April 12, 2009
by Larry Ferlazzo
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Come On, Our Schools Aren’t That Bad… is the title of my newest post in our group blog, “In Practice.” It’s written by several of us who teach in low-income communities.
The post is about some public reaction to Education Secretary Duncan’s recent speech where he said U.S. students should spend more time in school.
April 12, 2009
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments
I’ve written about SMILE and CLEAR a few times. They’re web tools that are both from Michigan State University, and allow teachers (and students) to easily create clozes, drag-and-drop exercises, and sequencing activities. They also allow you to use audio and video with the activities, and will host them as well.
I’ve listed them previously on The Best Web 2.0 Applications for ESL/EFL Learners — 2007 and The Best Ways To Create Online Tests.
Barry Bakin, an ESL teacher from Los Angeles, has been experimenting with some of the new additions to SMILE & CLEAR’s applications. Last month, he shared an example of their audio tool.
Yesterday, he shared an example of their video tool. I think it’s worth a look.
April 12, 2009
by Larry Ferlazzo
2 Comments
Last October, a Hmong man here in Sacramento was shot to death as the result of an affair he was having with another man’s wife. It’s gotten a lot of media attention.
Today, the Sacramento Bee published a lengthy article titled Hmong Leaders Ask: Could Old Ways Have Headed Off Slaying?. It gives a good overview, I think, of Hmong culture and the traditional use of clan elders to mediate disputes.
It’ll a good piece for me to use in school tomorrow. I thought others might find it useful, too.
April 12, 2009
by Larry Ferlazzo
1 Comment
Here are a few new learning games I’ve added to various sections of my website recently:
Math Attack — Kill viruses and become a famous doctor by solving math problems.
Game Goo, which has a series of good games for Beginning English Language Learners, has a new spelling activity called The Big Kahuna.
Spelling Match is from Houghton-Mifflin and is a series of leveled games about….spelling.
April 12, 2009
by Larry Ferlazzo
1 Comment
The best explanation I’ve seen about what a wiki is and how it works has just been posted by the Ask Auntie Web blog.
It’s so good that I’m adding it to The Best places to learn Web 2.0 basics.
April 11, 2009
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments
This post has little to do with teaching in schools, but I’m so amazed by what I just read in The New York Times — Community Organizing Never Looked So Good — I just had to post about it.
As most readers know, I spent nineteen years as a community organizer prior to becoming a public school teacher five years go. During those nineteen years, apart from the people with whom I directly worked, few people had a clue about what a community organizer did.
Obviously, the campaign (and Sarah Palin’s and Rudy Giuliani’s direct attacks on community organizing at the Republican National Convention) and subsequent election of Barack Obama, a former community organizer, has had a lot to do with people becoming more familiar with the profession.
The Times article discusses how more and more people are wanting to becoming organizers, which is great for them and great for our communities.
My one question about the article, though, is why in the world would they feature it in the fashion section?
April 11, 2009
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments
Scholastic has a good environmental game called Virtual Forest Challenge. It’s very accessible to English Language Learners.
In the game, you are a virtual character going through a typical day. You regularly are faced with having to make choices between decisions that are ecologically helpful and ones that are not — you have to make the call.
I’m adding the game to The Best Sites To Introduce Environmental Issues Into The Classroom, and I’m place the link on my website on the Science page.
April 11, 2009
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments
With all the recent pirate activity off the coast of Somalia, I thought it might be useful to compile a “The Best…” list that would share resources about these modern-day pirates and their historical ancestors.
I’ve divided the list into those two sections — first, on today’s pirates and, second, on those in the past. The section on those in the past begin with activities that are not necessarily historically accurate, but provide good introductory concepts and vocabulary to ELL’s.
Here are my picks for The Best Websites For Learning About Modern & Historical Pirates:
MODERN PIRATES:
The Pirates Of Somalia is a slideshow from The New York Times.
The Brazen Pirates of Somalia is a slideshow from TIME Magazine.
The Boston Globe’s Big Picture has a series of photos of recent acts of piracy.
Breaking News English has a lesson that provides audio support for the text titled Indian navy sinks Somali pirate ship.
The Wall Street Journal has an interactive graphic detailing recent pirate attacks.
Here’s a video from the Wall Street Journal about the recent pirate attack on a U.S. ship, and an interactive timeline from the Guardian newspaper about how it happened.
Dramatic Pirate Hostage Rescues is a slideshow from TIME Magazine highlighting U.S. and French rescues of people captured by Somali pirates.
Crew Reunites With Families is a slideshow from the Wall Street Journal.
Rescued Captain Returns Home is a series of photos from The Sacramento Bee.
A Rare Look at the Pirates is an ABC News video.
CNN has a number of videos related to modern pirates.
“Anti-Piracy Weapons” is an infographic showing how ships are preparing to prevent pirate attacks.
“Maritime Piracy” is an interactive from The Associated Press.
HISTORICAL PIRATES:
Here’s a talking story from the British Council about a Treasure Map that doesn’t really talk about pirates in the historical sense, but might be a good introduction to ELL’s about pirates.
The British Council has a Pirate Song that would do the same thing.
Here’s an introductory exercise about words that would be good to know when learning about pirates.
The British Council also has a quiz about pirates.
Here’s another pirate quiz — this time from the CBBC Newsround.
Do the Pirate Song activity by Renee Maufroid.
The History Channel has a video on Pirate Fighting Tools.
A video from ABC News shows modern treasure hunters diving for gold on an old pirate shipwreck.
Here’s another video about the ship. This one is from National Geographic.
And go to the Field Museum to learn more about pirates and that same pirate ship where treasure hunters are diving. It includes an interactive.
National Geographic has a site where it tells about members of the crew on that same ship.
Learn about Blackbeard the Pirate at this National Geographic site.
‘Blackbeard’s Ship’ Found off U.S. Coast is a video from ABC News.
Here’s a Pirate Interactive Scavenger Hunt from Mr. Nussbaum’s site.
At the great site Awesome Stories you can read about the real-life Pirates of the Caribbean. If you register for the site (free), I believe it will provide audio support for the text.
Learn about the Barbary Wars in the early 1800′s when the U.S. fought pirates. Here’s a video from How Stuff Works about the conflict.
Even though piracy is a serious matter — especially today — there are some lighthearted online learning activities that use a pirate atmosphere.
Pirate Challenge, from the University of Cambridge, is a game designed to teach geography.
A Pirate’s Life is an infographic from The Sun-Sentinel.
“Mapping History’s Pirates” is an interactive from the Wall Street Journal on the…history of piracy.
Design a pirate, write a message, and have him deliver it in pirate talk at this site.
As always, feedback is welcome.
If you found this post useful, you might want to look at all the previous over 200 “The Best…” lists and also consider subscribing to this blog for free.
April 11, 2009
by Larry Ferlazzo
1 Comment
Next Stop is a new travel recommendation site — people write about places they like near where they live or places they have visited.
I’ve already included other travel sites where people can write similar reviews in The Best Places Where Students Can Write For An “Authentic Audience”.
However, Next Stop has — by far — the easiest writing process among them and, plus, they make it very simple to grab an image off the Web to include in the review. On top of all that, users can actually create their own online guides comprised of written reviews. Individual students, or groups of students, can easily create what could, in effect, be an online portfolio.
I’ve obviously added Next Stop to that “The Best…” list.
April 11, 2009
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments
The bipartisan DREAM Act was reintroduced in Congress last month and would provide a path to legalization for many undocumented immigrants after they graduate from U.S. high schools.
Mary Ann Zehr at Learning The Language reports on its status, including sharing a column just written by U.S. Rep. Mike Honda in support of the Act.
You can also get more information about the DREAM Act from the DREAM Act Portal.
April 11, 2009
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments
In the Frontier Alaska game, you having a very hard time in a dog sled. It’s a “choose your own adventure” activity where you are regularly giving challenging scenarios and then have options on how to proceed.
It’s from the Discovery Channel and is very similar to their “Life or Death” games. They’re all very engaging and accessible to Early Intermediate English Language Learners. My students love playing them, and they’re great reading opportunities.
I’ve placed the link on my website under Word and Video Games.
April 11, 2009
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments
What Is Global Warming is a simple and accessible interactive graphic explaining…global warming.
I’ve put the link on my website under Towards The Twenty-First Century.
April 10, 2009
by Larry Ferlazzo
1 Comment
The Free Music Archive is the latest addition to The Best Places To Get Royalty-Free Music & Sound Effects.
It currently has 5,000 free tracks available for download, and it’s super-easy to use — no registration is required.
You can read more about it at Read Write Web.
(Jerry Swiatek notes that there is some music here that is not appropriate for classroom use)
April 10, 2009
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments
Nik Peachey has just posted the newest edition of the ESL/EFL/ELL Blog Carnival, and it’s filled with great posts from around the world and insightful commentary by Nik. Take a look — you won’t be disappointed!
The deadline for submissions to the next edition is May 31st, and it will be hosted by Alice Mercer, my Sacramento colleague. You can contribute a post by using this easy submission form. Any posts related to the teaching or learning of English, including examples of student work, are welcome.
You can see all the previous editions of the ESL/EFL/ELL Blog Carnival here.
Hosts of these previous editions include Mary Ann Zehr at Education Week and Learning The Language; and David Duebelbeiss at EFL Classroom 2.0.
After Alice hosts the June 1st edition, Candace Williams has offered to host the August 1st edition, and ELL Classroom will be doing the same on October 1st.
Let me know if you’d be interested in hosting other future ones.
April 10, 2009
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments
Gixaw Chat is yet another way to make an instant chat room. In fact, you can make multiple chat rooms at once, if for some reason you wanted to do that.
Except for a few minor bells and whistles, it’s similar to the many other chatroom creation sites on The Best Online Tools For Real-Time Collaboration list.
April 10, 2009
by Larry Ferlazzo
1 Comment
Cinco de Mayo, May 5th, commemorates the defeat of the French by the Mexican Army in 1862. It’s a national holiday in Mexico, and is celebrated by Mexican immigrants and Mexican-Americans in the United States.
Finding high-interest materials for students to read, and activating prior knowledge, are both good instructional strategies, so in that spirit I offer another “The Best…” list.
All of these sites are accessible to English Language Learners.
Here are my choices for The Best Sites For Teaching & Learning About Cinco de Mayo:
The Orange County Register has a good interactive graphic about the day.
EL Civics has a good Cinco de Mayo Lesson designed for English Language Learners..
The History Channel has a Cinco de Mayo feature.
Here’s a video presentation of a Cinco de Mayo Celebration by the San Jose Mercury News.
This is a simple historical explanation by Social Studies for Kids.
How Stuff Works has a presentation on How Cinco de Mayo Works.
Glencoe has an online slideshow on the day’s history.
Here are some images and descriptions of food for a Cinco de Mayo celebration.
For students who are not from Mexico (and for those who are) here are some accessible links for them to learn some basic information about the country:
Apples 4 The Teacher has a “talking book” about Mexico.
Here’s an interactive timeline of Mexico’s History. It’s from PBS.
Mr. Nussbaum has two good interactives for learning about Mexico.
Brainpop, Jr. has a movie about Mexico, though you need to have a paid subscription to view it.
MSNBC has a short article on President Obama’s celebration of the holiday.
A Brief History of Cinco de Mayo is a TIME Magazine slideshow.
Read Write Think has a number of good resources, including lesson plans, related to the holiday.
The Detroit News has a slideshow about a local Cinco de Mayo Parade.
Nation’s Capital Celebrates Cinco de Mayo is a video from ABC News.
ESL Holiday Lessons has a lesson for English Language Learners about the holiday.
The U.S. Census Bureau has a fact sheet on the day.
The Modesto Bee has a video of a local celebration.
Why Do We Celebrate Cinco de Mayo is a CNN video.
President Obama Celebrates Cinco de Mayo is a video of the celebration at the White House.
Cinco De Mayo History: 7 Must-Know Facts About The Annual Celebration is a slideshow from The Huffington Post.
Cinco de Mayo goes hip is a slideshow from The Orange County Register.
I’d certainly be interested in hearing other suggestions, so please feel free to leave them in the comments section.
If you found this post useful, you might want to look at previous “The Best…” lists and also consider subscribing to this blog for free.
April 10, 2009
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments
At Car Science you can create your own car and see how it performs against the cars that others have created in terms of mileage, emissions, etc.
Language that’s accessible to Intermediate English Language Learners is used, and simple explanations of the advantages and disadvantages of different car options are shown.
I’ve placed the link on my website under Driving.
April 10, 2009
by Larry Ferlazzo
1 Comment
Kevin Hodgson, one of the people I nominated for the Edublog Awards last year, is co-editor of a new book on writing.
It’s titled Teaching the New Writing:Technology, Change, and Assessment in the 21st-Century Classroom.
It’s described this way:
How has the teaching of writing changed in the 21st century? In this innovative guide, real teachers share their stories, successful practices, and vivid examples of their students’ creative and expository writing from online and multimedia projects, such as blogs, wikis, podcasts, electronic poetry, and more. The book also addresses assessment: How can teachers navigate the reductive definitions of writing in current national and statewide testing? What are teachers’ goals for their students’ learning—and how have they changed in the past 20 years? What is “the new writing”? How do digital writers revise and publish? What are the implications for the future of writing instruction?
The contributing authors are teachers from public, independent, rural, urban, and suburban schools. Whether writing instructors embrace digital literacy now or see the inevitable future ahead, this groundbreaking book (appropriate for the elementary through college level) will both instruct and inspire.
All I know is that I’m buying anything Kevin has something to do with!
April 10, 2009
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments
April 10, 2009
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments
David Deubelbeiss, founder of EFL Classroom 2.0, wrote in to suggest that I add Mark Pegrum’s eLearning Wiki to The Best Sources For Ideas On How To Use Technology With English Language Learners.
David writes, “It is the most complete resource available in my opinion, a kind of directory to everything out there…. Kudo’s to Mark for all his great information and teaching!”
I agree. It looks pretty darn impressive and useful for teachers of ELL’s and native-English speakers.
