July 11, 2009 at 8:33 pm (English, English Language Learners, English Proficiency, Lessons, Math, Resources, Science, Social Studies, Technology)
Tags: ELL Activities, ELL Writing, ELL writing activities, interactive, Ning, Ning for classroom use, publishing student writing, Technology, website, Writing Projects
In December, a colleague of mine, Kevin Byers, told me about a site that he was using with his students – Ning.com/. I was curious about the site and decided, after talking to him about it for a while, to try it with my students. Over winter break, I created my classroom Ning. I decided that I would keep the site closed so that I wouldn’t have to worry about it being open to everyone. My students had to access the site by invitation only through e-mail, so I decided that I would use their ePal accounts. After returning to school, I got permission from my principal and was ready to begin the process.
I first had to teach my students about social sites (which Ning is), how to communicate on them, how to navigate to the site, selecting an avatar, and the list goes on. My students loved it immediately. It was something that they were interested in doing not only every day at school, but also at home. After I had buy-in, I knew that I must keep the purpose of the site academically related.
We started by having discussions in the forum section about the books that they were reading. Invitations to join the site were extended to all of my students, but also to administrators and other teachers that were interested in posting information. This became a place where all of my students could communicate.
From there, I moved to embedding videos on the site. The first round of videos were based on what my students were studying in social studies class. For one group, a video on ancient Greece, for another, an archaeological dig, and for the last group, Chinese immigration. After watching the video, there was a question and they needed to respond to it. They could also respond to someone else’s comment. I found that this was an engaging way to bring content into my classroom so that I could support building background knowledge.
While gcast.com/ was free, I was able to embed podcasts that my students had given over various books so that others could listen to it.
Moving into next year, I plan on teaching my students about blogging (as there is a blog feature). I think that this can be a great way to lead into a more technical writing, especially if they begin quoting other sources (which I would like for them to do).
If you decide to start your own Ning (which means “peace” in Chinese, by the way), there are several things to keep in mind.
1. Decide if you want your site to be open or closed. As the creator of the site, you have network creator privileges and select the level of security that you want.
2. You can also decide what types of features that you want on the site (videos, blogs, groups, forums, music, events, etc).
3. You can decide the level of control over what information is posted. For some features, you can establish a requirement that the network creator must approve posts.
4. Each member of the Ning has their own page. As network creator, you can decide if they can change the colors on that page (this was something that I did allow).
5. Since my Ning was for academic purposes, I knew each student’s login information. This was not only a safeguard feature, but also one of practicality. I can’t tell you how many forgot their login information.
6. The content of the Ning is really up to you, the creator and to your members. The sky is the limit!
Leave a Comment
February 3, 2009 at 7:00 pm (English, English Language Learners, English Proficiency, FEP: Fluent-English Proficient, LEP: Limited-English Proficient, Lessons, Resources, Social Studies, Teachers, Technology)
Tags: AASL, American Association of School Librarians, authentic writing, ELL, ELL Writing, ELL writing activities, ESL, ESL Activities, ESL writing activities, ESOL, interactive, LEP: Limited-English Proficient, news websites, online, publishing student writing, web etiquette, Writing Projects
A couple of weeks ago my cousin passed away, and I traveled to Georgia to be with my family for the funeral. My cousin’s death was published in the local and state news papers and online. I was previously aware of the interactive side of news (being able to comment on an article) but had never commented on any articles or been on the receiving end of those comments. People who new my cousin or our family left notes of sympathy, love, and encouragement after the obituary. I thought this was a wonderful use of the interactive web. However, there were also comments left from readers of the news story (separate from the obituary). Some of the comments and opinions left were uncensored as far as how they may impact and affect the family of the deceased. I saw this as the less attractive side of the interactive web.
Since then, I have been pondering how to blog about my new experience with the interactive web and what I learned from it. First, I think the ability to comment on the news can be thought provoking and beneficial. The comments of sympathy, love, and encouragement were overwhelming and brought joy and warmth to our family. However, I don’t think that it is a place where the random reader should write whatever they want just because they can. Maybe this falls under web etiquette.
So, why did I blog about this and what does it have to do with English language learners? I think that this is another form of authentic writing that can be used with our students. Standard 2 of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) standards for the 21st-Century Learner states that “Learners use skills, resources, and tools to draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply knowledge to new situations, and create new knowledge.” As members of a democratic society, it is essential that our students know how to think critically and make informed decisions. It is also important to teach them how to participate ethnically and productively (AASL standard 3). The interactive news websites can be a tool we use to facilitate the teaching of these skills.
Leave a Comment
December 29, 2008 at 9:48 pm (English, English Language Learners, FEP: Fluent-English Proficient, Graphic Organizers, LEP: Limited-English Proficient, Resources)
Tags: ELL, LEP: Limited-English Proficient, ESL, ESOL, SLA, ELL Activities, ELL Writing, Writing Projects, publishing student writing, ESL writing activities, Language Arts foldables, ELL writing activities, friendly letters, mailing letters, letter writing
As part of my continuing attempt to create authentic writing experiences for my students, I had my students write a holiday letter and mail it to a person of their choice. There were many benefits and lessons to be learned here – friendly-letter format, summarization (milestones of their year), what a full address is, addressing an envelope, and the purpose of a holiday letter.
Here is what I discovered. Even though my students are in middle school, most of them don’t know what constitutes a full address, they don’t know how to address an envelope, they have difficulties coming up with things to write about, and they were completely amazed that I was going to mail their letters.
We started by creating a foldable for friendly letters. They needed to know the format before they could write an appropriate letter. I created a powerpoint that broke the letter into three parts. You can view and download the powerpoint here: http://www.slideboom.com/presentations/36868/Friendly-Letter
This is what their foldable looked like:
Outside of foldable
Inside the foldable
We stapled these into their spirals so that they could reference them, both for the holiday letter and their epals e-mails.
After they made their foldable, we started talking specifically about holiday letters and their purpose. I brought several examples for them to peruse. I prepared a powerpoint that shared topics, mood, and overall purpose for the letter. This seemed to help several of my students decide on topics and the type of letter that they wanted to write. You can view and download the powerpoint here: http://www.slideboom.com/presentations/36907/Holiday-Letter
They finally started writing their letters. I created a basic letter format that they would copy their final draft onto. It had some generic pictures and text boxes on it. It wasn’t that big, so they didn’t have to write a lot of information. This was actually a good thing, because some of them really struggled with things to write about.
Here is what I would change next time: I would give them more time to work on the project. Some students struggled getting all of their information written, edited, and their envelop addressed. I also need to work further on editing skills. It is something that they are not proficient at. I do feel, however, that this was a very worthwhile project and will probably expand it a little and repeat it next year.
Leave a Comment
November 23, 2008 at 2:50 pm (English Language Learners, FEP: Fluent-English Proficient, LEP: Limited-English Proficient, Lessons, Methods, NEP: Non-English Proficient, Resources, Strategies, Teachers)
Tags: culture, Graphic Organizers, foldables, study aides, vocabulary strategies, Dina Zike foldables, foldable resources, continents, hands-on activities, newcomer activities, NEP activities, pulling facts from text, maps, countries of the world, newcomer social studies activities, landforms, landmarks, climate zones, climate zone maps
I have an old, new favorite. Foldables. I was exposed to them several years ago by a science teacher and used them in my Newcomer Social Studies class when I couldn’t find appropriate materials. I was working on the 7 continents, the countries within those continents, and pulling facts from text. I pulled maps from the Geography Coloring Book which was great because they were small enough to fit into my book. I then assembled a foldable that allowed each continent to have its own two page spread.
Front cover of Continent Book
Each continent had three sets of information: country names, climate zones, and facts about two countries in that continent. They were able to choose the type of information that they found on their countries. They could choose: animals, landmarks, culture, landforms, or historical events. I checked nonfiction texts out from the library to help them find the information. We used an atlas to find the names of the countries.
Left side of the continent book with country names.country facts.
Right side of continent book with climate zones and country facts.
By the end of this project, my newcomers were able to search for specific information from nonfiction text, pull that information from text, and use it in their book. As a culminating activity, I had them answer questions using the book as their resource. I was looking to see if they could pull specific information from their own book.
This activity was engaging, interactive, and students were able to work at their own pace. A success all around!
Since then, I have discovered that Dinah Zike has created many books on the different types of foldables that you can use in classrooms. Pictured below are some other social studies examples from her. I purchased one of her books and am looking forward to incorporating these strategies into my classes.
from Dinah Zike's Notebook Foldables book
From Dinah Zike's Notebook Foldables book
I will also be talking about math, science, and language arts foldables that I have created and used in my classrooms.
1 Comment
October 29, 2008 at 10:02 am (English, English Language Learners, English Proficiency, FEP: Fluent-English Proficient, LEP: Limited-English Proficient, Lessons, Methods, NEP: Non-English Proficient, Resources, Teachers, Technology, Uncategorized)
Tags: 20 questions, 20Q's, academic vocabulary, Categorize, Compare and Contrast, content vocabulary, dyslexia, ELL, ELL Activities, games, handheld, inexpensive, interactive, online, reading, struggling readers, Technology, toys, vocabulary
Last Christmas, my husband and I were invited to a white elephant party and were looking for a nice but fun gift to bring when we came across the handheld game 20Q’s. My husband was immediately addicted and we bought one as our gift. That little bit of background leads me to my current thoughts on an inexpensive but useful classroom tool for English language learners or struggling readers.
In order to play the game, you must pick a common object that most people would know about, be able to read or have someone read the questions for you, and then answer questions about your object’s characteristics. The choices are yes, no, and sometimes. The online game provides more answer choices. Here is a sample question. (I indicated that my object was an animal.)
Q2. Does it have fur?
Yes , No , Unknown, Irrelevant, Sometimes, Probably, Doubtful
Fun for struggling readers:
My nephew turned 15 this summer and I was stumped as to what to give him that wouldn’t just be thrown in his room and never used. Thankfully, I remembered the 20Q’s game and thought that it would be something he would enjoy. I was right. He and my husband played with the game pretty much all day and then again at dinner that night. My nephew is what most educators would classify as a struggling reader due to dyslexia and isn’t interested in reading. However, this “toy” required him to read the questions presented in order for the game to guess his object. My husband commented later that he thought the 20Q’s game would help our nephew with his reading because there were times when he did not know a word and would have to ask for help.
Reinforcement/Fun for ELLs:
In an ELL classroom (only ELL students such as NEPs or NEPs and LEPs), 20 questions could be used to teach vocabulary and the characteristics of vocabulary. For example, if students are learning English for the first time, it is important for them to learn common school objects. The facilitator (teacher, instructor, para, tutor) will show them pictures of these objects or point them out around the school or in a book. Once the students are familiar with the names of these objects, identifying their individual characteristics creates a deeper understanding of the object and allows the students to then begin comparing and contrasting the objects or categorizing them into groups (comparing and contrasting and categorizing are higher level thinking skills).
In addition to the content vocabulary such as the school objects, ELLs would also need to understand the academic vocabulary that is included in the game such as yes, no, unknown, irrelevant, sometimes, probably, and doubtful. If the students have no knowledge of these words then it is impossible for them to answer the question correctly.
In a content classroom with ELL students, this “toy” could be useful as a “filler” (something that they could do after they have finished their work or if there are a few minutes left of class).
The game is available in stores such as Target, Wal-mart, K-mart, and Toys r Us for approximately $7-$10.
It is also online at http://www.20q.net/.
If you have used 20Q’s in your classroom or have any other ideas on how 20Q’s could be incorporated into the classroom, please share your experiences and ideas with us.
1 Comment
October 28, 2008 at 2:50 pm (English Language Learners, English Proficiency, FEP: Fluent-English Proficient, LEP: Limited-English Proficient, Lessons, Math, NEP: Non-English Proficient, Resources, Teachers, Technology)
Tags: classroom, computers, ELL, English, format, french, instruction, interactive, manipulatives, Math, spanish, virtual
For Teachers:
The National Library of Virtual Manipulatives (http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vlibrary.html) is a math resource provided by Utah State University. Here you and your students have access to a large (almost unlimited) number of virtual math manipulatives. The manipulatives are categorized by grade level as well as the five standards of mathematics: number & operations, algebra, geometry, measurement, and data analysis & probability. If you have Spanish or French speaking students, they can select to read the site in their first language.
Electronic whiteboard users or even facilitators with only a single computer and LCD projector can use these resources to demonstrate how to use the classroom manipulatives or as whole group instruction of the concept.
For Students:
If math is hard or you are stuck on a problem, it sometimes helps to see a picture of the problem. In math class, your teacher may have manipulatives (hands-on objects) that you can move or change to help you understand the problem. Here is a link to virtual (online) math manipulatives just like the ones you may use in class. You can also select Spanish or French at the bottom of the page to read the instructions in your first language.
http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vlibrary.html
Leave a Comment
