Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…

…For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Monthly Archives: April 2011

April 23, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
7 Comments

Homework For English Language Learners

In my book on teaching English Language Learners, I’ve written about the weekly homework I typically have my ELL students complete. Among other things, it usually includes their choosing words to add to their personal dictionary, completing a simple sheet demonstrating their use of reading strategies in a book of their choice, and writing a short journal sharing at least two good things that happened in their lives that week and one not-so-good thing (along with what they could have done to make it better). Students then share it each week in partners where they also use some academic language, and then some students share with the entire class.

It works well.

Rob Haines has recently written a guest post in Scott Thornbury’s blog sharing some useful guidelines for ELL homework, and he also links to another related article on the British Council website.

I’m adding this post to The Best Resources For Learning About Homework Issues.

Share|

April 22, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
5 Comments

Students & Their Families “Are Not Consumers”

This morning, Paul Krugman at The New York Times wrote a column about health care titled “Patients Are Not Consumers.”

I’m going to reprint portions of his piece with a few words struck-out and replaced. Let me know what you think:

How did it become normal, or for that matter even acceptable, to refer to medical patients students and their families as “consumers”? The relationship between patient students and their families and doctor teachers used to be considered something special, almost sacred. Now politicians and supposed reformers talk about the act of receiving care education as if it were no different from a commercial transaction, like buying a car — and their only complaint is that it isn’t commercial enough.

What has gone wrong with us?

….The idea that all this can be reduced to money — that doctors teachers are just “providers” selling services to health care education “consumers” — is, well, sickening. And the prevalence of this kind of language is a sign that something has gone very wrong not just with this discussion, but with our society’s values.

You might also be interested in The Best Posts & Articles Explaining Why Schools Should Not Be Run Like Businesses.

Share|

April 22, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments

Even More Easter Resources

Here are the newest additions to The Best Sites For Learning About Easter And Passover:

In Spain, Women Find a Place in the Procession is a New York Times slideshow.

Easter egg art celebrities by John Lamouranne is a slideshow from The Telegraph.

People nailed to crosses in Good Friday ritual is from MSNBC.

In Focus: Holy Week around the World is a series of photos from The Denver Post.

Share|

April 22, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments

What A Great Social Studies Site…

I’ve previously highlighted Glencoe’s online videos for social studies, but have now discovered that offer many more free resources to support all their social studies textbooks. They’re useful even if you don’t use their books, though, and they’re freely available.

You can start off at their main Social Studies site or at their main site for all their textbooks. From there, it’s easy to navigate to their U.S. History, World History and Geography books. They all have links to videos, “in-motion animations” like this one, interactive maps like this (I especially like these maps because they offer audio support for the text), and different games (I especially like their categorization activities).

There’s a lot more there, including a good multilingual glossary I’ve posted about in The Best Multilingual & Bilingual Sites For Math, Social Studies, & Science.

I’m adding this new info to the following lists:

The Best Websites For Learning & Teaching Geography

The Best Websites For Teaching & Learning About World History

The Best Websites For Teaching & Learning About U.S. History

Share|

April 21, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments

Daytum — Part Two

I posted about a site called Daytum two years ago — before it opened for the public. It’s a super-easy tool to use to visual any kind of data, though its primary purpose for people to use it to keep track of personal data.

I had forgotten about it until I saw an article in The New York Times this morning — Illustrating Your Life in Graphs and Charts — that mentioned it.

I’m adding Daytum to The Best Resources For Creating Infographics.

Share|

April 21, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
10 Comments

What Are Your Favorite Language Learning Games (That Are Not Online)

I’ve previously written about my favorite language-learning games that I use in the classroom (see Games Students Play: Using Classroom Games To Teach And To Learn).

I’m planning to update that list, but thought I’d also ask teachers to share their one or two favorite language learning games (that are not online and that are not pre-packaged board games). Leave a short-and-simple description in the comments of this post between now and May 25th, and I’ll compile all of them into a “mega-post” by late May. Of course, everyone will receive credit and, if you have a blog, a link back to it, too.

In addition to sharing simple instructions for your favorite games, please share links to sites that you think have the best collections of language learning game ideas. I’ll include them in my post, too.

This should be fun — for us and our students.

Share|

April 21, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
1 Comment

The Best Resources For Learning How To Use The Dictogloss Strategy With English Language Learners

Dictogloss is primarily a listening and writing activity used with English Language Learners. It can certainly be done a number of different ways but, very simply-put, the teacher reads a short text, often one students are familiar with. Then, after the first time of just listening, the teacher reads it again and students write down notes of what they have heard. Next, the teacher reads it a third time and, again, the student writes down additional notes. The student then compares his/her notes with another student’s notes and they work together to develop an accurate reconstruction of the text — one that is not necessarily the exact wording, but that demonstrates its meaning accurately. Finally, the teacher reads it again and students judge how well they did.

Again, there are many variations on how to implement this engaging instructional strategy.

Here are few of the best resources that I’ve found on using the dictogloss strategy. They include reproducibles, research on its effectiveness, and examples of how its used in different classrooms:

The Dictogloss: Intensive listening for integrated language development from Jason Renshaw.

The Listening “Dictogloss” is a more extensive piece by Jason.

Dictogloss Procedure is by Diane Tedick.

Dictogloss is by by Willy C. Cardoso and includes a video of it in action.

Our first time with dictogloss is by David Dodgson.

Doing Dictogloss with E1s (elementary) is from Magpie Moments.

Feedback is welcome.

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.

Share|

April 20, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments

The Best Sites For Learning About The Texas Fires & Forest Fires In General

With raging fires in Texas burning over one million acres so far, I thought it would be useful for me to compile a “The Best…” list that both shared accessible information about forest fires in general, as well as provide specific resources about what’s happening in Texas now.

You can also find lots of additional resources on major fires over the years at A Compilation Of “The Best…” Lists About Natural Disasters.

I’ll start off first with information about forest fires in general:

Weather Wiz Kids has a particularly accessible explanation of how forest fires are begun — and stopped.

Here’s a description of how forest fires start that is probably accessible to high Intermediate English Language Learners.

The page on the Smokey Bear website focused on Wildfires Burning has a lot of information on different aspects of forest fires, and much of it is pretty accessible.

CBS News has an excellent interactive on U.S. Wildfires.

Wildfire Facts comes from Idaho Public Television.

Here’s a lesson plan from Discovery Education on forest fires.

Eleven Facts About Wildfire comes from Do Something.

Wildfires is from National Geographic.

Weatherwiz Kids has some good info.

Here are resources on the Texas fires:

The Atlantic has a series of photos.

Wildfires Ravage Texas is a TIME Magazine slideshow.

CNN has several related videos.

Wildfire Burns In Texas is a Wall Street Journal slideshow.

MSNBC has video of the disaster.

Wind-stoked wildfires hit Texas is a slideshow from The Washington Post.

Firefighters called from around the country to fight Texas wildfires is a series of photos from The Sacramento Bee.

Feedback is welcome.

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.

Share|

April 20, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
11 Comments

How Do You Decide Where Students Can Sit? (Plus An Interesting Study)

As all teachers know, where students sit in class can be an important strategic decision.

After the first few weeks of a new school year, I tend to let students choose their own seats using eyesight and behavioral issues as my guiding criteria. I’ll be flexible at first, but won’t hesitate to switch if behavior does become an issue. If I have a small class, this policy can mean students sitting all over the place. It seems to me that reinforcing the idea of student autonomy (and plenty of research emphasizes its importance) trumps any minor logistical problems it might create.

A new study might raise questions about this policy.

The study claims that students sitting in the front of a class had fewer daydreams than those sitting further back, and that the “front-sitters” scored higher on course exams.

I still think I’ll stick with my policy, though.

How do you handle your seating arrangements and why?

Share|

April 20, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments

More Easter Resources

Here are the newest additions to The Best Sites For Learning About Easter And Passover:

From Indian Jews to Jewish Bears: A Passover Photo Gallery is from The Atlantic.

Easter By The Numbers is a fun infographic.

Splash! Men throw buckets of water as women run past, in Hungary is the title of a series of photos from MSNBC about a Hungarian Easter tradition.

Happy Easter is a nice infographic from The Sun-Sentinel.

Share|

April 20, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments

Bitesize Bingo

Bitesize Bingo is a game from BBC Schools. It’s played like…bingo, and you can choose questions from pretty much any subject. It provides a short explanation, and then the question you have to answer refers back to it.

It’s particularly accessible to English Language Learners since audio support is provided for the explanation, the questions, and the multiple choice answers.

It will definitely be on this year’s list of best learning games.

Share|

April 19, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments

The Best Sites For Learning About Taxes

This list is a few days late, but at least it will be around for next year.

Here are my choices for The Best Sites For Learning About Taxes:

Where Did My Tax Dollars Go? is an interactive infographic that is the winner of a Google-sponsored context to identify the best tax-related visualization. It’s pretty darned impressive. Type in whatever amount of income you want, and you get a very detailed an accessible explanation of how it’s used.

You can see the other finalists and runners-up in the contest here.

Here are 15 Infographics About Taxes.

Who Is Not Paying Taxes is another infographic.

Understanding Taxes is an extensive curriculum from the I.R.S. It’s probably too advanced fro English Language Learners, but their interactive on completing a W-4 form could be useful and accessible.

Additional suggestions are welcome!

If you found this post useful, you might want to look at 660 previous “The Best…” lists and also consider subscribing to this blog for free.

Share|