Learning English as a Foreign Language at Prep 5

Google Maps

2010-08-25T13:17:00.000-07:00

Hi, there!

2010-06-05T18:07:00.000-07:00

I love my blog!

This is my podcast!

2009-06-24T12:45:00.001-07:00

Subscribe Free Add to my Page

My brochure

2008-06-03T14:50:00.000-07:00

I wanted to create an electronic brochure, anyway this is the link in case you would like to see it.

Hi,

Here is your link to your saved project in My Brochure Maker.

http://www.mybrochuremaker.com/save/680117/11a2b5e1101

Be sure to bookmark this link in your browser or save to your
favorites list in order to return again later.

Have fun creating your customized brochures!

Podcast for Teachers

2008-06-03T14:32:00.000-07:00

I finallly got to listen to the podcast for teachers and enjoyed it a lot. Episode 102 was fun. Dr. Kathy King and Mark Gura talk about different issues related to education. The one which particularly attracted my attention was the fact that children are becoming what they call "beyond digital natives" and how this is a challenge for schools & teachers. They also mentioned a project in which they can get scientists to talk about their research, besides they familiarize students with the format of research papers.
I also listened to a special episode (16) in which they gave a long introduction on the program. They also talked about the benefits of podcasts and technology in education, the teachers' comments, doubts and fears when dealing with technology. Some of the quotes sent by the teachers were quite interesting and the hosts commented them as well. I think the idea is to display this podcast as the mediator of a community of teachers all over Canada, USA, Australia and many other speaking countries.

If possible I will place my podcast right below here, for the site is being checked.

Scribd: Lady by Kenny Rogers

2008-06-03T14:26:00.000-07:00

Dear colleagues,
I love this song, and my students do too! I hope you like it.

Lady - Upload a doc

Self-evaluation

2008-06-03T09:55:00.000-07:00

Since I had previously taken a similar course, I did not feel so insecure this time. What I notice is that some things take me no time at all to perform them while others are still hard. I enjoyed the sessions, there was fun and I learned a lot; however I must confess that there are things I am still working on such as Podcasts.
Thank you Maria Elena for sharing with us your expertise and experience on web 2 tools.

Our Beloved Blogs

2008-05-29T10:48:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed visiting everybody’s blogs. We all have improved a lot in the handling of web2 tools. There we were able to display our creativity and talents! This had been a great experience.
Marsella Robles Mier y Terán, my blog:http://webdesigncoursemr.blogspot.com/
Susana Arvizu: http://arvizublogexperimental.blogspot.com
Gloria Villarreal: http://gloriavillarreal.blogspot.com
Marlín Valenzuela: http://marlinprepa6.blogspot.com
Carolina Berumen:http://caroberumen.blogspot.com
Juan Carlos de la O: http://juancarlosdelao.blogspot.com
María Elena Alvarez: http://marielenaalvarez.blogspot.com
Alejandra Lorena Cruz:http://alejandralorenacruz.blogspot.com http://alex-alejandralorenacruz.blogspot.com/
Ruth Osorio: http://learningenglishatprep5.blogspot.com
Martha Aguilar Baez: http://cortapg.blogspot.com
Miriam Díaz: http://miriamdiazmora.blogspot.com

2008-05-29T08:41:00.000-07:00

Read, Write, & Think

2008-05-28T18:50:00.000-07:00

"A Directed Listening-Thinking Activity for the Tell-Tale Heart" is a wonderful lesson plan. As it is I would use it with an Intermediate Level Class, but I think Fourth Graders may work wonderfully Unit 10 - Narrating past stories & asking-answering questions about the past. It also could be a nice source for working modals, perfect past tenses and conditionals in Fifth grade. This site is absolutely fantastic.

Another lesson plan which is callled "Action ABC's: Learning Vocabulary with verbs" may work wonderfully with most units in the Fourth Grade Syllabus (4,5,6,7 & 9) for somehow word collocations are essential to promote language development.

Ruth Osorio
I definitely liked http://www.readwritethink.org

Welcome Recording (Evoca)

2008-05-27T09:09:00.001-07:00

Voicethread

2008-05-26T10:27:00.000-07:00

I definitely enjoyed doing this activity and I expect students will too.

Comments on Two Web2 Tools

2008-05-25T16:36:00.000-07:00

http://comiqs.com is a site to make comics. The most appealing feature is using the writer's own photos to make the comic. The program adds the speech bubbles, the writer does the doodling, and provides the story.
Another atractive tool is provided by www.wismapping.com which helps the user to make mind maps.
I also checked E-book tools which are useful to compile e-books or just read and create them.

Come and Meet a New Friend!

2008-05-22T08:33:00.000-07:00

Where can you have the pleasure to see Chubby?
Right, the City Zoo is the best place in town to meet wild animals in natural-like environments. You also can learn about their habitat, life span, and many other interesting facts.
As you probably guessed Chubby is our well-known one-year-old grizzly cub. It is a beautiful male brown bear which can be seen running around the green at times. Although he spends most of the time near his mother, Lucy, he also spends some time playing with the trainer and the veterinarian. He seems to be very friendly with Joe and Henna, the zoo Labrador Retriever dogs. Chubby can play with them for a while.
The scientific name for brown bears or grizzly bears is Ursus arctos. Grizzly bear eat fish, vegetation and at times small animals. Male adults can weight up to 700 pounds and females up to 350. Did you know that bears hibernate for almost seven months a year? How can they survive then? They live off the body fat they stored before hibernation

Making an Animation

2008-05-20T10:03:00.000-07:00

Mini-saga

2008-05-20T09:07:00.000-07:00

We opened the door. Nina and Ruy went out to wander around. As we walked in, we didn’t realize Ruy wasn’t with us. Barking was heard. He wanted to come in. While opening the door, Nina hid, when he passed by, she quickly jumped on him and bit his leg.

Creative Writing: Guessing Game

2008-05-20T08:20:00.000-07:00

It was given to me fifteen years ago when I subscribed to ATT. On the way back, it traveled in my tote bag. A child pointed at me and my beautiful present while saying to his mother: “Look, mom. That girl has a pretty ….. in her bag.” It is something nice and soft. Everybody likes it and wants to hug it. My nephews and even Nina, my dog, wants it. Can you guess what it is?

Introducing Myself

2008-05-19T10:53:00.000-07:00

Slidestory: Proverbs for Daily Living

2007-05-25T12:54:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,
Finally, my slidestory is ready. Dulce, you were right! My story came up with your name. Sorry about it!

A Wonderful Landscape!

2007-05-23T11:18:00.000-07:00

Power point presentation on Rubrics

2007-05-03T12:18:00.000-07:00

Dear Colleagues,
I managed to load the powerpoint presentation in the slideshare program, but it seems I can't paste it in my blog.

A Treasure Hunt on Project Based Learning

2007-05-01T12:48:00.000-07:00

1. Encuentra la definición de “Project based learning” en el sitio 'Answers.com'.
Project Based Learning es una pedagogía constructivista que pretende lograr un aprendizaje profundo al permitir que los aprendientes empleen un enfoque basado en el cuestionamiento de temas y cuestiones relevantes para ellos.

2. En el sitio 'Project based learning' descubre: ¿Cuál es la naturaleza de este tipo de trabajo y qué es lo que promueve?
Este trabajo tiene una naturaleza cooperativa (collaborative) y promueve una mayor apreciación de la responsabilidad social.

Menciona por lo menos cinco beneficios que ayuden a la motivación en el trabajo del estudiante.
a. El aprendizaje basado en proyectos permite a los aprendientes construir el conocimiento
cuando las tareas plantean problemas reales o se asemejen a la realidad y posean profundidad,
complejidad y tengan cierta duración.
b. Cuando los aprendientes aprecian la naturaleza interdisciplinaria de las tareas y descubren
que cada tarea puede poseer múltiples soluciones, desarrollan una mente abierta para resolver
problemas.
c. Los aprendientes tienen la libertad de elegir las estrategias y enfoques que les parezcan
pertinentes y en consecuencia se involucran más en el proceso de aprendizaje.
d. Cuando el aprendiente realiza su lista de criterios para evaluar su proyecto adquiere
experiencia para establecer sus metas y sus propios estándares de excelencia.
e. El PBL permite a los aprendientes a trabajar de manera cooperativa con compañeros y
tutores en un ambiente centrada en el estudiante en el cual los aprendientes son alentados a
explorar temas de su interés.

¿Qué beneficios para el alumno tiene la simulación y solución de problemas reales?
Cuando los aprendientes descubren la conexión entre la tareas PBL y el mundo real tienen mayor motivación para entender y resolver problemas actuales. Los aprendientes disfrutan el aprendizaje si éste tiene sentido. El aprendizaje basado en proyectos da a los aprendientes la oportunidad de decidir qué y cómo aprenderán

3. Con ayuda del sitio 'RMC Denver' Enumera cinco criterios para evaluar la eficacia en el aprendizaje basado en proyectos.
a. Permite varios estilos de aprendizaje.
b. Estimula tanto las habilidades superiores de pensamiento como el aprendizaje de conceptos y
hechos básicos.
c. Utiliza enfoques en los que el estudiante realiza actividades para adquirir el conocimiento
(hands on approaches).
d. Promueve el desarrollo de la comprensión profunda.
e. Se valora tanto el proceso de aprendizaje como el proyecto de aprendizaje.
f. Se utilizan datos actuales y verdaderos así como información proveniente de investigaciones
para sacar conclusiones.
g. Es el estudiante quien tiene en sus manos el aprendizaje del currículum.

4. Consulta 'Techlearnin' para conocer los elementos que conforman un buen proyecto.
a. El proyecto debe basarse en estándares, tener metas claras y promover la
interdisciplinariedad.
b. El estudiante debe tomar todas las decisiones con respecto al proyecto -desde la selección del
tema hasta la organización y presentación del proyecto.
c. El estudiante desarrolla habilidades cooperativas -confiar en sus compañeros de equipo, tomar
decisiones grupales.
e.El proyecto debe tener relación con el mundo real enfocándose en temas que afectan a los
estudiantes y sus comunidades.
f. El proyecto debe incorporar un enfoque no-tradicional en cuanto al tiempo de la tarea.
g. El proyecto debe centrarse en las demostraciones de lo que los estudiantes están aprendiendo
y que tan bien lo comunican.

¿Como puedes poner en marcha un proyecto?
- Revisar projectos muestra.
- Preguntarse que quiero que los estudiantes aprendan.
- Leer descripciones de proyectos para determinar si alcanzan los estándares y las metas
planteadas por los requerimientos del distrito.
-Asegurarse que los proyectos seleccionados abarcan las necesidades de todos los estudiantes y
que todos ellos poseeen las habilidades para llevarlos al cabo.

5. Con ayuda del sitio 'Techlearning' Enumera los pasos para crear un proyecto.
- Identificar la idea para un proyecto.
- Definir las tareas especificas para realizarlo.
- Determinar los parámetros para que los estudiantes tomen decisiones y los productos
adecuados que demostrarán su aprendizaje.
- Marcar el tiempo para ejecutarlo.
- Planear las actividades revisando otros proyectos.
- Identificar objetivos específicos, tareas y productos.
- Revisar que los objetivos alcancen los estándares especificados.
- Planear la forma de evaluación.
- Iniciar el proyecto con los estudiantes, asegurándose que tengan claras las fechas para
realizarlo y terminarlo.
- Proporcionar guía, asistencia y aliento a los estudiantes cuando así lo requieran.
- Hacer quje los estudiantes compartan los resultados y reflexionen acerca de los productos.

6. En 'Buck Institute for Education' encuentra:¿Qué hacer para que el tiempo de un ciclo escolar nos permita incluir el trabajo con proyectos?
Considerar el trabajo con proyectos como un método básico en la enseñanza aprendizaje y utilizarlo para reemplazar la instrucción convencional en el curso.

¿Cuál es el rol del maestro en un aprendizaje basado en proyectos?
El maestro se convierte en un facilitador o asesor, quien ayuda a los estudiantes a dar forma a sus proyectos de manera que cubran los contenidos solicitados y que permita ser evaluado de distintas formas.

7. En el sitio 'Houghton Mifflin's ' identifica la secuencia de etapas que tiene un proyecto.
a. Plantear, definir o categorizar un problema lo que lleva a la porción de PBL a ejecutar.
b. Creación de equipos cooperativos para discusión y solución de problemas, lo que los lleva a
investigar.
c. Después de estudiar, los equipos se subdividen en pequeños grupos en los que los integrantes
muestran sus conocimientos específicos en el área.
d. Finalmente los estudiantes hacen visible y público su trabajo mediante el producto obtenido.

¿Cuáles son las habilidades y estrategias que se ponen en juego en un proyecto del área de ciencias sociales?
Desarrollar habilidades como hacer las preguntas pertinentes para obtener información acerca de los lugares y sus habitantes; encontrar la información en distintas fuentes, así como organizarla y analizarla empleando estrategias como la elaboración de mapas, gráficas, resúmenes, etc.

8. The Big Question
¿En mi contexto es conveniente el trabajo basado en proyectos?
Básicamente es posible utilizarlo en sexto grado, pero necesitaría planear muy bien el proyecto para que fuera enriquecedor para los estudiantes.

My Colleagues' Blogs

2007-04-22T16:53:00.000-07:00

Gloria Castro http://chavos2007.blogspot.com/
Margarita Rivera http://convivenciaalumnosmaggie.blogspot.com/
Lydia Muñoz http://lydia-myenglishclass.blogspot.com/
Laura Pablo http://myenglishworldp4.blogspot.com/
Susana Arvizu http://arvizublogexperimental.blogspot.com/
Ma. de los Angeles Robledo http://deutschunterricht-angeles.blogspot.com/
Dulce María Montes de Oca http://elfactivitiesprepa6.blogspot.com/index.html
María Elena Cabral http://uninvitoablogare.blogspot.com/

Comments on the blogs

I really liked Susana Arvizu's blog. It is well organized and includes everything, even her power point presentation! Her insightful comments provide relevant information on the tasks.
Laura Pablo's blog made me both laugh and smile a great deal. The proverbs and tongue twisters provide food for thought. Besides, the way she presents her tasks are entertaining.
Margarita Rivera, Ana Irma Bredee, and Ma. Elena Falcon's blogs have beautiful photos in their welcome messages.

Blinklist Address & Task 2.3

2007-04-08T13:12:00.000-07:00

Dear bloggers,
As requested, here it is my blinklist address: http://es.blinklist.com/ceruoso. Although there are only three favorite sites, they are really useful.

Concerning task 2.3, all the sites were sorted into four categories:
a) Reference
4. The History Place - http://www.historyplace.com/speeches/anthony.htm
5. Smithsonian Institution - http://www.si.edu
7. Answers. com - http://answers.com
10. Best Webquests - http://www.bestwebquests.com
12. Oxford Dictionary - http://dictionary.cambridge.org
13. Virtual Library - http://www.vlib.org
14. Virtural Library of Museums - http://www.vlmp.museophile.org.

b) Tool
1. Filamentality Homepage - http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/index.html
2. Describing actions - http://www.ardecol.ac-grenoble.fr/english/falcon/facactn.htm
8. Quia - http://www.quia.com
9. Educational uses of digital storytelling -
http://www.coe.uh.edu/digital-storytelling/examplepages/techniques-examples.html
11. Picsearch - http://www.picsearch.com

c) Tutorial
3. Biography Maker - http://www.bham.wednet.edu/bio/biomaker.htm

d) Webquest
6. Ellis Island Webquest - http://ardecol.ac

*It also has elements of a tutorial and provides references

Blue Web' N

2007-03-19T16:35:00.000-07:00

From the library of applications Blue Web' N, I got some web pages to use with my sixth grade learners who are in Health and Sciences.
The first two belong to the field of Health and PhysicalEducation
www.reconstructors.rice.edu and is called The Reconstructors. All the students who want to pursue medicine, biology, and chemestry at university will entertain themselves and use their knowledge of these areas to solve mysteries from the past. The mysteries can be additional activities students can do at home or in the computer labs if available, and a second activity could be that students individually or in pairs can create their own mystery providing all the clues and elements necessary to solve it. Then all participants exchange their mysteries and solve them.
www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/ The BBC Science Human Body page provides a wonderful source for authentic readings. Students can choose texts and tests on topics they are interested in and use the reading skills they have been learning to identify the vocabulary related to the topic of the text, the topic sentences and supporting ideas, and after that provide their own quizzes on the text. Another excellent activity is to have students print a copy of the chosen text, cut it up in sections and put the pieces in envelopes. Students exchange envelopes and try to order the text again by using cohesion, syntax, and meaning clues.
The last selection belongs to Science
http://explore.cornell.edu/science.cfm This magazine is devoted to Beetle Science. Students can read an article from the magazine and draw the insect with all its features, or make a spider web or a diagram to organize the information provided by the text. Students can also read some of the headlines of articles and the titles of books reviews and then make predictions on the possible content. Then check their predictions by reading the article or the review.

Comments on the three sites I browsed

2007-03-19T15:45:00.000-07:00

Comments on the three sites I browsed.
Lately, I had the opportunity to experience the wonders of www.ardecol.ac-grenoble.fr/english
This website is absolutely fantastic for everybody, especially learners of foreign languages who want to practice the language, learn more, and have fun all at the same time. This page can be used in French, English, German and Spanish. The range of activities goes from doing projects involving discussion of topics, creation of stories and writing to making interviews, participating in forums, reading, and website quizzes among others. It also provides learners with all the necessary tools and resources needed to perform the activities successfully. This is a website to develop cognitive skills along with reading and writing.
http://www.techlearning.com/ is a magazine for teachers covering a wide variety of topics, especially technology in education, so teachers can improve their students' test performance, spelling, writing, and so on by getting ideas from the different sources this site offers. www.bham.wednet.edu/bio/biomaker.htm This tutorial guides the learner through the whole process of writing a biography in an entertaining way. It starts from raising relevant questions related to the person whose biography is being written. Then those questions need to be answered so a search is done, mostly aided by the links provided. The next step is to analyze the information in order to get the most relevant data. The last step involves how to tell the story involving the person's life and deeds. This tutorial also provides a sort of summary on the "Six traits of effective writing." If what is needed is a site where learners can improve their writing skills, this is it!

Learning English at Prep 5

2007-02-23T16:59:00.000-08:00

Dear Learners,
Welcome to this blog created especially for you. Learning English as a Foreign Language can be both difficult and funny. Needless to say anything regarding the entertaining part for you know it well. However when facing doubts concerning grammar, vocabulary, and meaning, it may be helpful to have a place where to pose your questions or comments on that specific topic knowing that they will be answered either by a teacher or another blogger. If you ever feel like sharing an anecdote, a joke, or a thought with someone else, do it here for this is your space to learn and practice English as you wish.