ESL Podcast-1st Day of School

First Day of School
By Joleen J., Rosario K., and Max T.
Suggested ELL level: intermediate-advanced students, ages high school to adult

Our ESL podcast introduces the typical schedule in a U.S. High
School. We present this information in the format of a one-on-one interview
(talk-show style), with informative or humorous narration throughout.
Rosario, Max, and I filmed this based on the Kidspiration® graphic
organizer and storyboard that Rosario created, shown here. We wanted to
present a mini cultural lesson by talking about how many U.S. high schools
are organized.

The interviewer, Joleen, introduces Rosario and asks her about the
upcoming school year. We find out about “A schedules” and “B
schedules,” where high school students have different classes on
alternating days, as well as some typical classes a high school student may have,
such as Art, Science, Math (Algebra II), and Study Hall. We find out
what Rosario is interested in and what she is looking forward to in her
classes this year.

High School Senior played by: Rosario, Interviewer played by: Joleen, Narrator: Max


Follow-up activities:


1) Using the graphic organizer that supports this interview (above), have students compare and contrast the classes and activities from the interview. Then have students use the graphic organizer and the podcast as a model for them to write and perform their own, similar interviews in pairs or small groups. Students should present them to the whole class in person, or as an audio podcast on http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ (if technology is readily available).

2) Have students research to find more information on some of the cultural icons and references from the "Where are they now?" section at the end of the podcast and throughout the narration of the podcast.

You may even have recognized the immortal words of one of our favorite muses, Homer J. Simpson (created by Matt Groening), when Max said "Mmmmm...Algebra II...Doh!!" "Mmmmm..." is what Homer says when something sounds delicious to him, and "Doh!" is what he says when he makes a mistake. See more on the Simpsons and our other cultural references here, or you might try searching for them on www.google.com:

http://www.thesimpsons.com/characters/home.htm

http://web.mit.edu/aboutmit/

http://www2.oprah.com/index.jhtml

http://www.history.com/

http://www.lonesailor.org/about.php

And last, but not least: http://www.kraftfoods.com/main.aspx?s=search&m=search/knet_search_main&u1=search&u2=cheese%20whiz%20

Kidspiration Activity

This is an activity that I created by using one of the many different concept maps available through Kidspiration 2. This activity will work well in an ESL English

Software Evaluation # 3

Leapfrog SchoolHouse by Leapfrog Enterprises, Inc., 2001-2002
This software is a multisensory program for English language learners. There are 36 theme-based books in 4 different English language levels. The books that I looked at are targeted for grades PreK-2. I would say that this program is especially helpful for beginners and intermediate level learners. The goal of this program is to develop early literacy skills by focusing on phonological awareness, vocabulary acquisition, listening and reading skills. The way it works is by inserting a cartridge and a book in a "laptop" that has an electronic LeapPad pen attached to it. To begin, use the pen and touch the GO button in the page. You continue by following the instructions that you hear. These instructions come in 6 different languages, which is a very nice feature for the beginning level students. There is a lot of interaction going on as you start hearing the story. Each book that you insert has a vocabualy list at the end. These are the words being taught throughout the story. I use the word taught to describe the function of this program because that is what is nice it. It doesn't only read you a story. Each page includes vocabulary words with illustrations. Using the LeapPad pen, the instructions guide you to point at the illustrations or the words as you hear its pronunciation. The books are divided into several parts.Each part has more vocabulary, sentences, or it's a whole different story in itself. The last part of the books also includes an assessment activity. It checks for understanding by asking you questions that you answer by pointing at the picture. The books that aimed for intermediate or more advanced learners also give more complicated instructions. If you choose the instructions in English, this also helps in the development of the language. What I like about this software is that it gives you immediate feedback. It repeats the instructions if you are not doing it correctly. It also praises for good performance or asks you to try again if you make a mistake. Some additional accessories available are a battery charger and earphones. This is good if you want a student to use it while teaching others and with a battery charger, you can take use it anywhere like on a road trip if you are parent and own one of these, which I think is a great idea. This product is designed for one-to-one interaction, and having one of these at home could really help as a tutor. A potential drawback is that it doesn't give the teachers any feedback on student progress, but you can observe the students' interaction because you don't have to use the earphones. You can also buy the teacher manuals, which might include more ideas for assessment. I feel that this software is most appropriate for students who strugle the most because of the repetition and illustration that this software provides. For classroom usage, I can see another minor drawback of this software. That is the cost because ideally you want to have enough for all your students to use in the classroom. The good news is that this product meets the requirements for federal funding resources. If you would like more information, here is the website.
www.LeapFrogSchoolHouse.com

This is an interesting video that I found in YouTube. It's a song composed of many different languages. If you get a chance, read the comments added to the video. Everyone has an opinion in regards to what language is the best. It's pretty funny.

Quick Share

www.languageguide.org
This website is great for learning not just English but 10 other languages. There are over 20 choices to choose from as your native language and over 10 languages to learn. The wesite provides a pictorial vocabulary guide, which also includes the pronunciation of each word or phrase. The vocabulary is also sorted into different themes, such as animals, jobs, plants, and so on. Depending on the language you are learning, there are also grammar explanations and activities to read and do. Some even include readings at different levels that you can listen to and read at the same time. Overall it is pretty easy to use. I've had my students use this site before, and they love it. They even enjoy learning the vocabulary in the other languages not just in Spanish.

Maroma Hotel from the beach

Maroma Hotel from the beach
Originally uploaded by Opelika Album.

I found some pictures of Playa Maroma! This is where I went on my honeymoon nearly two years ago. It is a private resort near Cancun, Mexico. I can't wait to go back. It is one of the most relaxing and romantic places I have ever been. I guess I should post and share my photos too. I can't wait to go back.