The Road to Reading

Learn to Read on Starfall.com

http://www.starfall.com/n/level-a/learn-to-read/load.htm?f

This site is great because it offers a mix of activities for students to learn to read and write. From playing games in which students create words given a few letters (as well as a picture to help them visualize) to short “book” offerings, to movies and word hunts – starfall.com really does seem to have it all! Additionally, the site is visually appealing and is divided up nicely, making it easy for students to navigate.

Reading is Fundamental – Game Station page

http://www.rif.org/kids/readingplanet/gamestation.htm

Reading is Fundamental is a goldmine for ESL teachers in my teaching context! There are simple activities that students can engage in like creating bookplates and illustrating a story to more involved activities. The latter of these can be found on the “Game Station” page. My favorites include “Writer’s Block” in which students create one story with the help of other students, “Poetry Splatter”, where a poem comes to life through the splatter of words on the computer screen, and “Story Maker”, where students create stories all on their own. There are also a couple of bilingual activities in this section, which makes it all that much better for my context.

Storyline Online

http://www.storylineonline.net/

If students have the Internet at home, this site offers wonderful stories for them to read and listen to – the stories are read aloud by actors who are part of the Screen Actors Guild. Inclusively, the illustrations from the book are streamed into the video so the reader has a chance to better visualize the happenings. This site offers a wide variety of stories to choose from as well as activities that accompany these stories.

Clifford Read and Write

http://www.scholastic.com/clifford/read/index.htm

My teaching context is 2nd grade bilingual students so this site is perfect for them. Clifford is very popular in this age group and the activities on this page offer them a place to make words, letter match, sound match, write letters and read stories to earn a “reading license”. Again, I like that there’s variety and that it’s nicely structured thus making it user friendly. This site also offers a “make and do” page in which they can make calendars or engage in seasonal activities.


Colorin Colorado

http://www.colorincolorado.org/

I really love this site because it’s completely dedicated to families and educators of English Language Learners. From newsletters to articles to webcasts and featured books, this website offers a plethora of resources. What I like most here is that there is a “This Month’s Highlights” section where specific topics and questions are addressed. One this month is a very popular question that parents of non-native English speakers have: “Is it OK for me to speak to my child in my native language?”. A couple of answers are provided – enough to get both the parent and teacher thinking of how to address this topic both in the classroom and out.