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Free webinar: Teacher training in the age of web 2.0: The current situation & future perspectives

In reading tests at school, girls tend to be ahead of boys, in all age groups and in all countries. But in young adults, there is suddenly no longer any difference between men's and women's reading skills. Why is that? Could the answer be in the way the tests are designed?

researchers long thought the window for learning a new language shrinks rapidly after age 7 and closes almost entirely after puberty. Yet interdisciplinary research conducted over the past five years at the University of Washington, Pennsylvania State University, and other colleges suggest that the time frame may be more flexible than first thought and that students who learn additional languages become more adaptable in other types of learning, too.

Canadian website with videos and activities aimed at primary age French learners. Very suitable for Y7.

ARGuing is a Comenius project funded within the European Union Lifelong Learning programme for the promotion of language learning for secondary school students (ages 13 to16).\n\nThe project has created a special collaborative, multilingual game, called an Alternate Reality Game,

This web page is intended to provide an extra resource for students in Eng 404. You will find a link to the SAC (Studies in the Age of Chaucer) online bibliography of Chaucer studies published from 1975-to the present. This is the best resource to use to find essays about Chaucer and his works, including individual Canterbury Tales. You can find citations for essays on individual tales and pilgrims either by doing a keyword search or a subject search. You will also find links here to three different versions of the Canterbury Tales, one in Middle English with glosses, one in Middle English, and a Modern English translation. In addition there are links to resources on other servers that provide information about Chaucer's literary context as well as the Medieval Sourcebook that has a vast collection of primary sources.

Contains the best stories from the Bible. Written in simple and understandable language, the stories are perfect for retelling to children of all ages. The wonder book of Bible stories is not only a recasting of the familiar stories of the Bible such as the finding of Moses and the story of Adam and Eve. It goes a step further to add characterization to make them look contemporary and lively. Interesting reading and specially suited for children as well as for adults who teach at Sunday schools. Every family should have this beautiful story book.

"This web page is intended to provide an extra resource for students in Eng 404. You will find a link to the SAC (Studies in the Age of Chaucer) online bibliography of Chaucer studies published from 1975-to the present. This is the best resource to use to find essays about Chaucer and his works, including individual Canterbury Tales. You can find citations for essays on individual tales and pilgrims either by doing a keyword search or a subject search. You will also find links here to three different versions of the Canterbury Tales, one in Middle English with glosses, one in Middle English, and a Modern English translation. In addition there are links to resources on other servers that provide information about Chaucer's literary context as well as the Medieval Sourcebook that has a vast collection of primary sources. " Illustrated with "Chaucer reading from Troilus and Criseyde"

links to explore

In fact, some of the greatest obstacles to world-language education are parents who recall their own miserable experiences. Many Americans were introduced to foreign languages in middle school or high school classes that emphasized conjugation of verbs and other dull grammatical tasks rather than relevant communication skills. "Language teaching in the U.S. has been ineffective," Stewart says. "We start it at the wrong age. Teacher skills are not great. There's a focus on grammar and translation." The result: "Adults who took three years of French don't speak a word," she states.\nBut the trend toward competency and away from conjugation is helping create a new generation of language learners, one that gains real-world skills with many practical applications.

the key here lies in the paragraph I clipped: the focus should be on competency rather than on conjugation.

Kideos is a video website designed with kids under ten years old in mind. Videos on Kideos are categorized by age appropriateness as well as by topic. Most of the videos appear to be served via YouTube but are displayed with the Kideos border which removes advertising and YouTube's "related videos" and comments. (from Free Technology for Teachers)

The Database of Award-Winning Children's Literature is a searchable database of more than 7,000 award-winning books for children. DAWCL was developed and is maintained by reference librarian Lisa Bartle. There are many ways to search the database to locate books which will appeal to your students and will meet your instructional needs. In addition to the typical search options of keyword, author, and title you will find search options like the age of the reader, historical period, genre, setting, and gender of protagonist.

"The teaching of grammar has changed completely in a generation. While formal teaching of spelling and punctuation have been a mainstay of the classroom, just a few decades ago there was very little teaching of grammar. Many pupils formally encountered grammar through the study of other languages. Now SPaG takes up a large part of the primary curriculum, but have secondary colleagues noticed a difference? In this session we are discussion how to improve SPaG skills and usage at all levels of schooling and beyond."

A vast educational video site with thousands of videos on subjects across the curriculum and beyond. Search by age, topic and keyword. http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/Video%2C+animation%2C+film+%26+Webcams

This is a useful news site which provides the same news story written at three different levels of English, making it a wonderful tool for ESL classes and differentiating for different age groups. http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/English+As+An+Additional+Language

In this webinar, expert in eBooks Meredith Wemhoff discusses ways to engage and support learners with special needs using eBooks and audio. Using the case-study of an independent all-boys school located in Surrey, the school provides special needs students an opportunity to succeed and thrive. Many arrive to the 80-year-old institution with low self-confidence, often due to struggles they faced in traditional educational institutions caused by learning and language difficulties. This means providing a collection that meets the individual learning needs of the school's 470 students, who range in age from 8-18. ​​​​​​​ During this eye-opening webinar, Meredith will share the story of selecting, launching and promoting a digital library service that helps address learning challenges. Attendees will come away with best practices for bringing ebooks and audiobooks to their school and real-life examples of these practices in action. Don't miss out, register today!

Links to ideas for using flip video cameras

A simple comic strip builder with support for English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, or Latin. Finished strips can either be printed or sent via email to the teacher. Great for specific language or literacy activities.