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English-Language Learners: Learning with iPad

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English-Language Learners: Learning with iPad

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Google Tools for English Language Learners | Tech & Learning

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Google Tools for English Language Learners | Tech & Learning

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The best Google tools for English language learners are now more powerful than ever before and can break down any communication barriers that might exist.

As more non-English speaking students require support, the right digital tools can make all the difference, both for their learning and for reducing teacher time requirements, so too helping the rest of the class.

These tools are organized into a host of categories, from translation and dictionary tools to speech-to-text and summarization tools, to name just a few.

This guide aims to explain some of the best Google tools for English language learners and help to show the best ways to use them in a learning environment.

Google Tools: Translate in Google Docs

Since Google Docs is free, easy to use, and widely integrated in many schools already, it makes sense to take advantage of its features. One such feature that's useful for English language learners is the built-in translate tool, which uses all the smarts of Google Translate but right there in the document.

This can mean translating an entire document or just a section. Since teachers are able to share with multiple students, they can tailor the language to suit the reader. This allows for a consistent message to be shared across the class with clear understanding.

To use this, from within Google Docs, go to "Tools" and then select "Translate document." Select the language you want and a title for the new doc, as this makes a copy, then select "Translate." This new doc can then be shared with those students that speak that language.

That's how to do an entire doc, but for sections you'll need the Translate add-on.

Use Google Translate

Google Translate can be a very useful tool in class for one-on-one communication with students. It allows one person to speak and the other hears the translation in their native language. They can then answer in that language and the other person hears it in their language. This back and forth makes for easy and quick spoken communication. But it can also be used in documents.

If you want to create one document to share with the class, say, but want a mix of languages. Perhaps encouraging everyone to read certain parts in English, but clarifying more complex parts in native languages, you'll need the Google Translate add-on for Google Docs.

With this, you can type or dictate the text that you want translated, using the drop-down menu to select the languages you need. Follow these steps to get that setup:

First install the add-on in Docs by clicking "Add-ons," then "Get add-ons," then searching for the "Translate" add-on.

Alternately you can use this direct link - Add-on link

After installation, run the tool by clicking "Add-ons" then "Translate" then "Start."

You can now select text in your document, and which languages you want to translate from and to.

Finally click the "Translate" button to do the translation.

As an alternative to typing, students can use the Docs Voice Typing tool to speak to Google Docs and have their words typed. This can be helpful when the student is not sure of the spelling of words, and can serve as an excellent way to practice spoken fluency.

To do this simply select "Tools" and "Voice Typing," then when the microphone icon is selected and lit up, it's listening and typing. Touch again when you need to stop.

Go directly to Google Translate

For more translation features, you can use the full Google Translate website, which provides additional tools and options including translation of typed or pasted text, spoken words, uploaded files, and entire websites. To take advantage of that, here's what you need to do:

Go to the Google Translate website.

You can choose the languages you want to translate to and from.

In the box, you can type in or paste your original text, or you can click the microphone icon to speak the text.

As your translated results come up, you can can click on portions of the text to see alternate translations.

Alternately, you can paste in the web address for a site you would like to have translated in full.

Or you can even upload and entire file by clicking "translate a document."

Use Google Translate in Chrome

Another great tool for easy and quick translations is the Google Translate Chrome extension. This tool will provide a pop-up translation of any selected text on a website, as well as the option to have the text read aloud. Here's how to install and use that:

First install the Google Translate extension from the Chrome web store at: Chrome web store link

Once the extension is installed, right-click on the extension and choose "Options" to set your language. This will tell the extension what language to translate into.

While on the options screen, enable the feature for "Display icon that I can click to show pop-up."

Now select any text on a webpage and then click the pop-up translate icon to get a translation.

Additionally you can click the speaker icon to have the text read aloud.

You can also click on the extension to translate an entire page.

Go mobile with Google Translate on your smartphone

For translation tools on-the-go, Google's mobile Translate app provides lots of other options for entering text, including speaking, handwriting, and even using your camera. Here's how it works:

First, download the Google Translate app for Android or iOS.

Next, choose the language you speak and the language you wish to translate to and from.

You can now use the microphone icon to speak in your language and the app will then speak the translation.

Or use the double microphone icon for a live conversation between two different languages.

You can use the doodle icon to hand write in your language, which the app will translate and speak in the other language.

You can use the camera icon to point your device at any printed text in one language and it will translate live into your other chosen language.

Use Google Dictionary in Chrome

When reading online, students may come across words they are unfamiliar with. With the Google Dictionary extension they can simply double-click on any word to get a pop-up definition and, often, a pronunciation as well. Here's how to do that:

Install the Google Dictionary Chrome extension from the Chrome web store.

After installation, right-click on the extension and choose "Options" to set your language. This will allow you to have the definitions displayed in your primary language.

Now just double-click on any word on a webpage and a pop-up will appear with the definition.

If there is also a speaker icon, you can click that to hear the word pronounced.

Use the Read&Write extension

Read&Write is a great Chrome extension that provides a wide range of tools, many of which can be very useful for someone learning a new language, including text-to-speech, dictionary, picture dictionary, translation, and more. Here's how to get setup:

Install the Read&Write extension from the Chrome Web Store.

With the extension installed, you can click on it when inside or a Google Document or on any website.

This will open a toolbar with a variety of buttons.

Some of the useful tools include the following:

Play is the text-to-speech button. This will read aloud the text you have selected or the entire page or document, which can be a great way to improve comprehension of a second language by hearing the text read aloud.

Dictionary will give you a definition of a selected word in a pop-up window. Picture Dictionary provides clipart images for a selected word in a pop-up window.

Translator offers a translation of a selected word in a pop-up window in the language of your choice.

In the Options menu, you can choose the voice and speed used for text-to-speech, which can make it much easier for a student to understand the words being spoken. In the menu you can also choose the language to be used for translations.

Get summarization tools

Another great way for students to understand text is to get asimplified summary of the content. Many tools are available that can create an abridged version of longer text. Using any of these can help a student get the gist of an article before working on reading the entire original text.

Some great options include SMMRY, TLDR, Resoomer, Internet Abridged, and Auto Highlight.

Screen record for a second look

When students are working in a second language, it can be beneficial to give them other ways to express themselves other than just writing. Recording class guidance so they can watch when they want and as many times as needed, is also helpful.

Tools that record audio or videoof the student can be a great way to let them share their understanding, while also practicing spoken fluency. Ones that also record the screen are ideal for teachers guiding student on how to use a tool or carry out a task.

Many excellent tools can be used for this purpose. Screencastifyis a particularly powerful option that is available as a Chrome extension. Check out our Screencastify guide here and then you can grab the extension from the Chrome Web Store here.

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Best Google Tools for English Language Learners

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Learn how to use Google tools for translation, speech-to-text, text-to-speech, dictionary, screencasting and more

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Semantris is a word association game powered by machine learning.

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Web Resources for English Language Arts - Google Docs

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Web Resources for English Language Arts - Google Docs

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Digital Resources for English Language Arts

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Google Tools for English Language Arts - Google Docs

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Google Tools for English Language Arts - Google Docs

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Digital Resources for English Language Arts

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Preposition Builder Master on the App Store

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Preposition Builder Master on the App Store

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Preposition Builder Master on the App Store

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Read reviews, compare customer ratings, see screenshots, and learn more about Preposition Builder Master. Download Preposition Builder Master and enjoy it on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

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Simple Ways Teachers Can Protect Students' Data Privacy | Common Sense Education

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Simple Ways Teachers Can Protect Students' Data Privacy | Common Sense Education

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Simple Ways Teachers Can Protect Students' Data Privacy

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Privacy can be a complex, intimidating topic. But there are some steps any teacher can take to better protect their students' data when using online tools. Make these simple privacy and security checks a habit whenever you visit a website or use it with your students.

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Our database of educational gifs grows daily. Now with over 50,000 gifs tagged to language, we are forming the world's most complete visual corpus on the web. As students and teachers write books, they tag gifs with language and build gif "ideographs", universal signs for communication.

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Web Resources for World Languages - Google Docs

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Web Resources for World Languages - Google Docs

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3 Translation Tools To Connect With Students Who Speak Multiple Languages | Tech Learning

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3 Translation Tools To Connect With Students Who Speak Multiple Languages | Tech Learning

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Translate Photo - Camera Scanner OCR & Translator on the App Store

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Translate Photo - Camera Scanner OCR & Translator on the App Store

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translate photo - camera scanner ocr & translator

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Translate Photo - Camera Scanner OCR & Translator on the App Store

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Read reviews, compare customer ratings, see screenshots, and learn more about Translate Photo - Camera Scanner OCR & Translator. Download Translate Photo - Camera Scanner OCR & Translator and enjoy it on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

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7 Must Have Language Learning Apps, Tools and Resources - The Tech Edvocate

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7 Must Have Language Learning Apps, Tools and Resources - The Tech Edvocate

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7 Must Have Language Learning Apps, Tools and Resources

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According to recent studies, learning a second language staves off the effects of Alzheimer's and dementia by an average of 4.5 years. Results from the American Academy of Neurology show that learning and speaking another language increases the number of neural pathways in the brain which prevents the onset of progressive memory loss.

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9 Must-Have Language Development Apps and Tools - The Tech Edvocate

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9 Must-Have Language Development Apps and Tools - The Tech Edvocate

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9 Must-Have Language Development Apps and Tools

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Whether you have a student or child whose language skills are developing well or slowly, studies have proven that apps support language development. Speech pathologists promote the use of apps for language development and are even creating their own. We have compiled this list of must-have language development apps which includes apps for children of various ages and developmental levels.

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Strategies and Resources for Supporting English-Language Learners | Edutopia

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Strategies and Resources for Supporting English-Language Learners | Edutopia

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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Support English-Language Learners With Scannable Technology | Edutopia

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Support English-Language Learners With Scannable Technology | Edutopia

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English-Language Learners

With QR codes and AR triggers, you can give your ELLs a quick, fun way to supplement their language acquisition with audio and visual prompts.

Scannable technology provides opportunities for students to quickly and easily interact with a variety of content. In a differentiated classroom, children should have access to resources and support materials that will push them toward success. This could be a tool to help them make meaning of the content being taught in a lesson, or it could be resources to help them gather background information before starting a new unit of study. Differentiation should happen for students who are approaching and exceeding grade-level benchmarks, for children who have special needs, and for English-language learners (ELLs).

ELLs can be supported by a variety of tech tools. This includes scannable technology like quick response (QR) codes and augmented reality (AR) triggers. I've shared some of the reasons that I love using scannable technology with students. Children can use any type of smart device like an iPad or Galaxy that is loaded with an app like i-nigma or Layar. When they scan the appropriate QR code or AR trigger, kids will instantly connect to content picked out by their teacher, including resources they need for academic success. Here are a few ways that scannable technology can support ELLs in your classroom.

Interactive Word Walls

Word walls in your classroom can be useful resources for students who know where to go when they're figuring out how to spell a frequently-used word. Many classrooms also have word walls that are specific to the content areas, with words that connect to units of study in social studies or science. If you place a QR code next to the word or turn the word itself into an AR trigger using Aurasma or Layar, students can scan and learn more about each word on the word wall. This could be as simple as an audio clip to hear the word pronounced in English, or a text message that shows it translated into another language.

Scannable Vocabulary Lists

Another way to approach vocabulary support is to create personalized vocabulary lists for students. This is great for middle school and high school classrooms that might not have a word wall. It's a good option for students who keep a list of words that you've given them in their folder or notebook. They can scan a QR code or AR trigger and connect to multimedia that will help them place a word in context. This could be a picture of a coral reef or a video showing the tundra.

Build Background Knowledge

Before reading a story to your class or starting a new unit of study, you may want to send home information that can help students and their families set the stage for learning. You can locate multimedia resources like articles, video clips, or images that are in your students' home languages. Kids then scan the QR codes to locate information that will help them learn about a topic before you jump into instruction. This can boost their confidence as they prepare to participate in class discussions, and build their background knowledge to aid in academic success.

Audio vs. Written Directions

Some of your ELLs may be conversationally fluent in English but struggle with reading in this language. In addition to giving them written directions in English, you can provide a QR code on an activity sheet or homework assignment that will link to a URL where they can hear the directions read aloud for them. You may decide to try this strategy if your students are stronger readers and you want them to practice their listening skills. Another option is to provide audio directions for students in their native language so that they can focus on the task at hand rather than struggle with following written directions.

Connect Families to Resources

I've shared some of the ways that educators can connect with families using scannable technology, and this strategy can also be used with the parents and caregivers of ELLs. If these students come to your school with limited language proficiency, their families might also be struggling to understand English. Distributing long newsletters or links to a website might not be an efficient way of reaching these parents. Try sending home QR codes that link to video messages in their home language. You can demonstrate how to scan QR codes at an open school night, or children who use scannable technology at school can come home and show their parents how it works.

Scannable technology can be a powerful tool for supporting ELLs. Students will benefit from having quick access to extra resources. It's a fantastic way to empower children by giving them the information they need at their fingertips to be successful during their school day.

I'd love to hear what you're doing with scannable technology to support students in a differentiated learning environment. Please share in the comments section below.

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Support English-Language Learners With Scannable Technology

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English-Language Learners With QR codes and AR triggers, you can give your ELLs a quick, fun way to supplement their language acquisition with audio and visual prompts. Scannable technology provides opportunities for students to quickly and easily interact with a variety of content.

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5-Minute Film Festival: 7 Videos for ELL Classrooms | Edutopia

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5-Minute Film Festival: 7 Videos for ELL Classrooms | Edutopia

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English Language Learners

Videos can be a highly effective tool for teaching and learning English when used strategically. Check out these 7 videos to use with ELLs in the classroom.

Videos can be an effective tool for teaching and learning English (or, for that matter, any academic subject) if used strategically and not as a "babysitting" device. My colleague Katie Hull Sypnieski and I wrote a previous post for Edutopia titled Eight Ways To Use Videos With English-Language Learners that shares instructional strategies for many kinds of clips. Here are a few of my favorite videos to use with those exercises.

1. Mr. Bean - Getting Ready on the Way (4:11)
There are many popular television shows and movies that can be great tools for English-language development, and it's probably a safe bet to say that Mr. Bean is one used by English teachers throughout the world. You can find countless videos on the official Mr. Bean YouTube channel. Mr. Bean clips are great for use with the "Back to the Screen" technique explained here.

2. Asking For An Opinion (0:90)
English Central has a huge quantity of videos on their site integrated with their own software. The videos teach English vocabulary and grammar, and they automatically evaluate the pronunciation of users who are recording what they hear. Much of this content is free, and you can also pay for more advanced features.

3. Learning English Irregular Verbs (3:40)
This is perhaps the best-known video from Jason R. Levine's Fluency MC, and he offers many similar ones on his YouTube channel. Music is a great language-learning tool, and Jason combines it with a video demonstration, making this an unforgettable lesson in verb tenses.

4. You're So Beautiful (2:37)
This is a beautiful and popular song to use with English-language learners -- it's slow and reinforces learning adjectives. More importantly, however, this video shows the lyrics in time as the song is sung. You can find many of these clips by searching the name of a song plus "lyrics videos" on YouTube. Even the New York Times has written about their growing popularity. I specifically look for songs that reinforce the thematic unit we're studying. We practice the song with students, record them on SoundCloud, and embed it in our class blog, providing students and their families with an opportunity to hear their growing English abilities.

5. If You're Happy And You Know It (1:51)
The British Council Learn English Kids YouTube channel is a great source of videos for younger English-language learners. "If You're Happy and You Know It" gives you a taste of what you can find there.

6. Gus vs. Pool (1:45)
Research has shown that perseverance is a key quality of a successful language learner. I show this video to my ELL students, and after they describe it in writing and verbally, I ask them to tell me how they think its content might be related to learning a new language. The video serves as a fun introduction to an important topic.

7. Scaffolding for Middle School ELLs (2:07)
While the other videos on the playlist are for English-language learners, this one is for teachers. It's just one of a nice collection from Colorin Colorado showing educators demonstrating instructional strategies in the classroom. Three other similarly good classroom collections can be found at The Teaching Channel, the Southwest Regional Educational Laboratory Educational Program, and the University of Oregon's Online Learning Language Center.

Video Playlist: Resources for English-Language Learners

Watch the first video below, or watch the whole playlist on YouTube.

More Resources on How to Teach ELLs With Video

For more sources of good videos designed for English-language development, and for ideas on how to use them, visit these websites:

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5-Minute Film Festival: 7 Videos for ELL Classrooms

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English Language Learners Videos can be a highly effective tool for teaching and learning English when used strategically. Check out these 7 videos to use with ELLs in the classroom. Videos can be an effective tool for teaching and learning English (or, for that matter, any academic subject) if used strategically and not as a "babysitting" device.

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5-Minute Film Festival: 7 Videos for ELL Classrooms | Edutopia

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5-Minute Film Festival: 7 Videos for ELL Classrooms | Edutopia

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English Language Learners

Videos can be a highly effective tool for teaching and learning English when used strategically. Check out these 7 videos to use with ELLs in the classroom.

Videos can be an effective tool for teaching and learning English (or, for that matter, any academic subject) if used strategically and not as a "babysitting" device. My colleague Katie Hull Sypnieski and I wrote a previous post for Edutopia titled Eight Ways To Use Videos With English-Language Learners that shares instructional strategies for many kinds of clips. Here are a few of my favorite videos to use with those exercises.

1. Mr. Bean - Getting Ready on the Way (4:11)
There are many popular television shows and movies that can be great tools for English-language development, and it's probably a safe bet to say that Mr. Bean is one used by English teachers throughout the world. You can find countless videos on the official Mr. Bean YouTube channel. Mr. Bean clips are great for use with the "Back to the Screen" technique explained here.

2. Asking For An Opinion (0:90)
English Central has a huge quantity of videos on their site integrated with their own software. The videos teach English vocabulary and grammar, and they automatically evaluate the pronunciation of users who are recording what they hear. Much of this content is free, and you can also pay for more advanced features.

3. Learning English Irregular Verbs (3:40)
This is perhaps the best-known video from Jason R. Levine's Fluency MC, and he offers many similar ones on his YouTube channel. Music is a great language-learning tool, and Jason combines it with a video demonstration, making this an unforgettable lesson in verb tenses.

4. You're So Beautiful (2:37)
This is a beautiful and popular song to use with English-language learners -- it's slow and reinforces learning adjectives. More importantly, however, this video shows the lyrics in time as the song is sung. You can find many of these clips by searching the name of a song plus "lyrics videos" on YouTube. Even the New York Times has written about their growing popularity. I specifically look for songs that reinforce the thematic unit we're studying. We practice the song with students, record them on SoundCloud, and embed it in our class blog, providing students and their families with an opportunity to hear their growing English abilities.

5. If You're Happy And You Know It (1:51)
The British Council Learn English Kids YouTube channel is a great source of videos for younger English-language learners. "If You're Happy and You Know It" gives you a taste of what you can find there.

6. Gus vs. Pool (1:45)
Research has shown that perseverance is a key quality of a successful language learner. I show this video to my ELL students, and after they describe it in writing and verbally, I ask them to tell me how they think its content might be related to learning a new language. The video serves as a fun introduction to an important topic.

7. Scaffolding for Middle School ELLs (2:07)
While the other videos on the playlist are for English-language learners, this one is for teachers. It's just one of a nice collection from Colorin Colorado showing educators demonstrating instructional strategies in the classroom. Three other similarly good classroom collections can be found at The Teaching Channel, the Southwest Regional Educational Laboratory Educational Program, and the University of Oregon's Online Learning Language Center.

Video Playlist: Resources for English-Language Learners

Watch the first video below, or watch the whole playlist on YouTube.

More Resources on How to Teach ELLs With Video

For more sources of good videos designed for English-language development, and for ideas on how to use them, visit these websites:

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5-Minute Film Festival: 7 Videos for ELL Classrooms

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English Language Learners Videos can be a highly effective tool for teaching and learning English when used strategically. Check out these 7 videos to use with ELLs in the classroom. Videos can be an effective tool for teaching and learning English (or, for that matter, any academic subject) if used strategically and not as a "babysitting" device.

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Larry Ferlazzo’s English Website | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…

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Larry Ferlazzo’s English Website | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…

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There are many pages on my main website, and they have nearly 8,000 categorized links appropriate for English Language Learners.

The best place to start exploring is the Main English Page.

You can read an overview about each section of my website on the Teacher's Page. This page also has many links specifically useful to teachers.

You can also go directly to each page of my website:
English For Beginners and Early Intermediate English Themes for Beginners and Early Intermediate English For Intermediate and Advanced English Themes for Intermediate and Advanced Bilingual Exercises For English Language Learners Examples of Student Work Science For English Language Learners Geography and United States History For English Language Learners World History For English Language Learners
The Best Websites (under construction)

I also have a page that has links to a number of articles I've written that teachers might find useful:
Published Articles
Another part of my website is oriented more towards native English speakers or advanced English Language Learners. However, many of these sections also have links accessible to Intermediate English Language Learners. This site did not necessarily grow in a logical progression.

These sections are:
Social Studies
ARW (Academic Reading and Writing) This is the name we give to the ninth-grade English class we offer at my school.

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There are many pages on my main website, and they have nearly 8,000 categorized links appropriate for English Language Learners. The best place to start exploring is the Main English Page. You can read an overview about each section of my website on the Teacher's Page.

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Amplify Your ELLs' Voices With Digital Storytelling | Common Sense Education

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Amplify Your ELLs' Voices With Digital Storytelling | Common Sense Education

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Amplify Your ELLs' Voices With Digital Storytelling | Common Sense Education

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English-language learners come to us with a diverse set of learning needs, including the necessity for more opportunities to practice using English in a variety of settings. But can digital communication help increase ELLs' language output? Here you'll find practical tips on using digital-creation and storytelling activities in ways that empower authentic communication, both in the classroom and beyond.

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Online games for learning English (ESL) language

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Online games for learning English (ESL) language

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Choose the ESL topic you (or your ESL students) wish to learn, revise the vocabulary and then test language skills with the quiz. Materials on this webpage are of most use to beginner-level ESL students. If the student wishes to revise the vocabulary before trying the games, they should visit the English flashcards index page or the English picture dictionaries index. ESL students with some familiarity with the language may wish to try the English/ESL spelling games.

English/ESL games include:

Numbers in English - ESL numbers resource. Start with the numbers 1-12 ESL game . After this continue learning up to 20 with the 13-20 ESL game. For learning multiples of ten play the 0-100 ESL game. Learn the numbers, choose the speed and play. Audio for learning to pronounce the English numbers can be found on the intro page. Interactive and fun pedagogical resource designed for effective memorization of English numbers words.

Fruit and vegetables ESL game - 15 of the most useful words for fruit and vegetables in a simple quiz with audio included. For beginner students and those needing to go grocery shopping. ESL students can enjoy flicking thru our ESL flashcards: fruit and veg before testing their vocab retention with the quiz.

Food and drinks - some of the most useful common food vocabulary with audio in a basic and colourful multiple-choice quiz designed for kids or school students and children. 15 words for beginner ESL students. 15 words for beginner ESL students and for tourists visiting Anglophile countries that have only the most basic vocabulary.

Colours ESL game - the 11 most common colour adjectives in the English language. Fun and interactive ESL study game for kids. Use our ESL picture dictionary: colours for presenting these adjectives to an ESL class or to younger learners.

Animals ESL game - learn the vocabulary for animals. Match the English word with the animated animal image. Audio and text-only options. A fun method for drilling this vocab is provided with our ESL flashcards: animals, which feature English audio and animated creatures.

Animals in English game 2 - continue on with 17 further words for insects, birds, pets and wild animals in the English language. Vocab list with voice recordings and free and fun ESL practice game.

ESL furniture quiz - study the words for household furniture items in the English language from a vocabulary list with voice audio, and then test your vocabulary retention with an ESL interactive exercise. Students can use the ESL picture dictionary: furniture for first learning these English words.

Tell the time in English - learn to tell the time in English with this illustrated dictionary, ESL flashcard set and a practice quiz. With English voice recordings for listening practice and text-only for reading. A further exercise for ESL students after learning the numbers.

Vocabulary quizzes - four fun general vocabulary games with vocabulary lists and flashcard sets. Each of which contains 17 English words. First, play the ESL vocabulary game 1 and then continue on to the ESL vocabulary game 2. These games are of use to beginner-level ESL students. For furthering your students' vocabulary, give them our third ESL vocabulary quiz 3, and then our fourth and final 17 word ESL vocabulary quiz 4. Make use of the ESL flashcards for drilling these English words before playing the games.

Words, colours and numbers games (suitable for PC and tablet screens only) - after learning basic words and the numbers as featured in other quizzes offered on this site, you may wish to try this game, which is an introduction to sentence structure and word order in English. Start with the words, colours and numbers 1 game and then move on to the slightly more advanced words, colours and numbers 2 game.

Verbs - infinitive form - list of words with audio and game. Learn some of the most useful verbs in English in this animated quiz. Game that enhances English vocabulary memorization by means of repetition. The student can use our ESL flashcards: verbs for drilling these words before attempting the practice game.

English spelling games - this English words spelling section currently offers five games for spelling English words; colours, animals, verbs and two vocabulary games. Practice the spelling of some of the words you will have learned in the vocabulary practice games on this page.

Further ESL resourses on this site:

Learn the English alphabet - page with all of the letters of the English alphabet with audio buttons. For absolute beginner ESL students and young kids learning the ABC.

ESL study links - guide to online resources for students of the English language. Includes dictionaries and multimedia materials.

Mobile and tablet games for English - there are several games with audio on our English for mobile/tablets pages including colours, numbers, phrases, animals and vocabulary. If you come to this site with a mobile device you will be automatically redirected to this page.

Other Germanic language sections with several language acquisition games and native audio on Digital Dialects include the learn English language exercises and the German games language learning page. We have also created a seperate page specifically for German spelling quizzes. Fun online second or foreign language learning resources that students can use anywhere they can find an internet connection, without the need to register or download software.

The British Council's learn English portal is possibly the best online ESL resource. VOA Learning English provides a wealth of ESL resources.

About the ESL games on this page

ESL/English learning games on Digital Dialects are completely free to use, do not require registration, and are designed for ESL students of all ages. Each ESL revision topic includes vocabulary lists and practice games with audio for learning correct pronunciation. Most of the audio in these games was provided by a speaker with an accent from England. These games are mostly vocabulary drills for beginners to the English language. A couple of games focus on English grammar (sentence structure). Kids and school students will find some of the visual and interactive vocabulary drills, such as the animal vocabulary game, or the food and drinks quiz enjoyable.

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Learn ESL English online: games and flashcards

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English ESL games: free to use and fun mobile friendly language learning games. Kids and student's online English games with audio for learning vocabulary, phrases, numbers, spelling and grammar

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General English Interactive picture dictionary exercises.

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General English Interactive picture dictionary exercises.

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General English Interactive picture dictionary exercises.

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A wide variety of interactive English grammar, listening and reading exercises and lessons. Free e-learning software downloads.

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6 Storytelling Apps That Get English Language Learners Talking | MindShift | KQED News

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6 Storytelling Apps That Get English Language Learners Talking | MindShift | KQED News

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Kids use green screen-like technology to put photos of themselves (or others) into a story template, then add text and voice recording. In-app templates focus on social stories, like visiting a new place, getting a haircut, or holidays. For ELLs, the templates offer a useful foundation for building social language skills. Plus, the app's voice recording feature offers low-stakes speaking practice since kids can record themselves talking, then can listen and re-record as many times as they want.

This versatile pre-writing or publishing tool is easy for young storytellers to use. Dozens of photos sorted into categories including culture, people, family and fun, serve as inspiration for prompts. Kids can tell stories using the in-app recording feature. Teachers can also create custom prompts with their own images and voice. Giving ELLs a safe space to tell stories about their lives and experiences validates their unique contributions to the class community.

Students can create impressive video slideshows using research resources built right into the app. They can capture screengrabs from an interactive map, safely search for images from the Web and access image archives from trusted sources like the Library of Congress. Kids put the slides in order, add text, music and narration, and then export the final project as a video file. Shadow Puppet Edu supports ELLs in developing academic vocabulary in both collaborative groups and independently. Students can use it to review new concepts, present research, track progress, explain their thinking and more.

Just as with the original Toontastic app, Toontastic 3D is a storytelling app that's inspired by puppetry, theater, and animation. It employs a "Story Arc" with five sequential scenes to guide story structure (setup, conflict, challenge, climax and resolution). Kids move characters around each scene as they record narration and dialogue. For ELLs, Toontastic 3D can be an invaluable tool for building writing skills or practicing story analysis. Students can storyboard a piece of original writing or a story they read in class, and then bring it to life with fun settings and quirky characters.

Students or teachers can create and share media projects that incorporate video, image, voice, or even drawings. Once posted, projects can be open to text, voice or video comments from a select group or from all VoiceThread members. It's a natural fit for a range of student presentations and projects such as explaining research or retelling a story with original artwork. Alternately, teachers can create a VoiceThread to solicit student commentary. For ELLs who sometimes are hesitant to speak up in class, VoiceThread gives them a chance to thoughtfully craft their presentations or comments and contribute their ideas with confidence.

This formidable tool is like a superhero version of PowerPoint. Users can import photos, PDF files, movies and more from many sources to use in a presentation. Students can learn how to present information using multiple forms of expression (images, text, video and audio) through digital technology. Students can edit the audio in their presentations, which gives ELLs a chance to self-assess and revise before presenting to their peers and teacher. Plus, allowing students to create multimedia presentations can take some of the focus off the speaking task, and can give creative, tech-savvy students a chance to shine.

Sutori
(Middle/High)

Sutori* is a tool for creating interactive timelines and stories. Students can craft multimedia projects with text, images, videos, "Did You Know" call-out boxes, click-to-reveal text links, and multiple-choice quiz questions. Sutori offers collaboration features, allowing students to co-create stories for group projects as well. Teachers and students can access pre-made stories and view or contribute to a collection of community submitted stories. Sutori is another great option for empowering ELLs to share their stories and knowledge without the stress of an oral presentation.
Erin Wilkey Oh is Executive Editor of Education Content for Common Sense, creator of Graphite, a free service for educators in search of the best apps, games and websites for learning. Tools included here have received high ratings on Graphite by educators and by the editorial staff at Common Sense. Go to Graphite to read full reviews of digital tools and how teachers use them for learning in class. *This post has been updated to include Sutori.

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7 Storytelling Apps That Get English Language Learners Talking

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Kids use green screen-like technology to put photos of themselves (or others) into a story template, then add text and voice recording. In-app templates focus on social stories, like visiting a new place, getting a haircut, or holidays. For ELLs, the templates offer a useful foundation for building social language skills.

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Where Do English Language Learners Fit Into the Ed Tech Revolution? | MindShift | KQED News

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Where Do English Language Learners Fit Into the Ed Tech Revolution? | MindShift | KQED News

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Getty Images

English Language Learners are a growing yet underserved segment of the U.S. student population, and teaching these diverse learners presents teachers with a host of unique and very complex challenges. ELL teachers regularly employ a variety of specialized and unique teaching strategies and best practices aimed at helping their students acquire English and thrive academically.

Yet when ELL teachers look to the ed-tech world for novel solutions that specifically address their students' needs, they often come up empty-handed. As the ed-tech scene has exploded in recent years, most teachers can find apps, tools and resources for nearly every grade level, subject area and skill imaginable. But tools for ELL students and their teachers often seem to be missing.

This raises an important question: Why? As ed tech developers continue to create new and innovative solutions for all types of learners, why don't we see more tools for ELLs? In an industry with no fewer than 30 learn-to-code platforms aimed at kids and nationwide learn-to-code initiatives, it's worth questioning: Why we aren't seeing a similar push for innovative technologies that help address the challenges of English language learning?

Despite the lack of dedicated tech tools for ELLs, some teachers have taken to repurposing various apps and other digital resources in creative and useful ways that help their students acquire the language. Also, within the ed-tech industry, a few emerging companies are starting to develop some promising and exciting new innovations. But, given the level of need, and the growth of ELL populations in schools, is the ed-tech industry at large doing enough to address this aspect of the digital divide?
The Complexities of Teaching ELLs
The needs of ELLs are great, and their numbers are growing. In California, a state with 6.2 million public school students, nearly 23 percent (1.4 million) speak a language other than English at home. Overall, the number of ELLs enrolling in public schools is expected to grow, not just in California but across the nation. As this happens, the need for qualified teachers and teaching resources - like quality ed-tech tools for ELLs - is bound to become an issue.

One of the greatest challenges facing the teachers of ELLs lies in the diversity of learners among ELL student populations. This diversity comes in the form of language and ethnicity, but also in the wide variety of educational backgrounds these students bring to the classroom.

While the majority (84 percent) of California's ELLs come from Spanish-speaking households, the reality in many ELL classrooms usually offers a more diverse picture. In many ELL classrooms, the students can come from all over of the globe, and might collectively speak more than a dozen different languages. Even for bilingual - or multilingual - teachers, keeping up with their students' diverse instructional needs is a challenge.

Beyond geographic and linguistic diversity, ELL's enter the U.S. at every age and grade level, often at various points throughout the school year. When compared with their English-speaking peers, ELL students typically enter U.S. schools with vastly differing levels and types of formal education in their home countries (ranging from none whatsoever, to levels greater than their comparably-aged American peers). Further complicating matters is the variation in students' literacy within their native language, a strong predictor of their ability to learn and become fluent in English.

On top of this, many (though not all) ELLs are immigrants to the U.S. Whether simply seeking economic opportunities, or due to more dire circumstances like political conflicts or sectarian strife, these families come for a variety of reasons. Often, the psychological and social issues that can accompany any immigrant's experience in the U.S. also affect immigrant students' ability to learn, not to mention acquire English proficiency.

It's also worth noting that, in contrast to many other countries, where bilingual education and dual-language instruction are often the norm, the U.S. currently lags woefully behind in serving the needs of its ELL students (let alone in offering quality bilingual instruction to our native English speakers).

All of this aside, most ELL teachers will tell you that these classes are among the most rewarding ones to teach. And, while having such vastly diverse learners in one class can be a challenge, it also offers a host of unique learning opportunities rarely found in more homogenous classrooms.
Ed Tech's Role
In an industry where impact is often measured in terms of numbers, developing ed-tech tools specifically for ELL's could seem like a niche market, and possibly even a risky venture. Nevertheless, a small handful of ed-tech developers have started branching into the ELL space. And much as they do for ELL teachers, the myriad needs of ELL populations also pose difficulties for ed-tech software developers attempting to create quality learning content for diverse learners.
Newsela
Dan Cogan-Drew, co-founder and chief product officer of the ed-tech startup Newsela, has seen how these challenges play out first hand. Newsela provides students and teachers a selection of current, high-interest news articles in English, each offered at five different reading levels of increasing complexity. It's an innovative solution that helps teachers adapt instruction for learners who may read at different levels. But, as Cogan-Drew describes it, the challenges become even greater when accounting for how the product might be used in an ELL classroom. While the site wasn't explicitly designed just for English learners, it's an issue that the startup is nonetheless hoping to address.

According to Cogan-Drew, "When we're working to unlock the written word for our readers, we're considering a host of factors, like text complexity, background knowledge, maturity and more. And when we think about doing this work not only within one language - English - but across languages, the degree of complexity increases exponentially." Even so, teachers can use the tool to offer students - perhaps even some of their more advanced-level ELLs - access to texts at a variety of reading levels.

On top of this, Newsela recently released a Spanish-language version of the site. With this addition, students can access a variety of articles in Spanish, each also offered at five different reading levels. And, in many cases, students can toggle between English and Spanish within the same article, while still adjusting the reading level in both languages. It's the kind of technology that opens possibilities for many different learning situations, ELL classrooms being an obvious example. The tool's flexibility has the potential to help in a variety of ELL scenarios, whether students are learning in a sheltered ELL classroom, or even if they're mainstreamed alongside their English-only peers.
BrainPOP ESL
Outside the startup scene, BrainPOP stands as one of the more established and widely recognized ed-tech curriculum providers. BrainPOP's collection of resources offer kid-friendly animated instructional videos on a variety of core subject-area topics. Beyond the company's host of offerings in English, BrainPOP also offers a separate resource site for English-language instruction. Dubbed BrainPOP ESL, the site focuses primarily on language learning, instead of the subject-area content they're most well known for. Nevertheless, like BrainPOP's other offerings, the ESL site mainly targets elementary- and middle school-aged ELLs. Lessons are aimed at kids' language development and delivered at three levels, covering the basics of reading, writing, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation.

"One of the main challenges is always the diversity of the learners," said Beverly Fine, BrainPOP ESL's editorial and outreach director. "We're talking about kids from all different levels, and all different ages," she comments.

She also acknowledges that pigeon-holing all ELLs together as a homogenous group in and of themselves - including assuming that all ELLs are immigrants - doesn't work when creating learning content. "We have kids who were born here, but in their families they spoke their native language until they started school - they're bilingual, but they may not be literate in either language."

Fine nevertheless believes in the potential for ed-tech tools to address some of the difficulties surrounding ELL teaching and learning. "I think a digital format gives kids the ability to work more independently, on their own, instead of everything being more teacher-directed. It promotes independence. It's more student-centered." And many ELL teachers using BrainPOP ESL may indeed use it in this way, giving kids the chance to explore the Web-based program at their own pace, in a low-stakes way.
Pocoyo Playground
Even as new ed-tech tools for ELLs are scarce, some promising new tools are on the horizon. Pocoyo Playground is a yet-to-be-released transmedia curriculum aimed specifically at 3-to-5-year-olds who are acquiring both English and Spanish as they develop early language and literacy skills. Essentially a set of both nondigital and digital resources for teachers, the curriculum includes a series of iOS apps, each centered around various learning themes. Part of the U.S. Department of Education's Ready to Learn grant, the curriculum is a project of the Early Learning Collaborative (ELC), a division of the Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network. The goal being to help create learning resources for what the ELC refers to as dual- language learning students, or DLLs - the main difference being that DLLs are growing up truly bilingual and biliterate, learning both English and Spanish simultaneously (though often primarily Spanish at home).

Within each of the apps is essentially a storytelling and digital-creation platform, similar in many ways to other digital storytelling apps that have gained popularity among early childhood and elementary teachers in recent years. However, what differentiates the Pocoyo Playground apps is that they're structured around language learning, with bilingual supports and scaffolding for younger language learners. The apps' entire interface, including the learning content and the instructions, is in both Spanish and English.

The tool is a series of storytelling games that offer kids low-stakes practice with literacy, according to Erica Branch-Ridley, ELC's vice president and executive producer. This includes practice with speaking and listening in both Spanish and English, all while prompting kids to use new words, pushing them toward their zone of proximal development, or ZPD - in other words challenging them at just the right level to promote learning and growth within both languages. Keeping kids in the driver's seat is an important aspect, as the apps guide kids toward language acquisition. Branch-Ridley explains that Ready to Learn is aimed at taking the student-centered approach even further, "helping kids to be the content creators and having them learn language skills through that. That's the key."

Branch-Ridley offers that involving ELLs in their own content creation lets kids build context around the language they're learning, an important factor in new language acquisition and one of the main goals of the curriculum. She continues, "Kids can make the media that best suits their lives. [It's] not a book or a TV show that someone else created. [For] lots of different ELLs - lots of learner profiles - tech[nology] can help via digital creation. You can be the creator and tell your story, and get language skills in the process."

Even though the Pocoyo Playground curriculum hasn't been released to the public yet, and it has a fairly specific target audience, the development of this type of transmedia curriculum could signal a new trend in ed tech for ELLs. Are there more solutions down the line that come closer to meeting the complex needs of ELL students and teachers?
Looking Ahead
While ed-tech resources for ELLs do exist, they're certainly scarce. And given the number of ELLs in our schools, this scarcity should present the ed-tech industry with a challenge. Can ed-tech development catch up to the growing demands coming from our nation's ELL classrooms?

Of course, teachers can find a bevy of consumer- and traveler-focused language-learning apps and programs available. But few if any of these are a perfect fit for young learners in a classroom setting. On the flip side, there are plenty of games and apps - like digital-storytelling platforms - that can be applicable in an ELL classroom, though they don't explicitly offer support for language learners. In the meantime, teachers are bound to continue to using and repurpose these types of tools and resources in creative ways, possibly even with some success.

For the ed-tech industry, one might think that the sizable market gap alone is a call to develop new ed-tech tools specific to the needs of ELLs. Many in the ed-tech industry have charged themselves with creating tech tools that make a difference; developing these in-demand tools offers an opportunity to do just that. In the meantime, only a handful in the industry are working to get ahead of the curve.

"We [ELLs] are a growing percentage of the population," says Patricia Velázquez, Newsela's Spanish editor, who helps curate and manage the site's Spanish-language content. She also happens to have grown up in Puerto Rico, where she herself went through school as an English language learner. "It's going to have to happen sooner or later. It would be ideal if we could pave the way for students to succeed academically, rather than just hav[ing] them fend for themselves."
Jeffrey Knutson is senior manager, education content at Common Sense, a nonprofit organization, and creator of Graphite, a free service that helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with ed tech, and connect with expert educators. Go to Graphite to read full reviews of digital tools and see how teachers use them for learning in class.
Where Do English Language Learners Fit Into the Ed Tech Revolution?

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Where Do English Language Learners Fit Into the Ed Tech Revolution?

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English Language Learners are a growing yet underserved segment of the U.S. student population, and teaching these diverse learners presents teachers with a host of unique and very complex challenges. ELL teachers regularly employ a variety of specialized and unique teaching strategies and best practices aimed at helping their students acquire English and thrive academically.

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Helping English Language Learners Who Struggle in School | Parenting

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Helping English Language Learners Who Struggle in School | Parenting

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Are you concerned that your child who is learning to speak English also struggles too much with his schoolwork, or that he's frustrated or discouraged with school? Has his teacher told you that your child is learning more slowly than his classmates?

Children who are learning English may have difficulty with schoolwork for many reasons. In order to help your child, you and the school must first figure out the specific reason for his problems.

Think About Your Child's Health and Well-Being

As a first step, think about factors such as physical health, emotional issues or other challenges he may face. For example, learning problems can sometimes be the result of:

Vision, hearing or health problems

Lack of sleep

Excessive anxiety or worry

Stressful school situations, such as bullying

Stressful family situations such as serious illness, death or divorce

If your child hasn't had a recent medical check-up, it's a good idea to schedule a complete physical examination to rule out any health issues.

Types of Difficulties English Language Learners May Experience

For English language learner (ELL) students, learning English at the same time they're learning academic content, such as science or social studies, is very difficult mental work. So it's not unusual for them to struggle with learning issues on occasion. But ELL students may also experience more serious learning difficulties. According to Dr. Alba Ortiz, a professor and researcher at the University of Texas at Austin, there are three types of conditions that may lead to learning difficulties for ELL students:

Type 1: Learning difficulties that result from the learning environment. For example, ELL students may not have access to effective English language instruction. Or classroom teaching may assume life experiences or cultural knowledge that students don't have.

Type 2: A learning difficulty that can be addressed in the regular classroom if it's identified right away and the student gets additional, focused instruction to help him catch up with classmates. When the student doesn't get immediate help, the learning problem gets worse and may be confused with a learning disability (Type 3 below).

Type 3: A learning problem that is not a result of the learning environment. Your child may have a learning disability (LD) that makes it hard for him to understand, remember or use the knowledge and skills he's taught. Students with LD have average or above-average intelligence, but they require extra help from a special education teacher-in addition to their regular classroom instruction-in order to succeed at school.

If your instincts tell you that your child may have an LD, trust those feelings, and ask your school to have your child tested for LD. However, it may be useful, before asking your child's school to evaluate him for LD, to consider how the learning environment (Type 1 difficulties), or undetected learning problems (Type 2 difficulties) might be contributing to your child's struggles with schoolwork.

Type 1 Difficulties: What Type of Learning Environment Helps ELL Students to be Successful?

There are several educational practices and conditions that researchers and experts consider important for all ELL students' learning and school achievement. These include:

The entire school staff is committed to improving student achievement and has high academic expectations for all students.

Curriculum that meets the state's academic standards for what children should know and be able to do at each grade level

Use of effective bilingual or English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction

Support in the student's first language for learning academic content

Use of research-based instruction-especially in reading and math-in the child's general education classroom; and

Training for all teachers (not just bilingual and ESL teachers) in how to effectively teach ELL students

Use of achievement test results to identify students who are struggling, and to make a plan for helping them.

Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), the school is responsible to provide parents information, in a language that parents understand, about the learning environment: This includes:

Whether the curriculum is research-based, especially in reading and math

Whether teachers are "highly qualified," as required by NCLB

The level of your child's skill in speaking English

What teaching method and program the school uses to teach your child English

How the English language instruction will help your child learn English and, at the same time, meet state academic standards

The requirements to finish the English language learning program and how long it will take to complete

How your child's achievement test scores compare to other students' in the school and district

Ask the principal for this information to be sure your child is making good progress in English language learning and academic work-and that the learning environment supports your child's success.

Type 2 Difficulties: How Can Early Intervention Services Help ELL Students Overcome Learning Difficulties?

Some children, even if they receive high-quality instruction in their regular classroom and in their ESL or bilingual classroom, will have problems learning to read, write, spell, understand what they hear or read, solve math problems or use reasoning skills. Most of these children do not have a learning disability; they can catch up with their classmates if they're given more intensive instruction in problem areas, as soon as possible. Most schools have a plan in place to provide help, in the regular classroom, for a student having difficulties learning. Here are some important steps a school may take:

A team of school professionals with different qualifications is formed to identify and address the student's specific learning problems. For example, the team might include the classroom teacher, the ESL teacher, a reading specialist or the school psychologist. These pre-referral teams have various names, such as "student study team," "teacher assistance team," and others.

Members of the school team gather documentation on the student's academic performance, including: specific learning problems they've observed; what interventions they've used to help the student, and dates and length of time the interventions were used; samples of the student's schoolwork and assessments that show his current level of performance; the student's complete school record, for a history of problems and interventions.

The school team talks with parents or family members to better understand why the student is having learning difficulties. For example, they may ask questions about:

Specific behaviors the parent has noticed that may indicate a learning problem

What languages are spoken at home

At what age the child began to speak the home language(s)

Whether the student attended school before coming to the United States

Any health or medical problems that could affect learning

At what age the student began learning English

After the team has met to review all the information about the student, they make a plan of action to improve the student's performance. The plan includes:

What research-based interventions the teacher (or others) will use in the classroom; how often, and for how many hours per week, interventions will occur

What changes will be made to the classroom or instruction, for example, 20 minutes of extra reading instruction daily

How often the student's progress will be monitored and how it will be measured

When the team will meet again to review how well the plan is working

When and how to inform parents of the student's progress

Ask your child's teacher or principal if the school has provided extra instructional help for your child and what the results were. Work with school staff to determine what next steps to take to help your child learn.

Type 3 Difficulties: Formally Evaluating an ELL Student for Learning Disabilities

Schools have different procedures for deciding when to formally evaluate a student for learning disabilities. Regardless of the school's formal evaluation process, you have a legal right at any time (under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) to ask the school to formally evaluate your child for learning disabilities (LD). If the school declines your request, they must give you their reasons for doing so, in writing. On the other hand, if the school wishes to formally evaluate your child for LD, they must have your written permission to do so.

Once the formal evaluation process begins, the school will provide you a document describing parents' rights and responsibilities. Under IDEA, parents are full and equal members of the teams that evaluate the student and determine whether he's eligible for special education services; your questions and knowledge are essential to this work.

Unfortunately, there's no ideal method to distinguish between a learning disability and problems associated with learning to speak, read, and write in English. However, researchers and educators have come up with evaluation practices they believe are effective in getting ELL students the academic help they need. Don't hesitate to share this information with your child's school.

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Helping English Language Learners Who Struggle in School | Parenting

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Are you concerned that your child who is learning to speak English also struggles too much with his schoolwork, or that he's frustrated or discouraged with school? Has his teacher told you that your child is learning more slowly than his classmates? Children who are learning English may have difficulty with schoolwork for many reasons.

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Preparing ELLs to be 21st-Century Learners | Colorín Colorado

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Preparing ELLs to be 21st-Century Learners | Colorín Colorado

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Preparing ELLs to be 21st-Century Learners

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A colleague of mine was recently asked to observe a media technology class for English language learners (ELLs). The teacher of the class had been struggling a great deal to help the students "get" the lessons, and so he asked my colleague for her observations and input.