Showing posts with label reading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reading. Show all posts
Concept Maps for Vocbulary
One way that students can see these concepts is to visit the Thinkmap Visual Thesauraus. In my experience, I've found that many second language learners used this site to find synonyms and Latin-based cognates.
It becomes even more powerful when students create concept maps (also called mind maps) on their own. Here are a few benefits of using concept maps for vocabulary:
- Students can develop their own organizational structure through the use of shapes (for example, each shape represents a type of speech) or colors (colors represent synonyms and antonyms)
- Students can easily manipulate the space with their hands, allowing them to organize the words spatially
- It is easy to zoom in and out to get a visual sense of how words are organized.
Here are a few of the potential drawbacks:
- It can take awhile at first. Programs like IdeaSketch can be very touchy, because there is very little double-clicking.
- The screen size is limited.
- Features like color-coding can be difficult at first
iPod Fluency: Why It Matters
It can't be understated the sheer growth we've seen from classes that use the iPod Touch for fluency centers. We are fortunate to have tried the lessons and all of the included resources in numerous classrooms so the methods are tried and true. In the photo on the left is a young lady who only days prior had never touched an iPod. Now this student from Ms. Herczfeld's class is applying the APE (Accuracy, Pace, and Expression) criteria to her own reading via a rubric. Ms. Herczfeld herself had not used the iPods before and only after three short lessons has a complete grasp of the lessons while adding her own calculated and engaging teaching strategies. That said, we've created some resources to help with the implementation process. Check them out at in the link below. http://od1.cartwright.k12.az.us/inst/Instructional_Technology/iPod_Fluency.html
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