Competition: the editor's tips
Magazine editor and competition judge Robert Campbell answers some questions about the competition and gives some useful tips. If you have any other questions to ask then write to us and we'll try to help you. Use the 'contact us' link above.
Introduction & meet the judges
The prize
The editor's tips
What are you looking for?
We’re looking for an activity that will work perfectly for the magazine and online format. In other words, one page of classroom material that teachers can photocopy or download from the website and a set of teaching notes that are easy to follow and make full use of the material.
What about level and student age?
We always try to include activities in the magazine for all levels from A1 (Beginner) to B2 (Upper Intermediate) so there's a wide range to choose from. And we welcome entries for all student ages and types: kids, teenagers, adults, business students...
Are there any specific activity types you’re looking for?
We’re looking for any type of activity that will work using one page of material. It can be a reading text, a quiz, a game, a set of exercises... even a listening or video activity (if it can link to audio/video material that is freely available).
A lot of the magazine material is topical. Should competition entries be topical too?
They don’t have to be topical but they should be motivating. The winning entries will appear in the magazine and we want teachers to use the activities with their students. So it needs to be material that will motivate both the teacher and the student. So an activity related to a film coming out in the summer of 2010 will work better than a film from last year, for example.
How can teachers find out what will be topical in May/June 2010?
There are websites where you can find out which films, anniversaries and sporting events are coming up. The 2010 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to take place between 11 June and 11 July 2010 in South Africa. So there you have two great subjects for activities. We've never had an activity about South Africa in the magazine. If someone out there doesn't write one for the competition then we'll have to do it!
Are seasonal activities an option?
Yes, definitely. For many teachers this issue covers the end of the school year so it’s an ideal time to include revision activities as well as fun activities to end the year on a high. This issue is also used by teachers working on short courses over the holiday/vacation period so getting-to-know-you activities are popular as well as activities about travel.
Can the activity include visuals?
Yes. But they have to be visuals that we can use in the magazine. So we need to know who owns the copyright and then find out if we can use them. It’s a good idea not to rely too much on visuals unless you’re sure we’ll be able to use them in the magazine.
Do teachers need to design the activity page?
No. We can design the magazine page. But it would help to know how the teacher sees the page. So a brief description of the layout would be interesting to see but not essential.
What needs to be included in the teaching notes?
If you download the sample activity from the magazine, you’ll see how the teaching notes appear in the magazine. Here’s a list of the information we need.
Title: The activity’s title.
Activity description: A short summary of the activity.
Grammar/Vocabulary: Any specific grammar or vocabulary areas covered.
Level: The student level the activity is aimed at.
Time: The approximate length of time the activity lasts. Is it a short, medium-length or long activity?
Possible vocabulary: A list of any vocabulary that students might have problems with.
Answers. An answer key.
What to do: The step-by-step instructions of how to use the material.
How should teachers submit their entries?
The easiest way is by email to competition@its-teachers.com with 'Your Activity Here!' as the subject. Or send it by post to iT's for Teachers, Your Activity Here!, Apartado 5096, 08080 Barcelona, Spain. The closing date for entries is Friday, January 29, 2010.
How does the judging work?
After we receive all the entries, we’ll make a shortlist of twenty finalists. The 20 activities will be seen by all the judges. We’ll then select the winning activity based on the judges’ comments. Our favourite activities will appear in the magazine and the overall winner will win an e-book reader.
Are e-books really the future of publishing?
We’ll see.... But as we’ll be celebrating our 20th anniversary in 2010, a new publishing format feels like a good choice of prize. There’s also the satisfaction of seeing your own work published in the magazine and online, of course.