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February 1, 2000
ESL/BiLingual Web Sites
By Josie Avellanet Levine
There's lots of information on the Web to help teach Bilingual education or English as a Second Language. The following Web sites are great places to start.
Bilingual Page
Created by McGraw-Hill, the following site has a "Texan" connection since it is aligned to the text "Texas: Aventuras a Traves del Tiempo," but it can very easily be adapted to other texts and state standards. The lessons included cover Texans, Indigenous Peoples, the Arrival of the Europeans, Southwest Exploration and War with Mexico. Each lesson is divided into well defined student objectives, online activities, links, project sheets, assessment and a home connection.
Integrating Math, Science and Language
This site, from Paso Partners, is designed to help elementary school teachers organize their classrooms and teaching activities to increase the achievement of Hispanic dominant language students who are LEPs. It is in both html and pdf versions. I enjoyed the unit on The Five Senses because there are group activities, introduction and exploration of the topic, writing activities, applications, and oral and performance assessment.
English to Go
This site from Reuters provides instant lessons geared mainly for intermediate and advanced ESL students. Whereas, in the past, all the resources were free, not all the resources are now available, However, the free lessons are so comprehensive, that it is still an incredible site. For those not opting to pay to subscribe, they can still receive a complete, weekly lesson, on a variety of topics. The lesson format is such that it is divided into well defined sequential steps that are easy to follow. They include vocabulary, pre and post reading activities and work sheets that use a variety of learning modalities.
Clip Art for Foreign Language Instruction
This is a royalty free site, with available text in both English and Japanese. It includes clip art illustrating verbs, adjectives, buildings, places, food, drinks, people, animals, sports, things, events, time and vehicles. Teachers can easily copy and paste, or print specific pictures to incorporate in their lessons, or students can do the same for reports. The graphics are simple line drawings but they convey the respective ideas.
Lesson Plans and Resources for ESL, Bilingual and Foreign Language Teachers
Marty Levine, a former professor at California State University, Northridge, has immense resources at this site. This most inclusive site has links to myriad subjects. Among them:
- ESL Lesson Plans And Resources
- Bilingual Education
- Foreign Language Study Abroad for Teachers
- Foreign Language Lesson Plans And Resources Employment Opportunities
- Professional Associations
- Educational Standards and Frameworks
Lessons, Lesson Plans & Handouts for the ESL Classroom From The Internet TESL Journal
How would you like to review the concept of time in your ESL classroom to Bill Hailey's "Rock Around the Clock"? This is but an example of the offerings at this site. Whether using a crossword puzzle reviewing the past tense, utilizing junk e-mail for lessons, or having the students create their own vacation commercials, these articles and lessons provide food for thought. Many provide student handouts to be used in conjunction with the lessons. They can be adapted across different levels.
One World, One People, ESL/TESOL Lessons
This site provides varied and sundry lessons to spice your class. Among the topics covered are:
- Community Design Project
- Disaster Lessons
- Teaching The Research Paper
- Walking Your Students Through A Description Of Place
- Project: A Book About Me
- Esl Games
- Using Illustrated Books As Motivators For Language Production
- Survey Questions For Use With Esl Students
I found "Teaching the Research Paper" helpful because I know, from experience how difficult it is for ESL students to write a research paper.
Karin's ESL Partyland
This site claims to be cool, and it is. The resources are geared for both students and teachers. They range from quizzes that may be given in the class or taken independently by students, to full lesson plans. There are ample opportunities for educators to communicate among themselves in a mini-learning community. Try it, you'll have some fun!
Dave Sperlin's ESL Cafe
This cafı has a full menu for both students and teachers. Whether it is a forum where students can discuss hobbies or teachers can ask for collegial advice on teaching specific topics, this is the place to visit. The "yummiest" site is the Idea Cookbook where you will find a host of suggestions to enhance your teaching, but whether you're in need of information on phrasal verbs, slang or ice breakers, this is the place to come and munch on a bunch of material. If you don't have time to visit other sites, make sure you stop by this one.
The Internet TESL Journal's ESL Links
The lessons provided here have all been published as articles in the Journal. Their range is varied regarding topics and levels. Some of them are unusual because they deal with topics beyond the "grammar" of the subject. For example, "99 Ways to Say Very Good" gives ways of praising students whether they are slow or quick learners. Other examples include: handouts for class meetings, vocabulary games, business English, lesson on accidents in the home, content based assessments and intonation awareness. This is an excellent professional development site.
The National Clearinghouse of Bilingual Education
This clearinghouse caters to the needs of the bilingual educator, k-12 and above, since they even provide resources for adult learners. Visitors here will find a wealth of material including lesson plans, project ideas, success stories and weekly e-mail messages. The site includes an online library on topics such as assessment and accountability and one for tech assistance.
The National Association for Bilingual Education
This is a site where teachers will receive on going staff development and where they will be kept abreast of what is going on in bilingual education. If you're interested in legislation and policy affecting the field or in links and articles involving language minority Americans, this is the place to visit.
The TEFL Farm
The TEFL Farm is billed as a site for serious teachers who don't always want to be serious. It is a fun site with ideas to integrate in the classroom. Viewers can visit the Sheep Dip link for those studying for TEFL qualifications or just want to improve their skills. Or you can drop by the Duckpond Discipline site and learn how to produce a play with your students or teach an English lesson with a Beatles song as the foundation.
Selected Links for ESL students
This site is maintained by The Internet TESL Journal, which comes by way of Japan. It is rather extensive. Among the sites I liked were the gopher menu which includes the text for many fairy tales, which I always found were great ice breakers and motivators in the classroom; after all, who among our students does not have a cultural fairy tale, or variation thereof, to share with peers? There are daily news updates, quizzes with pictures which can be downloaded by teachers, self study quizzes, and a listing of idioms among others.
The English Global Village
This village was created in Israel, a country that has had many newcomers who speak a variety of languages and must learn both English and Hebrew. The Cyber Club Cafe Page is divided into very easy to access links that include ESL-Ed Tech Resources, Info for EFL Teachers, Cool Activities, Projects and Themes and a Forum. There is a link for the creation of Wacky Tales (remember the old Mad Libs?) that will have your students (and you!) in stitches.
Email: Josie Levine
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