Nicolas Chaparro is a Colombian language teacher with a bachelor's degree in basic education, specializing in humanities and languages. After spending five years working as a systems technician, he discovered the potential of technology to enhance learning, which ignited his passion for dynamic, tech-driven education. He has the privilege of working at one of Colombia's most prestigious English institutions, where he currently leads a team focused on education, creativity and motivation.
The holiday season is a magical time and the perfect moment to spark a teacher's creativity. I've always believed that learning a language isn't just about studying—it's about living it. As a learner, I loved the resources my teachers and institutions provided, but what truly captivated me was the opportunity to engage with the world using the language skills I had acquired.
As a teacher, I strive to give my students that same experience. I didn't expect the holiday season to become the perfect setting to turn my teaching philosophy into reality. This blog post shares a personal story of how I used a creative activity to keep my students learning and practicing English during the holidays with the support of the Global Scale of English (GSE).
The activity I designed, Christmas Carols, presented two main challenges:
Basic students worked on identifying vocabulary that is similar to their native language and then used it in a short text. Intermediate students solved riddles to guess words that could be included in the lyrics. Advanced students completed questionnaires to build sentences and find synonyms to refine the text. The carol was divided into three sections: the first paragraph was for basic students, the second for intermediate students and the third for advanced students. I also included French students in the activity, which was designed for both languages.
After the students completed their tasks in separate groups, I mixed them so they could explain the vocabulary they had learned to one another. To facilitate communication without relying on Spanish, I used pictures and Christmas props to help them express themselves visually.
Finally, we all came together and sang the carol as one group.
For me, a successful language activity needs three essential components: clear instructions, engaging resources and opportunities for interaction. With these principles in mind, I crafted an inclusive and dynamic activity, using the GSE to guide my planning.
I realized that most of my students didn't know specific Christmas-related vocabulary or any traditional English carols. This activity was also an opportunity to learn by myself and then share with them. This gap was my opportunity to introduce them to the holiday spirit in English.
I identified suitable goals for each proficiency level using the GSE Learning Objectives. These objectives helped me design tasks that targeted key skills—listening, speaking, reading and writing—while considering the ages and abilities of my students.
To make the activity interactive and fun, I organized a scavenger hunt. Students had to solve riddles and follow clues to find words essential for completing a Christmas song. The GSE objectives ensured that the tasks were appropriately challenging for each level.
Knowing my students well, I paired them strategically based on their proficiency and age. This pairing encouraged collaboration and allowed them to support each other throughout the activity.
One of my priorities was to make the language come alive. I brought visual aids like cards, games, and even a Christmas tree and a nativity scene—elements that most students recognized but had never explored in English. These visuals became valuable tools for teaching vocabulary in a tangible, engaging way.
To add another layer of interaction, I used my guitar to sing along with the students. By the end of the activity, not only were we singing, but they also understood the meaning behind every word. Watching them take pride in their learning was incredibly rewarding and I knew this vocabulary wouldn't stop there; they would take it home and make it real for them, for the season, for their life.
This experience reminded me of the power of teaching through real-life experiences. Holidays provide a unique opportunity to teach without teaching and to help students study while living the language. Tools like the GSE make it easier for us as educators to plan meaningful and impactful activities.
My invitation to fellow teachers is twofold:
Let's make 2025 the year we bring language to life in every classroom.
In a previous blog, we shared somestrange English phrases that might have left you with some questions. The English language is full of peculiar phrases that can even confuse fluent speakers. In today's post, we'll take a look at a few more such phrases to help you expand your repertoire.
English is the second most widely spoken language – it is estimated that nearly two billion people worldwide can speak English at a useful level. That means they can hold a conversation with other English-speaking people.
A report by the attests the importance of the English language to the world, and says thatsecond-language English speakers far outnumber fluent English speakers. It also recognizes how being able to speak English can give individuals a competitive edge over others. If you're asking the question, "Why should I learn English?", read on to find out more...
What is it about music that helps boost your English skills, confidence and pronunciation? A song can provide an emotional connection between the music and the listener, providing learners with new ways to express their feelings. Music and rhythm have also been shown to benefit memorization, which is a key component of learning.
Here are some of our favorite lyrics to some of our favorite songs:
The Beatles are the best band to help you learn English. There are many Beatles songs with catchy melodies and simple lyrics, but Blackbird captures the Fab Four at their most poetic:
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
This song is a great way to help learn the days of the week (that may be obvious). Love is also a very popular English word, so this one is for all the romantics out there.
Always take a big bite
It’s such a gorgeous sight
To see you eat in the middle of the night
Another one for the lovers, Ed’s heartfelt lyrics are huge in the mainstream pop charts. Here, he tells the sweet story of long-time love in this ballad and he’s becoming one of the world’s most sought-after songwriters.
Take me into your loving arms
Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars
Place your head on my beating heart
This classic from Morrissey and co was voted runner-up in VH1’s Top Lyrics poll, for the lyrics: So you go and you stand on your own, and you leave on your own, and you go home and you cry and you want to die’ but it’s the opening lines of the song that are the most intriguing. Firstly, they’re adapted from George Eliot’s novel Middlemarch and include some rather clever double meanings – namely ‘son’ (sun) and ‘heir’ (air).
I am the son
And the heir
Of a shyness that is criminally vulgar
This was Neil Young’s only number-one hit single from 1972’s Harvest album. He uses simple lyrics and melodies to tell his story of searching for true love.
I’ve been in my mind
It’s such a fine line
That keeps me searchin’ for a heart of gold
And I’m gettin’ old
U2 is the second-best band to help you learn English and frontman Bono is the second-best male artist to help you learn (edged out by Justin Timberlake). The chorus was inspired by a moment during a performance in New York City, when Bono saw the audience lit up and shouted, “Oh, you look so beautiful tonight!”
And I miss you when you’re not around
I’m getting ready to leave the ground
Oh you look so beautiful tonight
In the city of blinding lights
These lyrics are a good use of repetition and rhyme, which is excellent for helping memorization. Most people consider this a love song, but that’s a common mistake. In 1983, Sting was interviewed for New Musical Express and explained: “I think it’s a nasty little song, really rather evil. It’s about jealousy and surveillance and ownership.”
Every move you make and every vow you break
Every smile you fake, every claim you stake, I’ll be watching you
Every move you make, every step you take, I’ll be watching you
Dylan’s whimsical, poetic lyrics might be difficult for an English language learner to interpret, but that doesn’t mean they’re not a pleasure to listen and sing along to.
Hey! Mr Tambourine Man, play a song for me
I’m not sleepy and there is no place I’m going to
Hey! Mr Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle morning I’ll come followin’ you
This song takes you through the daily goings-on in a typical household in the 80s. This song has been around for a while now but is a story that most people can still connect with. This is an excellent song for understanding the concept of nostalgia!
I remember way back then when
everything was true and when
we would have such a very good time
such a fine time
Sadly, Otis Redding lost his life in a plane crash shortly after this song was recorded, and it was released after his death. His lyrics are quite reflective, provoking both contentment and sadness. You can really imagine yourself sitting on the dock with his simple yet descriptive words.
Sittin’ in the morning sun
I’ll be sittin’ when the evening comes
Watching the ships roll in
Then I watch them roll away again
No list of standout turns of phrase would be complete without Leonard Cohen, a man whose songwriting process is so painstaking he’ll often spend years on the same song. When quizzed on his process, Cohen once said it often took so long because, “After a while, if you stick with the song long enough it will yield.” It’s interesting to note then that, even for a master of the English language, the words don’t always come easily. Everybody Knows remains a firm favorite among fans, with the majority of lines starting with the words ‘Everybody knows…’ It’s a lengthy song, but for the sheer beauty of its words and phrasing, the opening lines are a highlight:
Everybody knows that the dice are loaded
Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed
Everybody knows that the war is over
Everybody knows that the good guys lost
