How do your wss come to live?

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ESL forum > Teaching material > How do your wss come to live?

How do your wss come to live?

zailda

How do your wss come to live?

I really wonder how you create your ws. I create mine in 3 different ways:

1) under pressure - because I need a ws to practice or teach a particular subject / topic but canï¿½t find any that fits to my ssï¿½ needs or vocabulary, and since some teach the same topic at different levels, sometimes the ws has the grammar I need but the exercises are too difficult for my elementary ss.

2) irresistible picture - I find a terrific picture and it looks right into my eyes and says: ï¿½donï¿½t you think Iï¿½m just perfect to prepare a ws onï¿½?ï¿½ Since I got the idea I tend to work without stopping until I get it ready and I normally love the result, even when the others donï¿½t exactly agreeï¿½ LOL

3) inspiration - Sometimes I see a ws and think ï¿½I could do it in a different way.ï¿½ and I start organizing my ideas (that process may last few days or weeksï¿½) and let my brain do the rest. Once I started thinking of the best new way to present the topic my brain keeps creating it, and when itï¿½s done, I simply sit in front of the computer and the things happen as if they had their own will.

The first type is the one that gives me the poorest results, I use them because I need to and sometimes I share them here, but itï¿½s not my favorite way of teaching. I usually try to ï¿½upgradeï¿½ them to the second or third type as soon as I get the inspiration or stumble upon the right pic.

The second is always the hardest to do, I have to create exercises and examples to make the most of the pic and donï¿½t have the feeling that it lacks somethingï¿½ Of course it wonï¿½t be used right away, but Iï¿½ll certainly use it some day and my students really love them.

The third is my favorite and the ones I do faster because all the work is ready in my head, I only need to represent what goes in my mind in the paper.

How do you create yours?

16 Sep 2010

CariReguilleau

I ï¿½ll do it pretty much the same way as you do!!!...Sometimes you create a Ws in a few hours....sometimes you spend days correcting/adding/changing etc...But I think in some way we all go under the same process of thinking, selecting, etc...

16 Sep 2010

juliag

Only a short reply as my favorite dog is waiting to be walked, but usually a combination of 1 and 3.

Need is the most important motivating factor for me, but I try to look ahead in the textbook and think about what I need pretty far in advance, as I have found through trial and error that I need to have the clear idea of how my worksheet will be presented that you mention in 3 before I start to make it or else 1) I can ï¿½t figure out the layout for it and it takes a lot of time and starting over to get it to where I want it to be, and 2) I usually don ï¿½t like the end result anyway and end up wanting to remake.

My favorite kind to make are the ones that have a strong theme, so the creation of the worksheet just flows like writing a story.(Though of course my worksheet making has moments of writers ï¿½ block, too...)

What an interesting post! Thanks for raising the topic, Zailda. Look forward to reading some other responses when I get back.

16 Sep 2010

franknbea

I like to find angles that don ï¿½t get much coverage. Quite a bit of my inspiration actually comes from posts in the forum or the cafe. I have done one in response to a friend ï¿½s request in the past but those feel a little forced. All my ws get ï¿½tested ï¿½ on my students first and then uploaded. I recently did a ï¿½joint ï¿½ ws and ppt with another teacher on this site and that was very enjoyable, will definitely be doing that again. As I have quite a few mature students I ï¿½m always on the look out for material to cover with them, subsequently as you put it Zailda, I end up creating my own material when I can ï¿½t find anything suitable.

Regards

16 Sep 2010

zailda

Hi Franknbea!

The idea of "joint" wss sounds great for me. How could we make this kind of wss if all the contributors are ESLp. members? Maybe we should ask for a feature to share the ws online (as its owner) and split the points.

I ï¿½m really into songs wss and would like to create a set of "joint" ones. There are some members from ESLp. helping me sending the topics that may be developed with every song they find.

Oops, I forgot to mention: The fourth type is: ws belonging to a project. I ï¿½ve created some wss with songs + grammar + vocabulary + reading + listening, etc. My ss really enjoy practicing the topics they learn through songs. And - of course - I appreciate any help / ideas / suggestions I can get from members here.

Also engaged in a reading comprehension project... It seems like if I didin ï¿½t have anything to do and were plenty of time to create tons of things to work in. In fact, that ï¿½s not true, but I can ï¿½t help it...

16 Sep 2010

Olindalima ( F )

Hi Zailda

Did you get my pm?
Linda

16 Sep 2010

ELOJOLIE274

I tend to start with an idea - usually what I will ask my pupils to do for their "final task" (eg.: write a letter) - then I think "what will they need to do their final tasks successfully" (vocabulary, grammar, text, oral activity...) - then I search for a suitable ws, and if I can ï¿½t find it, I adapt one I found or create one from scratch... But I definitely need inspiration from other ws to be creative - because i haven ï¿½t got an ounce of creativity in me i ï¿½m afraid...
have a nice day!
Elodie

16 Sep 2010

Dear Zailda,

This is a really interesting theme. Thanks for airng it.
I don ï¿½t normally work under pressure of having to create something. I ï¿½m always on the look out for interesting themes, situations, articles - in fact, anything that I think will interest my students so I usually have a stock of material to call upon. I don ï¿½t use course books so I am free to bring into the lesson what I think would fit.
Once I ï¿½ve found something interesting, - usually a text (but sometimes pictures) I look to see what springs out of it - e.g. a good conversation lesson, or interesting vocabulary, or a good example of an item of grammar. Then I try to focus on that by writing some questions and/or exercises relating to that particular focus. I look for pictures that would fit to the topic and add them and try and make the sheet as attractive as I can within my limited power.
I like to look through people ï¿½s sheets to see what they produced at the beginning of their ESL Printable lives, and what the are producing now and it ï¿½s always very interesting to see the difference. The files are a great document of progress.
Keep up the good work!
Mandy

16 Sep 2010

franknbea

Hi Zailda,

working on Joint ws isn ï¿½t a problem. The points issue can be overcome by taking turns in uploading the ws. So one person gets the points one time and their ï¿½partner ï¿½ on the next project. As for copyright, as long as both members are in full agreement and ï¿½sign ï¿½ orput their name to the work I don ï¿½t see a problem. It ï¿½s a sharing site so why not have shared creations?

16 Sep 2010

zailda

@Mandy:

You mentioned an interesting point: comparing / contrasting the wss a member produces now with the ones he used to produce at his very beginning. I think that we can learn a lot by observing the stages and development of a person through the progress he obtained by trying and failing.

Through the months we learn new approaches and techniques and not only should the "final product" be portraited with proud, but also the different ways we found during our stay here to show different aspects of teaching & learning.

Once someone suggested me delete some of my wss that (according to her) couldn ï¿½t be useful to anyone. I agree, some of them don ï¿½t seem to be useful even to me (anymore) after learning new tricks from many people here, but they are the real testimony to how much I ï¿½ve learned here, and how much I can still learn in the future.

Looking back someone else ï¿½s work may encourage new members that may feel insecure about their talent or creativity, but since they learn everyone started with the same kind of wss (like the children, who have similar attempts when trying to draw), they ï¿½ll understand that:

skills are as important as talent;

the former can be developed by constant practicing;

the latter can be "discovered" or "waken up";

the other members ï¿½ feedback can show us how far we are from where we want to be;

the students ï¿½ response in learning and engaging tells us the time to keep or adapt our techniques and ideas;

the more we learn, the more we want to;

the more we want to learn, the more we feed our creativity.

16 Sep 2010

juliag

I agree! I know some members here like to delete their older worksheets because they feel ashamed of them, but I like to keep them as a testimony to how much this site and all of you in it have done for me and how I have developed in my worksheet making. It is amazing how much creativity this wonderful place can inspire in people who want to develop and learn. Thank you everyone for your great inspiration each and every day!

16 Sep 2010