Resource+share

__**Suzanne Narain's Resource Share**__ __**Game: Who Wants to be a Millionaire?**__ The game “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” provides ELL students with an opportunity to be engaged in lessons in an interactive way. Many students are exposed to the media, as a result, our teaching should to be infused with elements of media and technology to keep students engaged. This medium of engagement in the classroom allows students to also compete with each other in a healthy way. During my observation in a Grade 10 History ESL A classroom, a teacher used the game “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” as a review tool for the class. The students in the class were able to come up with their own questions that were inputted in the game. The students were able to express their knowledge and challenge their classmates in a thought provoking way. This activity allows for ELL students to work on sentence structure using relevant and age appropriate material. This interactive game could also be used for ELLs in an ELD classroom. While it may put students on the spot in terms of answering questions, it also allows for class participation and community building through the ‘ask a friend’ or ‘ask the audience (classroom)’ component. The questions in the game could be modified to include images, incorporate different languages and various subject strands. This interactive game could be used in conjunction with a dual language book or novel to help students recall main events. There are many benefits to this game, such as improving language acquisition, supporting critical thinking and community building--it may even be a good introduction to the format of multiple choice testing. The downfall to this game is it may be difficult for some students to understand the concept of the game, especially those with gaps in their education.

Adrian D - Resource Share

This is a dual language book entitled, //Jill and the Beanstalk// which is available in 22 different languages. You can order additional features with this resource such as an E-book, puppets, and a board game. As a dual language resource, it definitely proves to be quite useful for ELLs as they can follow along with the story in their own language with the English translation on the same page. Having that first language literacy will serve as a great branch into second language acquisition. The board game will give this story life and more interaction as the students play along and discover more out of the story than by just reading it. An E-book proves to be useful for children who have computer access at home and can read at their own leisure. It can even be viewed together as a class. The puppets serve as an added entertainment factor, especially for elementary school students. Although this book is geared towards students from ages 5 to 9 years old, I do believe that it can be used even at the high school level. A teacher can use this in a creative writing setting as an example of alternative storylines to well known fairytales. Students can make up their own versions of fairytales: ELLs can be encouraged to bring in or tell some stories from their homeland and can go further by giving alternative endings or point of views from that story. What I like in particular about Jill and the Beanstalk is that it protagonist is a little girl who takes on the role of a clever and witty heroine. The independence shown by Jill in the story can prove as a positive testament to young girls that they can leap over or even go through obstacles and face giants just like their male counterparts. On that note, this will prove to be beneficial to young girls coming from countries where women may not have certain liberties. Coming intoCanadanot only gives them a home, but an opportunity that they may not have come to even fathom before. Even though Jack is known to be the star of the beloved fairy tale, Jill’s ability to step up in the story is a lesson that shows ELLs that despite where they are coming from or what role they thought they fit in before, they have an opportunity to evolve into an adventurer. Ayeshika W Lily T. - SARK GAME __Yara Elarabi Resource Share__

__﻿__ __RESOURCE SHARE: PhET __ - **Is it current?**

PhETprovides fun, interactive, research-based simulations of physical phenomena for free. Being research-based ensures that the contents are up-to-date. - **Is it accessible?** All is needed is an Internet connection. - **Is it practical?**

Becauseresearch and testing are incorporated into developing the simulations theresults are bound to be practical deepening understanding of physicalphenomena. - **Is it user-friendly?** It hasbeen made to be as easy-to-use as possible. Very basic computer skills sets arerequired for learning how to use it. - **Is it I/S?** Thecontents are high-school level: 9 – 12. - **Is the language appropriate?** Thelanguage is easy to follow, content-centred, and both the simulation andwebsite may be translated to any language. - **Visuals?** Simulationsare Java-Based and are all graphic and variable-controllable. - **Scope?** It isappropriate for Grade 9 – 12 Math, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Earth Science. - **Is it an inclusive resource?** It isvery inclusive, as it may be used in any language. Also teacher may contributeto the website by sharing their own materials. **Website?**


 * [|phet.colorado.edu]**

**Resource Share: BrainPop** Recently, I had the opportunity to observe a grade 10 academic science class (SNC2D) that had a lot of ELL learners. The ESL teacher used a website called BrainPop ([|www.brainpop.com]) to reinforce the students’ knowledge and understanding of eyes and vision.
 * Danielle Tanganco**

This introduction to BrainPop made me investigate the website a little further. I believe it is a good resource because it covers such a wide range of subjects applicable to the Ontario curriculum: science, social studies, English, math, engineering and tech, health, and arts and music. BrainPop also has resources specifically for British classrooms, Latin American (Spanish-speaking) classrooms, and French classrooms. More importantly in our course, BrainPop has also now come up with BrainPop ESL, which uses lively and engaging technological content to teach English to ELLs. The website says: “Lessons are built around animated movies and supporting features that reinforce vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, reading comprehension, and writing skills.”

BrainPop ESL can be used in front of the whole class, in a media lab (one-to-one classroom), small groups or centres, or by individual students. BrainPop ESL covers at least two learning levels, and each learning level has six units, and each unit is comprised of five lessons. BrainPop also provides ESL teachers with teaching tools, which include a link to a printable PDF of lesson plans and supporting materials provided. Each lesson includes an animated film, which may include closed captioning, “Words to Know,” and “Facts to Know.” Each lesson also includes “Know More,” which reinforces the grammatical points of that lesson. There is also a “Read It!” option, which starts by teaching the alphabet and then progressively moves towards a reading comprehension exercise. “Words, words, words” seeks to introduce new vocabulary words by way of flash cards and visuals. “Write It” starts by teaching the alphabet and progressively moves towards guided paragraph-writing. “Hear It, Say It” is a language lab. “Play It,” the game, as well as “Warm-up,” the pre-quiz, change from lesson to lesson. At the end of each lesson, there is also a graded quiz (“You Can Do It!”).

I believe BrainPop is ideal for students in the intermediate and secondary level (grades 7-12), from ESL A to E. Their first exercise works on the assumption that the ELL has no prior knowledge of English, and BrainPop slowly scaffolds that, working to extend the student’s knowledge. I also believe that BrainPop is a good platform for equitable teaching (for example, the lesson in the link “Take up a Hobby” below can serve as a platform for students to talk about their different hobbies, or make for an interdisciplinary project, where students can design postcards from their family’s home country).

The only drawback I found, however, is the yearly subscription fee of $75. It really is a good resource, so most ESL departments should have no trouble fitting it into the budget. If not, there is always the 5-day free trial!

Take up a Hobby! ([]) Free tour: []


 * Tanya Matsuoka**

**Resource Share: American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang**

American Born Chinese was written by Gene Yang, a computer science teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area. In the dedication section of his graphical novel, he thanks his mother and father for sharing stories of the Monkey Kin and the Taiwanese village boy. One of the reasons I chose this as my ESL resource is because it is culturally relevant. The story is about a young Chinese boy who struggles within his identity as Chinese North American. In the end, the story attempts to deliver a positive message and that is to stay true to yourself. The audience is taken through a metamorphosis of the child as he strives to fit in and tries to be something he is not. The story also contains some elements of cultural stereotypes and makes a satire of the realities of this world.

Aside from its content, the cost of the novel is fairly reasonable, costing only $20 per book. Having won a Michael Printz Nationalist Book Award, you can find this book in most bookstores across North America in the young readers section. The target audience of this resource essentially focuses on young readers between the ages of 12-18. For ESL learners, this resource is useful because it provides captions and graphics, which can help them, better understand and follow the story line. In addition, this graphical novel/comic book is also very relevant to their lives as it contains a lot of terminology that students used today and thus becomes more appealing. Lastly, the ELL student might also feel like they can relate to the cultural barriers that the protagonist experiences whether they were born in Canada or not.

I would be cautious however, with the levels of ELL students as this book might not be language appropriate for beginners. We have to take in factors such as the student may never have seen a graphical novel. We also need to be sensitive to any ELL students who might be Chinese and feel offended or insulted by the content. On the other hand, the story can encourage students to share their experiences from their homeland. In one example, a character comes into the story whose name is “Chin-kee” and the author does a great job of emphasizing on his Chinese accent, which to the reader becomes a unique aspect to the story.

Likewise, this could also be used to address some inequities that students have experienced as ELL students and how they can use this story to challenge it. In summary, this resource is good for the visual and practical learner who enjoys reading through graphics. ResourceShare Being teacher-oriented,this website contains information about TESL certification, current jobsavailable for ESL teachers, teacher training programs, overview of EnglishLanguage Proficiency Tests, a free TESL Canada Journal, review of the latest ESL resources in TESL Canada Publication, the information about TESL Canada Conferences and ESL research database. The most valuable assetof this website is the extensive pagewith the links which are intended for use by regular classroom teachers whohave ELLs in their classrooms as well as for ESL teachers. The section is entitled Teacher ResourceCenter (TRC) on the left site of the screen. There, they provide guidelines and suggestions to assist teachers inplanning and implementing engaging and informative lessons for ELL’s. Many ofthe recommended links provide dual-language activities; they are very inclusiveand suitable for all ESL levels from the very beginners to the advanced levels.There are many printable worksheets, lesson plans, games, tests and quizzes.The websites would also be very beneficial for those ELLs who require additional support and resources to fill any gaps in their learning Interactive Student Resources is another part of the suggested resources by TESL. Onlineinteractive activities and games, videos, online audio files for listeningand dictation practice, astudent-oriented CNN site with podcasts, transcripts, one-pagers, maps etc.,“Simplified Versions of Classic Texts,” practice tests, dictionaries. Free open-access onlinejournals. Each hyperlink leads to the home page of the journal in question;from there, you can move either to the most recent issue or to an archive ofpast issues. There are free graphicst hat were indicated as “free for non-commercial use.” Some of the links have diverse categories of material:e.g. some freeware, along with other materials entailing costs or restrictions.Thus, it is important to read and observe what conditions may be specified.However, with a little care, teachers can find a lot that they will be able touse very freely. Overall, this website provides teachers and students with rich resources serving to support English Language Learners. Most of the links are current, user-friendly, free, andinclusive, engaging, contain visuals, very practical and suitable for the Secondary school level.
 * OlgaShvetsova**
 * The website http://www.tesl.ca** is designed by TESL Ontario, a non-profit organization serving the needsof teachers of English as a Second Language (ESL) and English LiteracyDevelopment (ELD).

Nick Vescio
**Nick Vescio**

**Resource Share: Cranium**

**__History:__** Cranium is a party board game based on Ludo. Whit Alexander and Richard Tait created Cranium in 1998 after Richard spent a weekend playing games with another family and recognized the need for a game involving a variety of skills. He left his job at Microsoft, convincing friend and co-worker Whit Alexander to join him in the creation of Cranium. Cranium is manufactured by Hasbro subsidiary Cranium, Inc. Cranium is billed as "The Game for Your Whole Brain." Unlike many other party games, Cranium includes a wide variety of activities. **__Objective:__** The object of the board game Cranium is to move around a track and into the center, but it's getting there that's all the fun. Teams/Groups work together to answer a wide variety of trivia questions, draw words pictionary-style, act like famous characters, and solve various word puzzles. It's a combination of party games and trivia games that works well with people of variny learning styles (kinesthetic, visual, auditory) as well as great for ELLers. **__Rules:__** Players are divided into two, three, or four teams; each team picks a mover and puts it on the "Planet Cranium" Start space. The rules of Cranium state that the team with the player whose birthday is coming up next starts the game. Play then continues clockwise to the next team. On your Turn: On each turn, a team has a chance to complete an activity on one card and advance along the board. If the team successfully completes a color card they have chosen, the die is then rolled to determine what space the team moves to. Whether the activity is completed successfully or not, the turn always ends after one card. If a Blue card has been drawn such as a cloodle, or a sensosketch they are allowed to use previous drawings from before. If the team completes an activity successfully before time runs out, they roll the color-faced die and move to the next space of the color they roll, or to the next Planet Cranium space, whichever is closer. If they roll purple, they go to the next Planet Cranium space. To win a game Scenic Path and Fast Track: A team's first activity on a Planet Cranium space, including the start space, determines whether they will take the "scenic path" or the "fast track" to the next Planet Cranium space. If they complete their first activity on a Planet Cranium space successfully before time runs out, they will take the inside fast track to the next Planet Cranium space. If they do not complete their first activity successfully, or if time runs out, they will not be able to take the fast track, and, when they do complete an activity successfully to get off the Planet Cranium space, they will have to take the longer scenic path to the next Planet Cranium space. Club Cranium: On some of the Creative Cat and Star Performer cards, there is a "Club Cranium" symbol. When one of these cards is drawn, every team competes and has one of its members do the activity for them. Acting is to be performed in front of all the teams. Each team may guess the answer by looking at anyone performing. Same goes for sensosketches and cloodles. Whichever team gets it first gets to roll the die and move, and play continues with the team who the Club Cranium card was originally for. If no one guesses the answer before time runs out, no one moves and play continues with the team whose turn it was. If your team gets a Club Cranium card correct while on a Planet Cranium, you may move on the fast track if it was your first activity while on the Planet Cranium; if your first activity on a Planet Cranium is a Club Cranium and you do not win it, you still try for the fast track on your next turn. The only penalty for not getting a Club Cranium right is not being able to take an extra move. Cranium Central: Around the "Cranium Central" space in the center of the board are four black spaces, each with the name of one of the decks on it. Before a team can go into Cranium Central, they must collect one card from each deck by moving around these spaces. When a team reaches the end of the path, they must place their mover on the black space that with the deck name that corresponds to the color of their roll. If they roll purple, they may decide which black space to start on. They continue play in the normal fashion, except that when they complete an activity successfully, they keep the card, and instead of rolling the die, they move clockwise to the next black space. Once the team has a card from each deck, they may move into Cranium Central. Once they are in Cranium Central, on their turn, they will receive an activity from the deck that the other teams decide on. If they do not complete the activity successfully, they must wait until their next turn, when the other teams will pick another activity for them, either from the same deck or another deck. Once the team successfully completes an activity while in Cranium Central, they have won the game. **__Reason for choosing this resource:__** We all have learning styles or ways we learn best. These 3 different styles or preferences should be considered when teaching something new: visual (learning by seeing), auditory (learning by hearing) and tactile/kinesthetic (learning by touching and doing). The reason I like using Cranium is because of its wide range of teaching styles in the activities. The game can be broken up into smaller games or used as teaching strategies in both mainstream and English Language Learning classrooms. Cranium is a tool that is perfect for differentiated learning, the game appeal to all types of learners. Many of the suggestions for games and activities I have given tap into these different ways of learning. Acting out a word in charades uses kinesthetic learning, looking at a picture uses visual learning, listening to a story uses auditory learning. On a personal note, I still remember learning some basic French vocabulary in elementary school because we made our own dictionaries by cutting and pasting pictures from magazines. That teacher used all 3 modes of learning, auditory, kinesthetic and visual. It sure worked for me! Cranium Cariboo: This game was designed to teach preschoolers colours and shapes, so if that’s what you’re working on read the directions. Or if you’re like me, don’t read the directions and work on something completely different! The goal of this game is to find the hidden balls and put them in a container. When all the balls are collected they push open the treasure box. Kids love it. To find the hidden balls you open little doors with a key. I ignore the pictures of shapes and colours on the doors and get the child to practice the sentence, vocabulary or sound that we are working on, before he opens the door. Recently I have one client who is working on the pronoun “I”. He has to say “I want the ball” before he opens the door. Another client is working on the “f” sound. He has to say “find it” before he opens the door. **__Accessibility to Resource:__** Cranium is available at most large retail shops such as Walmart, Toys R Us or The Bay and can be purchased for about $30. These stores often sell the same product as in store at a large discount; bellow is a link for Cranium for $15, []. For those who are on a tight budget Cranium can be made in class by students/teachers with simple action cards to act out, draw, mold out of Playdough as well as trivia cards. I believe that Cranium can be used at all school age levels. For ESL learners, this resource is useful because it allows students to build on prior knowledge that have while building vocabulary. In addition, the game is fun and allows for students to work together and not be singled out for knowing.

**__Area of Concern:__** Cranium is heavily based on Canadian culture that students may not be familiar with. I would be mindful of using historical culture references and try to limit the amount of cards in the game when introducing this too many new comers to Canada. Also there are some references to French language in the game, I suggest eliminating these cards as to not confuse students.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;">**__Summary:__** Cranium is a good tool in creating an inclusive environment while using differentiated learning. I believe that this is a fun way for ELL students to increase vocabulary and oral communication. I would use this in any classroom but specifically in social sciences. Example: Civics, acting out political party debates. A number of related Cranium games (including Cadoo for kids, Cariboo for young children, and Cosmo for the office) are also available.

[]

The object of the board game Cranium is to move around a track and into the center, but it's getting there that's all the fun. Teams/Groups work together to answer a wide variety of trivia questions, draw words pictionary-style, act like famous characters, and solve various word puzzles. It's a combination of party games and trivia games that works very well. A number of related Cranium games (including Cadoo for kids, Cariboo for young children, and Cosmo for the office) are also available. The game can be broken up into smaller games or used as teaching strategies in both mainstream and English Language Learning classrooms. Cranium is a tool that is perfect for differentiated learning, the game appeal to all types of learners: visual, audio and kinesthetic. I would use this in any classroom but specifically in social sciences. Example: Civics, acting out political party debates.

Use these fun ideas ...

 Write the hints below (and any others you want to throw in) on pieces of paper. Fold them up and mix them in a plastic cup. Grab a clue, think of an answer, and draw it for everyone to guess. Save a gallery of your creations! Here are some ideas to get you started: If you like this activity, you might like [|CRANIUM CADOO]. || Take turns calling out a category, such as “height.” Then everyone in the group lines up in order as quickly as possible—without talking! Here are some ideas for categories If you like this activity, you might like [|CRANIUM WHOONU]. || Have everyone in the family think of something they like to do but haven’t done in a while, like putting on a puppet show, swimming, finger painting, or playing miniature golf. Then take turns acting it out, while everyone else tries to guess what you’re doing. For a fun twist, try a Sideshow—move another player’s arms and legs like a puppet to act it out. You might even be inspired to pick something and go do it! If you like this activity, you might like [|CRANIUM]. || Pick a category, then take turns saying words that fit that category. Each word starts with the last letter of the previous word. Can you link together five different words in one minute? Here are a few categories to try: • Things you eat • Things inside the house • People you know • Places If you like this activity, you might like [|CRANIUM FAMILY EDITION]. || You’ll never forget your brother acting out “supermodel” or your Mom pushing an alarm clock across the floor with her nose! Celebrate your family’s game- night shining moments with customizable awards. ||
 * [[image:http://www.hasbro.com/commonspot_sites/localize_promos/funidea_cat.jpg caption="DRAW IT!" link="http://www.hasbro.com/cranium/en_US/shop/details.cfm?guid=93CB8FCA-6D40-1014-8BF0-9EFBF894F9D4&product_id=21354&src=endeca"]] || ==<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #e90b32; font-family: arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;">[|DRAW IT!] ==
 * A food you love
 * A gift you’d like to receive
 * An animal at the zoo A character from a movie
 * [[image:http://www.hasbro.com/commonspot_sites/localize_promos/funidea_datahead.jpg caption="LINE IT UP!" link="http://www.hasbro.com/cranium/en_US/shop/details.cfm?guid=93CEAFA7-6D40-1014-8BF0-9EFBF894F9D4&product_id=21403&src=endeca"]] || ==<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #e90b32; font-family: arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;">[|LINE IT UP!] ==
 * Foot size
 * When birthdays fall in the calendar year
 * Number of cavities
 * Number of letters in your first name
 * [[image:http://www.hasbro.com/commonspot_sites/localize_promos/funideas_star.jpg caption="ACT IT OUT" link="http://www.hasbro.com/cranium/en_US/shop/details.cfm?guid=93CEA0BE-6D40-1014-8BF0-9EFBF894F9D4&product_id=21402&src=endeca"]] || ==<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #e90b32; font-family: arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;">[|ACT IT OUT] ==
 * [[image:http://www.hasbro.com/commonspot_sites/localize_promos/funideas_worm.jpg caption="Try the Piggyback word game!" link="http://www.hasbro.com/cranium/en_US/shop/details.cfm?guid=93CB61EF-6D40-1014-8BF0-9EFBF894F9D4&product_id=21351&src=endeca"]] || ==<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #e90b32; font-family: arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;">[|Try the Piggyback word game!] ==
 * [[image:http://www.hasbro.com/commonspot_sites/localize_promos/funideas_shine.gif caption="Everyone Shines" link="http://www.hasbro.com/cranium/en_us/shine.cfm"]] || ==<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #e90b32; font-family: arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;">[|Everyone Shines] ==

Anne Dillon
June 5, 2011 = [|www.bitstripsforschools.com] =

T he resource I am sharing is a website called bit strips for schools. It is a fun and engaging website that allows students to create their own comic strips. They can create a seemingly unlimited supply of avatars to populate their graphic tales, and the website also has a wide variety of settings, props etc for use within the comics. The students can use a combination of text and illustration to engage in any number of writing activities. The website is not free of charge, however it has been licensed for use in all publicly funded Ontario schools. I have seen it used successfully in an ELL class of students in grade seven and eight at varying stages (or steps) of their language acquisition. The comic strips can be assigned as a retell of a text studied/ read in class (fiction or non-fiction) to assess comprehension, as a biography project at the beginning of the year, or even as a purely creative writing activity. The use of graphic texts in teaching literature allows ELL learners to access the material using visual cues as well as dialogue. In creating their own graphic texts, students can use as many images as needed to convey meaning they are unable to using language alone.

Another resource I found appealing and quite useful was a book entitled Story Starters - Creative Writing Series (ISBN 155035779-4). It contains printable handouts that show an image at the top of the page about which students are asked to write a short piece of writing. Beside the image is a box for vocabulary words again drawn from the image. For our students, we might discuss some possible "meaning" in the image together, then create the list of vocabulary words as a class, finally allowing them to practice using the new words in their writing. I have always believed that the best path to becoming a better writer is to have significant opportunities to write. These short story starters allow students that opportunity. They can practice their skills while still having a visual stimulus to draw ideas from, as well as a word bank of context specific, descriptive terms. While some of the pictures are a little goofy, they are not too juvenile and would certainly be appropriate for use with grade seven and eight ELLs in the early stages of language acquisition.

= **Resource Share:** Renshaw, Jason. //Boost! Reading 1.// Hong Kong: Pearson Longman Asia ELT, 2007.=

The //Boost!// series of books, written by Jason Renshaw is aimed toward a junior audience of English as a First Language learners. However, this resource may also be used in a grade seven or eight classroom for a more proficient level of English Language Learners since it is more text based as opposed to being image-based. The series is divided into texts aimed at teaching and increasing skills in English Grammar, Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing, all of which are further divided into levels one through four. The resource I chose, //Boost! Reading 1,// published in 2007//,// is made up of twelve units which are organized in the table of contents. Each unit focuses on a particular reading skill and text type. For example, a sample webpage may be provided where students are asked to identify the writer’s opinion. The webpage may be based on a social studies, science, cultural, art or sports theme. In this way, the text appeals to various student interests and previous experiences. The units are simple to follow as there are colourful headings, and each introductory page clearly states the reading skill focus of the unit. Each unit contains an opportunity for students to access their prior knowledge. This is usually done at the beginning of the unit either through prompts leading to conversations, or discussions in small groups. It may also be done through a short exercise asking students to fill in the blanks, to match corresponding words and concepts/ definitions or to label the parts of a passage. For example the labels may be “paragraph 1,” “title,” “picture 2.” The resource is fairly inclusive as it provides a wide subject area in regard to topic choices for the units of study. The name choices in the scenarios vary culturally and although there are

few images of people, the images that are provided include people of varying ethnicity. However, it appears as though in pictures about science experiments or inventions, the characters are Caucasian, while the people using computers or musical instruments are of Asian ethnicity. In order to access the resource at school, students are provided with a workbook copy of the resource, which provides practicing questions and activities. In addition to this, a compact disc is included with the text, in order to help students to hear as well as see the text. Overall the resource is useful as it is clearly organized, it includes a mini-dictionary at the back, and it provides a variety of assessment options, which include oral and written responses. Students are at times asked to complete various tasks, from discussing with a partner, to filling in blanks or to demonstrating their new skills by completing a work of writing independently. In order to help students further with comprehension and recognition of words, a CD is provided with the text form of the resource. In order to access the resource, teachers may visit the book series’ website where there are sample units available for download. The student books, which include the CD, are available for purchase at approximately $27.00 each, while the teacher additions have a price of approximately $11.00 each.

This is a link to the website where downloadable samples are available. http://www.boostskillsseries.com/

By: Maria Bojagora


 * The Story of Stuff Project **
 * Bailey Rose**
 * Website:** [|**www.storyofstuff.com**]
 * Film: Story of Stuff**
 * Length: 20 minutes**
 * Level: Grades 9-12**
 * ELL Level: C-E**
 * Cross-Curricular**

The Story of Stuff is one of the most widely viewed environmental-themed short films of all time. It was released in 2007 and has been shown in thousands of schools, communities and businesses around the world. The film is extremely visual and easy to grasp the big ideas discussed. All of the stuff in our lives goes through a process. From its extraction, through sale, use and disposal our stuff affects us locally and globally, most of these effects are hidden from view. The Story of Stuff illustrates the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues and calls to action its viewers to raise awareness and help make change. We need to create a most sustainable and just world.
 * Background:**

The website includes downloads of all the films so that Internet access is not always required. It also includes teaching resources. These resources are available for purchase (if you would like to donate to the project) or they can be downloaded for free. An interdisciplinary high school guide is available following the American curriculum, however it fits the Canadian curriculum as well. It provides a two-week unit plan, including ten interactive lessons. These lessons can be used for ESL, academic and applied courses across the curriculum. There are lots of hands-on visual ways to illustrate the main ideas. There are also highlighted key terms that can be used for word walls.
 * In The Classroom:**

The Story of Stuff is available in eleven languages with transcripts on their international website, allowing new ELLs to comprehend the film. The film is extremely visual and very easy to follow to ELL levels C-E should be okay following the film. It is only 20 minutes long, allowing enough to pause to clarify concepts if necessary. The lesson plans that are paired with the film can be altered to fit whatever level of ELLs you are working with. They are very engaging and help make further connections to the topic.
 * Strictly ESL:**

There are extensions within the lessons for further learning. There are also other films available on the website, however they are not available in other languages.
 * Extensions:**

__ ESL AQ Part 1 – Resource Share __ Benjamin Chin

__Eyes Closed Pictionary__
I have had great experiences implementing this activity, and the great thing about the activity is its adaptability to all ages and levels of English language proficiency. The object of the activity is to teach vocabulary, concepts, or samples of text in an engaging way and have the meaning reinforced by taking turns visually representing it and decoding it.

As mentioned, the activity is best suited to review or reinforce concepts just learned or previously learned. The teacher has the students collaboratively review a list of vocabulary or concepts for meaning, spelling, or structure depending on the content of the lesson. Once the students have reviewed, the teacher allows a quick minute to memorize all the terms. Following that, students put away their notes and the teacher distributes scrap paper. Students will form groups of about 4 or 5. The teacher will ask for a volunteer artist from each group who will come up to the teacher. The teacher secretly reveals the term or concept to the artists who go back to their groups and on the teacher’s command try to draw the concept with their **eyes closed**. The remaining group members try to interpret the drawing and guess the concept. The winner is the first group to correctly rewrite the concept.

I believe the effectiveness lies not only in the creative act of attaching meaning to a concept, but through repetition and collaboration. By simply modifying the content, the difficulty can be adjusted and the output can be catered to meet the expectations of the teacher. For example, if there is a particular list of vocabulary that the students have learned, this is a great way to review the meanings. For a more advanced class, substituting in difficult vocabulary, idioms, samples of text, or abstract concepts will produce a greater challenge in encoding and decoding.

=Stefanie Liassides= The resource that I have selected to present to the class is Dave’s ESL Cafe. The website [] was developed by Dave Sperling in 1995 and continues to be updated on a regular basis. I would recommend this website to my fellow peers as a helpful website for many teacher resources. Although a lot of the website materials originated in America, you can use the material in Canada and still make it relevant to the students here. The website dedicates a section for “stuff for teachers” and a place for students. The material and information on the website can be used for elementary students all the way up to secondary students. Depending on the subject or material you are interested in finding; the website can direct you to links or lesson plans that are helpful to your interest. This resource is so valuable for new teachers like us in the new grad program in order to help get some ideas flowing on how to introduce several topics. Under the cookbook section for teachers, Dave’s website has an entire link dedicated to icebreaker ideas for teachers. People from all over the world have entered in their ideas and this can be helpful for getting global perspective/interactive ideas for your own classroom. For example, games like the fruit bowl or fun methods to learn student’s names.

Sinead Owens The resource I wish to share is a game called FUNGLISH by Hasbro. This very name implies a fun way to learn English. The concept of the game is a bit of a different kind of charades, except instead o f using action to get people to guess a word, you use descriptive words. The players, one by one, select words off of a card (which offers a choice of a few words) and uses the FUNGLISH word board and 120 descriptive word tiles to give clues as to what their word is within the space of a minute (a timer is included). The word board has three sections: “DEFINITLEY,” “KIND OF,” and “NOT.” Participants must put a few descriptive word tiles into the three different slots to give the other players an idea of what their word is so that they may make educated guesses. Word tiles are colour coded and the typography corresponds with the word in question. There are nine amount of word groups under different categories. The typography is such that, for instance, the word “Wood” looks to be wooden so as to give the player a visual cue as to what the word means. I feel like this game would be great for a number of different ELLs because it is very customizable for different age groups. The technical rules of the game can be discarded and the teacher can decide how the word board, descriptive word tiles, and word cards may be used. The following are some suggestions that I have: These are just a few ideas on how to vary the intensity and/or make accommodations for different student needs. For all students, a prior review or instruction or basis for knowledge is necessary so that they will know what all or most of the descriptor words mean. The fonts used on the tiles are excellent clues to jog student memory, but it would be unwise to attempt this game with students who do not know the descriptor words, as well as the guessing words. Because of the variability, I would recommend this game for ELLs. It has the appeal of a game of charades or Pictionary, with a focus on vocabulary, accurate linguistic communication, and literacy. It is interactive and visual, thus appealing to at least two learning types and would be a good aid for a teacher in need of differentiated instruction resources. I would like it if it contained a few more descriptive words—although the current selection is surprisingly sufficient— or if word choices were arranged by difficulty. Otherwise it is successful because it a simple concept and because it is well designed graphically.
 * Resource Share: FUNGLISH **
 * 1) Perhaps, for beginning ELLs, have them only concentrate on using one guessing word per turn.
 * 2) Eliminate the timer if you think it will affect the game negatively.
 * 3) For beginning ELLs, allow all participants to see the word card that the main player is using. They only get one guess each, but if they have a list to choose from the task is less daunting.
 * 4) For any level ELL, disregard the word cards and instead make cards/allow the students to choose from a list of classroom unit vocabulary. This would work as an effective review strategy.
 * 5) For mid-level ELLs, do not allow all participants to see the word card that the main player is using, but also disallow the more difficult choices on the word cards. These may include words that require a more advanced level of cultural-knowledge, or words that are too challenging to describe.
 * 6) For higher level ELLs, do not allow all participants to see the word card that the main player is using, and allow the player to choose freely from the list.
 * 7) For the guessing participants, you may want to format the game in various ways:
 * 8) Groups of guessers who need to arrive at a consensus before they may present their guess to the main player. This may be especially suitable for beginning ELLs, or classes that have a level imbalance.
 * 9) Guessers are individuals, but must write down their guesses and tally up their points (one per right answer) at the end.
 * 10) Guessers may be partnered, like Pictionary, and if they cannot guess the answer then they can surrender their guess to the rest of the class.
 * 11) Dual language dictionaries, depending on the level of the ELLs and on the purpose of the game.
 * 12) If the descriptor word tiles are too many, then perhaps remove a few for beginner level ELLs so that they are not overwhelmed with choice.

Addendum: Beth suggested that you mark the French or English side so that the ELLs do not confuse them. Use stickers to cover the words or to just signify that they are English/French.