Infonews n°316 from 18/11/2007

A la Une this week, internet safety and how to validate some items of the internet certificate, and in the news, read about the re-opening of St Pancras in London and some other news and testimonies about the life in London. Primary school teachers will find useful resources for beginners in this site full of songs, easy sound and educational games ordered by themes. Secondary school teachers will find bedtime stories to hear and easy plays to perform for lower intermediates, listening comprehension exercises about New York, speech triggering pictures to prepare for oral exams, a lesson about guns and tips for oral conversation from BBC Learning, for adult intermediates working in autonomy. Music fans will enjoy a very comprehensive site about all types of musics and instruments, and at the end you can read 2 articles about teaching practice : one about teaching spelling differently, and another inviting considering what happens when students take part in the assessment of their work.
Et si vous pouvez aller à Paris à la fin de la semaine prochaine, ne manquez pas la journée de l'APLV et le salon de l'éducation!

have a nice week!
Christine Reymond

Sommaire

A la Une : Cyber-safety quizzes

How to validate items from the internet certificate in English
Jo Cool/Jo Fool cyber-tour and CyberQuiz
How to use it in class

In the News : High Speed One and London

High Speed One Opens
London

Resources for Primary School

MiddleWeb's must see site for ELL

Resources for Secondary School

Online stories and activities
How To... (from the BBC)
Speech triggering pictures
New York : listening comprehension exercises
A lesson about Guns

Other subjects taught in English

Music : Sound Junction (from MiddleWeb's "Of Particular Interest" n°331)

Teaching Practice

Spelling tests and students with disabilities
What if students define quality? (from MiddleWeb's "Of Particular Interest" n°331)
Adlit.org : Adolescent Literacy (from MiddleWeb's "Of Particular Interest" n°331)
Journée APLV
Salon Educatec


A la Une : Cyber-safety quizzes

How to validate items from the internet certificate in English

If you don't know how to validate some items of the B2I (internet certificate)
http://eduscol.education.fr/D0053/documents.htm
http://www.educnet.education.fr/chrgt/b2i/b2i-NivLycee.pdf
here is a site that you could use at the same time:
- to raise your students awareness of the dangers and traps of the internet,
- to enable them to select reliable documents from the internet
- to help them to behave responsibly on the net (protect their privacy and respect the others' )
- to validate items from group 2 (2.2; 2.5; 2.6)

Jo Cool/Jo Fool cyber-tour and CyberQuiz

http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/games/jocool_jofool/kids.cfm
"Think you know about the Web? Here's your chance to prove it! Take a CyberTour with Josie and Joseph Cool,
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/special_initiatives/games/joecool_joefool/Start_tour.html
as they visit their twelve favorite Web sites, and decide whether or not they're making smart choices. It's easy to do. Every time one of the Jo's has to make a decision about a Web site, write down in your media journal:
What kind of Web site is this?
What decision does Jo have to make?
What should Jo be looking out for?
Does Jo make the right decision?
Why or why not?
How do your answers compare to the Jo's? Any surprises?
After you're done, compare your answers with those of your friends.
Once you've taken the CyberTour, see how much you've learned by completing the Jo Cool/Jo Fool CyberQuiz. There are twenty questions about the Net and how kids use it­are you up for the challenge?
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/special_initiatives/games/joecool_joefool/Start.html

How to use it in class

If your students are internet fans ( chatting, looking for ready to use homework, trying to get someone's password, etc.) as mine are, they will enjoy this teaching unit.
It will start in the computer room : in groups of twos, they will explore the 12 sites of the cyber-tour, take notes and discuss the results. They will all have to find for each site why it is a nice site or a trick. Meanwhile, they will also keep track of the vocabulary they have come across, and write a list of words and expressions related to that topic. The homework will be to finish the work at home : taking notes and writing a list of vocabulary.
in the next period as a whole class, they will first work in groups of 4, to put their findings together and make sure they have understood correctly. Then they will make a list of what they have discovered and want to remember. At the end of the period, they will exchange orally about what they have learnt. The homework will be to memorize these elements and enrich them with their own experience. the site doesn't mention chain letters and hoaxes, hopefully a student will raise this point.
In the next lesson, they will recap what they have learnt and give their own examples.

In the News : High Speed One and London

High Speed One Opens

BBC Learning English "word in the news" features a text (and audio file) about the new fast track called "High Speed One", thanks to which the Eurostar trains will get to London faster : "A new high speed rail link between London and Paris has brought the two capitals closer together, shaving 20 minutes off the journey time. The link that starts at London's St Pancras station also cuts 25 minutes off the journey time to Brussels."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/newsenglish/witn/2007/11/071116_eurostar.shtml
in the "read more about the story" section at the end of the page, you get to this page
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/7093761.stm
with a link to several videos, including interviews of people
http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/player/nol/newsid_7090000/newsid_7093800?redirect=7093881.stm&news=1&bbram=1&bbwm=1&nbwm=1&nbram=1&asb=1 and the official opening ceremony with the Queen
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/7081809.stm

London

It also lead to another site about London, with several sections :
- behind the scenes at St Pancras, with several videos of people giving their opinion and the problems this new station may solve... or bring
http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/travel/st_pancras/
- London's latest BBC News
http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/
- Jam Cam which gives you a real time (or almost) view of the traffic in London : just choose the location on the map
http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/jamcams_interactive_map.shtml
- Video Nation : videos of people who have something to say about their life in London. (many video about the upcoming Olympic games, but also an eco house or ball room dancing)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/7093761.stm

Resources for Primary School

MiddleWeb's must see site for ELL

MiddleWeb's "Of Particular Interest" n°331 recommends this "excellent site, maintained by California literacy teacher Larry Ferlazzo". From "the homepage, click on "English"
http://larryferlazzo.com/english.html
and you'll see nine categories of ELL materials (including science, geography and world history).
http://larryferlazzo.com/englishthemes.html
[ ELL, ESL, EFL stand for English Language Learning, English as a Second or Foreign Language. All those are English for students who are not native speakers. The site lists topics by themes, and for each theme there are dozens of links to interesting pages. For example in animals,
http://larryferlazzo.com/englishthemes.html#animals
I selected "elephant" and one of the addresses was that page from the CBBC, Newsround, with a text and the audio file.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4720000/newsid_4720700/4720716.stm
Explore this site, you'll find lots of resources such as songs, simple texts, audio files and educational games for beginners.]
( from http://www.middleweb.com )

Resources for Secondary School

Online stories and activities

BookPals Storyline features online stories for children. You can see videos of bedtime stories read by mothers, with subtitles and some pictures of the books. Those stories can be used by students level A2 and above to improve their listening comprehension. Note that for some books you can also access the script as reader's theater : the story turned into a play!
http://www.storylineonline.net/
I chose "my rotten red headed older brother" (a story with lots of comparative and superlatives), and here is the reader's theater:
http://www.storylineonline.net/rotten/storyline_redheaded_reader.pdf
and then "Pigasso and met Mootisse" based on the characteristics of Picasso and Matisse. A teacher's guide is provided with lots of activities to do around the story, and links to sites to discover the lives and works of the real painters so as to understand the references.
http://www.storylineonline.net/pigasso/storyline_pigasso.pdf

How To... (from the BBC)

"How 2" is a new podcast from BBC Learning English. This audio podcast is about how to talk about funny or unusual things that happened. In each file, you hear someone speaking, and there is a commentary stressing what vocabulary is used an how the speech is built and presented with a stress on expressions used to introduce and conclude it. it ends with a recap. It could be useful for intermediate adults who want to learn by themselves. You can subscribe to the podcast to receive a file automatically each week.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/podcasts/how2/
http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/worldservice/how2/how2_20071114-1700.mp3

Speech triggering pictures

Many of us need speech triggering pictures to train their students for oral exams. Our colleague Annie Gwynn recommends this site from the British Council in Hungary which offers ready to use handouts with pictures and questions about and around the pictures. They are ordered by themes such as "school", "work", "environment", etc.
http://www.examsreform.hu/Pages/ST_InduvidLT.html

New York : listening comprehension exercises

On his site "Soundguide", our colleague Rodolphe Maurel offers lots of useful exercises around videos or audio files on different themes.
http://www.soundguideweb.com/index.php?lng=en
The most recent addition is the pages about New York : a full guide (12 pages with videos) and her holidays in New York described by a British student. Those documents can be used in class, in the computer lab, in the library, and also by students working on their own at home.
http://www.soundguideweb.com/articles.php?lng=fr&pg=52
http://www.soundguideweb.com/articles.php?lng=fr&pg=211

A lesson about Guns

On e-teach, Catherine Tertre from Rennes recommends this ready to use Instant Lesson from English-to-go about guns and gun laws. The lesson includes a warming up, texts and diagrams with comprehension exercises and follow up work. It is easy, level A2, with lots of figures and names of countries. it will be perfect for older students or adults with a weak level who need to take confidence.
http://www.english-to-go.com/english/free_lesson.cfm?CFID=1577058&CFTOKEN=99038739

Other subjects taught in English

Music : Sound Junction (from MiddleWeb's "Of Particular Interest" n°331)

Developed by the U.K.-based Royal Schools of Music, the comprehensive Sound Junction site offers secondary students and their teachers the opportunity to explore many kinds of music (and musical instruments) in depth. Education World says music educators "will find an enormous free music resource with around 1,000 pages of information and activities as well as curriculum materials such as packets of lesson plans, ideas for using the site with students, quick links for learning how to use site features, and a forum for sharing learning
ideas." There's even a Composer Tool to create original compositions. Give yourself some time to explore -- consider starting in the Journey mode to get a feel for how the site works.
http://www.soundjunction.org/default.aspa
[ an excellent British site for all music lovers, where you can learn, explore and create all styles of music ( from medieval to tectonic! ). A site for music students and teachers who teach music in English.]
( from http://www.middleweb.com )

Teaching Practice

Spelling tests and students with disabilities

Read this article about how to learn spelling, which teachers students ways to find resources and help to spell the word right, instead of only relying on their memory.
http://www.teachingld.org/pdf/teaching_how-tos/spelling_tests.pdf

What if students define quality? (from MiddleWeb's "Of Particular Interest" n°331)

Eighth grade teacher Ellen Berg was fed up with an arbitrary grading system that felt disconnected from the learning goals she wanted to pursue in her classroom. So the 12-year veteran decided to share ownership of the assessment process with her students. She began the school year by guiding her students through an exploration of the meaning of "quality." The result was a student-generated list of process standards (how quality is created) and product standards (how do we identify something of quality?). Berg and her students then began to hold their own classroom work "up to the standards we set as a class." In this blog at the Teacher Leaders Network website, Berg offers details of her work in progress. "Every single assignment this quarter has been turned in by every single student. This is the first time in my career that's happened. They see the purpose in what they're doing."
http://teacherleaders.typepad.com/tln_teacher_voices/2007/11/what-happens-wh.html
( from http://www.middleweb.com )

Adlit.org : Adolescent Literacy (from MiddleWeb's "Of Particular Interest" n°331)

"As important as it is to teach students to read in grades K-3," begins a promo for this new website, "it is every bit as important to help them build upon that foundation in grades 4-12, so that they develop the more sophisticated reading and writing skills that are the true measure of the educated individual, the skilled worker, and the capable citizen." Adlit.org promises to help, with a rich array of free instructional materials, research-based articles, best classroom practices, book lists with guided discussion questions, author interviews, and more.
http://www.adlit.org/
( from http://www.middleweb.com )
[ interesting documents and videos for teaching practice. See the literacy coach (une sorte de documentaliste qui intervient à la carte dans les classes), discover classroom strategies and read about the SQ3R (an old method, but which can still be useful).]
http://www.adlit.org/multimedia/Literacy_Coaching
http://www.adlit.org/strategy_library
http://www.adlit.org/strategies/19803

Journée APLV

La journée d'études de l'APLV ( Association des professeurs de Langues Vivantes) aura lieu le 24 novembre 2007 de 14h00 à 17h30 au lycée Henri IV à Paris. Les conférences sont gratuites et ouvertes à tous.
- Comment former les enseignants de langues à l’utilisation du CECR ? Avec un représentant de l’IGEN
- La formation en langues des professeurs des écoles : l’exemple de la formation croisée franco-britannique présenté par Joëlle Aden, Maître de Conférences à l’IUFM de l’Académie de Créteil
- La formation des professeurs de langues à l’utilisation des TICE : exemple de projet à l’intention des professeurs des écoles présenté par Jean-Yves Petitgirard, Maître de Conférences à l’Université Stendhal de Grenoble et Secrétaire Général de l’APLV
http://www.aplv-languesmodernes.org/

Salon Educatec

Le salon de l'éducation et Educatec sont du 22 au 25 novembre, à Paris, Porte de Versailles. L'entrée est gratuite. Vous pouvez télécharger l'invitation sur le site. Associée à la journée APLV, c'est l'occasion de rencontrer des collègues et de s'informer sur les dernières méthodes ( rencontrez les collègues du CIEP, etwinning, de l'Europe et de l'Agence Education Formation (ex Socrates) avec les projets Comenius, etc.) et technologies ( découvrez Archos et ses concurrents, les tableaux interactifs, les équipements de salle multimedia, etc.).
Un week-end chargé en perspective! ;)
http://www.salon-education.org
http://www.salon-education.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=59&Itemid=114
http://www.salon-education.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=57&Itemid=99


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lycée Blaise Pascal, Rouen, France
E-Mail: Christine.Reymond@ac-rouen.fr
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