Great Free Vocabulary Building Site With Many Additional Features

English spelling is often times a headache for English language learners and native speakers alike.  With silent letters (ex. knight), irregular spelling patterns (ex. "i before e except after c or when sounded like a as in neighbor or weigh"), etc. , mastering spelling is no easy feat.  For English language learners, the problem is compounded by the fact that they are still trying to acquire English.

SPELLING CITY takes the pain out of mastering spelling.  English learners will especially benefit from not only typing in the words they need to learn (any number of words can be entered, but more than 20 would probably be overwhelming), but also hear the words read back to them.  Furthermore, the program will teach students the definitions and then test them when they are ready.  Students may retake the test as often as they like and that leads to better retention.

SPELLING CITY FREE GAMES 
For those students who benefit from word game approaches to learning new vocabulary, they will find lots of activities to keep them busy here.  Match It Sentences, Which Word Sentences, Sentence Unscramble, Sentence Writing Practice, and Paragraph Writing Practice all over students many creative approaches to working on those skills which will transfer over to many of the writing activities required in class. 

FREE TEACHER RESOURCES  will offer teachers a treasure trove of lessons, educational articles, word lists covering vocabulary words in most content area subjects, and instructional videos on a wide range of language building topics.

All of the above is from the free section.  The premium version is relatively inexpensive, but I have been quite content with the free version.

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS

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Word Walls--Great Support For ELLs in Content Classes

Amazing as it is, the first semester is half over.  For those ELLs in mainstream classes, this may not be good news for them since their grades at this point of the year might not be as high as they had hoped.  With teachers working their best to accommodate the many language and academic needs of ELLs, they need quick effective strategies to address the gaps such students face.  These strategies must be ones that visually provide student access to content not just for a few days, but for the length of the lesson.  How can this daunting task be met? 

Welcome to WORD WALLS The download here covers 14 pages of just about every possible use of word walls conceivable.  It is well written and quite easy to follow.  One of the most effective uses is to make it accessible to all by posting it in a highly visible section of the room.  After all, if students can't see it, they won't be able to use it.  Another way to use it is to have students keep copies in their binders to refer to as needed.  In this day of age of smartphones, students can take pictures of it to store on their phones for home use.  Teachers could also expand the vocabulary by identifying word parts (prefixes, roots, suffixes).  As students become more familiar with word parts, they become more effective in using what they know to determine meanings of unfamiliar words. 

Games?  There are many possibilities here.  How about having students look at several word walls, creating categories and then grouping words under those categories?  This is another vocabulary builder.  Another fun activity is to have students in small groups, select a word and draw a picture of its meaning to test the class on identifying the word? 

You will of course have your own activities here.  The main message is that a word list does little to nothing on building academic vocabulary for students, especially ELLs.

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS

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Do You Have ELLs Looking to Expand Their Language Skills Outside of Class? Share ESL GOLD With Them:)

Every class has those few students who just never seem to tire of learning English.  This group will attempt anything the instructor offers and more.  Often times, this group will ask for more practice in any form.  For these students, motivation is never an issue.  Instead, the issue may be how to find just the right website where students at all 3 levels (beginning, intermediate, and advanced) will be challenged, but never bored or frustrated. 

ESL Gold is a site with a wide variety of options for students to select from.  They may also self-select the level of difficulty which is wonderful for those who feel confident enough to undertake more academically challenging materials. 

What is in the site?  Students will find activities in speaking (only this section needs a textbook while the others don't), listening, reading, writing, grammar, vocabulary, business, pronunciation, TOEFL (for ESL students overseas who wish to study in the U.S.),  and TOEIC  (measures the ability of non-native English-speaking examinees to use English in everyday).  Many of the options here are probably geared for 9th grade on though a few might work at middle school (ex. writing, vocabulary, etc.).  One suggestion I have here is provide a quick tour of what the site has and then let students gravitate to what they enjoy.  The reading comprehension section maintains a steady current flow of news articles on international stories.  There is no modification of language here though the difficulty of language seems to vary with the subject matter.

Though no site will ever replace quality teaching in class instruction, this one easily supplements it for those students who really wish to go beyond the class material on their own time (if your classroom has some computers in it, kids who finish work early could do additional practice here).  

ESL GOLD Hope they like the link:)

Denise

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History of U.S. in 8 Minutes--Great Support Material for ELL in US History Class

As ELD/ESL supports slowly disappears in many classrooms, content teachers need to find sources of comprehensible input to scaffold the attempts of those students to fully understand the content.  The more accessible the language of the lesson, the more likely the lesson will be understood by ELLs and other struggling students.

U.S. history is quite demanding for ELLs.  Unlike American students who have been learning about the U.S. in school since they were in kindergarten, ELLs for the most part are seeing it for the first time when they encounter it in school here as middle school or high school students.  What problems does this scenario pose?  A few.  One issue is that they may see some of the historical events in the textbook from a different perspective (ex. the Vietnam War from the viewpoint of a Vietnamese is quite different from that of an American).  Another potential problem is covering Manifest Destiny where the U.S. felt that it had a right to all the land between the Atlantic and the Pacific.  Students from Mexico have a different history here.  One must wonder what goes through their minds as they read about states with Spanish names-California, New Mexico, Colorado for example.

So, what can be done to smooth the pathway to the American history in the textbook?  How can teachers provide tools to assist ELLs in learning U.S. history from the American perspective?  In this day and age, the internet offers options.  Of course, this blog has many (just SEARCH WITHIN THIS BLOG section) as does my website ELL TEACHER PROS . 

For this posting, here is one site that offers a quick overview of American history which ELLs and others could follow with ease--from dinosaurs to President Obama in 8 minutes.  Will it ever take the place of the teacher and textbook?  Of course not.  What it will do is provide some powerful visuals.  Further, the language is not complicated so that students can focus on message without drowning in vocabulary.  The clip here can provide a small insight into America's past through the eyes of Americans.

HISTORY OF AMERICA IN 8 MINUTES

Again, check out the website and this blog for many more history sites that will scaffold the attempts of ELLs to succeed in American history classes.

Denise

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How to Teach Academic Vocabulary to ELLs--Especially Important in Common Core Based Lessons!

Acquiring academic vocabulary will be one of the major challenges for ELLs once the country moves to common core.  As most teachers of ELLs already know, often times ELLs sound "fluent", but that spoken language is informal in nature.  It is conversational English.  This type of English leads to compositions that are copies of this speech.  Such writing samples are full of Tier 1 words (to be discussed in videos below) such as NICE, GOOD, LIKE, etc.  Rarely do you find academic language such as content specific vocabulary, academic language verbs such as PREDICT, CONVERT, ANALYZE, etc.  Sentences in these compositions are very simplistic with occasional inserts of compound sentences using AND, BUT, OR.  Accurate complex sentences are often absent or full of errors. 



ACADEMIC VOCABULARY Here Elizabeth Coelho provides a detailed overview on how to build academic language for ELLs and EOs alike.  Teachers need to carefully review words in lectures or books that might have more than one meaning.  In her lecture, she mentions the word "ROCK."  ELLs may only be familiar with the object on the lawn that can be thrown.  When the class moves to science and rock-types are addressed such as igneous rocks, teachers need to build background knowledge.  Further, the word "igneous" will probably never be encountered again in their lives unless they study geology in college so how much time should be devoted to such a word.  So teachers need to identify true academic words (words that carry over into multiple disciplines) from "one shot" words that don't need as much time devoted to them. 


ACADEMIC VOCABULARY AND COMMON CORE  
Common core standards expect all teachers to equip students with the necessary skills to build vocabulary by using context clues, sentence structure, word parts, etc.  Figurative language will also play a part as students become at ease in recognizing analogies, metaphors, similes, etc.   Essentially, the CCSS wants to make sure that students will be able to secure good jobs after high school and have such vocabulary building skills already in place in their transition to the real world.

The CCSS will better equip ELLs and EOs to succeed in life after high school.

Denise


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Fully Engage Your ELLs in Social Studies--Strategies for Implementing Common Core!

When ELLs enter mainstream classes in the fall in big numbers, teachers will need a wide variety of teaching techniques to ensure that ELLs not only learn the content, but also grow in their language skills in English.  In this website, the focus will be on social studies classrooms and ELLs.  Please note that the strategies used here would also work in other content classes.

SOCIAL STUDIES In social studies, the ELL faces several obstacles.  Textbooks are written for those with background knowledge of the country (US history for example).  New arrivals to the country don't share a general understanding of American culture, American politics, landscape, etc.  Though American students might not know all the details, they still have a general understanding of those areas which the teacher must address so that ELLs can fully take part in the learning process.

Also, ELLs bring a different perspective to the world.  These viewpoints should add valuable components to a lesson.  Imagine teaching a world geography class.  You are working on India and you have several students from that  country in your classroom!  They become a resource for all as they talk about their culture and customs.  When teachers have a theme to the lesson, no one feels singled out to have an uncomfortable spotlight on them.  Every student would have an opportunity to discuss his/her culture in such a setting. 

Last there is the need to address academic vocabulary.  When teachers create lessons with built in academic language activities, they set the ELL up to be fully engaged in lessons.  The more exposure and practice with academic vocabulary, the more proficient the ELL will be in English over time.

CHAPTER 2 ON SUPPORTING ELLS IN MAINSTREAM CLASSES This chapter offers a great checklist to assist teachers in modifying lesson plans for ELLs.   It is amazing what a few simple adjustments can do to enable ELLs to fully grasp key concepts and build language skills.  Use it as a model to create your own.


TIER 1, 2, AND 3 WORDS
Last, Tier 1, 2, and 3 words can be found in every content class area.  Bring in cognates, teach how to use context to arrive at meaning, etc.  Lots of great strategies here as well.


Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS

"World Dry-Erase Map Decal"

How About Making the Mastery of Academic Vocabulary Fun Over the Summer!

If you would like to provide middle and high school students with a fun online site to build word awareness, why not have them enroll for free at ACADEMIC VOCABULARY. 

In one section, the words are out of context (as they are on high stakes tests), but if students don't know the answer, they can click for help.  The program keeps a record of points earned once student joins the site.

WORD LISTS can be found in English, social studies, historical documents, speeches, literature, and SAT words.  If the words here don't quite meet their needs, students may build their own lists or ask their teachers for words to add.

Last, but not least, students may either share their lists on the site, or use submitted word lists from other users.

One more thing, teachers may have some fun here as well.  I know I did:)

Denise
ELL TEACHER PROS

COMMON CORE ELA Sample LITERACY Lesson for High School--Gettysburg Address

What might a high school English instructional unit deliver under the COMMON CORE?  It will open the door to powerful instruction which will reach all students including struggling learners with special needs including, but not limited to, language.

Here is model draft unit on teaching President Lincoln's The Gettysburg Address  SAMPLE LESSON UNIT  My suggestion is to print this out OR open it in another window so that when you watch the video, you can easily follow along as the moderator explains how this unit should be taught.
VIDEO EXPLAINING THE LESSON 

As you watch, notice how the techniques discussed would broaden vocabulary for all (notice the focus on the word "DEDICATE").  This unit could be jointly taught in both US history and English literature classes with English focusing on language (figurative language, mood, tone, word choice, etc.) and history class focusing on underlying message (not just WHAT WAS SAID, but also WHAT WAS NOT SAID).  For example, why did he date the birth of the country as 1776 and not a later one?  Why did he not mention SLAVERY explicitly?  For such questions, the content issues must be addressed by the history teacher and not the English teacher.

Another key point is that much of the discovery of the meaning of the text is uncovered by the students working with partners.  Students are analyzing text with support as needed (ex.  graphic organizers for note-taking purposes).  They are having "hands-on" experiences in developing skills that will transfer over into the real world when they leave high school.  In such settings, they are analyzing, clarifying their understanding with others, justifying their viewpoints with support from text, etc.

I am still looking for similar examples for middle and elementary schools, but haven't found one yet.  I am also still working on finding links related to lesson development linked to COMMON CORE to share with you.  All you will need to do is subscribe to get the latest news on the topic.

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS

The World of Geometry! Make It Accessible to ELLs:)

This is a 3 dimensional world and therefore provides lots of "instructional material" everywhere you look.  For students, it is an eye-opener.  Challenge them to find all the 3 dimensional objects in your classroom.  Have them find the LENGTH, WIDTH,  and HEIGHT of assigned objects.

Once they have completed that, have them calculate the SURFACE AREAS of those objects.  Once that is done, the next step is to figure out the VOLUME the object takes up.  Take one object, measure length, width, and height.  Show students how to calculate how much space the object takes up using a document camera if you have access to one OR a smartboard.  Then try another object as a team or partner project.  After that, have students try other objects and then share their results (along with explanations as to how they arrived at their answers).    For homework, have them do something similar.  Find 5 objects in their homes and then compute the surface area and volume for each item.  With all the examples from class, they should experience success with it.


GEOMETRIC SHAPES AND MORE

There are many more geometric shape activities here and all tie the abstract to the concrete.

Please note that I am not a math teacher, but often find myself trying to help ELLs see the "big picture" when trying to help them with their geometry homework.  Many times, it is a language issue that they struggle with and not so much the mathematical operations.  

Nice review for finals possibly.

Denise


ELL TEACHER PROS

Free Online Access to 365 Short Stories for ELLs!

With summer fast approaching for many students, teachers might wish to start compiling some activities to help students maintain (or grow) in their English skills over the summer. Since leaving students on their own to locate such language supports online might not work for many of them because knowing where to look even takes teachers some time to accomplish:) Why not start putting together some good sites that are easy to navigate and will improve their English skills before the end of school?

You have your own sites to be sure so I am going to just provide you with a few over the next few weeks that you may like to add to your own collection:) 365 SHORT STORIES is geared to those who are intermediate in their language skills. Students may listen to the story as they read along. The stories cover a wide range of everyday subjects where students will also be provided with practice with idioms, slang, and more. To build even more on their English, students have the option to do a CLOZE (example) with or without any HINTS. If you would like them to practice their question answering skills, have them try YES/NO QUESTIONS . Care for them to try out some crossword puzzles for vocabulary development, look no further. Have them click on CROSSWORD. Because students can access help at any stage in trying to do the assignments, anxiety will be low AND they will be having fun!

I hope your students like the site.

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS

Use Writing to Spur Imagination (and thereby Boost Vocabulary Base)!

With spring break over, students will probably be still in vacation mode when they return. So what is a teacher to do in English class to motivate them to start writing again? How does a teacher show kids that writing can be fun and still boost academic skills in language structure and vocabulary? Imaginative writing assignments fit the bill:)

When teachers find and use in their classes fun assignments, such as many of the prompts in CREATIVE WRITING TOPICS, they will see more students being actively engaged in the task. The ideal setting is in small cooperative learning groups (4 per group). Here the ELL has an opportunity to "play" with language in working with his/her group. Since English is not the home language of the ELL, language skills are not as sharp as those of the English only student. The ELL often relies on overly simplistic vocabulary (nice, good, bad, was/were, etc.) and very basic sentence structure because of this. So, since the listening and speaking skills of ELLs are better than their reading and writing abilities, teachers should have ELLs approach writing and reading through their strongest skills of listening and speaking. Group work makes this possible with ease.

Using the material from this site, the ELL can share her/his thoughts and then take part in writing down the ideas of the group with peer support. An ELL could also be assigned a role as a proof reader with the rest of the group chiming in as needed. A teacher could have the ELL read the result of the group's collaborative efforts aloud to the class. One other option might be to have the students within groups create comic strips (or story boards) on their topic. Here the writing pressure is eased a bit, but the content remains the same---to address the prompt. As an ELL's confidence grows in writing so will quality in more traditional assignments improve.

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS

P.S. This blog is a nominee for the MOST FASCINATING BLOG OF 2012. If you would like to vote for me, just click on the "VOTE FOR ME" badge on the right side of the blog just above my profile. Thanks:)

FREE Online Reading Comprehension Activities for ELLs:)

If you teach ELLs, you are probably always looking for ways to improve their reading skills beyond mastery of the textbook passages. In this day of lean school budgets, teachers are continually looking for free or almost free resources to support their ELLs in this area. Though the internet offers much, not everything there is geared to ELLs. More times than not, teachers have to adapt materials for their students. This site is geared to ELLs at beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels of English.

Click on READING COMPREHENSION and you will find a wide variety of reading passages geared to 3 levels of English proficiency-beginners, intermediates, and advanced. Please note that these passages offer students the opportunity to also prepare for high stakes tests. Teachers have the option to print out the passages which helps if access to computer labs is limited. Printing them out also has the advantage of discussing test taking skills and then using them as a way to answer the questions.

Further some of the reading passages offer students the opportunity to write paragraphs. If teachers avail themselves of this option with their students, they will also be provided with a clearer idea of areas where students are weak in writing. Also, since 3 reading levels are listed, differentiation of instruction comes with ease. Assign students to reading passages that the teacher thinks they can handle. As skills improve, more challenging passages can be assigned. Another option for teachers is to make the reading assignment a partner or small group one. With clear rules and time limits, partners or teams can not only find the correct answer, but also be able to explain or show where they found the answers. The more practice ELLs have in this area, the higher their test scores will be.


ENGLISH MAVEN even offers practice in spelling, grammar, sentence completion, punctuation, synonyms/antonyms, etc. for ELLs. Students can never have enough practice here as we all know. With each tab, you will find anywhere from 10 to 40 activities/quizzes. Computers are non-judgmental so students are free to practice as many times as they like without fear of receiving a grade:) These activities must be done online though since there is no print option.

I hope the site works for your students:)

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS

Two FREE Writing Sites to Remove Writer's Block for Kids:)

How would you like your students to have more choices in doing fun writing assignments? These choices would not take the place of those required assignments, but instead, give struggling students (especially ELLs/ESL students) more opportunities to "play" with English? If your answer is yes, read on!

For ELLs, English is not their native language. They generally have a very limited vocabulary base as compared to a native speaker. For example, a native speaker starts kindergarten with a vocabulary base of anywhere from 4,000-6,000 words. In contrast, an ELL at the intermediate level (middle/high school) has a receptive vocabulary base of between 7,000 and 10,000 words. Teachers need to find multiple ways to reinforce language in all 4 skill areas in every class if the ELL is to grow in English proficiency in all 4 skill areas: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

The two sites addressed in this blog today provide ELLs with non-traditional approaches to boosting writing skills. The writing activities are random, but engaging. Teachers could have them work with partners or in small groups. In this setting, ELLs would find other words to say "nice, good, bad, stuff, etc.". Teachers could have them devote a section in their binders to keep track of their overused words and then next to each one, a quality replacement. Think of this as their own "dictionary or thesaurus."

CREATIVE WRITING (probably for upper elementary through high school)

STORY STARTER JR. (for the weaker student)

I hope your students have fun with these sites. I know I did:)

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS

Come Visit The Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory!

If you teach world history, social studies, literature, or geography, you will want to take a long look at this incredible site dedicated to man who led the struggle against apartheid in South Africa. Even more a testament to his skills as a leader was the fact that no bloodshed was shed after that historical election where he was elected president of a united South Africa.

This site offers volumes of files, films, speeches, photos, etc. on the man and his time. Though now retired, he still serves as an inspiration to young people. He believes that they must be educated to preserve the hard fought freedom that he and others dedicated their lives to securing for their oppressed fellow countrymen.

Why not use this site as a jump off point to having students identify heroes in their own cultures? In a class with ELLs, this would be an empowering experience. They will be able to showcase national icons who improved the quality of life for fellow citizens. Since the reports will be in English, they will need the teacher's support, BUT the motivation will already be there so the final product should be a good one:)

NELSON MANDELA

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS

WORDLESS ESSAYS---Brings Out the Writer in Every Student:)

We all have pictures with unforgettable stories behind them. We recall not just the names of the persons in the photos, but also every small detail of the event along with extensive information on every object in the picture. Sometimes those photos are associated with happy memories. Sometimes, not. However, every picture tells a unique story to anyone who sees it.

Wordless essays have the same effect. A series of photos together convey a message equal to a paragraph or more but without words. The words would come as students discuss with peers what their pictures say. For ELLs, this type of approach with "writing" offers them an opportunity to verbally share their images through often times their strongest skills-speaking and listening. In analyzing photos, ELLs have time to build vocabulary to make their story one that every classmate will want to read. In their small groups, discussions, access to word walls, student writing samples, journals (where ideas are stored without any focus on mechanics), personal dictionaries, etc., ELLs have time and support to eventually elaborate on an otherwise simplistic description to create a piece of grade level quality writing. Here they use their strongest language skills to develop their weakest ones-reading and writing.

WORDLESS ESSAY 1 Here is a simple one on making a chocolate topping for ice cream. This should be a crowd pleaser for the younger ones.

WORDLESS ESSAY 2 This one might fascinate older students especially those from that section of the world. Imagine how much language could be generated when students have much to say:)

Why not have your students use their cell phones to take pictures of things that are important to them and then bring the shots to school for an activity like this? Your students will be impressed with their results and will be motivated to find "just the right words" to tell their story.

Denise
ELL TEACHER PROS

FREE Worksheet Generators for Teachers:)

In this day and age of shrinking school budgets, teachers need to do even more with less. Supplemental textbook requests or basic school supplies are not often honored due to severe budget restraints. So what do teachers do? They pay for the instructional items they need out of their own pockets. This is no easy feat since over the last few years teachers have not only suffered from budget cuts and no pay increases, but also furlough days. Add to this the pressure to prepare students to do well on high-stakes testing.

Well, this post will look at three sites that might reduce the need to buy some lesson activity books.

FREE TOOLS FOR TEACHERS is aimed at younger students. Teachers can generate bingo sheets, domino games (with or without pictures), picture dictionaries, and much more. Younger students will definitely enjoy any activity presented here. Imagine having your students create a board game on a unit you just taught. They think that they are having fun, but you know that they are demonstrating their knowledge of the topic. It is a win-win situation.

For older students (grades 6-12), visit the following two sites. DISCOVERY offers crossword puzzles, word searches, math squares, and more. Once you design the activity, you then click and print. The crossword generator is a very effective way to reinforce content vocabulary. VOCABULARY TEST PREP offers LOTS of practice for students to prepare for high-stakes tests. Students can also generate word lists on their own to build their vocabulary base. Students can even type in the name of the test that they are preparing for (ex. SAT, ACT, PSAT, etc.) and the site will offer already prepared lists to work with.

I hope to find more supports over the month.

Denise:)

ELL TEACHER PROS



VOCABULARY LISTS

Origami and Math--A Natural Fit:)

Wouldn't it be great for kids to see that geometry can be fun? How about showing them the connection with art? Won't they be amazed to learn how knowing angle measurements are a must to generate paper wonders of art?

When teachers include fun elements to subjects that may at times seem dull, they change student attitudes:) Math with a purpose can be fun. Giving students activities that will stay with them such as origami may alter their perspectives on the subject and that leads to their developing a "can do" attitude on the subject.

For ELLs, creating origami projects builds academic vocabulary. Here ELLs will develop a knowledge of all the geometric shapes used in this art. With this information, they will naturally learn about the need to pay attention to the angle sizes needed to successfully generate the objects in the video below.

Another plus for ELLs is that they will probably be working on these projects in small groups or with partners. In such a low anxiety setting, they will acquire more language as they try to create the project assigned to them. It may also happen that your ELL may already be familiar with origami but not the math behind it. With prior knowledge on the HOW, the ELL will be now ready to explore the WHY.

ORIGAMI VIDEOS

Enjoy:)

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS

Vocabulary Development in All Subject Areas:)

The second half of the school year starts in couple of weeks. Students will return rested and ready to tackle the new year. Teachers will encourage students to see January as a new beginning. Last semester is history:) This approach is generally very effective in building self-confidence in ELLs who tend to have double the work load in that they are trying to develop English skills while attempting to access content.

A skill, which addresses both needs, is being able to dissect vocabulary words to find meaning. This can be done via analyzing word parts (affixes). If the ELLs are romance language speakers (Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian), they can use common Latin affixes to make sense of unfamiliar words. When teachers bring in this and the use of cognates (ex. nacion/nation), barriers to meaning drop away. Greek roots are also here (including a section on mythology vocabulary). A special feature of VOCABULARY UNIVERSITY is that it addresses word roots in a variety of activities--puzzles, quizzes, synonyms, true/false, etc. Another plus about this site is that it covers key vocabulary from all the major courses.

A second strength here is that it offers practice for high stakes tests such as SAT and ACT. If teachers have high school ELLs, they might consider letting ELLs (and others) practice the vocabulary they will need to do well on those high pressure tests.

I think your students will enjoy this site either as a class working with the teacher or an individual at his/her computer in the school computer lab.

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS

Want Your Students to Have Fun Over the Break? Check These Items Out:)

Well, winter break will be here in just a few days. Many teachers would love to have their students continuing to hone their reading, writing, and vocabulary development skills over the break, but wonder how to motivate their students to want the same.

AUDIOBOO This site will let students record music, conversations, interviews, radio shows, etc. What could teachers suggest here for its use over the break? How about having them interview older family members about important events in their lives? What about interviewing younger siblings and sharing the recordings with family members? How about encouraging them to write a poem and record it to possibly share with the class in January? Most likely, students would have far more ideas of what to do with this tool than I have shared here:) Though anyone can use this tool, very young students will need assistance.

STORYBIRD Collaborative story telling is the beauty of this site. Take the tour to see all the rich features offered. Basically, students can create stories along with artwork online. They can even invite people to collaborate with them (parents can check on friends here so it is a safe site). There is even a "library" of stories written on the site and open to all to read. Here students would have practice in reading and writing with a goal being to make a story that inspires:)

VISUWORDS This is an online graphical dictionary and thesaurus. With this site, students could check for synonyms or antonyms to use in the written work. They could also monitor overuse of weak vocabulary by checking those words here and finding appropriate substitutions for them.

Yes, students will be on vacation, but they can still keep their skills sharp AND have fun doing it:)

Enjoy.

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS

For All of You Word Lovers: (aka Lexophiles) :)

Learning the English language can present some frustrating situations from time to time for all of us--English learners and native speakers alike. It can often seem that there are more exceptions to rules than followers of them. The irregular past tense can easily bring tears to the eyes of some students:)

Well, why not enjoy the craziness of the language for a bit. In this site, you will find 46 sentences that need to read carefully since within each is a found a play on words. Some may require a couple of re-reads. If you teach intermediate and beyond ELLs, you could select some of these as warm-ups after the break (or to kill time if they have finished their finals). Have students (with partners) explain the humor (or try to). Encourage students to play with words here:)

LINK:

LEXOPHILES

My favorite sentence is #30-". The roundest knight at king Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi." FULL OF MATH--a great one to use in geometry class as an introduction to circumference!

Enjoy!

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS