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Riddles, any idea!
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Sun, 03/29/2009 - 09:50
Hi all,
I am so glad to open this new thread to discuss with you the fundamental importance of riddles and its relevance to your classes. Riddles can certainly give a special flavour to your teaching because students are given an opportunity to work out their minds and hence solve given puzzles. Besides, riddles are said to arouse much competitiveness and rivalry in the class as they enhance students' cognitive skills. As teachers, what can you say about your riddles? Have you ever used them? What is your students' feedback handling a given riddle?
Hope to hear from you soon and please let you try solving these riddles. Sometimes, we need to put ourselves in our students' shoes to well recognize the miscellaneous hurdles they may go through to respond approriately to them. Learning is a life a long-process, isn't it?
Here are some riddles i'd like to share with you and there is even a symbolic prize for the first and most clever teacher:
1. What question can you never answer "yes" to?
2. What do you fill with empty hands?
3. What kind of room has no windows or doors?
4. What gets wetter the more it dries?
5. What can fill a room but takes up no space?
Hope you do enjoy these riddles much.
Rachid
Tue, 03/31/2009 - 07:27
#2
Dear Graciana,
Sweet answer! I think you uphold the keys. I am at my promise. The first moderator to correctly answer the above riddles will have a sweet surprise as a recognition of one's mental efforts.
please, hurry up.
Rachid
Tue, 03/31/2009 - 15:02
#3
Hi rachid,
3- it's a tomb
4- it's a towel
5- it's the air
Wed, 04/01/2009 - 02:46
#4
Hi mates,
maybe I can add number one?
1. Are you dead?
cu!
Graciana
Sat, 04/04/2009 - 11:16
#5
Hi Rachid,
May I try to answer?
1. You can't answer "yes" to a special question;
2. You fill your pockets with empty hands;
3. It may be a pumpkin;
4. any cloth or napkin;
5. air.
:) Elena
P.S. I hope you will give us the right answer soon We are intrigued a lot.
Sat, 04/04/2009 - 11:18
#6
- Hi Mustapha, Graciana and Elena,
Sorry for not relying prior to this. I was badly busy the past four days. Your reactions to the riddles pinpoint that you do really appreciate their integration in the classroom activities. Now, if you allow, let me present the keys to those afore-mentioned riddles, all of which require this mental effort and familiarity with the British culture. What I mean is that while some riddles may have certain connotations and significations in a given culture, these connotations are not necessarily true in other cultures.
Answers:
- Are you asleep? (are you dead? may be acceptable too)
- Gloves
- Mushroom
- Towel
- Light
Thanks so much.
Rachid
Mon, 04/13/2009 - 21:02
#7
Hi Rachid, Chris, Mostafa, Graciana & All
Firstly, I would like to tell you, Rachid, I 've just guessed items 1 and 4. In fact, riddles can add some particular touch to the classroom activities.They demand some concentration along with creating some sort of competition, which usually motivates learners. Thank you for sharing this interesting thread.
I would like to invite you as well as the other colleagues to read something I posted yesterday (News Forum - read only) just evoking this great, amazing event: Cardiff IATEFL Conference 2009.
Thank you so much.
Best wishes,
Maria
Tue, 04/14/2009 - 12:03
#8
Hi dear Costa,
Chapeau! The poem you wrote about IATEFL speaks for itself. This is the least thing we can do for this insightful platform and this helpful and much cooeperative and collaborative online teamwork. If I am not to give a demo lesson next Friday and a presentation for 20 teachers+the inspector and of course a large number of students about Motivation, I would have responded in your way.
Maria, if interested in exchanging views about poetry and sharing your poems with me, please let your e-mail and expect me to write you. We re not going to make the discussion private, but rather we are going to benefit much from here to extend the benefits reach other teachers.
Much love,
Rachid
Thu, 04/16/2009 - 21:11
#9
Hi Rachid,
Your interesting, generous, complimentary French word "Chapeau" was too much flattery for my simple lines dedicated to the IATEFL Conference and Cardiff Online Team. Thank you so much.
I believe that your Friday's presentation before such a crowd... will certainly be very motivating and inspirational both for learners and teachers. Wishing you the best for tomorrow's work!
Yes, I am interested in exchanging views about poetry. By the way, Rachid, why don't you join British Council website, Poet's Corner, currently coordinated by Chris Lima? That is a very interesting venue for you to join us all. Hope to hear from you soon.
Many thanks and
Best wishes,
Maria (Excuse me, where shall I post my e-mail as you requested?...)
Thu, 04/16/2009 - 23:41
#10
Hi Maria,
No flattery was involved there. You deserve more than what I said because no moderator tried to poeticize over the IATEFL online conference, speak of the good attributes of the online teamwork and, most importantly, about the most sophisticated and innovative ways of engaging online participants to have a say in the EFL teaching/learning excepting you.
Maria, I do not know what to do to access the poetry page you told me about. PLease do provide me with the link. As for you email, I think it is up to you to decide on it. My desire is only to know people sharing the same interest as I and to discuss ample issues with them with respect to poetry composition. By the way, what I liked most about your poem is this simplicity and nobility of shaping your feelings, this spontaneity in depicting with MUCH INNOCENCE and with much wittiness your surrounding. That's the best gift indeed we can offer to IATEFL and to her highly devoted teamwork.
Thanks for your prayers. Nice of you dear Maria.. I have packaged some clothes to preteach them for students of another teacher in another class. I am all agog to know more about poetic experiences.
Much love.
Rachid
Tue, 04/21/2009 - 13:40
#11
Hi Rachid,
About the idea of "poeticising" the IATEFL Conference I must confess that before what I have been observing, since the very first days of launching the Pre- Conference Online website, it was an instantaneous feeling of appreciation and thanks for their devotedly extraordinary work.
Regarding your deep interest and expertise on poetry I am very pleased to provide you with the following: 1. google www.enCompassCulture.com which is a world wide reading group supported by the British Council.Then browse ELT Reading Groups.There you notice there are three major threads: short stories(monthly); novel choice (dicussion on novels); Poets'Corner (for posting and commenting on our favourite poems).
By the way, I also recommend "Reading the City" which has an interesting package of fiction and poetry as well as short films reference and other websites of readers' interests.
Many thanks for your attention and keep up your inspirational work. We hope to read from your Poetical Tunes at the poetry discussion board.
Best wishes,
Maria (mceupc@hotmail.com)
Hi Rachid,
are you going to let us rack our brains to work out the answers?
It´s not fair!
remember we, teachers, always have the answer key at hand!
I´ll contact u again when/if i can solve them,
(LOL)
Graciana