Computer Based Listening Center

It’s time for the Wednesday Website suggestion!! For two years, I was the Technology Specialist at a school in Georgia. During that time, I amassed a large collection of websites that I use with my students. If you want to search through some of them, you can check out my IKeepBookmarks site. Or, you can check back here each week for the Wednesday Website suggestion.

In my classroom, I only have one computer, so it is often hard to utilize it in a way that gets all the kids on it.  One way I have started using my computer recently is as a listening center.  There are lots of great websites that have “online stories” that children can listen to.  So, this week’s website suggestion actually has 3 websites, all of which make great listening centers!

1. Storyline Online – This is one of my favorites because it has celebrities reading really good, quality books to the students AND it shows the words of the book on the bottom, so students can follow along.

2. Reading Is Fundamental – This site has some great classic stories, like Cinderella and The Fox and the Grapes, and all the stories have the words for the students to follow along with.

3. Mighty Books – These original stories are very colorful, animated and well read.  You can get more books with a subscription, but there are 8 stories you can listen to for free!

 

If you need a recording sheet for your students when they are at the listening center – HERE is a quick, easy one I have in Google Docs.

 

Hope you enjoyed this Wednesday’s Website suggestion – check back each Wednesday for a new Wednesday’s Website suggestion. Also, feel free to check out some of my previous Wednesday Website suggestions including: Science Kids, Virtual Manipulatives, Find the Dog’s Bone, Storybird, Counting Money, Presidential Biographies and Math Magician.

Dr. Seuss Website

It’s time for the Wednesday Website suggestion!! For two years, I was the Technology Specialist at a school in Georgia. During that time, I amassed a large collection of websites that I use with my students. If you want to search through some of them, you can check out my IKeepBookmarks site. Or, you can check back here each week for the Wednesday Website suggestion.

 

In honor of Read Across America Day, which is March 2nd, this week’s Wednesday Website Suggestion is Seussville, a fabulous website with information about Dr. Seuss’ characters and books, as well as information about Dr. Seuss himself.  I plan to use this with my kids on March 2nd to enhance the activities I already have planned to honor Dr. Seuss and his contribution to reading.  There are also great games, and printable activities available for teachers.

 

Hope you enjoyed this Wednesday’s Website suggestion – check back each Wednesday for a new Wednesday’s Website suggestion. Also, feel free to check out some of my previous Wednesday Website suggestions including: Science Kids, Virtual Manipulatives, Find the Dog’s Bone, Storybird, Counting Money, Presidential Biographies and Math Magician.

Thank You Technology!

My class consists of 19 students, of which only 1 speaks English only in his household, and even he began his life in a bilingual environment. The other 18 speak at least one, if not two other languages in their homes. Most of my students speak Arabic, but many also speak French. I have 3 who speak French and not Arabic, 1 who speaks Spanish, and 1 who speaks a Philippine dialect. All of my students speak SOME English, but to varying degrees. My job is to teach them English, while also teaching them everything we normally teach in school (reading, writing, math, science, social studies etc.) Fortunately, I am certified to teach ESL and have some experience with English Language Learners. Due to my unique teaching position, I have had some readers ask for tips on teaching English Language Learners. So, from now on, I will now be doing a Teaching Tip Tuesday geared especially towards teaching English Language Learners. Here’s this week’s Tuesday TESOL Teaching Tip:

ELL Teaching Tip #15: Utilize Technology

Technology can be a friend or foe in any classroom – depending on the day.  However, I have found technology to be a life saver when working with English Language Learners.  Last week, in TESOL Teaching Tip #14, I stressed using Google Translate when working with the parents of ELLs.  I also use Google Translate with my higher students who can read and write in their home language.  If there is a word they want to include in their writing and they can’t get me to understand what that word is, we put it into Google Translate and find the correct English word to substitute.  With my lower students, I use a Google Image Search or an AskKids Image Search (if I’m concerned with the pictures that might show up) to give them a picture of something that I am explaining and they just aren’t understanding.  The other day, try as I might, I couldn’t seem to explain peacock accurately enough.  I went to the computer, did an image search for peacock, and Voila, my student knew exactly what I was talking about.

In addition to these simple tools, there are some great websites that you can use with your English Language Learners, in a center, whole group, or as homework to help them work on vocabulary and grammar.  Here are a few that I really like:

Pronunciator – This website works on 60 different languages.  I actually use it to help myself learn Arabic and French, but it’s also fabulous for English Language Learners.  Students can put in their first language and the second language they want to learn (English).  Then the website will take them through graphic based learning activities for all 4 domains: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.  For some activities, you do need a microphone, as it has a pronunciation tool.  The vocabulary is grouped into categories, so it’s a great way to work on things like food, animals, clothes, verbs, etc.

Free Rice – There are many subjects covered on Free Rice, but English Vocabulary has a big sections.  It is a reading and writing game only, but it has a good selection of easy and hard vocabulary.  Additionally, if you get a question wrong, it will give you the correct answer, and then ask you that question again in 4 or 5 turns, giving you a chance to reuse the knowledge they are giving you.

Starfall – The best primary reading website out there, Starfall is especially good for English Language Learners because it reads books to students or allows them to read them on their own, as well as teaching all those letter sounds that are so needed (and can be different from language to language).  Check out the I’m Reading and It’s Fun to Read sections for challenging, vocabulary building stories for higher level students.

 

Do you enjoy the weekly TESOL Teaching Tips? Do you want to know more about teaching English Language Learners? I will be speaking on this topic on March 22nd at the Everything’s Intermediate Expo, and I’d love to have you “join” us. It is a virtual expo, which will help us connect no matter where we are! Click HERE for more information.

Find more TESOL Teaching Tips here, and come back every Tuesday for a new tip!

Best Math Website Ever

It’s time for the Wednesday Website suggestion!! For two years, I was the Technology Specialist at a school in Georgia. During that time, I amassed a large collection of websites that I use with my students. If you want to search through some of them, you can check out my IKeepBookmarks site. Or, you can check back here each week for the Wednesday Website suggestion.

 

It’s hard to say I have a favorite website, because there are so many that I love to use with my students.  However, this week’s website is WAY up there on my list.  It’s pretty much my go-to math site, especially when I have access to a projector (or even better an interactive board).  It’s called Virtual Manipulatives.  It is sponsored by Utah State University and it shows so many concepts in so many great ways.  It is also able to be translated into Spanish or French, so it’s a great one to send home with your English Language Learners who have these home languages (as well as your other students) because their parents will have more access to the directions.

Here are the three sections that I use the most, but there is so much more to this website than even this.

Base Block Subtraction – Drag the red blocks to the blue blocks to make them disappear.  When you don’t have enough ones, drag a ten’s block to the one’s section and watch it separate!

 

 

Comparing Fractions – See equivalent fractions side by side, play with denominators, just overall a great visual for this concept.

 

 

 

Analog and Digital Clocks – Make the digital clock match the analog clock.  Simple and easy, view both side by side, great visual for students.

 

 

 

Hope you enjoyed this Wednesday’s Website suggestion – check back each Wednesday for a new Wednesday’s Website suggestion. Also, feel free to check out some of my previous Wednesday Website suggestions including: Science Kids, Find the Dog’s Bone, Curious George Measurement, Storybird, Counting Money, Presidential Biographies and Math Magician.

Curious George Measurement

It’s time for the Wednesday Website suggestion!! For two years, I was the Technology Specialist at a school in Georgia. During that time, I amassed a large collection of websites that I use with my students. If you want to search through some of them, you can check out my IKeepBookmarks site. Or, you can check back here each week for the Wednesday Website suggestion.

If you check last week’s website suggestion, you know that our new math topic is working on measurement. Luckily, I teach first grade, so we are only measuring with non-standard units! However, PBS apparently has this one covered! In this week’s website, Curious George uses different items to measure how tall things are – coins, donuts, teddy bears, it’s perfect for non-standard units!  Click here to check it out.

Okay two weeks of very primary websites means next week we’ll have one more geared for everyone!

Hope you enjoyed this Wednesday’s Website suggestion – check back each Wednesday for a new Wednesday’s Website suggestion. Also, feel free to check out some of my previous Wednesday Website suggestions including: Science Kids, Find the Dog’s Bone, Storybird, Counting Money, Presidential Biographies and Math Magician.

Super Social Studies Site

It’s time for the Wednesday Website suggestion!! For two years, I was the Technology Specialist at a school in Georgia. During that time, I amassed a large collection of websites that I use with my students. If you want to search through some of them, you can check out my IKeepBookmarks site. Or, you can check back here each week for the Wednesday Website suggestion.

Last week, we looked at Science Kids, which is an all inclusive website for lots of science topics.  This week, we’re going to look at Social Studies for Kids, a great website for lots of different Social Studies topics including history topics, world religions and holidays and geography.  The write ups are very kid friendly and give just enough information on a topic for a 2nd – 5th grader to get what they need, without overwhelming them.

This was one of my favorite websites when I was doing Internet Scavenger Hunts with my students.  There is a lot of good information on Native Americans, US History and World Religions & Holidays.  I used it a lot this year to help ME and my students understand Muslim Holidays!

Hope you enjoyed this Wednesday’s Website suggestion – check back each Wednesday for a new Wednesday’s Website suggestion. Also, feel free to check out some of my previous Wednesday Website suggestions including: Science Kids, Find the Dog’s Bone, Storybird, Counting Money, Presidential Biographies and Math Magician.

Science Galore!!!

It’s time for the Wednesday Website suggestion!! For two years, I was the Technology Specialist at a school in Georgia. During that time, I amassed a large collection of websites that I used with my students. If you want to search through some of them, you can check out my IKeepBookmarks site. Or, you can check back here each week for the Wednesday Website suggestion.

 

What science topic are you covering right now? I’m starting States of Matter next week, and I’m going to be using Science Kids, because it has tons of stuff for my kids! There are games, experiments, factoids, videos and even images! What’s really great is that there are 30 different topics covered on Science Kids, so you can use it for just about any science topic you have coming up.

 

 

I am going to use this website as a way for my students to do “research” in their Science Discovery Journals for the various experiments we will do. The videos are an especially good way for my non-readers to get some good information! We will also use the website for preview and follow up information as a whole class.

 

Hope you enjoyed this Wednesday’s Website suggestion – check back each Wednesday for a new Wednesday’s Website suggestion. Also, feel free to check out previous Wednesday Website suggestions including: Find the Dog’s Bone, Storybird, Counting Money, Presidential Biographies and Math Magician.

Internet Scavenger Hunts

For two years, I was a computer specialist, and I was always trying to come up with new, great ways to allow students to use the computer, while integrating all the standards we have to teach anyways.  One resource I created for my students and teachers were internet scavenger hunts.  The internet scavenger hunts that I created allowed my students to visit websites to find the answers to questions or activities on a given subject – specifically their science and social studies topics.  As a technology specialist, I actually had my students working on these at home, or with their home room teacher, so I had almost forgotten about them.  Then, the other day I was going through my files to see what I had for States of Matter, my next science subject, and I realized that I have an internet scavenger hunt for it!  I also have one for weather and moon phases, two of the other topics I cover this year!  I love when I come across materials that I have already made and I can use them in a new way.  I also realized that some of these internet scavenger hunts may be useful to you guys, so here are some links to some of my favorite internet scavenger hunts.  (FYI – I have internet scavenger hunts for grades K – 5, so there’s something for everyone!) 

        

 

    

 

P.S.  These work great as a computer center, or an at-home project.

     

Free Online Biographies

It’s time for the Wednesday Website suggestion!! For two years, I was the Technology Specialist at a school in Georgia. During that time, I amassed a large collection of websites that I used with my students. If you want to search through some of them, you can check out my IKeepBookmarks site. Or, you can check back here each week for the Wednesday Website suggestion.

 

With President’s Day, Black History Month and Women’s History Month coming up, I thought that this week’s Wednesday Website suggestion should include some biographies about some of those important people we study.  Multimedia Biographies (hosted by Harcourt Publishing) has biographies that are on a 3rd or 4th grade reading level.  (I have used it with grades 2-5.)  Each biography also has links to explanations of some of the important events for each person.  For example, George Washington’s biography has a link to an explanation of the Articles of Confederation.  The biographies are grouped by category, but can also be searched alphabetically.  I first used this site when I taught 3rd grade with my Black History Project and my Biography Project.  Then, when I taught in in the computer lab, I used this website for my Technology Projects.  Click on the images below to see some of the ways you can use this site.

  

Hope you enjoyed this Wednesday’s Website suggestion – check back each Wednesday for a new Wedensday’s Website suggestion. Also, feel free to check out previous Wednesday Website suggestions including: Find the Dog’s Bone, Storybird, Counting Money and Math Magician.

Show Me the Money!!!

It’s time for the Wednesday Website suggestion!! For two years, I was the Technology Specialist at a school in Georgia. During that time, I amassed a large collection of websites that I used with my students. If you want to search through some of them, you can check out my IKeepBookmarks site. Or, you can check back here each week for the Wednesday Website suggestion.

My math topic for the month of January is counting and comparing money.  This may not seem like a big deal, as it’s part of every American curriculum I’ve ever seen.  However, for my students (who live in Morocco) counting American money is, well a foreign concept!  I do work on counting Moroccan money (dirhams) with them as well during calendar, but it is not technically part of my standards.  I also don’t have many manipulatives in my classroom.  (You would see my classroom wishlist board on pinterest!)  So, having them count money can be very time or money intensive on my part.  That’s why I was so excited to stumble back upon this week’s website while I was looking through my bookmarks.  It’s simply called Counting Money and it’s hosted by Harcourt School Publishers, but as of right now, it’s FREE, and I play to use it a lot with my students this month!!  Click on the picture so you can use it too!

Hope you enjoyed this Wednesday’s Website suggestion – check back each Wednesday for a new Wedensday’s Website suggestion. Also, feel free to check out previous Wednesday Website suggestions including: Find the Dog’s Bone, Storybird and Math Magician.