LOGBOOK
WEEK: Monday 28th October, 2013 to Sunday 3rd November
2013.
DATE: Friday, 1st November, 2013
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ELLO
Ello is a compilation of several English
listening recordings regarding different interesting and appealing topics. All
of the audio files come with their transcription, so that readers can follow conversations
on different topics by reading, so as to increase their listening comprehension
at the same time they receive pronunciation input.
After a wide research on the website, I saw it
includes different level listening activities. I was hugely surprised when I
saw readings about the recent Halloween festivity. Not to say a reading on the significance
and origins of Cosplaying, in regards
to the recent Manga Exhibition present in Plaza España.
Having discussed the possibilities this
resource could bring us as future teachers with my partners, we came to the
conclusion that it could have many uses. First of all, we could make comprehension
questions for the pupils to answer them after having listened to the text. We
could also use them to ease pupils practice pronunciation. They could also
prepare a presentation or even a Prezzi on a specific topic by using the
information given in a specific listening, or to promote simple debates in
classroom. Should we be interested in material for beginners, we could pay for
a licence on different PDF transcripts and listening activities, although we
could use some of the free ones for third grade pupils to use.
SPOTLIGHT ENGLISH
Spotlight
English is quite similar to Ello. However, it includes different topics from
the ones in Ello, which can prove really meaningful for all children, as they
can choose to read and listen to the dialogues on a preferred topic. One
example of this can be found in a listening about the significance and origins of
Cosplaying, in regards to the recent Manga
Exhibition event being held in Barcelona’s Spain Square. The best part is that
all of the audio files and transcribed dialogues can be downloaded or played
for free.
Feel free
to have a look at it:
SUPER SIMPLE LEARNING
This is not
a resource I came up by myself. However, I felt I had to include it in this
Blog, because appealed as really interesting to me.
I was
astonished at the possibilities this web-site proposal could bring, especially
for English teachers, and at the possibilities it offers. Super Simple Learning
does include everything! Songs, games, party ideas, flashcards, worksheets,
lesson plans… Even videos showing examples of the activities developed in
class!
In my opinion,
some songs for children are overused and overrated, being insufficient to
please them and encourage them into learning. This website, however, offers not
only simple songs for children but also funny and encouraging ones.
I decided
to share it with you because I am convinced that, either being you a learner or
a teacher, you can extract plenty of ideas from your website, as well as use its
material in your own classroom, the same way I feel inclined to do. I hope you
enjoy this wonderful website, full of resources!
CCCProse YOUTUBE AUDIO BOOKS
YouTube audio
books are a resource for advanced learners to develop reading, intonation and pronunciation
skills. Although these are way too age and stage inappropriate when bound to a
primary school student group, they can be really useful for High School
learners to become more fluent and practise English at home.
The website
includes many audio books pupils can choose from and read for free, only by
sitting in front of their respective computers, headphones on and get into the
task. Feel free to have a look, as you might find really interesting ones.
CCCProse YOUTUBE AUDIO BOOKS (FOR KIDS)
When writing
the last entry on CCCAudioBooks, telling its main drawback was the difficulty
of the books exposed, I found out a variant of the website especially bound to
kids. This one includes way easier books to be read, not as long or tricky as
the other ones.
I think as
a teacher I could use this resource, especially for kids whose parents did not
have the money to be spent in books to read or who could not help their
children to practice pronunciation by themselves. Children could either work
audiobooks along the English classroom or read them outside school.
Personally,
I would show my pupils the website and read an audiobook together in class, so
that they would get familiar with the format. During the reading/listening, I
would teach them comprehension strategies they could later apply at home so as
to make the comprehension of the books easier, being able to progress by them.
These
strategies are basically: before, during and after reading questions, which
could help the children understand the meanings by gist, at the time they get
familiar with the stories.
ALBA LEARNING AUDIO BOOKS
This is a
website regarding Spanish audio books. It can be used for Spanish teachers, not
really useful for English teachers though. Still, having to do a substitution,
I would like to have this resource at hand, especially if asked to do it in a
Spanish language classroom.
ANOTHER BLOG WITH SOME RESOURCES
Finally, I
would like to share a Blog from which I got some resources from. It is really
useful, as well, so feel free to have a look at it.
