Happy April Fools' Day ! Some ideas to prank your students !

 

credits: Getty Images

Today is 1st April best known in western countries as April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day. 

The power of using holidays and seasons to motivate and engage students in meaningful learning activities. No matter how old students may get, they are still truly motivated by seasonal and holiday-inspired lessons and activities.

One holiday that students are always excited to celebrate is April Fools' Day! And why wouldn't they? It is a day filled with fun, laughter, all the things that every student, no matter their age, absolutely love!

Google Images Archive

Whether you want to prank your students on April Fools' Day or just use it as a lesson motivator, some funny ideas and activities will surely bring a smile to you and your students' faces this April.

Why not elaborate some pranks to share with your students or their friends? 

Keep in mind! Pranks should be funny, not cruel. And everyone should be laughing along by the end.

However April Fools’ Day falls on a Saturday this year, and in European countries it's Easter holiday what means that those of us who don’t go to school may not be able to prank colleagues and students at school.

But fear not – for there are plenty of April Fools’ opportunities to take via text or on social media.

Do you want to prank some students or colleagues, but you aren’t sure what to do? Here’s a bit of inspiration to get the ideas whirring.

But keep in mind: pranks should be funny and safe, not mean or rude – and everyone should be laughing along by the end.

Here some funny pranks:

• Post a status on your Instagram or TikTok account, congratulating your bestie on a new job.  Make sure to tag their account in the post and watch them be flooded with congratulatory messages.

You could even get a few friends involved in the prank and have them all write individual posts to make it more believable.

• Pretend you have no idea who is texting you: 

Every time a friend or a family text you throughout the day, reply with ‘sorry who is this?’

Play dumb and pretend you have no idea who they are until you’ve driven them mad.

credits: Tony Cox/ WTML

• Fake the adoption of an unusual pet:

Post a picture of an undomesticated animal (for example a squirrel) and announce that it is the newest 'member' of the family.

Give the animal a ridiculous name and wait for the confused replies from your friends to come rolling in.

Well I hope your students and colleagues will accept your pranks and found them very funny.  

If you can't beat'em, join'em! Get in on the fun and laugh a little, well really a lot, with your students this April Fools' Day!

G-Souto

1st April 2023

update 01.04.2025

Copyright © 2023G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com®

Happy April Fools' Day : some ideas to prank your students ! by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Schools : E.T. Holiday Reunion : a commercial ? Why not !

A Holiday Reunion

XFinity, 2019

https://www.xfinity.com/ET

Christmas Season approaches. So well, this Thanksgiving, E.T. did more than  a 'phone home', he came home - at least for a little while...

The iconic extraterrestrial from Steven Spielberg's 1982 hit movie E.T. appeared in a new nostalgic Xfinity commercial shown last Thursday. And at over four minutes long, it's a lot like a super-short sequel to the Oscar-winning movie.

A Holiday Reunion

XFinity, 2019

https://www.xfinity.com/ET

The short film brings E.T. back to Earth, where he shows up at the home of his old pal Elliott, played by a now-grown Henry Thomas, 37 years after the two met in the film. 

"A lot has changed since you were here," Elliott says, and that's an understatement.

After 37 years, E.T. comes back to visit his friend, Elliott, for the holidays. During his stay, E.T. learns that Elliott now has a family of his own and that technology has completely changed on Earth since his last visit.

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

Steven Spielberg, 1982

https://www.imdb.com/

E.T. was the most popular movie of the 1980s. Me and my kids went to the movies. And everyone cried at the end with this touching story between Elliot and the lovely allien E.T. (called E.T., condensing Elliott’s own name).

It humorously and movingly portrayed grade-school kid Elliott (Henry Thomas), feeling lonely during his parents’ separation, as he develops a friendship with an alien from outer space.

A Holiday Reunion

XFinity, 2019

https://www.xfinity.com/ET

E.T. meets Elliott's family and learns about Earth's new technology (XFinity commercial), including a freaky virtual-reality dinosaur game. 

Using a device of his own, E.T. shows his Elliot an image of his own far-off family. 

And there are plenty of nods to the original film, including E.T. maintaining his love for Reese's Pieces, the flying bike scene, and Elliott's son wearing pajamas that look like those his dad wore in E.T. 

A Holiday Reunion

XFinity, 2019

https://www.xfinity.com/ET

The ending, while a bit sad, is a sweet completion of the holidays are for reuniting with family theme that runs through the ad.

"The audience is going to get everything they want out of a sequel without the messy bits that could destroy the beauty of the original and the special place it has in people's minds and hearts," (...) "It's really a win-win."

Henry Thomas

Fans seem to think so, too. In 16 hours, the YouTube version of the ad had been watched more than 1.8 million times.

A Holiday Reunion

XFinity, 2019

https://www.xfinity.com/ET

The extra-terrestrial is a squat, brown-skinned, wide-eyed creature with whom white-American suburban-boy Elliott experiences telepathic empathy: psychological projection made real.

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

Steven Spielberg, 1082

https://www.imdb.com/

E.T. was instantly beloved. Coming after the cornball antics of Star Wars, "it raised the stakes of what popular cinema could express and tapped the universal need to be understood." 

Spielberg film made the process of identification that accompanies a child’s personal growth and maturation seem almost magical.

However, there are some critics. No matter the commercial, will be a lovely resource to bring back the real E.T. film to our days children at school.

Education:

Although some criticism, the commercial brought back some of the magical of the real movie E.T. by Steve Spielberg.

Why not to include it into your school curriculum as a motivation to explore the Narrative with E.T. by Steven Spielberg. 

It will be a lovely resource to bring back the real E.T. to our days children at school and watch how Steven Spielberg’s iconic movie came back to life for Xfinity’s holiday short story after 37 years.

Teens love technology, right?! It will be interesting to complete the narrative in E.T. with the make-of Family Reunion.

Remember, everything is possible when we want to have the attention of our students into the school curriculum! The important is how you will introduce new staff into your lessons and how to explore it in a pedagogical way. 

G-Souto

07.12.2019

Copyright © 2019G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com®

Schools : E.T. Holiday Reunion : a commercial ? Why not ? by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. 

Easter Holiday

Today is March 29 Good Friday. Easter is the most important Christian religious holiday and widely regarded as the second most popular holiday in general after Christmas.

The students got Easter school break. And families would like to enjoy a host of Easter egg hunts across some countries.

But Easter 2013 is the coldest Easter since 1910, they say. And it will be difficult for those kids and families to enjoy this traditional host of Easter egg hunts outdoor.

http://www.serralves.pt/

However there are a lot of activities at Museums or public Libraries in every city or town.

Many youngsters don't go to the Museum or the public library. Maybe family life is too busy. Maybe they haven't yet got the cultural habit. 

http://www.serralves.pt/

But, during these two days, you will have the time. By the way, did you know that the word "breakfast" originates from "breaking the fast" after a 40 day lent period preceding Easter?

So, many things to learn and share. But most of all so mnany good things to enjoy!

Wishing you a Happy Easter Season! Blog resumes as normal next week.

G-Souto

29.03.2013
Copyright © 2013G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com®


Easter Holiday by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

School holiday vs School season

 

www.elle.fr

August is time-out school in most part of the European countries. Students and teachers feel free to go on vacation. The beach is the most interesting destiny. Sun and sea do miracles to school stress. 

Well, I'm on holidays! Nice to do different activities. To feel free for some days. But... for most of this summer I'm on "worliday".
The word is not mine. It belongs to Lucy Kellaway and defines a bit my holiday summer.

So, I wake up, do a few emails and then go for a walk by the sea. Later, I might write an article sitting under a window with a nice view, I browse some newspapers, I tweet and refresh my Facebook profile.

After that, I go outside to see some friends or family, and at end of the day, I join my yoga group.

"Intellectual stimulation charges my batteries more reliably than sitting in the rain with bored people"- Lucy Kellaway wrote and she is right.


Speaking about intellectual stimulation charges, I found a  film trylogy on Vimeo very interesting. Let me introduce the first one I chose: Move!
Watch the video below by Rick Mirecki:

MOVE from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.



Wow! What a nice 'move'! Can you think about it as a tool for captivating - I like this word! Remembers me "The Little Prince" by Saint-Exupéry - your students?

The bell of the school year will soon ring. September 1st. So, we will be back on 'Move'!

After a long and leisurely summer, some students need extra boost or motivation to get amped about school.


Speaking about leisurely summer! Last week, I was browsing The New York Times and I read an interesting article This is your brain in Summer.


As you could read, the article is about students losing skills if they are not engaged in learning over the summer season.

Well, I can say, as an educator, that it's true. Summer learning loss is real. But not catastrophic! Students need to relax after ten months of school time. And a good teacher knows how to put them again on learning.

In the 21st century educators are no longer the sole importers of information.  They empower students to learn independently in areas of interests and talents. Some students might be informed during summer time.

Of course, it would be great if all parents  could send kids to enriched camps, take them on educational vacations or surround them with books during the summer as the article suggests. The educators recommend it when they know families could afford. But not all families can afford this kind of summer learning.


Not all the kids will be ready for a brand-new semester of classes, essays, and exams.


In the USA, school starts in August. Students and teachers are back to school season, and I'm guessing some students  "are dragging their feet to hop back on the learning wagon."

The first days or first week are always a bit difficult. For both sides. Educators, whether it's first year at school or not, starting school back up can get a little nerve racking.
Students must to adapt to different learning rhythms. A new school year! A new grade for the most part of them. So, new teachers, new students, new curriculum.

Some teachers are aprehensive about the learning loss of summer season. I 've seen some tweets about those feelings.  They must test the different losses, because every student is unique.

 

 

But, let's continue  to Vimeo trilogy, this time with Learn! Watch now a second video by Rick Mireki:

LEARN from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

The short but stunning artistic video will remind us, teachers and students how enriching learning is: regardless of the skill, knowledge or experience, and regardless of our age.

Mireki wrote that the films are the result of "3 guys, 44 days, 11 countries, 18 flights, 38 thousand miles, an exploding volcano, 2 cameras and almost a terabyte of footage."

Do you want something more exciting to share with your students?

Education:

This two weeks until September, if you live in an European country, make yourself a plan for the first week lessons. Don't forget to include this two videos. That'll get you back into swing of things without any stress.

Video 1: Move

• Display a dialogue: Use the video to a brainstorming about vacations.

• Encourage the interesting points, allow the students to verbally express their feelings: like or dislike, why and how.

• Ring up in the middle, smoothly, the high points od previous school year

Video 2: Learn

Inspire with some simple isues:

• After watching this beautiful film, don't you want to learn more?

• Could you knock on your neighbor's door and see what he or she can teach you?

• Would you like to invite a member of your family, father, mother or grand-parents to come in the classroom to share his or her professional activity?

Some conclusions:


After all, isn't that what being a lifelong learner is really about?

Don't spend most of your class time lecturing students abouit summer losses... getting them collaborating and learning from each other.

Keep it simple. Make your students feel that learning something new every day is an enjoyable activity.

 

Need more inspiration to get your students completely motivated to learn something new?

I will be back. Meanwhile, I'll keeping on "worliday"!


G-Souto

16.08.2011

copyright © 2011G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com®

 

School holiday vs school season by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.