Podcasting for English!

     These days "podcast" is a very common word, however I did not exactly know what it was until I watched Podcasting in Plain English. I can definitely understand why podcasting would be so incredibly useful not only to those who are learning English but for anyone learning a language. Podcasts are essentially mini lessons/lectures that one can download and listen to whenever they want and repeat it as often as they wish.

     After doing a little bit of podcast "snooping" on the world wide web. I found a short, but useful podcast called "Making Soups and Stews" which teachers could definitely use to help their students meet standards especially Standard-ESL.C.9-12.2 which states, "Students will listen, speak, read, and write in English for literary response, enjoyment, and expression."

     The reason this podcast stood out to me than all of the others was because I absolutely love food and I really love cooking. If I were an ESL student this podcast would definitely help me to better my English so that I can use it for both enjoyment and expression.

Sandy the Hedgehog's Terrible Weekend

     Today I used storybird.com to create my first "story strip." At first I was not looking forward to it. I did not think I would be able to be creative enough to find a few pictures that I liked and to then piece them together and create a short story of my own. A little while later and voila I had created a story. 

Once I really got into it, this activity was no longer difficult and actually a bit of fun. I think that this would be a homework assignment that students would enjoy completing because while there are guidelines, the assignment itself isn't so rigid, giving students the flexibility they need to be creative and have fun. 

This is an activity that I would definitely use with my intermediate students in order to meet ESL Standard-ESL.I.5-8.2 which states, "students will listen, speak, read, and write in English for literary response, enjoyment, and expression."

In order to use this as a homework assignment I would focus on a specific tense for example the present progressive. I would tell the students to find at least 4 pictures and create a small story with them while using the present progressive tense in each slide. I would have have students get into groups of three or four and have them share their stories with each other not only to share their creativity but to help them reinforce the present progressive tense. Based on the outcome of their short stories I would then either give a mini lecture reviewing the present progressive tense or continue on to the next topic in class.

Animoto in the Classroom

     Today I used a program called Animoto to create a vocabulary slideshow for beginner level ESL students. Prior to using this program I had never heard of it until today. The program itself did not take more than a few minutes to figure out how to use and the final product looked nice considering I used the trial version and the Animoto watermark is still on my video.

     Last week I really enjoyed using TedED to create interactive lessons for more high intermediate - advanced students. In contrast, I think that Animoto would be more useful for beginners and low intermediate students. The short lesson I created involved introducing new vocabulary for the theme of going on a trip that would be helpful for students just starting out as opposed to a student that is geared more towards higher level grammatical concepts.

     With regards to students using this program, I think it would be a good way for them to meet ESL Standard - ESL.E.2-4.2 which states "students will listen, speak, read, and write in English for literary response, enjoyment, and expression." For example at the end of a travel unit, I would instruct my beginner students create a photo and text slideshow using Animoto. The assignment would include 10 sentences about an imaginary trip they are going on. Each slide would include a sentence with at least one new vocabulary word along with an image of the word.

This activity would be used to evaluate their comprehension of the new vocabulary learned during the unit while simultaneously allowing the students to be creative.

Learning the Difference Between Count and Non-Count Nouns with Ted ED

Today I created my first TEDEd lesson and used a YouTube video depicting the differences between count and non-count nouns. The lesson creating process was easy to follow and different take hardly any time at all.

The main language learning object of this lesson is to help students understand what count and non-count nouns are as well as what the differences are between these two main categories.

In order to incorporate this lesson into my classroom and evaluate whether or not my student(s) have understood the concept. I would hand out a worksheet with two columns. One would be labeled "Count Nouns" and the other side would be "Non-Count Nouns" I would then give the students a minute and a half to write down as many nouns as they could think of while putting them in the correct columns. I would then write the same two columns on the board and have a basket full of slips of paper with different nouns written on them. One by one students would take a noun from the basket and write it on the board under the column they think it belongs under. 

Why Flip Your Classroom?

   By studying the given topic at home, flipping the classroom gives students more of an opportunity to collaborate with peers in the classroom. This gives students more opportunities to practice their language skills which helps to further the second language acquisition process. Rather than the class time being focused on a teacher delivering a lecture, the time is now more focused on student to student interaction and second language usage. 

     Flipping a classroom is a term I was unaware of until just recently. For those of you who have also not heard of it, according to "Flipping Your EL Classroom: A Primer" written by John Graney, classroom flipping is the idea of having students prepare for a lesson or topic before class rather than being instructed by the teacher in class. This instruction can take place by assigning videos, textbook readings, going through a slideshow, etc. The students then come to class with the material being learned and then practice applying their new knowledge in the classroom with the guidance of the instructor. This gives students who usually struggle on homework the opportunity to work more closely with the teacher in order to better understand the material and the practical application of it. If the instructor finds that students are struggling with a particular skill, a mini lesson or lecture can be given in class and long with a small homework assignment to further cement the students' knowledge of the topic.

     Besides helping students who generally struggle on homework, classroom flipping can be beneficial for ESL students in a few other ways. As mentioned in "Three Reasons to Flip Your Classroom" written by Helaine Marshall, three of the main reasons to flip your classroom include: comprehension, interaction, and critical thinking. With regards to comprehension, This learning method gives ESL students the opportunity to learn at their own pace rather than trying to follow along in a classroom. This in turn would definitely increase their comprehension. Providing students with various mediums to learn also gives them a structure for both new content and language. 

     The last reason mentioned in the article for flipping the classroom involves critical thinking. Once, a student has learned the material, and mastered and applied their new knowledge in class, students are then ready to take one step further and think more critically about what they have learned. By doing so, students can reach their full academic potential and the class can move on to more complex topics. As an end result, ESL students can then focus less on comprehending material in class but rather they can use the material they have learned and mastered at a much higher level of cognition. 

     Considering the multitude of ways that this method can be applied with regards to the distribution of learning materials and the options for classroom interaction and practice, flipping the classroom is a great way to help students learn better, master material, and do so in a more fun, engaging and personal way. This is teaching method that I am very happy to have discovered and will surely be using with my future ESL students!

The Migrant Trail Meets ESL Standards

 

The Migrant Trail is a fun, addicting, and educational ESL game. I played this game three times through with every character trying to get them all across the desert to their final destination. I was close once but I had to leave Diego behind with only seven miles to go. 

As previously mentioned, I found this game to be a lot of fun and pretty challenging. These are excellent qualities to have in a game. It grabs the students' attention and makes them want to try "just one more time" about twenty more times. The best part is that it IS educational. Having played it so many times I believe that it helps to satisfy ESL Standard I.5-8.1 which states, "[s]tudents will listen, speak, read, and write in English for information and understanding."

The Migrant Trail meets this standard because students will be able to learn vocabulary that they can use for their personal use. At the beginning of the game you choose a character to play with and then are taken to a shop where you buy supplies for the journey. Here, a student is able to learn words for items of clothing, food, and dollar amounts. These are all parts of English that a person would need in their day to day lives. As the game progresses, the immigrants are faced with various challenges from being bitten by a scorpion, to having a blister, to having heat stroke. While these may not be quite as common, this is still excellent terminology relating to health that could be useful for an ESL student to learn and understand.

After having students play this game I would have them get into groups and tell them that they are being sent to a deserted island and they have $150 to spend. I would then write an inventory on the whiteboard with a list of items and their prices and have them discuss together what they would purchase to take with them and why. After re-grouping as a class. Each group would have an opportunity to share with the class what they would purchase to take along with them and why.

Polleke's Blue Room and ESL Standards

     Playing games for ESL practice can be both fun and informative. After playing Polleke's Blue Room it is easy to understand how these sorts of educational games can aid students in the learning of English. The objective of this game was to search for clues to unlock the door to the blue room and escape. At first I thought, "Okay, how hard could this really be?" I played the game once and spent around 15 minutes trying to find clues but the game was actually a lot harder than I thought it would be. I ended up having to follow the walk through in order to beat it. 

     With regards to how this game would help ESL students learn and meet standards, I think it would help students learn new vocabulary, give descriptions, and use the subjunctive at a very basic level. A standard that would fit this description would be performance indicator-ESL.I.5-8.4.1.3 which states, "students request and provide information and assistance, orally or in writing, for personal, social, and academic purposes." 

In order to incorporate this game into a classroom setting I think that it would be good to have
pictures posted on a whiteboard or a PowerPoint slide of each section of the room and then ask students to describe what they can see in the room before playing the game and then after playing the game to test whether or not they have have benefited from the game. I would then divide the classroom into groups of three and tell them to try to beat the game together. If they are not able to beat the game after 30 minutes I would then provide them with a walk through of the game as a class discussion