Jane the Brain: A cerebral adventure for our little ones

The recent World Mental Health Day reminded us of the importance of taking care of our minds, especially from a young age. And for our little ones, learning about the brain in a fun and educational way is essential. That's where Video Series Jane the Brain comes in!

What is Jane the Brain?

Jane the Brain is an animated video series that takes kids on a fascinating journey through the human brain. Through colorful animations and endearing characters, Jane explains complex neuroscience concepts in a simple and entertaining way. From how we learn and remember to how we feel emotions, Jane makes it all understandable.

Why is it important for children's mental health?

Normalizing emotions: Jane the Brain helps children understand that their emotions are normal and that everyone experiences them.

Fostering curiosity: By presenting the brain as a fascinating organ, the series sparks children's curiosity to learn more about themselves.

Developing social skills: The videos promote empathy and understanding of others' perspectives.

Reducing stigma: By openly discussing the brain and mental health, it helps to reduce the stigma associated with these topics.

How to use Jane the Brain at home or in the classroom?

Viewing sessions: Dedicate some time each week to watch Jane the Brain episodes with your family or in the classroom.

Complementary activities: Create fun and educational activities based on the video topics, such as drawings, role-playing, or simple experiments.

Open dialogue: Use the videos as a starting point for conversations about emotions, thoughts, and behaviors.

Find this amazing resource on:

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/get-involved/science-education/video-series-jane-the-brain

SoBrief: #ArtificialIntelligence to generate book summaries

SoBrief is an innovative AI-powered tool that provides concise and accurate summaries of a wide variety of books. Language teachers can leverage this platform to:

• Expand their reading horizons: Discover new works and literary genres quickly and easily.
• Enrich their classes: Use the summaries as a starting point for class discussions, literary analysis, or as a supplement to your teaching materials.
• Encourage reading among their students: Recommend books to students based on their interests and language proficiency levels.
• Save time: Avoid the tedious task of summarizing books yourself and devote more time to preparing more creative activities.

With SoBrief, teachers have access to summaries in multiple languages, which facilitates the integration of literature from different cultures into their classes and promotes the learning of foreign languages in a more engaging and meaningful way.

Find it on:

https://sobrief.com/

TalkEnglish.com

TalkEnglish.com is a free online platform designed to help users improve their English speaking, listening, and comprehension skills. It offers a wide range of resources, including:

Speaking lessons: focused on improving conversational skills for various contexts such as business, travel, and daily life.

Listening lessons: helps users improve their listening comprehension by providing audio conversations with transcripts.

Grammar lessons: covers essential English grammar rules and structures.

Vocabulary resources: provides lists of commonly used English words and phrases.

Interactive exercises: offers quizzes and practice exercises to reinforce learning.

The website is aimed at both beginners and advanced learners looking to enhance their English fluency, with structured lessons and practical tools.

https://www.talkenglish.com/

A Way with Words. Radio show and podcast

A Way with Words is a radio show and podcast that focuses on language, linguistics, and communication. Hosted by Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett, the program explores a wide range of topics related to words, grammar, slang, idioms, and the origins of phrases. It features listener questions about language usage, as well as discussions on how language evolves, its quirks, and its role in culture.

Listeners can call in or write with questions, making the show interactive and engaging for language enthusiasts. The podcast appeals to anyone curious about the intricacies of words and language in everyday life.

You can find the show on popular podcast platforms like: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts...

Some episodes are available on their YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@waywordradio

Episodes are available for streaming or download at:

https://waywordradio.org/

ValentinaESL.com by @ValentinaESL

ValentinaESL.com is an online resource platform designed for English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers. It offers a wide variety of materials and tools to enhance ESL teaching, including lesson plans, activities, worksheets, and ideas for classroom engagement. 

The site is aimed at helping teachers create dynamic and interactive lessons for learners of all ages and proficiency levels.

Valentina Gonzalez, the creator of the site, shares resources focused on making language learning enjoyable and accessible. The content is typically available for free or through paid membership options, providing a flexible way for educators to access and integrate the materials into their teaching practices.

Visit this amazing collection of resources on:

https://www.valentinaesl.com/

EnglishCentral.com

EnglishCentral.com is an online language learning platform designed to help users improve their English skills through video-based lessons. The platform offers a vast library of videos covering various topics, ranging from everyday conversations to more specialized content like business English. Users can practice listening, speaking, vocabulary, and pronunciation by watching the videos and engaging with interactive exercises.

EnglishCentral employs a unique "watch, learn, speak" methodology that integrates speech recognition technology to provide instant feedback on users' pronunciation. It caters to learners of all levels, offering courses, tracking progress, and allowing users to work at their own pace. Additionally, it provides tools for teachers to create custom lessons and monitor their students' progress.

Visit:

https://www.englishcentral.com/browse/videos

2024 European Day of Languages: Europeans and their languages

The European Day of Languages is an opportunity to promote language learning and linguistic diversity. This year, the European Commission is hosting an event to discuss the 2024 Eurobarometer results on Europeans and their languages, comparing them with the 2012 results. Countries with positive outcomes, such as Finland, Portugal, and the Czech Republic, will be featured.

Speakers include Iliana Ivanova, EU Commissioner for Innovation, and various Directors General from the European Commission. The event will take place on 26 September from 12:00 to 13:00 CET and will be livestreamed with subtitles in all EU languages on this page:

https://education.ec.europa.eu/event/2024-european-day-of-languages-europeans-and-their-languages

We Teach MFL

We Teach MFL is a website offering a variety of resources aimed at supporting Modern Foreign Language (MFL) teachers. The platform provides lesson materials, worksheets, grammar guides, and exam-specific tools for Key Stage 3, GCSE, and A-Level curriculums.

These resources are designed by educators to help make teaching more engaging and efficient. Additionally, the site includes professional development (CPD) opportunities, such as webinars and blog posts, focused on enhancing teaching strategies.

Teachers can access these resources through a membership model, which offers materials for languages like Spanish and French.

Find it on:

https://www.weteachmfl.co.uk/

Free resources on:

https://www.weteachmfl.co.uk/free-resources

Open Culture

Open Culture is an educational website that offers free access to a wide range of high-quality cultural and educational resources. Founded in 2006 by Dan Colman, it curates links to free online content, including:

Free online courses from prestigious universities 

Classic films, indie movies, and documentaries.

A large collection of free audiobooks, many of them literary classics.

Free resources to help users learn over 40 different languages.

Educational resources: lectures, podcasts, and other learning materials.

Find it on:

https://www.openculture.com/

Ecosocial Calendar School Year 2024/ 2025 by Teachers for Future Spain

The Ecosocial School Year Calendar 2024/2025 by Teachers for Future Spain is a resource designed to incorporate environmental and social sustainability themes into education. 

This calendar highlights important ecological and social dates, such as international days related to climate action, biodiversity, and human rights. It encourages educators to use these dates as opportunities to integrate discussions on climate change, sustainable practices, and social justice into their lessons.

One key feature of the calendar is its inclusion of QR codes, which link to educational resources, activities, and materials to help teachers engage students in topics related to the environment and sustainability. The calendar highlights the birthdays of notable environmental figures to inspire students and provide role models.

https://teachersforfuturespain.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Copia-de-Calendario-2425-para-ingles.pdf 

How to spot and fight disinformation

How to Spot and Fight Disinformation is a guide aimed at helping citizens identify and combat the spread of false information, especially online. 

Developed by the European Union, it typically provides practical tips and strategies for recognizing disinformation, such as checking the credibility of sources, verifying facts, analyzing images and videos for manipulation, and understanding the motives behind the spread of misleading content.

The resource is part of the EU’s broader effort to promote media literacy, safeguard democracy, and prevent the harmful effects of disinformation, including political manipulation and social division. It often includes examples of common disinformation tactics and provides guidance on how to respond or report suspicious content on digital platforms.

Find it on:

https://learning-corner.learning.europa.eu/learning-materials/how-spot-and-fight-disinformation_en

Also available in Spanish:

https://spain.representation.ec.europa.eu/document/06d2547a-63e2-4b8b-9c08-620c5a6990d9_es

International Literacy Day #LiteracyDay

Since 1967, International Literacy Day (ILD) has been celebrated every year on 8 September across the globe. It's a day to remind everyone—policy-makers, educators, and the public—of just how vital literacy is for building a more informed, fair, peaceful, and sustainable world. 

Discover this celebration and many literacy-related resources on UNESCO's webpage dedicated to this day. 

https://www.unesco.org/en/days/literacy

USA Learns. Free English classes

USA Learns is a free online platform designed to help adults learn English and improve their English language skills. It offers a wide range of resources for learners at various levels, covering essential topics such as reading, writing, listening, and speaking. The platform is structured with interactive lessons that focus on real-life scenarios, such as work, school, and daily activities, making it practical for adult learners aiming to enhance their communication skills for daily use or career advancement.

In addition to English language instruction, USA Learns also provides a citizenship course to help learners prepare for the U.S. citizenship test, covering the civics and history topics needed to pass the exam.

Find it on:

https://www.usalearns.org/

Swear words and profanities from around the world

Swear words and profanities from around the world is a resource dedicated to collecting and explaining curse words, insults, and profanities from different languages and cultures.

It serves as a reference for linguists, travelers, or those simply curious about global slang, and it generally highlights the diverse ways people express strong emotions or frustration across languages and regions.

Find this multilingual resource on:

https://profanity.acatcalledfrank.com/

The State of the Global Climate 2023

The State of the Global Climate is an annual report published by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). This report provides a comprehensive overview of global climate trends, analyzing key indicators such as temperature changes, greenhouse gas concentrations, ice cover, and extreme weather events. It highlights the significant impact of climate change on ecosystems, economies, and communities worldwide.

It also serves as a tool for tracking progress towards climate goals, evaluating risks, and identifying areas where urgent action is needed. It emphasizes how human activities are intensifying climate disruptions, leading to unprecedented shifts in weather patterns, rising sea levels, and increasing natural disasters.

This report can be used in English class when addressing the issue of climate change, its causes, consequences, and possible responses around the world.

Find it on:

https://library.wmo.int/records/item/68835-state-of-the-global-climate-2023 

Animation on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ES7eKWRRJ0o 

The Media History Project

The Media History Project is a digital initiative run by the Media History Digital Library (MHDL), which was founded by Eric Hoyt, a media historian and professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The MHDL is a nonprofit effort that focuses on digitizing media periodicals, such as magazines, trade journals, and books, and making them freely accessible to the public. Their digital collections offer valuable resources for research in the fields of film, broadcasting, and recorded sound.

You can explore the official Media History Digital Library site here:

https://mediahistoryproject.org/

The risks and benefits of AI by Nik Peachey

In this lesson, students engage in discussions about how AI affects society as a whole and its role in learning English. The session is designed to help students examine both the potential advantages and drawbacks of AI, particularly in the context of language learning. 

Throughout the lesson, students will brainstorm AI-related vocabulary, read about and debate various risks and benefits of AI, listen to discussions on AI's impact on education, and experiment with ways AI can assist in improving their English skills.

https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/teaching-resources/teaching-secondary/lesson-plans/upper-intermediate-b2/risks-and-benefits-ai

Scientix

Scientix is a European initiative aimed at promoting and supporting science education across Europe. It was created by the European Commission and is managed by European Schoolnet (EUN), a network of 34 European Ministries of Education. The platform serves as a community for teachers, researchers, policymakers, and anyone interested in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education.

Scientix offers a large repository of teaching materials, research reports, and project results related to STEM education. Teachers can access and share lesson plans, activities, and other educational resources. The platform provides opportunities for teachers to participate in online courses, workshops, and conferences. These professional development activities help educators stay updated with the latest trends and practices in STEM education.

https://www.scientix.eu/

StoryWeaver

StoryWeaver is an open-source platform created by Pratham Books, designed to provide access to a vast library of multilingual children's stories. It allows users to read, create, translate, and share stories for free, making it a valuable resource for educators, parents, and children around the world. 

The platform is particularly useful in promoting literacy and a love for reading in various languages, including those that are less commonly represented in mainstream publishing.

How can you use StoryWeaver?

Accessing free stories: Teachers can use StoryWeaver to find age-appropriate stories in multiple languages for their students. The stories are categorized by reading level, making it easy to select suitable material for different age groups and proficiency levels.

Creating customized stories: Teachers can use the platform to create their own stories, tailored to the needs and interests of their students. They can also involve students in the story creation process, fostering creativity and writing skills.

Tanslating stories: StoryWeaver offers the ability to translate existing stories into different languages. This feature is particularly useful for teachers working in multilingual classrooms or looking to support students learning a new language.

Using stories as teaching tools: Teachers can incorporate the stories into their lesson plans, using them as prompts for discussions, reading comprehension exercises, or creative writing assignments. The platform also provides resources like flashcards and storyboards that can enhance the storytelling experience.

Promoting inclusivity and cultural awareness: With stories available in numerous languages and reflecting diverse cultural backgrounds, StoryWeaver helps teachers promote inclusivity and cultural awareness in the classroom.

https://storyweaver.org.in/en/

NASA+

NASA+ is a new streaming service launched by NASA to bring the wonders of space exploration and science directly to the public. Available on both web and mobile platforms, NASA+ offers a variety of content including live broadcasts, documentaries, original series, and educational materials. 

The service is designed to be accessible and free, providing a unique opportunity for viewers to explore NASA’s missions, research, and the broader universe.

https://plus.nasa.gov/