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Rolls off the Tongue - Anderson and Andy
Grades
2 to 12
5 Favorites
0 Comments
Enjoy a cartoon and an opportunity to guess what idiom it represents. Click on one of five buttons for more information including a hint, the answer, the definition, a ...more
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Enjoy a cartoon and an opportunity to guess what idiom it represents. Click on one of five buttons for more information including a hint, the answer, the definition, a note on usage, the origin of the idiom, and a sentence using the idiom. The site is in blog format, so for more examples and activities with idioms, viewers just scroll down to see more. There is also a game featuring multiple choice guesses to reinforce usage of the idiom. New idioms are added regularly. SInce this is a blog, there are comments and other social features, such as clicking to "Like" a post. Public interactions appear in comments, so monitor before projecting or sharing.
In the Classroom
Have your students make their own cartoons of idioms they encounter following the example of the idioms drawn here. They can draw and scan them in or use one of the reviewed comics tools here. Have students post their work to a wiki or to Class Blog, reviewed here. Students studying other languages can create similar pages using idiomatic expressions of their target language. This is a great link to include on class web page. The explanations of the origin of the idiom might be a bit difficult for ESL/ELL students to grasp.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Root Word and Prefix Study Pages - myvocabulary.com
Grades
2 to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
As part of their extensive vocabulary site, MyVocabulary.com includes over 90 word puzzles practicing Greek and Latin root words. This site includes alignment of activities to Common...more
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As part of their extensive vocabulary site, MyVocabulary.com includes over 90 word puzzles practicing Greek and Latin root words. This site includes alignment of activities to Common Core Standards. Find 90 additional prefix studies on page 2 here.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Include these activities as part of any lessons on prefixes. Use words found on this site as a starting point, then challenge students to find additional words with the same prefixes.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Roxxem - Peakay Inc.
Grades
K to 12
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Roxxem teaches new languages by integrating song lyrics with interactive learning activities for individuals and classrooms. Members choose from hundreds of songs to learn Spanish,...more
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Roxxem teaches new languages by integrating song lyrics with interactive learning activities for individuals and classrooms. Members choose from hundreds of songs to learn Spanish, French, Chinese, or German. Roxxem's technology features allow participants to find the right songs for their learning level, from beginner to advanced, and easily integrate into classroom learning opportunities with study games and live classroom activities. After creating a free account, search for songs, lyrics, or words. Use filters to adjust levels and maturity song content ratings. Select a song to play games, including Whack-a-Word, Play Lyric Puzzle, Learn Lesson, or Assign for HW (only available with paid accounts). Free accounts include access to all songs, personalized lessons, study games, and live classroom activities. The videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.
In the Classroom
Before sharing songs and activities with students, carefully select filters for content ratings ranging from G, PG, PG-13, to R. Share Roxxem learning games on classroom devices or complete activities together on your whiteboard to review vocabulary and pronunciation. Roxxem is an excellent tool for students at home to learn a language not offered in your school. Share this site with parents to use at home. Engage students in learning by asking them to write short songs or poems, then use Animate with Audio, reviewed here to share their work with peers.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Russian language tutorial & online phrasebook: Basic Russian Phrases - Way to Russia
Grades
5 to 12
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Learn the basics of Russian. This could be very helpful for teachers working with Russian-speaking ESL/ELL students or for your English-speaking students who are curious about other...more
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Learn the basics of Russian. This could be very helpful for teachers working with Russian-speaking ESL/ELL students or for your English-speaking students who are curious about other languages. Gifted students might enjoy comparing languages using this site and other tools.
In the Classroom
Use this site as a resource for ELL students whose primary language is Russian, or for English speaking students attempting to learn the language. Allow students to use the tool for review and practice, posting it on your teacher wiki or webpage so they can do so in and out of the classroom. Not comfortable with wikis? Have no wiki worries - check out the TeachersFirst's Wiki Walk-Through.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Salsa - Georgia Public Broadcasting
Grades
K to 12
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This Spanish language program features TV segments of popular children's stories in Spanish. The TV episodes include puppets, animation, live action and music characteristic of Hispanic...more
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This Spanish language program features TV segments of popular children's stories in Spanish. The TV episodes include puppets, animation, live action and music characteristic of Hispanic culture. Besides transcripts, the website includes an intro, vocabulary, and more. In some episodes, the action is translated into sign language for the hearing impaired, as well! Complete transcripts in Spanish and English allow the instructor to pre-teach vocabulary and set up the situation before showing the video. One of the main advantages of using this program in a mixed language class is that the Spanish-speaking students suddenly become the authorities in the classroom; they can assist the instructor with the episodes and activities.
In the Classroom
Use these episodes to supplement regular Spanish language classes or as enrichment for elementary classes wishing to learn a language. Encourage your Spanish-speaking class members to assist with pronunciation, episode summaries, songs, etc. Provide this link on your class website for students to use both in and out of the classroom; the activities and stories help with Spanish language comprehension. After introducing your students to this program you may want to set up stations with different stories from this list for students to rotate through. Share the stories on your interactive whiteboard or projector as a model for world language students, then extend student learning by challenging students to create their own stories. Use a tool like FlexClip, reviewed here, to record them and share them. FlexClip is designed to allow you to create short animated or explainer videos to share on YouTube and other social media sites. Then, share on a site such as TeacherTube, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Science (and more) to Music - Dr. Lodge McCammon
Grades
4 to 12
3 Favorites
0 Comments
This site offers many songs related to math, social studies, and science concepts. Science concepts include water & pollution, scientific inquiry, changes in matter, and much more....more
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This site offers many songs related to math, social studies, and science concepts. Science concepts include water & pollution, scientific inquiry, changes in matter, and much more. Math concepts range from order of operations to quadratic and exponential functions. After choosing a topic, you can listen to the song online, download the mp3, view lyrics, and possibly view an accompanying video. (Not all topics include the video.) Some topics also include a teacher guide with lesson suggestions. This site does mention that you can create your own videos. However, at the time of this review, that feature was not working.
In the Classroom
Play songs related to math, social studies, or science concepts in class to supplement current lessons. Download and play the tunes on iPods or mp3 players in a listening corner. Have younger students sing along with the songs (reading the lyrics). ESL/ELL students will benefit from such an alternate presentation of concepts, as will any who have strong musical/rhythmic intelligence. Give students copies of song lyrics, and have them create their own songs. After listening to a song, have students create their own song relating to current classroom topics. Suggest some familiar tunes so students do not have to start from scratch. Create a video of the songs and share using a site such as SchoolTube reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Seesaw - Charles Lin, Carl Sjogreen , Adrian Graham
Grades
K to 10
8 Favorites
1 Comments
Seesaw is a digital portfolio that is totally free for all devices and on the web. Students can showcase their work, videos, text, drawings, and images, and get feedback from ...more
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Seesaw is a digital portfolio that is totally free for all devices and on the web. Students can showcase their work, videos, text, drawings, and images, and get feedback from teachers and parents. Create a class blog in your Seesaw for students to write blog posts. Teachers create an account with email and then start creating as many classes as needed. There is no limit on the number of students a class can have. Once students have parental permission, give students a "join" code for their class, and they sign up from there, choosing to access their account through a Seesaw generated QR code or their email. Teachers can enable or disable student likes, comments, and editing. Blog posts and comments must have teacher approval before becoming public. Students will be able to reflect on their work with a voice recording or text, and can share artifacts from their portfolio by clicking the red button at the bottom of the screen and then either print or get the item QR code. Once you have an account, click Help & Teacher Resources to find Getting Started Tips, Tutorial Videos, FAQs, and Activity Ideas grouped by grade level. If your district blocks YouTube, the tutorials may not be viewable. Please be aware that Seesaw falls under the FERPA laws for "directory information" and "educational records." Any school getting funds from the Department of Education (public schools) is required to disclose to parents and get written consent to use Seesaw with their child.
In the Classroom
Sign up for Seesaw, and after students have parental permission, generate a join code for the class from the menu at the upper right corner or by clicking your name or initials in the left corner to get a drop down menu. The join code expires in 15 minutes, so it is best to do this in your classroom or computer lab. Teachers can add photos, drawings, links, notes, and upload a file from this same menu by clicking the + symbol. You can even add a co-teacher! See Seesaw's FAQs for ways for parents to sign up and letters to send home. Use Seesaw portfolios for any subject or grade level. Once your account is set up, create a simple project or borrow one from the Activities on the Help and Teacher Resources page. Share the project on your interactive whiteboard or projector to get your students started. The teacher portal allows you to access and comment on student work. View the work of an individual or the entire class. The ability to import work from many creation apps to Seesaw makes this a perfect portfolio tool. Don't forget to watch the video about setting up blogs for your students. Remember, this is all free! Science teachers could have students write up their lab reports, take photos of their labs and label them in a portfolio. History teachers could set up portfolios for student report writing or digital storytelling projects. Seesaw is the perfect tool to use during parent conferences.Comments
I love using Seesaw with my elementary school students. It's great that parents can comment also.Katy, , Grades: 0 - 12
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Select and Speak - Google Chrome
Grades
1 to 12
2 Favorites
0 Comments
Select and Speak (formerly (Speakit) is an easy to install, free program that converts written text on web pages into spoken words within the Chrome web browser. At the time ...more
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Select and Speak (formerly (Speakit) is an easy to install, free program that converts written text on web pages into spoken words within the Chrome web browser. At the time of this review, it works exclusively on Google Chrome. You can use this extension in many different languages. All you do is highlight the text, and it reads it aloud. The tool works only on website text, not documents, etc. This extension uses text to speech service and might not be accessible to those whose computers prevent download/installation of software. There are some errors in the program they are still fixing.
In the Classroom
Use Select and Speak as your teacher's helper. Be sure to test it out on classroom computers and devices before using it with students. During research or computer explorations, allow students to use this read aloud feature. Honor the students who heavily rely on hearing as their preferred form of comprehending material. In lower grades, research on computers now becomes an easier task. This extension is perfect for ENL/ELL or learning support students to help with vocabulary development, comprehension, fluency, and repetitions.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Self-study Grammar Quizzes - Internet TESL Journal/ teacher contrbutors
Grades
6 to 9
1 Favorites
0 Comments
This website offers various interactive quizzes all related to grammar. Although written for ESL/ELL students, this is a good practice site for middle school students who have trouble...more
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This website offers various interactive quizzes all related to grammar. Although written for ESL/ELL students, this is a good practice site for middle school students who have trouble remembering grammar basics. All of the quizzes are interactive, with the answers underneath each question for immediate feedback. It encompasses a wide range of grammar-related rules, everything from "a or an" to "active-passive voice." This would make a good review or independent study site.
In the Classroom
Choose which of these quizzes would most benefit your students and make the links available from your teacher web page for them to access the quizzes quickly. As students work independently on them, you can do individual support and final testing with them as they finish each section. The "Other Quizzes" section offers some challenging quizzes that ask students to identify sentence problems and various other questions.Why not use an interactive whiteboard or projector to share the more challenging quizzes with your class. Divide the class into teams, project the questions on the screen, and see which team can answer the most questions correctly. This is great review before standardized testing.
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Semantris - Google
Grades
4 to 12
4 Favorites
0 Comments
Semantris is an engaging pair of word association games offered as a Google experiment in predicting the use of words by players. Arcade is a quick-thinking game; write a word ...more
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Semantris is an engaging pair of word association games offered as a Google experiment in predicting the use of words by players. Arcade is a quick-thinking game; write a word associated with the shared selection to drop words to the bottom of a list as quickly as possible. Block is a slower paced game; try to provide a short phrase to describe one of the words in the blocks to drop the blocks and prevent them from reaching the top of the page.
In the Classroom
Share Semantris with students on classroom computers or devices for use as a quick word association and vocabulary building activity. Challenge students to become more proficient in "beating" Google by earning as many points as possible. For younger students, this site is an excellent way to build vocabulary skills. Have older students take this site a step further and research how machine learning works through this Google activity. Enhance learning by asking them to substitute a traditional report or presentation by making a video explanation tool like Typito, reviewed here, to describe the concept of machine learning. After spending some time practicing this game, take it a step further and extend student learning by having students create their own vocabulary learning game using a tool such as Scratch, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Sentence Scrambler - altastic.com
Grades
1 to 10
1 Favorites
0 Comments
This sentence scrambler allows teachers to type or paste in as many sentences as they would like and scrambles the words at random. Any punctuation typed in remains attached to ...more
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This sentence scrambler allows teachers to type or paste in as many sentences as they would like and scrambles the words at random. Any punctuation typed in remains attached to the word it is next to. Students can then try to unscramble the sentences. Options include putting slashes or dashes between words to make them easier to distinguish. After typing/pasting the desired number of sentences, teachers should check the box marked "Add Numbers" in order to have the sentences separated and numbered. Sentences in Spanish can also be scrambled. Rearranging the words is not part of the interactive activity.
In the Classroom
Multilingual students will find this activity useful for practicing correct English word order. Primary teachers can also use it to teach basic sight words, sequencing, and inferencing skills with short sentences. After typing/pasting in the sentences, copy the scrambled word box on an interactive whiteboard or projector and have students write or type the paragraph in the correct order.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Shahi Visual Dictionary - Abdullah Arif
Grades
2 to 10
3 Favorites
0 Comments
This visual dictionary is a Wiki which matches definitions of a target word with photos from Flickr, Google, and Yahoo (at the time of this review). Simple click the word ...more
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This visual dictionary is a Wiki which matches definitions of a target word with photos from Flickr, Google, and Yahoo (at the time of this review). Simple click the word you would like to search into the text box, and lists of definitions as well as MANY photos appear. As more words are searched, they simply are listed above the previous search. So a student could easily search several words together and visually see them all on the same screen. The definitions in the dictionary come from "WordNet." Within the definition, many words themselves are clickable; students can immediately find the definition of any of those words as well. Students learn about parts of speech, tenses, are given examples, and more.
Note:
Words and definitions available are from a "general public" dictionary and may include some words not appropriate for the classroom. Teachers concerned about students' accessing obscenities or body parts should test whether school filtering blocks such inquiries before allowing students to use the dictionary independently. Alternatively, use history to enforce school acceptable use policies, supervise usage, or use the visual dictionary as a whole-class activity.
In the Classroom
As with any dictionary, this reference book contains all sorts of words including words of a sexual nature. So be sure to preview your search and give students warnings about appropriate use!Share this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. This is very helpful for all students. However, especially for ESL and ELL students, who might need a quick picture to help define a type of tree, plant, or food not familiar to them. Why not have students create their own wiki about your current science or social studies topic (or any other subjects). Have cooperative learning groups use vocabulary words, provide the definitions, AND find some photos to share. Not sure what a wiki is? Check out the TeachersFirst's Wiki Walk-Through.
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Shape America - Physical Education Teacher Toolbox - National Assn for Sports and Physical Education
Grades
K to 12
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Finding fun and varied activities to keep students moving isn't always easy. The Teacher Toolbox on this site is the perfect find for quick and easy daily activities. After finding...more
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Finding fun and varied activities to keep students moving isn't always easy. The Teacher Toolbox on this site is the perfect find for quick and easy daily activities. After finding the toolbox, scroll down a bit to find the page with the link to calendars. Here is where you will find monthly calendars (in English and Spanish) and divided by age levels - Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary - with a quick and easy physical activity to accomplish for the day. Calendars are also archived back to 2016 so there are several options for each month.
In the Classroom
Plan with the Physical Education teacher to incorporate suggested activities into the curriculum. Use the calendars during math class when teaching calendar skills such as days of the week, elapsed time, and more. Have students graph how many activities they completed each month and challenge students to improve each month. Use on online graphing tool using a site like Statistic - Johnnie's Math Page reviewed here. Practice fractions by comparing activities completed to activities performed each month, compare different students' calendars and fractional representations. Share on your classroom webpage or blog with parents as examples of fun, simple activities to improve student's healthy and decrease obesity.
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Shmoop: Biographies - Shmoop
Grades
6 to 12
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Shmoop, the study site created by Stanford grad students, now has an entire section of biographies of famous people, and they are not just famous authors! Click on the tabs ...more
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Shmoop, the study site created by Stanford grad students, now has an entire section of biographies of famous people, and they are not just famous authors! Click on the tabs at the top to read a summary, biography, or even a resume. You don't need to have an account to see the information on Shmoop. However, signing up (for free) gives you the ability to "clip" files and keep them in a folder. Registration does require an email address. Tip: rather than using your personal or work email, create a free Gmail account to use for memberships. If you plan to have students register individually, you may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how to set up GMail subaccounts to use for any online membership service.
In the Classroom
Introduce any of the authors biographies before reading a literary work or studying that famous leader or scientist. You could have the students go through the tabs and take notes on interesting facts, trivia, etc. Then have a class game where all students stand and the first student reads a fact from their notes and crosses it out. All other students have to cross that fact out, too. Then the next person states a different fact and every one else has to cross the fact out. Proceed in this manner until there is only one (or however many you want) students left standing. They are the winners. Another idea: Have your students create an interactive online poster about an individual using Lucidpress, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Shmoop: Picture This - Shmoop
Grades
6 to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Shmoop has done it again by adding slideshows to their literature, civics, and history sections! With "Picture This," you can add visual interest and engage visual leaeners in your...more
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Shmoop has done it again by adding slideshows to their literature, civics, and history sections! With "Picture This," you can add visual interest and engage visual leaeners in your history, civics or literature units. What's more, you can copy and paste the HTML for the slide show onto your own web page. There are slide shows for every unit in civics and history, and for 40 of the literature units. You will know if the literature unit has a slide show by looking in the menu bar at the top for "new photos." View photos of the presidents, The Civil War, Hamlet, and much more.
In the Classroom
Give students some background knowledge before they start reading for a unit. Put the slideshow on your own site so the captions don't show. Then use your projector or interactive whiteboard to show the images to the students while they jot down what they observe and infer about each image. Once the students have finished, have a class discussion based on what they observed and what this says about the topic. Then click on "full size." This will take you to Shmoop to see what the captions say about the picture. At this point you can click on one of the orange tabs at the top to read the summary for the topic, view a timeline, etc.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Sign Generator - Ryland Sanders
Grades
K to 12
2 Favorites
0 Comments
Create a personalized sign using the many templates offered on the Sign Generator. Options include personalized cakes, cartoon characters, movie marquees, and much more. Click the thumbnail...more
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Create a personalized sign using the many templates offered on the Sign Generator. Options include personalized cakes, cartoon characters, movie marquees, and much more. Click the thumbnail of the design you want, add your text into the provided lines, and click the link to finish. Your personalized sign appears on a popup image ready to save onto your computer.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Create signs to include with multimedia projects. Customize a sign for use on your interactive whiteboard with directions for seat work or to introduce students presenting projects to the class. Have students use the images to give short story summaries using only four to six words. Create a set of class rules using one of the templates, and then print and post them on a bulletin board.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Simple English News - simpleenglishnews
Grades
4 to 12
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Simple English News is a site that has very short articles about items from all over the world. It also features English in 30-Seconds videos on news topics and ...more
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Simple English News is a site that has very short articles about items from all over the world. It also features English in 30-Seconds videos on news topics and language oddities like slang and idioms. In addition, there are quizzes, participatory polls, written and oral interviews, recipes, and many other selections. This is not a site for breaking or controversial news. Besides appealing to ESL/ELL students, this site would work well with resource classes. Please remember to preview anything you wish to share, to be sure the content is appropriate for your classroom. Some of the videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.
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This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Share the video clips on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Check with this site to see if it has a feature on a grammar or vocabulary lesson you are preparing. Check with your administration about the feasibility of students registering to participate in polls and make comments on news articles. Refer students to the article about five special apps for learning English.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Simple English Wikipedia - Wikipedia Foundation
Grades
3 to 10
0 Favorites
0 Comments
Simple English Wikipedia is a new production of Wikipedia, focused on readers and learners with less vocabulary than native speakers of English. According to the producer, the pages...more
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Simple English Wikipedia is a new production of Wikipedia, focused on readers and learners with less vocabulary than native speakers of English. According to the producer, the pages featured here contain simpler words and shorter sentences than the regular Wiki pages. The number of pages is more limited as well, though this should grow with educators and learners contributing information. Another difference is that any slangs or idiomatic language is carefully explained to accommodate the ELL reader. The HELP pages explain how to write and submit articles for Simple English Wikipedia and have suggestions for simplifying English.
In the Classroom
Share this site with your school ESL teachers as well as classroom teachers who may have ESL students who are involved in researching and possibly even writing new articles. Bookmark this for your classroom computer. If you do recommend wikipedia as a source for research, be sure to have the discussion about its unknown authorship and usefulness as a general information tool but not as a "scholarly" resource. As a challenge to your better writers, consider asking them to write entries that you can submit to this encyclopedia on classroom topics in simpler English. They will have to analyze their own language and writing style with far greater scrutiny than ever before. Or have the class create a two-version wiki glossary of your own on curriculum topics in any discipline, using this as a model for the "easy reading" side.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Simplenote - automattic.com
Grades
K to 12
0 Favorites
0 Comments
Simplenote is a note-taking tool that updates information across all of your devices. Download the app for mobile devices and onto PCs. Notes update immediately, no need to save. Use...more
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Simplenote is a note-taking tool that updates information across all of your devices. Download the app for mobile devices and onto PCs. Notes update immediately, no need to save. Use the scroll bar to go back in time and find notes from a previous time. Use tags or search to find notes created. Simplenote also allows for collaboration with other users.
In the Classroom
Use Simplenote for all notes and ideas in all aspects of your busy life. Keep your file system with you all of the time! Instruct students in the use of Simplenote for notetaking needs. Share outlines and study guides with students. All members can collaborate and add thoughts. Offer as a way to improve organizational skills.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Six Word Stories - Pete Berg
Grades
5 to 12
8 Favorites
0 Comments
Six Word Stories challenges students to create a meaningful "narrative," book summary, reaction to a movie, or other literary reflection in just six words. Based on a famous one by...more
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Six Word Stories challenges students to create a meaningful "narrative," book summary, reaction to a movie, or other literary reflection in just six words. Based on a famous one by Ernest Hemingway, the site collects the writings of amateurs and professionals. Readers can search it by theme or by genre or author (including famous ones). Links include places to try similar endeavors including 2-sentence stories and fifty-word stories. Please preview: at the time of this review, there was one inappropriate comment with a curse word.
In the Classroom
Have a contest and challenge your students to submit the best 6-word story after finishing a novel, play, or poem. Try creating some together on interactive whiteboard, brainstorming first to generate possible words from which to choose, then dragging to rearrange them into a meaningful story. Make a six word story "sidebar" at the side of your class where students can work together with a partner on the IWB to generate new stories as summaries for an act of a Shakespeare play or in response to a sonnet. In a journalism class, try this for a twist on headline writing. Introduce poetry writing by having your students try their hand at expressing an emotional experience in just 6 words. ESL/ELL students often create unusual combinations in writing; why not have them display their creativity here in an acceptable form? Share this site with world language teachers also.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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