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- The International Phonetic Alphabet Chart
An important resource for language instructors, although I would avoid giving this to most ELL students.
- The Color Vowel Chart
A great resource for both teachers and students, alike. Jazz Chants, as popularized by Carolyn Graham, are a great way for students to repeat common sounds in a fun and memorable way with an emphasis on intonation and rhythm. Teachers can create their own jazz chants using relevant content material.
Teachers can make their own short selfie videos that emphasize the production of different sounds. Here are my examples. Websites such as Starfall and certain games on Spelling City are great for listening activities, as they break words into phonemes and syllables.
Apps that practice phonemic awareness on tablets and smart phones are numerous.
Readers Theater is a fun way for students to practice reading and pronunciation.
Video apps that facilitate digital storytelling, a great way to practice pronunciation, include Sonic Pics , Adobe Voice. and Voice Thread .
Pinterest has a plethora of root and affix examples. Pinterest also includes various infocharts, graphic organizers, and activities to help students conceptualize homonyms and homophones, synonyms and antonyms.
It is always helpful for students to be exposed to forums with diverse writers that are of the same culture, age group, or life circumstance. School or classroom blogs, websites, newsletters, and shared google documents are an excellent place to begin. Some of my favorites include, The Change Agent , an Adult Education journal for social justice, Street Sense, a newspaper written by homeless authors, and Free Minds Book Club and Writing Workshop written by incarcerated young poets.
Google Voice is a great way for students to practice leaving voice messages for various purposes, while keeping the teacher's personal phone number confidential. Teachers can adjust the voicemail message to signify various registers, such as "inquire about a job" or "ask about the parent teacher conference date". You can then listen and evaluate the students' use of polite or informal language.
Students can also video-tape themselves during role-play and constructively critique the performance. Was it polite or impolite? What message with communicated?
Here is an example of an video produced by students in our Advanced Class.
The Center for Nonviolent Communication has great resources that help teachers consider how to use language for a peaceful outcomes in the classroom.