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YourDictionary - LoveToKnow Corporation

Grades
K to 12
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A definitive authority on words, this free site gives you definitions, thesaurus entries, spellings, pronunciations, and etymology results. Add to that list an audio pronunciation system...more
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A definitive authority on words, this free site gives you definitions, thesaurus entries, spellings, pronunciations, and etymology results. Add to that list an audio pronunciation system that allows you to hear the word as well. YourDictionary also provides resources to help you find foreign language translation sites. It even directs you to medical, computer, or electricians' dictionaries, and many more. Haven't you always wanted to say a tongue-twister in the Asante language? Words have never so much fun. This site does include some advertisements.

tag(s): thesaurus (21)

In the Classroom

Send students to this site to look up those difficult words. ESL and ELL students can use this site to practice the pronunciation of new words. Be sure to mark this site as a favorite or share on your teacher web page for easy access.
 This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.

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Digital Dialects - Craig Gibson

Grades
2 to 12
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Want to learn just a little or a lot of a new language? This is a great place to start learning vocabulary and basic phrases. The reviews and games are ...more
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Want to learn just a little or a lot of a new language? This is a great place to start learning vocabulary and basic phrases. The reviews and games are in cute interfaces, but there aren't many sound files. Since the description says the developer is adding more to the site each day, hopefully there will be more pronunciation added. The scope of the site is amazing: 44 languages. The languages include Albanian, Bosnian, English, Filipino, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and MANY others. The sound files, few as they are, feature native speakers pronouncing the basics. The games allow the student learner to guess and practice as much as possible by presenting the same words several times. The advanced feature provides more advanced vocabulary and the geography features the geography of the language group.

tag(s): arab (9), arabic (10), chinese (40), french (67), german (44), greek (45), hebrew (16), italian (29)

In the Classroom

Try a few words in another language with your class as you study world geography and history! This site is especially useful in ENL/ESL, and world language classrooms. Have your students plan a pretend vacation and study a few words of the target language before they go. Ask students to go beyond the games by guessing the answers before they appear on the screen.

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ESL Reading Lessons - 5 Minute English

Grades
4 to 10
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This teaching site has a variety of short readings at various levels that could be useful in an ESL, ELL, special education, or regular ed classroom. Some of the topics ...more
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This teaching site has a variety of short readings at various levels that could be useful in an ESL, ELL, special education, or regular ed classroom. Some of the topics include sentences with grammar errors, students must figure out what is wrong with each sentence. This is excellent practice for any student learning proper grammar. True/ false comprehension questions follow the reading in most cases. Most of the answers are provided at the bottom of the website - so don't scroll too quickly. Before the reading begins, students can study difficult vocabulary words presented in an attractive format. There are full units (with many mini-lessons): grammar, reading, vocabulary, listening, pronunciation, and writing. Some of the listening activities require Flash; however the rest of the site does not, making this site worth your visit.

tag(s): grammar (137), listening (96), pronunciation (33), reading comprehension (141), short stories (18), vocabulary (240)

In the Classroom

Use this site if you want your students to do additional reading. Project the topic, story, and questions on an interactive whiteboard or projector for group discussion. Have your students make up their own questions to go with the site. Have your students write up a similar subject relevant to their own culture and present it, along with questions to check for comprehension. This is a fabulous site to list on your class website for students to use for at-home practice.

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Word Power - English Portal

Grades
8 to 12
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This is a great site to use for in-context vocabulary acquisition for ELL and ESL students. The site has over twenty general topics with banks of words and examples of ...more
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This is a great site to use for in-context vocabulary acquisition for ELL and ESL students. The site has over twenty general topics with banks of words and examples of how they are used in different situations, phrases, and idioms. Some of the topics include Cars and Driving, Family and Relationships, Soccer, Personal Finance, The Body, Shopping, Air Travel, and several others. Definitions and pronunciation of some expressions as well as their definitions precede examples of the expressions in a variety of sentences. After taking a look at the definition/pronunciation page, students can select a variety of checkups, including drag and drop, true/false, and fill in the blank. This site requires Media Player. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

tag(s): idioms (29), phrases (6), vocabulary (240)

In the Classroom

Check this page to see if any of the general topics has relevance to your lessons. Students can work on their own to increase their vocabulary knowledge of specific expressions used containing the topic focus word.

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Talking About - English Portal

Grades
8 to 12
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This English language site is great to use for in-context vocabulary acquisition for ELL and ESL students. The site has twenty-five general topics with banks of commonly used words...more
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This English language site is great to use for in-context vocabulary acquisition for ELL and ESL students. The site has twenty-five general topics with banks of commonly used words and examples of how they are used in different situations, phrases, and idioms. Some of the topics include weather, telling the time, lies, cars, trips, letters, vacations, Christmas, and numerous others. Definitions and pronunciation (British) of some of the expressions are provided. There are also examples of the expressions used in a variety of sentences. After taking a look at the definition/pronunciation page, students can select a variety of checkups, including drag and drop, true/false, and fill in the blank. This site requires Media Player or Quicktime. You can get this plug-in from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

tag(s): idioms (29), vocabulary (240)

In the Classroom

Check this page to see if any of the general topics has relevance to your lessons. Students can work on their own to increase their vocabulary knowledge of specific expressions used containing the topic focus word. For example, at Christmas time, ESL and ELL students can add to their cultural knowledge as well as language usage by using the Christmas pages.

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On-Line ESL News - VOA

Grades
5 to 12
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This site features news stories and articles of general interest in simpler language. Text scripts of the news features appear on the screen as students open the page. Most of ...more
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This site features news stories and articles of general interest in simpler language. Text scripts of the news features appear on the screen as students open the page. Most of these news articles offer streaming audio for listening as students follow the text.The general interest articles range in topic from science and technology to global culture to studying in America. There are minor advertisements at this website. The news is available using RealAudio. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

tag(s): listening (96), news (220), vocabulary (240), vocabulary development (96)

In the Classroom

Ask intermediate to upper level ESL and ELL students to research, write, and record a podcast of similar news. Poll students to find out which words in the broadcast are difficult for them, and assign a few words to each student to look up and explain. Ask ESL and ELL students to share similar stories from their home cultures. Learning support teachers will want to share these easy-to-understand news stories for their students' weekly current events "articles."

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Paper Models of Polyhedra - Gijs Korthals Altes

Grades
6 to 10
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This simple, "hands-on" website offers PDF files of numerous paper models of Polyhedra. The files are ready to print and share with your students. The various geometric solids include...more
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This simple, "hands-on" website offers PDF files of numerous paper models of Polyhedra. The files are ready to print and share with your students. The various geometric solids include platonic solids, Archimedean solids, Kepler-Poinsot Polyhedra, and numerous others. The files are available in PDF format and require Adobe. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox.

tag(s): paper folding (3), visual thinking (7)

In the Classroom

Why not print a pattern onto cardstock or other thick paper. Then project the image (that you printed for your students) onto a projection screen or interactive whiteboard, while students work independently at their seats. Before you pass out the paper copies, have them view the projected image and predict what it will be. These shapes can also serve as creative study aids for all subject areas, especially for students who need engaging ways to review. Have students write key terms and questions on the "faces" before assembling the figures, then "roll" them as a study game, testing each other to define or explain terms.
 This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.

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Word Reference - wordreference.com

Grades
2 to 12
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This series of free translating dictionaries allows students to search to/from English in these languages: French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, and German. Once a definition comes up...more
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This series of free translating dictionaries allows students to search to/from English in these languages: French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, and German. Once a definition comes up in English, there are links to other dictionary pages where the word appears in a sentence. You can click on the audio button to hear the word spoken in both languages. This feature is only available in more commonly used words There are also immediate clicks to other languages, so a student could check the same word in Spanish and French very easily. In addition to the translation dictionaries, there are also "English Dictionaries" (non-interactive) available in Portuguese, Polish, Romanian, Czech, Turkish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Arabic (coming soon). Many of the foreign language dictionaries will increase in volume as the site developers add more vocabulary. Be aware: this site does include minor advertisements. There is a link to Language Forums. It is probably best to advise students to stay away from the forums.

tag(s): chinese (40), dictionaries (47), italian (29), japan (60), japanese (50), korea (21), portuguese (20), russia (34), russian (24)

In the Classroom

Save this site in your favorites on your classroom computers for use by ESL/ELL and foreign language students or for use when studying derivations and word families in English (compare the same word across several languages to see how close they can be!). Students can take an active role in vocabulary preview work by using this site in prior to reading. Be sure to list this site on your class webpage so students can access this information both in and out of the classroom. If you are introducing new vocabulary words to your foreign language class. Have them use this site to find the appropriate translations. Then have the students work in cooperative learning groups to create online vocabulary guidebooks using a tool such at Bookemon. Have the groups share the online books on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Be sure to keep the links for future students to use the guides, as well.

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English Current - Minimal Pairs - Chuala

Grades
4 to 12
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Here you will find advice, lists, and links for helping students to practice pronunciation in English through minimal pairs. An example of a minimal pair is "alive and arrive," You'll...more
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Here you will find advice, lists, and links for helping students to practice pronunciation in English through minimal pairs. An example of a minimal pair is "alive and arrive," You'll also find ideas for teaching mouth positioning.

tag(s): pronunciation (33)

In the Classroom

Pair an ENL/ESL student with a native Enlish speaker (or you can do this as the leader in a small group). Either you or the students can use the word pairs on this site to create flashcards for practice. Use a tool like Flashcard Stash, reviewed here. Share with the partners the ideas for mouth positioning.

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English: Reading Non-fiction Texts - BBC

Grades
9 to 12
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Although this page has been archived and is no longer updated, all links are functional. While this site was intended for British students taking a mandatory national exam, the...more
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Although this page has been archived and is no longer updated, all links are functional. While this site was intended for British students taking a mandatory national exam, the methods used to teach students how to extract information from non-fiction texts is quite valuable to any student who has trouble finding the pertinent points. Many U.S. state reading exams include the same skills. The site gives students acronyms as mnemonics to remember key points, such as "mind the GAP." It walks students through purpose, audience, tone, genre, information, style, and language. The site also provides interactive quizzes to test students for recall as they go along. The pages are also printable. Be sure to explain to your students that "revise" in British English means the same as to "review" in the U.S.

tag(s): reading comprehension (141)

In the Classroom

Ready for the test? That's what they say... and with standardized testing on the rise, reading non-fiction text quickly and accurately becomes important. Using this site to quiz students on key elements such as purpose or tone makes it a bit of fun as well as learning. Set up computer stations for each section and have the students work through them at their own pace. Or perhaps use the handouts and play a Jeopardy game as either practice or review. Another idea: project the "tests" on an interactive whiteboard or projector so the entire class can participate together or compete as teams. Special ed or remedial teachers will love these activities for individual students who need re-teaching and extra practice with non-fiction.

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Spelling Bee - Interactives - Annenberg Media

Grades
1 to 12
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Are you looking for a new way to integrate spelling into your lesson plans? This helpful website offers interactive spelling challenges for grades 1-12. Students type in their names,...more
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Are you looking for a new way to integrate spelling into your lesson plans? This helpful website offers interactive spelling challenges for grades 1-12. Students type in their names, and are directed to short stories. The stories are cloze passages, i.e. have blanks for missing words. The website will read the stories to the students, or the students can read the stories themselves. There is also an option to click on the speaker sign next to the blank, to hear the word that needs to be spelled.

tag(s): spelling (94)

In the Classroom

What a fabulous language arts resource - integrating reading, listening, and spelling skills. Project the stories on an interactive whiteboard or screen and have students take turns reading the story aloud to the class. Then have the students record their spelling words at their seats. Once you have gone through the entire short story, ask students to share how they spelled each word. Take a class poll to determine the correct spelling and have students take turns typing the "winning" word into the blank space. Or have teams take turns at the interactive whiteboard, trying to get the best possible score and "defeat" the other groups' scores. You will see some arguments, no doubt!

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CuePrompter.com: The Online Teleprompter - Hannu Multanen

Grades
2 to 12
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This handy online tool (Windows only--sorry) makes any computer screen into a "teleprompter" (scrolling screen with the text YOU paste in). No membership or log in is required. Just...more
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This handy online tool (Windows only--sorry) makes any computer screen into a "teleprompter" (scrolling screen with the text YOU paste in). No membership or log in is required. Just open the site and copy/paste in the text from a word doc (or type it in, but there is no way to SAVE it on the site). We recommend keeping your text ready-to-copy/paste and saved in another program. Set the font size and screen size to large or small. When you are ready to "speak," click the "start prompter" button. The speed controls are at the top of the screen. Remember that F11 will make any web page full screen without menus and toolbars. If you are fortunate enough to have a rear projection screen, the text can even be reversed. Anyone who wants scrolling text can just paste and go. The maximum text length is 2000 characters, but you could always have a second window ready and switch mid-speech. See System Requirements if you cannot get it to work.

tag(s): fluency (27), speech (65)

In the Classroom

Why bother with this one? Lots of reasons! Once they see it, your students are sure to come up with more, but here is a start: Try making a sample dialog for students to follow out loud as your project it in a foreign language or ESL/ELL class. Be sure to write in script format so they know who is speaking! Or share this tool with students who need help getting their nose out of their notes in presenting speeches. They can run it on a laptop only they can see and look out at the audience past the prompter. The comfort of having their text right there will ease many butterflies.

An alternate use: build reading fluency by having students read aloud from this tech-tool. They will be FAR more motivated to read up to speed! Speech clinicians may want to try it for articulation practice, as well.

Comments

While this is a great tool. I found http://www.freeteleprompter.org/ much easier to use. Cueprompter looks rather cluttered and dated. Just my 2 cents as you guys would say. Dave, , Grades: 6 - 12

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CRAM - Flashcard DB (Database) - Cram.com

Grades
K to 12
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Check out this easy-to-use flashcard site useful for any subject area. The Leitner System of efficiently learning facts through flashcards makes learning a breeze. This online version...more
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Check out this easy-to-use flashcard site useful for any subject area. The Leitner System of efficiently learning facts through flashcards makes learning a breeze. This online version actually graphs the results of a study session so you can see progress. The sign-up for this free tool is ultra-quick and requires no email address. The set-up is quite user friendly. Within a few minutes of accessing this site, you have personalized flashcards to help with learning. Another cool feature: when you give your card sets the same 'tag,' you automatically have the ability to study those multiple sets together. After the study session, you will see the study stats for just those card sets. Flashcards couldn't be easier!

tag(s): word study (57)

In the Classroom

Facts, spelling words, vocabulary, definitions, you name it --- all can easily be typed into this flashcard format for any subject. Plan to tag sets for related material so they can be grouped. For example: tag all geography terms "geography" and all words from the same science chapter using the chapter number or topic. You can use multiple tags, too! In the computer lab, using a projector or interactive whiteboard, walk your students through making their own sets of flashcards. Students or parents can then access their electronic cards at home or anywhere. No email address is needed to sign-up for this free service. Include the link to your sets on your web page for students to study before tests.

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100 Free Short Stories for ESL - Rong-Chang Li & Bill Bailey

Grades
6 to 12
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This website provides a large collection of short stories selected for beginning and advanced beginning ESL students. The subject matter of many stories is not appropriate for younger...more
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This website provides a large collection of short stories selected for beginning and advanced beginning ESL students. The subject matter of many stories is not appropriate for younger students. Some include topics you would find in newspaper articles, and some deal with dating. Preview! Some stories on the website allow you to read the story yourself or click on the speaker icon to hear the story read aloud. The site could also be used to provide extra reading and reading/listening for struggling readers. There are also an online dictionary, great follow-up activities to check comprehension, and crossword puzzles. The questions and other review activities provide immediate feedback. There are numerous advertisements. Be sure to show your student how to use the site and not click the ads.

tag(s): puzzles (148), reading comprehension (141), vocabulary (240), vocabulary development (96)

In the Classroom

Share these activities with individual students as an assignment or independent practice on your classroom computer and as a link from your web site. The reading and activities are easy to work on independently because of the listening feature and the available dictionary. Don't forget to provide headphones. Provide this link for the families of ESL/ELL students to read (or listen) to the stories together.

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Thoughtful Learning - Write Source: Writing Topics - Houghton Mifflin Co.

Grades
K to 12
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The authors of Write Source have moved their materials to Thoughtful Learning. Explore this great site to find free minilessons, student writing topics, and models of good writing....more
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The authors of Write Source have moved their materials to Thoughtful Learning. Explore this great site to find free minilessons, student writing topics, and models of good writing. The writing topics are divided by grade level in elementary and intermediate, then grouped as 9-12 for high school. Each section includes many writing prompts --enough to whet the appetite of almost any student. The minilessons are a treasure! Many have a short video explanation and some have templates to print! The student models are shown by type (creative writing, persuasive, research, response to literature, business, etc.) and level. As for writing assessments see the elementary and middle school models in all of the major modes of writing, and rubrics that assess each example as "Strong," "Good," "Okay," or "Poor." Download blank rubrics to use with your students. The upper levels of this site, such as persuasive writing or literary analysis, open the door to higher level thinking. There are free curricula Teaching Guides for K-3, however, the other levels of curricula books have a cost. Though the videos display on this site, they reside on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): blogs (69), essays (20), writing (307), writing prompts (57)

In the Classroom

Have the students choose their own prompt from the list and then share their writing within a small group, with the class, or on their own blogs. Replace paper and pencil and have your younger students create a blog using Seesaw, reviewed here., while older students can use Telegra.ph, reviewed here. With Telegra.ph you just click on an icon to upload images from your computer, add a YouTube or Vimeo, or X (formerly Twitter) links. This blog creator requires no registration. Use the models and anonymous sharing on an interactive whiteboard to create a "safe" way for students to share writing as process and hear how others do it. Take this a step further and enhance student learning by having them use a collaborative writing tool like Google Docs. There is also the option of altering student learning and PUBLISHING student models with Book Creator, reviewed here, or Ourboox, reviewed here, as a motivator. Be sure to get parent permission!

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Ninjawords - Phil Crosby

Grades
3 to 12
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A rapid-fire dictionary, this site gives you the definition of any word you type into the box. It also keeps a history of the words in a list on the ...more
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A rapid-fire dictionary, this site gives you the definition of any word you type into the box. It also keeps a history of the words in a list on the right as you look them up, a very useful tool. While the definitions are quite complete, including parts of speech and synonyms for most words, they are not comprehensive. A word such as "look" produces only 2 of the many definitions that could be applied to that word. However, entering in such words as "mercenary" or "ambiance" yields a great short, straightforward definition great for a quick check while reading. The site also provides the ability to enter a single listing of terms, separated by commas, and create a link to EXACTLY that list of definitions (as a glossary for a specific lesson, for example). See a sample created by the TeachersFirst editors http://ninjawords.com/trudge, stroll, walk, perambulate, stagger, prance, skip, since the site is nondiscriminatory and will give a response to any word you enter, regardless of the propriety of the word!

tag(s): vocabulary (240)

In the Classroom

Use the "random" button to generate a word of the day in an instant! Create pre-made word lists for students to access online from your teacher web page by entering them all , separated by commas, and clicking "Link to this page" at the end of the page. The URL that then shows in the address bar IS the URL to access that word list any time from any computer. Have students make personal lists of their own for individualized vocab study. Open Ninjawords as students read a selection in class--even in science or social studies texts, and allow students to take turns entering new words they encounter. If you have a projector or interactive whiteboard, the entire class can "see" the current "word wall" created by the history function. Or you can simply keep it on a classroom desktop to help those who need it. If you mark each "glossary" page as a Favorite on your computer, you can NAME IT "Chapter 3 Glossary" or "Amphibian Unit Glossary" etc and make it available for students to use any time. The history feature allows you to "track" whether students have entered inappropriate words. The history list seems to remain on your computer for a period of time, probably by leaving "cookies" on your computer -- in this case a useful thing! Use it on your machine to recall vocab from day to day for continuing lessons.

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ESL Fast- Free Online English Teaching and Learning Materials - ESL Fast

Grades
8 to 12
1 Favorites 0  Comments
 
This website offers an extensive collection of short stories for ESL/ELL learners. Students can read each story, listen to the audio at two speeds (slow or normal), and review comprehension...more
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This website offers an extensive collection of short stories for ESL/ELL learners. Students can read each story, listen to the audio at two speeds (slow or normal), and review comprehension questions after reading. Vocabulary words within the text are highlighted and linked to an online dictionary, and an additional dictionary link is provided at the top of the page for unfamiliar words not included in the vocabulary list. Many stories also include printable or reviewable exercises to support comprehension and language practice. While advertisements on the site may be distracting, it provides a large number of ESL/ELL stories across a wide range of topics. Some story content may not be appropriate for younger students, so teacher preview is strongly recommended.

tag(s): audbk (25), audtxt (19), dictionaries (47), short stories (18), vocabulary (240)

In the Classroom

The reading and listening activities are easy for students to work on independently because of the listening option. Special ed teachers may also have students who will benefit from the listening practice. Don't forget to provide the headphones. Provide this link on your class website or newsletter, so the families of ENL/ELL students can read (or listen) to the stories together.

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How J Say? - Tim Bowyer

Grades
3 to 12
0 Favorites 0  Comments
 
This site pronounces English words and phrases. The British pronunciation is first, but if there is a difference in the American English pronunciation, the voice says, "Also, American:_____."...more
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This site pronounces English words and phrases. The British pronunciation is first, but if there is a difference in the American English pronunciation, the voice says, "Also, American:_____." Once entered and submitted, the word or phrase appears in pink, along with a list of words before and after it in alphabetical order display. This helps with similar spellings and cognates. The pronunciation plays right away and repeats on mouse-over. With 76870 words in the database at the moment, the odds are that students will find the word they're searching for. ESL students will find the speedy help with pronunciation very useful. There are some advertisements down the side, but they are not objectionable.

tag(s): pronunciation (33)

In the Classroom

Save this site in your Favorites on your classroom computer for a handy reference for ESL/ELL students. Speech and language students will also benefit from hearing and repeating the pronunciations.

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Cornell-Notes.com - Ryan Stewart

Grades
4 to 12
2 Favorites 0  Comments
Create ready-to-go notetaking sheets for your students or have them create their own using this online tool that generates PDF (Acrobat Reader) files to your specifications. Once you...more
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Create ready-to-go notetaking sheets for your students or have them create their own using this online tool that generates PDF (Acrobat Reader) files to your specifications. Once you choose the options you want under Create Your Personal Notepaper (blank, ruled, etc), click Submit to see your "perfect notetaking sheet" in Acrobat Reader. Click "Save a copy" to keep it or simply print it out on the spot.

tag(s): note taking (30)

In the Classroom

If you require a notebook for your course, this is the perfect tool. Share the link from your teacher web page so students can create their own, customized sheets. Be sure to demonstrate how it works, then "write" a sample set of Cornell-style notes by sharing it on your interactive whiteboard so students can see how to use them! Learning support and study skills teachers will love this one. Middle school science and social studies teachers should encourage a consistent note-taking system like this so all students can find what works for them. Perhaps try different variations until students figure out which is best.
 This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.

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Elllo( English Language Listening Lab Online) - Todd Beuckens

Grades
5 to 12
1 Favorites 0  Comments
  
This site offers a wide variety of listening activities specifically for ESL students. The site is updated weekly with new interviews, games, news, talking points, and songs, all available...more
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This site offers a wide variety of listening activities specifically for ESL students. The site is updated weekly with new interviews, games, news, talking points, and songs, all available for free. A huge audio archive stores items from previous weeks, months, and years. "Mixers" include opinions of several people. Students can listen to these short sessions, answer a main idea question and also see the transcript of the piece. Another feature allows users to see the transcript of interviews as they listen. There are quiz questions available after each interview. Video links connect users to offsite videos from a variety of courses; these are available with some articles and interviews.

Note: Teachers should PREVIEW content before using it in class or assigning it. Some slang and topics are not appropriate for younger students, though most of it is excellent. Downloads for mp3 players are available for free.

tag(s): listening (96), news (220)

In the Classroom

Share chosen activities from this site on laptops or computers with headphones to build ESL/ ELL student confidence and listening skills. Some activities are well-suited for speech/language students to improve listening comprehension skills, as well.

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