Infonews n°259 du 20/11/2005

A la Une this week, discover sites about nursery rhymes : you can read them, see animations and hear them read or sung, you can also find various activities, coloring pages, handicraft and rebus, use the words with music like a karaoke, and also learn about their origins and their historical background. Then, next Thursday is thanksgiving, so here are some sites of resources, plus some new ones. Primary school teachers will also find tips and resources to use songs in class and help students learn to situate the states in the USA. Secondary school teachers will discover resources around A Christmas Carol, video games and school shootings, home safety, a lovely gift guide and for advanced students, some interesting video without script. And the teacher's tip of the week will be an article about how to deal with bullying.
have a nice week!
Christine Reymond

Sommaire

Nursery Rhymes

For Kindergarten
For primary school and lower secondary school
For advanced students

Thanksgiving

Videos
Thanksgiving Wordsearch
A Pilgrim Conversation
Thanksgiving arts and crafts
Recipes
A ready-to-use handout
Facts and figures

Resources for Primary School

Teaching with Songs
US State Flashcards

Resources for Secondary School

A Christmas Carol
Video games and school shootings
Home Safety
2005 Holiday Gift Guide (from [LII New This Week] November 10)
Videos

Teaching Practice

How to deal with bullying in the classroom


Nursery Rhymes

Laure Peskine recommends this site featuring 88 Traditional Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes recorded for the children of the world by Walter Rufus Eagles in streaming RealMedia audio files. All rhymes can be heard free in their entirety.
http://www.eaglesweb.com/Mother_Goose.htm
But I found the tone sad and too emphatic, and there is no script.
You can find the words to several of the rhymes in those sites. Some are also different, but here they are not read!
http://www.indiaparenting.com/rhymes/english/index.shtml
http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/Fountain/5540/
http://www.zelo.com/family/nursery/index.asp (lots of adverts)
http://www.love-poems.me.uk/a_children's_nursery_rhymes_index.htm
http://nurseryrhymesandsongs.homestead.com/Nursery_Rhymes_and_Songs.html
and lots of links to resources around the nursery rhymes on that page from A to Z teachers:
http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/Themes/Nursery_Rhymes/

For Kindergarten

- *** this is the best site I found : a Flash animation shows the story, and a sweet motherly voice sings the nursery ( the site was made by parents for their baby girl, you can even hear the little girl saying the ryhmes, but this is not usable in class)
http://www.rhymesandsongs.com/
- This site explains how to use rhymes with English-speaking pre-readers. For each rhyme, you find illustrated handouts or posters and a lesson plan. But they aim at helping English children to link sounds, pictures and written words and enriching their vocabulary (Jack and Jill, hill, dill : "ill" riddles), so they need to be adapted to ESL students, but the process and they way to 'act' the rhymes is interesting.
http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/go/wil/rimes_and_rhymes.htm#This_Week
- this page (without sound) includes activities, coloring pages and handicrafts to do around each rhyme:
http://www.dltk-teach.com/rhymes/index.htm
The site also features several traditional fairy tales including Goldilocks and the three bears, Rapunzle and Snow White.
You can also find activities and coloring pages:
http://www.first-school.ws/theme/nurseryrhymes.htm
http://www.hubbardscupboard.org/kindergarten_rhyme_time.html
- this site (without sound) organises the rhymes according to themes or activities (animals, counting) and I especially likes their page of finger play rhymes to teach numbers:
http://www.preschoolrainbow.org/preschool-rhymes.htm

For primary school and lower secondary school

- there you find lovely pages of rebus rhymes, with some of the words replaced by an illustration : attractive and efficient, as always on Enchanted Learning.
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/Rhymes.html
you can also find a different introduction to the same pages:
http://webtech.kennesaw.edu/kadair/mgoosehunt.htm
and this excellent and easy *** scavenger hunt invites the students to look for elements through the different rhymes
http://www.zoomwhales.com/rhymes/classroom/hunt.shtml
- On this site, you can read the words and hear the music, but the song is not sung. The musics are nice and it can be a useful exercise to invite your students to make the words they read fit with the music:
http://www.hendersonville-pd.org/hpdnursery.html
- you can also reflect on the sounds used:
http://www.zoomwhales.com/rhymes/wordfamilies/

For advanced students

- explanation of the lyrics of some nursery rhymes with several suggestions for their origin, linked to history. Fascinating!
http://www.rhymes.org.uk/
you can also read the origins of Mother Goose stories, from France to England and then the USA
http://www.rhymes.org.uk/mother-goose-origins.htm
read for example : "Hark, Hark, the dog barks"
http://www.rhymes.org.uk/hark_hark_the_dogs_do_bark.htm
- If you wish to work on that theme with advanced literature students, or just for the teachers' information, read this interesting research paper about rhymes, their interpretation and their variants:
http://eclipse.rutgers.edu/goose/rhymes/
http://eclipse.rutgers.edu/goose/resources/pathfinder.asp
After studying this, you can go on to folktales, tall tales, fables, proverbs, myths, and epics:
http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/form2.htm#G
or read this other research paper, studying the language more closely
http://www.english.uwaterloo.ca/courses/engl208c/esharris.htm

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is on Thursday, November 24th this year. You can find resources on Infonews and on the académies de Paris and Versailles pages:
http://perso.numericable.fr/~dreymondch46/infonews/themes/thanksgivingkids.htm
http://lve.scola.ac-paris.fr/anglais/fetes11.php#tg
http://www.ac-versailles.fr/pedagogi/anglais/civi/thanksgiving.html
and here are some new addresses:

Videos

A video from the national geographic (a bit long, use only parts parts of it)
http://www.historychannel.com/thanksgiving/?page=video
and remember also the video from Bowling for Columbine, presenting a brief history of the USA with the South park characters and lots of humor
http://www.bowlingforcolumbine.com/media/clips/index.php

Thanksgiving Wordsearch ( from Riverdeep's Classroom Flyers)

excellent online wordsearch (with congratulations when you find the correct place)
http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/thanksgiving/wordfinds/thanksgiving-challenge.html
upper elementary printable wordsearch with a Thanksgiving theme.
http://www.abcteach.com/Thanksgiving/wordsearch.htm
and a very (too?) easy one
http://a4esl.org/q/h/9704/af-sw-thanks.html
interactive thanksgiving crossword (easy)
http://iteslj.org/cw/1/af-thanks.html

A Pilgrim Conversation (Riverdeep's Classroom Flyer, Wednesday, October 19th)

Using online resources and pictorial references, students will be directed to proper quotation techniques. They will also complete an assignment on creating a dialogue between Pilgrims, using the Mayflower Passenger List and a picture prompt.
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/page/3247.html

Thanksgiving arts and crafts (from from Riverdeep's Classroom Flyer, Friday, November 11th)

- how to make corn husk doll
You can usually purchase inexpensive corn husks at your local grocery store, and will need to soak them in water previous to this lesson plan. Illustrated instructions are included to make this Thanksgiving corn husk doll.
http://www.teachersfirst.com/summer/cornhusk.htm
- how to make a dreamcatcher
Dreamcatchers can vary widely in their artistic interpretations, but they all basically have the same circle hoop and stitching. Find directions here to create a web of simple stitches, tying on feathers and beads to decorate to individual preferences.
http://www.nativetech.org/dreamcat/dreminst.html
[ the difficult part for us is to find usable corn husk or willow twigs!]

Recipes

- Best-ever Thanksgiving (from [LII New This Week] November 10)
Collection of recipes and craft and activity ideas for children related to the celebration of Thanksgiving. Includes recipes for turkey, pies and desserts, side dishes, and leftovers. Craft ideas include decorations, tabletop decor, pilgrim hats, toy canoes, and more. From FamilyFun magazine.
http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/special/minisite/thanksgiving-main/
with lots of recipes and you will especially enjoy the video recipes of nice looking pilgrim hat cakes:
http://familyfun.go.com/utilities/global/feature/fftv-archive-video-player/fftv-archive-video-player.html?video=pilgrim_hats
- Mr Breakfast's thanksgiving recipes (from [LII New This Week] November 17)
http://www.mrbreakfast.com/thanksgiving.asp

A ready-to-use handout

Harvest Ceremony: Beyond the Thanksgiving Myth (from [LII New This Week] November 10)
This document "assists teachers in preparing lessons about the first Thanksgiving. The study guide includes information on which Native peoples met the first European immigrants in 1621, the harvest celebration, the Wampanoag today, the importance of corn, and instructions on how to make Johnny cakes." From the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI).
http://americanindian.si.edu/education/files/harvest.pdf

Facts and figures (from Annie Gwynn)

from the U.S. Census Bureau Facts for Features: Thanksgiving Day Facts and statistics about turkeys, cranberries, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, holiday shopping, places named Plymouth, and more. Includes quotes and audio clips, and a brief history of the holiday.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/005712.html
a text and a MP3 file to download
http://www.census.gov/pubinfo/www/broadcast/radio/profile_america/005856.html
http://www.census.gov/pubinfo/www/radio/audio/pa051124.mp3

Resources for Primary School

Teaching with Songs

Here is a site with lots of worksheets around the lyrics of songs.
http://www.musicalenglishlessons.org
http://www.musicalenglishlessons.org/music-index.htm
You have to find the song itself somewhere else, but the site also
offers a guide to how to make a worksheet from lyrics:
http://www.musicalenglishlessons.org/music-create.htm
You can also find useful resources in those pages from our colleague
Michèle Henry, which offer songs you can hear and activities around them :
http://www.ac-nancy-metz.fr/enseign/anglais/Henry/chans.htm
http://www.ac-nancy-metz.fr/enseign/anglais/Henry/music.htm

US State Flashcards ( from Riverdeep's Classroom Flyer, November 9th)

download these cards and print them on hard paper : you can then use them as a puzzle or as a game. Print them on a magnetic support, and you can use them as fridge magnet.
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/acProject?dlc=en&hhopsession=cfd3a988a03ed1b66b44ba0a7738&lc=en&page=acCategoryAll&cc=us&project=magneticunitedstates&subcat=36222
and to find where the states are, what their capitals, flower, emblems are, and train interactively, go to:
http://perso.numericable.fr/~dreymondch46/infonews/themes/50states.htm

Resources for Secondary School

A Christmas Carol

This is an interesting way to introduce students to the Victorian way of life. This theme can be linked to Oliver Twist and to Christmas. You can download the full text at:
http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/46
then Elisabeth Buffard recommended some sites to study it :
- an excellent page of resources, including several sites of reading notes, learning guides and projects:
http://www.webenglishteacher.com/dickens.html
- two webquests (remember to go through all the links before you use the webquests because some links are broken and you will have to replace them or suggest another way of completing the task):
A well organised webquest, with students working in teams to perform different roles and study different aspects of the problem: Scrooge is running for Mayor and want to convey what he has learnt to the citizens and help them change things for the better. This webquest includes information from the novel, but also from several online sources of information about life in the Victorian period.
http://www.coollessons.org/Dickens.htm
Another webquest, only based on the novel/play. The content and the process are easier and interesting, but I think it needs to be adapted and can't be used as is. The students take the roles of the three ghosts, but the first task each time requires the students to draw a picture of themselves as the ghost, and this is neither useful nor interesting for our ESL students.
http://www.bgsu.edu/colleges/library/crc/webquest/Christmas%20Carol/

Video games and school shootings

Lots has been said and recommended about this topic of firearms, especially Mickael Moore's http://www.bowlingforcolumbine.com with
- the page of clips (including the history of America with the characters from South Park and an interview of Marilyn Manson)
http://www.bowlingforcolumbine.com/media/clips/index.php
- and the teacher's guide to the film
http://www.bowlingforcolumbine.com/library/teachers/index.php
see also this page of links to Elephant, Columbine and the real facts
http://perso.numericable.fr/~dreymondch46/infonews/themes/violenceinschools.htm
but here are some interesting sites for advanced students that I discovered thanks to Elisabeth Buffard on eTeach:
- about school shootings (why? statistics and advices)
http://whyfiles.org/065school_violence/
- *** about violence in video games (with reference to all the last games the students know and I don't...)
http://whyfiles.org/165video_violence/index.html
see also this page of links to catégories of video games and how they work (find RPG, first person shooters and so on)
http://perso.numericable.fr/~dreymondch46/infonews/themes/videogames.html
other articles about games and their interaction with school results and social behavior
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/ca516033.html ( meet en gamers)
http://pdfs.voya.com/VO/YA2/VOYA200502YA101.pdf (all types of games, including board games. does not include the last novelties)
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Literacy/Play.asp (the two links above and several more)

Home Safety

Play this interactive game to discover what you shouldn't do if you don't want a thief to visit your house. Then read also the tips and take the quiz:
game : http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/ittakesathief/interactive/interactive.html
facts, tips and quiz : http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/ittakesathief/tips/tips.html
and here are some advices from an insurance company to learn how home alarm and protection systems work and what will be the best for you. It is the opportunity to discover key pads, control panels and panic buttons.
http://www.statefarm.com/consumer/vhouse/articles/secalarm.htm
and to complement those sites, here are tow easy .pdf pages ready to use, full of useful tips (some match the interactive game, so you could make them play the game as a whole class with a video projector and the pages will help them.
http://www.ncpc.org/cms/cms-upload/ncpc/files/holiday04.pdf
[ for all those interested in safety devices.]

2005 Holiday Gift Guide (from [LII New This Week] November 10)

Annotated links to gift ideas for the holidays, most of which are food-related items. The theme of these offerings is "the power to induce maximum wow." Categories include chocolate, other sweet items, gifts for the office, gifts for children, "Good Things in Small Packages," and books. Written by a food columnist, for the Law Library Resource Xchange (LLRX).
http://www.llrx.com/columns/afterhours23.htm#
[ interesting site to find original gifts or just to dream : for teachers as well as students.... find a kit to make a potato Bonzai, or a Ferrari boxter for a 6 year old from Meiman Marcus ( for only $750)
bonzai : http://www.perseusbooksgroup.com/runningpress/book_detail.jsp?isbn=0762416718
Ferrari : http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/catalog/prod.jhtml?cmCat=search&itemId=prod22790104

Videos

no script, but some interesting videos. One about language and writing mistakes in American businesses
http://video.msn.com/v/us/v.htm?g=defdf30c-0e2f-48ff-a05d-ad536c0fd4dc&t=&f=
another one about a book about wine written by an young Australian:
http://video.msn.com/v/us/v.htm?g=defdf30c-0e2f-48ff-a05d-ad536c0fd4dc&t=&f=
see also this site for the references of the book (for wine lovers or professionals)
http://www.perseusbooksgroup.com/runningpress/home.jsp
another one about a mother trying to go back to work. Just make your choice. there are no scripts, but the subjects are interesting. (you can also watch the news).

Teaching Practice

How to deal with bullying in the classroom ( from Riverdeep's Classroom Flyer, Thursday, November 10th)

Acknowledging that bullying is a common adolescent experience and that adults need to intervene are key steps in learning to deal with bullying, according to this expert's advice. Find several steps for learning how to confront bullying and how to safely intervene, how to model anger management skills, and how to talk about bullying with your students.
http://teachers.net/gazette/DEC02/voors.html


Ceci est un message de la LISTE INFONEWS
réalisé par Christine Reymond
lycée Blaise Pascal, Rouen, France
Les commentaires et réflexions entre [ ] ne reflètent que mon opinion personnelle.
Les archives ne sont pas à jour, mais le site Infonews est à nouveau en ligne:
http://perso.numericable.fr/~dreymondch46/infonews/une1.htm
Pour vous inscrire et recevoir Infonews gratuitement chaque dimanche:
http://listes.ac-rouen.fr/wws/info/liste-infonews
ou envoyez un message à
Christine.Reymond@ac-rouen.fr