 12:01:50 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.1 https://bookrclass.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/cropped-bookrclass_icon_2021_new-32x32.png Tips & tricks – BOOKR Class https://bookrclass.com 32 32 Reading Practice for Kids – How to Develop Reading Habits in Children https://bookrclass.com/blog/reading-practice-for-kids/ Wed, 14 Jun 2023 08:12:41 +0000 https://bookrclass.com/?post_type=blog&p=9864

You’ve come to the right place, if you’re keen on exploring when kids learn to read, the challenges they face, why reading is crucial for their academic and personal growth and, of course, some practical advice on how to get started with the habit building.

Last but not least, we will not let you leave empty-handed. A list of resources is also waiting for you to support your students or your child’s reading development. Let’s get started, taking a look at the basics.

When Do Kids Learn to Read?

According to the U.S. Department of Education, most children learn to read by the end of third grade. However, children develop at their own pace, and some may learn to read earlier or later.

It’s essential to remember that children need to master the building blocks of reading before they can read independently. These building blocks include phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency – and, of course, interest and passion for following the fate of a beloved character and the excitement of finishing a great story are key incentives for them to overcome the challenging first years. 

The Challenges of Reading in Today's Digital Age

With gaming apps, television, YouTube, and too much screen time, it can be challenging to cultivate a reading habit in children. However, reading is a critical skill that fosters creativity, improves vocabulary, and enhances cognitive development.

Parents and educators can help young learners develop reading habits by setting aside time each day for reading and providing a conducive environment that encourages reading.

How to Develop Reading Habits in Kids

Habits are not easy to build and require some key concepts to be true: consistency and strategy. It doesn’t happen overnight, and it does take a couple of clever steps to achieve, but it is so worth it!

Let’s see what are some of these steps that you can take. 

  • 1. Start Early

Begin reading to the little ones as early as possible. Reading to children in kindergarten is very useful, even if, at this point, the child isn’t an active participant.

This experience helps them prepare for the primary school and nurture their love for stories.

  • 2. Encourage Independent Reading

As students develop their reading skills, encourage them to read independently. Start with simple books and gradually progress to more challenging books, but with a smart digital tool, you could even assign books to your students through the app and give homework.

BOOKR Class for example enables students to choose their interests – such as sports, nature or animals – and the system automatically shows them books they are likely to read and enjoy. What a great way to engage them!

  • 3. Create a Conducive Environment

Create a comfortable and inviting reading environment. Ensure there’s adequate lighting, a comfortable seat, and no distractions.

  • 4. Lead by Example

Children are more likely to develop a reading habit if they see their parents and teachers reading regularly.

Set an example by reading yourself and discussing books with them – of course always in an age-appropriate manner.

why is it important to read as a child

Why Is It Important to Read as a Child?

Reading is crucial for not only a child’s academic but personal growth. It helps to develop language skills, fosters creativity, and improves cognitive development. Reading also helps children to develop empathy, social awareness, and understanding of different cultures.

Additionally, reading improves academic performance, enhances vocabulary, and improves comprehension skills. The list of benefits goes on and on, however one element stands out: reading has a positive impact on children’s mental health

Don’t believe me, believe the experts of leading universities and organizations across the globe, here are some statistics that support the positive impact of reading:

  • Research conducted by the Reading Agency in the UK found that children who read for pleasure have better mental well-being, with 76% reporting that reading helps them to feel better and 58% saying that it helps them to relax.
  • A study published in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics in 2018 found that reading to young children can improve their behavior and reduce hyperactivity, aggression, and attention problems.
  • According to a study conducted by the National Reading Campaign in Canada, 79% of parents reported that reading together helps reduce their child's stress and anxiety.
  • A study published in 2018 in the Journal of Clinical Psychology found that bibliotherapy (using books as a therapeutic tool) was effective in reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety in children and adolescents.
  • A meta-analysis of 43 studies conducted by the University of Liverpool found that reading interventions had a positive effect on children's mental health outcomes, including reduced anxiety and depression symptoms. It was published in the journal Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts in 2019.

These statistics all highlight the same baseline: reading can have a massively positive impact  on children’s mental well-being.

By encouraging children to read regularly, parents and educators can help promote healthy habits and positive attitudes towards learning and self-improvement, while also providing children with important tools for coping with stress and difficult emotions.

Read in a Foreign Language

Reading in a foreign language can be an excellent way for children to develop language skills and enhance their cultural awareness. The British Council’s LearnEnglish Kids website offers a variety of reading resources to help children develop their English language skills.

There are also reading applications with graded readers developed specifically for ESL students – so you can improve reading and English skills at the same time, killing two birds with one stone. 

Reading Practice for Kids

How to change the narrative and make reading a fun and enjoyable activity, rather than a daunting task? 

Let’s see some tips and activities that can help make reading an experience for children.

Tips for Reading Books in your English classroom

What to pay close attention to during lesson planning 

  • Make sure the books are age-appropriate and interesting for your child. Let them choose books that they enjoy reading.
  • Set aside a specific time each day for reading. This will help your child develop a routine and make reading a habit.
  • Encourage your pupils to read out loud. This can help improve their reading fluency and comprehension.
  • Ask the class questions about the book. This can help learners engage with the story and better understand the content. What’s more, you can easily develop essential soft skills by introducing a topic and talking about it together.
  • Reward your students for reading. This can be as simple as praising them for their efforts or offering a small treat, but you might consider using reading logs to track your students' progress or creating a reading challenge with rewards for completing a certain number of books. You can also incorporate reading into other subjects, such as using literature to teach history or science. By making reading a priority in the classroom, you can help your students develop a lifelong love of learning and reading.
tips for reading books

Reading Activities with words

How to further discover a topic that you read about in class? Here are some ideas on how to snowball their reading and language development, starting with the reading task. Improve their writing skills, vocabulary, or creativity.

Oh, such crucial areas!

  • Play word games like Scrabble, Boggle, or Bananagrams. This can help them develop their vocabulary and spelling skills.
  • Use flashcards to practice reading and recognizing sight words.
  • Have the kids create their own stories using a list of words. This can help improve their creativity and writing skills.
  • Create a scavenger hunt with short, easy-reader books. Hide the books around the classroom and have your students find them, with a quiz question about each story. Reading comprehension meets adventure.
  • Use the books to create a puppet show. The class can act out the story while you or the digital library app you use read the book out loud.

Have your child create their own illustrations for the story. This can help them engage with the content and better understand the plot.

Teachers Handbook - the Ultimate toolkit for ESL teachers

There is no doubt that there is a variety of resources to help promote reading in the classroom. The question is: do you have time to find these resources and make sure you use reliable, quality materials that support your lesson goals?

esl toolkit

How about a collection of books that supports you in creating the most exciting and effective ESL reading lessons, aiming to make reading a habit for kids? You can download the 300 pages long Teacher’s Handbook created by BOOKR Class’ qualified teachers and educational content experts.

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Unveiling the Key Benefits of ChatGPT in Education in 2024 https://bookrclass.com/blog/benefits-of-chatgpt-in-education/ Thu, 09 Feb 2023 13:45:33 +0000 https://bookrclass.com/?post_type=blog&p=9375 Some ban it in the workplace; some celebrate its capabilities and the possibilities it brings to their schools or businesses. What does it mean for you as a player in the education sector, and what should you know about it?
Learn everything you wanted to know about the benefits of ChatGPT in education. Let’s dive in together!]]>

What is ChatGPT?

Let’s get this one out of the way; what are we talking about exactly? 

ChatGPT is a conversational AI language model developed by OpenAI that can answer follow-up questions, admit mistakes, and engage in meaningful dialogue. ChatGPT is a powerful tool for generating human-like text and can be used in various applications such as chatbots, customer service, and content creation – any written content. In practice, it looks like this: 

  • Ask ChatGPT to write a 3-paragraph essay on British culture, which will produce a response within seconds.
  • Enter a mathematical equation, and the system will not only give you the solution and offer a step-by-step explanation of the process.
  • It rewrites texts in an instant avoiding plagiarism.
  • It’s an improved human-like Google that could be any student’s or educator’s best friend regarding homework, writing, or even studying.
  • Creating lesson plans and writing poems or songs is not a problem.

To sum it up, let’s go directly to the source. When asking about its capabilities, this is what the platform says:

The question: ‘What can ChatGPT do?

Response: ChatGPT is a language model that can:

  • Answer questions
  • Generate text
  • Summarize information
  • Translate languages
  • Chat in a conversational manner
  • And perform other language-related tasks.
chatgpt and education

Despite its promising capabilities, ChatGPT’s impact on education has sparked mixed opinions and ethical concerns. School administrators, teachers, parents, and students are divided on its use, with some questioning its place in the classroom. In addition, the potential for cheating and plagiarism has led some schools, including New York City Public Schools, to ban the app across their district devices and networks.

Other central city school districts such as Seattle, Baltimore, and Los Angeles have also blocked access to ChatGPT, and that’s only in the United States. 

On the other side, many institutions and experts are looking for new and creative ways to incorporate new technologies into their teaching curricula. They are fascinated by how the education field reacted faster than they’ve ever seen them respond to new technology. 

Content creation and grammar correction are nothing new. We’ve seen what Artificial Intelligence is capable of, so why is ChatGPT different? Why all this attention and buzz? 

Experts say that ChatGPT’s main difference is its remarkable example of advanced natural language processing. It sounds just like what a human might respond, and it’s very easy to use for anyone. 

How to use ChatGPT?

After creating a profile and logging in for free, you can use it for different projects with no limitations or complicated options. One chatbox, one bar, go! 

1. You can treat it as a human, asking a simple question. To test ChatGPT, I asked it about ESL

  • I typed in ‘What is ESL?’.
  • It responded: ESL stands for "English as a Second Language", which refers to the study and use of English by non-native speakers.
  • I asked it to “Write an essay about ESL’.
  • It responded with a detailed structure on how I should create an essay with talking points, a beginning, and an end.
  • Then I asked it to elaborate on the ‘Growth of ESL worldwide,’, and in no time, I had a 1000 characters text only about that.

I quickly realized it would take little time to hand in an assignment about teaching English as a second language. The exciting part is that once you get a response to your question, you can continue digging deeper, asking it to give you more details if anything needs to be clarified.

2. Do you need a text to be checked or rewritten? You can ask it to take a look

  • I provided instructions, I do not only want my text rephrased but I wish to change the style.
  • Then I provided the text, and voila! There it was, a polite and formal text to decline an invitation.
how chatgpt can help

3. Create lesson plans, article structures, and entire articles

Now, this is an area where ChatGPT and education go hand in hand! This tool can create lesson plans for various subjects and educational levels, from one task to an entire lesson plan specifically designed for your classroom – if given the proper instructions.

Don’t forget to provide details such as the subject, target grade level, learning objectives, and any other specific requirements you have.

It’s important to give specific instructions and rephrase your question if the system can’t understand it.

4. Translating

Yes, English is not the only language ChatGPT is trained in. As an AI language model, it has been trained to understand and generate text in many languages, including but not limited to English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian, Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Japanese, and Korean, among others. Although its proficiency in each language may vary, it tends to make errors or produce unnatural text, so be aware of that. 

what is chat gpt

In general, if we’re unhappy with the content generated or it’s not exactly what one was looking for, with a click, you can ask it to generate different answers, and the system will look for other ways to assist our needs. No need to tell it; just click on ‘Regenerate response’. 

Super fast, super easy. It is, however, important to mention that it does not understand every instruction on the first try –  but it doesn’t mean it won’t complete the task perfectly on the second or third try. Specifying or rephrasing our requests will eventually lead the system to give us the answer we’re looking for.

Benefits of ChatGPT in education

As dedicated English teachers, it’s essential to embrace innovative tools that can enhance the learning experience for our students. In today’s rapidly changing educational landscape, the question of ‘how ChatGPT can improve education, not threaten it‘ is a pertinent one. ChatGPT holds the potential to be a valuable aid in the English classroom.

It can provide instant feedback on grammar and writing, generate thought-provoking writing prompts, and serve as a resource for language enrichment. Rather than perceiving it as a threat to traditional teaching methods, let’s explore how ChatGPT can be integrated thoughtfully into our curriculum to elevate our English instruction and provide our students with even more valuable learning opportunities

How can teachers use ChatGPT?

  • Catch me if you can

Teachers are advised to adapt their practices to ChatGPT rather than merely focus on catching students cheating. For example, experts say they’ve heard of some teachers giving ChatGPT a prompt and analyzing its response with students as a practice in editing and critical thinking.

Technology surrounds us – and students – whether we like it or not, so why not guide children through the process, showing them the pros and cons of letting technology into their lives? It’s better to dictate the narrative rather than banning it and letting students use it for all the wrong reasons.

Technology surrounds us

Enemy or best friend? There’s a fine line!

  • Make my job easier!

Teachers can also explore the capabilities of ChatGPT to generate ideas for lesson plans and class activities, answering the question of ‘can ChatGPT write lesson plans?’ This versatile tool can provide valuable insights, suggest engaging topics, and offer creative approaches to curriculum development.

Additionally, educators can rely on ChatGPT to receive recommendations and edits for their students’ writing, ensuring that assignments meet high standards. This not only enhances the quality of student work but also helps save precious time for teachers who are often absolutely strapped for time.”

As a school English teachers, you’ll be delighted to discover the myriad of things you can do with ChatGPT to enrich your classroom experience. ChatGPT is not just a tool; it’s a versatile resource that can engage young learners in creative ways. You can use it to generate captivating writing prompts, develop interactive storytelling exercises, and even create personalized spelling and vocabulary quizzes.

chatgpt lesson plan generator

Furthermore, ChatGPT can assist students in proofreading and refining their writing, instilling good language habits from a young age. It’s a valuable ally in fostering a love for language and literacy, making English lessons not only educational but also enjoyable for your students. Explore the endless possibilities of things you can do with ChatGPT to enhance your elementary school English curriculum.

In the realm of education, the choice of prompts when using ChatGPT is of paramount importance, especially for English language teachers. The “best chatGPT prompts for education” in this context are those that facilitate language learning and proficiency.

For instance, an English teacher might use prompts like, “Compose a short paragraph describing a picturesque countryside scene,” or “Generate a conversation between two characters discussing their favorite books.” These prompts not only encourage creativity and language fluency but also provide opportunities for grammar and vocabulary practice.

best chatGPT prompts for education

Well-crafted prompts are the key to harnessing the power of ChatGPT, making it an invaluable tool for English educators to enhance language instruction and engage their students effectively.

In addition, using ChatGPT for specific functions can improve your efficiency in your job, leaving them more time to focus on giving their best when in front of the class. 

  • How can students use ChatGPT?

For students, the most important aspect is learning how to use it correctly and for what reason. Logical and critical thinking are key skills that educators and institutions need to teach them: “AI tools are here to stay, so we must make the most of them, but don’t lose sight of the task and learn to work with it, not make it do your homework for you!” 

students use chatgpt
  • Homework help: it can assist students in solving homework problems, understanding difficult concepts, and providing explanations.
  • Research: ChatGPT can help students find information and resources related to their research projects, essays, and other school assignments.
  • Study aid: ChatGPT is able to provide students with summaries and explanations of key concepts and topics covered in their classes, helping them to review and prepare for exams. Yes, it even explains math problems.
  • Language learning: it can be used as a tool for language learning by students who want to improve their writing and speaking skills, correcting grammar mistakes and giving recommendations to sound more like a native speaker.
  • Spark new ideas: By diving deep into a topic, ChatGPT can even give students points on where to start.

Exploring AI Resources: There's an AI for That

In the ever-evolving landscape of educational technology, the accessibility of AI resources becomes paramount. One platform leading the charge in consolidating these resources is There’s an AI for That, a website dedicated to curating a comprehensive list of sites and programs that engage with AI.

From language models like ChatGPT to specialized educational tools, this website serves as a gateway to the diverse applications of AI in education. By providing a centralized hub for educators and students to discover and explore AI-driven solutions, There’s an AI for That empowers stakeholders to harness the full potential of AI in learning environments.

Whether you’re seeking assistance with homework, exploring innovative teaching methods, or delving into the latest AI research, this platform offers a wealth of resources to support your journey.

Embrace the future of education with There’s an AI for That and unlock a world of possibilities at your fingertips.

What now?

The future of education in the era of CHATGPT

Over the past decade, there’s been a significantly growing interest in using AI and machine learning techniques to enhance and augment traditional teaching methods. Personalized learning experiences, generating new educational content, and allowing for real-time feedback and assessment are all benefits these tools can provide –  find more information about how important technology is in education and how to exploit all it can offer.

And even though the use of AI and language models in education is still in its early stages, and further research and development are needed to understand their impact and potential fully, ChatGPT may very well mark the beginning of a new era in the way we think about how ChatGPT affects education, enhancing other players in the (educational) technology field to take it to the next level.

Exciting times are ahead! 

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Establishing Positive Classroom Routines: Empowering Classroom Success in 2023 https://bookrclass.com/blog/classroom-routines/ Wed, 11 Jan 2023 14:07:49 +0000 https://bookrclass.com/?post_type=blog&p=9314

Why are routines important in the classroom

Students like rules. They like routines and structure, as it’s easier to function in them. The trick is to strike a happy medium – give them enough freedom to express their creativity during activities but in an organized framework with boundaries. It’s quite a fun topic, actually. Let me show you why in this next blog post.

Routine is important because: 

  • it helps them to understand what is expected of them.
  • problems that may occur can be handled more efficiently, routines reduce stress
  • routines can be a safe space for your students. When heavy emotions or difficult situations arise, they find comfort in the consistency of some of these activities.
  • rules and routines can be made exciting. A couple of techniques and some creativity will work wonders.
  • a well-thought-out routine becomes part of these kids' everyday life and may as well stay with them for a lifetime. You have the golden opportunity to enrich their personal lives outside their academic achievements. That is huge.

Class routines are going to be different in preschool, elementary school, and in high school. Depending on culture and age, students will react differently to certain routines; that’s why we gathered as many examples as we could. Find your favorite one! 

But remember, no matter which ones you implement, rules and routines need to be consistent, predictable and clearly articulated to work. 

Classroom routines examples

Let’s take a look at the different types of routines. We collected some of the best examples, tips, and printable activities for you to try.

Must haves - order in my classroom!

Effective classroom management tips are the backbone, so we start at the basics.

  • Set a timer for transitions

Transitions can be challenging for many young learners. It’s important to give students a clear idea of when you all will move on to the next activity and what that requires them to do. Setting a timer for transitions is a very tangible way to let them know we’re moving on to a new topic or activity. Songs work just as well: “By the time the music stops, everyone back in their seats with the book open at page 15”.

  • Assign a type of activity to each day of the week

It will add variety and predictability to schooldays and something to look forward to every day. Be creative here and include chores or tasks that need to be done – make it playful and see that even collecting trash in the classroom becomes fun.

classroom-routines-schedule

Some examples to spark your creativity:

Make me smile Monday – Read them a funny story, play a video, or tell a joke to start the week on the right foot.

Wish Jar Wednesday – Each Wednesday, each student writes down his/her favorite game or activity (you can give them ideas and examples to help them choose, especially the younger students). You put them all in a jar and keep them somewhere safe in the classroom. Each Wednesday, as a warm-up or cool-down activity, a student gets to pick one piece of paper out of the jar randomly.

Friday Wraps – What happened this week? Let’s wrap it up! You can even make it on a separate sheet of paper and have them decorate and roll it or fold it as if it was a wrap and the learnings are the ingredients for that week.

Classroom routines examples can really make a difference in maintaining order and engagement in the classroom.

  • Learning is fundamental!

Have students complete an exit ticket for something they learned that day.  It’s helpful to have a little time to reflect and see if they understood the concept or materials covered that day. Plus, it lets them leave with a feeling of accomplishment each and every day – how’s that for motivation?

Academics are not everything - develop essential social-emotional skills!

  • Acts of kindness

Assign one or two students each week to look for acts of kindness during the week. Have them report their observations to the class at the end of the day – it’s a wonderful way of practicing not only kindness put public speaking and presentation skills. If your students are of a more advanced level, this game can be in English. 

  • Morning yoga

An active body activates the mind, too – of course, we’re not saying you need to become a gym teacher all of a sudden. Check out a couple of easy movements you can easily complete in the classroom and have the little ones release some stress and fatigue. 

classroom routines morning yoga

It’s a great idea to try out when they feel tired or in between activities to free their minds and start fresh for the next challenge.

  • Greeting at the door

Daily routines start at the very first moment students enter your classroom – so why not start with the simple habit of paying a little bit of attention to all your students every day? 

Decide with your learners if it’s a wave, a hug, or a high-five that suits them best.

Classroom routines examples help to set the tone for the entire learning environment.

  • Cultivate a healthy feedback culture

Teach the little ones about praising each other and give them a framework of a healthy feedback culture. Make it a habit to congratulate each other when something goes right, and not judge if a classmate makes a mistake. 

A funny way to praise and learn English at the same time is by using Praising Cards.

bookr class flashcard

If you’d like to read more about the importance of social-emotional learning at an early age and find out what it really means, check out our article about it written by psychologists and educational experts. 

There are no two teachers and two classes that are the same – and that’s one of the reasons we love this profession so much. Depending on age group, nationality, number of students, and the group dynamic in general, you’ll find that something that works like a charm on one student or class does nothing for the other. 

Try to enjoy the process of finding why routine is important in your classroom, in your particular case, and take the time to figure out what works best. And remember, you’re planting seeds today that could become part of a beautiful forest in the future, giving them techniques that might become part of their daily routines and even personality as an adult. That is pretty exciting on its own. 

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Christmas Activities for Schools with Bo Bunny and Owen, the grumpy snowman https://bookrclass.com/blog/christmas-activites-for-school/ Mon, 28 Nov 2022 14:39:47 +0000 https://bookrclass.com/?post_type=blog&p=9084

Christmas lesson plans are invaluable tools for educators seeking to make the holiday season meaningful and educational for their students. Christmas offers not only opportunities for joy and playful learning but also a chance to delve into important themes and values with even the youngest learners. This year, we aim to provide more than just activity tips to enhance your Christmas vocabulary lesson; we want to offer resources that support your students’ social-emotional development.

Let us present to you the great BOOKR Christmas Escape Room, a detective game that will keep your class busy throughout the Advent period. A mystery that is being solved with different worksheets and games, some creative, some teach problem-solving or logical thinking, all the while providing a strong foundation for the lexis of Christmas-related expressions. Follow our post, each week you’ll find new mysteries to solve with the smartest little elves at school or at home. It’s the perfect quality time spent playing and learning, the ultimate bonding experience with your children and/or students. 

Each game will give you a solution that you will need to fill this crossword puzzle with. At the end of all 8 games, you will see the code that unlocks the location of the books.  Pay attention to the column in yellow. 

Download the crossword puzzle from here, print it, and keep it until the end of the game. As a special treat, you can have the fastest little ‘detectives’ color the image, it’s great fun to do while waiting for their peers to finish.

mastersheet_blog_post (1)

Without any further ado, let’s look at the story here. What happened to all these books on the BOOKRshelf?

escape room storyline

Owen, the grumpy snowman, gets overwhelmed when he can’t read the Christmas books because they get wet in his frosty little hands. So, he decides to hide all the books. Let’s cheer him up! If we make him feel better about the books, he might return them for all kids to read. 

1. The Christmas Maze

The first game will show you who Owen’s helper will be throughout this adventure. 

Crack the code with Owen’s little helper to get closer to the location of the books. 

But wait – who is Owen’s helper? This Christmas Maze will show you.

the_christmas_maze_linkedin_post

2. Christmas Classroom Decoration

‘Tis the season to deck the halls and spread Christmas cheer throughout our homes. But why stop there? Let’s extend the festive spirit into our classrooms with enchanting Christmas classroom decorations.

Let’s show Owen how great Christmas really is! 

BO Bunny loves decorating the Christmas tree. What does he put on the tree? 

This game’s solution will tell you. All you need to do is color the words related to Christmas and winter. What do you see? 

3. Owen gets overwhelmed

Instructions: Owen gets frustrated sometimes. Let’s try and help him feel better, maybe he can tell us where the hid the next clue. 

Oh no, part of the list of activities has been erased! Look at the definitions and try to find out what they mean. Write the words on the sheet after their number. The solution to this challenge is the word in the red column.

This challenge is a bit different. It’s not only meant to practice English as a second language, but to teach the little ones techniques to deal with frustration or sadness.

christmas escape room owen gets overwhelmed

In case you need a little extra support to talk to your children or students about these topics and help them release stress, we got just the right books for you:

The words of this task have been simplified to the age group and level that we wanted to target, but don’t stop there if you feel like this is something your students can benefit from. Discuss the topics in your own language one by one, if English would be too hard. How can friends help you when you’re feeling down? Why is it good to clean your room and surroundings if you’re overwhelmed? Social-emotional learning is best learnt at an early age. 

4. Life in pairs

Cookies and hot chocolate – these delicious Christmas treats for the classroom might cheer Owen up.

Pair the images with these words. If one image doesn’t have a pair, that will be your next clue. 

christmas escape room life in pairs
christmas escape life in pairs worksheet

5. BOOKR Quiz

BO Bunny and Owen love reading stories.

What a great way to cheer up! They’re looking at Level 1 and Level 2 books. 

Do your students know these stories? 

Discover them with your students and children, or practice reading comprehension in English. 

christmas escape room bookr quizz

6. The Christmas Code

A true escape room challenge that gets students to use their logical thinking skills. Let’s see who’s the first one to crack the code.

christmas escape room christmas code

7. Christmas Crossing

Christmas vocabulary with just a tad of Imperative practice.

 

Find the favourite thing that Owen owns, hopefully, it will cheer him up.

Cross the pictures, this list will help you decide which ones.

  • 1. Cross out anything that you can eat or drink.
  • 2. Cross out any plants.
  • 3. Cross out anyone with a scarf.
  • 4. Cross out any pictures with stars.
christmas escape room christmas crossing
christmas escape room crossing

8. It all starts with ___

This is where it ends, friends. The last mini-game will give you the last letter.

And what is the final solution? It’s a word that really surrounds us this time of the year especially. We should all be lucky to spend this time together with whom we love the most: whether it’s family, friends, colleagues, or our beloved pets.

What an amazing way to end the year in class or at home: with a deep conversation about belonging and caring with the little ones.

christmas escape room worksheets

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a very Happy and Joyful New Year!

Spoiler alert! Find the solution to the master puzzle here:

bookr class christmas puzzle
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The Ultimate Guide – Top Tips On How To Use BOOKR Class https://bookrclass.com/blog/the-ultimate-guide-top-tips-on-how-to-use-bookr-class/ Mon, 15 Aug 2022 09:44:30 +0000 https://bookrclass.com/?post_type=blog&p=8038

BOOKR Class was designed for colleagues, who enjoy novelty and have high hopes and expectations when it comes to language teaching. The app offers high-quality graded texts with stunning visuals and authentic narration in a digital format and within the storytelling method – a unique combination on the market. 

To help with the implementation of this app and guarantee success in the classroom, we have gathered some ideas on how to use our digital multimedia books to their fullest potential. But diving teachers might alter these guidelines according to their students’ needs 🙂 

driving teachers

BOOKR Class for differentiated instruction

  • 1. Giant Book

You can use the BOOKR Class books as huge books without narration. Simply project the app and read the story with your students at their ideal pace. This way, you can adjust the reading process for your students, add comments, provide explanations or turn the book into a dialogic reading activity.

  • 2. Global Listening

Check the global comprehension skills of the class using a BOOKR story as a listening activity. Instead of projecting the book, students simply listen to the story and then play the follow-up games.

To differentiate instruction, allow students to decide if they want to see the text as well or not. Ask the ones who prefer to challenge themselves by just listening to turn their back on the projected book. The others can follow the story with visual scaffolding.

  • 3. Change, change

Combine the features of the interactive multimedia books and first, have your students listen to the beginning of the story. What characters do they imagine as protagonists?

Turn on the projector, and allow them to see the visuals. Were they right? Now have them enjoy the multimedia experience.

Next, turn off the narration. Can they imitate the characters’ voices well? Alter the input as much as possible and challenge your students’ skills!

differentiated instrucation
  • 4. Dialogic Remote Teaching

Share your screen with your students and ask them to think about the story they are reading. Start the book, then stop every once in a while and ask questions to generate discussion, recall vocabulary, encourage prediction or personalize your questioning. Adapt your questions for each student and address them individually. 

  • 5. Plan A, B, and C

With good planning time, you can build a three-tiered lesson plan. Think about your students who are below their expected level (A), the ones at their expected level (B), and the advanced level group (C). Open the Activity Tips and the Teacher’s Handbook to combine the tasks. 

  • For group A, use small steps and simple activities. Include pre-teaching and construct the lesson in such a way that you can actively support them throughout.  
  • For group B, give more autonomy, making sure they work together and rely on each other. They can play the follow-up games after the story and add various extra activities. 
  • For group C, omit the smaller steps and include a wide variety of activities, project work, or research. 

Allow your students to pick one of the three options based on their skills, motivation, emotional state, and on-the-spot personal preference.  

  • 6. Classroom Organization

One of the best ways to differentiate instruction is to let the students decide how the classroom is organized during the lesson. Do they prefer to work on their own, in pairs, in smaller groups, or frontally? Have them vote or simply let them pick for themselves.

In many cases, enthusiastic students are able to work on their own, prove their potential and challenge themselves so the teacher can spend more time with students who need additional support.

  • 7. High Achievers

There are always students who finish activities faster than others and tend to start activities often not appreciated by diving teachers. In these trying times, let these students use BOOKR Class, pick a book or flashcard set they are interested in, and read and play while you work with other students.

How to improve 21st-century skills

  • 1. Alternative Scenario

You can use stories as picture books and encourage students to come up with alternative scenarios and endings. Have them change the place, time, personality traits of the characters, and optionally the solution. Provide an opportunity for their imagination and sense of humor to fly. 

alternative scenario
  • 2. Predictions

Start your lesson with a listening activity without projecting the visual aids. Ask your students to imagine what the characters are like after listening to the first few pages. Can they describe them? How do they imagine the plot will unfold (based solely on the characters)? How biased are they? Start up a conversation on prejudices, biases, and openness.

  • 3. Competitive games

Set up a competition between the students. Pair them up and ask them to work together on the games. Student A asks Student B about the first item. If the answer is correct, a point is awarded. If the student passes or their answer is incorrect, it becomes Student B’s turn. Student B asks Student A about the next word, question, or item. Who wins more points?

  • 4. Exhibition

BOOKR Class books can be the basis for an exhibition of still pictures. Assign different pages/books to various groups of students and ask them to create a still picture. Can the other students guess which scene/story the group is trying to recreate?

How well do they use body language? How good are their interpretative skills? Who has the greatest aptitude for this artistic project?

  • 5. Habit Formation

Time management and self-principle are important skills that teachers can nurture at school. Help your students form the great habit of daily reading.

  • Who has the longest strike?
  • What is their secret?
  • Who is the first on the leader board?
  • What motivates them?
  • 6. EI, the Future

Use BOOKR Class books for role play to improve emotional intelligence. First, students choose their character and then assign them a character that might be more of a challenge for them to identify with. In books where there are several characters, you might want your students to focus on a minor character and ask them to retell the story from their perspective.

Does the exercise spark any empathy?

21th century skills

How to improve thinking skills, the higher-order

  • 1. Fortune Telling

 How critical are your students? How logically or creatively do they think?  Ask them to speculate and guess what comes next while reading the book. Stop the story once in a while and ask questions about upcoming events.

What are their predictions?

critical thinking
  • 2. Briefest Summary

How well can your students summarize content? Do they find the most important information easily?

Ask your students to tell the story by themselves as briefly as they can. Summarizing the plot might be challenging at first, but if they rely on the pictures, they will be able to organize their thoughts and sentences more easily.

  • 3. Guessing Game

When it comes to the games and flashcards, allocate enough time to allow your students to think and guess instead of attempting to solve the tasks as fast as they can.

Before tapping on the words and listening to them in the vocabulary-building games, ask students to guess the words.

After listening to the words, encourage your students to repeat them. Who can imitate the narrator best? In the case of flashcard sets the built-in voice recognition AI system will tell!

How to improve communication skills

  • 1. Picture description

Pick an illustration from one of the books for the warm-up activity and project the paused page.

  • Where is it set?
  • Who are the characters?
  • What is the relationship between them?
  • Why are they there?
  • What are they thinking about?
  • What happened before?
  • What will happen next?

Guide your students from concrete visible information to personal ideas and hypotheses. Encourage discussion, arguments, and fictitious scenarios!

  • 2. Basic RP

Our dream as teachers is to listen to our students talk with each other genuinely, yet the road to achieving this is long and full of challenges. The best way to guide your students is with role plays. 

  • Step 0 is a read-aloud session simultaneously with the narration of the BOOKR Class book. 
  • Step 1 is a simple read-aloud session of a conversation frontally or in smaller groups. 
  • Step 2 is adding some emotion to their reading. For fun, you can hand out pictures of different emojis (angry, scared, sad, happy, tired…) and have your students use that voice while reading. The less it matches their role, the funnier it can get.
  • Step 3 is encouraging free talk, rephrasing, shortening, and adding their own words or expressions to the conversation. 
  • Step 4 is doing the role play on their own with the help of the pictures or a sketched flipchart. 
  • Step 5 is going for alternative (sometimes even unexpected) choices and answers. At this point, your students might not even rely on visuals anymore. 
improve communication skills
  • 3. Story cubes

You can use memory games and flashcard sets to make up stories using given words or expressions. If they make a lot of mistakes in the memory game, the funnier the repetition can get in their own story. How much can they twist the original idea? How many linking words can they use? 

  • 4. Vocab check

Let your students practice vocabulary by turning over a set of flashcards. Students can work in pairs and test each other, card by card.

  • Student A has the chance to say the first word depicted by the first flashcard. If the correct word is said, a point is awarded to Student A. If not, no points are awarded.
  • Student B turns over the second flashcard.

Who has a larger vocabulary range?

  • 5. Pronunciation race

Encourage your students to have fun while improving their pronunciation with flashcards. Students can work in pairs and test each other.

  • Student A has the chance to say the word depicted by the picture on the first flashcard. If the correct word is said and the score of Student A is over 90%, a point is awarded to him or her.
  • Student A has 3 more chances to reach 90% before it is Student B’s turn.

Whose pronunciation is better?

  • 6. Info gap

Divide your students into two groups (or an even number of groups) and assign a different part of the book to each group. Let them read their part and then mix and match them with new partners:

  • What are their ideas for the missing parts?
  • What are their hypotheses?
  • After the first round of guessing, allow them to ask questions.
  • Can they reconstruct the story with the newly-acquired information or do their partners need to tell them what was missing from their part?

How can students work with the app?

  • 1. Homework

You can assign books to your students as homework in the Teacher’s Dashboard. It can serve as an introduction to a topic or a practice after a lesson. They can read at home, play the games, you can monitor their progress and results, or even turn it into a competition with rewards.

  • 2. Vocabulary Practice

You can assign flashcard sets as homework and encourage your students to practice words. Listening to the flashcards and pronouncing the words or expressions help the acquisition and make students more knowledgeable and confident in the long run.

vocabulary practice
  • 3. Small Talk

You can ask your students to work in pairs or in small groups (maximum of 4) in class and read the stories together on their smartphones. This can be a pleasant shared experience, especially if they turn off the narration and read to each other or turn it into a roleplay.

  • 4. Shared Reading

You can open the app on your computer and project a book for the whole class. Then you can read for the students or have them read to each other and to you. As a reward, you can play the games or compete with the help of a flashcard set.

How can teachers work with the app?

  • 1. BOOKR lesson

You can start your lesson with a BOOKR Class story and then build the activities and exercises from the story. Make use of the follow-up games and the Activity Tips document with extra ideas and materials. Vocabulary building, grammar practice or project work…the opportunities are endless.

Check out the Teacher’s Handbook for examples.

  • 2. Story Input

You can start your lesson with a story that introduces the topic of the lesson to generate discussion, recall knowledge, motivate and engage students.

Then you can advance to the planned textbook material, work on those exercises and assign the book with games as homework for additional revision and practice.

story input
  • 3. Happy End

You can choose to finish your lesson with a nice book as a reward. It’s short pleasure reading that you can enjoy together and proves that books are not only for teaching content in the classroom. 

Congrats! You have read all of our 39 tips on how to use BOOKR Class!

BOOKR Class books are invaluable tools for differentiated instruction, to improve 21st century skills, higher-order thinking skills as well as communication skills liketraditional books, but with more opportunities thanks to their digitized format. However, most of these activities only need the app, some motivation and a lot of encouragement on your part as the teacher. 

As a diving teacher, I’m sure you already have at least one activity in mind from the 39 that you would like to bring into the classroom over the next few days. I also hope you found these tips inspiring and that you came up with your own ideas too! Can you add the 40th to the list?
Share your ideas in our Teacher Community! 

Can you pick your favorite activity? If so, try it with your students and share your experience with us on Facebook

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BOOKR Class The Teacher’s Handbook for Learning English Through Storytelling https://bookrclass.com/blog/learning-english-through-storytelling/ Mon, 03 Jan 2022 12:56:08 +0000 https://bookrclass.com/?post_type=blog&p=6025

We asked Kinga Krämer and Sara Elbert – the two main authors and -, educational content specialists at BOOKR Kids about the most important frequently asked questions. Let’s see their answers!

1. First of all, what is the Teacher’s Handbook?

The handbook is the ultimate guide for BOOKR Class users on how to implement the app into everyday English lessons. It is a huge bunch of ideas, some grouped according to 21st century skills that can be used with any of our books, and there are also 48 whole lesson plans on more than 300  pages.

2. Why did you write a Teacher’s Handbook?

The Teacher’s Handbook was born out of the needs expressed by BOOKR Class teachers. We had been asked many questions about using the app in the classroom and how to teach with it.

There seemed to be a need for an overview of the levels and books and most importantly, practical instructions for the implementation of the app. So, the aim of this book was to support teachers and assist with preparation, providing as much help as possible. 

3. Do I need the Teacher’s Handbook to be able to use the BOOKR Class app?

Of course not. Our teacher users have been doing an excellent job using the app without a handbook. It’s a supplementary document for those who are just starting and need some support or those looking for new ideas from another teacher’s point of view. 

What is more, we are acutely aware of the workload of teachers, so we don’t expect them to use all the books with elaborate lesson plans built around them. Our teachers also use the books just for shorter warm-up activities, a quick revision or wrap-up or just as homework, without a sequence of additional activities about them.

You can use the books as a well-earned reward after a particular topic or material, to close your lesson, or simply for reading for pleasure. In fact, some of the ideas for these quick activities are in the last part of the introductory chapter.

4. Who wrote the Teacher’s Handbook?

The introductory part of the handbook was written by the educational team, while the unit plans are the masterpiece from the combined work of 6 teachers from different backgrounds, who were willing to share their expertise with us about how to use the app in lessons. The lesson plans were reviewed and edited by the educational team, so it was a group effort between 6 teachers and us, who have come together with one goal in mind – to provide you with educationally rich material! 

5. What can you find in the Teacher’s Handbook?

There is an introduction to the handbook for those who would like to understand the concept and app better, unit plans for 12 BOOKR Class books and the appendix. The first part of the document includes:

  • storytelling as a means of language learning,
  • interactive books, their features and characteristics,
  • the BOOKR Class app and its platforms, such as the desktop app and Teacher’s Dashboard,
  • and the methodology behind the content of the teacher’s handbook.
What can you find in the Teacher’s Handbook

On every level there are 2 unit plans, so a total of 12 unit plans altogether. That gives you 36 lessons + the condensed 3 in 1s which are extracts of the three-lesson-long unit plans. 

6. How did you pick the books?

We picked two books from each BOOKR Class level. This list of 12 books vary in genre,  have different topics and improve the students in different ways besides language teaching (literature, biology, history, soft skills, finances…).

7. What are the methodological guidelines of the BOOKR Class Teacher’s Handbook?

We created the unit plans in the approach principled eclecticism. This means that we combined various approaches and methodologies to teach language depending on the aims of the lesson and the needs of the learners. And of course the communicative approach, which helps to increase student talking time.

8. What does a lesson plan look like?

There is always a warm-up activity, to recall the students’ previous knowledge and we raise interest, then we make the students work and think to deepen their understanding and improve their language skills. It is followed by a wrap-up exercise and there are also planned activities for evaluation. Here the students mainly evaluate each other or their own work during the lesson. 

teachers handbook from bookr class

9. What do you consider a ‘unit plan’?

A unit is a 3 lesson long complex session which guides the students and the teacher through a BOOKR book. Relying on the students’ language level we planned a lesson to introduce the book. Then comes a lesson with a chosen focus (comprehension, grammar…) and the last one is centered around language production. 

We also take into account those who don’t have the opportunity to work with a book for three lessons. A condensed lesson is a plan for one lesson, which gives a shorter but the same quality experience with the topic and the book.  

10. Are there any ideas for individual differences?

To satisfy individual preferences, there are cross-curricular activities that teach other subject matters, such as biology, geography, history. There are many content and language integrated activities that use language as a tool to teach about a historical period, the parts of animals or a recipe, for example

Learning styles and individual differences are taken into account in the variety of activities. The needs of audio-visual learners are met with interactive books, kinesthetic learners with role plays and inter- and intrapersonal learners with the variety of classroom organization (individual work, pair work, small group work, whole group work and frontal work):

Regarding the learners’ proficiency and skills, the lesson plans also include ideas for differentiation and tiered instruction. 

11. Are the worksheets and extra materials included in the Teacher’s Handbook?

Yes, for sure! All the extra materials needed to bring these lesson plans to life are included in the Appendix. There are flashcards, coloring pages, cutout puppets, thought-provoking printable questions, role play cards and much more.

12. Do you need the app to use the Teacher’s Handbook?

All the books are accessible in the BOOKR Class app, so one might think that the Teacher’s Handbook is not that useful for those who haven’t started using the app yet.

However, some of the stories that we chose can often be found in most school libraries, such as the Itsy Bitsy Spider, the Stone Soup or the Yellow Wallpaper. If you would like to compare what you’ve been doing so far when you wanted to work with Itsy Bitsy’s story, you can check our suggestions and see how you and your students could benefit from using the application or the desktop app.

13. When and where will the Teacher’s Handbook be accessible?

If your class or your school is already a BOOKR Class subscriber, we’re sending you a digital copy via email soon. If your school hasn’t subscribed yet, don’t worry. Subscribe now on our website or access the handbook through our webpage. The only thing you need to do is to click on the following link, subscribe with your email address and you can have it for free.

The BOOKR Class Teacher’s handbook is designed for innovative educators looking for ideas how to implement digital interactive books in their curriculum. 

One thing is for sure: this Teacher’s Handbook is a unique, quality resource with valuable advice from experienced professionals. If you’re just getting started with BOOKR Class or longing for fresh ideas, the BOOKR Class Teacher’s handbook is just for you!

If you’re interested in more, join our teacher community on facebook. Feedback is always appreciated, and feel free to share your comments in the group.

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The Importance of Storytelling: Key Insights for 21st Century Education https://bookrclass.com/blog/importance-of-storytelling/ Mon, 20 Sep 2021 12:25:44 +0000 https://bookrclass.com/?post_type=blog&p=4391

What is the importance of storytelling in teaching?

Despite the fact that we associate the benefits of storytelling in education with reading in the first language, it can provide equally exciting opportunities in second language learning.

In the realm of language education, storytelling acts as a bridge between the mechanics of grammar and vocabulary and the practical application of language skills.

What is the importance of storytelling in teaching

As students immerse themselves in narratives, they not only encounter new words, expressions, and sentence structures but also witness their contextual usage.

This contextual learning aids in a deeper understanding of the language, allowing learners to grasp nuances and subtleties that might otherwise elude them.

Furthermore, storytelling fosters a sense of cultural immersion, which is particularly crucial in second language acquisition. By exposing students to stories from various cultures and backgrounds, educators can instill cultural awareness and empathy, nurturing well-rounded, culturally competent individuals.

Storytelling doesn’t just teach language; it imparts a sense of the world and its diverse narratives, making it an invaluable tool in modern education.

Through the captivating power of storytelling, educators can empower students to not only master a new language but also develop a more profound appreciation for the rich tapestry of human experiences and perspectives across the globe.

In this way, storytelling transcends linguistic boundaries and becomes a powerful vehicle for cross-cultural understanding and personal growth.

Benefits of storytelling

Storytelling transcends the boundaries of language and culture, offering a multitude of advantages in education. Beyond language acquisition, it cultivates creativity, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence.

Benefits of storytelling

Stories engage students on multiple levels, enhancing their comprehension and retention of knowledge while fostering a deep connection with the subject matter. This versatile tool not only enriches language skills but also opens doors to a broader, more interconnected world of learning and understanding.

Provides authentic input

First of all, it provides authentic input with a great variety of linguistic elements, such as grammatical structures and vocabulary items.

Provides authentic input

One might doubt this variety in graded readers, but these elements are just as diverse for language learners, as an original story is for a native speaker child. Therefore we can call the input authentic.

Facilitates language acquisition and improves reading comprehension

Secondly, a story, fictional or non-fictional, enables the reader to make sense of the language items in context.

For example new words, expressions or even grammatical structures and verb tenses.

Facilitates language acquisition and improves reading comprehension

The reappearance of these language items in different sentences or situations enables encoding and memorisation.

  • How many words can you recall that you’ve learnt through reading stories, watching series or checking lyrics?
  • Did you focus on them or was it simply incidental learning?

Therefore, reading in a foreign language facilitates language acquisition at all levels. Understanding and interpreting the text and the linguistic items improves reading comprehension, too.

benefits of storytelling

How to improve reading comprehension?

Recommend books that your students can read for fun, include stories in your lessons or invent a project or reading challenge.

Read our article and tips on How to make reading a habit.

Check out the Teacher’s Handbook of various graded readers and the Activity Tips in the Teacher’s Dashboard.

One story can be used in a variety of ways in class depending on the teacher

What is the role of storytelling in a language class?

Learning English through storybooks might seem unconventional, yet, they can be implemented to any classroom in many different ways. Some teachers prefer to study language items and structures through the text because students can understand the function of the items more easily.

how to use stories

Others focus on receptive or productive language skills, such as reading and listening comprehension, or talking or writing about a story. A third group of teachers may prefer to focus on the content of the story.

For example, teaching about Native Americans through myths, geography through an adventure book or about animals with the help of picture books.

Therefore, you teach the language, you improve (language or soft) skills and you are also able to present factual knowledge of the world and different cultures at the same time.

21st century skills are easily developed with the help of narratives

This complexity is particularly important in the development and improvement of 21st century skills, such as communication and cultural competence.

21st century skills

Most well-known stories originate from mythology and folklore of different cultures, and thus teach about cultural differences and  aspects, history and values of the target language.

Idiosyncrasies of different languages are visible through expressions and even at the level of words which can be more easily understood  through storytelling and narratives.

Did you know that the words ‘silly’, ‘awkward’ or ‘cool’ as an expression of approval only exist in English?

Do your students know how to use these words?

This is part of their cultural competence and intercultural communication skills. Without the cultural background and idiosyncrasies of cultures, languages cannot be transmitted fully. Knowing and understanding cultural aspects of the target culture is therefore essential in learning.

advantages of storytelling method

What is more, through stories, students can learn about themselves, formulate personal opinions, analyse and judge the characters and situations.

Through stories, students can become more empathetic, open-minded, critical or even more humorous. These qualities are necessary soft skills which are all related to emotional intelligence and global citizenship.

Stories enable differentiation in and beyond the classroom

Advantages of the storytelling method include not only flexibility as a teaching material, but also that it can be easily tailored to age, level, pace and individual needs. It mainly depends on the teacher’s choice of story, method and activities used in storytelling.

Whether a classroom lesson, or books assigned as homework, differentiation is easily possible by choosing the convenient topic, complexity and length of the story for the students.

The depth of analysis depends on the teacher: if they want to study sentences, practice intonation and pronunciation, improve reading comprehension or simply read for fun for extra input and motivation.

On the other hand, students can also benefit from this flexibility and freedom: they can interpret a story in different ways, they can relate to it or criticise it the way they like: a huge variety of language output is possible with the help of stories.

Stories make factual knowledge more accessible

Content and language integrated learning exploits the complexity of language learning, skills development and information content. A story about Benjamin Franklin’s inventions and aspirations brings history closer to students.

They gain knowledge of the era, the lifestyle of people, American history and the personality of Benjamin Franklin.

Stories make factual knowledge more accessible

At the same time, they are provided with the opportunity to learn expressions related to physics and politics among others. It can be an introduction to a history or science lesson or even assigned homework after discussing some of the content of the digital interactive book in class.

Check out the digital interactive book of The Genius Benjamin Franklin.

Types of storytelling methods

Incorporating storytelling into education can take various forms to cater to diverse learning styles and objectives. Here are some popular methods:

Types of storytelling methods
  • Traditional Storytelling

This classic approach involves teachers or storytellers orally presenting tales to the students. It relies on verbal communication, intonation, and gestures to engage learners.

Traditional storytelling can be particularly effective in enhancing listening comprehension and capturing the essence of oral traditions.

  • Written Stories

Using written narratives, whether in printed books, e-books, or online resources, allows students to engage with stories independently. It promotes reading comprehension, vocabulary expansion, and encourages self-paced learning.

  • Digital Interactive Storytelling

Leveraging technology, digital interactive storybooks and applications like BOOKR Class provide a multimedia experience. They often include audio narration, animations, and interactive elements to make the learning process engaging and immersive. This method can be especially appealing to tech-savvy students.

storytelling methodes types
  • Role-Playing and Drama

Encouraging students to act out stories or take on character roles not only promotes language skills but also boosts creativity and confidence.

Role-playing and drama help students immerse themselves in the narrative, enhancing their emotional connection to the content.

  • Story-Based Projects

Teachers can assign projects that require students to create their own stories, incorporating language elements they’ve learned. This method fosters creativity, reinforces language skills, and encourages collaborative learning.

  • Cultural Storytelling

Focusing on stories from different cultures exposes students to diverse worldviews and promotes cultural understanding. It can be a powerful tool for teaching both language and global citizenship.

  • Storytelling Through Art

Combining storytelling with visual arts allows students to express their understanding of narratives through drawings, paintings, or multimedia presentations. This method nurtures artistic expression and language skills simultaneously.

Choosing the most suitable storytelling method depends on the educational goals, student preferences, and the resources available. By incorporating a variety of these approaches, educators can create a rich and dynamic learning experience that caters to the needs of all learners, including those who can benefit from interactive platforms like BOOKR Class.

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End of The Year Activity – DIY Board Game for Kids https://bookrclass.com/blog/end-of-the-year-activity/ Mon, 31 May 2021 12:05:50 +0000 https://bookrlab.com/bookrclass2021/?post_type=blog&p=1668

Preparations

Divide the class into smaller groups of three or four students and distribute the board game, a deck of cards, a dice and figures. If necessary, go through the instructions on the fields. 

Fields

  • START: Put the figures on this field to start the game.
  • FINISH: The person who reaches this land first, wins.
  • Roll the dice again
  • Pick a card: Pick a card from the deck, read the question loudly and answer it for your partner/group.
  • Go backwards 2 steps: When you arrive at this field, go backwards 2 steps.
  • Swap places: When you arrive at this field, swap places with a player of your choice.
  • Move forward 2 steps: When you arrive at this field, move forward 2 steps.
question card of throw and glow summer edition

Join the BOOKR Summer Reading Camp!

summer reading camp social preview

Turn your child’s summer into an exciting educational adventure with our BOOKR Summer Reading Camp! Perfect for kids aged 4-10, this engaging program combines learning and fun through:

  • 3-Month Unlimited Access to over 1000 animated books, 5000+ educational games, and 4000+ flashcards.
  • Weekly Thematic Book Lists curated by educational experts.
  • Printable Crafts and Tutorials to spark creativity.

Enroll now and keep your child’s love for reading alive all summer long! Visit our Summer Reading Camp page to get started. Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity!

DIY Board Game for Kids

Although we prepared a set of 32 question cards for you and your class, there’s also the opportunity for you to use the board game in your own way. All you have to do is download the question card templates and create your own deck of cards. 

empty question card of throw and glow summer edition
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Easter Activities in Class or Beyond https://bookrclass.com/blog/easter-activities/ Mon, 22 Mar 2021 09:45:49 +0000 https://bookrlab.com/bookrclass2021/?post_type=blog&p=1035

Link surfing

Elementary and up

Link surfing is a fun online activity not only for your Easter classes. All your students need is a computer and a wikipedia page in front of them.

link surfing
  • Choose any page such as “Billie Eilish”, “COVID-19” or anything you’d like.
  • Then, choose an ending Wikipedia page. Such as “Easter” or “Easter bunny”, or anything Easter-themed.

The students’ task is to arrive at the Wikipedia page “Easter” only using the hyperlinks of the website. This challenges their cognitive skills, reading skills and how fast they can scan through a text.

Giving gifts

Beginner

Ask your beginners to decorate a paper egg. Using this paper egg have a fun Easter role play with this dialogue, for example:

giving gifts
  • This is a gift. Here you are.
  • Thank you. What is it?
  • It’s an egg.
  • What colour is it?
  • It’s green.

Here’s a tip to level up the previous activity for your intermediate students. Ask them to form pairs, and  think of a great present idea for their partners. Ask them to finish the sentence “If I were an Easter bunny, I would bring you a(n) X. Then to elaborate on why they’d bring a “pencil case” or “confidence” or an “alarm clock” for their partners.

Easter worksheets

Beginner and Elementary

If you’re seeking versatile teaching materials suitable for a variety of classes, look no further! Our monthly downloadable resources offer a wealth of engaging content, including specialized materials for Easter and much more.

With a plethora of worksheets and supplementary resources at your fingertips, you’ll never run short of inspiration for your lessons.

Don’t miss out—download our material today and unlock a world of educational possibilities!

Please don’t forget to add #BOOKRClass when you share it! We need to see your picture to include it in the competition!

Our lucky winner will receive this amazing gift pack including our beloved BOOKR Class rabbit and a free annual BOOKR Class Library App subscription!

Good luck and have fun! 🙂

Check out the BOOKR Class website to learn more about high-quality digital interactive animated storybooks.

easter activites for school
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Environmental Protection themed series in the BOOKR Class Library App https://bookrclass.com/blog/environmental-protection-series/ Wed, 10 Feb 2021 08:23:52 +0000 https://bookrlab.com/bookrclass2021/?post_type=blog&p=994

What is environmental protection?

Conserving our environment means that we take care of everything around us. We protect animals, plants, forests, waters, the land and landscapes. We don’t allow them to get hurt, damaged or polluted.

Restoring our environment means that we understand something has gone wrong and we are trying to improve the situation. For example some species are declining in number, a body of water has become more polluted, or even that global warming can cause natural disasters threatening human lives.

Why is it important to talk about environmental issues at school?

We need to be aware of environmental changes so we can stop and even reverse them. Raising awareness of these issues is crucial even at a very young age. We are responsible for raising an environmentally-conscious generation who reduces waste, recycles, reuses things and even upcycles. For this, we need to teach our kids the value of nature, good health, responsible behaviour and critical thinking.

Without these skills and knowledge they might not address ethical issues such as pollution or wildlife conservation which can cause serious damage to mother nature and the human race. By taking small measures to protect the environment, we can encourage a conscious lifestyle and leave a legacy of a healthy planet on which future generations can live. Who wouldn’t like to take part in such an important initiative?

How to raise environmental awareness?

  • Lead by example – Most of the time children copy behaviour. If teachers or parents lead by example, children will make environmentally conscious behaviour part of their everyday life. For example recycling in the classroom or at home, picking up rubbish from the floor or turning off the lights when leaving the room.
  • School projects – Make it fun! Involving the whole school or families in projects like planting trees, picking up rubbish in the local forest can encourage environmentally-conscious habits.
  • Challenges – Use charts to show students their own progress. The chart can include mini quests such as turning off the lights, showering instead of taking a bath.

Bob’s Tales

Bob is a little dog who wants to be a detective when he grows up. One day, he smells something strange and decides to find out where the smell is coming from. In the story we follow Bob and his Dad, Tango, on their adventure. Even the Forest Police are involved! On their way to the crime scene they see that all forest plants and animals are being affected by illegal waste dumping. Will the team be able to uncover the identities of the criminals? Will they get their just deserts?

Meet the characters and read their introductions

bob

Bob wants to be a detective when he grows up. When he heard the lorry and smelled that strange smell, he immediately knew that something was up. He wants to save the forest and is determined to catch the criminals.

Tango is a great role model for his puppies. He is smart, brave and supports his precious puppies no matter what. He takes care of his family, is protective of their lives and wellbeing whilst allowing them to grow.

tango
lara

Lara is a wonderful, caring mother, who loves her family. She takes care of the puppies and supports them to achieve their goals. She is also worried when Bob and Tango leave to save the forest, but that’s what mothers are like!

Chief Cherlock is the captain of the Forest Police. He is a serious person! He likes to keep everything in order and environmental protection is very important to him.

chief
saddle sam

Saddle Sam works part time at the Forest Police, and part-time at the Forest school. He teaches environmental protection and safety. He is also said to be the best detective in the forest.

Hacker Harry’s job at the Forest Police is to help to workflow and give hints to the people’s police. As the head of the forest IT group, he protects the forest by looking for clues on the Internet. Exciting! – internet safety.

hacker harry
bunny bella, teddy tom, fox franky

Bunny Bella, Teddy Tom and Fox Franky are Saddle Sam’s students at the Forest School. They enjoy Mr. Saddle’s lessons about environmental protection and crime prevention. They are smart, brave and ready to help.

Activity tip – Domino

  • Ask the students to form groups.
  • Give each group a set of domino cards.
  • Ask them to shuffle the cards and place them face down.
  • Place the “start” card on the desk.
  • Then, the players draw a card one by one and match the introduction with the character’s picture.
  • The game is over when the “finish” card is on the desk as well.

To make this exercise easier, ask the students to use the ideas as clues, allocate time for a speaking session about the characters and their guesses. You can play it before reading the series. How well can they guess what the characters are like? During reading they can switch the cards if needed.

domino to bob tale
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