Latest News and Comment from Education

Saturday, June 1, 2013

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… 6-1-13 …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EF



Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

LARRY FERLAZZO’S WEBSITES OF THE DAY

LOOK FOR MY NEW BOOK 

Ferlazzo200(1)
"Self-Driven Learning: Teaching Strategies for Student Motivation" 

“Keep Calm & Carry On”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 31 minutes ago
This has been a challenging year for me in the classroom. My classes, as do most at our 100% free lunch school, always have a considerable number of students facing multiple difficult challenges, but this year the number and severity … Continue reading →

Photo Galleries Of The Week

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 7 hours ago
Obviously, photos can be great educational tools with English Language Learners and with any students (see The Best Ways To Use Photos In Lessons). I post about many photo galleries, also called slideshows. To do it in a little more organized … Continue reading →

Quote Of The Day: Talking About Failure

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 10 hours ago
Don’t Ignore Your Failures. Talk About Them is a very short article in Inc. Magazine. Here’s an excerpt: I’m adding it to The Best Posts, Articles & Videos About Learning From Mistakes & Failures.

Comic: Explaining Emotion To An Alien

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 10 hours ago
In my IB Theory of Knowledge class, I sometimes ask students to imagine explaining what we’re learning to aliens, like I’ve done in this field trip assignment. Here’s a useful comic strip I just found that I’m showing as model … Continue reading →

Two Minutes Of Silence For Sergeant Anton Schmidt

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 10 hours ago
Earlier this week, I wrote a post about Hannah Arendt, the new movie about her, and how I use her writings in thinking about the importance of reflection. That new movie is sparking a lot of articles about her, including … Continue reading →

Video: The Importance Of Taking Risks

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 11 hours ago
A willingness to take risks is an important quality of a language learner, which is why I’m adding this video to The Best Videos Illustrating Qualities Of A Successful Language Learner:

Remember: You Can See My Best Posts From The Last Six Years In One Place

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 11 hours ago
Just a reminder: You can see my choices for my best posts from the last six year in one place. A link is also located on my sidebar….

Video: “ZOD TALKS – Supervillains Speak Out” (For Everyone Who Loves Or Hates TED TALKS)

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 12 hours ago
I’m adding this delightful parody to The Best Teacher Resources For “TED Talks” (& Similar Presentations):

May’s Best Tweets — Part Five

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 13 hours ago
Every month I make a few short lists highlighting my choices of the best resources I shared through (and learned from) Twitter, but didn’t necessarily include them in posts here on my blog. I’ve already shared in earlier posts several … Continue reading →

Infographic: “Weddings Around The World”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
I’m adding this infographic to The Best Sites For Learning About The World’s Different Cultures: Weddings Around the World infographic by michelleink88.

Emphasizing What Students Can Do, Instead Of What They “Can’t” — Part Two

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
I wrote a post a couple of years ago titled Emphasizing What Students Can Do, Instead Of What They “Can’t” and have since elaborated on it in my books and in an article at ASCD, Eight Things Skilled Teachers Think, … Continue reading →

Everest Resources

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
The summit of Mt. Everest was first reached sixty years ago this week (it’s possible, however, that the feat might have been accomplished earlier). We end our school year with a two-month unit on Everest. Here are the newest additions … Continue reading →

Video: Baby Elephant Demonstrates The Importance Of Perseverance

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
I’m adding this video to The Best Videos Illustrating Qualities Of A Successful Language Learner. It certainly demonstrates the importance of perseverance — in an adorable way!

Rhetoric & “Revolution”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
This is probably more of an “inside baseball” related post for people who regularly read education policy blogs, but a bit of a controversy has developed around Diane Ravitch’s attack on Parent Revolution’s Ben Austin (sponsor of the infamous parent … Continue reading →

Infographic: “Bullying: What You Need To Know”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
I’m adding this infographic from the federal government to A Very, Very Beginning List Of The Best Resources On Bullying: Source: stopbullying.gov

Interactive: “Why Is The Sky Blue?”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
Here’s a nicely done little interactive: Why is the Sky Blue? infographic by ptvan.

Infographic: “Strange Driving Rules from around the world”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
It doesn’t contain its sources (let me know if it’s incorrect), but I’m adding this infographic to The Best Sites For Learning About The World’s Different Cultures: Strange Driving Rules from around the world infographic

Resources For Creating Music Online

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days ago
I’ve just updated The Best Online Sites For Creating Music. Feel free to offer additional suggestions….

Create Your Own Geography Game With “GeoSettr”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days ago
GeoGuessr is one of my favorite games on The Best Online Geography Games list. It’s now gotten even better. You can now create your own GeoGuessr game at GeoSettr (Thanks to Google Maps Mania for the tip). By the way, … Continue reading →

Study Says Ability To Identify Patterns Key To Second Language Learning

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days ago
A new study has just been published identifying the ability to distinguish patterns as a key to learning a second language: Some research suggests that learning a second language draws on capacities that are language-specific, while other research suggests that … Continue reading →

Video: “The Science Behind Teenager Grunts, Ughs and Duhs”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days ago
Here are two good articles and an excellent — and fun — video perfect for teaching/learning about language in IB Theory of Knowledge classes: The Science Behind Teenager Grunts, Ughs and Duhs is from Smithsonian Magazine. They’re, Like, Way Ahead … Continue reading →

Quote Of The Day: Discipline & Motivation

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days ago
Marvin Marshall, one of my favorite writers and thinkers on positive classroom management, tells a great story on his blog today. It’s a short and sweet one, and I’d strongly suggest you read it. Here’s how he ends it:

Video: Be Inside A Tornado

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days ago
I’m adding this video to The Best Resources For Learning About Tornadoes (it may not come through on an RSS Reader):

National Geographic’s “Listen & Read” Collection Looks Good

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days ago
I’ve previously posted about Scholastic’s excellent “Listen and Read” collection of simple books that provide audio for the text. Thanks to Crista Anderson, I’ve learned that National Geographic has a similar feature. It’s definitely worth checking out….

LearnZillion Now Has English Language Arts Lessons

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days ago
I’ve previously posted about LearnZillion and put it on The Best MATH Sites That Students Can Use Independently And Let Teachers Check On Progress list. Since that time, they’ve added English Language Arts lessons, and are planning to also have … Continue reading →

Video: Garr Reynolds On Storytelling

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
Story, Imagery, & the Art of 21st Century Presentation is a very good video of Garr Reynolds on presentation skills. I’m adding it to The Best Digital (& Non-Digital) Storytelling Resources.

Must-Read Article: “Teachers’ lessons in heroism and healing”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
CNN has just published a lengthy must-read article headlined “Teachers’ lessons in heroism and healing.” Here’s an excerpt: “We are rightly taken by the fact that some teachers risked their lives and gave their lives,” said David Steiner, dean of … Continue reading →

The Cognitive Dissonance Of David Brooks

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
New York Times columnist David Brooks, as I’ve written here before on numerous occasions, can be extraordinarily insightful. However, each and every time he’s written about education issues, it’s amazing how coherence and thoughtfulness just seem to disappear from his … Continue reading →

Video: “Hannah Arendt” — The Movie (& The Importance Of Reflection)

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
In both my community organizing and teaching careers, I’ve often cited the work of Hannah Arendt and “the banality of evil” as an example of why we need to promote reflection. Here’s what I described the connection in my first … Continue reading →

Quote Of The Day: The Importance Of Being Nice

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
The New Yorker recently published a great article titled Every Disease On Earth. Unfortunately, it’s behind a paywall. A previous quote of the day also came from that article. Here’s today’s excerpt: Coincidentally, George Wood recently wrote a post on … Continue reading →

Even More Memorial Day Resources

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
Here are more additions to The Best Websites For Learning About Memorial Day: Sacred Ground: A Portrait of Arlington National Cemetery is a slideshow from LIFE. Native American veterans push for recognition is from Fox News. Remembering the fallen on … Continue reading →

Infographic: “Most Asked Interview Questions & How To Answer Them”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
I’m adding this infographic to The Best Websites For Students Exploring Jobs & Careers: Source: theundercoverrecruiter.com

More Memorial Day Resources

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
Here are some new additions to The Best Websites For Learning About Memorial Day: Here are some videos that may, or may not, be viewable on an RSS Reader: The Meaning of Memorial Day is from TIME For Kids. Readers’ … Continue reading →

The Best Online Geography Games

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 days ago
As regular readers know, in addition to teaching mainstream English classes and to Beginning and Intermediate English Language Learners, I also teach a Geography class to ELLs (as well as an IB Theory of Knowledge class). I thought it might … Continue reading →

Two Infographics On Sleep

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 days ago
I’m adding these infographics to The Best Resources For Helping Teens Learn About The Importance Of Sleep (Also, I’m adding Lack of sleep blights pupils’ education from the BBC to the same list): 30 Lesser Known Facts About Sleep infographic … Continue reading →

Special Edition Of “Links I Should Have Posted About, But Didn’t”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 days ago
(Usually, I just post a weekly version of this regular feature. However, sometimes I post an extra “Special Edition” when I have more good links than usual) I have a huge backlog of resources that I’ve been planning to post … Continue reading →

Quote Of The Day: ” What to Do When You’ve Made Someone Angry”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 days ago
What to Do When You’ve Made Someone Angry is an excellent Harvard Business Review article, and very applicable to the classroom (as well as in other areas of life). Here’s an excerpt: It’s a refinement on what I’ve written about … Continue reading →

Create A Virtual Talking Tree

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 days ago
To celebrate Arbor Day, a company called “Knock” (I think it’s an advertising agency) has created a “We Heart Trees” site. Anyone can create a virtual tree, including “accessories” and a vocal expression, and you’re given a unique url to … Continue reading →

Interview On Parent Engagement

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 days ago
Hotchalk recently published an interview on parent engagement Pamela Moreland did with me. You might find it useful and/or interesting…. I’m adding it to a list I have of other interviews I’ve done.

Videos About San Francisco

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 days ago
We’re taking over one hundred students on our annual San Francisco field trip this week. Here are some videos I’m adding to The Best Sites To Learn About San Francisco, and that I’m showing to my class:

Classroom Management Strategy: “Sometimes The Only Thing Worse Than Losing A Fight Is Winning One”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 days ago
Photo Credit: Tambako The Jaguar via Compfight An old community organizing adage goes like this: “Sometimes the only thing worse than losing a fight is winning one.” In organizing, that can mean your group gave so much to an issue … Continue reading →

Videos: How Do Tornadoes Form?

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 days ago
I’m adding these videos to The Best Resources For Learning About Tornadoes (they’re embedded, so they might not show up in an RSS Reader):

Internet Archive To Expand Its Extraordinary TV News Video Collection

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 days ago
I’ve previously posted about the Internet Archive’s extraordinary TV News video collection, which lets you search just about every U.S. video news clip since 2009 (that service made The Best Social Studies Sites Of 2012 list) . They just received … Continue reading →

Nice Memorial Day Infographic

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
I’m adding this infographic to The Best Websites For Learning About Memorial Day: Source: huffingtonpost.com via Larry on Pinterest

” Ideas for the Last Two Weeks of School — Part Two”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
Ideas for the Last Two Weeks of School — Part Two is my latest post over at Education Week Teacher. Today’s post includes responses from three great educators: Chris Wejr, Alice Mercer and Bill Ivey. In addition, I’ve included many … Continue reading →

“Depression Quest”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
Depression Quest is an interactive text fiction game (or choose your own adventure) where the player plays the part of someone who is suffering from depression. I learned about it at Richard Byrne’s blog. I’m adding it to: The Best … Continue reading →

Video: “We Need Your Students To Get Higher Test Scores”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
Here’s a great video animation created by Scott McLeod where he imagines a conversation between a policy maker and an educator about “teacher accountability.” I’m adding it to A Collection Of The Best “Laugh While You Cry” Videos.

Second Quote Of The Day: The Power Of Stories

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
David Nussbaum has written a very interesting post about the power of storytelling. Here’s an excerpt: I’m adding it to The Best Digital (& Non-Digital) Storytelling Resources.

Free Monthly Newsletter Just Sent Out…

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
I just emailed my free monthly email newsletter to 2,000 subscribers. You can subscribe to it here…..

May’s “The Best…” Lists — There Are Now 1,104 Of Them

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
Here’s my monthly round-up of new “The Best…” lists I posted this month (you can see all 1,104 of them categorized here): The Best Resources On “Close Reading” — Help Me Find More The Best Multimedia For Learning About The … Continue reading →

More Memorial Day Resources

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
Here are new additions to The Best Websites For Learning About Memorial Day: Here are 16 Memorial Day infographics. 100 Faces, 100 Hours is a CNN interactive.

May’s Best Posts From This Blog

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
I regularly highlight my picks for the most useful posts for each month — not including “The Best…” lists. I also use some of them in a more extensive monthly newsletter I send-out. You can see older Best Posts of the Month … Continue reading →

Mosey Lets You Create Virtual Tours

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
Mosey lets you pick a location, easily choose places in the area that you’d like to “visit,” grab images off the web, shows the places on map, and lets you add notes. You’re then give a unique url address to … Continue reading →

Quote Of The Day: Closing Schools In Chicago

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
As Education Week put it this week: “Chicago education officials …approved the largest-scale, single-year closure of public schools of any major school system in the nation, approving the shuttering of 49 elementary schools that are located mostly on the city’s … Continue reading →

May’s Best Tweets — Part Four

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 week ago
Every month I make a few short lists highlighting my choices of the best resources I shared through (and learned from) Twitter, but didn’t necessarily include them in posts here on my blog. I’ve already shared in earlier posts several … Continue reading →

Father’s Day Resources

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 week ago
Father’s Day is on the third Sunday of June. I’ve just updated The Best Father’s Day Sites.

Video: “50 Common Misquotations”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 week ago
I’ve posted about issues related to incorrectly attributed quotations on The Best Places To Find Quotations On The Web. Here’s a related video: