Group items tagged

Mechanics and drama help students understand science and how life works. For young and very young learners, this lesson demonstrates how to engage learners physically in the subjects they are studying.

The PBS site is free and has wonderful video and interactive activities for young and very young learners, that allow them to investigate the relationship between science and other aspects of real life. Very high quality and suggestive discussion questions, even if you don't use all the materials. Includes daily news stories and technology tips.

A clever game site that could be used for lesson on where garbage goes. for very young learners, but supposedly adaptable to older learners, too.

Gives examples of very young learners using blogs as digital portfolios. Good discussion of formative and summative assessment as well.

This cross-platform app -- iPhone and Android -- lets students create their own games and instructional programs. Free for teachers and students, you need to sign up for an account, but you can work on a computer to create the HTML5. Learning games can be dreary, but creating them can be very interesting for students. The frontpage shows middle school learners working away, so this might be good even for younger learners.

"Featuring practical advice and tips to inspire practitioners, carers and parents, this is a valuable resource for encouraging young children to talk about everyday skills in a context they can relate to. "The series uses simple, positive language and gorgeous full-colour illustrations to teach children aged 0-5 important personal and social skills. From making friends and sharing, to eating and tidying up, this series will help explore positive behaviour with children in a fun and friendly way." Though written for native speakers, the content and language level with pictures should make this series useful for very young NNS learners.

Games and puzzles for young learners (K-8th) to practice math. Includes a Teacher's Page to help inspire your class.

"I was recently in a third grade classroom and was struck by the presence of rules that were posted for how to have a conversation. The poster said, "Each person must contribute to the discussion but take turns talking. Ask each other, 'Would you like to add to my idea?' or 'Can you tell us what you are thinking?' Ask questions so that you understand each other's ideas. Say, 'Can you tell me more about that?' or 'Can you say that in another way?'" "Having visited many middle and high schools, I think these same rules could -- and probably should -- be posted there as well. " How important the rules of conversation are! We all too often expect our students to "get into groups and discuss," but how often are these productive conversations? These tips/strategies are well worth practicing at the beginning of every year/semester, and not just with young learners. These tips are also a nice practice for EFL/ESL students as they prepare to speak with native speakers.

R. Byrnes has found some good sites for young learners, including PBS Kids and a Council of Europe game. Topics include cyberbullying as well as online safety.

Looking at ways to use information texts more interactively with very young learners. Demonstrates how students can absorb ways of presenting scientific information as well as the actual facts, and how they can learn to question what is in the text, applying and adjusting their own concepts of the world.

A model of how a whole class discussion can lead to formative assessment, revision and expansion of ideas, and collaborative learning with very young learners.

This is super cool -- kindergartners use primary resources, such as old movies and photos, from the Library of Congress to explore and analyze how the mail was delivered in the old days and compare it to present work practices and jobs. I really got a kick out of the kids' comments about the mail train and sorting mail. Great example of how content-based, authentic materials can inspire even very young learners.

Very young learners learning about facts vs. opinion in Social Studies. Students create a poster demonstrating what they have learned about American symbols. Video shows relationship to several Common Core standards.

Audio stories of children's classics make for a nice learning center activity with head phones. Listening to English, with great illustrations is an excellent way to acquire English and learn more about culture as well. For very young learners.

"Computer programming can help kids develop vital problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. Not sure where to begin? This list offers ways to jump-start a coding adventure. It also encourages kids to become creators and not simply consumers of technology. Teaching everything from simple commands to complex programs, our favorite coding apps and websites come in a range of formats designed for different ages and abilities. For even more popular picks to spark your kid's interest in coding, be sure to check out our favorite tools that cover STEM topics and our Learning with Technology topic center." Lots of choices for very young learners.

"Hosted by Colin Hill, we attended the launch of the Bloomsbury Young Readers series, speaking to authors Jenny McLachlan and Michaela Morgan. " Click from this page to listen to this episode. Also has links to other podcsts and book readings for very young learners.

"Free Math Help offers a variety of free tools to help students with Algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus, and statistics. The site has a simple interface with color coded tabs identifying their four categories which are lessons, calculators, games, and forums." This blog post describes the website, which includes over 100 lessons, calculators, and games for younger learners.

A nice collection of apps for iPads for younger learners. Includes writing, telephony, geography, maths, and literacy.

The Japan Virtual Science Center has Webby Award winning science videos and trials where students can experience phenomena. A great place to support ESP learning and STEMs in your classroom. Some videos are animations for younger learners.

"In this intriguing TEDx talk, author of Screen Time: How Electronic Media Affects Your Young Child and Director of the New America Foundation's Early Education Initiative, Lisa Guernsey, discusses the research she has been involved with, as well as some the practical outcomes of her work exploring learning and screen media."