Hi! For those who
I have not met, I am Ron Mastine, the CP for ESL until June '99 while I
replace Jean Cloutier who is replacing … I will work out of my office at
the CEMIS at Le Tournesol, Windsor. This is the first issue of what I hope
will be a worthwhile and lasting component in the pedagogical dialogue
among ESL teachers in our new CS DES SOMMETS. One of the greatest challenges
to DES SOMMETS is communication. REACH-OUT is an attempt to link the ESL
components throughout the school board .
Through REACH-OUT I hope to develop with you, a tool that will allow us to communicate ideas, tips, experiences and information pertinent to ESL teaching. I hope to receive your input, any that you would be willing to share and in the language you choose. What comes from my keyboard will be mostly in English, since "révision linguistique" of my attempts would take a long time.
Le Congrès de la SPEAQ en 1998: à l'Hôtel Hilton, Québec du 29 au 31 octobre est terminé!
The 1998 SPEAQ Convention was held at the Hilton Hotel in Quebec City on October 29, 30 and 31.
Internet address:
http://www.cyberscol.qc.ca/partenaires/speaq/speaq.htm
School Board exams will be administered in 6th grade and in secondary three this year. I propose to submit possible resources to representatives of the 3 sectors of the board for their input and approval in late February.
As a follow-up to the one day workshop on evaluation given by representatives of the MEQ in preparation for the June finals in secondary 4 and 5; if you were unable to attend or even if you were there and would like to continue the discussion, contact me as soon as possible to set up a meeting.
To elaborate on the theme of developing communications; in business people often use the term networking. I hope this will also apply to the ESL teachers throughout DES SOMMETS.
Computer services hope to network the schools by Christmas. How long it will take to make e-mailing a possible means of communication between schools is still unsure. One thing is for sure, the sooner the better. E-mail is instantaneous and it allows us to exchange electronic documents and ideas quickly. The telephone is an alternative but we often will end up playing telephone tag and developing chronic frustration unless you are open to after hours calls. Faxes are costly and often they are not of a good enough quality to reproduce the document. Internal mail, another option, is far from being instantaneous and an exchange of documents could take as long as a month.
REACH-OUT is meant as a vehicle for distributing information to ESL teachers in our school board . I hope it can become an interactive agent and develop into a forum for exchanges. If you have anything related to ESL that you would like to add, a topic of discussion, an activity to share, an inter-school project to suggest or an Internet site, etc., etc. submit it (preferably as a file or a document that can be added to the mailing) and let's see what will happen.
I will be organising meetings
during the planning days later on in the year. To help make those meetings
as profitable as possible, I would like to meet with you within the
next few weeks to become more aware of your priorities. Where possible,
I would like to have an informal, over coffee or whatever, discussion
with groups from the different areas for an hour or so depending on the
number and other constraints. The school board is faced with melding or
dealing with three ways of doing things and I'm sure the expectations or
services of past years that have been part of each sectors' 'habits' will
not necessarily come together as one because we are ESL teachers. I would
like to begin by getting to know what each of you were used to, what you
hope for, so that I can find a path that will best suit the situation.
CP News………………………………1
Speaq News…………………………...3
Programme Updates……..…………..4
Internet Resources …………………..6
Supplementary Materials …………..7
Lesson resources……………………..8
Weird Facts of the Day *
Conversation Questions for the ESL/EFL Classroom *
GAMES FOR ESL STUDENTS *
ESL GAMES *
TIC TAC TOE (For Beginning to Intermediate Level Students) *
THE PICNIC (For Intermediate to Advanced Level Students) *
THE SENTENCE AUCTION (For All Levels) *
STOP (For All Levels) *
USING ILLUSTRATED BOOKS AS MOTIVATORS FOR LANGUAGE PRODUCTION *
DISASTER LESSONS *
Mini-Research Paper *
Suggested ESL Internet lessons from the RREALS CD /pri -sec *
Maybe you would like to join the Group de Travail Régional en Anglais Langue seconde where a group of interested primary and secondary teachers from throughout l'Estrie experiment, explore and exploit the educational use of computers. The GTR en ALS is a project of the CEMIS DES SOMMETS - contact me for further details. (Page one)
Here is a report taken from my notes on the presentations of the new programmes en ESL, as far as I understood.
Factors motivating a revision of the programmes include:
Ministerial Plan Of Action For The Reform Of The Education System / A NEW DIRECTION FOR SUCCESS Report of the Task Force on Curricular Reform
or at the websites : http://www.meq.gouv.qc.ca/reforme/reforme.htm &
http://www.meq.gouv.qc.ca/reforme/curricu/ecole.htm (Fr.) or
http://www.meq.gouv.qc.ca/reforme/reform.htm (Eng.)
http://www.meq.gouv.qc.ca/reforme/curricu/anglais/SCHOOL.HTM
Objectives are out and competencies are in! Competencies are interpreted as : What to do… , How to do…, by doing or savoir agir et savoir faire face à des problêmes.
The call to action seems to be Rendre les élèves compétents en plus de les rendre connaissants. The programs will be developed to fill 75% of the minimum time allocated leaving 25% to the teacher's initiative; for reinvestment, reinforcement and enrichment activities.
The following diagram is an attempt to replicate the diagram presented
to demonstrate the 3 basic competencies and their contents. It is a very
general framework or game plan that has been established by a group of
teachers and CP`s working with the MEQ. Only the competencies Interagir,
Réinvestir and Écrire have been retained. The
different aspects of learning reading, writing, etc have been associated
to these competencies .The steps in the elaboration and revision of the
program are outlined in LE PROCESSUS DE MISE EN ŒUVRE DES PROGRAMMES
at the end of the document. The third step Elaboration du plan de
formation… has been completed or almost.
Some of the remarks by the presenters about the steps and the content included :
| 1, 2 | 3, 4, 5 | 1, 2 | 3, 4, 5 | |
| Expression orale | 20 | 16 | ||
| Écoute | 30 | 24 | ||
| Lecture | 30 | 36 | ||
| Écriture | 20 | 24 |
TEASIG
Teaching English to Adults Special Interest Group
http://www.cyberscol.qc.ca/partenaires/speaq/teasig/teasig.html
Supplementary Materials by Level
For your pleasure, TEASIG has put together a list of resource materials being used in many adult education classrooms, to supplement course books. Enjoy.
If you have something you would like to recommend, drop us a line so you can share it with others. Sharing is what this site is all about.
Pre-secondary:
Listen First Oxford Press
Beginners:
Listen For It Oxford Press
Ready? Listen
Oxford Picture Dictionary Oxford Press (books, workbooks, cassettes)
Intermediate Learners:
Listening Tasks Cambridge Press
Great Ideas Cambridge Press
Famous Personalities Monarch Books of Canada
Personal Stories Book 3 Monarch Books of Canada (Linmore Publishing)
Advanced Learners:
Spectrum 5/6 Regent Publishing Company
http://www.ling.lancs.ac.uk/staff/visitors/kenji/kitao/int-teac.htm
We suggest that you check out sites in the resources section when you have time. There are many useful resources for your teaching. Take note of which sites seem like they would be useful and what they would be useful for. It is worthwhile rechecking those sites occasionally.
We have compiled about 20 links related to lesson plans. There are many lesson plans, and some of them might be useful as they are in your class. Even if they are not, you can adapt them or you can use some ideas from those lesson plans.
We have compiled a list of teaching materials. Two of our favorites are Tower of London - Virtual Tour and U.S. Holidays.
There are many, many more sites with teaching materials on the Internet, and we encourage you to look at them when you have time.
Some teachers have already had students use the Internet to exchange e-mail, to write reports based on information gathered on the Internet, to make web pages, etc. We have compiled a list of links to their projects. Some of them are really well done.
It is a good idea to see those, and think about how you can encourage students work creatively and learn English. Students seem to like to work on these types of projects.
Lesson Plans
http://www.sils.umich.edu/~jarmour/etc/lp.html
Lesson Plans/Activities
**ESL lesson plans submitted by teachers to share
http://www.csun.edu/~hcedu013/eslindex.html
Lesson Plans and Resources for ESL, Bilingual and Foreign Language Teachers
http://www.aitech.ac.jp/~iteslj/Links/LessonLinks.html
Links to ESL Lessons on the Net : Lessons & Lesson Plans The Internet TESLJ
Language Learning Activities for the World Wide Web
Compiled by the discussion group "WWW: New Activities, New Pedagogy"
CNN Newsroom Daily Lesson Plans (Designed for Native Speakers)
Computers and Language Learning, UO-AEI Leslie Opp-Beckman
ESL Lessons by Steve Tripp (University of Aizu, Japan)
Capitalization | Future | Numbers | Punctuation
Free Photocopyable Lesson Heinemann
Truth & Lies Game Elizabeth Hardin, Gallup Mckinley County Schools, NM
Who is in the Bag? Lorna Hockett, Waldport Elementary School, Waldport, OR Other Sources
ETC - visit the site for much more.
Weird Facts of the Day
Have a 10 minute fun-quiz where students try to guess part of the weird facts. (from the Internet site )
Make up questions and give them orally as teams try to guess the answers.
(How much can the height of the Eiffel tour vary, depending on the temperature?)
The height of the Eiffel Tower varies by as much as six inches, depending on the temperature.
(How big can the leaves of the water lily Victoria regia grow?)
The leaves of the water lily Victoria regia grow as large as eight feet across.
etc.
The annual harvest of an entire coffee tree is required to make one pound of ground coffee.
A woodchuck breathes only 10 times per hour while hibernating. An active woodchuck breathes 2,100 times per hour.
In any given acre of green land, you would expect to find about 50,000 spiders.
A mosquito has 47 teeth.
When diving, the peregrine falcon can reach a speed of 225 miles per hour.
One square inch of the sun's surface shines with the intensity of 300,000 candles.
During one growing season, an oak tree can give off 28,000 gallons of moisture.
The heart of a giraffe weighs 25 pounds, is two feet long, and has walls 3 inches thick.
Gold is malleable enough that one ounce of it can be beaten into a thin sheet that covers 100 square feet.
In ancient Egypt, certain baboons were mummified when they died.
The highest wind velocity ever recorded on Earth is 231 miles per hour.
It was widely believed in the Middle Ages that the heart was the center of human intelligence.
More Weird Facts, Trivia and Totally Useless
Information available...
http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~jenkg/useless.html
The ALS/ESL CYBERSITE
An Internet ESL jump site
http://Projets.cyberscol.qc.ca/css/cybersite/cybersite.htm
For teachers Links
The tool kit Projects
Innovations in ESL Intensive
MEQ Programmes Types of texts
Themes Activities
Lessons Bulletin Board
The Québec ESL Ring
G.T.R. en ALS
For students: Links & activities Searchers Cyberfiction
Lessons Chat
Conversation Questions for the ESL/EFL Classroom
http://www.aitech.ac.jp/~iteslj/questions/
Topics available:
Selected Lesson Plans (Internet)
1. Ask students to bring in some CDs. Examine the CD images to note
patterns of images (many urban-decay images, faces of the artists), or
examples of carefully-constructed images, (fantasy images). How important
are these images in attracting buyers to the CDs? Place a plain white cover
over the CD with only the hand-written CD title and group name on it.
Which cover is more attractive? Why?
What is the role of the CD cover in selling the CD?
2. Look around the classroom. Who is dressed in a style similar to that
seen in music videos? Which videos?
What name would you give to that style of dress?
Do most videos presenting that genre of music include artists dressed
in the same style of dress?
Is the style of dress mostly working class, middle class or upper class?
Do those students dressed in the most distinctively video-oriented clothes
listen to a particular genre of music?
Does their clothing style match their favourite genre?
10. Nick Lowe, of the Clash, states: Attitude -- the way
they put it across -- is more exciting than the actual music that they
make. He claims that the music doesn't change significantly over the years,
but the images are fresh, and that is what keeps music interesting.
Do you agree? Why?
What groups can you name as examples that his statement is valid or
invalid?
11. John Taylor, of Duran Duran, states: When we started Duran, it's funny because the musical instruments were almost secondary. We used to watch films of the Beatles and go to concerts and say, "That's what we want to be! We want to be pop stars!" and it was like a necessary evil to learn to play instruments. Does this statement affirm or deny Nick Lowe's statement?
From the TESL archives
Here’s a game that I’ve used with Kindergarten through adult students and they’ve all loved it. It’s similar to Jeopardy but I call it CATEGORIES. The stationery store sells something called a project display board (looks lIke the stuff used for Science Fair Projects). I write CATEGORIES across the top and then I place 5 X 7 " cards 5 across and 6 down for a total of 30 cards. Across the first cards in each column, I write the word Category and then I number each card with the numbers 10, 20, 30, 40 & 50. I then assign a category to each column (Body Parts, Nouns, Colors, Numbers & Time - for example). Then, I write questions for each category and the students get to choose the category as well as the number of points that they want to try for. I even hide cards say DOUBLE POINT COUNT, TRIPLE POINTS, etc. underneath certain questions. I don’t use the JEOPARDY format of having to formulate a question because that’s rather tricky for ESL students. I let the NEPS work in teams and even more advanced students - that way, the pressure’s off. It’s great for vocabulary review, comprehension checks and review. They love it and can’t get enough of it. Questions? I’ll be happy to answer any that you might have.
Naomi Spiegelman
From: Sylvia Helmer <schelmer@UNIXG.UBC.CA>
Subject: Games for ESL
PPS I’ve got a few more games to share another time.
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
schelmer@unixg.ubc.ca
From: " Mrs. Cynthia Sinsap " <cindy@STJOHN.SJU.AC.TH>
Subject: Re: Games for ESL
Cynthia Sinsap
Bangkok, Thailand
http://members.aol.com/Jakajk/ESLLessons.html#PROJECT
Games are an excellent way to review grammar and vocabulary. I have had a lot of success with the following games. They energize the classroom and relieve a lot of tension. Students of all ages love them.
TIC TAC TOE (For Beginning to Intermediate Level Students)
All you need for this game is a chalkboard, and a list of vocabulary. Draw a nine square grid on the board and fill each box with one word. Divide the class in half, and designate one half as -x- and the other half as -o-. The students on each team collaborate in coming up with grammatical sentences using the vocabulary. When they use a word in a correct sentence, mark either x or o over the word. Three in a row wins! I used this game to review general vocabulary, parts of speech, and verb forms. It can be played for an hour without the students seeming to tire.
THE PICNIC (For Intermediate to Advanced Level Students)
This is a simple game that requires students to generate vocabulary in English. The class is asked to imagine that they are going on a picnic. Their job is to suggest things to bring along. The teacher says yes or no to each suggestion. What the students do not know is that the teacher says yes when a student suggests something whose first letter is the same as the first letter of the name of the student. The teacher says no if the first letter of the suggested object and the first letter of the name of the student do not match. For example:
Alicia: I want to bring apples.
Teacher: You can bring apples, Alicia. Alicia can bring apples. What do you want to bring, Marco?
Marco: I want to bring a radio.
Teacher: Sorry, you cannot bring a radio.
If students need a hint after a while you can interject something like:
Maria: I want to bring bananas.
Teacher: Sorry, you cannot bring bananas. Why not ask Barbara to bring bananas?
Usually someone figures out the game. Knowing the secret forces them to narrow their suggestions to words beginning with the same letter as their name.
THE SENTENCE AUCTION (For All Levels)
For this game you need to prepare a list of about twenty sentences. Make roughly half the sentences grammatical, and the rest ungrammatical. Give the students a few minutes to read and discuss which sentences are correct. It is good to assign partners to discuss which sentences are grammatical. They can then bid on the sentences that they think are good. You get to play the auctioneer. Students love it if you play the role to the hilt, and do not forget to slam the gavel! Sentences can be draw from student writings, common errors, etc.... This game forces students to use dollar amounts, and to focus on the fine points of grammar.
This is a simple vocabulary game that can be played with two levels of difficulty depending on the level of your students. In the easy version, draw five columns on a chalk board. Assign each column a letter from the alphabet and shout Go! The first student to fill in all the columns with a word that begins with the letter of each column shouts, STOP! My high school students like to accumulate extra exam points with this game. You can go through the whole alphabet like this and also use common two letter word beginnings like ex, sh, sp, ch, etc....
In the more difficult version, assign each of the five columns a general catergory like food, clothing, emotions, office items, things in the house, etc.... You then call out a letter from the alphabet. Students have to fill each column with a vocabulary word that begins with the letter and pertains to the category.
Many illustrated books for children, though not all, lend themselves to being used as motivators for generating narrative stories. When selecting books to use in class, look for books whose story you can narrate to yourself by reading the illustrations without looking at the words in the text. Many books are beautifully illustrated and suitable for many age/ablility levels.
With a book whose storyline is understandable from the illustrations, one can ask the class questions in ways that allow the story to unfold. Be sure introduce relevent vocabulary. Then allow the students to describe the story. Write the description the students give you on a chalkboard. The way the students tell the story becomes the text from which all the usual exercises that one normally does with text can be generated.
Below is a comparison of the actual text from the book, TIME TRAIN, by Paul Fleishman, (Harper Collins, 1991) with the text generated by beginning level high school students through questioning. The text created by the responses of the students to the illustrations is much richer in description, and it draws upon the previously learned language of the students.
Dinner that evening was very, very good.
In the morning, the weather was warm.
In the afternoon, we got off at our stop. The train ride was over.
There was no hotel. So we slept outside.
In the morning, we saw the first dinosaur.
STUDENT GENERATED TEXT (PAGES 6-9)
The students are eating dinner. The cook is bringing an elephant leg to the table. There are forks, plates, spoons, knives, and flowers on the table.
The students and the teacher says, What is this?
There are three insects on the train. The insects are called dragon flies. The man is giving out juice. The dragon flies are big. They are long. The students and the teacher get off the train. They are in the forest. They see trees, birds, and bushes. The students are sleeping in a big footprint. It must be a dinosaur footprint.
The students went back in time.
The students went into the past. The dinosaur is big. It has a long tail. The dinosaur takes a suitcase. The teacher is running after the dinosaur. The dinosaur takes big steps.
The dinosaur is eating the suitcase. The teacher says, Stop it. Give me my suitcase! The clothes fall in the swamp.
I have a confession to make. I like natural disasters! (At least the ones that do not affect me directly.) Every year one or two disasters happen, and it seems like nature is delivering lesson plans to my door. The tabloid press and television news are full of dramatic photos and footage. Students enter the class asking me if I heard about what happened. Usually, I have not only heard about it, but have also made it the subject of a lesson or two.
Recently, Puerto Rico had a very bad hurricane. The events where well documented with large photos in all the local newspapers. I bought a few papers and used these photos to motivate a student generated description of events. All the students had heard about the hurricane , and they were eager to contribute to the discussion.
After introducing vocabulary, I taped the photos to the board and had students contribute to creation of a text to accompany the pictures. I wrote the descriptions " as given " by the students including their errors. We then proofread the description, correcting errors, adjusting the tenses, and rearranging the composition. The text we create was used for choral and individual reading, cloze exercises, vocabulary development, and question formation. Students wrote about natural disasters they had experienced in their own lives. Many have first hand experience with floods, blizzards, monsoons, etc.... And they are eager to relate their stories.
Below is the end result of the text a level 2 class made on hurricane that hit Puerto Rico in September, 1996.
Hurricanes are natural disasters. Hurricanes are very destructive storms with a lot of rain, and very powerful wind. The winds blow faster than 74 miles per hour. These storms are very dangerous. They destroy buildings, break trees, and cause floods.
On Tuesday, a hurricane hit the island of Puerto Rico. Floods of water destroyed houses. Some people drowned in the flood water. Business was disrupted , and people could not buy food or travel.
Many people were hurt. Eight people died. Two people were buried in a mud slide. Others drowned in the flood water. One woman had a heart attack. She could not travel to the hospital. She died.
After the hurricane was finished, the streets were like rivers. Eighteen inches of rain had fallen. Now people outside of Puerto Rico will send help to the Puerto Rican people. They will send clothes, food, medicine, and other supplies . Doctors, nurses, and volunteers will go to Puerto Rico to help repair the damage caused by the storm.
TEACHING THE RESEARCH PAPER
( for advanced ESL students)
Very often, for high school ESL students, their English as a Second Language classes are the only courses they take that come close in content to the teaching of Language Arts. This leaves ESL teachers with the double responsibility of teaching a language, and teaching the basic skills that normally fall upon Native Language Arts or Language Arts teachers.
One of the most essential abilities a student needs to leave high school with is the ability to organize and write a research paper. Writing a research paper is a complex process involving multiple skills. Selecting a manageable topic, locating source material in the library, searching a data base, making notes from sources, writing the essay, documenting references are just some of the skills needed. Teaching students what they need to know can take several weeks. Perhaps I should say that it can take years. (I strongly believe ESL teachers should begin to teach many of the skills needed very early in the language development process.)
The two lessons below are for advanced students. I have found the lessons to be useful as part of the larger process of teaching advanced students how to produce a good research paper.
Reverse Engineering a Research Paper
Students often don’t know what a good research paper looks like. How are the notes taken from source material integrated into an essay? What is the function of footnotes and a bibliography? Where did the quotes and paraphrases originate? What does a finished research paper look like?
To give students an idea of what will be expected of them, I prepare a very short research paper that contains all the elements you would expect in one. I base the footnotes and bibliography on a book or magazine, or both, that the entire class has access to. After reading and discussing the paper, I then ask the students to locate the information provided by the footnotes and bibliography in the original source material. It is important to explain that footnotes and bibliographies are pointers to more information that interested scholars can use, and that they are not required by professors in order to torture students. This experience provides students with a good model of what a research paper is.
The mini-research paper is an in-class exercise to familiarize students with some aspects of writing the research paper. It should be taught prior to any independent undertaking on the part of your students, and it can also be done for reinforcement after students have undertaken independent projects. It is an exercise you should do with your class several times. First, as a teacher lead activity, then as pair work, and finally with students working individually.
In all cases the teacher chooses a topic. One good topic for this exercise is the climate of a country. The teacher provides the students with copies of two different source materials. One source can be an entry from an encyclopedia for children on the country with several subheadings (population, climate, etc....) The other source can be a selection from a book on the country dealing with the topic, and written at the appropriate reading level for your students. Both readings should be brief. The purpose of two sources is to require the students synthesize the notes they gather when writing the essay.
In the first teacher guided lesson, take the students through the steps one would go through after having decided on a topic, and having gathered source material. :
Using the chalkboard as note sheets/index cards, draft paper, etc..., call on students to find quotable material relevant to the topic, and write the quotes on the board. Ask them to also supply the information needed to create footnotes (author, title, publisher info, date, page number.)
Use the ideas of students to compose a brief essay on the chalkboard that includes footnoted quotes and/or paraphrases from both source materials, and a bibliography.
OPPulent pages for Students and Teachers of English as a Second Language
URL: http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~leslieob/themes.html
The following pages have been developed for use, or are recommended for use, in theme-based (content-based / whole language) courses:
CONTEMPORARY ISSUES
These
suggestions were included as thought provoking ideas for activities not
necessarily associated with books but even for short texts or projects.
Teacher-2-Teacher contributor Kim Robb of Summerland, BC saved the
day recently for countless teachers with this incredible list of book report
ideas:
1.Create life-sized models of two of your favorite characters and dress
them as they are dressed in the book. Crouch down behind your
character and describe yourself as the character. Tell what your role is
in the book and how you relate to the other character you have made.
2.Create a sculpture of a character. Use any combination of soap, wood,
clay, sticks, wire, stones, old toy pieces, or any other object. An
explanation of how this character fits into the book should accompany
the sculpture.
3.Interview a character from your book. Write at least ten questions that
will give the character the opportunity to discuss his/her thoughts and
feelings about his/her role in the story. However you choose to present
your interview is up to you.
4.Write a diary that one of the story’s main characters might have kept
before, during, or after the book’s events. Remember that the
character’sthoughts and feelings are very important in a diary.
5.If you are reading the same book as one or more others are reading,
dramatize a scene from the book. Write a script and have several
rehearsals before presenting it to the class.
6.Prepare an oral report of 5 minutes. Give a brief summary of the
plotand describe the personality of one of the main characters. Be
prepared for questions from the class.
7.Give a sales talk, pretending the students in the class are clerks in a
bookstore and you want them to push this book.
8.Build a miniature stage setting of a scene in the book. Include a written
explanation of the scene.
9.Make several sketches of some of the scenes in the book and label
them.
10.Describe the setting of a scene, and then do it in pantomime.
11.Construct puppets and present a show of one or more interesting parts
of the book.
12.Dress as one of the characters and act out a characterization.
13.Imagine that you are the author of the book you have just read.
Suddenly the book becomes a best seller. Write a letter to a movie
producer trying to get that person interested in making your book into a
movie. Explain why the story, characters, conflicts, etc., would make a
good film. Suggest a filming location and the actors to play the
variousroles. YOU MAY ONLY USE BOOKS WHICH HAVE
NOT ALREADY BEEN MADE INTO MOVIES.
14.Write a book review as it would be done for a newspaper. ( Be sure
you read a few before writing your own.)
15.Construct a diorama (three-dimensional scene which includes models of
people, buildings, plants, and animals) of one of the main events of the
book. Include a written description of the scene.
16.Write a feature article (with a headline) that tells the story of the book
as it might be found on the front page of a newspaper in the town
where the story takes place.
17.Write a letter (10-sentence minimum) to the main character of your
book asking questions, protesting a situation, and/or making a
complaint and/or a suggestion. This must be done in the correct letter
format.
18.Read the same book as one of your friends. The two of you make a
video or do a live performance of MASTERPIECE BOOK REVIEW,
a program which reviews books and interviews authors. (You can even
have audience participation!)
19.If the story of your book takes place in another country, prepare a
travel brochure using pictures you have found or drawn.
20.Write a FULL (physical, emotional, relational) description of three of
the characters in the book. Draw a portrait to accompany each
description.
21.After reading a book of history or historical fiction, make an illustrated
timeline showing events of the story and draw a map showing the
location(s) where the story took place.
22.Read two books on the same subject and compare and contrast them.
23.Read a book that has been made into a movie. (Caution: it must hve
been a book FIRST. Books written from screenplays are not
acceptable.) Write an essay comparing the movie version with the
book.
24.Create a mini-comic book relating a chapter of the book.
25.Make three posters about the book using two or more of the following
media: paint, crayons, chalk, paper, ink, real materials.
26.Design costumes for dolls and dress them as characters from the book.
Explain who these characters are and how they fit in the story.
27.Write and perform an original song that tells the story of the book.
28.After reading a book of poetry, do three of the following: 1) do an oral
reading; 2)write an original poem; 3)act out a poem; 4)display a set of
pictures which describe the poem; 5)write original music for the poem;
6)add original verses to the poem.
29.Be a TV or radio reporter, and give a report of a scene from the book
as if it is happening " live ".
30.Design a book jacket for the book. I STRONGLY suggest that you
look at an actual book jacket before you attempt this.
31.Create a newspaper for your book. Summarize the plot in one article,
cover the weather in another, do a feature story on one of the more
interesting characters in another. Include an editorial and a collection of
ads that would be pertinent to the story.
32.Do a collage/poster showing pictures or 3-d items that related to the
book, and then write a sentence or two beside each one to show its
significance.
33.Do a book talk. Talk to the class about your book by saying a little
about the author, explain who the characters are and explain enough
about the beginning of the story so that everyone will understand what
they are about to read. Finally, read an exciting, interesting, or amusing
passage from your book. Stop reading at a moment that leaves the
audience hanging and add " If you want to know more you’ll have to
read the book. " If the book talk is well done almost all the students
want to read the book.
34.Construct puppets and present a show of one or more interesting parts
of the book.
35.Make a book jacket for the book or story.
36.Draw a comic strip of your favourite scene.
37.Make a model of something in the story.
38.Use magazine photos to make a collage about the story
39.Make a mobile about the story.
40.Make a mini-book about the story.
41.Practice and the read to the class a favourite part.
42.Retell the story in your own words to the class.
43.Write about what you learned from the story.
44.Write a different ending for your story.
45.Write a different beginning.
46.Write a letter to a character in the book.
47.Write a letter to the author of the book.
48.Make a community journal.
49.Write Graffiti about the book on a " brick " wall (your teacher can make
a brick-like master and then run this off on red construction paper.) Cut
your words out of construction paper and glue them on the wall.
50.Compare and contrast two characters in the story.
51.Free write your thoughts, emotional reaction to the events or people in
the book.
52.Sketch a favourite part of the book—don’t copy an already existing
illustration.
53.Make a time line of all the events in the book.
54.Make a flow chart of all the events in the book.
55.Show the events as a cycle.
56.Make a message board.
57.Make a map of where the events in the book take place.
58.Compare and contrast this book to another.
59.Do character mapping, showing how characters reacted to events and
changed.
60.Make a list of character traits each person has.
61.Make a graphic representation of an event or character in the story.
62.Make a Venn diagram of the people, events or settings in your story.
63.Make an action wheel.
64.Write a diary that one of the story’s main characters might have kept
before, during, or after the book’s events. Remember that the
character’s thoughts and feelings are very important in a diary.
65.Build a miniature stage setting of a scene in the book. Include a written
explanation of the scene.
66.Make a poster advertising your book so someone else will want to
read it.
67.Keep and open mind journal in three or four places in your story.
68.Write a feature article (with a headline) that tells the story of the book
as it might be found on the front page of a newspaper in the town
where the story takes place.
69.Make a newspaper about the book, with all a newspaper’s
parts—comics, ads, weather, letter to the editor,etc.
70.Interview a character. Write at least ten questions that will give the character the opportunity to discuss his/her thoughts and feelings about his/her role in the story. However you choose to present your interview is up to you.
71.Make a cutout of one of the characters and write about them in the parts.
72.Write a book review as it would be done for a newspaper. ( Be sure
you read a few before writing your own.)
73.Make a character tree, where one side is event, symmetrical side is
emotion or growth.
74.Choose a quote from a character. Write why it would or wouldn’t be a
good motto by which to live your life
75.Learn something about the environment in which the book takes place
76.Tell 5 things you leaned while reading the book
77.Retell part of the story from a different point of view
78.Choose one part of the story that reached a climax. If something
different had happened then, how would it have affected the outcome?
79.Make a Venn diagram on the ways you are like and unlike one of the
characters in your story.
80.Write about one of the character’s life twenty years from now.
81.Write a letter from one of the characters to a beloved grandparent or
friend
82.Send a postcard from one of the characters. Draw a picture on one
side, write the message on the other.
83.If you are reading the same book as one or more others are reading,
dramatize a scene from the book. Write a script and have several
rehearsals before presenting it to the class.
84.Make a Venn diagram comparing your environment to the setting in the
book
85.Plan a party for one or all of the characters involved
86.Choose birthday gifts for one of the characters involved. Tell why you
chose them
87.Draw a picture of the setting of the climax. Why did the author choose
to have the action take place here?
88.Make a travel brochure advertising the setting of the story.
89.Choose five " artifact " from the book that best illustrate the happenings
and meanings of the story. Tell why you chose each one.
90.Stories are made up; on conflicts and solutions. Choose three conflicts
that take place in the story and give the solutions. Is there one that you
wish had been handled differently?
91.Pretend that you are going to join the characters in the story. What
things will you need to pack? Think carefully, for you will be there for a
week, and there is no going back home to get something!
92.Make up questions—have a competition.
93.Write a letter (10-sentence minimum) to the main character of your book asking questions, protesting a situation, and/or making a complaint and/or a suggestion.
94.Retell the story as a whole class, writing down the parts as they are told. Each child illustrates a part. Put on the wall.
95.Each child rewrites the story, and divides into 8 parts. Make this into a little book of 3 folded pages, stapled in the middle (Outside paper is for title of book.) Older children can put it on the computer filling the
unused part with a square for later illustrations.
96.Outline the story, then use the outline to expand into paragraphs.
97.Teacher chooses part of the text and deletes some of the words.
Students fill in the blanks.
98.Make a chart of interesting words as a whole class activity. Categorize
by parts of speech, colourful language, etc.
99.After reading a book of history or historical fiction, make an illustrated
time line showing events of the story and draw a map showing the
location(s) where the story took place.
100.Make game boards (Shoots and Ladders is a good pattern) by groups,
using problems from the book as ways to get ahead or to be put back.
Groups exchange boards, then play.
101.Create life-sized models of two of your favourite characters and dress
them as they are dressed in the book. Crouch down behind your
character and describe yourself as the character. Tell what your role is
in the book and how you relate to the other character you have made.
102.Create a sculpture of a character. Use any combination of soap, wood,
clay, sticks, wire, stones, old toy pieces, or any other object. An
explanation of how this character fits into the book should accompany
the sculpture.
103.Make several sketches of some of the scenes in the book and label
them.
104.Describe the setting of a scene, and then do it in pantomime.
105.Dress as one of the characters and act out a characterization.
106.Imagine that you are the author of the book you have just read.
107.Suddenly the book becomes a best seller. Write a letter to a movie producer trying to get that person interested in making your book into a movie. Explain why the story, characters, conflicts, etc., would make a good film. Suggest a filming location and the actors to play the various roles. YOU MAY ONLY USE BOOKS WHICH HAVE NOTALREADY BEEN MADE INTO MOVIES.
108.Construct a diorama (three-dimensional scene which includes models of
people, buildings, plants, and animals) of one of the main events of the
book. Include a written description of the scene.
109.Read the same book as one of your friends. The two of you make a
video or do a live performance of MASTERPIECE BOOK REVIEW,
a program which reviews books and interviews authors. (You can even
have audience participation!)
110.If the story of your book takes place in another country, prepare a
travel brochure using pictures you have found or drawn.
111.Write a FULL (physical, emotional, relational) description of three of
the characters in the book. Draw a portrait to accompany each
description.
112.Read two books on the same subject and compare and contrast them.
113.Read a book that has been made into a movie. (Caution: it must have
been a book FIRST. Books written from screenplays are not
acceptable.) Write an essay comparing the movie version with the
book.
114.Make three posters about the book using two or more of the following
media: paint, crayons, chalk, paper, ink, real materials.
115.Design costumes for dolls and dress them as characters from the book.
Explain who these characters are and how they fit in the story.
116.Write and perform an original song that tells the story of the book.
117.After reading a book of poetry, do three of the following: 1) do an oral
reading; 2)write an original poem; 3)act out a poem; 4)display a set of
pictures which describe the poem; 5)write original music for the poem;
6)add original verses to the poem.
118.Be a TV or radio reporter, and give a report of a scene from the book
as if it is happening " live ".
119.Write a one sentence summary of each chapter and illustrate the
sentence.
120.Mark a bookmark for the book, drawing a character on the front,
giving a brief summary of the book on back after listing the title and
author.
121.Write a multiple choice quiz of the book with at least ten questions.
122.Make a life-sized stand-up character of one of the people in the book.
On the back list the characteristics of the person.
123.Pretend you are making a movie of your book and are casting it.
Choose the actors and actresses from people in the classroom.
124.Tell what you think the main character in the book would like for a
Christmas present and tell why.
125.Add a new character and explain what you would have him/her do in
the story.
126.Do some research on a topic brought up; in your book.
127.Write an obituary for one of the characters. Be sure to include life-time
accomplishments.
128.Choose a job for one of the characters in the book and write letter of
application.
129.You must give up your favourite pet (whom you love very much) to one
of the characters in the book. Which character would you choose?
Why?
130.Invite one of the characters to dinner, and plan an imaginary
conversation with the person who will fix the meal. What will you serve,
and why?
131.Write an ad for a dating service for one of the characters.
132.Nominate one of the characters for an office in local, state or national
government. Which office should they run for? What are the qualities
that would make them be good for that office?
133.Pretend that you can spend a day with one of the characters. Which character would you choose? Why? What would you do?
134.Write a scene that has been lost from the book.
135.Write the plot for a sequel to this book.
136.Add another character to the book. Why would he be put there? What part would he serve?
137.Rewrite the story for younger children in picture book form.
138.Write the plot of the story as if it were a story on the evening news
139.Make a gravestone for one of the characters.
140.What other story could have taken place at this same time and setting?
Write the plot and about 4 or 5 characters in this new book.
Elementary / Primaire
http://csdhr.qc.ca/Anglais/Scenprim.htm
Suggested ESL Internet lessons from the RREALS CD /pri
Alphabet
(Grade 4)
TERMINAL 2
2.1 Identication of persons, objects and places.
Teacher introduces the alphabet.
Idioms
(Grade 6)
TERMINAL 5
5.4 Idiomatic expressions.
Teacher gives definition (randomly) of the various idioms presented.
Fables
(Grade 6)
TERMINAL 3
3.4 Brief personal response to the story.
Many activities are offered after reading the fable.
(Grades 5 - 6)
TERMINAL 2
2.1 Identification of the topic.
In the kitchen: students are given a sentence with a missing word. Choose a word from a set of possible answers. Check answer (immediate feedback).
Description of a Place
(Grade 6)
TERMINAL 2
2.2 Brief description of the topic.
Walking your students through a description of a place - writing exercise (guided): students think of a place they would like to be and describe it by answering a series of questions given by the teacher
A Book About Me
(Grade 6)
TERMINAL 1
1.1 Introdoction of self and others.
1.4 Description of self and others.
Writing exercise:
students make up a book about themselves, their
life, items like:
- when I was born - where I live - my favourites...
NOTE: topics can be adapted to group level
Various Topics
(Grades 5 - 6 )
TERMINAL 2
2.2 Description of the subject.
On this site students are asked questions on a specific topic, for example, on dinosaurs. Six (6) questions are asked. The quizzes are fun!
Body Parts
(Grade 5)
TERMINAL 2
2.1 Identification of a person.
Crayola’s friend, Tip, is missing some important features! Can you help? By clicking on different words, students can change the aspect of Tip. Students can print their "creation"!
Hangman
(Grade 6)
TERMINAL 2
2.1 Identification of a person.
This is just a fun activity, playing HANGMAN, directly on the internet.
A HANGMAN grid is provided; students type in letters and try to guess the word. Words are not usual.
Various Themes
(Grades 4 - 5 - 6)
TERMINAL 2
2.1 Identification of a topic.
A variety of topic quizzes are presented. Students can work in pairs: body parts, days of the week,clothes,family,colours, nouns,counting,jobs, months,occupations,opposite
Easy Web Tips for Children
(Grades 5 - 6)
TERMINALS 2 - 4
2.1 Identification of objects.
2.2 Short description of facts.
2.3 Brief personal response.
4.1 Instructions.
1. Students go to the site. 2 . Students read the information and directions. 3. Students practice as they read the information and directions.
Animals You Can See at the Zoo
(Grade 5)
TERMINAL 3
3.1 Identification of the important elements of a story.
3.2 Short description of the elements.
Teacher introduces the animals and the vocabulary pertaining to their description.
ESL Games - Vocabulary
(Grades 4 - 5 - 6)
TERMINAL 2
2.1 Identification of a topic.
In the kitchen: students are given a sentence with a missing word. Choose a word from a set of possible answers. Check answer (immediate feedback).
(Grade 6)
TERMINALS 2 - 4
2.1 Identication of persons
2.2 Short description of facts
2.3 Brief response on the topic.
4.1 Instructions.
Teacher prints out Appendix A "Spice Hunt".
1. Students go to the site. 2. They read the information. 3. They complete Appendix A "Spice Hunt".
Surfing the Net
(Grade 6)
TERMINALS 2 - 4
2.1 Identification of the topic: person, animal, object, event, place,.
2.3 Brief personal response on the topic: impressions, opinions, etc.
4.1 Instructions and orders
4.5 Safety rules
1. Students are introduced to the internet through a scavenger hunt. 2. Students become familiar with safety rules on the net.
Valentine's Day
(Grade 6)
TERMINALS 2 - 4 - 5
2.1 Identification of the topic: person, animal, object, event, place.
2.2 Short description of the topic: main characteristics, facts and observations.
4.1 Instructions and orders..
5.1 Introductions: greetings, farewells.
1: Students are introduced to the build-a-card site. 2. Students go to Valentine’s Day linka and read the instructions for building a Valentine’s Day card. They add the text, choose the font, the size and colour of their text.
Winnie-the-Pooh
(Grade 5)
TERMINAL 3
3.1 Identification of the important elements of the story: characters, plot, action.
3.2 Description of the important elements of a story: characters, plot, action.
1. Students are introduced to Winnie-the-Pooh’s Canadian heritage through the story, A Most Remarkable Mascot.
2. Students are introduced to the characters of A.A.
3. Students answer questions about the characters in the text by doing a scavenger hunt (see Appendix A).
Mother's Day Card
(Grade 6)
TERMINALS 1 - 4 - 5
1.5 Expressions of feelings.
4.1 Instructions.
5.1 Greetings.
Students prepare a short message to write in their card. This activity can only be done online by students whose mothers have an E-Mail address
Back Street Boys
(Grade 6)
TERMINALS 1 - 2
2.1 Identification persons, objects and places.
1.2 Expressions of likes.
1.4 Description of themselves.
Teachers review " favourites ". Teachers print out Appendix A " The BSB Hunt ".
Round Bird
(Grades 5 - 6)
TERMINALS 3 - 4
3.1 Identification of the important elements.
3.4 Response to the story.
4.1 Instructions.
Teacher reviews the verb forms "I like… and I don’t like…" .
12-Days of Christmas
(Grade 6)
TERMINAL 2
2.1 Identication of objects.
Students learn the original version of the song. Students review vocabulary on fast food. Teacher prints out Appendix A " The 12 Weird Days of Christmas"
Clothes
(Grades 4 - 5)
TERMINAL 2
2.1 Identification of the topic.
2.2 Description of the topic.
Who's wearing what? Their task is to describe the clothes the people in their pictures are wearing and find who else in the group has got the same picture.
Sharks
(Grade 6)
TERMINAL 3
3.1 Identification of the main elements of a story.
This is an on-line quiz about sharks which provides very interesting information. Students are asked a particular question about sharks with three (3) answer options. A good answer gives additional pertinent information.
Wacky Tales
(Grade 6)
TERMINAL 3
3.1 Identification of the main elements of a story.
Students create their own wacky tales by completing the grid provided on site. Students must complete the grid according to the requirements.
Writing
Grades ( 4 - 5 -6)
TERMINAL 2
2.1 Identification of the topic.
2.2 Description of the topic.
Which picture is it about? Ask them to write a sentence about the picture they have, but in a way so that it shouldn't be very easy to guess which picture the sentence is about. Stress that the sentence must be true.
Valentine
(Grades 4 - 5 - 6)
TERMINAL 1
1.5 Feelings and intentions.
Students create their own Valentine’s Day card by selecting one of the graphics offered. Students can write a message, print the card and give it to a friend
Surfing on Ice
(Grade 6)
TERMINAL 2- 4
2.1 Identification of the topic.
2.2 Description of the topic.
2.3 Brief response on the topic.
4.1 Instructions.
Les élèves se rendent au site officiel de la Ligue Nationale de Hockey et répondent aux questions de l’activité intitulé : Learn about the N.H.L. Home Page
Dinosaurs
(Grade 6)
TERMINALS 2-4
2.1 Identification of the topic.
2.2 Description of the topic.
4.1 Instructions.
Les élèves choisissent une des illustrations et fabriquent un dinosaure. Ils doivent trouver un nom à leur dinosaure.
Goosebumps Recipes
(Grade 6)
TERMINAL 2
2.1 Identification of a topic: person, animal, object, event, place.
2.2 Short description of the topic: main features, facts and observations.
2.3 Brief personal response to the topic: impressions, opinions, etc.
Music and the Internet
(Grades 5 or 6)
TERMINAL 2
2.1 Identification of a topic : person, animal, object, event, place.
Myths and Fables
(Grades 5 or 6)
TERMINAL
3.1 Identification of the important elements of a
story: characters, plot, sequence of events.
3.2 Description of the important elements of a story:
characters, plot, sequence of events.
3.3 Comparisons: between elements of the story and
the student's personal experiences.
3.4 Individual response to the story: feelings about
and interest in the story; connexion with memories and experiences.
Choose any one of the sixteen myths and fables from
around the world.
Have the students read the story thoroughly and
then answer comprehension questions. Questions could deal with the main
characters, the conflict involved, how the conflict was resolved, etc.
Secondary level scenarios are available at :
http://www.james.rtsq.qc.ca/scen.html
or
http://csdhr.qc.ca/Anglais/Scensec.htm
1.Discover Christmas around the world
2.E-mail me your written work
3.Let’s Go to the movies
4.E-mail me your Postcard!
5.E-mail me your Personnal notes!
6.E-mail me your Letters!
7.E-mail me your Invitation!
8.E-mail me your Order letters!
9.E-mail me your Information letters!
10.WEB Search Questionnaire
11.Internet "project based" activity
12.The weather watch!
13.Lost and Found!
14.Jobs on the WEB
15.Let's go to the movies-The Titanic
16.Le projet Cyberfiction
