Ideas & Resources

Find tips, info & shortcuts related to using PowerPoint. 
If you have an idea or request for a Powerpointer, e-mail me at johanpyoung@gmail.com.
Download my PowerPoint file from GEPIK Orientation in March, 2013: Powerpointers
Download my PowerPoint file from GEPIK + Workshop in June, 2013: Powerpointers II

PowerPoint program is NOT in English
This has to be the most common issue that I get asked about. But don't panic, there are some solutions available.

1) First, download this instruction sheet & follow according to your OS/version of MS Office:    

2) If the above does not work, click on this link to download a converter tool. (Ask your IT administrator or co-worker if it's okay to alter the program - if you get a green light, follow the onscreen instructions with assistance from a co-worker if necessary.)

3) If the above converter tool doesn't do the trick after installation, you may need one additional step - download instructions here:
 Additional Language Conversion 

4) If the above steps STILL don't seem to fix your issue, you may need an additional language kit, downloadable here: 
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Want to get new sounds in PowerPoint?
If you are tired of the same old, boring sound effects that come pre-installed in PowerPoint, you don't have to put up with it. Download this brief tutorial on how to find, download and edit sounds for use in your presentations. (basically, it includes what I covered during the 'Powerpointers II' Workshop for GEPIK on June 4th)

Powerpoint - New Sounds Tutorial
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Want to easily animate your PowerPoint presentations for English class? 
If you already use Google Images or a similar search engine to find the perfect images for use in your lessons, try this: When you enter your key words, add "animated gif" to the search window. For example, type in: "monkey jumping animated gif" - you'll be presented with hundreds or thousands of images, ranging in size and quality of animation. This saves you time and really grabs your students' attention! (Be careful, since some images that appear can be "R" rated!)
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Want to add Flash & YouTube videos to PowerPoint or convert your presentation to Flash? 
I found a cool PPT add-in program called iSpring. There's a free version that allows you to save your presentation as an SWF file, and it also makes it easy to add videos from YouTube or ones you've already saved in your computer. Download the free version and try it out.
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If you've ever wanted to reach out to ALL of the students in your school, this might be for you!
Download this School Broadcast Kit and start airing your own English program!  
(Includes a brief tutorial, sample sound files & scripts; size = 34MB)


Some websites that I have found quite useful while building lessons.

Crossword Solver: Fun ESL Activities
As suggested by Katie Hylton - thank you so much for these cool activities!

Free Printable Books
As suggested by Lindsey Miller - thanks, Lindsey! Also, a huge THANK YOU to Miri Coleman for sharing these!

Movies
Movie Segments To Assess Grammar Goals - Exactly what the title says!
http://moviesegmentstoassessgrammargoals.blogspot.com/

Mr. Bean
http://www.youtube.com/user/MrBean?feature=chclk

Music
Musical English Lessons International, England – Many exercises based on popular songs, but no music videos on this site.
http://www.musicalenglishlessons.org/

My English Pages – Watch a YouTube video right on this site, learn lyrics, and study how grammar is used in each song.
http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/lyrics_and_songs.php

News Articles & Exercises
Breaking News English– This site has more than 1,500 articles and accompanying exercises. Just amazing, and so useful for upper level learners.
http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/

Science
Science Bob - Simple experiments using everyday items.
http://www.sciencebob.com/index.php

Puzzle-Making
Discovery Kids – 8 great puzzles for English; create a maze and paste it onto a worksheet related to a lesson. For example, to “help the boy find the ice cream store"...and if you really want to make your students work, have them write each direction!
http://www.discoveryeducation.com/free-puzzlemaker/?CFID=437476&CFTOKEN=94273522

Armored Penguin - Even gives you a choice to save an answer key for each puzzle!
http://www.armoredpenguin.com/

Phonics
Have Fun Teaching - Contemporary & catchy songs for each letter of the alphabet!
http://havefunteaching.com/videos/alphabet-videos/alphabet-video/

Images
Google Images, of course
https://www.google.com/imghp?hl=en&tab=wi

Public Domain Images – All royalty-free, non-copyrighted images to use for any purpose.
http://www.public-domain-image.com/

General ESL Learning
Kiz Club – Easy to use site with many, useful activities.
http://www.kizclub.com/

The British Council – Lots of great activities. (personal recommendation: People Work song – very catchy, good for learning occupations, and students love it!)
http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/songs/people-work

http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/

 A few activities designed to break the ice or monotony in class.

ALPHABET ROLL CALL
•All students stand in a big circle (or rows)
•The first student says the letter “A” before saying his or her name
•The next student must say the letter “B” before their name and so on; after “Z”, students start over with “A”
•If a student says the wrong letter, they must go to the end of the line and pick up from the letter of the previous student (Note: for older students, say the alphabet backwards, starting with “Z”)

BANANAS
•One student is chosen to be a “monkey”
•Other students can ask the “monkey” any question, i.e. How old are you? What’s your name”, etc.
•The “monkey” must always answer with the word ‘BANANAS’ without laughing or smiling
•If the “monkey” laughs or smiles, they are out
•If the “monkey” can answer 4 questions without laughing or smiling, he or she can choose a different student to be the “monkey”

CHAIN SPELLING
•The teacher gives a word and asks a student to spell it
•A second student should say a word beginning with the last letter of the word given
•If someone makes a mistake, that is, to pronounce the word incorrectly, misspell it or come up with a word that has been said already then he or she is out.
•The last one remaining in the game is the winner. This game can be made more challenging by limiting the words to a certain category, e.g.. food, tools, or nouns, verbs, etc.)

DICE DROP
•Students stand in a big circle
•The first student is given a large, soft "fuzzy" die
•Each student must say: “Hi, my name is(name). I’m (age) years old.” They then toss the die to another student who has not yet spoken.
•If the receiving student drops the die, they must make a sound like an animal shown on a numbered flash card that corresponds to the number on the die
•Example: The die drops to the floor, showing “5”. The flash card with the number “5” has the picture of a dog. The student must say, “Woof!” 5 times.

GIRL OR BOY?
•Students stand in a big circle
•One by one, students will introduce him or herself using an opposite voice (girls speak with a deep voice, boys speak with a high voice)
•If a student uses the wrong voice, they must go to the end of the line and pick up from the previous student

PASS THE BALL
•This can be played after role is called
•Students stand in a big circle
•While music is playing, students pass the ball to the student on their left
•When the music stops, they must say one fact about him or herself
•If the student has already spoken, they must pass the ball to the student on their left until a new student is reached
•Continue until every student has spoken

SCRAMBLED SENTENCES
•Prepare by printing out key sentences on paper – make several sets for a group activity
•Cut the sentences into sets of single words or groups of words
•Mix up all of the sentence pieces and put them into separate envelopes for each group
•Read the complete, unscrambled sentence twice and say “GO!”
•All groups open their envelopes and put together the announced sentence
•Continue with the remaining sentences, giving points to groups with correct answers (Note: make extra sentence pieces as pieces can get lost easily)

THROW AND SAY
•Write or print out key words or sentences on sheets of A4 paper to make signs
•Students tape one paper sign to the front of their shirt with the words visible
•One student begins by saying the word or sentence on another student’s sign, then throws a soft ball to that student
•If a student drops the ball or says the word or sentence incorrectly, he or she is out
•Students continue until there is only one “survivor”


3 comments:

  1. Anna (Jeodong Elementary in Goyang)June 11, 2013 at 8:52 PM

    i attended the gepik plus workshop in june 2013 and i remember you saying something about free comics but i don't remember the websites you mentioned. can you please tell me again?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Anna, nice to hear from you. The free comics sites include:
    •Comixology: http://www.comixology.com
    •British Council: http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/make-your-own/comic-strip-maker
    •Marvel: http://marvelkids.marvel.com/games/play/75/create_your_own_comic
    •Animated Comic-Maker: http://goanimate.com/
    You can also find some generic comics and strips using Google Image search. Good luck and have fun!

    ReplyDelete

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