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Content Type: 1
Title: English Language Project: Free Videos from Next Vista for Learning
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From http://www.nextvista.org/
Next Vista for Learning provides a library of free videos made by and for teachers and students. Their English Language Project features videos especially for English learners. Explore the videos (there are currently 66 of them) at http://www.nextvista.org/tag/english-language-project/
Read a review of this resource at http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2016/08/next-vista-launches-new-selection-of.html#.V7etL46aw68
Source: Next Vista for Learning
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Title: Activity to Help English Learners Expand Sentences
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From http://www.eslwriting.org
Here is an activity that encourages students to use longer, more complex sentences, based on describing the panels in a storyboard: http://www.eslwriting.org/teach-writing-expanding-sentences/
Source: eslwriting.org
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Title: Linguistics Resources for High School Teachers
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Your InterCom editor happens to be a documentary linguist as well as a former language teacher. Naturally, I find linguistics to be fascinating (I also love studying languages, but these are two different things). Here are some resources for introducing linguistics to high school students: http://allthingslinguistic.com/post/115887024603/linguistics-resources-for-high-school-teachers
Source: All Things Linguistic
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Content Type: 1
Title: White Elephant Game in a Language Class
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From http://indwellinglanguage.com
Justin Slocum Bailey describes how he has adapted the white elephant gift exchange process (common in the US during the holiday season) into a classroom game with loads of comprehensible input in the target language. Read how he does it here: http://indwellinglanguage.com/white-elephant-proficiency/
Source: Indwelling Language
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Content Type: 1
Title: eComma, Social Reading Tool, Available for Learning Management Systems
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From https://blog.coerll.utexas.edu/plunge-into-a-text-with-social-reading/
Our sister Language Resource Center, the Center for Open Educational Resources and Language Learning (COERLL), recently made the social reading tool eComma available for users of Learning Management Systems (LMS). In eComma, a group of students can annotate the same text together and share their annotations with each other in the form of comments, tags, and word clouds. Students’ natural capacity for socializing online is put to good use with social reading, as they learn from each other, uncover the multiple layers of meaning in a text, and reflect deeply on their reading.
Get ideas for how to use eComma with your classes in this blog post: https://blog.coerll.utexas.edu/plunge-into-a-text-with-social-reading/
Source: COERLL
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Title: Beginning of School Resources
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Here are more resources for the beginning of the school year:
10 ELL must-haves for the first day of school: http://blog.tesol.org/10-ell-must-haves-for-the-first-day-of-school/
Icebreaker activities, written for ELL teachers but applicable to any language: http://blog.tesol.org/4-icebreakers-to-make-conversations-flow-in-esl-classrooms/
A French teacher’s plans for the first week of French 1: https://mmefarab.wordpress.com/2016/08/19/first-week-plans-2016/
Introduce your students to the concept of proficiency: https://mmefarab.wordpress.com/2016/08/23/lets-talk-about-proficiency/
What should you do about online translators? Laura K. Sexton has a new translator policy for her students: http://www.pblinthetl.com/2016/08/new-translator-policy.html
Ideas for getting to know your students in an online class: http://www.pblinthetl.com/2016/08/getting-to-know-online-students-in.html
Here are some handy electronic resources highlighted in Language Magazine: http://languagemagazine.com/?p=125869
Vocabulary review games for young Spanish learners: http://pequenoele.blogspot.com/2016/08/la-vuelta-al-cole.html
School goals activity for Spanish learners: http://zachary-jones.com/zambombazo/twiccionario-metas-escolares/
A short essay by national literacy consultant Maggie Beattie Roberts about starting the school year well: http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2016/08/20/guest-post-starting-the-new-school-year/
Larry Ferlazzo’s compilation of teachers’ answers to the question “What do you do on the first day of school?”: http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2009/08/09/answers-to-what-do-you-do-on-the-first-day-of-school/
Source: Various
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Title: Beautiful Mundo Project
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From https://magic.piktochart.com/output/15557430-beautiful-mundo-project-overview
The Beautiful Mundo project seeks to connect classrooms from all over the world as they showcase the beauty of their communities and how that beauty reflects its identity. It allows students to investigate both their own world and that of others, discuss diverse perspectives and be global citizens. Students of any language, studying any subject can participate. Global education standards will be met as well as standards in World Language Education, English Language Arts, and History.
Learn more about the project and how your students can participate at https://magic.piktochart.com/output/15557430-beautiful-mundo-project-overview and at http://beautifulmundo.weebly.com/about.html
Source: Beautiful Mundo
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Content Type: 3
Title: Feedback in the Presentational Mode: Now What?
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by Stephanie Knight, CASLS Language Technology Specialist
“Information becomes feedback if, and only if, I am trying to cause something and the information tells me whether I am on track or need to change course” (Wiggins, 2012).
As many teachers can likely attest, it is not uncommon to spend hours grading only to have students stagnate in their errors. This situation can pass if teachers write copious information in the columns of essays or mark speaking rubrics. It can pass if teachers engage the learners in peer review. It can pass if learners self-evaluate. Essentially, the hours devoted to giving feedback are hours devoted to the simple compiling of information if the information that students receive does not effect change.
So how do we ensure that the information that we compile becomes feedback? Last week, we discussed Brown (2005). In this study, Brown trained learners in peer review according to the model of text marking that many teachers undergo in assessment training. Essentially, it found that in marking various exemplar texts, learners were generally able to transfer their skills from peer review to self-evaluation. Though Brown never mentions this result specifically, the true lesson embedded within the experience with regards to feedback is that learners can only effectuate change within themselves if they understand expectations.
Helping learners to understand expectations takes times. Brown’s approach of having them work with exemplar texts is a good start, however it is only one step. Learners need to set short and long term goals as well. In this vein, it is useful to consider Wiggins' (2012) seven characteristics of effective feedback. These are worthwhile to consider in training learners to engage in self-reflection.
Goal-referenced: Have learners consider the goal (to persuade, to amuse, to inform) of a presentational text that they created and decide whether or not they achieved that goal.
Tangible and transparent: When learners decide whether or not they achieved the goal at hand, they need to be able to find specific examples from their work to support their evaluations. If these examples cannot be found, learners should revisit their evaluation of achieving their goals.
Actionable: When learners self-evaluate, they need to consider what their next steps toward improvement should be.
Timely: Just as effective feedback is given on a timely basis, learners should engage in self-reflection as soon as possible after producing a text. This self-reflection may occur without any other feedback or may occur in response to teacher or peer review.
Ongoing: Provide learners with the opportunity to make immediate adjustments in light of their feedback. This step may require allowing for second drafts and the like.
Consistent: The more consistently learners engage in valuable self-reflection, the more likely it is to inspire enduring change.
Progress toward a goal: Learners need to have long-term goals that they are working towards. When self-reflecting, they should consider whether or not their current work is helping them to progress or not.
As we train learners in self-reflection, we empower them to become autonomous learners. This empowerment allows them to flourish.
Resources
Brown, A. (2005). Self-assessment of writing in independent language learning programs: The value of annotated samples. Assessing Writing. 10. 174-191.
Wiggins, G. (2012). Seven keys to effective feedback. Educational Leadership.70 (1). Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept12/vol70/num01/Seven-Keys-to-Effective-Feedback.aspx.
Source: CASLS Topic of the Week
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Content Type: 4
Title: Peer Review of a Presentational Text
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This activity is designed to allow learners to engage in self-reflection of a presentational text that they created.
Learning objectives: Learners will be able to:
- Demonstrate understanding of strengths and weaknesses in presentational communication.
- Set goals for future language production.
Modes: Presentational Speaking or Presentational Writing
Materials: Self-reflection handout, rubric
Procedure:
- Learners will produce a presentational text (spoken or written) that will be peer-reviewed or reviewed by the teacher prior to engaging in self-reflection.
- Learners will assess their work after receiving peer or teacher feedback using the self-reflection handout. During this step, learners must decide if they agree with the feedback received from the peer or the teacher and justify their responses. On this handout, this reflection requires consideration of the rubric used to evaluate the text.
- Finally, learners will set SMART goals for their continued language learning in the presentational mode on the self-reflection handout.
Notes:
- Learners should be trained in peer-evaluation before engaging in self-evaluation. With qualitative assessment, this training requires the use of exemplars.
- Learners may certainly reflect in written form as part of a larger journal or the like, but it is also fine to let learners create audio self-reflections.
- The example rubric included with this activity is only appropriate for advanced learners.
Source: CASLS Activity of the Week
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Content Type: 4
Title: Places for Pokestops: Pokemon Go Familiarity and Vocabulary
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This activity is an introduction to the place-based game Pokemon Go. In executing this activity, novice learners will recognize and categorize the vocabulary for places in a town where they live and negotiate meaning with their peers. Learners will play the game in groups both in their first language and their target language. Then, they will record the types of places that they visit where portals are located. This activity can stand alone or serve as part 1 of 2 (part 2 will appear in next week's InterCom issue).
Objectives: Learners will be able to:
- recognize and understand basic vocabulary in order to play a game.
- understand and follow basic instructions within a game.
- use simple conversations to complete chosen tasks.
- list relevant places around town and describe the locations.
Modes: Interpretive Listening, Interpretive Reading, Presentational Writing, Interpersonal Communication
Resources: Definitions from Pokemon Go, Pokemon Go app, Novice Activity 1 Learner Resource Sheet, safe area outside to play the game
Procedure:
- Learners download the Pokemon Go game app on their mobile devices. If this is not possible for all students as individuals given technological constraints, form learner teams of four or less in which one common mobile device is shared.
- Learners will familiarize themselves with Pokemon Go gameplay in the first language. Once learners are able to visit one or two Pokestops, and catch their Pokemon, they are ready to move on. This step of the activity should take 15-20 minutes to complete.
- Next, learners will get into small groups to review the definitions provided by Pokemon Go and start to fill out part A of the Novice Activity 1 Learner Resource Sheet. In this section of the sheet, learners will consider what words they will need to look for and use once they play the game in the target language. Learners will try and define the words in their first language. Regroup as a class to quickly review their definitions.
- Instruct learners to change the language in the Pokemon Go app to the target language (instructions are included on the Pokemon Go summary sheet), and tell them that they need to catch at least five Pokemon and visit Pokestops (20-30 min). Learners may also train their Pokemon when they have the chance. It is important to note that they should use their definition sheet provided by Pokemon Go and the Novice Activity 1 Learner Resource Sheets as they engage in this component of the activity.
- As learners explore, they need to fill out part B of the Novice Activity 1 Learner Resource Sheet by writing down the name of the structures visited and what type of place they think it is (e.g., Morning Joe, coffee shop) in the target language. Learners may also add additional vocabulary words and definitions to the sheet as they interact with language in Pokemon Go.
- Next, learners will return to the classroom and turn in their resource sheets to the teacher. The teacher may choose to check their mobile devices to see where they went and what they encountered by going to the player journal.
Note: Some areas have a much denser concentration of Pokestops than others; rural areas especially may lack Pokestops. If you live in an isolated area, you may need to take a field trip with your students to a larger population center.
Source: CASLS Activity of the Week
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