Sites for English language Learning Students
BBC Learning English - http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/
This site is geared toward the middle or high school language learner. It has games, quizzes and more. Plus, the BBC is a very trusted and progressive publisher of information so it is sure to be kept updated and relevant.
Berenstain Bears - PBS Kids - http://pbskids.org/berenstainbears/
I loved this because it took me back to my childhood! The games are simple enough for a new English speaker to figure out but have fun story lines and are based on the actual books so it would be fun to tie the two together. Read the book, then play the game! I would recommend this for elementary aged students.
Khan Academy - https://www.khanacademy.org/mission/cc-eighth-grade-math
Khan academy is a math site that is a great tool for kids once they get home from school! It has practice worksheets, instructional videos, and other great tools to help students find success. Students must sign up for an account but it is completely free. Such a positive tool for students struggling to understand math!
Monday, July 21, 2014
3 Great Strategies for working with English language learners from Herrell and Jordan's 50 Strategies for Teaching English Language Learning
1. Academic Language Scaffolding (Chapter 8) - Students learn a great deal from their peers! All of the language they learn from their peers needs to be backed up with an academic base to further understand the world they live in. Students learning English sometimes go from the playground where they understand their peers fine to the classroom where everything said makes little sense. This is where academic scaffolding comes into play. Help build a world that allows every student to be a part of the content based conversation. In my classroom I have lots of ways that I incorporate this into our day. Here are a few of them:
3. Learning Centers (Chapter 20) - Learning centers can help break down learning into more manageable sections for students. Instead of focusing on the big picture students are able to piece it together from a whole lot of smaller ones.
1. Academic Language Scaffolding (Chapter 8) - Students learn a great deal from their peers! All of the language they learn from their peers needs to be backed up with an academic base to further understand the world they live in. Students learning English sometimes go from the playground where they understand their peers fine to the classroom where everything said makes little sense. This is where academic scaffolding comes into play. Help build a world that allows every student to be a part of the content based conversation. In my classroom I have lots of ways that I incorporate this into our day. Here are a few of them:
- Every day I write the key vocabulary words on the white board. The students are then responsible for finding the definitions as a table group before class starts. We then go over the definition as a group and partner check to make sure everyone has the definition written in their journal.
- Word wall: As we read through the text or talk about academic language students jot down words they don't yet know on a piece of paper at the center of their table group. Every few paragraphs we stop to go over our mini word walls.
- Repeat important vocabulary constantly! If the word is important to contextual understanding use it in context for the whole class to hear regularly.
2. Partner Work (Chapter 15) - Partner work is so important because not only do students get to see how other students think and work, it is a necessary life skill!
- Walk and Talk - Get with a partner and talk about the subject until the bell rings. Then get back to your seat.
- Think-pair-share - I use pair-share all the time when the class is struggling to come up with an answer as a whole (or no one is stepping up to answer for the group). After pair-share I call on a random student using a popsicle stick. If that student can't answer it I give one "phone a friend" before the whole class has to write the answer individually and turn it in (after discussion of course). It seems to really help student-involvement because none of them want to turn something extra in if they don't need to.
- Role-play - In science and social studies I often have students put themselves in the shoes of the people of our past and talk as if they were the expert or explorer.
3. Learning Centers (Chapter 20) - Learning centers can help break down learning into more manageable sections for students. Instead of focusing on the big picture students are able to piece it together from a whole lot of smaller ones.
- Station rotation - This is the type of learning center allows for students to move through a bunch of concepts that break down the larger concept in small groups. I find station rotations to be a lot of up front work for myself but once they are in action the students seem to enjoy them and come up with great significant questions about the curriculum.
- Big group/little group - I give the whole group a task to complete then meet with smaller groups about a secondary topic/learning need/assignment throughout the class period. Everyone will be in the little group at some point be the little group might change topics depending on the needs of the students in the group. When I finish with on little group they move on to work on what we talked about together as a group for as long as they need. I like doing this because I get to give small group direct instruction and can group the students in any way I find works best.
Kristin's Tech Toolbox
Welcome to my Tech Toolbox! Let's get started...
Sites for teachers working with English language Learners:
I scoured the internet for sites that would be useful to other educators. Here is what I found. Enjoy!
Colorin Colorado: A bilingual site for families and educators of English Language Learners
http://www.colorincolorado.org/
This is a great site for your Spanish speaking population. The site is easy to navigate with tabs in English and Spanish. The site stays up to date with current material, for example, it's currently displaying a book about the World Cup.
For first time ELL teachers: Click on the "For Educators" link.
Then click "Back to School Resources"
In this section there were lots of resources for teachers new to the ELL classroom.
Colorin Colorado - Back to School Resources
I especially liked the "ELL Starter Kit for Educators" that is a PDF Booklet linked to the site.
http://www.colorincolorado.org/educators/backtoschool/first_year/
Hope you enjoy perusing the site as much as I did!
Global SchoolNet.org
http://www.globalschoolnet.org/index.cfm
Global SchoolNet allows for teachers from around the world to connect their classrooms. The site acts as a virtual meeting place that allows students to access their world. Teachers post projects and other teachers around the world get on board to do the same project. Sounds fun!
The Education Alliance: Brown University
http://www.brown.edu/academics/education-alliance/
This is a great research based site that is looking out for the educational opportunities for ALL of our students, especially our diverse populations. I chose to add this site to my blog because it seemed to be a well rounded place for a teacher of ELL students to be able to get their news, research and guidance all in one place.
I think the mission statement of the alliance says it all: "The EDUCATION
Alliance at Brown University is a reform support organization committed to advancing equitable EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES that prepare all student populations to succeed in the 21st century. Our mission is to enhance learning for culturally and linguistically diverse students. We build partnerships with communities and educational organizations to apply research and transform INSTRUCTIONAL practice. We design and deliver expert services around data collection and analysis, professional learning, and research and evaluation."
Awesome Stories
https://www.awesomestories.com/
Awesome Stories seems like it would be a great teaching tool for any teacher! And it is free to join for teachers! The site provides videos for students that engage their "imaginations, cultural memories, concerns, hopes and aspirations". It's goal is to get the story behind the story. Not just scratch the surface like the textbook might but to go further and explore more to get a deeper historical context and cultural understanding.
Fun to Teach ESL - Teaching English as a Second Language http://esleld.blogspot.com/
This is a fun blog that is updated regularly. Because of the regular updates it means that you can always go there for a fresh, new idea to bring to your classroom. Sometimes the newest post is a great reminder of an old technique, sometimes it's something new I've never thought of. Regardless, I've enjoyed looking at new and old posts for ideas for the upcoming school year.
Sites for teachers working with English language Learners:
I scoured the internet for sites that would be useful to other educators. Here is what I found. Enjoy!
Colorin Colorado: A bilingual site for families and educators of English Language Learners
http://www.colorincolorado.org/
This is a great site for your Spanish speaking population. The site is easy to navigate with tabs in English and Spanish. The site stays up to date with current material, for example, it's currently displaying a book about the World Cup.
For first time ELL teachers: Click on the "For Educators" link.
Then click "Back to School Resources"
In this section there were lots of resources for teachers new to the ELL classroom.
Colorin Colorado - Back to School Resources
I especially liked the "ELL Starter Kit for Educators" that is a PDF Booklet linked to the site.
http://www.colorincolorado.org/educators/backtoschool/first_year/
Hope you enjoy perusing the site as much as I did!
Global SchoolNet.org
http://www.globalschoolnet.org/index.cfm
Global SchoolNet allows for teachers from around the world to connect their classrooms. The site acts as a virtual meeting place that allows students to access their world. Teachers post projects and other teachers around the world get on board to do the same project. Sounds fun!
The Education Alliance: Brown University
http://www.brown.edu/academics/education-alliance/
This is a great research based site that is looking out for the educational opportunities for ALL of our students, especially our diverse populations. I chose to add this site to my blog because it seemed to be a well rounded place for a teacher of ELL students to be able to get their news, research and guidance all in one place.
I think the mission statement of the alliance says it all: "The EDUCATION
Alliance at Brown University is a reform support organization committed to advancing equitable EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES that prepare all student populations to succeed in the 21st century. Our mission is to enhance learning for culturally and linguistically diverse students. We build partnerships with communities and educational organizations to apply research and transform INSTRUCTIONAL practice. We design and deliver expert services around data collection and analysis, professional learning, and research and evaluation."Awesome Stories
https://www.awesomestories.com/
Awesome Stories seems like it would be a great teaching tool for any teacher! And it is free to join for teachers! The site provides videos for students that engage their "imaginations, cultural memories, concerns, hopes and aspirations". It's goal is to get the story behind the story. Not just scratch the surface like the textbook might but to go further and explore more to get a deeper historical context and cultural understanding.
Fun to Teach ESL - Teaching English as a Second Language http://esleld.blogspot.com/
This is a fun blog that is updated regularly. Because of the regular updates it means that you can always go there for a fresh, new idea to bring to your classroom. Sometimes the newest post is a great reminder of an old technique, sometimes it's something new I've never thought of. Regardless, I've enjoyed looking at new and old posts for ideas for the upcoming school year.
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