During the second semester at school, our reader was an adaptation of the Wallace and Gromit animation The Wrong Trousers. It was a fun read and one that teachers and kids alike could enjoy. My students especially liked Wallace’s crazy inventions such as the Getting Up in the Morning Machine (watch this video clip to see how it works) so there was only one thing to do as an end of book project: invent your own crazy machine!
To add an extra element of fun and challenge, I set up a poster competition with the best inventions from each class (as chosen by the students themselves) being put on display with certificates and prizes for the winners. The level of creativity shown by some of the kids was amazing (I’ve been working with young learners for long enough now that this shouldn’t surprise me anymore but nevertheless it still does!) and some of them really excelled with being given the freedom to let their imaginations run wild.
Here are some of the best ideas (sorry the pictures are not the clearest but I had to take mobile phone photos instead of scanning them. My personal favourite was the ‘Teacher Silencer’ (the girl who made it gave a very good accompanying presentation and assured me it was not designed to work on English teachers!) which was one of the winners alongside a contact lens that takes photos, an ear puller for unruly toddlers and a magic pen which helps you get top marks on tests and homework! Which one would have won your vote?
Love children's drawings and I must say that these ones are beyond my imagination!Yes, I agree with you that even though we have to do with kids almost every day and someone might say we should have been accustomed to their reactions, behaviour or whatever.....those little creatures still do manage to surprise us! I'd vote for the ear puller!! really useful indeed when you're not at home!!
ReplyDeleteMay I share some "artistic moments" from my school here in our blog http://noratouparlaki.blogspot.com/2011/03/blog-post.html
Nora
Greece
Nora
Greece
I'd vote for the camera lens. Can version 1.1 have a faster shutter speed, please?
ReplyDeleteWhen I read the title "Ear Puller", I thought for a minute about what it could possibly be. After viewing the comic demonstration I wondered, do mothers somewhere in the world still yank on naughty children's ears?
ReplyDeleteThe very same thought crossed my mind Tyson! The Teacher Silencer is obviously a reaction to a real-life scenario so (unfortunately) the Ear Puller must be as well!
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