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Visual Synonyms | English Thesaurus Six Wonderful Sites to Help you Write, Speak and Sound Better I’m not a native speaker. Even though I read, write, work and I would almost dare say live and dream in English, I haven’t learned the language from birth and sometimes have moments of self-doubt. These websites I am going to share in this post have been an invaluable help. Blog de Cristina is also on Facebook. ♥Howjsay and Forvo: The world’s largest dictionaries of English Pronunciation How often have you come across a proper name you had no clue how to pronounce and you desperately needed to know the correct standard pronunciation of or perhaps a variant pronunciation of this word? ♥Linguee We all know how difficult it is to write, even more in a foreign language. ♥Phraseup Sometimes we know what we want to write, the sentence is phrased in our mind, but we can’t figure out some of the words we need. Or maybe you want to use the verb+preposition combination “cope with” but you are just not sure which words it collocates with, just type it in PhraseUp and options will be provided.

Free Visual Dictionary & Thesaurus | Online Dictionary | Associated Words | Synonyms Dictionary at SnappyWords.com Think-Pair-Share Think-Pair-Share activities pose a question to students that they must consider alone and then discuss with a neighbor before settling on a final answer. This is a great way to motivate students and promote higher-level thinking. Even though the activity is called think-"PAIR"-share, this is the term many instructors use for pairs and small groups (three or four students) alike. Groups may be formed formally or informally. Often this group discussion "sharing" is followed up with a larger classroom discussion. Advantages of think-pair-share Instructors find they can have a format change during lecture that only takes a small amount of class time. Steps and tips for using think-pair-share Click above to watch a video of Greg Hancock, College of William and Mary, demonstrate how to use the Think-Pair-Share method at an On the Cutting Edge workshop.Ask a question. Examples of think-pair-share questions include: Describe and interpret the image. Challenges of the think-pair-share technique

Twelve Active Learning Strategies Example 1 Example 1 Explanation In order for students to learn effectively, they must make connections between what they already know (prior knowledge) and new content to which they're exposed. The opening of a lecture should facilitate these connections by helping students exercise their prior knowledge of the day's subject matter. The following four slides illustrate strategies which stimulate students' thinking and prepare them to learn. One useful strategy is to open the lecture with a question. Example 2 Example 2 Explanation "Think-Pair-Share" is an active learning strategy that engages students with material on an individual level, in pairs, and finally as a large group. When used at the beginning of a lecture, a Think-Pair-Share strategy can help students organize prior knowledge and brainstorm questions. Example 3 Example 3 Explanation Focused listing is a strategy in which students recall what they know about a subject by creating a list of terms or ideas related to it. Example 4

Story Arts | Storytelling in the Classroom Why Storytelling? Educators have long known that the arts can contribute to student academic success and emotional well being. The ancient art of storytelling is especially well-suited for student exploration. As a folk art, storytelling is accessible to all ages and abilities. No special equipment beyond the imagination and the power of listening and speaking is needed to create artistic images. As a learning tool, storytelling can encourage students to explore their unique expressiveness and can heighten a student's ability to communicate thoughts and feelings in an articulate, lucid manner. Retelling Folktales Storytelling Lesson Plans and Activities Using Storytelling To Assess Listening and Speaking Skills Story Library Exploring Cultural Roots Through Storytelling Why Storytelling? Gaining Verbal Skills Becoming verbally proficient can contribute to a student's ability to resolve interpersonal conflict nonviolently. Copyright © 2000 Story Arts

How To Structure A Story: The 8 Point Arc By Ali Hale - 3 minute read One of my favourite “how to write” books is Nigel Watts’ Writing A Novel and Getting Published. My battered, torn and heavily-pencil-marked copy is a testament to how useful I’ve found it over the years. Although the cover appears to be on the verge of falling off altogether, I’ve risked opening the book once more to bring you Watts’ very useful “Eight-Point Story Arc” – a fool-proof, fail-safe and time-honoured way to structure a story. (Even if you’re a short story writer or flash fiction writer rather than a novelist, this structure still applies, so don’t be put off by the title of Watts’ book.) The eight points which Watts lists are, in order: StasisTriggerThe questSurpriseCritical choiceClimaxReversalResolution He explains that every classic plot passes through these stages and that he doesn’t tend to use them to plan a story, but instead uses the points during the writing process: So, what do the eight points mean? Stasis Trigger The quest Surprise Climax Reversal

The Golden Rules for a Good Plot Writing a novel can be a daunting task. Here are some helpful tips to ensure you write a good plot. Is it your dream to become a best-selling author? Plot Rule 1: Create a plot skeleton A plot outline will help you choose a complication and the steps to resolve it. Plot Rule 2: Flesh out your plot Fleshing out your plot with colorful characters and a vivid setting will enhance your novel and grab your readers’ attention. Plot Rule 3: Bring your plot to a powerful resolution Have you used each scene and story event to guide readers to a plot resolution? Plot Rule 4: End your story at a natural stopping place After the climax, wrap up the story as quickly as possible. Plot Rule 5: Make sure your characters resolve conflicts on their own Don't rely on an act of nature or an unknown hero to clean things up at the last minute. A final note on creating a good plot… Creating a good plot isn't as easy as it sounds.

The Best Story Structure Tool We Know By Glen C. Strathy Of the various story structure models or theories that exist, we have chosen to focus mainly on Dramatica, which was developed by Melanie Anne Phillips and Chris Huntley. We chose to work with this model because it is the only one that... 1. 2. 3. 4. What's more, Dramatica embodies certain insights into story structure that no other theory does. The aim of this website is to present practical tips and exercises to help writers, while avoiding a lot of theory. Finding A Roadmap For Creating Your Novel The most important thing you need from any story theory is help creating a good roadmap for your novel. Specifically, you want help creating a plot that will keep the reader engaged and bring the story to an emotionally satisfying conclusion. You especially want a clear story structure that will guide you through those times when you get stuck and haven’t the faintest idea which direction to head next. Traditional Story Theory Is Too General 1. 2. 3. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Genres

Plot Generator 77 Educational Games and Game Builders I'm often asked if I know of any games for subject "x," "y," or "z" for a particular grade level or age group. My answer is usually yes, but I need to search my archives. Therefore, I've gone through my archives and dug up many of games that I've mentioned over the last four years that are still active online. 1. 2.Spin and Spell has been featured on a number of blogs over the last year. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. the World Food Programme's website offers students a large selection of educational online games and activities. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55. 56.

11 Free Websites to Practice English at Home RTlibrary on FlickrAt the New York Public Library's Adult Learning Centers, where adults work on basic English and literacy skills, we're often asked for recommendations of websites for adults to practice English at home. Below you'll find eleven sites, some with a focus on listening, some on vocabulary, others on grammar, and some with a range of activities. Happy learning! Easy World of Englisheasyworldofenglish.com An attractive, user-friendly website including grammar, pronunciation, reading and listening practice and an interactive picture dictionary. Many Thingsmanythings.org This website includes matching quizzes, word games, word puzzles, proverbs, slang expressions, anagrams, a random-sentence generator and other computer-assisted language learning activities. The site also includes a special page on pronunciation, including practice with minimal pairs. Dave's ESL Cafeeslcafe.com A forum for both ESL teachers and students around the world. Also, don't forget YouTube.

ESL Listening Comprehension Exercises: Movie clips to practice English | ELL/ELT SECTION 1: Movie Clips Learning through media (movies, music, etc.) is one of the best ways to learn a new language. The exercises below use movie clips to help you to better understand spoken English. Here's what you do: Click on the video you want to watch below.Watch the video, and pay attention to it! (You can pause and rewind the video.)Answer the listening comprehension questions below the video.Check your answers. The Great Gatsby Moonrise Kingdom Silver Linings Playbook Away We Go Bolt Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Chronicle The Avengers Adventureland The Royal Tenenbaums NOTE: All of these videos are protected by copyright.

Powerful Tools for Teaching and Learning: Web 2.0 Tools About the Course Are you overwhelmed by the tidal wave of new technology tools available for teachers and learners? Powerful Tools for Teaching and Learning: Web 2.0 Tools can help channel that flood into a manageable power source for student engagement and motivation in your classroom! This course is designed to provide teachers with strategies to effectively integrate Web 2.0 technologies into their instruction. You will learn how to use these tools effectively in your classroom through unique problem-based scenarios that will help you understand how to choose the best Web 2.0 tool. Our approach focuses on the task rather than the tool in an effort to improve communication, collaboration, presentation, creativity, problem solving, and critical thinking in your learners. Course Syllabus Our Web 2.0 explorations during Weeks One, Two and Three are based on ideas in the article, Implementing the Seven Principles: Technology as Lever by Arthur Chickering and Stephen C. Week Four: Oh! Yes.