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ESL Letter of the Week - J

1/23/2017

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RHYMES

Jack and Jill
Jack and Jill went up the hill
to fetch a pail of water
Jack fell down and broke his crown
And Jill came tumbling after
(Use some good videos/images so that the students understand what is going on in the rhyme. You can do the same learning activities as with Humpty Dumpty.)

Johnny Johnny
Johnny, Johnny?
Yes, Papa
Eating sugar?
No, Papa
Telling lies?
No, Papa
Open Your mouth!
Ha! Ha! Ha!

Jolly Phonics - Letter J
Jelly and Jam
Jelly and Jam
Jiggling on a plate
Oh what shall I eat it with?
/j/ /j/ /j/ /j/ /j/

BOOKS

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ACTIVITIES

The Letter J Coloring sheet is a good reinforcement of the vocabulary words. Try to repeat the words a lot while the kids are coloring so that they remember the words and the J sound.

The paper plate jellyfish craft is super easy! If you can't find paper plates, you can always cut semi-circles out of a thick white paper. Review the parts of the body by asking the kids to draw "eyes, mouth and nose" on the jellyfish. 

You can use whatever is available to you for the tentacles. I like to use gift wrapping ribbon, but other ideas are tissue paper, construction paper, pipe cleaners, or even newspaper! I recommend also watching some jellyfish videos so that kids can connect what they are crafting with the actual animal. Its not one that they see every day!
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DOWNLOADS

Download the preschool letter J coloring sheet and letter J vocabulary flashcards to use for personal and educational purposes. Do not sell them or offer them as your own. Please give proper credit wherever you use them.
​

The flashcards are formatted for A4 and can be printed back to back, cut and laminated. There is a color and a black and white version in case you want to save on printing costs and do the coloring yourself.
j_flashcards_color.pdf
File Size: 110 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

j_flashcards_bw.pdf
File Size: 99 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

j_coloring_page.pdf
File Size: 434 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

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Book Review - Behold the Dreamers

1/18/2017

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I just finished my first book of the new year, and also the first book of my Travel by the Book Challenge for 2017, Behold the Dreamers by first time author Imbolo Mbue. It is a new novel from 2016 that tells the story of an immigrant family from Cameroon - Jende, Neni and son Liome - that has landed in New York City to pursue a new life of opportunity and happiness. It begins in 2007 and follow through the financial crisis and historic presidential election in 2008. ​

It is an easy read, has an interesting plot and was pretty clean in content.  The story depicts everyday reality, so it is not overly predictable or overly surprising. At times I felt like there was something lacking in the character development and some stiffness in the dialogue. As the characters started to change toward the end of the book, I did not feel that I knew them as well as I would have liked to, in order to feel the full weight of the internal changes that they were going through. 
Even though it was not set in Cameroon, I appreciated the peak into the Cameroonian culture, via the family life, food references, and the characters' reminiscing of their hometown and childhoods. One big cultural dynamic that was highlighted in the story was the relationship between the Cameroonian husband and wife. The main characters had an intense loyalty to one another and took their roles in marriage seriously. The husband was willing to make difficult decisions that he thought were best for the wife, even when he knew it would make her mad. He was willing to go to great lengths to supply for and protect his family. The wife was committed to standing by her man and did so by submitting to decisions she didn't like and forgiving both verbal and physical abuse. I thought it was brave of the author to present this aspect of her own culture, especially to a western audience that might be really put off by it. She highlights this through several characters in the book, other than just Jende and Neni, which made me think she was portraying the normality of it in her culture.

I thought the core theme of the book was "Is the 'American Dream' worth it?" A lot of people around the world believe that America is the promised land of success and happiness. Jende and Neni are willing to pursue that dream at almost any cost because of the lack of opportunity in their own country and their desire to impress everyone back home. Their wealthy employers, the Edwardses,  appear to have everything, but are still zealously pursing the same dream at a much higher cost. The ending of the story for everyone is both tragic and hopeful. 

I hope the author, who is herself an immigrant from Cameroon to New York City, continues to write from her cultural background and experiences. It is such a helpful way for us to get insight that we normally wouldn't have and to be able to relate with people who are different than us. I would recommend the book to anyone who is looking for something that will both entertain and enlighten you.
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Off the Beaten Path

1/5/2017

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During our recent road trip, which ended at the Sula Vineyards in Nashik, we diverted from the main highway and took some back roads through the rural farmlands of Maharastra. Not much needs to be said apart from these gorgeous pictures. Enjoy the pictures and Happy Weekend!
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Travel by the Book 2017 - My Country List

1/4/2017

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Happy New Year! 

Now that January has started, Travel by the Book 2017 has also officially begun! I'll admit, January has caught me off guard and it is taking me a few days to get rolling and to get my thoughts together. But I have picked out my complete Country List for the year. So here goes...
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  • January - Cameroon, Africa
  • February - Argentina, South America
  • March - Syria, Asia
  • April - Sweden, Europe
  • May - Nicarauga, Central America
  • June - Australia
  • July - Kazakhstan, Asia
  • August - Tunesia, Africa
  • September - Columbia, South America
  • October - Belarus, Europe
  • November - Japan, Asia
  • December - Botswana, Africa

First I decided how many countries from each continent that I wanted to follow. That ensured that the countries were spread out. I've started following Cameroon using the Flipboard app, and it seems like there is alot happening there right now. I can't wait to dive in and learn more about their past, present and future!

Remember, you can track your progress using this free printable. And don't forget to share all of your travel adventures!
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    Julie

    Luke and I are married and have five little munchkins that travel the world with us. I blog about living overseas, travel, kids, homeschooling  and graphic design.

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