Teaching Tip: Extra-Curricular Learning Projects - 2

Name:

Claudia Boniche Castillo and Pamela Ugalde

Economy:

Chile

School:

La Serena English Teachers Network

Subject:

English as a Foreign Language

Tip:

ENGLISH SONG FESTIVAL: A TEACHING EXPERIENCE

From the very beginning, English Opens Doors has supported projects and activities done by teachers of the English Associations known as English Language Teaching Networks. They meet and work actively throughout the whole country organizing exhibitions like festivals, competitions, Spelling Bee contests, plays, among others for all the community, especially for students.

The main objective of Mastersnet La Serena during the English Week has been to show how our students from fifth to twelfth grades use and work effectively in the English language as well as improving their learning skills. Our English network has organized a wonderful event called English Song Festival where our students feel motivated to participate enthusiastically singing their favorite songs and giving us, their teachers, a wonderful example on how to do what you like in front of many people. We have had three festivals since 2007; all of them have been great. Every year is better than the last one, so we would like to continue with this project and try to integrate more and more schools in these events.

We all know that our students are surrounded by music in every activity they do. Music motivates and leads them every day. Our main objective is to encourage our students to live a healthy and harmonious life, doing activities which help them to demonstrate their abilities, like singing or playing musical instruments, using English as a tool for communicating their own ideas. Our students have the chance to sing and play as soloists, in duets or bands in front of a great audience, their own classmates and teachers. We also know that through an event like this, our students will increase their interest in learning English, improving their pronunciation, intonation, fluency and vocabulary through songs, apart from strengthening all the transversal objectives (values) which are present in the national curriculum.

Thanks to the English Opens Doors Program from Mineduc Chile, we have had the possibility of carrying out this activity, having all the members from the network committed to plan, organize and implement a project like the English song Festival. As we need to move a large number of students to the host school where the stage is located, rent audio equipment, and invite an important group of teachers and musicians to be our jury; we have to work in teams, playing certain roles in order to achieve the main objective: the success of our festival. All the members of the network possess different skills and personal characteristics which eventually help us attain all our goals. Some of us prepare students to be the festival presenters, stage and entrance assistants while others deliver snacks for the competitors, or assist the jury. Others decorate the stage and prepare the setting. Another teacher is in charge of the purchase of presents, snacks and everything that is needed. We are grateful to our coordinators and staff at Direccion Provincial Elqui and Secretaria de Educacion who have been a great support for all our projects since the year 2005.

The teachers of Mastersnet La Serena belong to different subsidized and private schools which are: COLEGIO DEL ALBA, COLEGIO LEONARDO DA VINCI, COLEGIO AMERICANO, COLEGIO SERENA, SCUOLA ITALIANA, TRINITY SCHOOL, ESCUELA DE MUSICA, SEMINARIO CONCILIAR, AND COLEGIO PROVIDENCIA. All of us are happy to participate and we all care about each other. We have monthly meetings were we plan our projects, share our experiences and ideas, searching for the improvement of our teaching techniques and strategies.

Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5xn2f6gGNI