RCMP Royal Road Race - A great day!

Last Saturday, I participated in the Royal Road Race for the first time.  It's a 10 km race around the RCMP barracks in Regina and it was an awesome family experience.  As soon as we got there, we were greeted by the RCMP bagpipers and the kids had a chance to meet Safety Bear which they loved. 

I wasn't super excited for the running part because it's been a tough spring for training and I had just run a half marathon less than two weeks prior.  I was ready for the distance aspect but not so much for the speed.  I pushed myself and ended up with a painful side stitch which rarely happens to me.  I ran through it even though it felt like my appendix was going to explode.  There was no imagining it as I still felt sore for the next couple of days but it's all better now.  Yeah, I'm tough...or stupid.  In the end, I finished in 52:27...a solid time considering my limited outdoor running and the hours I substituted thesis writing for training.  Somehow, reading and researching in libraries doesn't provide quite the same training benefits as hitting the pavement (or snow and ice as was the case in Saskatchewan this "spring").

I really wanted to post about this race because it was fantastic and possibly the best brunch I've ever had post-race.  There was way too much food to choose from and the service was fantastic.  Also, where else do you have RCMP officers saluting you while finishing a race?  It was absolutely wonderful all around and even the weather co-operated for once.  Also, thanks to Sawatzky Studios for the lovely memories of a fun day!

 

Notes from the IT Summit

Keynote: Ewan McIntosh

What kids love that helps them learn:

1.       Collaborate

2.       Challenge

3.       Responsibility

4.       Respect

5.       Real things

People like three to nineteen choices in life.

Checklist for good generative topics

·         Does it pass the “so what?” test?

·         Is it epic and big scale, not tiny and “fake”?

·         Does it cover more than just one curriculum subject or topic, or have four or more ways of solving it?

·         Does it spark natural curiosity?

·         Is there enough potential material in which learners can immerse themselves?

·         Can it be made accessible, feasible to access for every learner?

Think of as many titles as possible. 

Do not justify ideas. 

Keep going even after you think you have a great one.

Strategies used with students for them to reflect upon their learning:

Reflecting on learning as a community	Reflecting on individual learning
Thumbs up / Thumbs Down	One-on-one conversations
Three way conferences	Self-assessments
Group Discussions	Journals
Think-pair-share	Sticky Notes
Silent Chatter	Exit Slips
Flexible Groups	Photo Timelines
Graphic Organizers	Graphic Organizers
Choice	Choice
KWL	KWL
Carousel Brainstorming

EAL Resources for #skteachers

Here are some helpful links for anyone looking for EAL resources. I have used most of them and would definitely recommend the Oxford website and the Penguin ESL readers. The first few resources were provided by the ministry and I added a few of my own afterward.  Be sure to check out the Oxford English File and Azar Grammar.

EAL Resources from the Ministry of Education

A Guide to Using the CFR with EAL Learners

EAL Middle Years Modules 1-5

Publishers

• Oxford University Press: www.oup.com/elt (“Catalogue”)

• See “Graded Readers” for reading material aligned with the CFR (CEFR) levels http://elt.oup.com/cat/subjects/graded_reading/?cc=ca&selLanguage=en&mode=hub 

• See “Dictionaries” (search for Picture Dictionaries and Bilingual Dictionaries) http://elt.oup.com/teachers/opd/?cc=ca&selLanguage=en&mode=hub

• Pearson ELT (Canada). Penguin Readers: www.penguinreaders.com (“Catalogue”)
• See “Graded Readers” http://www.pearsonelt.com/products

• Heinle Cengage Learning – Affiliated with National Geographic and Nelson Education 

• Academic Vocabulary Toolkit (Dr. Kate Kinsella, author)

• In Canada Volumes 1 & 2 (Language & Literacy for English Language Learners)

Recommended Reading
Coelho, Elizabeth. 2004. Adding English. A guide to teaching in multilingual classrooms. Pippin Publishing. Don Mills, ON

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Some Resources I Like...

Azar Grammar - Love these grammar books and just discovered a great website that complements the texts. I am excited to try out some of the songs with my students.

Dave's ESL Cafe - This website has it all...lots of ideas for lesson plans on every topic related to teaching English as an Additional Language.

Busy Teacher - This website has a variety of others listed that are useful for teaching EAL including many that encourage the integration of technology in learning.

ESLPoint - Has a number of activities available online at many different levels.

Learning English with CBC Manitoba - This website is fantastic. They discuss relevant newsworthy topics, provide audio, lesson plans, and lots of great ideas. It is well worth a look if you teach EAL at the high school level in particular.

Oxford University Press English File - This is possibly the best quality website for EAL learners to play all sorts of games online to practice English. Students can choose their level and do a variety of activities and games to practice English skills. I have used this a lot in the past especially at the elementary level.

Shakespeare in Bits - This is an Ipad App that I just discovered and absolutely love. They have taken Shakespeare plays, created cartoon animations along with dialogue, summaries, notes, definitions, character lists, etc. and made Shakespeare a lot easier for EAL students to understand. I downloaded a play for my students this semester and the app really helped them understand what was happening in the play and of course they were much more engaged because they got to use an IPad! The downloads are a bit pricey at $14.99 but worth it and likely not much more than the cost of a book.

Hope that was hopeful for someone out there in the blogosphere. Please feel free to add more great websites in the comments and I will edit the list.