english – Page 2 – iLearn Technology

My English Images

August 26, 2009August 30, 2009Kelly Tenkely2 Comments2980 views

What it is: My English images is a great site that I learned about from @larryferlazzo. This site was designed for English teachers and English teachers working with ESL and EFL students but it is a great site for any literacy classroom. The site has images and worksheets that are available for download that can be used to catch student’s attention, spice up lessons, and illustrate difficult language concepts. My English Images provides pictures that illustrate conversation, grammar, basic English, pronunciation, and vocabulary concepts. New content is added to the collection monthly.

How to integrate My English Images into the classroom: This site is ideal for the ESL/EFL classroom. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words and that is definitely the case with this site. Students will be able to look at the pictures and understand the language concepts with the help of visuals. The pictures can be downloaded and used in PowerPoint presentations, interactive whiteboard lessons, and any lesson that you are teaching that would benefit from visuals. Visuals are the first thing that people associate with a concept. They help students recall more quickly, and the concepts get stored in permanent memory because students have an easier time making connections with things they already know. My English Images has some fantastic offline games that can be played with English language learners. You can download and print rules and a certificate of excellence as students complete the games. Grammar concepts are often difficult for any student learning them for the first time. My English Images makes it easier for students to understand how the English language works. This site should be used in any English speaking/learning literacy classroom!

Tips: Take a little time to explore My English images, it is a treasure trove of resources! My English Images was created by English language teacher F. Michael Kloran based on what he uses with his students.

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using My English Images in your classroom.

Free Rice…New and Improved!

September 15, 2008Kelly Tenkely1 Comment3461 views

What it is: Free Rice is an amazing website that I have posted about two or three times in the past. It has been a site where students can play a vocabulary game and earn 20 grains of rice for each correct answer. The grains of rice are distributed to hungry people all over the world through the UN World Food Program. Two of my students came in this morning with a printout of how many grains of rice they had earned over the weekend on the Free Rice website (we have a contest going each year to see which class and grade can earn the most grains of rice). They were unusually excited about this bunch of earned rice because they discovered some new features on Free Rice. Free Rice is now much more than a vocabulary game! Students can choose the subject they would like to play. As they increase in all types of knowledge, there is the added bonus of helping people in need. Free Rice subjects now include art (famous paintings), chemistry (chemical symbols), English grammar, geography (world capitals), language learning (French, German, Italian, Spanish), math (multiplication), and of course…vocabulary! Free rice is an incredible place for students to practice facts for a wide range of subject areas. Some additional new features: now students can click on a speaker next to a word to hear it read to them and can change the level of difficulty manually! I am so impressed with the site and impressed with my students for finding and sharing these new treasures!

How to integrate Free Rice into the classroom: With all of the new subjects on Free Rice, it is the perfect place to send your students for fact practice. Whether they are learning a new language, or need some practice with their multiplication facts Free Rice is a great place to practice. What I love about Free Rice is the added bonus of character education. Free Rice teaches students compassion and empathy. My students truly play the game not for the learning taking place, but because it makes them feel good to do something for others. Kids often feel like there is nothing they can personally do to help a cause…Free Rice gives them a voice and the ability to make a change. It empowers them.

Tips: Set up Free Rice on your classroom computers as a place for students to go when they are finished early and need a little something extra. Free Rice is also excellent in a computer lab setting and for home play.

Leave a comment and share how you are using Free Rice in your classroom.

Studio4Learning

September 12, 2008Kelly Tenkely1 Comment9808 views

What it is: Studio4Learning is a great site for students in fifth through twelfth grades. It provides students and teachers with free, high-quality videos that can be watched online. There are ten categories of videos to choose from Math, Sciences, English, Languages, Social Sciences, Business, Arts, Test Prep, Find a Job, and Tutor Corps. Each category is broken down into several sub categories. Videos are engaging and teach key skills and concepts in a fun way. Students can also use the sites search feature to search for a specific topic.

How to integrate Studio4Learning into the classroom: Students can use Studio4Learning as a place to stop for homework help and to learn or review concepts learned in class. Teachers can use Studio4Learning as a center, with a projector, or on individual student computers to illustrate new teaching or as a place where students can review information. Studio4Learning is free to use, if students register (also free) they can bookmark videos. Teachers can upload class topic videos to Studio4Learning, again free. (Are you seeing a theme here? It is all free!) As an added bonus, if you have a class website or blog, you can embed videos directly into your site for students to watch on any subject you are studying in class.

Tips: Browse through a couple of videos on the site, I know you will be hooked!

Leave a comment and share how you are using Studio4Learning in your classroom.