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Topics - Randall Sadler
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« on: February 26, 2013, 12:13:04 PM »
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« on: February 26, 2013, 12:12:16 PM »
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« on: February 26, 2013, 12:11:22 PM »
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« on: April 04, 2012, 03:37:20 PM »
The website below is for CAELA--the Center for Adult English Language Acquisition. http://www.cal.org/caela/index.htmlThis is a very good resource site for those teaching adults. CAELA ResourcesAs you'll see, many of these resources are informational in nature, but they give a great overview of what this group of students is like. Here is some info about CAELA from their site: CAELA was created to help states build their capacity to promote English language learning and academic achievement of adults learning English. Funded by the Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE), U.S. Department of Education, CAELA accomplishes its mission through the following tasks: - Leading an initiative to build state capacity for improving the skills of teachers and administrators in adult ESL programs.
- Developing an easy-to-use repository of resources (e.g., research studies, instructional curricula, information on language acquisition) that are accessible through the CAELA Web site.
- Producing easily accessible materials that synthesize research and make applications to practice
- Developing a toolkit of training materials for professional developers
- Providing technical assistance to adult ESL teachers, programs, and states
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« on: April 04, 2012, 03:25:01 PM »
The link below takes you to a series of videos created by the New American Horizons group that are designed to show teachers how to work with Adult ESL learners. In addition to videos showing techniques, they also have short interviews of teachers discussing the topic. This is definitely worth checking out. http://www.newamericanhorizons.org/training-videos 
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« on: February 14, 2012, 11:47:04 AM »
Though new versions of the "Far Side" comics have not been made for years, this one-panel comic still ranks as amongst the most clever in the genre. Gary Larson made many of these that refer either to the importance of language or language learning that can be fun to use in class. Here are a few of my favorites (the one with the dog "might" not be the best choice to use with kids!). One way that I like to use these comics is to give them to my students without the words to see what they can come up with for their own captions. It is also possible to just give them the text and see what drawings they can come up with. You can also do matching---have several panels and the text for them mixed up. The student have to match the captions to the panels. If you are not familiar with the comic, here is some info on it! The Far Side on WikipediaIf you just Google "The Far Side," and then look at the image results, you'll find 100s of examples for free Has anyone else used the Far Side?
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« on: September 22, 2011, 09:05:06 AM »
If you have found some good websites or resource books related to the Westing Game please post them here as a reply! I've included a few below Web-basedThe Westing Game Lesson PlanWesting Game Novel Study GuideFree Study Guide for The Westing GameThe Westing Game Discussion Guide and related Extension ActivityBooksJadde, C. & Doherty, B. (2007). The Westing Game: L-I-T Guide. Hawthorne, NJ: Educational Impressions. ----Vocabulary guide and discussions questions for the entire book (48 pages) Levine, G. The Westing Game Student Packet. Bulverde, TX: Novel Units. ----A number of different activities for the novel, though not as organized as the Jadde & Doherty materials (40 pages) Shoop. The Westing Game: A Lively Learning Guide. Shmoop University. www.shmoop.com----A good guide that includes summaries of chapters, themes, character, and more. Also includes links to other resources (92 pages)
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« on: March 15, 2011, 03:02:58 PM »
Hello all, The video below is an example of a conference gone wrong! Perhaps it will give some ideas of how a teacher-student conference should "not" work!! http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/7738477/
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« on: February 10, 2011, 11:44:10 AM »
The attached assignment is designed to be used in a field trip at a local museum, though it could easily be adapted for use in the classroom, provided that the instructor can bring in some pictures of artwork!
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« on: February 08, 2011, 12:10:41 PM »
The URL below will take you to a nice page of vocabulary related to art. This was designed specifically for ESL students studying art and was created in Canada (so some of the spelling conventions are British). http://www.eslincanada.com/englishlesson10.htmlI've also attached a Word copy of the information in case the site link is down. Please try the link first!
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« on: February 07, 2011, 07:04:26 PM »
ReadWriteThink is connected to the International Reading Association and NCTE. The page below has a hundreds of full lesson plans that can easily be adapted for ESL/EFL students (or already created specifically for them!) http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/
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« on: February 07, 2011, 06:59:08 PM »
The URL below will take you to a great set of lessons on using Art and Literature as tools for engaging in descriptive writing. In addition two two sets of lesson plans, the page also includes a number of extra resources, connections to standards, links to additional website, extensions, and more. http://www.readwritethink.org/resources/resource-print.html?id=318Since this is a great set of resources, I've also attached a Word version in case the original disappear. Please try the link first!
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« on: December 07, 2010, 10:48:56 AM »
Great presentation on how "not" to use PowerPoint:
Really funny, but it does also give some great tips about what students should not do (but all too often do) in their presentations.
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« on: November 11, 2010, 09:25:12 AM »
While readability often is used to talk about whether a text is worth reading at all (e.g. That book was soooooo unreadable), it is also a term used to refer to a number of features from a text. According to our friends at Wikipedia (downloaded 11/11/2010), readability refers to " Readability tests, readability formulas, or readability metrics are formulae for evaluating the readability of text, usually by counting syllables, words, and sentences." There are a number of different formulas used to determine readability, but no that are fully developed for use in ESL classes. Nonetheless, using a readability formula on a reading that you have found to be an appropriate level for your students, getting the resulting number, and then using that number as a baseline for choosing future readings, can be a good strategy to ensure you are getting the right level of readings for your students. You can also obtain some basic readability statistics directly from Microsoft Word ( Flesch Reading Ease & Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level). Just search for "readability" in the Word help area. In Word '10 you can use this by: 1. Click the Microsoft Office Button, and then click Word Options. 2. Click Proofing. 3. Make sure Check grammar with spelling is selected. 4. Under When correcting grammar in Word, select the Show readability statistics check box. 5. Now do a spelling & grammar check, and the statistics should pop up in a new window. Another popular readability formula is the Gunning Fog Index. Here is an online tool to determine this index: http://simbon.madpage.com/Fog/Other readability formulas include: Some Online Text AnalyzersOne of the challenges of ESL writing/reading teachers is to decide what texts are really appropriate for your students. There are a number of text analyzers freely available, and though most of them are aimed at L1 readers, they can still have a very good idea of the relative level of readings. A general note on readability stats. You'll notice that the numbers they'll give you often vary...sometimes a lot! They are tools to use in conjunction with your own judgment and experience. http://www.ist.rit.edu/~jxs/services/TestReadability.htmlhttp://www.addedbytes.com/tools/readability-score/A listing of a number of text analysis tools http://academic.csuohio.edu/kneuendorf/content/cpuca/qtap.htmPaste in a URL to test the readability of a website http://juicystudio.com/services/readability.phpHere is a website that lets you paste in or upload an attachment and provides a number of readability results: http://www.online-utility.org/english/readability_test_and_improve.jspOne text anaysis formula specifically designed for EFL/ESL readers is the McAlpine EFLAW. Unfortunately, I've been unable to find a free version of a program that does this calculation, so if you want to try it you'll have to use your own brain! It is important to note that all of these formulas have strengths and weaknesses---sometimes more weaknesses than strengths. However, they are an excellent way to have a more objective way to determine exactly how difficult a reading may be for your students.
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« on: April 15, 2010, 12:37:19 PM »
Do you have some good handouts, lists, etc. that provide vocabulary related to Art? This could include paintings, sculpture, pottery....anything related to art! These sorts of materials are important if you are taking your students to a field trip to a museum. Post your materials in a reply to this post!! 
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« on: April 06, 2010, 11:48:02 AM »
Hello all, The link below will take you to an assignment for a Compare and Contrast Essay. If you have ideas for how to do a good peer review activity for this assignment, please just reply to this post with your ideas!!! http://www.eslweb.org/resources/index.php?topic=1138.0Randall Sadler
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« on: March 31, 2010, 11:36:46 AM »
The assignment sheet which is attached asks the students to compare and contrast two paintings by Claude Monet. It is based on a suggestion by the Art Institute of Chicago and includes links to the images of both paintings. As might be imagined, this assignment works very well if you've also done writing in class that is descriptive in nature.
If your students have problems with the vocabulary for these descriptions, many local museums or museum websites have information on that type of information.
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« on: March 02, 2010, 01:11:12 PM »
Post your ideas here for post-reading activities for this article on astronomy: Galactic Lenses Confirm Universe's Age, Size You'll also find ideas for during-reading and post-reading activities in those sections on the board!
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« on: March 02, 2010, 01:10:30 PM »
Post your ideas here for during-reading for this article on astronomy: Galactic Lenses Confirm Universe's Age, Size You'll also find ideas for during-reading and post-reading activities in those sections on the board!
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« on: March 02, 2010, 01:08:21 PM »
Post your ideas here for pre-reading for this article on astronomy: Galactic Lenses Confirm Universe's Age, Size You'll also find ideas for during-reading and post-reading activities in those sections on the board!
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« on: February 04, 2010, 12:22:18 PM »
Project Gutenberg is an attempt to put as many out of copyright books online and freely available as possible. Over 30,000 books here so far! Check it out here: http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page
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« on: November 16, 2009, 02:35:34 PM »
While readability often is used to talk about whether a text is worth reading at all (e.g. That book was soooooo unreadable), it is also a term used to refer to a number of features from a text. According to our friends at Wikipedia (downloaded 11/11/2010), readability refers to " Readability tests, readability formulas, or readability metrics are formulae for evaluating the readability of text, usually by counting syllables, words, and sentences." There are a number of different formulas used to determine readability, but no that are fully developed for use in ESL classes. Nonetheless, using a readability formula on a reading that you have found to be an appropriate level for your students, getting the resulting number, and then using that number as a baseline for choosing future readings, can be a good strategy to ensure you are getting the right level of readings for your students. You can also obtain some basic readability statistics directly from Microsoft Word ( Flesch Reading Ease & Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level). Just search for "readability" in the Word help area. In Word '10 you can use this by: 1. Click the Microsoft Office Button (or the File tab), and then click Word Options. 2. Click Proofing. 3. Make sure Check grammar with spelling is selected. 4. Under When correcting grammar in Word, select the Show readability statistics check box. 5. Now do a spelling & grammar check, and the statistics should pop up in a new window. Another popular readability formula is the Gunning Fog Index. Here is an online tool to determine this index: http://simbon.madpage.com/Fog/Other readability formulas include: Some Online Text AnalyzersOne of the challenges of ESL writing/reading teachers is to decide what texts are really appropriate for your students. There are a number of text analyzers freely available, and though most of them are aimed at L1 readers, they can still have a very good idea of the relative level of readings. A general note on readability stats. You'll notice that the numbers they'll give you often vary...sometimes a lot! They are tools to use in conjunction with your own judgment and experience. http://www.ist.rit.edu/~jxs/services/TestReadability.htmlhttp://www.addedbytes.com/tools/readability-score/A listing of a number of text analysis tools http://academic.csuohio.edu/kneuendorf/content/cpuca/qtap.htmPaste in a URL to test the readability of a website http://juicystudio.com/services/readability.phpHere is a website that lets you paste in or upload an attachment and provides a number of readability results: http://www.online-utility.org/english/readability_test_and_improve.jspOne text anaysis formula specifically designed for EFL/ESL readers is the McAlpine EFLAW. Unfortunately, I've been unable to find a free version of a program that does this calculation, so if you want to try it you'll have to use your own brain! It is important to note that all of these formulas have strengths and weaknesses---sometimes more weaknesses than strengths. However, they are an excellent way to have a more objective way to determine exactly how difficult a reading may be for your students.
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« on: November 16, 2009, 01:21:31 PM »
Hello all, Below you'll find a few of my favorite resources that use technology to enhance the teaching of L2 Reading and/or Writing. Take a look and see what you think? If you have any that you think are valuable, add them to this section via a new post. BookGluttonBookglutton is a website that allow access to public domain books (and now with new book on a paid version) via their own web-based reader. The nice thing is that the site also creates reading groups and allows the readers to chat about the books and to add annotations as well. This could be a great tool to use if your class is reading one of the books available there for free. Project GutenbergThis project was started by Michael Hart with his inventon of electronic books WAY back in 1971. He was from Urbana, Illinois and died on September 6, 2011. He as a VERY forward thinker, and Project Gutenberg continues!! The project currently has over 36,000 free books available via their website, including books in other languages. The books can be read online or downloaded to readers like the Kindle, iPhone, etc. A GREAT source of free books. LibriVoxLibriVox is another site that makes use of books in the public domain. These include novels, short stores, poetry, fables, etc. You can find a large number of books that the LibriVox volunteers have turned into free audiobooks. Books can be downloaded directly, or you can subscribe to their podcast. In addition, LibriVox is always looking for volunteers to record their own readings of available books--a good activity if you have advanced learners. FanFiction.netFanFiction.net is a site with...fan fiction. This genre of writing consists of stories created by fans of popular writers. For example, on this site you'll find over 400,000 (yes, four hundred thousands) fan fiction stories related to Harry Potter. They also have fan fiction based on short stories, movies, comics, games, tv, and more. This is a great source of free fiction for your students, and is also a place where you could have your students post their own writing to a public audience. Online Bulletin Boards Blogs (e.g., Blogger, Wordpress, etc.) are very popular, but good old fashioned bulletin boards/message boards like the forum you are on right now can have some advantages over blogs. First and foremost, they are designed more for two way communication than blogs (which are, after all, intended as online diaries). If you want your students to ask questions, provide answers, etc., message boards may be a good choice. Below are just a couple samples, one for ESL students and one for travellers. I've had ESL students go to the Frommers Travel Forum and answer questions about their own countries. This makes them the "expert," and they tend to get a lot of appreciation from the readers for their efforts! ? http://www.eslcafe.com? http://www.frommers.com/community/forums-main.html
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« on: October 22, 2009, 02:12:06 PM »
The handout (word and .pdf formats) you'll find attached is an easy one-page overview of the three most common ways to introduce a quotation: 1. With a colon (when the signal phrase is an Independent Clause). 2. With a comma (when the signal phrase is a Dependent Clause). 3. Blended (when the signal phrase combines with the quotation to make a grammatical sentence without extra punctuation). There are samples of each type. When I use this type of handout in class, I'd then usually provide my students with some quotations taken from some sources (or made up) and (in groups) have then take each quote and introduce it all three ways. As a class we'd then compare what the groups came up with and decide which seem to work best--and why. You can find an associated handout regarding Signal Phrases here: http://www.eslweb.org/resources/index.php?topic=14.0
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« on: September 10, 2009, 10:45:48 AM »
Here is another good reason for your students to avoid plagiarism...especially if their work will be online! This MSN article describes a number of new sites that troll the Net looking for stolen words, phrases, etc.Steal this story? Beware Net?s plagiarism ?cops?In case this article disappears from the MSN site, I've included a .pdf copy below as well (in two parts--don't forget that you must be logged in to see attachments). Citation: Mapes, D. (2009, September 10). Steal this story? Beware Net?s plagiarism ?cops'. MSNBC Technology & Science. Retrieved September 10, 2009, from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32657885/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgetsLet me know if you use it and how it works! 
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« on: September 03, 2009, 08:42:59 AM »
This site provides a bunch of key vocabulary terms from a number of business fields, ranging from Advertising to Manufacturing. For each of those areas there is a list of vocabulary--likely aimed at more advanced ESL learners, but great for English for Specific Purposes or Task-Based Language Learning! Core Vocabulary Sheets
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« on: September 03, 2009, 08:36:15 AM »
Here is a good site for free vocabulary handouts: ESLTower.comAll the handouts seem to be available as .pdf files for easy printing! Another site with great vocabulary handouts is this one, also in .pdf format: http://www.eslpdf.com/
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« on: September 03, 2009, 08:32:05 AM »
Story rounds are a great way to get your students writing in a creative way. The attached instructions describe how to do story rounds/round robins in a more focused way, so that you can have your students use more specific vocabulary and/or grammatical structures.
If you use story rounds in some different way, reply to this post!
Also, you'll find some sample of story rounds attached. In this case, there were 4 groups involved (of 4 students each).
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