
Hansel, Gretel and the police (no-prep lesson idea)
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I used brothers Grimm and their story as an inspiration for a great lesson idea that worked well for my students (both for my teens aged 13+ as well as adults), so naturally I want to share it with you - so whenever you feel slightly mischievous and have no lesson plan ready, you may go with a tale and a twist.

Have a Purrrfect Lesson! (7 Lesson Ideas)
If you're not really into dark and grim Halloween but still want to enjoy some cheer, you will find my ideas quite inspiring. Here's what I thought - if I were to prepare a lesson that may be perfect for Halloween... but not too halloweenish, I'd go for something that may symbolise Samhain, but not overly extravagant.

More stories: StoryBits
It looks like November is more of a storytelling month than I thought - last week I shared the storytelling coursebook (remember about the contest, you can win a copy of the book!), and today I'll show you the magic of pictures: Storybits.

5 Instant Fillers for Awkward Silence in the Classroom
We all experience classes that suddenly go awkward - a topic we hate and really can't elaborate on, students that only want to fall asleep or a memory of a cup of coffee when another's been due for a while. Sometimes it calls for a game or a nice role-play, but sometimes, to put it bluntly, I can't even, so I use my last resort: fillers that are always there, ready to use.

Lesson Idea for a Horribly Slow Class (15+)
I enjoy teaching during summer as nobody takes those classes too seriously and you're free to include some unconventional materials. The Horribly Slow Murderer with the Extremely Inefficient Weapon is a 10-minute short film that will definitely inspire an interesting lesson!

3 no-prep ideas for outdoor classes
I'm not overly fond of hot summer days myself, but I'm even less fond of classrooms with no air-conditioning, so here are my top three ideas for outdoor classes, they worked brilliantly for me and I can only hope you'll have at least as much fun as my students did.

Teaching Cheat Day? Make it fun!
There are days one literally can't even. When you're a teacher, suddenly lessons seem terribly long, material to be covered is so boring you can't bring yourself to teach it, your students... I'm not going to continue - simply, you have a Bad/Lazy Day.
Fortunately, you can always rely on me, as I already found some great sources of inspiration

Kitbull by Pixar - because friendship is magic - lesson plan
When Pixar released a new short film I knew I had to see it immediately and once I watched it I knew it would make a brilliant lesson on fear, courage, love, friendship and trust. A lesson we all need - just watch this short and go with the flow!

7 Short and Simple Cool Down Ideas
It's the middle of winter, so if today isn't the best day to share my favourite cool downs, I don't know what is! I think warm ups are far more popular, but the exercises at the end of the lesson are equally important as they help students remember the things they've learned that day and close the lesson in a friendly, relaxed and enjoyable manner. Below you will find my favourite cool down ideas - maybe you'll find them as useful as they were for my own students.
The good thing about the ideas below is that you only need pen and paper - and that's it, enjoy!

Teach'em with Rhythm
Rhythm of the language is crucial if you want to speak fluently. And what's better to learn a rhythm if not implementing in in the class? One may think playing with rhythm is something only the youngest students will enjoy, but recently I've discussed this topic and I want to share some ideas even the most adult and mature students will find amusing.