Hey everyone,
I just wanted to share with you this week something new that I learned which is a new and great way to teach vocabulary as well as spelling to children. Many of you are familiar with the game Hangaroo. If you are not, do get familar with it: http://games.ncbuy.com/hangaroo/
First thing you should consider before implementing the game in the classroom is the volume. Make sure it's OFF because Hangaroo is a bad mouth. Second, you cannot implement the game as it is because it's more related to general knowledge but, what you can do is write a new phrase file for it based on what you want your kids to practice. You can learn how to make a new phrase file through this link: http://games.ncbuy.com/hangaroo/create_layout.html
Basically, what can be done is the following:
1- Teach the new vocabulary to the kids
2- Make a new phrase file
3- Play the game with the kids to practice spelling and synonyms because, in the clue section, you will be putting the synonym so that they can guess the word either by the clue or by guessing out the letters.
I hope that helps,
Charbel
Hi Charbel,
ReplyDeleteI tried downloading the link you mentioned. Entered in Hangaroo and I guess I have to use a faster computer because my lap top is slow. I find many useful games in this link. Thank you!!
Sometimes I run out of ideas for new web pages that can help me continue improving kids spelling and writing or skills in general terms while playing a game. Sometimes they just want to play!!! I will try to see this from the school.
Thanks!!
Carol
Well, when I come to think about the way I learned English, I remember that it was never through the school, it was always through games and TV. I used to be in a French school in which I learned English as a third language, not a second language. However, my English got better and better through games such as Pokemon and Digimon which were in the hype back then.
ReplyDeleteHope that helps,
Charbel
Dear Charbel,
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for sharing interesting games and activities.
I believe your work with teenagers with special needs is great.
I also work with teenagers and I really like it. Internet brings my students joy and motivation to study English.
I advise you to try email and chat rooms on EFL learners' writing development and achievement.
Visit URL http://www.editlib.org/p/13009
which describes a very interesting experiment on teaching writing on ten topics predetermined by the researcher via e-mail and on-line chatting.
Irina
Cool, will do...
ReplyDeleteThanks
Hello Charbel!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing this link with us. I will use it as soon as I can. But I also want to tell you that yesterday I was teaching a private class to a 10 year old girl. She wanted to play PICTIONARY but it was all Spanish. Since our main goal is English classes, I tried out to find the way so that she could learn, at least, general vocabulary in English. Every card had a tag, for instance: FOOD, THINGS TO DO, AT THE DOCTOR, but all this information was Spanish.
When she had her turn, she had to tell me the category first, but since she doesn´t know English very well I let her use her laptop with google translator. By using it, she could tell me what the category was about. When it was my turn to draw, she guessed it, Knew the word in Spanish and then told it to me in English. She was really happy and she learnt a lot of words by herself.
This is what I call learning by doing!!!
Hi Charbel,
ReplyDeletethanks for sharing this great site !
I already added it to my Delicious list which is growing really fast !
Students enjoy playing games, no matter how old they are.
If you want to try some good word games, memory games, vocabulary and spelling, go to Merriam Webster Online Dictionary www.m-w.com. I usually include a couple of exercises from that site in my grammar lessons and my freshmen students do enjoy them.
Cecilia
Thanks Cecilia, I will
ReplyDeleteCharbel