Website #1: No Fear Shakespeare
http://nfs.sparknotes.com/
How would this website be beneficial to ELL learners?
I would imagine that one of the biggest things ELL will struggle with in their literature classes is comprehending the use of dialect and different forms of English. In particular, the middle English of the Shakespearian plays would be particularly difficult to handle. Shakespeare is still a very prominent part of many high school's curriculum. In general, I would say that plays would be a wonderful way to teach ELL students literary elements. Especially if the students acted out the general story of the play, this would be a very high context activity for ELL students. In addition, these plays are still popular because they address themes and questions that appeal to a broad range of cultures and have survived the test of time. However, the language of middle English make these plays difficult and frustrating for even the most gifted students. No fear Shakespeare transforms the mysteries of language and allows the students to actually experience the story and themes through language that is familiar to them. It also ensures that, for an ELL learner, there is no added difficulty to reading the play.
How would I use this website in my classroom?
As I said before, I think that plays would be a very good tool to use with ELL learners in my classroom. There are many things you can do with this. First of all, you could present this as a study of a time and place that is very different from what we know to be normal. The Shakespearian time period was a culture that was completely different, and this may be the first time that some of the students in the class will be asked to understand the customs of a different culture. It may make the ELL student feel more comfortable as everyone in the whole class will have to set aside some preconceived notions about love, respect, etc. Secondly, I always have the students read "No Fear" Shakespeare versions of the play aloud. Although we do have a few lessons where we really delve into the grammatical differences and give the students the chance to read famous speeches in Shakespearian prose, the majority of the play will be read in modern English. When we do this, I always give the students the opportunity to act out the play. This would be extremely beneficial for ELL because it automatically moves the lesson to one that is kinetic and contextually rich. Since the plays are offered for free on the website, it also allows the students resources that allow them to read the novel outside of class time and familiarize themselves with their parts if they want to participate but are nervous about speaking in public.
How would this website be beneficial to ELL learners?
I would imagine that one of the biggest things ELL will struggle with in their literature classes is comprehending the use of dialect and different forms of English. In particular, the middle English of the Shakespearian plays would be particularly difficult to handle. Shakespeare is still a very prominent part of many high school's curriculum. In general, I would say that plays would be a wonderful way to teach ELL students literary elements. Especially if the students acted out the general story of the play, this would be a very high context activity for ELL students. In addition, these plays are still popular because they address themes and questions that appeal to a broad range of cultures and have survived the test of time. However, the language of middle English make these plays difficult and frustrating for even the most gifted students. No fear Shakespeare transforms the mysteries of language and allows the students to actually experience the story and themes through language that is familiar to them. It also ensures that, for an ELL learner, there is no added difficulty to reading the play.
How would I use this website in my classroom?
As I said before, I think that plays would be a very good tool to use with ELL learners in my classroom. There are many things you can do with this. First of all, you could present this as a study of a time and place that is very different from what we know to be normal. The Shakespearian time period was a culture that was completely different, and this may be the first time that some of the students in the class will be asked to understand the customs of a different culture. It may make the ELL student feel more comfortable as everyone in the whole class will have to set aside some preconceived notions about love, respect, etc. Secondly, I always have the students read "No Fear" Shakespeare versions of the play aloud. Although we do have a few lessons where we really delve into the grammatical differences and give the students the chance to read famous speeches in Shakespearian prose, the majority of the play will be read in modern English. When we do this, I always give the students the opportunity to act out the play. This would be extremely beneficial for ELL because it automatically moves the lesson to one that is kinetic and contextually rich. Since the plays are offered for free on the website, it also allows the students resources that allow them to read the novel outside of class time and familiarize themselves with their parts if they want to participate but are nervous about speaking in public.
Website #2: Literacy Works
http://www.literacyworks.org/learningresources/4_networked_indiv/lr_networked_indiv_home.html
How would this website be beneficial to ELL learners?
This website is specifically designed for the ELL learner. This website takes news stories from CNN and rewrites them in simpler sentence structure and uses vocabulary that is appropriate for an ELL. As a side bonus, it also provides audio for all the stories listed on the website. There is an full version, abridged version, and outline depending on the needs of the student. There are also vocabulary, word choice, sequencing, and other activities that the student can do to help build their literacy skills. I really like this site because it makes accommodations for a variety of abilities and levels that an ELL student may have.
How would I use this website in my classroom?
Though current events is something that you typically think of when designing a social studies or history classroom, I also believe that it can be utilized within the scope of a language arts class...particularly when teaching different types of essays. Students could read the article at the level appropriate for them and then we could do activities related to that activity. For an extremely new ELL student, that may simply mean reading the outline and completing the activities provided through this website. For another, that may mean reading the article, completing the activities, and drawing a cartoon to summarize the points made in the article. I really like this article because designing differentiated instruction takes time. This would provide me with a weekly activity that would increase the comprehension of my ELL students and provides a basis for expression and debate within the classroom. It is also very little work for me and that makes my life a whole lot easier.
How would this website be beneficial to ELL learners?
This website is specifically designed for the ELL learner. This website takes news stories from CNN and rewrites them in simpler sentence structure and uses vocabulary that is appropriate for an ELL. As a side bonus, it also provides audio for all the stories listed on the website. There is an full version, abridged version, and outline depending on the needs of the student. There are also vocabulary, word choice, sequencing, and other activities that the student can do to help build their literacy skills. I really like this site because it makes accommodations for a variety of abilities and levels that an ELL student may have.
How would I use this website in my classroom?
Though current events is something that you typically think of when designing a social studies or history classroom, I also believe that it can be utilized within the scope of a language arts class...particularly when teaching different types of essays. Students could read the article at the level appropriate for them and then we could do activities related to that activity. For an extremely new ELL student, that may simply mean reading the outline and completing the activities provided through this website. For another, that may mean reading the article, completing the activities, and drawing a cartoon to summarize the points made in the article. I really like this article because designing differentiated instruction takes time. This would provide me with a weekly activity that would increase the comprehension of my ELL students and provides a basis for expression and debate within the classroom. It is also very little work for me and that makes my life a whole lot easier.