SMARTBOARD+and+ESL

This year the ESL staff recieved SMARTBOARDS. Since the start of the year I have been putting all of my lessons on the SMARTBOARD, which I love. The physical manipulation of the words and sentences is excellent for language accquisition. The kids can move vocabulary words into the blanks on a cloze actviity, rearrange scrambled words to form a complete sentence and match up dependent and indepent clauses. Besides using the SMARTBOARD just for language, they can also use it to engage in lessons about reading strategies. I like to put a grapic organizer on the SMARTBOARD and have the studetns pull important words/information from the text into the graphic organizer.

Using the SMARTBOARD is much easier for me because I feel less tied to looking in the book and fumbling for handouts that I misplaced. The students like it, too. It is more interesting, engaging and it stimulates them kinesthetically.

The staff at Willow Street all received ipods. Each student also has access to an ipod during class time. I have not had the opportunity to use them yet, but I have some great ideas for my French class. Kids can look up dictionaries online, as well as menus of French restaurants, train schedules, maps, and word games. The ipod will provide so more realia for the students which will make the content more relevant, interesting and the kids will be learning French in context.