Breaking Through Barriers To Language Acquisition
September Newsletter 2010 – Great back to school websites
BACK-TO-SCHOOL free online website resources for STUDENTS!
http://www.nationmaster.com/index.php
If students have homework problems, need some quick facts, or are desperate for some insightful information on a country that they have never heard of, then you might want to share this site with them.
Here they can find country listings, all kinds of data covering such areas as wealth, education, mortality, population, etc. With such data, students can create all sorts of graphs that will lead easily into analysis questions which in turn lead to essays!
Students can also impress their teachers by taking online quizzes and having the addresses emailed to their teachers.
http://typewith.me/
Though this is not Google Docs, it is easier to use with students who have limited typing skills. In a student project, one student opens the file and invites 2 or 3 students to work on the same project as a team. Each member works with a different color so that a teacher (or team classmate) will now who is working and who isn’t (go to TIME SLIDER at the top left and click on it to create team projects). The finished product can also be saved as a PDF, Word document, HTML, or Plain Text.
http://www.onelook.com/reverse-dictionary.shtml
OneLook’s reverse dictionary lets a student describe a concept and get back a list of words and phrases related to that concept. Your description can be a few words, a sentence, a question, or even just a single word. Just type it into the box above and hit the “Find words” button. Keep it short to get the best results. In most cases you’ll get back a list of related terms with the best matches shown first. I tried it and was impressed with the assistance this tool provided. Your ELLs especially will like it since it will give them a clearer idea of what teachers are asking for in assignments.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/
This site just keeps getting better! You input the word and it will pronounce it for you. However, 3 more dictionary resources have been added:
Any student, ELL or not, would find this information highly beneficial as they do their homework, reading, or web-surfing.
www.office.live.com
This lovely item was also in our August Newsletter as a teacher resource. Now, I am adding it as one for students who might not have access to a computer at home, but still want to do the written assignments. With SKYDRIVE they can go to any library, find a computer, log into their SKYDRIVE account and do their work with ease since everything they type is on an external server. Once their work is uploaded, teachers can print it out in class for them or in the school computer lab on a laser printer.
http://www.infoplease.com/#axzz0xfdY1NgD
This site offers just what its name says—INFO of all types. This type of site would be extremely helpful for students who need a little background on a subject before they do a required assignment. It even includes an encyclopedia! Students can also take quizzes to see if they understand the material they reviewed. Incorrect choices are explained.
http://www.freetypinggame.net/
Do you have students who don’t know how to type very well? If yes, this is a site you need to send them to so they can increase their speed and accuracy. I give my students typing practice for the last five minutes of their computer lab time. There are many free typing sites on the internet, but this one is a favorite of my students. In fact, they enthusiastically recommended it!
http://www.pdictionary.com/
Beginners studying English will love this site. They will be able to use different tools to explore the language that include flashcards, fill-in-the-blanks, word scramble, stinky spelling, and straight recall. When ELLs are exposed to new words in a variety of scenarios, they are more likely to remember them. Foreign language teachers might like this site also since French, German, Italian, and Spanish are represented there as well. With Back-to-School Night coming up, this might be a good site to share with the parents of your beginners.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/wordsandpictures/index.shtml
This is a phonics site run by the BBC. Though aimed at young children, I intend to use it with my high school students with major gaps in formal education. The activities are fun and are not over repetitive. Such a site would give my weaker students “computer work” along with the other students. The only difference would be in the complexity of the website. It is a win-win for everyone.
http://www.esl-lab.com/
Do you have students who want to hear more English? Then give them this one to hear native speakers talk about every day topics. The written script is available if the student doesn’t exactly understand what he is hearing. Students can also quiz themselves to see if they understood the bulk of the conversation.
http://www.shodor.org/interactivate/activities/
This interactive math site covers algebra, discrete, geometry, modeling, number and operations, probability, statistics, and other. For students who struggle with math, there are many fun activities which may help clarify key concepts. There are many assessments that could help prepare students for examinations. Again, as with everything in this newsletter and on our site, it is free!
Grades 3-5, 6-8, 9-12, and undergraduate will benefit from this site.
http://www.online-stopwatch.com/full-screen-stopwatch/
Need a stop watch for timed class activities? Look no more! Here it is for FREE! The directions are easy to follow and the alarm (signaling “time’s up”) is loud enough to grab everyone’s attention.
http://www.freetranslation.com
For ELLs especially, there are times when they just can’t grasp a firm understanding of an assigned reading. Dictionaries fail to clear the fog no matter how long they spend trying to make sense of the text. This is a free translation site that might cut through some of the language debris. I inputted a passage in English and then had it translated into French (which I speak). It was well done!
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