New Subject Area: Hotlists for Students

With the coming winter break from classes, students have asked me for lists of good academic Websites they can use when the college is closed (the AELC will be closed from Dec 17th through Jan 28th).). In the right hand column of this Blog is a listing titled "Hotlists for Students". For the first hotlist, instructors Robin Bosworth and Kristy Laurx have developed a list of good sites for all levels of ESL students. (For GED students, see the AELC Constitution Blog : http://constitutionaelc.blogspot.com/)

Hotlists are easy to use:
Click once on the title you wish to use (such as 'General ESL Skills'). This will open the hotlist. There are several categories listed: Reading, Grammar and Speaking and Listening.
Under each category are several Websites your teachers have chosen for you.
Click on the underlined words of the title you want to try, and it will take you directly to that Website.
Once on the site, you can follow the instructions for using anything on the page.
It's easy! Happy studies!

California Distance Learning Project (CDLP)

http://www.cdlponline.org California Distance Learning Project

This free site offers great listening to stories coming from the news, for Adult Basic Education and Intermediate to Advanced ESL learners. Some stories also have a video component. Possible life skills topics include: working, law and government, family, school, health and safety, housing, money, science and technology, services, going places and nature. Some are generic while others have some relevance to California, namely Sacramento County.

In addition to just listening to the story, read at a moderate speed by a native speaker, learners can go over hearing key vocabulary words, mastering their spelling and then utilizing hasic comprehension in a multiple choice format. Some lessons also have a matching game, a what did you learn activity, a writing activity and additional links to other Web sites.

(originally reviewed on the AELC Instructor Blog (http://wccniuesl.blogspot.com) in 2005, this current review is by AELC instructor Robin Bosworth)

Using this Blog

I've posted links to various Blogs and Wikis in the right hand column of this Blog. A simple click on the title will take you directly to that page. I also added some of the Hotlists that I create for various workshops that I do. Simply click on the title to open the hotlist, and then click once on the title you want to review. There is also a link to the Filamentality homepage which will allow you to create a hotlist of sites YOU prefer. Quick and easy. Finally, I added links to search engines other than Google. You might find them interesting.

The AELC will be closed...

For Thanksgiving Break from Tuesday, November 20 to Monday, November 26

For Winter Break from Monday, December 17 to Monday, January 28

I will be in my office during the Winter Break, with the exception of the week between Christmas and New Year's. Please feel free to stop in, come in with your students to work one on one using our computers, or just to say hello. I can assist you with new Websites or materials. Happy Holidays!

Welcome New Tutors!

Kathy Turnowchyk, the new Tutor Coordinator, stopped into the Center yesterday with the newest group of tutors. All have been invited to join this Blog, and to use this Blog as a tool to post questions, ideas and find Web sites that can be useful. Remember that you can also click on the 'comments' button at the end of each post to add your thoughts regarding the post. Welcome, I hope that we see you in the AELC with your students very soon!

ESL: The English Learner Movie Guides

http://www.eslnotes.com/ The English Learner Movie GuidesEach individual guide is a detailed synopsis of a popular movie that consists of the following
:a summary of the plot
a list of the major characters
an extensive glossary of vocabulary and various cultural references that even advanced ESL learners would often not understand
questions for ESL class discussion

I really like this site, and it can have a lot of uses in a variety of ESL classes and especially for tutors. Movies range from the classics: Wizard of Oz, To Kill a Mockingbird etc. to more contemporary flicks such as When Harry Met Sally or Legally Blonde. The plot summaries are great, but one of the best aspects is the glossary and cultural reference sections. I can see students and tutors studying the plot, vocabulary and other references, and then watching the movie together. What about using It's a Wonderful Life before the holidays? A wonderful tool for speaking and listening activities. Lots of possibilities here.

ABE/GED, ESL: Ways to get Started Writing

http://www.litwomen.org/perspectives/2007/prompts_wp2.doc Women's Perspective

This is a lesson plan to get students started with writing. There are pre-writing exercises, and writing prompts.

Fun and Interesting Websites

I probably should have come up with this during the summer, but here is a Filamentality Hotlist of fun and interesting websites: http://tinyurl.com/yrdv77

This has sites for travel (getting refunds on airline tickets, or Europe on the cheap), shopping (bargains and coupons), tech tools (need a fix?), entertainment (what's a good TV program?) recipes (want to know a secret recipe?) and other things that make the Internet so much fun to have around. Just click on the underlined name of the Website and your browser will take you to that site. If I find more I'll add to it, but it isn't all about academia...sometimes you just need some entertainment. Of course, Websites come and go, but these are all 'hot' today.

Podomatic: World News for ESL Learners

http://esl.podomatic.com/ World News for ESL Learners

World News in Slow and Clear EnglishFor English as a Second Language (ESL) listeners.
The English is spoken very clearly at about 80% the speed of regular news announcers.

Contact InfopodMail: esl@podomatic.comCan also be used to find and create podcasts. Excellent for early listening levels.

Writing: ESL, ABE/GED Story Squared

http://www.storysquared.com/ Story Squared

"Want to be creative but don't have the time? Start a story on StorySquared and see where it goes. Friends and family contribute to a story thread that you create. The results can be funny, imaginative, or just plain strange. Try it out now and see! Start your story “Once upon a time…” Send it to the people you want to contribute. You and your friends read the story as it unfolds! "
Above is the lead into this site. It's an interesting tech twist on an old writing technique that would be great for imtermediate and higher level ESL students, and would also obviously work on an online environment. There are public stories that you can add to, or create an entirely new story.

Beginners' Guide to Using the Internet

http://www.bbc.co.uk/webwise/course/

Just because it was not made in the USA doesn't mean it isn't good. And this site is actually quite wonderful. WebWise is the BBC's guide to using the Internet. It's done in Flash, and is quite compelling. It's an Internet beginners' course to using the Web, and includes topics such as:
Connecting
Browser
Browserplus
Forms
Searching E-mail
E-mailplus
Safety

One of my favorite areas is called 'Jargonbuster' which is a nice listing of words related to the Web. Of course, there will need to be some adaptation from the UK to the US, and a mention of the spelling differences is needed. The content can easily be used in a classroom or by tutors.

Thank You for Attending the Tech Clues Workshop!

It was great meeting you at the Tech Clues workshop on April 25th. I hope that you will use the AELC and also try some of the sites listed on the blogs. Don't forget about the http://wccniuesl.blogspot.com blog for hundreds of Websites you can use. Also, let me know if you want to join any of the blogs so you could post, as well as read. The recipe blog address is: http://aelcrecipe.blogspot.com , in case you were looking for it. There isn't much on it now, but I bet it will have a lot very soon.
I'd love to see you use this blog for sharing information, tips and techniques for working with your students, and general news. This is the new way of communicating, and it is fast, fun and easy to use. All you need is a Web browser, and it is accessible anywhere in the world.
Thanks again, and let me see what you are doing in the blogosphere!

Judith

Practical Money Skills for Life: Banking Skills

http://www.practicalmoneyskills.com/english/resources/tutor/statements/

Does your student need practical skills for banking? This site has a lot of useful information, and can help a student understand the terms and skills needed for banking. There are also several games that students can play to learn the necessary skills.

The ESL Experience in the Writing Center

http://projects.uwc.utexas.edu/praxis/?q=node/24

ESL Writers: A Guide for Writing Center Tutors, a corpus of practical guidance for writing center consultants.

This is a review of the above text. It has some good discussion of what is necessary to teach non-English natives how to write in English.

English Grammar Tutor Online

http://webnz.co.nz/checkers/grammar2.html

SuperTeach: English Grammar Tutor Online: Verbs, Sentences and Online Tests

More ESL Sites

To get you started, here a few ESL sites online that can be used with individuals or a class.

http://a4esl.org
English grammar quizzes, easy-difficult, often hitting specific areas (e.g. At,In and On,In-At With Places, tag questions with 'Be' etc.) These are quizzes only, with no teaching of the skill.

www.better-english.com/exerciselist.html
These are business oriented lessons and includes grammar, vocabulary, multi-word verbs, business text exercises and other topics tied to the business perspective.

www.bogglesworld.com
Lesson for adults in ESL, some are more appropriate than others.

Give these websites a try, and see if they hold any interest. Post your reviews on line (you will need to have responded to an invitation to join the Blog to post. Contact Judith at x 4118 or 4128 if you want an invitation, and leave your current email address. As soon as you get the response, you will be able to post your review of the site.)

Vocaboly

Vocaboly is a creative vocabulary builder for SAT, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT and general vocabulary. Vocaboly contains five books: SAT, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT and VOA Special English, with more than 12,000 words, each word provided with meaning, phonetic symbol, and pronunciation. This is a demo site, the actual program has a fee.
http://www.vocaboly.com/index.php

Grammar websites

GRAMMAR

COMMON ERRORS IN ENGLISH: PROFESSOR PAUL BRIANS' SITE
http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/errors.html


DAILY GRAMMAR
A great way to check grammar knowledge. Use the archives or sign up twice a year for daily e-mail lessons. Quizzes take four minutes
http://www.dailygrammar.com/archive.html


GRAMMAR CENTRAL
Links to both a teacher's notes on grammar lessons, as well as copies of the lessons themselves. Be sure and check the index, which is an alphabetized list of definitions.
http://www.longview.k12.wa.us/mmhs/wyatt/homework/grammar/gramm.html

MRS. BLUEZETTE'S GRAMMAR CORNER
"A PBS mind in an MTV world." Delightful, highly educational articles by a wonderful English language wizard.
http://www.newsblues.com/grammar.htm


PROFESSOR CHARLES DARLING'S GRAMMAR SITE
Outstanding to use as a quick reference for your grammar questions. http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/index.htm

ESL Websites

Here are some additional websites with comments:

1. www.esl-lab.com
Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab. It has a wide variety of conversations recorded in real life, with some exercises.

2. www.voanews.com/SpecialEnglish/
The Voice of America has a program called "People in America" which focuses on one famous
American each week. This is spoken in "Special English" (spoken relatively slowly and using a limited vocabulary). The transcript of the program is easily downloaded. Lots of short musical interludes are included, so during the program, students can have a short rest in which they can think/process what they've heard. I recommend looking at the archived programs for a wider selection of topics.

3. The BBC World Service (www.bbc.co.uk)
has a wonderful selection of audio programs. Especially useful for more advanced students who want to have exposure to a wide variety of accents. They also have a special "learning English" page. http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/

4. The Library of Congress, Boston University, the Poetry Society of America and Center for the Book (among many others) sponsors the Favorite Poem Project. This site has poem videos (like music videos) in which Americans talk about their favorite poem, giving personal stories about how the poem has been meaningful in their life. The famous (Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton) as well as the ordinary (a glass blower, a law professor, a teacher, a student) talk about their favorite poems. An interesting way to learn about people and poems.
http://www.favoritepoem.org/thevideos/index.html

5. There are also subscription websites like
www.English2go.com
(articles from Reuters with English exercises)
http://www.market-leader.net/
(articles from the Financial Times, adapted for ESL/EFL students).

6. http://esl.about.com/index.htm.
This site is a resource both for teachers and students of English as a second language.

Learn Spanish Online

Free interactive Spanish lessons are available at http://www.spanishprograms.com/. There are several free lessons at this site, though its purpose is to sell their complete program. However, the free lessons are good, and worth accessing.

Business and Writing Site

Communication Expressway, Judy Small Business ezine designed to help people improve office, technology, presentation, and writing skills. http://www.ossweb.com/ezine.html