Week 2 (January 18th-24th)
Moderators for this week:
Hana hprashker@aol.com
Joanna joannarodiki@yahoo.com
Time to start exploring Internet-based activities.
Objectives
During this week's session, we will:
- Look at a number of Internet-based activities.
- Try to relate these activities to relevant literature on EFL teaching. (So, first complete reading tasks as given on week 1)
- Discuss the added value of these activities in the classroom.
- Discuss the problems that might occur when using these activities in the classroom.
- Talk about coping with these problems or preventing them from occurring.
Define your learners.
Let us first start by asking a question. 
How do you define young learners?
Which age range are you referring to?
Let us know by posting a message to the group at Internet4younglearners@yahoogroups.com
Activities
Activity 1 (age 5-6)
Click here for an online dictionary
OR
1. Go to http://www.pdictionary.com.
2. Download and save the comment document - Comments on activity 1.
Activity 2 (age 7-8)
Go to
OR
- Go to Interesting Things for ESL Students at www.manythings.org.
- Select Easy Things for Beginners from the column on your left.
- Click on English Vocabulary Games with Pictures.
- Select Sports and Matching
-
Download and save the Comment document - Comments on Activity 2
-
Download and save the activities documents - Worksheet Activity 2,
Activity 3 (age 10-11)
Go to Comparisons Activity.
OR
1. Go to Activities for ESL students at http://a4esl.org/
2. Select Grammar Easy
3. Go to Level 2: Easy and click on Comparisons.
4. Download and save the comment document - Comments on activity 3.doc
5. Download and save the worksheet - worksheetactivity3.doc.
More Activities:
-
Visit an interesting animated educational site at http://www.brainpopjr.com/ or http://www.brainpopesl.com/ .
Explore the sites to find ideas and relevant stuff. -
Click here to be directed to a list of useful websites for those teaching young EFL learners - activities, ideas, resources.
Group discussion
Now what? After looking at both activities and the relevant supplementary material, please tell us what you think.
- Do you think you could use these activities in your classroom?
- How long do you think it would take your kids to work on them?
- How would you prefer to do the activities, in a lab, with the whole classroom or group by group in the classroom?
- What differences, if any, would the changes in venue make?
- Can you see any drawbacks or possible problems if you try to work with these activities?
- Can you see any added value to these activities? Explain.
Go to
Internet4younglearnersat grouply.com
Register and then use the whiteboard to share your thoughts with us.
Relevant reading
Relevant Reading: Complete reading list from previous week - or at least some of it :-)
1. Presentations prepared by Joanna, one of our moderators.
Using the Computer in the Young EFL learner Language Classroom.
2. A Guide to Using the Internet to teach young learners.
3. Click here to be directed to a list of useful websites for those teaching young EFL learners.
4. If you have the time you can have a look at ELT notebook , a very interesting site with a variety of ideas and tips on what to do with young learners.
Homework for Week 3
- Create a list of useful tips while selecting online activities
- Look at the activities for this week's session.
- Go through the comments and supplementary material for each one of them and based on the relevant literature that you read during week 1.
- Start preparing a list on things that you need to bear in mind when looking at online activities -Useful Tips While Selecting Online Activities-This list needs to be completed and uploaded sometime next week. The group discussion (earlier in this page) might help you in preparing this list.
Don't forget your project for week 5: Design your own lesson with Internet -based activities and upload it to our activity wiki at http://internet4ylactivities.pbworks.com.