Talk like a Pirate Day

 

September, 19 is the International "Talk Like a Pirate" Day. 

Maybe, this doesn't say much to anybody in a non-British context, but it can be a good opportunity for English teachers of any level to try and play pirates with their students as they learn  new vocabulary and expressions, listen, talk, write... Let's have a look at some of these possibilities: 

- The official TLAP site (http://www.talklikeapirate.com/) has lots of activities like a pirate's personality test or a Pirate's Name Generator, but as it is designed for native speakers, it  might be difficult or not very suitable for beginners. 

- The Pirates Theme Page of Enchanted Learning on the other hand, has plenty of crafts, activities, word puzzles, etc. designed for the young ones; and although membership (some 17€/year) is required to download and print the original worksheets, you can surf and find ideas to adapt yourself to your specific needs. 

- There's also a Facebook Page for the event and a TLAP Wiki with easy tips to celebrate a funny TLAP Day (don't miss the video about how to change normal words and expressions  into 'pirate' language)

- Last but not least, here comes the music. Nobody would think of a real pirate party without a song. This may be a good opportunity to learn and sing the famous Drunken Sailor, either with the original Irish rhythm...

...or, why not, in the Spanish version by "Celtas Cortos" :-)



One way or another, Enjoy TLAP Day!!!...  and tell us!!

Music at school

How to use a song?

In my school, I am used to singing and dancing with children. They like to mime the actions and enjoy to learn by acting (Total Physical Response). 

Last month I prepared two of their best known songs this year because they had been regularly listening to them during beaktime, but they didn't know the meaning of  the lyrics.

Some recommendations about how to use a song:

- Play it three times at least, the first time they will be puzzled, the second, with some guide they will start to understand, at the end they will enjoy and repeat.

- Don't worry if they don't fully understand all the lyrics. Depending on the level you could translate some parts or maybe just the chorus.

- They will help you to teach vocabulary easily.

- When you use songs that can be taught through gestures, very little pre-teaching is necessary. I try to prepare some of them in advance, but you can also ask your students to invent new ones.

Here are the songs and the suggested lesson plans for them:

Good luck and, enjoy!!!
Pilar The Moon.