English Club.com offers an impressive entry of Language Tools that ESL/EFL learners and teachers can use. The section not only lists online antonym and synonym dictionaries but also two rhyming dictionaries! On Rhyme Zone you can type any word and find a huge list of words and phrases that rhyme or nearly rhyme with that word. I was really excited to discover such an innovative concept of a dictionary. I am trying to think of ways in which I can effectively use this resource for classroom teaching. And, the most relevant and obvious use I see is to teach pronunciation. In my class on teaching pronunciation, we often talked about using a list of different words to practice one particular sound. I feel this website might be helpful in coming up with an extensive inventory of such words.
Alternatively, this resource could be used to make students write small poems or limericks! I don't know for sure if an activity like this would be suitable for learners at the intermediate level. But, I would still like to try it in class, for I strongly feel that associating different words with similar ending sounds can be effective in vocabulary learning.
Another fascinating language tool mentioned on this site is the Make Your Own Wordle tool. Worlde is officially defined as 'a toy for generating word clouds.' The tool can be used to create interactive and colorful electronic flashcards that students can use to learn new vocabulary words or even idioms and proverbs. I am really excited about this tool and can't wait to try it myself!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Audio English
As the name suggest, this site is focused on listening activities. It provides audio recordings on different types of dialogues, phrases, narrations and role-play exercises, for different contexts. There is a section on Practical English that gives phrases that can be used in everyday situations. The site suggests that students listen to the audio clips and practice pronunciation. Apart from pronunciation practice, the site can be used for listening comprehension and also as part of pre-exercise for speaking activities. The students can be asked to prepare their own dialogues based on what they hear on the clip.
However, this resource is primarily in British English and hence the speakers have prominent British accents. So, this might not be helpful for learners learning English for and in the American context. But, I think this might be an interesting resource to use in my teaching context, since it will be helpful in familiarizing the learners with different English accents.
However, this resource is primarily in British English and hence the speakers have prominent British accents. So, this might not be helpful for learners learning English for and in the American context. But, I think this might be an interesting resource to use in my teaching context, since it will be helpful in familiarizing the learners with different English accents.
Teaching Resources
Lanternfish provides many helpful teaching resources for ESL and TEFL teachers. There are a wide range of worksheets and lesson plans available, all based on the kind of skills and themes the teachers wants to work on.The brief description of each lesson plan on the main page makes it easier for the teacher to choose. Also, each lesson plan is laid out clearly and comprehensively. The variety of areas and topics makes this site suitable for all age groups and levels of learners.
One lesson that I would particularly like to try with my students is the Job Fair role-play. Although the site gives step-by-step instructions on the lesson plan, the teacher can adapt it according to her own context and learning needs of her students. Like, the lesson lists What did you study in University? as one of its questions for the interview. If this appears to be too simple, then I can introduce the word 'qualification' and tell me my students that this question can be rephrased as 'What are your qualifications?'.
This lesson is part of the Business English section of the website. This section has many activities that I can try with my college level students to prepare them better for the professional world.
The site can also take you to an interesting link on the Glossary of ESL terms. It is a relatively short but helpful resource for language teachers as well as students learning to navigate the world of second language teaching and education. I was excited to see so many of the concepts that I have learned this semester listed on this site! Each entry is explained in simple terms. The site can be very helpful for refreshing some of the key concepts related to language acquisition theories and practices.
One lesson that I would particularly like to try with my students is the Job Fair role-play. Although the site gives step-by-step instructions on the lesson plan, the teacher can adapt it according to her own context and learning needs of her students. Like, the lesson lists What did you study in University? as one of its questions for the interview. If this appears to be too simple, then I can introduce the word 'qualification' and tell me my students that this question can be rephrased as 'What are your qualifications?'.
This lesson is part of the Business English section of the website. This section has many activities that I can try with my college level students to prepare them better for the professional world.
The site can also take you to an interesting link on the Glossary of ESL terms. It is a relatively short but helpful resource for language teachers as well as students learning to navigate the world of second language teaching and education. I was excited to see so many of the concepts that I have learned this semester listed on this site! Each entry is explained in simple terms. The site can be very helpful for refreshing some of the key concepts related to language acquisition theories and practices.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
People, Places and Stuff
Talking of culture, I discovered this unique website-inogolo- that is basically a English pronunciation guide to names of people, places and miscellaneous stuff. The website has a decent collection of proper names and provides both their audio and phonetic pronunciations in English.
Learning to say proper names correctly in English may not be a priority for some English language learners, especially if they are at a very early stage. But if the goal was to help learners achieve overall socio-linguistic competence, then something as simple as being able to pronounce a Frappuccino may become very essential. I think I should share this resource with my students for it is only appropriate that they learn to pronounce the names of the brands like NIKE, LEVIS, they like wearing!
Learning to say proper names correctly in English may not be a priority for some English language learners, especially if they are at a very early stage. But if the goal was to help learners achieve overall socio-linguistic competence, then something as simple as being able to pronounce a Frappuccino may become very essential. I think I should share this resource with my students for it is only appropriate that they learn to pronounce the names of the brands like NIKE, LEVIS, they like wearing!
Dictionary with a difference
Having only taught young adult learners so far, I can say that learners at this age are most receptive to the playful and informal use of the language. I was always amazed to see how quickly my students would pick up slangs and informal expressions, even when they had limited proficiency in English. As I write this, I am ridiculously stuck by a burning question that I want to share with all the language teachers out there: Should foreign language teachers ever teach slangs in the classroom? I understand that some informal expressions can be very culturally inappropriate to discuss in class. But, wouldn't young/teenage language learners want to know some 'cool' words, especially if their motivation was to assimilate more with the target culture.
I wasn't intentionally looking for such language teaching resources, when I found the Double-Tongued Dictionary, an online database of undocumented or under-documented words from the fringes of English, with a focus on slang, jargon, and new words. These are words and expressions that are absent from, or are poorly covered in, mainstream dictionaries. I think this a very innovative and helpful idea of not only introducing a colorful cultural element to language learning, but also of introducing something fun and exciting in the classroom, occasionally.
I wasn't intentionally looking for such language teaching resources, when I found the Double-Tongued Dictionary, an online database of undocumented or under-documented words from the fringes of English, with a focus on slang, jargon, and new words. These are words and expressions that are absent from, or are poorly covered in, mainstream dictionaries. I think this a very innovative and helpful idea of not only introducing a colorful cultural element to language learning, but also of introducing something fun and exciting in the classroom, occasionally.
Learn English Today
Learn English Today: The name of this website reminds me of one of the most popular catch phrases that private English language coaching institutes in India use. While I wish the website designers had been more creative in picking out a name for their site, I like the site for its accessible and simple lay out. It seems a good resource for both teachers and students. The site can help teachers develop interesting classroom instructions ideas as well relevant content on variety of topics, from Business English, Phrasal Verbs to idioms and proverbs. In terms of learners, I think the site is more suitable for adult/young adult learners as there aren't enough graphics or pictorial representations to attract children. The content too is relevant more for adult learners.
The Check Your Progress feature is interesting. It offers different online and printable games to practice a wide range of vocabulary. The games are interactive and will keep the learners engaged.
The Check Your Progress feature is interesting. It offers different online and printable games to practice a wide range of vocabulary. The games are interactive and will keep the learners engaged.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Vocabulary Can Be Fun!
Vocabulary Can Be Fun offers a range of interactive ways of building and reviewing vocabulary. The website is designed to address a vast audience for it not only has word games for language learners in different grades (on the right), but also offers vocabulary learning tips and games for GRE aspirants (left side, bottom)! I feel this may confuse and distract the learners initially.
The best way of making the most of this site in my context would be to only focus on the thematic groups/labels given on the left index. This index includes practice games on analogies, antonyms, prefixes, spellings etc. These games can complement classroom teaching of vocabulary based on specific themes and can help students practice the words in an interactive way. I would particularly like focus on the Homophones games, as this is often a challenging aspect to master in any foreign language. Sometimes, even the most fluent and proficient of learners get confused with similar sounding words. Maybe, getting a low score on a word game will help them remember the word better!
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