Posts Tagged ‘English’

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Foreign Language Learning Games

March 16th, 2013

Hi!  It’s Saturday, March 16, 2013 and time for Foreign Languages at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
Digital Dialects

Age Range: All (with parental supervision)

This website offers a variety of interactive online games that help foreign language learners acquire basic language skills in a relaxed and fun way. Audio files have been incorporated into some of the animations so you can hear the correct pronunciation of the words and sentences.

As explained at the website, you’ll find “The world’s major languages, with a cross-section of languages from diverse regions,” represented including:

  • Arabic
  • Bosnian
  • Cantonese
  • Dutch
  • English
  • Farsi
  • French
  • German
  • Gree
  • Hebrew
  • Hindi
  • Italian
  • Japanese
  • Maori
  • Norwegian
  • Polish
  • Portuguese
  • Russian
  • Spanish
  • Swahili
  • Turkish
  • Ukrainian
  • Vietnamese
  • And many more!

When you get to the site just click on the language of choice. A new page opens with a selection of games. Some languages have more than others and the menu may include:

  • Animals
  • Clothing
  • Colors
  • Days and Months
  • Food
  • Fruits & Vegetables
  • Numbers
  • Phrases & Greetings
  • Units of Time
  • Verbs
  • Verb Conjugation
  • Vocabulary

Geography games that help familiarize learners with the locations of cities in countries are included for just a few of the major languages.

This is a terrific educational tool to enhance learning foreign languages.

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Free Crash Course in English Literature!

February 27th, 2013

Hi!  It’s Wednesday, February 27, 2013 and time for Language Arts at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:

Crash Course

Age Range: 13-18 (Grades 9-12 approximately, with parental supervision)

Best-selling author of young adult fiction, John Green, offers this new, free, video mini-series, “Crash Course in English Literature” that revs up interest and understanding of classic literature for the high school age crowd. With manic enthusiasm, he hurtles through plots, characters, writing styles, trivia, and jokes (that will make you groan) – all punctuated with colorful pictures, illustrations, doodles and more. 

When you get to the YouTube site, you’ll see a menu of the current 8 videos in the series including:

  • How and Why We Read
  • Of Pentameter & Bear Baiting – Romeo & Juliet
  • Was Gatsby Great? The Great Gatsby
  • Language, Voice, and Holden Caulfield: The Catcher in the Rye
  • Before I Got My Eye Put Out – The Poetry of Emily Dickinson

Each video course provides knowledge about the literature in a way that really speaks to those who are resistant to it. Green uses funny analogies, quips, gimmicks, and references to pop culture to provide an analysis of the literature that makes it more understandable for today’s teen.

Note to Parents: John Green does address the topic of sex in these literary works. As always, parents should preview the videos to determine suitability of content.

After exploring the “Crash Course in English Literature,” use the menu to check out Green’s other Crash Courses:

  • Crash Course in World History (42 videos)
  • Crash Course in Biology (40 videos)
  • Crash Course in Ecology (12 videos)
  • Crash Course in U.S. History (4 videos)

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Free Game & Curriculum on History of Detroit!

January 10th, 2013

It’s Thursday, January 10, 2013 and time for Social Sciences at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:

Building Detroit

Age Range: 8 and up (with parental supervision, non-readers will need assistance)

The Detroit Historical Society sponsors this website that provides free curriculum, an interactive timeline, and a fun interactive game focused on the geographic, economic, historic, and cultural events in Detroit from 1600 to 1901. The presentation highlights the history of Native Americans, military occupation, fur trading, economic and population growth, industrialization, and the Underground Railroad, as well as the influence of French, British, Spanish, and Dutch explorers and immigrants.

When you get to the site, you can select from three items on the menu that include:

*Building Detroit: The Game – Play a game that allows you to help build the city of Detroit over five generations. As you progress through the game, you’ll learn about people and events of historical importance.

*Detroit History – Explore an interactive timeline that covers events from 1600-1901.

*Curriculum – Get free lessons plans in social studies and English language arts. Designed with third grade classroom students in mind, it can be enjoyed by a wider age/grade range and tweaked for homeschool use. The lessons are divided into six sections as follows:

  1. Before 1701 – Learn about the Native Americans who inhabited the area and explore Anishinabeg culture and oral traditions.
  2. 1701-1760 French Detroit – Meet French explorers and learn about the French fur trade.
  3. 1761-1796 British Detroit – Find out about Pontiac’s Rebellion, life in British Detroit, and the American Revolution.
  4. 1796-1825 Early American Detroit – Meet people of historical importance to Detroit, and learn about the great fire of 1805.
  5. 1825-1865 Boomtown Detroit – Discover how Detroit became a city, and its role in the Underground Railroad.
  6. 1866-1901 Industrial Detroit – Learn how Detroits natural resources led to its industrialization.

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Free Grammar & Writing Lessons!

January 9th, 2013

It’s Wednesday, January 9, 2013 and time for Language Arts at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:

Guide to Grammar & Writing

Age Range: 8-17 (with parental supervision)

This ad-free website, designed by an English professor for students with a wide range of ability levels, provides free lessons in grammar and writing.

When you get to the site you will see a menu of topics with search buttons below them. Click on the “arrow down” on any search button and you will see a drop-down menu of the amazing range of topics covered in that category as follows:

•Words and Sentences — adjectives, adverbs, nouns, prepositions, pronouns, conjunctions, etc.

•Paragraphs — paragraph development, sentence variety, sentence combining, etc.

•Essays & Research Papers — principles of composition, outlining, organization, structure, tone, formatting, plagiarism, etc.

•Quizzes — Take interactive quizzes to test your knowledge of grammar.

•Powerpoint Presentations — instructions, suggestions, resources, and demos for powerpoint presentations.

Click on any topic in the drop-down menu and a new page opens with instructions delivered through text and illustration. Clear examples of the correct and incorrect forms are provided as well. Interactive quizzes at the end of each lesson allow the student to self-test their knowledge of the subject matter.

This site is equivalent to having a complete English textbook online for free. The interactive element of the quizzes makes this rather dry material much more appealing to students.

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Foreign Language Hangman, Wordsearch & Crosswords!

January 5th, 2013

Hi! It’s Saturday, January 5, 2013 and time for Foreign Languages at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:

Language Games

Age Range: 9 and up (approximately, with parental supervision; ability to read required)

This ad-supported website offers the opportunity to play online interactive Wordsearch, Crosswords, and Hangman games in a variety of foreign languages to help students learn and practice the language of their choice.

When you get to the site, you’ll see a brief introduction followed by the titles of the three games. Select the language you want to use including:

  • English
  • Espanol (Spanish)
  • Francaise (French)
  • Deutch (German)
  • Italiano (Italian)

Click on the language of choice, and a new page opens where you can play the game. Each game page offers a menu of topics to select from such as:

  • Animals
  • Furniture
  • Transportation
  • Clothes
  • Family
  • The Body
  • Colors
  • Weather
  • Flowers
  • Sports
  • And More!

Select a topic, and the program will automatically generate words in that category to use when playing the game.

Depending on your current skill level, these games can be simple or challenging. This is especially true of the crossword puzzles, where you must be able to read and interpret phrases (clues) to come up with the correct word for the puzzle. You can always check the solutions to self-correct.

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Challenging Math Puzzles, ‘Numberpedia,’ and More!

December 3rd, 2012

Hi! It’s Monday, December 3, 2012 and time for Math at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:

Archimedes’ Laboratory

Age Range: 9 and up (Approximately, with parental supervision. Younger children may enjoy aspects of this site, too.)

This amazing commercial and ad-supported website was developed by fervent European puzzle enthusiasts, G. A. Sarcone and M.J. Waeber who comunicate the wonders of mathematics and science to the public through challenging and entertaining puzzles. You’ll find all kinds of free puzzles and brain teasers that incorporate math, logic, and geometry problems to challenge young minds to think in ways that lead to discovery and greater understanding.

When you get to the site, you’ll land on the “Puzzles & Tests” page that archives a selection of puzzles, tests, math games, brain-teasers, tangram-like manipulatives, and mental tricks. There’s a brief introduction (available in English, French, and Italian), and a menu that includes:

*Monthly Puzzle – Solve it and win a prize.

*Create Your Own – Get instructions and inspiration to build your own puzzles and try hundreds of puzzle activities.

*Numberpedia – Don’t miss this! Explore (or download for free) a colossal collection of facts about numbers including:

  • Numbers in Various Writing Systems
  • Numbers’ History
  • Prime Numbers
  • Fibonacci Numbers
  • Magic Star Numbers
  • Barcode Numbers
  • 80-20 Rule – The Pareto Principle
  • Numerical Sculptures
  • Memorizing Numbers and Number Facts

Below that, you’ll find newly added activities, visitor favorites, and a way to purchase puzzles, games, and books from the online store. No purchase or registration is necessary to access the many freebies on this site.

But wait, there’s more! Use the tabbed index at the top of the page to investigate other regions of this site that include:

*Illusion & Paradoxes -Check out the “Illusion of the Month.” Stretch your brain by exploring the “Illusion Gallery” and be amazed by the “Hypnoptical Illusion.”

*Mind & Brain – Get a recipe for healthy brain food, play with an anti-stress tool, and test your mental aptitude though games and quizzes.

*Oddities & Curiosities – An assortment of activities that include, puzzles, tests, optical illusions, and “teacher resources” that index some of the activities in other areas of the site.

There are many, many links to activities on this site, and most of the ones I tried were good. I did find a few duds, but not enough to dampen my interest. You’ll want to bookmark this site, as it’ll take more than one visit to see it all.

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