Imagine you've just had a class do an exercise with a number of questions and you want to turn marking it into something much more exciting than asking who has the answer to question 1. If your class works well in competitive teams, and the number of questions can be written in a rectangle or square (9,12,16 are good), use the concept of noughts and crosses.

Write the question numbers in a grid on the board and give each team a colour or symbol. Teams take it in turns to choose a question to answer and if they are right, they 'win' that number. To win the game, teams need to try to get three numbers in a row.

Variations include having more than two teams and only finishing when all of the questions are answered, with each team trying to get more lines of three numbers than the other team(s).

Labels: all languages, games, teaching ideas

When using a table layout in a word processor to make up vocabulary or game cards, sometimes it looks better to have the content centred not only horizontally, but also vertically. Hitting "Enter" a couple of times before and after the text/picture is not the best way to do this! Here are two methods in MS Word (at least the version from 2002):

Method 1: See the screenshot above left? If you can't find the button at the top left of the screenshot in Word, then click on the 'View' menu, then 'Toolbars', then 'Tables and Borders'. When you have the cursor in a table cell that you want to centre, click on the top button and choose the layout you want.

Method 2: If you prefer going through menus, or not having lots of toolbars taking up screen space, then use this method. When you have the cursor in a table cell that you want to centre, go to the 'Tables' menu, choose 'Table Properties'. Click on the 'Cell' tab and choose which vertical alignment you want.

Both of these methods can be applied to multiple cells or whole tables at once if you highlight them first.

Labels: IT tips

I'm back from Germany and have started to sort out the photos. I thought I might do a series of blog entries about some of the places I visited.

Xanten is on the Rhine river, quite close to Wesel in Nordrhein-Westfalen. The Altstadt is surrounded by a wall, however, only one original gate, the Klevertor, remains. It is known as the birthplace of the Nibelungen legend; however, unless you visit when the Siegfriedspiele are on in May, the only major hint of this is the names of the windmills, the Siegfried and Kriemhildmühlen. The latter is operational and runs tours as well as selling bread from its own bakery.

Of much more historical significance are the Archeological Park and Roman Baths of Colonia Ulpia Traiana. The buildings in the park are reconstructions, but the explanations (in German only) give an insight into Roman town life. Unusually, the Xanten Roman ruins lie outside of the present town, and this has been a major factor in their preservation, as they haven't had layer-upon-layer of buildings over them in the intervening centuries. The park is children friendly, with a games house with Roman games explained and ready to play, and a large Roman-themed playground, currently under renovation.

The St Victor cathedral is very impressive. Begun in 1263, it is considered to be the "small brother of Cologne cathedral". Xanten has long been a site of pilgrimage and St Victor was a 4th century Roman legionnaire who became a Christian martyr.

To see some more of the photos I took while in Xanten, have a look at my Xanten Facebook album.

Labels: german, photos, travel