Find useful resources and tips for teaching English with interactive apps and sites.

EdTech

Learn how to make the most of your Ellii subscription with tips from our publishing team.

Teaching with Ellii

<h1>Getting Started</h1>

<p>Are you just getting started with ESL Library&#39;s digital tools and platform? Here is a list of frequently asked&nbsp;questions and answers about our digital tools. If you have another question, feel free to ask it in <strong>Comments</strong> below or click the blue question mark found in the bottom&nbsp;right corner on any page on our site.</p>

<h2>Does ESL Library have its own web conferencing platform?</h2>

<p>No. ESL Library offers printable and digitized content that you and your students can use in two ways. First, you can work together using our <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/launch-or-preview-digital-tasks">Broadcast</a> tool. To do the lessons together, you need to be&nbsp;in a live online class using a web conferencing platform like Zoom, Google Meet, Skype, or Microsoft Teams. Choose the digital lesson you want to do together. Then&nbsp;screenshare with your students as you work through the tasks. Your students do not need to log in to ESL Library for your&nbsp;live class. They just join your web conference and you launch the content. Second, you can <a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/122-how-to-assign-digital-homework">assign digital tasks</a> to your students to complete&nbsp;on their own devices. Your students do need an ESL Library account to do this (free for students). Watch&nbsp;<a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/191-video-how-to-create-classes-and-invite-students">How to Create Classes and Invite Students</a>.</p>

<h2>Do my students need an email address to sign up for a student account?</h2>

<p>No.&nbsp;You can give your students a class code&nbsp;instead of having them sign up with email. Here is a <a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/128-how-to-invite-students-to-esl-library-digital-without-an-email-address">Help Doc</a>&nbsp;that walks you through the steps. Here is a <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/students-join-with-class-code">video demo</a>&nbsp;made for students.</p>

<h2>My student forgot their username and/or password. What should I do?</h2>

<p>Go to My Classes from the top navigation bar and scroll down to My Students until you see your student&#39;s name and username/email. Click on the three dots at the end of the table and choose Reset Password. Create a new password for your student and tell your student what this temporary password is. The next time your student logs in they can use the temporary&nbsp;password you made. Then they can go to My Profile and Change Password to create their own new password that you do not know.</p>

<h2>Can I send a single invitation that goes out to all of my students?</h2>

<p>We recommend having your students sign up as a group using the class code and secret word. You can screenshare this information in a live class. Here is a <a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/128-how-to-invite-students-to-esl-library-digital-without-an-email-address">Help Doc</a>&nbsp;that walks you through all the steps. You can also <a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/113-how-to-invite-students-to-esl-library-digital">invite students individually using email</a>. They each need their own invitation.</p>

<h2>Can my students do their ESL Library homework on their mobile phones?</h2>

<p>Yes. All of ESL Library&#39;s digital tasks were designed to work on mobile devices or desktop. The Student Dashboard is also mobile-friendly.</p>

<h2>Does ESL Library integrate with Google Classroom?</h2>

<p>Yes. You can now share an assignment on Google Classroom. Simply choose a class and assign some digital tasks. Then click the Share on Google Classroom icon. When your students are logged into Google Classroom they&nbsp;will see a link that takes them to their ESL Library assigment. We are currently working on more integration features.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Can I upload ESL Library content to Google Classroom?</h2>

<p>No. Our terms do not allow you to take our content and move it to another platform. If your students don&#39;t have their own devices to do the digital tasks, you can screenshare the content in a live class. You can also email the PDFs to your students if digital content does not exist.</p>

<h2>How can I use the audio component during live lessons?</h2>

<p>When you are teaching a live lesson and screensharing an ESL Library digital lesson, you can play the audio from your own computer or device and your students will be able to hear it as long as you don&#39;t have your headphones plugged in.&nbsp;You may want to mute&nbsp;yourself (and students) while audio is playing to reduce any echo or sound problems.</p>

<h2>Can I use ESL Library flashcards in a live class?</h2>

<p>Yes! We have a Flashcard Player that allows you to broadcast a flashcard set. <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/flashcard-player">Learn more here.</a></p>

<h2>Can I make the font size larger?</h2>

<p>We don&#39;t currently offer any features for increasing the font size of our digital materials.&nbsp;However, you can zoom in on your own screensharing program if you need to increase the text (especially useful for a formatted Reference task; please share this tip with your students). Our Flashcard Player also has two different font styles to choose from (Standard or Literacy).</p>

<h2>How can I see my students&#39; results?</h2>

<p>Go to My Classes in the top navigation and find the results for the class or student you want to see. (See&nbsp;<a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/122-how-to-assign-digital-homework">Step 10</a>.) When you click on a student&#39;s name you can see their individual student results. The results you see are in reverse order of completion within one due date. Please tell your students to complete the&nbsp;tasks in the order that you assign them.</p>

<h2>How can I give students feedback about their digital homework?</h2>

<p>A feedback and rating tool for open-ended questions is available now. You can also leave a general comment after viewing the results of each scoreable task type. On the Student Dashboard, you&nbsp;students will see a pen icon if there is feedback and ratings to view or a speech bubble icon if there is a comment to view.</p>

<h2>How can I cancel an assignment or edit the due date?</h2>

<p>Click on Class Prep in your top navigation and choose&nbsp;My Classes. Choose the class or student you want to cancel or edit an assignment for. Click on the lesson you want to edit or cancel. Click on the due date&nbsp;link on any of the assignments in that lesson. This&nbsp;will bring you back to the edit assignment page.&nbsp;Edit the due date and/or time for any task you want to change, or cancel the lesson. <a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/122-how-to-assign-digital-homework">View Step 8&ndash;9 in this Help Doc</a>.</p>

<h2>How can I get back to the lesson itself when I&#39;m viewing results?</h2>

<p>Click on Results for any task. You will now see a link at the top of the page that says View Lesson. This will take you back to the digital tab&nbsp;on the lesson description page. If you are starting on the Digital tab and you click on a due date of a task, you will see the View Lesson link at the top of the Results table that will&nbsp;easily take you back.</p>

<h2>Can I remove students to make room for new students?</h2>

<p>Yes. Simply go to Class Prep in the top navigation bar when you are logged in at&nbsp;ellii.com. Choose My Classes. Choose a class that has students that you no longer need. From the Class List, you will see a list of students. Remove any students that are no longer in your class.</p>

<h2>Can I screenshare the PDFs during a live class?</h2>

<p>Yes. If a lesson has not yet been digitized&nbsp;or if there is a task or reference page that you prefer in the PDF version, you can simply open it on your own screen for your students to view.</p>

<h2>Can I assign the PDFs to my students?</h2>

<p>We recommend using the digital versions where available. Not&nbsp;all of our lessons and resources have been digitized and it may be necessary to email the Student PDF in this case. Our digital assignment feature currently only works with digital tasks.</p>

<h2>Can I edit the PDFs?</h2>

<p>No. We do not allow editing of the PDFs for copyright reasons.</p>

<h2>Do you collect any private information from my students?</h2>

<p>No. We don&#39;t collect or share any private information about your students. Also, it&nbsp;is not necessary for a student to use a real name or even an email address to receive ESL Library homework.</p>

<h2>Where can I learn about digital feature updates?</h2>

<p>We will post monthly <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/product-updates-for-march-2020">product updates</a>&nbsp;on our <a href="https://ellii.com/blog">blog</a>.</p>

<h2>Do you offer any help for students?</h2>

<p>Yes. We have an <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/student-faq">FAQ</a> for students who are new to ESL Library. We will also be working on some videos and a lesson. Here is some <a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/11/flashcard_categories/24">digital literacy vocabulary</a> for your students.</p>

<h1>Related</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="question"><a href="https://help.ellii.com/category/110-digital-tools">Digital Tools: Help Docs</a></li>
	<li class="question"><a href="https://help.ellii.com/category/119-digital-tools">Digital Tools: Help Videos</a></li>
	<li class="question"><a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/191-video-how-to-create-classes-and-invite-students">How-To Video: How to Create Classes and Invite Students</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/student-faq">FAQs for Students Using ESL Library</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/coronavirus-support">Standard Members Upgraded to Plus During COVID-19 Pandemic</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/teaching-online-webinars">Teaching Online with ESL Library (Webinars)</a></li>
</ul>


FAQs about Teaching with ESL Library's Digital Tools 

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<blockquote>
<p>ESL&nbsp;Library has a growing bank of well-researched, well-prepared teaching and learning materials covering all four skills as well as grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary. I can always find resources on any theme that I&rsquo;m teaching. Some of my favourites are the lessons for holidays and special&nbsp;days.</p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;Bonnie Nicholas, NorQuest College&nbsp;(Edmonton)</p>
</blockquote>

<p>We hope you&rsquo;re loving ESL&nbsp;Library&rsquo;s new digital platform! As of this February, we&rsquo;ve added 850+ digital lessons to our library. Each digital lesson has a variety of task types that you can either assign to your English learners for homework or <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/launch-or-preview-digital-tasks">do together in&nbsp;class</a>.</p>

<p>A <a href="https://ellii.com/pricing">Standard</a> subscription gives you and 30 students access to 3 digital task types (Read &amp; Listen, Dialogue, and Listen &amp; Type) as well as unlimited access to all of our printable lessons, resources, and flashcards. A <a href="https://ellii.com/pricing">Plus</a> subscription gives you and 100 students access to all of our digital task types (Vocabulary Preview &amp; Review, Comprehension, Grammar Notes, Grammar Practice, and more) in addition to unlimited access to all of our&nbsp;printables.</p>

<h1>Valentine&rsquo;s Day Lessons with Digital&nbsp;Tasks</h1>

<p>If you teach multilevel classes, you&rsquo;re going to love our Valentine&rsquo;s Day selection. We have ready‑made digital tasks from four different Valentine&rsquo;s Day lessons that you can assign or work on together in class. Simply set up your classes by level, e.g., Class A (Beg) and Class&nbsp;A (Low&nbsp;Int), and assign the tasks you want to each&nbsp;group.</p>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2616" target="_blank">Valentine&rsquo;s Day</a>: Word Bank (Pre‑Beginner)</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1959" target="_blank">Valentine&rsquo;s Day</a>: Holidays &amp; Events (Beginner)</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1863" target="_blank">Valentine&rsquo;s Day</a>: Holidays &amp; Events (Low&nbsp;Int)</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1862" target="_blank">Valentine&rsquo;s Day</a>: Holidays &amp; Events (High&nbsp;Int)</li>
</ul>

<div class="whiteBox">
<h5>Note</h5>

<p>Our LMS team will be working on a new feature in 2020 so that you can assign different tasks to individual students, which will be ideal for your multilevel&nbsp;classes.</p>
</div>

<h1>Demo</h1>

<p>Here is a video demo that highlights 8 of the different tasks you&rsquo;ll find in our Valentine&rsquo;s Day lessons, including <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/image-match-interactive-vocabulary-building-for-beginner-english-learners">Image Match</a>, <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/product-feature-update-matching-vocabulary-preview">Matching</a>, <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/see-and-spell">See &amp; Spell</a>, <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/blended-learning-listening">Listen &amp; Type</a>, and many more! (See below for video time markers if you are only interested in one level or digital task type. Note that most of our task types are used in lessons of many&nbsp;different levels. This demo is meant to show you the variety we&nbsp;offer.)</p>

<div class="videoWrapper"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/409rY0zhHdE" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>

<h2>Video Time Markers</h2>

<table>
	<thead>
		<tr>
			<th colspan="2">Pre-Beginner</th>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Task</th>
			<th>Time Markers</th>
		</tr>
	</thead>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<th>Image Match</th>
			<td>00:00&ndash;2:00</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>See &amp; Spell</th>
			<td>2:00&ndash;3:00</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<table>
	<thead>
		<tr>
			<th colspan="2">Beginner</th>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Task</th>
			<th>Time Markers</th>
		</tr>
	</thead>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<th>Read &amp; Listen</th>
			<td>3:09&ndash;4:23</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>True &amp; False</th>
			<td>4:24&ndash;5:25</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<table>
	<thead>
		<tr>
			<th colspan="2">Low Intermediate</th>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Task</th>
			<th>Time Markers</th>
		</tr>
	</thead>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<th>Vocabulary Preview</th>
			<td>5:26&ndash;6:40</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Comprehension</th>
			<td>6:44&ndash;8:06</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<table>
	<thead>
		<tr>
			<th colspan="2">High Intermediate</th>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Task</th>
			<th>Time Markers</th>
		</tr>
	</thead>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<th>Discussion</th>
			<td>8:09&ndash;9:07</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Listen &amp; Type</th>
			<td>9:08&ndash;10:16</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<div class="whiteBox">
<h5>Other Topics</h5>

<p>There is a note about English serials from 10:17 to&nbsp;10:44.</p>
</div>

<h1>Related</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="collection"><a href="https://ellii.com/collections/4/lessons">Love &amp; Relationships Lesson&nbsp;Collection</a></li>
	<li class="question"><a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/122-how-to-assign-digital-homework">How to Assign Tasks (Digital&nbsp;Homework)</a></li>
	<li class="question"><a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/128-how-to-invite-students-to-esl-library-digital-without-an-email-address">How to Invite Students to ESL&nbsp;Library Digital (without an email&nbsp;address)</a></li>
	<li class="question"><a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/69-how-to-sign-up-as-a-new-member">How to Sign Up as a New&nbsp;Member</a></li>
</ul>


Multilevel Digital Tasks for Valentine's Day

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<p>Around the world, schools are placing emphasis on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education in order to inspire students to be critical thinkers and problem solvers. These subjects are intimidating for many students, especially language learners, who struggle with the academic language used in learning materials to explain complex concepts and processes. This means teachers need to find STEM materials that are comprehensible for their language learners and that enhance their language development. The following resources will help you discover STEM lessons and activities that are more approachable and engaging for all learners. Additionally, you will discover free web tools to help your language learners comprehend the reading materials you already&nbsp;use.</p>

<h2>Hands-On STEM Lessons and Projects</h2>

<p>STEM is best learned hands on! Students need to put their learning to the test and see it in action. Here are some websites with engaging lesson plans and activities that encourage students to explore STEM concepts actively. The content is also presented in various formats to enhance listening, speaking, reading, and writing&nbsp;skills.</p>

<p>ESL Library&rsquo;s collection of <a href="https://www.ellii.com/collections/35/lessons">STEM lesson plans</a> has audio clips, vocabulary support, projects, handouts, and activities that support reading, writing, and listening&nbsp;skills.</p>

<p><a href="https://mysteryscience.com/" target="_blank">Mystery Science</a> is a website with kindergarten to fifth‑grade STEM activities and lesson plans. The lesson plans do not focus on English fluency or comprehension. However, the lesson plans include a multimedia presentation with closed captioning to display what is being said, and they also have stopping points for reflection and&nbsp;discussion.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.texaspsp.org/tasks" target="_blank">The Texas Performance Standards Project website</a> has a searchable database of STEM lesson plans and projects for kindergarten through twelfth‑grade students. Each lesson includes handouts and instructions in both English and&nbsp;Spanish.</p>

<h2>STEM Reading Materials</h2>

<p><a href="https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/" target="_blank">Science Journal for Kids</a> is a website with scientific articles and teaching resources for kindergarten through twelfth‑grade students. Download a pdf of each article with illustrations, a glossary of terms, discussion questions, and quizzes. Each lesson also features a video and a suggestion for further&nbsp;research.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.dogonews.com/" target="_blank">DOGO News</a> is a website with kindergarten to fifth‑grade STEM articles and videos. Each text highlights key vocabulary items students can click on to discover their definition. There are also reading comprehension activities, such as quizzes and word&nbsp;searches.</p>

<h2>Comprehension and Fluency Support</h2>

<p>Students also need tools to comprehend texts and learning materials. Teachers and students can use <a href="https://rewordify.com/" target="_blank">Rewordify</a>, a free online engine that simplifies any English text. Once teachers register, they can quickly create a vocabulary list with comprehension activities, and they can track students&rsquo;&nbsp;progress.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.onenote.com/learningtools" target="_blank">Immersive Reader</a> is a free online tool that makes reading material more comprehensible with features like the ability to have text read out loud, color‑coded parts of speech, a picture dictionary, and much&nbsp;more.</p>

<p>A <a href="http://www.amathsdictionaryforkids.com/" target="_blank">Maths Dictionary for Kids</a> is an animated online dictionary with definitions, examples, illustrations, charts, and activities to help students understand math terms and&nbsp;concepts.</p>

<h2>Multimedia STEM Content</h2>

<p>Students need visuals to truly grasp science, technology, engineering, and math content. They need to see the content illustrated through models, diagrams, graphs, charts, simulations, blueprints, demonstrations, and 3D objects. Students also need to see symbols, numbers, equations, and abbreviations labeled within a context to aid understanding. The websites below help you find multimedia content to engage students and see STEM in action in the real&nbsp;world.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/" target="_blank">PBS Learning Media</a> is a website with standards‑aligned STEM videos, interactives, and lesson plans for kindergarten through twelfth-grade students. Some of the videos have closed captioning and are also available in&nbsp;Spanish.</p>

<p>Teachers can use the <a href="https://ccsearch.creativecommons.org/" target="_blank">Creative Commons</a> and <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page" target="_blank">WikiMedia Commons</a> search engines to find images, videos, gifs, and audio clips to help students visualize and understand the&nbsp;content.</p>

<p>Gifs are animated images that can be used to illustrate a theory, process, equation, principle, or concept. <a href="https://giphy.com/" target="_blank">Giphy</a> is a free website teachers can use to search for gifs, but not all are educational. The <a href="https://giphy.com/usnationalarchives/" target="_blank">US National Archives</a> has a vast collection of historical gifs on Giphy that are free to&nbsp;use.</p>

<p><a href="http://interactivesites.weebly.com/" target="_blank">Interactive Sites for Education</a> is an online collection of free interactives and simulations that introduce STEM content virtually. Students are presented with scenarios, and they complete various activities to interact with the content and see it&nbsp;applied.</p>

<p>Be sure to check out ESL&nbsp;Library&rsquo;s growing library of <a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/25/flashcard_categories">Science flashcards</a>&nbsp;too!</p>

<p>What other websites do you recommend to find STEM resources for language&nbsp;learners?</p>

<p>If you want to receive more of Shelly&rsquo;s tips for online resources for teaching English, then <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/authors/shelly-terrell">follow her&nbsp;posts</a>!</p>


Tips & Resources to Make Content More Accessible in STEM Subjects

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<p>Last week, ESL&nbsp;Library, along with several other Winnipeg digital technology industry leaders, traveled to Buenos Aires, Argentina, to participate in the tech talent recruitment mission. Argentina was chosen because of high English proficiency in the industry, availability of educated and skilled tech talent, and interest in immigration to&nbsp;Canada.</p>

<p><img alt="" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/71/content_Marta_Tech-Talent-Recruitment-Mission_02.jpg" /></p>

<p class="caption">Marta Solodun, ESL Library&rsquo;s VP of Human Resources</p>

<p>The goal of this <a href="https://www.economicdevelopmentwinnipeg.com/media/media-release/read,release/1522/economic-development-winnipeg-leads-tech-talent-mission-to-argentina">mission</a>, organized and led by YES Winnipeg Economic Development (in conjunction with the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Programme), was to find and recruit top tech talent from Argentina. We were looking to find highly skilled tech professionals that would enrich and expand our dev team and bring more expertise and fresh new ways of thinking to our existing Winnipeg&nbsp;team.</p>

<p>We&rsquo;ve received a lot of support from the Manitoba provincial government that would help our company attract and retain higly&nbsp;skilled tech professionals. These candidates will be able to work, settle, and start their lives in Winnipeg, Canada, on a permanent basis.</p>

<p><img alt="" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/73/content_Marta_Tech-Talent-Recruitment-Mission_03.jpg" /></p>

<p class="caption">YES&nbsp;recruiters from tech organizations in Winnipeg</p>

<p>Being in Argentina was really exciting for us. We got to meet with many interesting people, learn about local culture, and introduce our company to the Argentinian tech community. We&rsquo;ve received a lot of positive feedback about our company&rsquo;s work culture, the quality of our product and design, and our vision for the future. Now more than ever, we feel positive and energized about the future of technology in education in the global field, and we are making sure we will continue to build&nbsp;the strongest team to lead our way in this&nbsp;industry.</p>

<p><img alt="" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/72/content_Marta_Tech-Talent-Recruitment-Mission_01.jpg" /></p>

<p class="caption">Eduardo Prauze, Head of Engineering with Marta Solodun, VP of Human Resources</p>


Tech Talent Recruitment Mission

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<blockquote>
<p>At the end of the day, the most overwhelming key to a child&rsquo;s success is the positive involvement of&nbsp;parents.</p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;Jane D. Hull</p>
</blockquote>

<p><a href="http://www.waterford.org/education/how-parent-involvment-leads-to-student-success/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Research</a> shows that one of the best ways to help students achieve is through parent engagement and regular communication. Many schools serve diverse student populations, which means that some parents may not understand all the school communication that is only offered in English. Parents greatly appreciate when newsletters, emails, and text messages are sent in the home language. This way all parents have the opportunity to support their children at home and participate in school events. Thankfully, many free web tools and apps make communicating with parents in multiple languages quick and manageable. Below is a list of recommended tools and apps along with time‑saving&nbsp;tips.</p>

<h1>Getting Started</h1>

<p>To get started with any of the tools listed below you will need a spreadsheet that lists your students&rsquo; names, the parents&rsquo; names, the parents&rsquo; email addresses, and other relevant information needed. Many schools have programs that will let teachers download this information or send home a form for parents to complete. In most cases, the tool will let you create a class quickly by uploading the spreadsheet. In some cases, the spreadsheet may need to be converted into a CSV file. To convert the file simply choose Save As or Download in the spreadsheet program and choose CSV as the format. Once your class is created, invite parents to join the free web tool by sending home the printed letters provided by the tool. Many of the tools also allow you to send parent invites via email or text message. Once parents join, you can send one message to all parents quickly and parents are able to translate the message into the language of their&nbsp;choice.</p>

<h1>Parent Communication Web Tools&nbsp;&amp;&nbsp;Apps</h1>

<p><a href="https://web.seesaw.me/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Seesaw</a> is a web tool and iOS and Android app for creating student digital portfolios with various feedback options. Students upload pictures, create videos, or record audio to add context to their posted images or work. Teachers can quickly and safely communicate with parents in over 50 different&nbsp;languages.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.classdojo.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Class Dojo</a> is a web tool and iOS and Android app that provides a safe platform for teachers to instantly share photos, videos, and announcements to all or individual parents. Messages can be translated into 30+&nbsp;languages. Find other helpful tools, such as a random student name generator, a timer, a noise meter, a student group generator, and class&nbsp;music.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.remind.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Remind</a> is a web tool and iOS and Android app where teachers can send text messages with links, images, and attachments to anyone who subscribes. Translate messages into more than 70&nbsp;languages.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.classtag.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Class Tag</a> is a web tool and iOS and Android app that offers a variety of tools to communicate with parents via text messages or the phone. Translate messages into more than 50&nbsp;languages.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.bloomz.net/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bloomz</a> is a web tool and iOS and Android app that allows teachers to send messages translated into over 80 languages via text message or through the app. Other features include student portfolios, a class calendar, and parent volunteer&nbsp;sign‑up.</p>

<h1>Emails in Multiple Languages</h1>

<p><a href="https://gsuite.google.com/marketplace/app/form_mule_email_merge_utility/968670674230" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Form Mule</a> is my favorite way to send parent emails. This is a free add-on for Google Sheets that helps teachers quickly send a personalized email in English and another language to each parent. Teachers create an email template and include the headings from a spreadsheet column to personalize that email. Create columns with the parents&rsquo; names, student names, grades, or comments and the email will automatically include the information provided in the cells associated with that parent&rsquo;s email. To translate the email into multiple languages, add the language code listed <a href="https://ctrlq.org/code/19899-google-translate-languages" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a> in the field labeled &ldquo;Lang.&rdquo; For example, to translate the email into Spanish, add &ldquo;es&rdquo; to the &ldquo;Lang&rdquo; field (Lang: es). To discover how Form Mule works click&nbsp;<a href="https://gsuite.google.com/marketplace/app/form_mule_email_merge_utility/968670674230" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>

<h1>Newsletters</h1>

<p><a href="https://www.google.com/slides/about/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Google Slides</a>, <a href="https://www.google.com/docs/about/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Google Docs</a>, <a href="https://app.edu.buncee.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Buncee</a>, <a href="https://www.canva.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Canva</a>, <a href="https://wakelet.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wakelet</a>, and <a href="https://www.smore.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Smore</a> are free web tools with professionally designed templates to help you quickly create and send a parent newsletter. In this <a href="http://teacherrebootcamp.com/2018/09/23/parentnewslettertemplates/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">post</a>&nbsp;I share free templates for you to copy and edit as you need. To translate the newsletter in multiple languages you will need to use a translation tool. The two most popular free translation tools are <a href="https://translate.google.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Google Translate</a> and <a href="https://translator.microsoft.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Microsoft Translator</a>. To help parents learn about Microsoft Translator you can <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/translator/education/parent-teacher-conference-letters/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">print and send this letter</a> in over 50&nbsp;languages.</p>

<p>What are your tips for engaging parents throughout the school&nbsp;year?</p>

<p>If you want to receive more of Shelly&rsquo;s tips for online resources for teaching English, <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/authors/shelly-terrell">check out her&nbsp;feed</a>!</p>


Digital Ways to Effectively Communicate with Parents in Multiple Languages

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<blockquote>
<p>Technology is just a tool. In terms of getting the kids working together and motivating them, the teacher is most&nbsp;important.</p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;Bill Gates</p>
</blockquote>

<p>It&rsquo;s that exciting time of the year when we meet new students. Technology can help us support and engage learners who struggle with language skills and literacy. Technology can also help us communicate with parents who are English learners&nbsp;themselves.</p>

<p>Below are several free web tools and apps to help you support your language learners this year so that they surpass their academic and personal learning goals. This list is to get you started, but you can visit this blog regularly to discover the free web tools and apps we share! The web tools listed focus on literacy, reading, writing, comprehension, and fluency in the four skills (listening, speaking, reading, and&nbsp;writing).</p>

<h1>Versatile Tools</h1>

<p><a href="https://education.microsoft.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Microsoft Education</a> and <a href="https://edu.google.com/products/gsuite-for-education/?modal_active=none" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Google for Education</a> have several tools, apps, and features to help every learner. Both feature a suite of apps and tools students can use to create presentations, spreadsheets, surveys, or documents. Additionally, several of the apps have helpful features like spelling and grammar checks, translation, commenting, and dictionaries. These two platforms also provide teachers with training and free resources so they learn how to manage their classrooms, assess, grade and provide feedback much faster and&nbsp;easier.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.classroomscreen.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Classroomscreen</a> is an incredible classroom management tool with a timer, qr code maker, random name caller, voice level signals, and more! No registration is&nbsp;required.</p>

<h1>Literacy</h1>

<p><a href="https://www.onenote.com/learningtools" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Immersive Reader</a> &ndash; Microsoft&rsquo;s Immersive Reader is a game changer for language learners. No registration is required. Students copy and paste any text from a website, pdf, or document in order to have the words read aloud, see the parts of speech color coded, look up words quickly with a picture dictionary and more. <a href="https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/Education-Blog/Immersive-Reader-is-coming-to-an-app-near-you-now-partners-can/ba-p/679795" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Immersive Reader is being integrated</a> into various popular free third party apps such as <a href="http://www.buncee.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Buncee</a>, <a href="https://www.thinglink.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Thinglink</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://wakelet.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wakelet</a>.</p>

<p><a href="https://rewordify.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Rewordify</a> &ndash; Paste in difficult sentences, paragraphs, or chapters of text and rewordify changes it into easier language and vocabulary. Teachers who register can create games or quizzes with the vocabulary. Students who register can keep track of their reading&nbsp;progress.</p>

<p><a href="http://quizlet.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Quizlet</a> &ndash; Make flashcards with vocabulary lists or choose from many flash cards users have already created. Play games with these vocabulary lists. Accessible on any&nbsp;device.</p>

<p><a href="https://kids.wordsmyth.net/we/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wordsmyth&rsquo;s Children&rsquo;s Dictionary</a> and <a href="https://kids.wordsmyth.net/wild/#/home" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Picture Dictionary</a> &ndash; Online dictionaries with images, audio of the word sounded out, related words, vocabulary activities, puzzles, and a&nbsp;thesaurus.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.storylineonline.net/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Storyline Online</a> &ndash; A website with videos of celebrities reading children&rsquo;s&nbsp;books.</p>

<p><a href="https://newsela.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Newsela</a> &ndash; News articles written for students with quizzes and the ability to annotate. Choose articles by grade level or reading&nbsp;level.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.commonlit.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Commonlit</a> &ndash; Access readings, fiction and nonfiction for 5th to 12th graders. Search and filter the collection by lexile, grade, theme, genre, literary device, or common core&nbsp;standard.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.owleyes.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Owl Eyes</a> &ndash; A web tool to annotate the classics and answer&nbsp;quizzes.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.getepic.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Epic Books</a> &ndash; Unlimited access to 35,000 of the best books, learning videos, quizzes and more for ages 12 and&nbsp;under.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.dogonews.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">DOGO News</a> &ndash; A website and iOS/Android app for K to 12 students to find current events and research based articles. Each article includes images or videos and gives a citation for students to&nbsp;copy.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.englishcentral.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">English Central</a> &ndash; Students practice their pronunciation by watching popular videos and measuring their pronunciation of what was said in the&nbsp;video.</p>

<p><a href="http://more.starfall.com/?" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Starfall</a>​ &ndash; Interactive stories and phonics games for very young learners.</p>

<p><a href="http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Learn English Kids</a> &ndash; Interactive games, songs, stories, and videos for young language&nbsp;learners.</p>

<h1>Language Learning Apps</h1>

<p><a href="https://www.duolingo.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Duolingo</a> &ndash; iOS, Android, and web app that gamifies learning English. Students earn points for correct answers, racing against the clock, and completing short&nbsp;lessons.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.busuu.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Busuu</a> &ndash; Students learn English with bite-sized lessons, flashcards, quizzes, and chats with native&nbsp;speakers.</p>

<p><a href="https://bilingua.io/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bilingua</a> &ndash; A language exchange iOS and Android app that connects learners with native speakers through messaging, games, and soon video and audio. A bot helps provide conversation tips and defines&nbsp;words.</p>

<h1>Parent Engagement</h1>

<p><a href="https://www.classdojo.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Class Dojo</a> &ndash; An iOS, Android, and web app for sharing photos and videos of wonderful classroom moments, student work, and student behavior achievements. Communicate with parents quickly through messaging. Instantly translate messages into 30+&nbsp;languages.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.remind.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Remind</a> &ndash; An iOS, Android, and web app where teachers can send text messages with links, images, and attachments to anyone who subscribes. Translate messages into more than 70&nbsp;languages.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.classtag.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Class Tag</a> &ndash; Offers a variety of tools to communicate with parents via text messages or the phone. Messages are translated in the parent&rsquo;s preferred language then back to&nbsp;English.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.bloomz.net/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bloomz</a> &ndash; An iOS, Android, and web app for sharing photos, videos, and announcements in multiple&nbsp;languages.</p>

<h1>Digital Storytelling and&nbsp;Presentations</h1>

<p><a href="http://www.buncee.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Buncee</a> &ndash; Create digital books, posters, greetings, or presentations with audio, video, stickers, templates, stylized fonts, qr codes, and more. Students can use immersive reader within the&nbsp;platform.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.genial.ly/en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Genially</a> &ndash; Create interactive content, such as timelines, animated presentations, infographics, videos, posters, and&nbsp;quizzes.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Makebeliefs</a> &ndash; Create comics in multiple languages. Choose from the library of characters and&nbsp;backgrounds.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.mystorybook.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">My Story Book</a> &ndash; Very young children can easily create a storybook by choosing backgrounds, adding characters, and typing in the story. No registration is required and ad&nbsp;free.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.toondoo.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Toondoo</a> &ndash; Create comic strips or books with a library of characters and backgrounds or draw your&nbsp;own.</p>

<p><a href="http://storybird.com/accounts/signup/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Storybird</a> &ndash; Students create beautiful text stories by choosing from their library of free art. The story is embeddable. With a teacher account create student logins and students able to collaborate on&nbsp;stories.</p>

<p><a href="https://bookcreator.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Book Creator</a> &ndash; Create digital books or comics with easy to use templates, 50 different fonts, and stickers. Students can include video, audio, and text. There are several accessibility features, such as adding descriptions to&nbsp;images.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.writereader.com/en/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">WriteReader</a> &ndash; Children from ages 3 to 10 years-old can learn to read by writing and publishing digital&nbsp;books.</p>

<h1>Class Discussion</h1>

<p><a href="https://flipgrid.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Flipgrid</a> &ndash; Engage and empower every voice in your classroom by recording and sharing short videos with the ability to include stickers. Students can respond to other videos or share their videos in augmented reality. Students can also access immersive reader within the&nbsp;platform.</p>

<p><a href="http://en.linoit.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Linoit</a> &ndash; Sticky web wall accessible on any device in which students can post videos, images, audio, or text notes. No registration&nbsp;required.</p>

<p><a href="http://padlet.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Padlet</a> &ndash; Create a beautiful sticky web wall with their various templates and images. Only 3 are free. Students can post videos, images, audio, or text&nbsp;notes.</p>

<p><a href="https://parlayideas.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Parlay</a> &ndash; A web tool that helps you design collaborative online class discussions investigating any topic, video, article, or link. You can choose from the database of created topics with a set of questions to choose from or create a discussion from&nbsp;scratch.</p>

<p><a href="http://ed.voicethread.com/register" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">VoiceThread</a> &ndash; Interactive way to present stories, images, or host discussions. Parents and students can leave comments by text, video, or audio. They can draw on the images and choose&nbsp;avatars.</p>

<h1>Audio Recording</h1>

<p><a href="http://vocaroo.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Vocaroo</a> &ndash; Easily record audio then email to students who can record audio back. No registration is required. You can also send a link, create a qr code, or download the&nbsp;clip.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.voki.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Voki</a> &ndash; Add voice via text or audio to animated characters, animals, and historical figures. Students can add their own drawings as a&nbsp;background.</p>

<h1>Design a Game or Quiz</h1>

<p><a href="https://kahoot.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kahoot</a> &ndash; Teachers and students can create engaging trivia quizzes and games accessible on any device. New features include a question bank, polls, autosave, and new&nbsp;characters.</p>

<p><a href="http://quizizz.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Quizizz</a> &ndash; A web tool and app to create fun games and quizzes. Teachers have the option of showing a meme after a question is&nbsp;answered.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.tinytap.it/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tiny Tap</a> &ndash; An iOS app where students create learning games, interactive presentations and quizzes. The website has a free library of thousands of games, presentations, and quizzes designed by&nbsp;others.</p>

<h1>Virtual Learning Environments</h1>

<p><a href="https://www.google.com/intl/en-US/edu/classroom/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Google Classroom</a> &ndash; Create a virtual classroom where students can turn in assignments or post responses to discussions. Students can respond to each other. Easily assign work, grade, and create&nbsp;rubrics.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.edmodo.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Edmodo</a> &ndash; A safe virtual learning platform for schools. Create assignments, grade or give a digital badge. Accessible on any&nbsp;device.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.schoology.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Schoology</a> &ndash; Set up a learning management system that is accessible on any device and easily post assignments, grade, and keep&nbsp;attendance.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.nearpod.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nearpod</a> &ndash; Create assignments and presentations for your classes. Students enter your live session with a pin on any device and turn it into you right there. Grade their&nbsp;work.</p>

<p><a href="http://edublogs.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Edublogs</a> &ndash; Student blogging platform and virtual classroom designed for educational purposes to keep students&nbsp;safe.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.pbworks.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">PBWorks</a> &ndash; Create several free collaborative websites that are ad free where students can add images, video, or embedded creations. Comes with a plagiarism&nbsp;checker.</p>

<p>What are your favorite back to school web tools and apps for language&nbsp;learners?</p>

<p>If you want to receive more of Shelly&rsquo;s tips for online resources for teaching English, <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/authors/shelly-terrell">check out her&nbsp;feed</a>!</p>


40+ Back to School Web Tools & Apps to Help English Learners Succeed

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<blockquote>
<p>&ldquo;The human voice is the most beautiful instrument of all, but it is the most difficult to&nbsp;play.&rdquo;</p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;Richard Strauss</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Teachers spend hours preparing learning materials. When this material is presented to students, we want to make sure students make a connection to the material and fully evaluate and consume the material. This means all students must have the opportunity to voice their opinions, perspectives, or ideas about the material. Even if class time is limited, the use of collaborative web tools and apps allows every student in class to contribute their thoughts, questions, and ideas extensively. Real-time online conversations that take place while you are teaching are possible through&nbsp;backchanneling.</p>

<p>Below is a list of free web tools your students can use to carry on a class discussion while you lecture, show a video, or present reading material. This allows you to share your ideas and points about the material and make sure your teacher talk time doesn&rsquo;t limit your students&rsquo; opportunities to exchange ideas and opinions with each other about the&nbsp;material.</p>

<h1>Online Class Discussion&nbsp;Tips</h1>

<p>Online discussions with peers can be rich and meaningful, because everyone contributes and peers offer feedback to one another. However, online exchanges can also quickly go awry. Students may go off topic, be reluctant to post their opinions, not know how to disagree respectfully, or not have the vocabulary, grammar, or fluency to express themselves comfortably. The following tips will help ensure your online discussions are&nbsp;successful:</p>

<h2>Tip #1</h2>

<p><strong>As a class establish norms and expectations.</strong> Let students know they will participate in an online discussion that is visible to you and peers. Ask them to come up with at least 10 good expectations for ensuring the discussion is successful. All students should feel that their opinions and values were heard and respected. You can compare their list to the expectations outlined in this <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1a3_rhQol_NLHNXdCbB8lYra16QRzmI1Af5vmJUkGagI/edit" rel="noopener" target="_blank">document</a>. Ask students if they would like to change their norms and expectations with ideas from the&nbsp;document.</p>

<h2>Tip #2</h2>

<p><strong>Define consequences.</strong> Outline consequences if students go off topic, fail to participate, bully, disrespect others, or post something offensive. One consequence (with grade schoolers) should be that you will highlight the inappropriate behavior and send this to their parents. Students should be aware that what they post online is recorded and they will have to take responsibility for the consequences. This is also an important digital citizenship&nbsp;lesson.</p>

<h2>Tip #3</h2>

<p><strong>Provide examples of how to contribute to the discussion.</strong> Show students examples of rich online discussions or do a practice round where you highlight meaningful exchanges or sharing. Let students know they should feel free to ask questions, contribute prior knowledge, share experiences related to the topic, express ideas, share links to articles, share why they agree or disagree and the reason behind their&nbsp;opinions.</p>

<h2>Tip #4</h2>

<p><strong>Help students feel confident and safe expressing themselves.</strong> Don&rsquo;t grade for grammar or spelling. Do encourage students to do their best. Allow them to use emojis or stickers when they can&rsquo;t figure out the right word. Also, provide a list of useful phrases and vocabulary words before the chat for students to reference. You might also want to give them a few minutes before the chat to jot down ideas about the topic to share in the discussion. You might also want to provide sentence frames. Here is a <a href="http://staff.esuhsd.org/danielle/English%20Department%20LVillage/SocraticSeminar/DISCUSSION%20STEMS.pdf" rel="noopener" target="_blank">PDF</a> full of sentence and question starters to help students frame their ideas. You could print this out or create these as a class poster for students to&nbsp;reference.</p>

<h2>Tip #5</h2>

<p><strong>Show students how to disagree/agree respectfully.</strong> Most students don&rsquo;t understand how to debate or disagree respectfully. They might see an opinion and react emotionally or heatedly. Students aren&rsquo;t often exposed to different ideas and may tell another peer they are wrong or cast judgment. We need to prepare our students to listen to opposing views and teach them how to consider them and come up with healthy responses and reactions that spur the conversation instead of stopping the discussion. Help students understand that they learn more from disagreement versus everyone contributing the same beliefs or&nbsp;ideas.</p>

<h1>Collaborative Discussion Tools</h1>

<p>Now that your students are prepared for their online discussion, introduce them to the web tool they will use. Show them how to register, log on, and create a username. If you are giving a participation grade then you might want to create usernames for your students. Also, introduce students to key features, such as how to specifically reply to someone, use any emojis or stickers, or how to highlight parts of the material and add notes. You might want to direct them to tutorials to learn more about the tool. The following are some web tools your students and you can use for meaningful online class discussions and&nbsp;collaboration.</p>

<h2>Backchannel Chat</h2>

<p><a href="http://backchannelchat.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Backchannel Chat</a> is a very basic backchanneling tool designed with teachers in mind. Teacher scan control all aspects of the online discussion, such as removing messages, preventing posts, or managing the pace of the discussion to allow time for students to respond. You can provide students with a code to join the&nbsp;conversation.</p>

<h2>NowComment</h2>

<p>With <a href="https://nowcomment.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">NowComment</a>, anyone can see comments, but to add to the discussion students must register for a free account. Any sentence, paragraph, image, or video can have multiple conversations. The interface is very easy to use. Check out this <a href="http://lifefeast.blogspot.com/2018/06/how-to-make-interactive-reading.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">detailed description</a> about NowComment with screenshots in the Life Feast&nbsp;blog.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Hypothes.is and Genius</h2>

<p><a href="https://web.hypothes.is/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Hypothes.is</a> and <a href="https://genius.com/web-annotator" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Genius</a> are both tools that allow students to annotate any website as well as have a collaborative discussion. Students can highlight parts of the website, respond to peers, and vote up really great responses from peers. Both require registration and signing&nbsp;in.</p>

<h2>LinoIt</h2>

<p>Teachers register for a free <a href="http://en.linoit.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">LinoIt</a> account and create a web wall where they can share pdfs, files, audio, video, images, and more! Teachers share the link to the wall with students who can choose between different colored sticky notes and add video, pdfs, links, and more. Students don&rsquo;t have to register and can access the web wall on any&nbsp;device.</p>

<h2>Padlet</h2>

<p><a href="https://padlet.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Padelt</a> is also accessible on any device and similar to LinoIt with more features, but educators only get 3 padlets free. Teachers can upload videos, images, pdfs, audio clips, and more! Students only need the link to the web wall to contribute via text, sticky notes, chatting, liking, upvoting, and more. Students can share audio, images, files, links, and&nbsp;video.</p>

<h2>Flipgrid</h2>

<p><a href="https://flipgrid.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Flipgrid</a> is a video response tool designed for schools. Students contribute a short video response to the discussion you start with a video. Students will enjoy their selfie videos they can decorate with stickers. Registration is free and students can also contribute with a mobile device. Create a Grid (group), add your question or topic, and students contribute short video responses. You send students a code or link to make the discussion private. You can determine the length of the video, embed the videos, and download the videos. This is an example of children replying to the question, <a href="https://flipgrid.com/7c04aa" rel="noopener" target="_blank">&ldquo;What does a quality education mean to&nbsp;you?&rdquo;</a></p>

<h2>GoBubble</h2>

<p><a href="https://www.bubble.school/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">GoBubble</a> is a social networking tool designed for schools that looks similar to Twitter and other messaging apps so students must sign up. Students can respond with images, stickers, or text. They can also upload videos. They can participate in groups, add friends, and&nbsp;more!</p>

<h2>Active Textbook</h2>

<p>With <a href="https://activetextbook.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Active Textbook</a>, students can respond to each other in comment threads added to any text as well as highlight. Teachers can enrich the discussion by adding videos, songs, and images for students to also engage with. Check out this <a href="https://lifefeast.blogspot.com/2018/06/how-to-make-interactive-reading-activity.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">detailed description</a> about Active Textbook with screenshots in the Life Feast&nbsp;blog.</p>

<h2>Google Docs</h2>

<p>With <a href="https://www.google.com/docs/about/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Google Docs</a> students can sign in with their Google accounts or you can provide them a link where anyone is able to participate with no sign-in required. Students can highlight parts of any text and add comments on the side. Students can reply to specific comments by clicking on the comment box. You can add visuals, charts, links and more. Check out other <a href="https://gsuite.google.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">GSuite</a> tools that offer collaborative discussion and contribution to slide presentations, spreadsheets, and&nbsp;more!</p>

<h2>OneNote</h2>

<p>Similar to Google Docs in that you can provide a link or invite others through email, <a href="https://products.office.com/en-au/onenote/digital-note-taking-app" rel="noopener" target="_blank">OneNote</a> looks more like a digital notebook with sections. You can add images, links, drawings, and more. Check out other Microsoft 360 tools that offer collaborative discussion and feedback to slides, spreadsheets, presentations, and&nbsp;more!</p>

<h2>Voicethread</h2>

<p><a href="https://voicethread.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Voicethread</a> is a multimedia discussion web tool and app that allows teachers to add slides or images to spark a discussion. Around the border of the slide, students contribute ideas through audio, video, text or doodling. Students can use avatars to protect their identities, but need to&nbsp;register.</p>

<p>What other tips or tools do you recommend for facilitating engaging class&nbsp;discussions?</p>

<p>If you want to read more tips for online resources for teaching English, then check out <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/authors/shelly-terrell/">Shelly&rsquo;s blog&nbsp;feed</a>!</p>


12 Tools to Ensure All Students Participate Meaningfully

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<blockquote>
<p>&ldquo;The noblest pleasure is the joy of&nbsp;understanding.&rdquo;</p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;Leonardo da Vinci</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Students around the globe enjoy using the Internet to communicate and learn. Many already use websites with reading or listening comprehension quizzes. The Internet has evolved and offers even more powerful ways for our English learners to increase fluency. Our students now have the opportunity to learn more interactively and enhance all four skills (speaking, listening, reading, and&nbsp;writing).</p>

<p>Below is a list of some incredible free websites and web tools that will engage your English learners and help them build fluency and comprehension. Some of these web tools are powered by machine learning. This means the more your English learners use these web tools, the better the web tools become at helping them with specific needs. Many of the websites also will let your learners know how much they&rsquo;ve learned and improved. Additionally, some of the websites allow your English learners to speak or write and receive immediate feedback to help them correct their English grammar or&nbsp;pronunciation.</p>

<h1>Microsoft Learning Tools</h1>

<p>No registration is required to test out <a href="https://www.onenote.com/learningtools" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Microsoft&rsquo;s Immersive Reader and Learning Tools</a>. Students can scroll to the bottom of the <a href="https://www.onenote.com/learningtools" rel="noopener" target="_blank">website</a> and copy and paste any text from a website, pdf, or document. Click Try It Out to access the text in the Immersive Reader. Students can then use the following features to engage with the&nbsp;text:</p>

<ul class="spaced-list">
	<li>Listen to the text read aloud and choose the speed and type of&nbsp;voice</li>
	<li>Change the font type, font size, background, letter spacing, and line&nbsp;spacing</li>
	<li>Click on any word to hear it&nbsp;pronounced</li>
	<li>Some words when clicked show an image to help students understand the meaning of the&nbsp;word</li>
	<li>Enable Parts of Speech to see nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs color-coded and&nbsp;labeled</li>
</ul>

<p>When used with a Microsoft account, Onenote, Word or app, teachers and students have access to many more features, including writing&nbsp;help.</p>

<h1>Quizlet</h1>

<p><a href="https://quizlet.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Quizlet</a>, which is available as an app (iOS/Android) and on the web, is a great interactive study tool for building vocabulary. Students create digital flashcards with a list of vocabulary. Features include the ability to add images, have words pronounced in 18 different languages, and play engaging games. Students can also learn vocabulary through interactive diagrams. Teachers can build quizzes for students and present them live in&nbsp;class.</p>

<h1>English Central</h1>

<p><a href="http://www.englishcentral.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">English Central</a> is a website where students can practice their pronunciation by repeating phrases from popular videos into the computer&rsquo;s microphone. Learners receive immediate feedback on their pronunciation. Students can also choose a level and learn new words by filling in the blanks created from the video&rsquo;s&nbsp;dialogue.</p>

<h1>Quill</h1>

<p><a href="https://www.quill.org/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Quill</a> is a website with free interactive writing and grammar activities for elementary, middle, and high school students. The new English learner diagnostic includes translations in six different languages and generates a personalized learning plan for each&nbsp;student.</p>

<h1>En News</h1>

<p>With <a href="https://en.news/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">en.news</a> students enhance their English fluency by reading CNN articles. The website and app (iOS/Android) uses machine learning to automatically repurpose CNN&rsquo;s latest articles, videos, and podcasts into interactive lessons. Learners can access transcripts, click on any word for the definition and pronunciation, complete activities, and earn points and&nbsp;badges.</p>

<h1>Wordsmyth</h1>

<p><a href="https://www.wordsmyth.net/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Wordsmyth</a> is a free online dictionary with several features and tools, which are especially helpful for young English learners. Students build vocabulary with anagrams, crosswords, various types of quizzes, and a glossary maker. My favorite tool is <a href="https://kids.wordsmyth.net/wild/#/home" rel="noopener" target="_blank">WILD</a>, a free illustrated dictionary for children that sounds out words and illustrates them with colorful animated images. WILD is also available in Spanish and&nbsp;Chinese.</p>

<h1>G Suite Tools</h1>

<p><a href="https://gsuite.google.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Google Suite apps</a> (e.g., Docs, Slides, Forms, and Sheets) and the Chrome Browser have several features and <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">add-ons</a> to help English learners enhance their reading and writing skills. Learners can translate, check their spelling and grammar, look up words in a dictionary, conduct research, and much more. One of the newest features is <a href="https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/accessibility/whats-you-say-present-captions-google-slides/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">captioning for Google Slides</a>, which uses a computer&rsquo;s built-in microphone to transcribe the presenter&rsquo;s words and display them in real-time to the&nbsp;audience.</p>

<p>What websites or tools do your English learners use to enhance their comprehension and&nbsp;fluency?</p>

<p>If you want to receive more of Shelly&rsquo;s tips for online resources for teaching English, check out her other <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/authors/shelly-terrell/">ESL&nbsp;Library posts</a>!</p>


7 Incredible Websites & Tools to Enhance English Comprehension & Fluency

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<blockquote>
<p>&ldquo;What seems impossible today will one day become your&nbsp;warm‑up.&rdquo;</p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;Author Unknown</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Just like athletes benefit from a warm-up where they stretch their muscles to prepare them for a good workout, our students benefit from stretching their mental muscles before jumping into a&nbsp;lesson.</p>

<p>One type of warm-up is a bell-ringer activity, which is a simple 5- to 10-minute task students complete as soon as they walk into class, allowing the teacher time to attend to other business (such as taking attendance). Below you will find tips and resources for using bell ringers to engage language&nbsp;learners.</p>

<h1>Bell Ringers</h1>

<p>A web search for &ldquo;bell ringers&rdquo; will provide you with several examples. Here is a list of three types of bell-ringer activities and ideas to get you started. These bell-ringer activities are specifically aimed at helping language learners build vocabulary, acquire grammar, practice writing, or develop one of the four skills (speaking, listening, reading, and&nbsp;writing).</p>

<h2>Writing Prompts</h2>

<p>Writing prompts are the most popular types of bell ringers. Students respond to a question or statement within the allotted&nbsp;time.</p>

<ul class="spaced-list">
	<li>Change this up by giving students the option to respond through a written paragraph, sketchnote, concept map, drawing, or&nbsp;comic.</li>
	<li>Practice different forms of writing, such as getting students to write an email, a poem, text message, tweet, or dialogue, or having them complete a graphic&nbsp;organizer.</li>
	<li>Make these more interesting with visual writing prompts. See examples of visual writing prompts <a href="http://writingprompts.tumblr.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="https://corndogart.com/illustration-examples/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">here</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="http://photoprompts.tumblr.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">here</a>.</li>
	<li>Try comic or cartoon prompts. Give students a comic strip with blank speech bubbles to fill in based on what is happening in each frame. If you subscribe to ESL&nbsp;Library, you have access to thousands of images that can be used for making your own comics and&nbsp;prompts.</li>
</ul>

<p>ESL&nbsp;Library also has ready-made writing prompts in the Guided Writing&nbsp;section.</p>

<p><a class="button" href="https://ellii.com/courses/119/lessons">Go to Guided Writing</a></p>

<h2>Discussion Prompts</h2>

<p>Enhance speaking and listening skills with discussion prompts. Students work in pairs and take turns responding while the other peer listens and writes down the key ideas. While Student A responds verbally to the prompt, Student B writes down the main ideas expressed. Then Student B reviews the key ideas with Student A who confirms the statements are correct. You could give them sentence starters, such as &ldquo;Student A believes&hellip;&rdquo; or &ldquo;Student A is&nbsp;against&hellip;&rdquo;.</p>

<p>Try choosing a topic and question from ESL&nbsp;Library&rsquo;s Discussion Starters section. You can use the lesson afterwards if your students seem&nbsp;engaged.</p>

<p><a class="button" href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons">Go to Discussion Starters</a></p>

<h2>Image Prompts</h2>

<p>Get students to respond to an age-appropriate photo. Find free copyright-friendly photos to use in the classroom on the following websites: <a href="http://photosforclass.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Photos for the Class</a>, <a href="http://www.pics4learning.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Pics4Learning</a>, <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/eltpics/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">ELTPics</a>, <a href="https://morguefile.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">MorgueFile</a>, the <a href="https://ccsearch.creativecommons.org/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Creative Commons Search Engine</a>, and <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a>. Then get students to complete one of the following&nbsp;tasks:</p>

<ul class="spaced-list">
	<li>List nouns, verbs, adjectives, or emotions associated with the image and create sentences using these&nbsp;words.</li>
	<li>Draft sentences describing what the people or animals are&nbsp;doing.</li>
	<li>Imagine the photo is the news of the day and create a news&nbsp;story.</li>
	<li>Write down the conversation or thoughts of the people or animals in the&nbsp;photo.</li>
	<li>Imagine taking a trip to the place and share the itinerary or reason for traveling&nbsp;there.</li>
	<li>Compare and contrast two&nbsp;photographs.</li>
	<li>View a sequence of photos, determine the order, and describe the&nbsp;event.</li>
</ul>

<p>For lower levels, print a few flashcards and put them together. You could also print a whole set and have students write down all the words they know. Here are <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/10-ways-to-use-flashcards-in-class">10 Ways to Use&nbsp;Flashcards</a>.</p>

<p><a class="button" href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres">Go to Flashcard Library</a></p>

<h1>Helpful Tips</h1>

<p>The main purpose of a bell ringer is to help teachers and students prepare for the upcoming lesson. Keep the following tips in mind when designing and using bell&nbsp;ringers.</p>

<h2>Establish a routine.</h2>

<p>Most teachers get students to complete a bell-ringer activity at the beginning of nearly every class so students get into the habit of walking into the class and immediately working on the bell‑ringer&nbsp;activity.</p>

<h2>Keep them short, simple, and achievable.</h2>

<p>Bell ringers help students apply knowledge and skills they have already acquired and the instructions should be simple and clear so you can attend to business. Students shouldn&rsquo;t have to ask you several questions about the&nbsp;task.</p>

<h2>Don&rsquo;t grade them.</h2>

<p>The aim is to engage students and help them build confidence and prepare their minds to learn. A bad mark at the beginning of class hinders student&nbsp;achievement.</p>

<h2>Use them as formative assessments.</h2>

<p>The bell-ringer activity does not have to relate to the topic of the main lesson, but can assess if students have gained the essential knowledge and skills their upcoming lesson will build upon. Bell-ringer tasks can test students&rsquo; knowledge from a previous class or unit and let you know if you have to restructure the lesson or review previous material. Find some quick worksheets in ESL&nbsp;Library&rsquo;s <a href="https://ellii.com/resources">Grammar &amp; Usage</a>&nbsp;section.</p>

<h2>Change them up!</h2>

<p>Bell-ringer activities should assess different skills and knowledge in a variety of ways to keep students&nbsp;engaged.</p>

<h1>Delivery and Collection</h1>

<p>The idea is to keep your delivery and collection of the bell ringers consistent. The choices you make for the presentation and collection depend on the format of the bell ringers, your teaching situation, access to technology, and your preferences. These are a few options to&nbsp;consider:</p>

<h2>Paper Slips/Entry Tickets</h2>

<p>One idea is to create paper slips or cards that students can pick up as they enter the class. These are sometimes called <a href="http://www.theteachertoolkit.com/index.php/tool/entry-ticket" rel="noopener" target="_blank">entrance slips, entry tickets, or admit tickets</a>. One idea is to place these in a basket labeled &ldquo;Bell Ringers&rdquo; and instruct students to pick one up as they enter the class. Students can later place their completed paper slips in a basket labeled &ldquo;Turn In.&rdquo;</p>

<h2>Board</h2>

<p>Designate an area on the chalkboard/dry erase board to display the bell&nbsp;ringer.</p>

<h2>Projector</h2>

<p>Display the bell ringer on a screen for students to see when they walk&nbsp;in.</p>

<h2>Journals/Notebooks</h2>

<p>Many teachers instruct students to keep a notebook or journal of their completed bell-ringer tasks. This works well with the three presentation methods listed above if there is limited access to technology. The digital version of this method would be student&nbsp;blogs.</p>

<h2>Online Class</h2>

<p>Students log onto their class website or learning management system (e.g., Google Classroom, Moodle, Edmodo, Schoology) and click on the bell-ringer task and submit it online. This is probably one of the fastest and easiest ways to quickly collect and assess these tasks, but it also requires Internet&nbsp;access.</p>

<h2>Web Tool/App</h2>

<p>There are several free web tools that work on multiple devices to help you quickly design, deliver, and collect bell-ringer responses. Tools such as <a href="https://socrative.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Socrative</a>, <a href="https://goformative.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Go Formative</a>, <a href="https://nearpod.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Near Pod</a>, <a href="https://quizizz.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Quizzizz</a>, <a href="https://kahoot.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Get Kahoot</a>, and <a href="https://web.seesaw.me/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Seesaw</a> make it easy for students to quickly complete a bell ringer in a variety of ways, such as answering questions, polling, drawing, submitting photos/screenshots, and so forth. As students submit their responses, the teacher gets important assessment data in real-time. Teachers are able to quickly see what percentage of the task students answered or completed and which questions/steps students struggled with the most. Teachers can also see how much time was spent on the bell ringer and get other data. If you have enough devices for most students, then these free apps are a great&nbsp;option.</p>

<p>Browse through the <a href="https://ellii.com/resources">Resource</a> section on ESL&nbsp;Library, and consider making a Folder of bell&nbsp;ringers.</p>

<p><a class="button" href="https://help.ellii.com/article/55-how-to-use-folders-tool">How To Use the Folders Tool</a></p>

<h1>More Resources</h1>

<p>The following links have more bell-ringer activities:</p>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="external-article"><a href="https://calicospanish.com/effective-goals-formats-bell-work/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">What Are Effective Goals and Formats for &ldquo;Bell Work&rdquo;?</a></li>
	<li class="external-article"><a href="https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/ding-start-your-class-off-right" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Ding! Start Your Class Off Right!</a></li>
	<li class="external-article"><a href="http://www.smekenseducation.com/Explore-Bell-Ringer-Options.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Bell-Ringer Activities! Alternatives to Journal Writing</a></li>
	<li class="external-article"><a href="https://www.weareteachers.com/bell-ringers-for-middle-school/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">10 No-Prep Bell Ringers for Middle School ELA</a></li>
	<li class="external-article"><a href="http://www.prestoplans.com/7-bell-ringer-ideas-for-middle-hig/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">7 Bell-Ringer Ideas For Middle and High School English</a></li>
</ul>


Engage Learners with Bell-Ringer Activities

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<blockquote>
<p>&ldquo;Always walk through life as if you have something new to learn and you&nbsp;will.&rdquo;</p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;Vernon Howard</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Mobile learning and advances in artificial intelligence mean most of the world has access to virtual voice assistants. Many of our learners know you can ask Siri, Alexa, and Google questions and receive a verbal response. Some of our learners might also have a device at home that helps them turn these virtual assistants into digital butlers. The devices allow people to command Alexa and Google to complete tasks such as ordering groceries, turning on the lights, and playing their favorite music&nbsp;playlists.</p>

<p>Encourage your students to practice English daily with their voice assistants using the tips and resources listed below. Continuous practice with voice activated technology will help your language learners enhance their speaking and listening skills while they are learning English in an engaging way. Remember that with each command you need to start with &ldquo;Hey Google/Siri/Alexa.&rdquo;</p>

<h1>Writing &amp; Editing&nbsp;Assistant</h1>

<p>Voice assistants make the writing and editing process more engaging. When editing their own writing or the writing of their peers, encourage students to use their voice assistants to check the spelling of words by asking Siri, Alexa, or Google, &ldquo;How do you spell ____?&rdquo; Students can also ask for synonyms or antonyms of words by asking, &ldquo;What are synonyms/antonyms for ____?&rdquo; Students can even ask grammar questions and be led to a website with more information and&nbsp;examples.</p>

<h1>Reading &amp; Research&nbsp;Buddy</h1>

<p>Encourage students to use voice assistants to help provide them with context, research, and help when they read. When students come across words they aren&rsquo;t familiar with, they can ask Siri, Alexa, or Google, &ldquo;What is the definition for ____?&rdquo; They can also translate words with the command, &ldquo;Translate ___ into ____&nbsp;(language).&rdquo;</p>

<p>Students can also ask their voice assistants about the author, the setting, or any other research question. The queries could be phrased as, &ldquo;Who is _____? What is ______? Where is ____?&rdquo; When the assistant doesn&rsquo;t know, then the assistant will lead students to websites with the information. Encourage students to click on the links and see what they&nbsp;discover.</p>

<h1>Interactive Fun</h1>

<p>Students can play interactive speaking games with their virtual assistants by downloading the free <a href="https://assistant.google.com/intl/en_us/platforms/phones/">Google Assistant app</a> on Android or iOS devices. On the app try the following interactive&nbsp;activities:</p>

<ul>
	<li><em>&ldquo;Okay Google, Mad Libs.&rdquo;</em> Use this command to play the famous Mad Libs game with Google. Add nouns, verbs, and adjectives to help Google complete a&nbsp;story.</li>
	<li><em>&ldquo;Okay Google, talk to everyday heroes.&rdquo;</em> With this command, students conduct interviews with everyday heroes like police detectives or zookeepers. These are pre-recorded responses from real people who describe their jobs and answer other&nbsp;questions.</li>
	<li><em>&ldquo;Okay Google, let&rsquo;s play a game.&rdquo;</em> This command will prompt you with audio games, such as Mad Libs or Trivia, or chat games, such as Emoji Riddles and Movies. Guess the movie titles or riddles disguised as&nbsp;emojis.</li>
	<li><em>&ldquo;Okay Google, talk to Akinator.&rdquo;</em> With this command, Google turns into a genie who asks you a series of yes-or-no questions to guess the character you are thinking&nbsp;of.</li>
	<li><em>&ldquo;Okay Google, talk to Huffpost Headline Quiz.&rdquo;</em> With this command, Google plays a game answering questions about current&nbsp;events.</li>
	<li><em>&ldquo;Okay Google, I want to talk to Number Genie.&rdquo;</em> With this command, guess the number Google is thinking of by listening to the&nbsp;hints.</li>
	<li><em>&ldquo;Okay Google, talk to Space Trivia.&rdquo;</em> With this command, answer trivia about&nbsp;space.</li>
	<li><em>&ldquo;Okay Google, play Sports Illustrated Kids Trivia.&rdquo;</em> With this command, answer trivia about&nbsp;sports.</li>
	<li><em>&ldquo;Okay Google, are you feeling lucky?&rdquo;</em> Use this command to play a trivia game alone or with your&nbsp;friends.</li>
	<li><em>&ldquo;Okay Google, talk to Song Pop.&rdquo;</em> With this command, answer trivia about popular&nbsp;songs.</li>
	<li><em>&ldquo;Okay Google, crystal ball.&rdquo;</em> With this command, Google transforms into your very own fortune teller answering yes-or-no questions.</li>
	<li><em>&ldquo;Okay Google, call Dustin from Stranger Things.&rdquo;</em> If your students are fans of the TV series <em>Stranger Things</em>, they can have an interactive conversation with him answering trivia from the&nbsp;show.</li>
	<li><em>&ldquo;Okay Google, call Santa.&rdquo;</em> Use this command to talk to Santa and answer some questions for him as his&nbsp;helper.</li>
</ul>

<h1>Google Voice Experiments</h1>

<p>Google is encouraging coders to test the abilities of voice interaction technology with <a href="https://experiments.withgoogle.com/voice">Voice Experiments</a>. Visit the website to find free learning activities using the microphone on your computer. You can also play these games with a Google Home device. Below are a few of my favorite voice experiments for language learners. Make sure to allow access to your microphone. Some experiments require some setup and permissions before you&nbsp;begin.</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://mysteryanimal.withgoogle.com/">Mystery Animal</a> The computer pretends to be an animal. Students ask 20 yes-or-no questions aloud in order to guess the animal, and the computer&nbsp;responds.</li>
	<li><a href="https://experiments.withgoogle.com/voice/mixlab">MixLab</a> Students will enjoy creating their own music using voice commands like, &ldquo;Play me a funky bass&rdquo; or &ldquo;Add some jazz&nbsp;drums.&rdquo;</li>
	<li><a href="https://experiments.withgoogle.com/voice/story-speaker">Story Speaker</a> Students can create talking, interactive stories by writing their stories in a Google Doc and then adding the Story Speaker add-on for it to be read aloud. This requires some&nbsp;set-up.</li>
</ul>

<h1>More Ideas</h1>

<p>In addition to these engaging activities, you can ask your virtual assistant to give you homework help, sing you songs, read you a story, or read you a poem. Alexa calls the interactive commands &ldquo;Skills.&rdquo; You can do fun things like play a choose-your-own-adventure game by saying, &ldquo;Alexa, open the magic door&rdquo; or investigate a murder by saying, &ldquo;Alexa, open the Wayne Investigation.&rdquo; Check out the following links for more fun with virtual&nbsp;assistants:</p>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="external-article"><a href="https://www.blog.google/products/assistant/family-fun-with-your-assistant-on-google-home-and-phones/">Family Fun with Your Google Assistant on Google Home and&nbsp;Phones</a></li>
	<li class="external-article"><a href="https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/feature/digital-home/funny-google-assistant-3659188/">101 Funny Things to Ask Google Home and Google&nbsp;Assistant</a></li>
	<li class="external-article"><a href="https://www.tomsguide.com/us/pictures-story/1070-alexa-skills-games.html">20 Alexa Game Skills to Keep You&nbsp;Entertained</a></li>
</ul>

<p>How do you use technology to encourage students to practice speaking and listening in English outside the&nbsp;classroom?</p>

<p>If you want to receive more of Shelly&rsquo;s tips for online resources for teaching English, then <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/authors/shelly-terrell">check out her&nbsp;feed</a>!</p>


25 Engaging Ways to Practice English with Voice Assistants

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<blockquote>
<p>&ldquo;Remember that a person&rsquo;s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any&nbsp;language.&rdquo;</p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;Dale Carnegie</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Teaching new classes and learners is exciting! We get to influence young minds and facilitate them in their learning&nbsp;journeys.</p>

<p>One of the most important rules for starting off on the right foot with your new students is to learn their names. This might seem daunting, especially when you teach language learners who might have names you&rsquo;ve never&nbsp;encountered.</p>

<p>You don&rsquo;t have to go through the semester asking students to repeat their names or help you pronounce their names again and again. Instead, try the activities and resources below to help you and your students learn each other&rsquo;s names and pronounce them correctly. Your learners will appreciate the effort taken to get their names correct. They will also feel more accepted and welcomed into your&nbsp;class.</p>

<h1>Who&rsquo;s In Our Class? Word&nbsp;Games</h1>

<p>On the first day of class, get students to write down their names, the phonetic transcription or pronunciation, and one cool fact about them. Collect these and create a word search, crossword or other word game for classmates to play with all your students&rsquo; names and their cool facts. Make crosswords and word searches with <a href="http://www.discoveryeducation.com/free-puzzlemaker/index.cfm" target="_blank">Discovery Education</a>, <a href="http://www.armoredpenguin.com/" target="_blank">Armored Penguin</a>, <a href="https://wordmint.com/" target="_blank">Word Mint</a>, and Abcya (<a href="http://www.abcya.com/make_a_word_search.htm" target="_blank">word search</a> /&nbsp;<a href="http://www.abcya.com/crossword_puzzle_maker.htm" target="_blank">crossword</a>).</p>

<h1>Class Names Dictionary</h1>

<p>Use a web tool, such as <a href="https://voicethread.com/" target="_blank">VoiceThread</a>, <a href="https://www.edu.buncee.com/" target="_blank">Buncee</a>, <a href="https://bookcreator.com/" target="_blank">Book Creator</a>, <a href="https://www.google.com/slides/about/" target="_blank">Google Slides</a> or <a href="http://www.livebinders.com/" target="_blank">Livebinders</a> to create a digital dictionary of the names of the students in your class. Feel free to use this <a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1kbRgnkwaChpiNOrNsUOo1bh8tw-wYoCeuNHMcw7oH28/copy" target="_blank">Google Slides template</a>, in which students write down the name they&rsquo;d like to be called and include a video pronouncing their name and sharing a fact about&nbsp;themselves.</p>

<h1>Name App</h1>

<p>One of my favorite ways to learn names is with the <a href="http://namesharkapp.com/" target="_blank">Name Shark app</a>. I pass my iPad around with the app opened. Students take a selfie and then enter their preferred first and last names. I can then play a variety of quizzes to guess the names and remember their&nbsp;faces.</p>

<h1>How Do I Pronounce Your&nbsp;Name?</h1>

<p>Put every student&rsquo;s first name on a strip of paper and put all the strips in a bag or jar. Use a smartboard or projector to display the website <a href="http://www.pronouncenames.com/" target="_blank">Pronouncenames.com</a>. Each student draws a name and types in the name on the Pronounce Names website. Make sure the audio is turned up so all hear the name pronounced. Ask the student with the name to stand and correct the pronunciation if needed. If the student agrees with the pronunciation, then the class says in unison, &ldquo;Hi <em>Name</em>! Nice to meet you.&rdquo; Make it more fun for young language learners by getting them to bow after the&nbsp;greeting.</p>

<h1>Name Meanings and&nbsp;Origins</h1>

<p>Students research their name meanings and origins. Then they use a web tool, like <a href="https://www.edu.buncee.com/" target="_blank">Buncee</a>, <a href="https://www.canva.com/" target="_blank">Canva</a> or <a href="https://www.google.com/slides/about/" target="_blank">Google Slides</a> to create a slide displaying their name and its meaning and origin. They should also include the story behind how they got their name. Students present the images and history behind their names to their&nbsp;peers.</p>

<h1>Acrostic Name Poems</h1>

<p>Students spell out their names vertically on a piece of paper or digital slide. For every letter, they write a few words or a sentence describing something about themselves. At least one word in the sentence should begin with the letter. Learn more about the various forms of acrostic poems <a href="http://www.acrosticpoem.org/" target="_blank">here</a>. Another idea is for learners to type in their names into the <a href="http://www.acrosticpoem.org/" target="_blank">Acrostic Poem Generator</a> and share the results in pairs. They discuss what words describe them and think of better words to replace the ones that&nbsp;don&rsquo;t.</p>

<p>Make sure students are able to present to peers so everyone learns each other&rsquo;s names. You may want to use a curation tool like Pinterest to add all the activities to one location so students can revisit the board to learn the names of their classmates. Another idea is to create a class Voicethread in which all learners pronounce their names and present their&nbsp;creations.</p>

<h1>Clapping Name Mingle</h1>

<p>Form two lines. Students face each other and introduce themselves. The pairs then play a <a href="https://icebreakerideas.com/hand-clapping-games/" target="_blank">hand clapping game</a>, in which, they spell the names aloud and clap hands for every&nbsp;letter.</p>

<h1>Jump Rope Name Chant</h1>

<p>Students line up while two peers hold the jump rope. The first one up says his/her full name then begins jumping and repeats the following chant beginning with the first letter of their name and filling in their own ideas: &ldquo;S my name is Shelly. My dog/cat/sister/brother/parent&rsquo;s name is Rosco, and I like&nbsp;pizza.&rdquo;</p>

<p>After each student jumps and completes the name chant then they go again in a second round. This time each student repeats the chant of the peer they follow in line. If Kim is behind me then she would chant while she jumps, &ldquo;S her name is Shelly. Her pug&rsquo;s name is Rosco and she likes&nbsp;pizza.&rdquo;</p>

<h1>Circle Ball Introductions</h1>

<p>This activity is especially fun for very young learners. This is the way my class of two-year-olds began the class. Sit in a circle. One student holds a ball. The student says, &ldquo;Hi! My name is Shelly.&rdquo; As the student says the name she should hit the ball for each syllable. For Shelly she hits the ball twice. Then the class says in unison, &ldquo;Hi, Shelly! Nice to meet you.&rdquo; Then the student passes the ball to another student and the activity&nbsp;repeats.</p>

<p>For older children try the Jump Rope Name Chant, but instead students repeat the chant and pound on the ball. The next person who takes the ball repeats the previous student&rsquo;s chant and adds their&nbsp;information.</p>

<h1>Name Action Syllables</h1>

<p>This is a great game that uses Total Physical Response (TPR) to remember names. Gather learners in a circle. Students greet the class with their names and associate an action with each syllable of their names for the class to repeat. For example, I might snap for &ldquo;Shel&rdquo; and stomp my foot for &ldquo;ly.&rdquo; The class says,&ldquo;Hi Shel (snaps) ly (stomps),&rdquo; repeating the&nbsp;actions.</p>

<h1>Name Songs and Games</h1>

<p>Children love learning names with fun songs and games. A popular game is, <a href="http://supersimplelearning.com/songs/original-series/two/who-took-the-cookie/" target="_blank">Who Stole the Cookie From the Cookie Jar?</a>, and the <a href="https://thenamegame-generator.com/the-name-game-rules.html" target="_blank">Name Game (Banana Fana)</a>. Display the lyrics on a smartboard or projector along with a list of the class names on the side of the&nbsp;lyrics.</p>

<p>What tips do you have for remembering the names of your language&nbsp;learners?</p>

<h1>Related</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/110/lessons/2269">What&rsquo;s Your Name?</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons/1211">Your Name</a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/classroom-management/resources/2209-class-list">Class List</a></li>
</ul>


Let's Learn Each Other's Names

https://esllibrary-staging.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/title_image/276/Shelly_Lets-Learn-Each-Others-Names_Banner.png

Find fun games and activities for teaching English to young learners and middle schoolers. 

Young Learners

<blockquote>
<p>&ldquo;There is another alphabet, whispering from every leaf, singing from every river, shimmering from every&nbsp;sky.&rdquo;</p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;Dejan Stojanovic</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Knowing the alphabet is the first step for children to learn English vocabulary and spelling. Learning the alphabet goes beyond memorizing each consonant and vowel. Children need to be able to recognize letters, sound them out, know how vowels and consonants work, and understand the rules associated with each letter. Children also need to be able to understand the relationship between pairing certain letters and how this impacts pronunciation and&nbsp;spelling. The best way to teach young language learners the English alphabet is to make it fun, engaging, and relatable. The websites and apps below make learning the alphabet engaging and interactive. Children are encouraged to learn by reading, listening, practicing, spelling, and&nbsp;pronouncing. &nbsp;</p>

<h1>Fun ABC Websites</h1>

<p><a href="http://alphabetimals.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Alphabetimals</a> is one of the best websites and apps (iOS, Android) for children to have fun learning the alphabet. The <a href="http://alphabetimals.com/en/dictionary.php" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Animal Alphabet Dictionary</a> lets children click on animal-disguised letters to hear the sound. Children spell their names with the <a href="http://alphabetimals.com/en/typer.php" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Name Typer</a> tool, which spells their names with alphabetimals and allows printing for T-shirts and stickers. Children will also enjoy the videos and engaging&nbsp;apps. Check out <a href="https://app.edu.buncee.com/buncee/d9e37979df1a4d8a84bad1a17d08f957" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">EduBuncee&rsquo;s Alphabet Treasure Hunt</a>. Children match stickers that begin with the letter&nbsp;show. <a href="http://www.abcya.com/alphabet_matching_game.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Monster Mansion Alphabet Match</a> is a game where children match letter sounds to beginning word sounds. Young learners click on the windows of the Monster Mansion to see the friendly monsters and match the letters to the appropriate words. All letters and words are sounded&nbsp;out. Find several ABC games children will enjoy playing on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.turtlediary.com/games/alphabet.html" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Turtle Diary</a>, <a href="https://www.education.com/games/alphabet/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Education.com</a>, and <a href="http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/alphabet_games.html" target="_blank">Learning Games for&nbsp;Kids</a>. <a href="http://www.starfall.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Starfall</a> has animated games, songs, and stories for children to learn the&nbsp;alphabet.</p>

<h1>Recommended Free Apps</h1>

<p><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/abc-alphabet-phonics-preschool-game-for-kids/id415071093?mt=8" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">ABC Alphabet Phonics</a> (iOS) &ndash; Children learn the alphabet through sight, sound, and touch. Awesome features include a self-recording tool, a photo-taking tool, realistic photos, and dynamic game&nbsp;play. <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/kids-picture-dictionary-learn-english-a-z-words/id482972824?mt=8" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Kids Picture Dictionary: Learn English A&ndash;Z Words</a> (iOS) &ndash; This picture dictionary has over 600 words and sentences for each letter. Parents and children can record themselves repeating the phrases for each&nbsp;letter. <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/alphabet-picture-dictionary/id670575686?mt=8" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Alphabet Picture Dictionary</a> (iOS) &ndash; This picture dictionary has over 500 words sounded aloud with realistic&nbsp;pictures. <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/in/app/my-first-alphabet-for-preschooler/id598113474?mt=8" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">My First Alphabet for Preschooler</a> (iOS) &ndash; This app is made by the same company as the Alphabet Picture Dictionary. Children learn to read and write the English&nbsp;alphabet. <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/feed-the-animals-with-alphabet-tracing-spelling/id500099457?mt=8" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Feed the Animals with Alphabet, Tracing &amp; Spelling</a> (iOS) &ndash; Children learn the alphabet by playing nine fun animal&nbsp;games. <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/kids-abc-games-toddler-girls-boys-learning-free/id635603974?mt=8" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Kids ABC Games: Toddler Girls &amp; Boys Learning Free</a> (iOS/Android) &ndash; Children learn the alphabet with four puzzle games set in an animated&nbsp;aquarium.&nbsp;</p>

<p>How do you make learning the alphabet fun for your young language&nbsp;learners?</p>

<p>Find <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/author/shelly-terrell/">more of Shelly&rsquo;s tips for online resources</a> on this&nbsp;blog!</p>

<h1>Related Resources</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="flashcards"><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/23/flashcard_categories" target="_blank">Alphabet Flashcards</a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/grammar-usage/resources/2152-the-alphabet" target="_blank">Alphabet Chart</a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/grammar-usage/resources/2447-the-phonetic-spelling-alphabet" target="_blank">The Phonetic Spelling Alphabet</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/74/lessons/2392" target="_blank">How to Use Capital Letters</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/110/lessons/2269" target="_blank">What&rsquo;s Your Name?</a></li>
</ul>

<h1>Young Learners &amp; Literacy</h1>

<p>Did you notice that ESL&nbsp;Library is gradually adding materials for teaching young learners and absolute beginners? Check out the <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons" target="_blank">Word Bank</a> section and watch for more YL lesson sections coming&nbsp;soon!</p>
