Contents
Content Type: 4
Title: Do I Need to Use the Dictionary?
Body:
This activity guides learners through deciding whether or not to use a dictionary while reading. It was designed for learners of all levels.
Learning outcomes:
Learners will be able to:
- Brainstorm words that might have a similar root or meaning to an unknown word
- Paraphrase a sentence that an unknown word appears in
- Decide, based in their ability to infer meaning, whether to look up new or unkown words in the dictionary
Mode: Interpretive
Materials: When to Use the Dictionary (Or Not) Video, Do I Need to Use the Dictionary? Worksheet, short reading text of learners’ or teacher’s choice, paper or digital dictionary
Procedure:
- Tell learners that you will be reading a short (roughly 100 words) text to them. Ask them to focus on recalling as much as they can once you’ve finished reading it. Tell them that you will use a dictionary to understand meaning throughout.
- Then, read through the text. While reading, stop to look up every noun and verb. As you read and stop, notice learners' reactions. Once you have finished reading the whole text (or as much as you can get through), ask learners to respond to the experience of listening. Were they able to recall the text well? Why or why not?
- Tell learners that they will be exploring strategies for using the dictionary to their advantage. Remind them that they should utilize dictionaries in ways that assist, instead of interrupt, reading.
- Play the When to Use the Dictionary (Or Not) Video.
- Next, give learners the Do I Need to Use the Dictionary? Worksheet, and show them a short example text in the L2 that contains at least one word the learners are unlikely to know (this can be the same text as in step 1 if in the L2). Have learners identify the unknown word, and then, as a group, have them talk through the steps on the worksheet using this text and word. Do they decide, as a group or individually, that they would use the dictionary to look up the word? Why or why not?
- Tell learners that they will work individually to repeat this process using their own reading texts. Have them pull out their reading texts and a paper or digital dictionary, and then choose (or choose for them if using teacher-provided texts) one paragraph of the text to work with. Have learners read through the paragraph once and pick one word they do not know to focus on as they fill out the worksheet.
- Allow learners adequate time to fill in their worksheets; be available to answer learner questions as needed.
- Once learners have filled in their worksheets, gather the whole group back together. Ask learners to talk about their decision-making process if they chose to use the dictionary. How about the process if they did not use the dictionary? What did both groups notice about making this decision? What, if anything, might they change about making this decision in the future?
Source: CASLS
Inputdate: 2022-08-03 06:56:56
Lastmodifieddate: 2022-08-08 10:58:48
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Content Type: 3
Title: Intercom: August 22, 2022
Body:
Join us this week as we continue exploring pre-reading strategies! This week, we take a look at how to predict the meaning of a text by making connections between the structural elements (e.g., title) one finds.
Thank you to Cameron Teubner-Keller, CASLS Student Worker, for his role in the creation of this week's Activity.
There are a few ways to get connected with us this week:
- Join our InterCom Live! session. We connect on Facebook every Monday at 11:00 am Pacific. To join us, open CASLS's Facebook page at the designated time. Can't make it? The InterCom Live! events are always recorded, and you can find them on our Facebook page.
- Check out the Video and Activity of the Week! In this activity, learners use a handout and group discussions to analyze the structural elements of a given text in order to predict its meaning.
- Check out this blog post for a list of 17 pre-reading activities designed for the language classroom.
Happy exploring! We are excited to continue engaging with you this week.
Source: CASLS
Inputdate: 2022-08-04 06:02:30
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Publishdate: 2022-08-22 09:15:02
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Content Type: 3
Title: InterCom: August 15, 2022
Body:
Join us as we continue exploring pre-reading strategies to help learners succeed! This week, we encourage learners to explore what they are able to do with any text, no matter their proficiency levels.
There are a few ways to get connected with us this week:
- Join our InterCom Live! session. We connect on Facebook every Monday at 11:00 am Pacific. To join us, open CASLS's Facebook page at the designated time. Can't make it? The InterCom Live! events are always recorded, and you can find them on our Facebook page.
- Check out the video and Activity of the Week! This activity walks Novice and Intermediate learners through functional reading goals geared to their levels.
- Looking for more ways to think about what learners can do with reading? Check out the NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements.
Happy exploring! We are excited to continue engaging with you this week.
Source: CASLS
Inputdate: 2022-08-04 20:33:03
Lastmodifieddate: 2022-08-15 11:07:00
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Publishdate: 2022-08-15 09:15:03
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Content Type: 4
Title: I Can Read and Understand!
Body:
This activity helps learners understand a reading text by identifying key information from it, even if they do not understand the whole thing. It was created for Novice and Intermediate learners, with separate goals given for each of these two levels.
Learning outcomes:
Novice learners will be able to:
- Answer three questions about the text: Who or what is it about, where is it set, when does it happen?
Intermediate learners will be able to:
- Create an outline of the text by summarizing the main point and identifying one or two supporting details.
Mode(s): Interpretive
Materials: What Can I Read at My Level? video, reading text, paper or digital document for notes
Procedure:
- Ask learners to think about how they choose a text to read. Do they pick texts by topic? Any other reasons? Do they let teachers or others pick texts for them? Why do they make these choices?
- Introduce learners to the What Can I Read at My Level? video. Ask them to listen for the strategies the video presents for their specific proficiency level (Novice or Intermediate).
- Then, play the video. Afterwards, ask learners to recall the goal from the video that is specific to their level. These goals are:
- Novice learners: Answer “wh” questions (who, what, where, when, why) about the text.
- Intermediate learners: Summarize the main point (or points) of the text, and then find one or more additional details that support each point.
- Write the goals specific to your learners on the board or on a digital document for all to see. Learners will reference this strategy as they work.
- Tell learners that they will be applying the strategy to either a text of their own choosing or a provided text that aligns with curricular goals.
- Have learners take out their text and a piece of paper or a device they can take notes on. If learners are using digital devices, send them the strategy document from Step 4 so they can reference it.
- Give learners time to write down the following:
- Novice learners: The answers to the three “wh” questions for their reading (who or what, where, and when)
- Intermediate learners: An outline of the text with the main point or points and supporting details.
- Bring the group back together once most learners have completed their goals. Ask learners to volunteer their answers.
- Then, ask learners to reflect about how much of their text they were able to understand after they completed their questions or outline. Learners can answer using a scale that they are familiar with. For example, they can rate their understanding from zero (none) to ten (understand everything), thumbs up (understand a lot)/neutral (understand some), thumbs down (understand little), or give a percentage between 0 and 100%. The goal with this reflection is not to report the highest rate/number/percentage of understanding, but rather it is to think about how much they can understand by looking for key information from a text.
- If needed, remind learners that, just like the video said, they do not need to understand every word that they read. Instead, they can use what they do recognize to understand a lot!
- Finally, ask learners to predict what it might be like to answer the “wh” questions or create an outline for a text that is more challenging or complex than the one they worked with today. What key steps did they use today that they could apply to help them reach these goals with a new, more complex text?
Source: CASLS
Inputdate: 2022-08-04 23:45:29
Lastmodifieddate: 2022-08-15 11:07:00
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Publishdate: 2022-08-15 09:15:03
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Content Type: 4
Title: Making Connections Using Genre
Body:
by Cameron Teubner-Keller, CASLS Student Worker
This activity guides learners through making predictions about the meaning of a given text before they begin reading it. It was created for learners of all levels.
Learning outcomes:
Learners will be able to:
- Identify the genre of a given text
- Create a list of the genre-specific elements found in a given text
- Predict the meaning of a given text using genre-specific elements
Mode(s): Interpretive
Materials: Make Connections: Prepare for Reading Video, reading text of learners’ choice (printed or digital), Making
Procedure:
- Begin by telling learners that they will be practicing the reading strategy of making predictions and making connections. If possible, the day before the activity, let learners give input on what kind of text they would be interested in reading. This voice will likely increase motivation for your learners.
- Give your learners the Making Connections: Pre-Reading Strategies Handout.
- Give the text to the learners and tell them to think about the type, or genre, of the text they have. Come prepared with a different text of the same genre to use as an example as you discuss the following questions together. Have your learners take notes on the handout in Part 1:
- What are some different types, or genres, of texts that you know of?
- What genre is the given text?
- What are the structural elements of this genre of text?
- After discussing these questions together, play the Make Connections: Prepare for Reading Video.
- Then, either in pairs or individually (if preferred by learners), ask learners to create a list of the structural elements that they find in the text by using Part 2 of the handout. Remind learners that they are not reading the text, but looking for elements such as headings, titles, quotes, pictures, etc. in order to later make connections.
- Next, have your learners remain in their same groups and ask them to find similarities or overlap between the elements that they have listed. The goal is to have your learners connect the separate elements to an overlapping topic or idea. Have your learners write their connections in Part 3 of the handout. Pose questions such as:
-
Do the elements seem to be related in any way?
-
- During this phase of the activity, you can optionally add another step. Have your learners write down the common vocabulary words they find in the different elements, and in groups, have them predict the meaning of the words using the contextual information they’ve discovered in the elements they’ve examined. Fill out the table in Part 3.5 on the handout as needed. This portion of the activity can be skipped if necessary for time.
- After your learners have completed Steps 5-7 in their original groups, you can optionally shuffle the groups and have your learners discuss the elements and connections that they wrote down with different groups. This can help learners to discover things they missed in their first groups.
- Finally have your learners make predictions on what the text will be about and provide reasoning for their predictions in Part 4 of the handout. This can be through providing elements, vocabulary, or connections that they discovered while doing this activity. Document the predictions made by your learners through writing or multimodal creations (labeled drawings, charts, etc.).
- Don’t forget to revisit these predictions after your learners have done the reading. What new connections can be made, and what other elements can be added to your lists?
Notes:
- If your learners are struggling to come up with examples of genres or elements on their own in Step 3, give some examples such as; emails, articles, titles, quotes, or images. This should help jumpstart the brainstorming process. Create a list visible to all your learners of the genres/elements that you brainstorm.
- Adjusting the difficulty of the text is the easiest way to differentiate this activity for multiple proficiency levels.
Source: CASLS
Inputdate: 2022-08-19 18:37:38
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Content Type: 1
Title: 7 Ways to Write Mandarin Tones
Body:
From: https://www.hackingchinese.com/7-ways-to-write-mandarin-tones/
This article supports Mandarin learners through discussion of writing practices related to tones. Specifically, it covers tone marks, tone numbers, Chao tone numerals, IPA tone letters, color, Gwoyeu Romatzyh, and Tonally Orthographic Pinyin. The author provides an example, brief description and discussion, and pros and cons of each method. This resource would be useful for anyone learning Mandarin and having difficulty reading and writing tones, or anyone interested in transcription work.
Visit: https://www.hackingchinese.com/7-ways-to-write-mandarin-tones/
Source: Hacking Chinese
Inputdate: 2022-08-23 16:31:41
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Content Type: 1
Title: The Ultimate Guide to Angolan Portuguese
Body:
From: https://storylearning.com/learn/portuguese/portuguese-tips/angolan-portuguese
This article presents some of the differences in pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary between Angolan Portuguese, which is the official language of Angola, and the varieties of Portuguese spoken in Portugal and Brazil. It discusses how the 46 regional languages of Angola, many of which are Bantu languages, have shaped Angolan Portuguese, and suggests styles of music learners can use to increase their understanding of the language and of Angolan culture. This resource would be useful for teachers or learners interested in learning more about varieties of Portuguese spoken in African countries.
Visit: https://storylearning.com/learn/portuguese/portuguese-tips/angolan-portuguese
Source: StoryLearning
Inputdate: 2022-08-23 16:34:56
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Title: A Spanish Learner’s Guide To Nicaraguan Spanish Pronunciation, Grammar & Slang
Body:
From: https://storylearning.com/learn/spanish/spanish-tips/nicaraguan-spanish
This article reviews Nicaraguan Spanish through discussion of pronunciation, grammar, and slang. Specifically, the author discusses the aspiration of -s before another consonant, how the choice of second-person pronouns in Nicaraguan Spanish result in slightly different verb conjugations, and how Nicaraguan slang is full of abbreviations and jokes. This article would be useful for teachers or learners looking for resources on regional varieties in South American Spanish.
Visit: https://storylearning.com/learn/spanish/spanish-tips/nicaraguan-spanish
Source: StoryLearning
Inputdate: 2022-08-23 16:37:33
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Content Type: 1
Title: International Decade of Indigenous Languages
Body:
From: https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/international-decade-of-indigenous-languages
This article covers multiple contemporary efforts related to language revitalization, indigenous language teaching, and indigenous language rights in what is now know as Canada. In light of the U.N.'s declaration of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages, the article presents several ways to get involved in learning and revitalizing indigenous languages, including seeking out and supporting indigenous-led organizations already doing language work. One actionable step mentioned learning the pronunciation of place names in the local language(s), and then use these names rather than those in settler languages like English or French. This article would useful for teachers or learners looking to support indigenous language rights and revitalization efforts both in their own communities and around the globe.
Visit: https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/international-decade-of-indigenous-languages
Source: Indigenous Corporate Training, Inc., Bronte Phillips
Inputdate: 2022-08-26 17:28:00
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Content Type: 1
Title: Ask The Tech Coach About In-Class Flip
Body:
This podcast episode, an interview with the authors of “In-Class Flip: A Student-Centered Approach to Differentiated Learning,” is aimed at instructional coaches. It discusses the implementation of flipped classrooms and the teacher training needed to do so, specifically within the post-pandemic, 2022 teaching landscape. It articulates the differences between flipped learning in general and in-class flipped learning in particular, and provides ideas on how to support teachers in using flipped classroom instruction. This podcast episode would be a useful resource for coaches or administrators looking for more information on teacher training and support, or for teachers wanting to implement in-class flip instruction.
Source: Ask the Tech Coach
Inputdate: 2022-08-26 17:42:52
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