Inspirational English, April 2017 | Page 30

A- Z of Hope What I particularly love about “A-Z of Hope” is the fact that some of the lesson plans are dedicated to positive topics such as Love, Empathy, Gratitude and Friendship, to name but a few. I have already used a couple of the lessons which my students thoroughly enjoyed. I have to admit though that my favourite lesson so far is “Journal of Joy”. It is an activity which focuses on things that make learners happy. I have used it with a few students who are of varying ages and levels of English. Not only did the lessons bring smiles to my students’ faces but also encouraged them to be creative, collaborative and design wonderful Journals of Joy. I used the programme Serif Plus to create lovely posters which illustrate what makes the pupils happy. Of course, we don’t need sophisticated software to design posters in class. You could try these websites: https://www.canva.com/ or https://spark.adobe.com/, which can be used to serve the same purpose. Or just a plain sheet pf paper, some crayons and pictures from a magazine could come in handy as well. Finally, I was also pleased that I was able to tailor-make the lesson plan and save some time in my busy lifestyle. I would definitely recommend “A-Z of Hope” to my fellow-teachers because of the wide range of interesting activities and the ability to adapt them. In my opinion, the book could successfully be shared by all the English teachers in a school. Last but not least, it is important to mention that teachers can also find free resources online but we should not forget the great cause behind the book. Heart ELT intends to raise funds for children, living in refugee camps, who have been displaced by the civil war in Syria and provide educational supplies to volunteer teachers working in camps in Greece, Iraq and the Lebanon. The organisation provides resources and support to children who have no access to education due to war, poverty and natural disasters. We, English teachers, and “A-Z of Hope” can make a difference in teachers and students’ lives. Inspirational English Some of my students’ Journals of Joy 30