REACH-OUT
Vol.2 no.3 
December, 1999
REACH-OUT
Vol.2 no.3 December, 1999
Wishing you an early yet sincere Merry Christmas and of course, an extra-ordinary New Millenium, (good health, pay raise, contract, etc…!)
A mother mouse was taking her large brood for a stroll across the kitchen floor one day when the local cat, by a feat of stealth unusual even for its species, managed to trap them in a corner. The children cowered, terrified by this fearsome beast, plaintively crying, "Help, Mother! Save us! Save us! We’re scared, Mother!"
Mother Mouse, with the hopeless valor of a parent protecting its children, turned with her teeth bared to the cat towering huge above them and suddenly began to bark in a fashion that would have done any Doberman proud. The startled cat fled in fear for its life. As her grateful offsprings flocked around her shouting "Oh, Mother, you saved us!" and "Yay! You scared the cat away!" she turned to them purposefully and declared:
"You see how useful it is to know a second language?"
June 1999 exams in Sec. 3
While there was no compilation for our school board, the CSRS (Sherbrooke) has a centralized system that returned these 'unofficial' results for the June 1999 exam:
Moyenne 72%
Écart-type 13.1
Taux de reussite 82%
Two sections, questions on Mots-clés et elements continus d'information had a 50+|- % succes rate while all others were 69% to 100%.
The exam will be revised and used again this June.
June exams in Secondary 4 and 5
The MEQ has decided that not only will the instructions on the June 2000 exams be in English but also that the new oral production correction grid will be applied this year. The Document d'information on the exams as well as Consignes Traduites should be in the schools in the next few weeks. The new grid is expected in February or March.
SPEAQ Campus colloques annuels 2000
SPEAQ Campus 2000 Annual Colloquium
Université de Sherbrooke
29 janvier 2000
January 29th 2000
http://www.interlinx.qc.ca/~edwards/speaqcamp.htm
While the SpeaqCampus is on a Saturday, maybe arrangements with your principal could allow you to exchange it for a planning day!?
Université du Quebec à Montréal
5 février 2000
February 5th 2000
Université Laval
19 février 2000
February 19th 2000
Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
18 mars 2000
March 18th 2000
Université du Québec à Chicoutimi
25 mars 2000
March 25th 2000
Le prix d'admission: Admission fee:
10$ en pré-vente $10. pre-registration
15$ sur place $15. on site
Daniel Bernier mailto:bernierd@ivic.qc.ca
RREALS
February 8, 9, 10
Perfectionnement Collectif
(This session is open to a limited number of teachers at their schools' expense)
See documents at the end of
Reach-out
Perfectionnement
Local training (Perfectionnement) is still in the planning stages, with a release (liberation) from classtime thanks to a $6000 grant from the Programme de Perfectionnement Collectif pour les langues secondes that our school board has been granted .
If you and your collegues are interested in other training sessions or consultation on a project , contact me.
Also to consider, a special budget for computer training has been decentralized to the schools that could be used to 'liberate' teachers.
Two new workshops I have prepared are available for consultation in the teachers' section at Cybersite on Oraganizing the Web
http://station05.qc.ca/css/CyberSite/organize/organize.htm
(SPEAQ) and
http://station05.qc.ca/css/CyberSite/website/Website.html
Congratulations to Gisèle Veilleux, Sacre Coeur, Richmond and SPEAQ Convention Director for a great SPEAQ convention.
Internet address:
http://station05.qc.ca/Partenaires/speaq/
7400, boul. Saint-Laurent, #530, Montréal, Qc H2R 2Y1
Telephone: (514) 271-3700
Fax (514) 271-4587
Spelling Battleship *
Adjective/Adverb "Taboo" *
Using Drama *
Cybersite Christmas links
*Reading & Vocabulary Skill Development *
Animals *
READING STRATEGIES *
Reading *
Documents .............................................
Grades 3-12
by Alisha Gilkison
Objective: The students will practice spelling vocabulary, make use of a grid, and develop a positive attitude toward learning.
Materials: A makeshift battleship gameboard. A-E/1-6
Procedure: Have each student pick a given number of spelling words from the list and write them arbitrarily on the battleship grid. They must have a partner for this game. The first player guesses a coordinate. For example, B-2. If there is a word in that box the second player tells them the word. The first player must spell it correctly to gain a point. If the first player does not spell it correctly, he/she does not get the point and loses the turn. However, they may guess the coordinate again. The first student to get all the words spelled correctly wins.
E-Mail Alisha!
by Steve Garcia
Grades 9-12
Materials: several slips of paper with simple subject + verb sentences (The child laughed.)
This game is played similar to the popular game of "Taboo."
Divide class into four equal teams. One member chooses a slip of paper with the sentence written on it. He/she then gives up to 5 adjectives to describe the subject (ex. small, young, cute, fair-haired, or sweet to describe "child"). The team then tries to guess the subject. If they are correct, the team scores 1 point. The clue-giver then gives up to 5 adverbs to describe the verb (ex. happily, humorously, gleefully, sweetly, joyfully to describe "laughed"). If the team guesses correctly, they earn 3 points. If the team misses either the subject or verb, the next team has an opportunity to "steal" the points by having one of their members give one clue. The player is disqualified if he/she gives a noun instead of an adjective or a verb instead of an adverb or gives more than a one-word description.
This was a great way for my class to recognize the role of adverbs and adjectives in sentence construction.
Drama activities are a way of encouraging students to use language. Some of them are very simple and suitable for beginners, while others can really extend a students ability. Here's a selection to try:
1. Ice breakers
2. Activities involving more communication
3. Role play
Ice breakers
Stand in a circle
First in order of birthdays (the date within the year, not the year itself); then in alphabetical order of first names/surnames. If the group know each other very well and so don't have to ask each other's names, use something more obscure - we used the order of their telephone extension numbers within the department.
Once in the circle do some basic physical warm ups. Then...
Name games
Say your own name, the name of the person to your left and the name of the person to your right. Go round the circle. Say the above to a rhythm set up by clicking fingers. Shout somebody's name and go and take their place in the circle - as you cross the circle they have to shout somebody's name so that they have a place to go to. In a big circle can have more than one person crossing the circle at one time.
This gets nice and chaotic.
Change places if...
One person stands in the middle, and shouts - "Change places if..." e.g. 'If you are wearing white socks',
'If you have been to London', 'If you have a birthday in June'. People have to change places with someone else in the circle - one person is always left in the middle to shout out the next choice. You can tailor this to specific vocabulary groups if you want.
Find out how many people...
Each person has a card with an instruction on it e.g. Find out how many people...
•can touch their toes
•have been to Paris
•know what is `Number One' in the charts this week
•can sing the first line of Hotel California
Each person has to ask everyone else in the room, and be asked by everyone else in the room. Lots of questions practice!
Back to back
Walk round the room. Stop and turn back to back to someone and say exactly what they are wearing. If you get it wrong the other person has a turn.
Half word matching
Choose a topic area, such as film titles. e.g. High Noon. Die Hard. Police Academy. Write them on cards and then cut them in half. Cards are then matched.
When the music stopsEveryone walks round the room. When the music stops they have to get in get into clusters of e.g. four/five shake hands with as many people as possible stand together in groups of four and agree on a song they want to sing
When the music stops the teacher shouts out two parts of the body. e.g. hand/toe. One student has to
put their hand on another person's toe.
2. Activities which involve more communication
Cookery lesson
Make a cake. One person stands in front of another. The hands of one student do the actions, whilst the voice of the other gives the instructions. You can do the same with making a sandwich/shaving.
Tying in knots
Groups of five/six. One person in each group goes outside the room. The others hold hands in a circle and tie themselves in knots by climbing over each other, under each other's arms, through gaps etc. but never breaking the circle. The director comes in and must unravel them - but is not allowed to touch.
He/she must give instructions e.g. Jane put your arm over Peters' arm and turn around.
Mini dialogues
Students are given the first three lines of a dialogue and they have to make up the rest e.g.
•Customer: " How much are those apples? "
•Greengrocer: "They're free, today."
•Customer:" Why's that?"
•Greengrocer: ……………….
•Customer: ………………….
Story - line by line
Go round the circle - each person contributes one line to a story. Others can do sound effects.
Experts
Three people sit together and behave as one person. They have to answer questions on a topic suggested by the class and they answer one word at a time.
Miming
Students stand in two rows facing each other (they are in pairs). They have to mime a sentence - the first pair to think they've got it right come and tell the teacher what they think it is. Can be very easy - or very difficult such as:
"I'm going to get a new car this afternoon. Can you come?"
"Please could you get me some bananas, some wine and some lavatory paper?"
"There's a big hole in your skirt!"
3. Role play
Divide the class into three groups. Each group is given a card with a third of a story on it. They have to decide who is going to be each character and work up a simple role play. They don't realise they are all part of the same story until they come to act it out - each group then might have to adapt their role play to incorporate some ideas that came up before. If there are too many in the class, some people can be dogs, cats, pieces of equipment, doors etc.
The story - the television set
A woman goes into an electrical shop to buy a small item. The shopkeeper persuades her to buy a colour television.
A woman has bought a colour television and takes it home. Her husband is surprised because he wasn't expecting her to buy one. They plug it in and switch it on. It doesn't work. They decide that she should go back to the shop and get her money back.
A woman takes a colour TV back to the shop where she bought it. It doesn't work. She asks for her money back, but the shop keeper refuses. Find a solution.
(The above idea and `Mini-dialogues' are taken from Something to Say by Ken Wilson, published by Edward Arnold).
With thanks to Ken Wilson, The English Teaching Theatre and Jane Revell, The Comedy Store Players.
http://station05.qc.ca/css/CyberSite/holiday/xmas.htmCybersite Christmas links
http://station05.qc.ca/css/CyberSite/holiday/xmas.htm
Reading & Vocabulary Skill Development
http://amby.com/educate/reading.html
When you load a page through Wordbot (such as the page you are now viewing), you can click on any word to look up its meaning in an online dictionary. Choose Java or Non-JavaScript, with frames or multiple windows. You can view this page in Wordbot and then follow the links to other sites. Try this with the links to literature below!!
NOTE:
The definitions will appear in a separate window; if you'd prefer the frames version (the meaning will appear on the same screen), you'll have to select that version from the main Wordbot page AND type in (or cut and paste) the URL yourself.Keith Golden; Department of Computer Science & Engineering, University of Washington
CyberStory is devoted to uplifting, feel-good stories that will bring a smile to your face, inspire you, offer you a new perspective or get you thinking about how you too can make a difference in someone's life. If you've got a great story to tell, why not share it with the world. Submissions are welcome: Why not make your story a CyberStory!
CyberStory
Each section features all new weekly worksheets, provided free for teachers and parent-teachers to copy for their kids. Especially suitable for upper elementary and middle school skill levels, as well as enrichment and remediation. English Basics and Reference Skills sections are also available.
RHL School
CNN news stories for educational purposes. Includes original text, as well as an edited version, of current news stories; an archive of past features is also available. Also, check the keyword index from the News Media Vault.
Cable News Network, Inc. / Literacy Resources
The Interactive Archives from Reader's Digest Magazine provide an array of thought-provoking articles on a variety of topics, including:
Reader's Digest Magazine
Can YOU solve this wicked dilemma? (This Action Maze will open in a separate window; when you are finished, close that window by clicking the x in the top right corner of that browser window.) Good luck!!
Martin Holmes
British Summer School Action Maze
This is a simulation of a trip to a British language school. Students are encouraged to work together to decide which action to take or choice to make, and then see the consequences, discuss, and defend their actions. The maze can also be completed individually, but the collaborative, communicative and interactive aspects or the group process can be valuable.
Andreas Lund
http://skolenettet.nls.no/dok/sn/fag/engelsk_gr/maze/maze1.html
These Fables will help you to improve your reading comprehension. A very brief version of each fable is provided along with your choice of Matching, True or False, and Sentence Completion questions with instant feedback provided. Try The Father and His Sons or one of several others.
The Comenius Group
From The Unabridged Stories of Thoth complied at DragonMud [a MUD is a Multi-User Domain]; DragonMud is a text based virtual reality -- the oldest of it's kind and a fine place to visit!!
Jopsy
The Holiday Zone: Activities for English Language Learners
Reading Comprehension, Notable Quotes, and Language Activities are provided for each holiday, as well as songs, games, arts and crafts, etc. to make reading and language learning enjoyable. [NOTE: reading comprehension questions are not provided for all selections; answers are NOT included.]
Julie Vickery
Look through the list of current top books -- many have the first chapter available to read FREE online.
USA TODAY
Ongoing Tales ~~ Mystery Romance Serial ~~ Tangled Web
Antelope Publishing presents a free online serial story, with new chapters added monthly. Many categories of E-Books are available and sample chapters (as well as ordering info) are provided; check out the Joke Book for a healthy laugh.
Antelope Publishing
The Etext Archive: Web-based Publications
Described as "the definitive e-zine resource", this annotated listing includes a variety of different digital journals and online magazines; topics include: Science Fiction, Horror, Fantasy, Literature, Poetry, Artwork and Music. An online search form is also available.
Paul Southworth
An "e-zine" is a 'zine that is distributed partially or solely on electronic networks like the Internet. Browse this A-to-Z listing of e-zines by title, or look at the Top 80 Keywords.
John Labovitz
One section from The Children's Literature Web Guide which includes Resources for Teachers, for Parents, for Storytellers, and for Writers and Illustrators, as well as other links to an incredible array of online materials.
David K. Brown
This is an excerpt from the story which received an Honorable Mention in The Year's Best Science Fiction, Thirteenth Annual Collection and is a pastiche of Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories; Karawynn also provides an illustrated version of the Kipling's How the Leopard Got His Spots.
Karawynn Long
http://www.sff.net/people/karawynn/how_the_ant_made_a_bargain.htp
Read the story behind the story on this page and then immerse yourself in this outstanding (and unnerving) piece -- you'll find yourself thinking about the many levels long after you finish reading it!!
Karawynn Long
Provides information and Etexts of works in the public domain or out of copyright. Listings are searchable by title and author with links to the books as text files (as well as zip format).
Michael Hart
Naked Word HTML Files provides vintage works, including:
Naked Word
No time to get to the library? Don't despair -- this gopher will bring great books directly to your screen!! Includes:
Thomas E. Dell
Read this classic short story, "A Jury of Her Peers," by Susan Glaspell; you'll have a chance to solve the mystery, of whether Minnie Wright killed her husband, and explore the story's literary elements. Also, read about The Elements of Plot Development.
The Annenberg/CPB Project
Try out this free site demo of this Instant Computer Assisted Reading Program by using the online demonstration: Enjoy Reading Without Eye Movement; choose from selections in several categories:
You can learn more about how to use this online tools by selecting Learn More about this Tool -- for example, the instructions tell how to pause (~), reread the current paragraph (3) or sentence (1), review the text slowly word by word (pause, then use cursor keys), skip to the next chapter (5), etc.
Proportional Reading
Don't be fooled!! This book might appear to be for children, but it is actually a profound philosophical work. This site provides the full text complete with the lovely illustrations, as well as a biography of the French author, journalist, and pilot, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
Jennifer Sposito
http://www.cnr.berkeley.edu/~gsposito/LittlePrince/index.html
The Little Prince: English Version
Another site providing the full text, as well as the original illustrations, from this wonderful book (it's always good to have a spare "copy").
Matthew E. Martini
Discover Pittsburgh! Reading Tour
The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh provides a list of books about Pittsburgh (or written by local authors). A synopsis of each book, and a pointer to it's availablility at local branches of the Carnegie, is also provided.
Cathy Chaparro; Three Rivers Free-Net, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Phonics, Syllable and Accent Rules
All the rules in one consise package. After you practice your word attack skills try this Phonics Practice Quiz.
Dennis Doyle
Clear explanation of ways to enhance reading speed.
Study Hall
Tips to help you read more efficientlyl includes explanations (with graphic examples) of several methods which may be used to increase reading speed. Also available: Practice Quiz on Speed Reading Terms.
Dennis Doyle
F:\DownloadseslreadingVelveteen_Rabbit
Want to read more quickly? Practice your speed reading techniques using the word rate timer on each chapter of the precurser to Toy Story. Margery Williams tells how toys become "real" in this timeless classic.
Amby Duncan-Carr
An overview of the Study Skills Workshop taught by Tina Sharpe. Includes tips for skimming, scanning and reading for detail; provides practice exercises for these techniques.
NSW HSC On-Line
What's the Correct Word Order?
Easy to use, interactive game; decide the correct order of the words, click the buttons and receive immediate feedback. Maintains a running total of the number of correst responses. Be careful -- once you click, the item disappears and there is no "reset" button. While designed for ESL students, these Interactive JavaScript Quizzes are useful for all students interested in enhancing their reading comprehension and language skills (many other quizzes are available on this site).
Charles I. Kelly / The Internet TESL Journal
An interesting and challenging word game; select letters in this Hangman-style Java game by clicking on them with the mouse, or typing on the keyboard. There are five games per match and your score will be tabulated based on the elapsed time and the number of letters used (scoring info provided).
Samizdat Productions
http://www.tolstoy.com/samizdat/WordMeister/WordMeister.html
A less drastic version of hangman.
John McKendrick
One of a collection of classic online games. Challenging words in several categories (may be a bit gruesome even for a stick figure!!).
Andrew Wilson
Visit far-off places like France, Tunisia, India, and China! This trivia game is great fun for the whole family. Complete the rally and enter to win an Ask Jeeves T-shirt! If you don't know the answer to the trivia question, click on Ask Jeeves and you'll immediately receive targetted search results in another window; read them, determine the answer, and then return to the original window.
The Big Network
Fill in words of the specified types (nouns, adjectives, etc.) then read the sometimes-wacky story!!
Darryl C. Burgdorf
Select a Wacky Web Tale from the list; fill in the required words, then view the resulting story. You are invited to write and submit your own tale, too. Help with the Parts of Speech is also available.
Houghton Mifflin Company
Fill in your choice of words and this JavaScript applet will generate your very own MadLib!! Source Code is available. Unknown Topic since you don't know the topic this can be hilarious!!
The JavaScript Source
http://javascript.internet.com/miscellaneous/madlib-caesar.html
Since you don't know the topic, this can be hilarious!! Source Code is available.
The JavaScript Source
http://javascript.internet.com/miscellaneous/madlib-unknown.html
The public is invited to participate in the current investigation by asking questions, offering observations and providing leads. Updated weekly. Most appropriate for adults or other mature individuals. [NOTE: If you are concerned about info from active crime investigations being posted on the 'net, please go to the Reality Check provided by the Yoknapatawpha County Law Enforcement Division.]
Crime Scene
Murder Mystery Games at NowTV!
Try your hand at a variety of mysteries (available in RealVideo as well as text-based formats). Solve Natasha's Mystery or The Dead Client, or try the multi-part murder mystery game: The Big Case.
NowTV
Solve the Mystery of the Confederate Bones.
Also available from Crime Scene Productions:
Check out this less-gruesome mystery and help the Kudzu Kids solve the case; examine the evidence and send in your tips, theories and questions.Crime Scene Productions
The Case: "The fun and challenging mystery website"
.... is the premiere mystery website on the Internet. It provides three FREE high quality mysteries weekly including a "Twist" surprise ending, a "Solve-it" mini-mystery, and a "Mysterious Photo" mystery. The Solve-it and Mysterious Photo mysteries both include a weekly contest with prizes.
MysteryNet.com
See if you can bring all the treasures to the starting point in this online treasure hunt game; you can choose to play this Java applet in up to four dimensions!! [Source code is available.]
James L. Dean
SLAW - Scout Law Game [Freeware] NOTE: Must be downloaded.
Yes, there are games that don't cost a cent!! This one will help you memorize the Scout Law. Progresses systematically through several levels; initially requires matching the word heard with the text; then to identifying the words in the correct order from memory (initially while stationary, then as they're whizzing around); on the final level you must select the opposite of each of the words in the law. This game is quite a challenge -- well worth a try even if you're not trying to memorize the Scout Law.
Hank Hufnagel
Intended for children, this site offers an assortment of engaging activities. Just a few (not just for kids):
National Film Board of Canada
Mystery Novella with Vocabulary Words
Read this mystery; vocabulary words are hyperlinked so you can check the definitions of any with which you are unfamiliar.
The Study Hall
Read the passage and answer the multiple-choice questions which provide instant feedback. Other Online Tests are also available, as well as stories, such as:
Elek Máthé
Reading Comprehension Exercises -- Pre-employment
Read these passages and answer the comprehension questions; answers are provided for immediate feedback. A variety of exercises are available; topics include:
Linda Blake Smith
Nurse Aide Self-Assessment Reading Test
Take this reading test; also provided on this site:
Pennsylvania Department of Health
Practice your reading comprehension skills with these interactive quizzes; includes several styles: vocabulary, timed reading comprehension, multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank (answer choices are below the selection -- or try it without looking for a real challenge!!). Instant feedback (and encouragement).
Vito Magistrale, ESL instructor
Martin Holmes has designed a vast array of activities to reinforce language skills. Select a level and choose from Grammar, Reading, Vocabulary, Puzzles, etc.
Language Centre at the University of Victoria
Both a Student Test and an Adult Test are available. Note, you may want to turn off images/animations or be prepared to be jangled!!
Vocabulary Enterprises L.C.
Like, Words and Stuff . . . Vocabulary for Standardized Tests
A list of vocabulary words to study in preparation for the Verbal subtest of either the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or the Graduate Record Exam (GRE).
John H. Bickford, Jr.
At first glance these puzzles appeared to be too easy for Graduate school preparation -- WRONG!! Have fun with these fiendish little gems!!
Vocabulary University
Learning vocabulary can be fun for everyone! This site provides interesting and challenging puzzles -- you can even compete for prizes in monthly word puzzle contests (FREE!!).
Carey Cook aka "Rich Encounter"
Provides a definition of the word you enter (select either an exact match or an approximate match). Words in the resulting definition are hypertext linked back into the dictionary, allowing you to use your mouse to access the definition of those related (and unrelated) words. You can obtain a list of words with a specific prefix, also.
Bennet Yee
Okay, you've probably heard the puzzle in at least one of it's permutations.
From the Hypertext Webster Gateway FAQ:
As I understand it, this whole brouhaha started with a bad puzzle -
Here is an entire FARQ (Frequently Asked Reference Questions) page on the topic.
The Internet Public Library
Use this easy Site Map to locate the wealth of resources on this site. Access the WWWebster Dictionary; utilize the WWWebster Thesaurus; test your wits with the Daily Word Puzzle; many other useful materials to explore!
Merriam-Webster
Richard Lederer's Verbivore Page
If you enjoy wordplay you'll LOVE this site! This is THE place to "feast on the English language. Ours is the only language in which you drive in a parkway and park in a driveway and night falls but never breaks and day breaks but never falls."
Richard Lederer
Note: The embedded link above will take you to the correct URL via this permanent pobox forwarding address:
The Natural Language Playground
This site at Carnegie Mellon University contains a variety of useful links to interactive language tools, including Doug Beeferman's A semantic rhyming dictionary.
CMU
Thousands of quotations -- searchable alphabetically by author or topic. "This site is intended as a place for enjoyment, enlightenment, exploration and general reference."
Steve Spanoudis
The Instant Access Treasure Chest
The Foreign Language Teacher's Guide to Learning Disabilities would be useful to any educator, parent, etc. who wants information about effective techniques for use with a variety of learners. Sections include:
Assistive Technology
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
Auditory Deficits / Visual Deficits
Dyslexia
Learning Styles
Teaching Students with Disabilities
Sonja Moore, Virginia Commonwealth University.
The Gateway to Educational Materials
The Gateway provides easy access to high quality Internet lesson plans, curriculum units and other education resources by linking to over 1300 resources on 12 Internet sites. Conduct full-text, subject, keyword, or title searches, then select desired grade or education level and submit the search.
Nancy Morgan, GEM Coordinator
Terrific resources for creating your own professional portfolio, developing a unit on student portfolios, or establishing a program utilizing portfolio-based assessment of students or staff.
Amby Duncan-Carr / works by Martin Kimeldorf
Helping Children Overcome Reading Difficulties
Carl B. Smith and Roger Sensenbaugh authored this ERIC digest article which includes:
KidSource
http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content2/overcome.reading.html
This article, by Margaret Phinney, describes how learning to read can be as natural a process as learning to walk or to speak and shows how to create an environment which is supportive of attempts to read and write.
The Natural Child Project
Helping Your Child Learn to Read
One of a series of pamphlets and brochures, now available online, designed to address parental concerns about education published by OERI. This one, written by Bernice Cullinan and Brod Bagert, provides activities for children from infancy through age 10.
U.S. Department of Education
Simple Things You Can Do to Help a Child Read Well and Independently
This December 1997 publication offers a wide variety of ways that individuals, schools and communities can work together to help all children become good readers. As a "how-to" manual, Simple Things is designed to guide any person or group interested in starting a literacy program in their community or taking the first step to get involved in helping a child read through their family, school, employer, university or community organization.
U.S. Department of Education
Helping Your Students With Homework: A Guide for Teachers
This well-constructed and informative article on designing useful homework is also available in portable document format (pdf) from this site. Includes resources and references.
U.S. Department of Education
Using the ClipArt from the next page or your own, have students fill out the alphabetical animals sheet, play animal bingo, have them classify as farm animals, jungle animals, flying or swimming animals, etc.
Using the words go to
www.puzzlemaker.com and have the students make wordsearch puzzles for each other, have students make their own collection of animals from web sites such as http://rats2u.com/calendar_a/calendar_clipart.htmhave students use the images in a powerpoint presentation as a guessing game or as flashcards,
etc……
Then there are fruits and vegetables, sports, classroom objects, etc…
Can you find an ANIMAL for each letter of the alphabet?
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© http://www.englishclub.net 1998 This document may be copied and distributed freely for non-commercial purposes provided its content is not modified. |
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Pre-reading Strategies, |
While Reading Strategies, |
Post Reading Strategies . |
Pre-reading Strategies
WHY
- To predict the possible content of the text.
HOW
Brainstorm
While Reading Strategies 1.
WHY
-
to verify predictions- By skimming and scanning through the text and by using conclusions made during prediction, try to reveal the main ideas and content of the text.
- During while reading students will read silently to confirm, verify, and complete the above tasks.
While Reading Strategies 2.
WHY
-After reading the text to get some of the main ideas, pupils will deal with more detailed reading of the text.
- In this stage, the
HOW
- More scanning task to find more information about the text.
- True/ False statements.
- Tasks that deal with the reorganization of the text.
- Matching sentences to pictures.
- Comparing various information in the text.
- Stating opinions based on the reading of the text. This can be an open-ended task.
- Completing of charts.
Post Reading Strategies.
WHY
- To apply information read in the text.
- To conclude and sum up the information read in the text.
- To react to and evaluate the contents of the text.
HOW
- Creating a dialogue.
- Role Plays.
- Interviews.
- Writing of letters, notes, Advertisements etc.
- Drawing of maps, diagrams, people, objects etc.
- Creating a big book based on the story.
- Change the end of the story.
- Describe your own .......................
http://www.w-angle.galil.k12.il/studio/english/sadna/reading/READING22.htm
There are many definitions that define reading.
Reading is defined as a "psycolinguistic guessing game" in which the reader reconstructs a message which has been encoded by a writer as a graphic display. (Carrell, 1988; 2) The reader reconstructs meaning from written language by using the graphonic, syntactic and semantic systems of the language, but he or she merely uses cues from these three levels of language to predict meaning, and most important, confirms those predictions by relating them to his or her past experiences and knowledge of the language. (Carrell, 1993; 3).
Investigators such as Carrel, Adams, Grabe and others, base their theories that reading is an interactive process, where the mode of top-down processing of information and bottom-up processing of information interact together.
Based on the theories of Spiro , Bruce and Brewer(1980), "Reading is a multilevel interactive process, that is, the text must be analysed at various levels, with units of analysis going from the letter to the text as a whole. In addition to processing the explicit features of the text, the reader must bring considerable pre-existing knowledge to the reading comprehension process. The interaction of text-based(bottom-up) and knowledge-based(top-down) processes and of levels within each, is essential to reading comprehension. Because the meaning of the text is only partially determined by the text itself, reading must be an inferential constructive process, characterized by the information and testing of hypotheses about what the text is about. Reading is strategic. It is a flexible process that is adapted to the purpose of reading at a given time and is monitored to determine whether the purposes are being met. (Cited in Barkon, 1992; 35)
Eskey(l988) defines reading comprehension as a constant interaction between bottom-up and top-down processing, each source of information contributing to a comprehensive reconstruction of the meaning of the text. His model "interactive" refers to the interaction between the information provided by means of top-down analysis, and bottom up decoding, both of which depend on certain kinds of prior knowledge and certain kinds of information-processing skills. Eskey(1988) views readers as both decoders and good interpreters of texts, their decoding skills becoming more automatic but no less important as their reading skills develop.
Eskey(l988) defines reading comprehension as a constant interaction OKed by the incoming data. whereas top-down processing occurs as the system makes general predictions based on higher level, general schemata and then searches the input for information to fit into these partially satisfied, higher order schemata. (Carrel and Eisterhold, 1988)
Rumelhard(1977) stated that the reader's schemata or knowledge already stored in the memory, function in the process of interpreting new information, and allows it to enter and become a part of the knowledge store. The process of interaction of new information with old information is comprehension.(Anderson, Pearson(1988, 37). Investigators such as Carrel, Adams, Grabe and others, base their theories that reading is an interactive process, where the mode of top-down processing of information and bottom-up processing of information interact together. Bottom-up processing is evoked by the incoming data. whereas top-down processing occurs as the system makes general predictions based on higher level, general schemata and then searches the input for information to fit into these partially satisfied, higher order schemata. (Carrel and Eisterhold, 1988).
http://www.w-angle.galil.k12.il/studio/english/sadna/Ruth silbermann/READING11.htm
http://www.w-angle.galil.k12.il/studio/english/sadna/Ruth silbermann/READING11.htm
STORY TELLING
Story Telling and the EFL Classroom
Story Telling and the EFL Classroom
Both adults and children love the art of Story Telling. Not only do stories provide entertainment and enjoyment, they also enable people to learn about different cultures and socieities around us. Story telling is an ancient art whereby our ancestors could transfer information about culture, history and society from generation to generation. Stories of many kinds, written in different languages can be told to EFL learners in English. According to Wright(1995) the telling of stories "offers a major and constant source of language experience for children." He further cliams that "stories are motivating, rich in language experience and should play a central role in teaching of foreign language to children." Pedersen(1995)cliams that a simple narrative will always be the cornerstone of the art of teaching. By listening to stories, children can become aware of the new language, its sound and vocabulary, and its range of literary expressions, through a very natural way.
In the EFL Classroom, Story Telling provides a different means of communication between the teacher and the puils. By interacting with the teacher during story-telling sessions, the teacher can provide more personal relationship with her students than the ususal relationship she has in during the regular EFL classroom lesson. Story Telling develops the listening skill which enables pupils to understands language which is new to them. Like in their own language pupils build up the their listening and reading skills through predictions and guessing, they learn to use the same strategies while listening to stories in the foreign language as they do in their L1. (Wright 1995: 6).
Malkin (1995) states that text has structure, it follows a course of development that is predictable thus enabling children to use strategies for understanding during story telling sessions.
Some Ideas for Classroom Use
* Story Tellers should know their audience and adapt their style to the needs and abilities of their learners, their age and language level.
* Read or Tell all types of stories, especially the stories the Story Teller likes best.
* For beginners, uses stories that have simple language, structure, and use repetitive language. Young learners usually like folk or fairy tales as their context is usually blended with gfantasy and realitiy.
* Stories that have positive and educational values as preferred over stories that display fear, hatred or anger.
* The cultural, social and historical background of stories should be familiar with the students.
Preparation - Before you Begin!
* Learn the story. Both Pederson (1995) and Wright (1995) suggest that you read the story several times from beginning to end. Then select and visualize key characters or scenes in the story. You can make notes if p[ossible.
* Try telling the story out loud to someone at home before tellig it to your class.
* Seat your pupils nearer to you than usual. This is to change the relationship between you and the pupils. Make sure the children can see you and any props used, or your big book if you are using one
The Story Telling Session
Pederson (1995) and Wright (1995) suggest different elements to consider in order to help the teachers prepare and succeed in his/her story telling session. The ideas below are based on articles written by Pederson (1995), Wright (1995) and other experts on storytelling.
Preparation
- Simplify long stories and control the story's vocabulary by "using rich vocabulary with carefully chosen adjectives and adverbs as this gives colour and texture to the telling. Don't worry if the listeners don't already know everry word; guessing is part of langue learning"
- Try telling the story out aloud to someone at home before telling it to your class.
- Prepare in advance any props, background music or other additional material that you will need for the story telling session.
- Change seating arangement in order to change the relationship between you and the pupils. When pupils sit near the teacher they can communicate better with him/her during the story telling session. They are able to see or be in close contact with the props, big books and other visual aids the teacher uses.
- Relax before telling your story.
Presentation
A story should be presented in a way tha emphasized the "what" of the story and not the "how" of the telling.
- Introducing the story introduces the charaters, sets the scene, establishes the mood and arouses pleasurable anticipation.
- Before introducing the story the teacher should prepare some activities to introduce the theme of the story and any difficult vocabulary or expressions that may hamper comprehension. This helps the pupils to predict the contents and anticpate exciting and interesting events It entices the pupils to listen, helps promote motivation and makes them part of the whole process of storytelling.
- While telling the story express enthusiasm, creativity and enjoyment. Concentrate on the use of your voice. Articluate the words clearly and project your voice well. Speak clearly alternating speed, and pitch to differentiate between the different chracters.
- Maintain eye contact. This holds the listeners attention.
- Use body gestures as these can help with the understanding of vocabulary and incidents.
- Use your pre-prepared props well. Using props with young listerners, like banners and picture, motivates listening and helps involve the listeners in the story telling session.
- Additional aids could be background music andlighting in the room, that help create the mood in the story.
Follow-Up Activities.
- Sories can be evalued in many ways. The different strategies used to evaluate stories should maintain pupils motivation to the need and love of listening to stories. Evaluation should be a fun experience and not an imposed activity that may cause opposition and rejection and break down inspiration to listen to stories.
- In groups, pupils answer comprehension questions compiled by the teacher, or pupils compile questions with their peers.
- Sequencing of pictures or written sentences: -These two activities can be used seprately (sequencing of pictures of sequencing of sentences) or both together to check comprehension of the story and to create a summary go the story told.
- A gapped text:- Pupils are given a gapped text of parts of a summary of the story. The have to try and guess or remember the missing information to retell the story.
- Information gap filling: - The teacher prepares two different versions of the same text. The pupils in pairs complete completed their versions with their partner's help.
- Finding Mistakes: - Give pupils an incorrect version or summary of the story and asked them to detect as many mistakes as possible.
- Story flowchart: The children build a flow chart of the story in order to help pupils become aware of the story's structure. The flowchart will also help pupils retell the story.
- Throw the ball and continue the story: A child begins the story and then throws a paper ball to another child who must continue it.
- Picture of a character or an event: Pupils can illustrate events or characters in the story. They can also use adjectives to describe their events or characters.
- Art Activities: Posters, models, collages crafts, masks, puppets etc.
- Dramatization: Roleplaying parts or the whole story.
Malinka, Natasha 1995 Storytelling in Early Language Class in FORUM Vol 33 Number 1
Pederson E Martin 1995. Storytelling and the Art of Teaching in FORUM Vol 33 Number 1
Stockdale Joseph 1995 Storytelling
in FORUM Vol 33 Number 1Wright Andrew 1995. STORYTELLING WITH CHILDREN
OUPhttp://www.w-angle.galil.k12.il/studio/english/sadna/Ruth%20silbermann/READING11.htm
http://www.w-angle.galil.k12.il/studio/english/sadna/Ruth%20silbermann/READING333_POST_LEGEND.html
Post Reading Activity
- based on the reading of legends - Class 7One of the domains of the new curriculum deals with the exposure of pupils to different cultures through literary texts. In class seven my students were exposed to fables and legends of many kinds and introduced to the literary elements that appear in these texts. On completing the unit they were given an assignment to write their own legend or fairy tale, using the ideas
on the page below. The process involved in writing their legends, took two to three stages.Firstly,
we frontally discussed all the elements found in fables (see workpage).Secondly,
the pupils used the frame in the workpage to jot down their ideas. I allowed them to use Hebrew if necessary as many pupils felt more comfortable writing their ideas in Hebrew and then tputting them down into English.Thirdly
, once the pupils had discussed their ideas with me or with their friends, they went home and wrote their stories.Once the stories
were written they were presented to me for correction, and then pupils were given an opportunity to type out their stories on the computer. They were allowed to use Word or Powerpoint according to their abilities on using the computer.
WRITING A legend or a fairy tale
You are going to write a fairy tale.
Who are your characters.
Where does it take place.
Write some of your ideas in the box.
REMEMBER:
Who are the characters in fairy tales and legends(a prince, a princess, a king, a queen, witches, fairies, dwarfs, animals, and other people)
Where does your story take place? in the woods, forest, castle, a hut ( near the sea and other places.)
Start your story: Once upon a time ……., Many years ago…….
Use pictures to illustrate your story.
*** A powerpoint example of a story written by a class 7 pupils.
http://www.w-angle.galil.k12.il/studio/english/sadna/Ruth silbermann/reading333_legend1.html
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Ron Mastine
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