Word Vine

sounds like great fun + good for building vocabulary ~ enjoy! Sent by Google Reader from Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... by Larry Ferlazzo on 1/30/10

Word Vine is a fun game where you basically have to create compound words. It's probably most accessible to Intermediate and Advanced English Language Learners.

Since it's a Miniclip game, though, I don't know how many School District content filters will actually allow it through, which is a problem with a number of other links on my website under Word and Video Games.
I've put asterisks next to the online video games that our District lets go through, but haven't gotten around to doing that for the word games.

Things you can do from here:

• Subscribe to Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... using Google Reader
• Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites

New Online: Learn English with Pictures

From: Jacob Richman, jrichman@jr.co.il

Today I launched a new website called: Learn English with Pictures

  http://www.my-english-dictionary.com/  

Learn English with Pictures is a free, online, resource to learn English  words in a fun way. The site has over 400 words and photographs ranging 

from animals to kitchen appliances. The interface is simple  and both 

kids and adults who are learning English will find this  educational 

website entertaining and useful.  

Feedback is welcome.  Have a good day, Jacob 

Teach Yourself Accent Reduction - review this site

Here's a new web page on Accent Reduction http://loseyouraccent.googlepages.com/home

I have not checked it out, so I am asking you to look at it and review it. Let me know if I should add it to my list of speaking resource. Reviewing it also means telling us what you think is wrong with the site or confusing about it.

There are 10 modules to follow at your own pace and improve speaking skills. You can also download and print modules.

And now a few words about the writing assignment - write and post a review of the site. In the past. I've asked you to let me know what you think of sites. Some responses are good. Others are disappointing - and still others missing altogether. Perhaps specific guidelines will help you write a review.

Writing reviews or evaluations is a common writing task both in school and the workplace. Reviews are not just about movies or books. Students and scholars write reviews of the literature in their field. In business, you may be asked to review a product, a procedure or even someone's performance. Reviews even show up in informal writing, such as when someone asks your opinion about a book, movie, destination or activity ("What did you think about....?")

You can apply the following guidelines for writing book reviews to writing other reviews

• Steps for Writing a Good Book Review http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/bookrev.html
• Pre-writing questions http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/bookrevpre.html
• Reviews http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/review.html

A review is a critical evaluation of a text, event, object, or phenomenon. Reviews can consider books, articles, entire genres or fields of literature, architecture, art, fashion, restaurants, policies, exhibitions, performances, and many other forms.

Above all, a review makes an argument. The most important element of a review is that it is a commentary, not merely a summary. It allows you to enter into dialogue and discussion with the work's creator and with other audiences. You can offer agreement or disagreement and identify where you find the work exemplary or deficient in its knowledge, judgments, or organization. You should clearly state your opinion of the work in question.

Evaluating web sites

• Evaluating Web Sites: Criteria and Tools http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/webeval.html
• Evaluating Web Pages for Content http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html
  
• Web Design - Evaluation Rubric http://www.k12.hi.us/~tethree/00-01/assessment/webrubric.htm
  
  
  

New materials on speaking from "Splendid Speaking"

"Splendid Speaking" uses Skype as a learning tool for learning and improving English. They do a nice job, I think. Take a look at the newsletter and see for yourself.

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Splendid Speaking - http://www.splendid-speaking.com/

An easier and more effective way to improve your speaking skills and confidence in English.
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Sunday 27th January 2008
Welcome to the Splendid Speaking Newsletter. First of all, a big 'Thanks' for all the feedback we've received from our visitors over
the past few months. Your views will be invaluable in helping us develop the site further. This week we're pleased to announce some exciting changes and additions to our services. See our new Colloquial Vocabulary feature below and news of our new speaking task sheet for use in class and self study.
In this week's issue:
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• TASK SHEETS
• LEARN COLLOQUIAL VOCABULARY
• DEVELOP YOUR SPEAKING SKILLS
• CONNECT WITH OTHERS
• SPREAD THE WORD!
  

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TASK SHEETS
This week we're pleased to announce the first of our new speaking task sheets. Each newly-designed sheet comes with two tasks: one presentation and one pair/group activity. We also include a vocabulary list and links to relevant recordings from our archive.
In addition, if you're looking to practise your presentation skills for work or your studies, preparing for an exam and will have to do a short talk then this week's featured recording, which looks at structuring a short talk will be of interest to you.
You'll find a link to the new task sheet, the featured recording and the transcripts from here: http://www.splendid-speaking.com/4.html
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LEARN COLLOQUIAL VOCABULARY
Interested in improving your use of colloquial vocabulary? How many of the missing words below do you know? Visit our website on the dates below and use our three-stage quiz to help you learn the key words, understand the meaning and, most of all, remember the expression so you can recognise and/or use it later. Print this newsletter, then each day during week beginning 28 January 2008 fill in the gaps of any new expressions you come across. You can do the quiz here (Click 'Today's Vocabulary Quiz' - make sure your computer allows popups):
http://www.splendid-speaking.com/products/index.html
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Monday 28 January 2008. Topic: Communication
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1) If you need any help just ........ the word and I'll be round immediately.
2) Look, if there's something the matter just get it off your ........ and stop sitting there with a long face!
3) The builder was late again today. If he's not here at 9.00 tomorrow I'm really going to give him a ........ of my mind.
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Tuesday 29 January 2008: Agreeing and Disagreeing
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4) Sorry, but I've got to ........ issue with you over something you said earlier.
5) This discussion could go on for hours. Shall we just agree to ........ and move on? 
6) The two sides in the dispute are ........ odds over how to deal with the problem.
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Wednesday 30 January 2008. Topic: Money
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7) Frank used to make a ........ selling insurance before he went into teaching.
8) If you'd like to make a ........ buck do you fancy helping me with a job on Saturday?
9) We're beginning to ........ the pinch since Graham started to work part-time.
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Thursday 31 January 2008. Topic: Business
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10) I've just spoken to their sales department and they think they can supply us with what we need. But they have got a track record of not delivering the ........
11) We had a salesman in the office earlier trying to give us the ........ sell with a new photocopier. We just couldn't get rid of him.
12) I'm enjoying having my own business but if there's one thing I hate doing it's cold ........ to try to get new orders.
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Friday 1 February 2008. Topic: Learning
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13) Schools should go back to ........ and make sure children can read, write and do simple maths.
14) Nobody thought he would make the ........ but he surprised them all and ended up going to university.
15) I've been reading these instructions again and again but I just can't ........ my head around them.
Find out how to get immediate access to ALL 390 colloquial expressions!
http://www.splendid-speaking.com/products/expressions.html
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DEVELOP YOUR SPEAKING SKILLS
Are you preparing for an important English Speaking exam? Do you need to develop your speaking skills for work or university? The Splendid Speaking Course teaches you communication skills and strategies that will prove invaluable in your work or studies. It comes in two volumes ('Introductions and Small Talk' and Powerful Presentations') and covers 12 key strategies for communicating effectively, as well as a range of useful vocabulary and language topics. 'Splendid Expressions', our new three-stage approach to learning colloquial vocabulary, is also FREE to subscribers of the 'Splendid Speaking Self Study Course'. 
Find out more here: http://www.splendid-speaking.com/3.html
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CONNECT WITH OTHERS
Our new community on Facebook, the social networking website, is continuing to welcome new people with members from all corners of the world. If you're keen to meet up with others who want to develop their English speaking skills, why not join us? If you've never heard of Facebook before it's an extremely popular social networking site where you can create a personal profile, join groups, post photos and much more. To join our group:
1) create a Facebook account
2) join the Splendid Speaking group in Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2265574420
3) connect with our group friends
We look forward to meeting up with you on Facebook!
Read our 'Safety Guide' for safe use of communities such as this:
http://www.splendid-speaking.com/products/safety.html
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SPREAD THE WORD!
If you enjoy reading this newsletter and have a friend or colleague who you believe might also benefit from it, please forward it on.
That's all for this week!
Best wishes from the Splendid Speaking Team
Flo-Joe, Centre Court, 1301 Stratford Road, Hall Green, Birmingham, West
Midlands B28 9HH, UNITED KINGDOM

Also updated - ESL Podcasts

I forgot to mention other updates in the previous message:

English as a Second Language (ESL) Podcasts. These are the 30 newest podcasts for ESL learners.   

This page also now has the Flash MP3 player for each podcast. 

It includes most, if not all, of the MP3 podcasts listed on the Internet TESL 

Journal's ESL links page.      

VOA Special English Features - Read and Listen Daily, All on one page

Charles Kelly, who has the "many things" ESL page, just announced an update.  "VOA Special English Features - Read and Listen Daily" now includes the text and MP3 player for VOA's 2 daily "features."

If you subscribe the the RSS feed in iTunes, you also get the complete "text" in  the description tag.  This means you can also read the text on your iPod as well, if you access the "description" on your iPod.

I hope you will find this useful.