Thursday

How to use Perfect Past Tense

Student: Johnny
Country: Spain

Explain me a bit about of the perfect past tense. I think a bit complicated !!!!


Grant Teacher's Answer:

The Past Perfect expresses the idea that something occurred before another action in the past. It can also show that something happened before a specific time in the past.


Examples:

  • I had never seen such a beautiful beach before I went to Kauai.
  • I did not have any money because I had lost my wallet.
  • Tony knew Istanbul so well because he had visited the city several times.
  • Had Susan ever studied Thai before she moved to Thailand?
  • She only understood the movie because she had read the book.
  • Kristine had never been to an opera before last night.
  • We were not able to get a hotel room because we had not booked in advance.
  • A: Had you ever visited the U.S. before your trip in 2006?
    B: Yes, I had been to the U.S. once before.
(source: http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/pastperfect.html)

Tuesday

How to use verbs with "to go"

Student: Johnny
Country: Spain


"i want some examples with the verb to go and their compounds!!!could you give me ?
so long teacher!!"

Grant Teacher's Answer:

I need to go to the bathroom.
I want to go buy some new sneakers.
I have to go study.
I want to go to Italy for vacation!

Thursday

FREE worksheets for kids - Toy Story

Free worksheets for kids can be really hard to find. Here is a great worksheet for kids from kindergarten up to middle school that goes great with the movie Toy Story. It's a free printable worksheet. Simply click on the image for your free printable worksheet.


Toy Story is a fun animated movie about a boy named Andy who has many toys that come alive. They talk, interact, and make the movie very fun and entertaining for children and parents.

Did you see Toy Story?
Share your feedback with other teachers, parents, and students by posting comments below.

CLASSROOM DISCIPLINE...need help?
3 Tips to Gaining Control of Your Class


#1 Don't be the student's friend.
You are not their friend, you are their teacher. If you pretend to be their friend, they will not respect you as a teacher.By doing this, you undermine your authority and show the kids that you can be easily pushed to change your mind and give in just to please the students (your friends). I'm not saying that you shouldn't be nice to your students, but you should maintain a respectable teacher position; the one who is in authority.

#2 Set up classroom rules and stick to them.
Contrary to some belief, kids actually thrive in an atmosphere that has control and boundaries. If kids know what they can and cannot do, they can stop wasting their energy trying to push your limits by seeing how far they can go. With boundaries, students can focus their energy on learning. One example of a rule in my elementary classroom is: If a student is talking while I'm talking, they get a warning and I put their name on the board with one "X." If they do it again, they have to stand facing the corner with their hands in the air for 10 minutes. After the punishment, I take them outside the room, go down to their level, eye to eye and ask them if they know why they were being punished. They always say yes, because they know the system. They then tell me sorry and I let them return and join the class. You see, they aren't mad at me. They understand that they did not follow the rules. Funny enough, during the first week of classes, I may have a few students that have to stand in the corner, but as the school year continues, I rarely ever have to send anyone to the corner. Here and there, one student will slip and get an "X" next to their name on the board, but that gets them focused. This one simple system has eliminated all unnecessary talking in my classroom. What a joy one simple "X" brings!

#3 Be consistent.
Once you set a rule, stick to it. The first time you bend or break a rule, you lose all authority. Never break or bend your rules. Never play favorites. Treat all students with the same rules. Be totally consistent and the kids will respect you and your rules.

I remember my first day of teaching. I honestly thought I was going to get fired. I had students standing on their desks, one was under my desk, they were shouting ...it was a real zoo!

After getting some advice from co-workers and implementing a discipline system, I couldn't believe how much more enjoyable my classes were. The kids respected me because I now had guidelines and set boundaries. They knew exactly what they were allowed to do, and what they will get in trouble for doing.

There is currently a discipline system by Craig Seganti that teaches you how to get total control of your class and to enjoy teaching again.

There's a free discipline video on this site. You gotta check this guy out. He's totally passionate about his classes and teaching. His advice is invaluable for those of us teachers who have ever struggled with a class or student.

He doesn't give you a bunch of discipline techniques to try out. He gives you a system that works for any class. After you start using Craig's system, you'll find out that you no longer have to waste your time on discipline, you can focus on teaching (what us teachers are supposed to be focusing on.)

If you like, you can check out Craig's video on classroom discipline here:
http://budurl.com/ClassroomDiscipline

How to use the phrase "Hurry up"

Student: Tin
Country: Vietnam


i'm Tin form vietnam. i have some problem and really need your help,
last day i had the agument with my teacher, we're talking about the word " hurry up"
so i'd like to ask you."hurry up"is it adj or verb? can i say "don't be hurry up? or don't hurry up?


Grant Teacher's Answer:

Hi Tin,
"hurry up" is a command used more like a verb than an adjective.
You can say "Billy, hurry up and give me my hat...I'm freezing!"
But you wouldn't say "Don't be hurry up."

You could say "Don't hurry up."
But it is not that common. You would usually just say "Relax." or "Slow down." or "Take it easy."

Monday

How to use slang: "Elephant in the Room"

Student: Kane
Country: India

Hi Sir !!
Im so happy to be your student, my name is kane im here in India but i realy like american english and like slang too. Please could you explain me what's the meaning of this expression : " The elephant in the Room"

Best Regards.
Your Student Kane.

Thursday

FREE Worksheets for Kids - Ratatouille

Free worksheets for kids can be really hard to find. Here is a great worksheet for kids from kindergarten up to middle school that goes great with the movie Ratatouille. It's a free printable worksheet. Simply click on the image for your free printable worksheet.

Ratatouille is a fun animated movie about a rat who gets separated from his family and discovers that humans aren't so bad. He also discovers his passion for cooking and has an amazing opportunity to begin cooking in a fine restaurant in Paris, France. It's entertaining for children and parents.

Did you see Ratatouille? Share your feedback
with other teachers, parents, and students by posting comments below.

CLASSROOM DISCIPLINE...need help?
3 Tips to Gaining Control of Your Class


#1 Don't be the student's friend.
You are not their friend, you are their teacher. If you pretend to be their friend, they will not respect you as a teacher.By doing this, you undermine your authority and show the kids that you can be easily pushed to change your mind and give in just to please the students (your friends). I'm not saying that you shouldn't be nice to your students, but you should maintain a respectable teacher position; the one who is in authority.

#2 Set up classroom rules and stick to them.
Contrary to some belief, kids actually thrive in an atmosphere that has control and boundaries. If kids know what they can and cannot do, they can stop wasting their energy trying to push your limits by seeing how far they can go. With boundaries, students can focus their energy on learning. One example of a rule in my elementary classroom is: If a student is talking while I'm talking, they get a warning and I put their name on the board with one "X." If they do it again, they have to stand facing the corner with their hands in the air for 10 minutes. After the punishment, I take them outside the room, go down to their level, eye to eye and ask them if they know why they were being punished. They always say yes, because they know the system. They then tell me sorry and I let them return and join the class. You see, they aren't mad at me. They understand that they did not follow the rules. Funny enough, during the first week of classes, I may have a few students that have to stand in the corner, but as the school year continues, I rarely ever have to send anyone to the corner. Here and there, one student will slip and get an "X" next to their name on the board, but that gets them focused. This one simple system has eliminated all unnecessary talking in my classroom. What a joy one simple "X" brings!

#3 Be consistent.
Once you set a rule, stick to it. The first time you bend or break a rule, you lose all authority. Never break or bend your rules. Never play favorites. Treat all students with the same rules. Be totally consistent and the kids will respect you and your rules.

I remember my first day of teaching. I honestly thought I was going to get fired. I had students standing on their desks, one was under my desk, they were shouting ...it was a real zoo!

After getting some advice from co-workers and implementing a discipline system, I couldn't believe how much more enjoyable my classes were. The kids respected me because I now had guidelines and set boundaries. They knew exactly what they were allowed to do, and what they will get in trouble for doing.

There is currently a discipline system by Craig Seganti that teaches you how to get total control of your class and to enjoy teaching again.

There's a free discipline video on this site. You gotta check this guy out. He's totally passionate about his classes and teaching. His advice is invaluable for those of us teachers who have ever struggled with a class or student.

He doesn't give you a bunch of discipline techniques to try out. He gives you a system that works for any class. After you start using Craig's system, you'll find out that you no longer have to waste your time on discipline, you can focus on teaching (what us teachers are supposed to be focusing on.)

If you like, you can check out Craig's video on classroom discipline here:
http://budurl.com/ClassroomDiscipline

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Student's Country: China
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