Smile!!

I wanted to share this cute yet meaningful quote with all of you! :)

"Everyone smiles in the same language" - Unknown

Summer oh eight!! :)

Hey Guys!!!

Summer is just around the corner and I am excited!!! :)

I have a job as a substitute teacher for the months of May & June in a high school.

This job made me realize that, even if we all have the same background, we all have different cultures.

Most of my students have an English background but some of them are also Native. My whole life, I have been going to school with people who have a Francophone background, and now I get to teach to students who have a background which is quite different from mine and I can really notice a whole lot of differences. I think this experience is quite unique, for me anyways, and I plan on taking full advantage of it!

I hope you guys have a great summer, I'm sure I will

Xo Xo

Yum-O!

Finally, spring weather is making it's way! Yay! Snow is melting, the sun is shining, it's freezing at night and most importantly, sap is running is those maple trees. That's right, it's sugar shack time!!

Everyone who is from Canada has been to a sugar shack at least once in their lives! (If not, you don't know what you're missing!)


I think this custom is something very important and particular to our culture as it has been part of it for hundreds of years.



So here's a link to little history lesson about our famous Canadian maple syrup!
http://www.canadianmaplesyrup.com/maplehistory.html

To My Visitors! :)

Hi guys!

I just wanted to thank everyone who took the time to visit my blog and left a comment.

I love reading what you have to say about culture and teaching, keep them comming!!

Olny srmat poelpe can raed tihs!

cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm.
Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

Can you read this?? Let me know....

Let's Not Forget About Our Culture Eh!

So all this talk about foreign culture, but what about our Candian culture?!


In my opinion, it is crucial for students to know about their culture before learning about others, so I found this superbe website with overwhelming information about our culture! Pretty sweet eh?


Check it out!

http://www.culture.ca/english.jsp

Add on foreign languages

I thought this cute video spoke for itself! Enjoy!!

Multicultural Recipe Book

I was inspired by one of my classmates' blog, to post recipes on mine! I found this great website with over 30 multicultural recipes suggested! These recipes come from Rusia, India, Danemark, Sweden, Japan, etc. In addition, this website is designed for kids, so, although some ingredients may be hard to find, the recipes are super simple!!

This was actually a six grade class project, and a great one might I add! I think that this provided a one of a kind opportunity for students to experience with other cultures and see the differences and similarities! You should definitely check it out. Let me know what you think!!

http://www.kidlink.org/KIDPROJ/Recipe/recipebook.htm

What Is Culture Anyways?!

So, as I am doing some research on ESL teaching and culture, I can't help but wonder...what is culture anyways?
In my opinion, there is a broad definition of culture, but I think it can also be a very personal thing.

Let me know what you think! What your definition of culture is!!!

ESL Lesson www.eslteachingtips.com

This is a great video that shows some techniques which we are experiencing with right now!
This teacher is great!

Pop Culture Blog

http://www.studentsoftheworld.info/sites/pages.php

I found this great blog which is specifically designed for young teenagers, as it is filled with links to different categories such as sports, television, music, movies, animals, countries of the world, etc. I think it's a great place for students to read up on thing that interest them and they can either reply to the blogger or create their own blog on any related topic! Although this blog does not contain activities, it can still be used as an activity starter.

In addition, the users of this blogs are teenagers from around the world, therefore, I think it can be very mind opening for students to see the pop culture from other countries.

Check it out! Even I had a blast going through it!

Happy St-Patrick's Day!!

Hello to all!

First and far most, I want to wish you all a Happy-St-Patrick's day!!

I come from an Irish background, I think that here in Quebec, some people do celebrate St-Patrick's day, but not a lot of people know the history of this day. I searched the web and found this great website which offers all these links to activities and lesson plans related to St-Patrick's day.

In my opinion, talking about the history of St-Patrick's day (without going overboard and giving students a history class) and then doing a few activities, is totally related to culture. Some students may have an Irish background and those who don't can learn about this day which is very celebrated in our Country.

You should definitely check it out!!

http://atozteacherstuff.com/Themes/St__Patrick_s_Day/

"If you're enough lucky to be Irish, you're lucky enough!" ~ Irish Saying

ESL Teacher as Culture Broker

Hello to my readers!
I found this article called "ESL Teacher as Culture Broker" and I thought I should share it would you. It think it's great as it deals with the role that culture plays in ESL classrooms and how to deal with, not only the student's culture, but also the parents.
Before reading this article, I had never really taken into account this important issue, but this article really made me aware that it is important to take into consideration our students' cultural background. Some activities are even included and you can check out the web site's home page, as it offers great lesson plans and tips for ESL teachers.
Let me know what you think!
http://www.everythingesl.net/inservices/crosscultural.php

Yay Me!

Hey You!

My name is Sara Ann Sexton and I am a second year ESL teaching student at University Laval, in Quebec city.

I'd love to hear your take on culture and/or ESL teaching!

Enjoy your visit && leave a comment!

I can't wait to hear from you, so don't be shy!

Ps: Don't forget to answer my survey at the bottom of the page!!