Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…

…For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Author Archives: Larry Ferlazzo

July 20, 2017
by Larry Ferlazzo
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“Words” Is A Neat Video – I Wonder If Students Could Create Their Own Versions?

I think this is a simple and neat video.

I’m wondering if English Language Learner students could somehow apply this same idea to representing words they are learning? If so, how? What video-creation tool would work? What do readers think?

Words from Enle Li on Vimeo.

July 20, 2017
by Larry Ferlazzo
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Use This Interactive To Find Immigration’s Impact On The U.S. Economy

ProPublica has used a recent study on immigration and created a a very useful interactive called The Immigration Effect. With it, you can modify immigration policy and see it’s impact on the U.S. economy.

Here’s an excerpt from their article about the study:

I’m adding it to The Best Sites For Learning About Immigration In The United States.

July 20, 2017
by Larry Ferlazzo
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The Best Resources & Ideas For Using Sound Effects In ELL Lessons

I sometimes use sound effects with my English Language Learner classes as a game (playing sounds, let’s say, of animals and having groups having to identify its name) or as story-writing prompts (play some sounds in sequence and have students write parts of a related story).

Generally, I find Free Sound as the easiest place to find them, but I have lots of others sites at The Best Places To Get Royalty-Free Music & Sound Effects.

Here are some posts other ELL (and non-ELL) teachers have written about how they’ve used sound effects with their students:

Teaching With Sound Effects by Hall Houston.

The Sound Book by Mike Harrison.

Using sound in the classroom is from Learn NC.

ESL Halloween Lesson Plan – Scary video and sounds

Here’s an animal sound quiz.

July 20, 2017
by Larry Ferlazzo
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“Q & A Collections: Best Ways To Begin The School Year”

“Q & A Collections: Best Ways To Begin The School Year” is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column.

It brings together links to all the columns on the best ways to start the school year from the past six years!

Here’s an excerpt from one of them:

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You might also be interested in The Best Resources For Planning The First Day Of School.

July 19, 2017
by Larry Ferlazzo
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The First “Witches” Were Hung In Salem 325 Years Ago Today – Here Are Related Resources

As today’s Associated Press article begins:

The Massachusetts community where 20 people suspected of witchcraft were put to death in 1692 unveiled a memorial to 19 of those victims on Wednesday, promising never to forget the tragedy.

The ceremony came 325 years to the day when Sarah Good, Elizabeth Howe, Susannah Martin, Rebecca Nurse and Sarah Wildes were hanged at a site in Salem known as Proctor’s Ledge. It was the first of three mass hangings at the spot. The 20th victim was crushed to death.

You might be interested in the resources, including hand-outs and student questions, I use to teach about it. You can find them on our U.S. History class blog.

July 19, 2017
by Larry Ferlazzo
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Around The Web In ESL/EFL/ELL

ESL Books from Flickr via Wylio

© 2010 Enokson, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio

Four years ago I began this regular feature where I share a few posts and resources from around the Web related to ESL/EFL or to language in general that have caught my attention.

You might also be interested in The Best Resources, Articles & Blog Posts For Teachers Of ELLs In 2016 – Part Two and The Best Resources, Articles & Blog Posts For Teachers Of ELLs In 2017 – So Far.

Here are this week’s choices:

Phonics for English Learners? What Do You Think? is a post by literacy expert Timothy Shanahan, and is the best piece I’ve ever read on phonics and ELLs. Unfortunately, he doesn’t actually recommend how best to teach phonics, but I guess you can’t have everything. I’m adding it to The Best Articles & Sites For Teachers & Students To Learn About Phonics.

Summer Reading for English-Language-Learner Educators is from Education Week.

Thousands of English-Learners Fall Short on Test of Language Skills is from Education Week. I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Learning About The Ins & Outs Of Reclassifying ELLs.

13 commonly made mistakes in Modern Language Instruction is by Gianfranco Conti.

The Schools Transforming Immigrant Education is from The Atlantic.

I talk about how I use photo collages for a language acquisition activity both in this NY Times post and in The Best Ways To Use Photos In Lessons.  The NY Times has published another nice collage that would be useful.

How exposure to a foreign language ignites infants’ learning is from Science Daily.

Next Generation Learning Models for ELL Students is from Getting Smart.

RTI and English Learners: 4 Considerations is by Jane Echevarria. I’d like to particularly recommend her seven questions “to distinguish between disability and language difference.” I’ m adding it to The Best Resources On Assisting ELLs With Special Needs – Help Me Find More.

I’m adding this tweet to The Best Sites To Teach About African-American History:

July 18, 2017
by Larry Ferlazzo
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The Best Resources On Developing A Sense Of Community In The Classroom

Several studies have been published over the past month related to the idea of how individual members of a group (co-workers, students) can do better cooperating in a supportive atmosphere than if everybody is working on their own.

I’ve published several posts about them and, as I’ve said in those posts, they go along with a push I made late in the last school year on “Everybody Is A Teacher.”

Here are links to those posts, along with some other related resources (I’ll be putting them all together into a lesson that I’ll share at a later date):

Bingo! There Are Issues With This Study On Grit & ELLs, But I Am Sure Going To Use It With My Students

“Everyone Is A Teacher” Is A New Engagement Strategy I’m Using & It Seems To Be Working

Intriguing Research On How To Increase Intrinsic Motivation

Focusing On The Impact Classroom Disruptions Have On Others, Not On The Students Doing The Disrupting

Here is an article I wrote for Education Week (which was later reprinted in The Washington Post) that includes an activity I do at the beginning of each school year to help students decide if they want to be a “classroom of students” or a “community of learners.”

Another related resource is The Best Resources For Teaching & Learning About The “Helper’s High.”

You might also be interested in The Best Resources On Students Having A “Purpose For Learning”

Feel free to make other suggestions….

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