I found this site on Enid's blog. I really liked the website because it provides short news articles about real topics and then has students use reading, writing, listening, and possibly speaking skills to learn about the topic. Most of the articles could be used in a high school setting. I like the idea of incorporating news into the classroom, and these articles seem relatively straightforward and easy to follow. The website provides hand-outs and worksheets for each news article, which is a great aid for the teacher and students. The lay-out of this website is not the most appealing or easy to follow, but I think the content is worthwhile.
You can find this site in my Resources list or you can click here.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
English Listening Online
Although this website advertises its listening activities, it does incorporate reading and speaking as well. For example, one of the audio recordings is about dream houses. Real people from around the world give a brief explanation of their dream house. Students listen to the audio but can also follow along with the provided transcript. Students, therefore, are practicing listening, reading, and getting a sense of intonation, rhythm, and stress. (However, because many non-native English speakers have recordings, the suprasegmentals are not perfect).
After students listen to the recording and read the transcript, there are reading, speaking, and vocab quizzes that students can take. They are simple, but help students understand vocabulary and the main points. Most of the topics would be appropriate for high school students. Listening to real people give their opinions may encourage students to connect to the lesson and want to share their own opinions about the topic. For the dream house topic, I could extend it by having students write about their dream house, draw a sketch of it, and share it with their classmates. All 4 competencies could easily be woven together using this website.
You can find this site in my Resources list or you can click here.
After students listen to the recording and read the transcript, there are reading, speaking, and vocab quizzes that students can take. They are simple, but help students understand vocabulary and the main points. Most of the topics would be appropriate for high school students. Listening to real people give their opinions may encourage students to connect to the lesson and want to share their own opinions about the topic. For the dream house topic, I could extend it by having students write about their dream house, draw a sketch of it, and share it with their classmates. All 4 competencies could easily be woven together using this website.
You can find this site in my Resources list or you can click here.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Don't Forget to Vote!
Don't be shy! Take my poll - How many languages can you speak fluently? See the side bar to the right to vote. :)
National Geographic Lesson Plans
When I taught high school geography, I used to use some of the lesson plans from the National Geographic collection of lesson plans. I really liked them because they had clear objectives and fit nicely into our curriculum. Now that I've revisited the site from an ESL perspective, I think these lessons would still be very effective in the ESL classroom. The lessons are categorized by standards, so you can easily find a topic that fits your goal. The lessons are comprehensive--they provide you with the objectives, materials (like maps, worksheets), and a list of online resources. Many of the lessons also incorporate the computer/internet, which is a great way for students to learn how to use it for research or other activities.
I also like that there are a variety of topics that would relate well to international students. Lessons under standard 6, for example, relate human experiences to their environment and society. Some of the lessons may be too difficult for low or intermediate ESL students, but could easily be adapted to their level. Of course, the suggested time frame would probably be longer for ESL students.
These lessons are great for integrating skills. Most of them have visual, reading, and writing components. Discussions are also prevalent in the lessons. I think these topics relate well to teenagers and would spark their interest and motivation. The use of computers in the lessons would probably be a good incentive as well. These lessons incorporate many different skills that could engage and challenge students.
You can find this site in the Resources column or you can click here.
I also like that there are a variety of topics that would relate well to international students. Lessons under standard 6, for example, relate human experiences to their environment and society. Some of the lessons may be too difficult for low or intermediate ESL students, but could easily be adapted to their level. Of course, the suggested time frame would probably be longer for ESL students.
These lessons are great for integrating skills. Most of them have visual, reading, and writing components. Discussions are also prevalent in the lessons. I think these topics relate well to teenagers and would spark their interest and motivation. The use of computers in the lessons would probably be a good incentive as well. These lessons incorporate many different skills that could engage and challenge students.
You can find this site in the Resources column or you can click here.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Review Games and Activities
These games and activities could easily be adapted to integrate all 4 skills, and I think they could be used as review activities, especially for thematic vocabulary. The Fast Words and Word Association games are quick games to review vocabulary and get the students engaged.
This site also gives an example of a song cloze. This is something that would be engaging and interesting for students, but the teacher would need to find a song that could support the learning objectives of the class.
You can find this site in my Resources list or you can click here.
This site also gives an example of a song cloze. This is something that would be engaging and interesting for students, but the teacher would need to find a song that could support the learning objectives of the class.
You can find this site in my Resources list or you can click here.
Picture Dictation
In this activity, the teacher or a student describes a picture verbally and students must draw what they think they hear. Therefore, this is a great activity for students to practice speaking clearly and listening carefully. It gives an opportunity for creative students to learn by drawing. Unlike the samples on this site, I would choose pictures that are more relevant to teenagers.
You can find this website in my Resources list or you can click here.
This idea could also be used for vocabulary building. Students would have to verbally describe the vocab word and a student could have to draw or guess what the word is. You could reverse this idea by playing Pictionary, where a student draws and his/her peers guess the vocabulary word.
You can find this website in my Resources list or you can click here.
This idea could also be used for vocabulary building. Students would have to verbally describe the vocab word and a student could have to draw or guess what the word is. You could reverse this idea by playing Pictionary, where a student draws and his/her peers guess the vocabulary word.
Ice Breakers
One way to integrate skills in your classroom is through ice breakers. This collection of ice breaker resources can give you some ideas of how to weave reading, writing, listening, and/or speaking into more activities.
1. Introductory Class Ice Breakers - One activity is a partner interview. Students can create questions they want to ask a partner, and then the interviewer can ask questions and write the answers while the interviewee listens and answers. Students could practice using complete sentences and using correct intonation for questions and statements. The Name Game helps students practice adjectives by matching their name with an adjective that starts with the same letter.
2. 'Knowing Yourself' Ice Breakers - So, don't be alarmed just because these ice breakers are from a juvenile justice website. They actually have some good activities that help students understand themselves in various ways (drawing, writing, TPR) and then share in small groups or with the class. Some activities relate to life changes and finding commonalities between friends. If your ESL class is very diverse, these ice breakers may help students feel more comfortable and give them opportunities to talk about culture and life experiences that have shaped who they are.
3. Culture Starter Activities - The ESL Flow website has A LOT of ice breaker activities. I noticed that many of them have some cultural component. For example, one of them could be used to teach etiquette for gestures like hugging and shaking hands. There is a worksheet with pictures on it that could guide this activity.
What is nice about this website, in addition to some cultural-specific activities, is that many of the links have pre-made worksheets, which will save teachers time in preparing for these activities. For example, there is an interview activity that is suitable for high school students. There is also a worksheet about restaurant problems. Not all activities are relevant to high school students, so teachers would want to pick the most appropriate and effective activities for their students.
4. New Friends Bingo - This Bingo card will help students meet new friends by asking them about pre-made topics. Students will practice asking questions, listening, and answering. There would be a few boxes that may need to be changed. For example, this was made for a middle school in Minnesota, so boxes that relate to those specifically may have to be changed for your own context. You could create your own bingo chart based on the format and topics in this one.
1. Introductory Class Ice Breakers - One activity is a partner interview. Students can create questions they want to ask a partner, and then the interviewer can ask questions and write the answers while the interviewee listens and answers. Students could practice using complete sentences and using correct intonation for questions and statements. The Name Game helps students practice adjectives by matching their name with an adjective that starts with the same letter.
2. 'Knowing Yourself' Ice Breakers - So, don't be alarmed just because these ice breakers are from a juvenile justice website. They actually have some good activities that help students understand themselves in various ways (drawing, writing, TPR) and then share in small groups or with the class. Some activities relate to life changes and finding commonalities between friends. If your ESL class is very diverse, these ice breakers may help students feel more comfortable and give them opportunities to talk about culture and life experiences that have shaped who they are.
3. Culture Starter Activities - The ESL Flow website has A LOT of ice breaker activities. I noticed that many of them have some cultural component. For example, one of them could be used to teach etiquette for gestures like hugging and shaking hands. There is a worksheet with pictures on it that could guide this activity.
What is nice about this website, in addition to some cultural-specific activities, is that many of the links have pre-made worksheets, which will save teachers time in preparing for these activities. For example, there is an interview activity that is suitable for high school students. There is also a worksheet about restaurant problems. Not all activities are relevant to high school students, so teachers would want to pick the most appropriate and effective activities for their students.
4. New Friends Bingo - This Bingo card will help students meet new friends by asking them about pre-made topics. Students will practice asking questions, listening, and answering. There would be a few boxes that may need to be changed. For example, this was made for a middle school in Minnesota, so boxes that relate to those specifically may have to be changed for your own context. You could create your own bingo chart based on the format and topics in this one.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)