Online Resources
A way that I have engaged the children more throughout the year, despite the limited technological resources at my school, is by using the internet. It is essential in this day of age that children learn as soon as possible to operate technology and computers since they are at the core of how we live our everyday lives.
With younger children lectures often just don’t work for most of them. A lot of these websites provide games that capture the children’s attention and engage them in a way that facilitates interest and thus learning, while teaching the younger ones how to operate a key board, how to turn on a computer, how to find a website, and how to use a mouse. It has been so exciting to see the youngest ones touch a mouse for the first time or start to learn to navigate a keyboard, searching for the right letter and punching them one by one with their index fingers.
Mundoprimaria.com is a free website that I have used with first and second graders, although it includes activities for students up to the sixth grade. I have used the interactive games with the children that focus on vocabulary, grammar, and spelling. There are also reading activities. Other subjects besides English are included, but are presented in Spanish.
Similar to Mundoprimaria.com, British Council's LearnEnglish Kids website is a free resource with many activities for children to use. I have used the interactive games with them based on the vocabulary they are learning in English.
Starfall is yet another free resource I have used in my classes with first grade when teaching phonics. I have used the interactive books, which are great because they use simple language, include animations, and have a sound option which reads to the children. The children can then opt to click on each word to hear it again. Each book focuses on specific sounds in English.
Kuaderno is another great website I have used with the children that includes over 300 online books based on the child's level. After each book students have to answer comprehension questions. When they answer the questions correctly they earn coins and points which progress them through a game. This is also a great website because it is designed to complement the Cambridge and Trinity exams. Kuaderno is not free, but it is very affordable.
The Magazine is just that; a digital magazine. Children choose a month/issue and read articles on a wide array of topics. The articles can also be listened to. Then they answer comprehension questions and are awarded stars based on correct answers. They can see their ranking among their classmates. The Magazine is not free, but it can be used for students from first grade to bachillerato. I have had a lot of success using it with higher-level students in second grade.
Perfect English Grammar is another free website that comes with excellent explanations of grammar and corresponding fill in the blank activities for a long list of English grammar tops. I have used these activities very frequently with teens that I tutor outside of school, because most of the activities are a little too advanced for the children I work with at my school.
All photos used with permission.