Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Video on New Reading Software

This blog post is on a semi-personal note as I have decided to post a new video that was recently launched which showcases the new Reading Horizons Discovery software that encapsulates my work life over the last two years. My colleague Stacy Hurst and myself discuss some of the components of the software that help beginning readers learn effective reading strategies and assist teachers with tracking student progress. Although it is not evident in this video, suffice it to say that many hours of mental energy has gone into creating this product that now lives up to the quality of the curriculum that it teaches. But the effort has been worth it. Helping individuals learn to read is rewarding work.

Watch the video here.


ESL Teaching Tip: Nouns

I have been busy working on developing new manual lessons for the new Reading Horizons Discovery software that is going to be released this fall. The following is an overview of one of the lessons I recently worked on outlining the different types of nouns. Consider the levels and needs of your students to determine which noun types to teach your students.
  • A noun is a person, place, or thing.
  • A singular noun is one person, place, or thing. A plural noun is more than one person, place, or thing.

o   To form a plural, an -s is added to words ending in a consonant (e.g., one hat, two hats). If the ending consonant is voiceless, the sound of the plural -s is /s/ (e.g., hats). If the ending consonant is voiced, the sound of the plural -s is /z/ (e.g., pens).
o   If a word ends in ch, sh, ss, zz, or x, an -es must be added. The sound of -es is /iz/ (e.g., benches, wishes, dresses, buzzes, boxes).
  • A common noun is a noun that refers to a general person, place, or thing (e.g., a state). A proper noun is a noun that refers to a specific person, place, or thing (e.g., Texas). Proper nouns are capitalized.
  • Possessive nouns show ownership.

Friday, July 6, 2012

ESL Teaching Tip: Proper Use of Commas

Using commas properly is a difficult task for even native English speakers. Following are some tips on when and how to use commas appropriately.
  • A comma is used before a sentence ends. It tells the reader to take a small pause within the sentence.
  • Use a comma with dates.
    • Use a comma between the day and the year when writing a date. (Example: May 31, 2004)
    • When the date is not at the end of a sentence, use a comma after the year. (Example: May 31, 2004, is the day Maya was born.)
    • Use a comma after the day of a week and the month. (Example: Monday, May 31, 2004, was Memorial Day.)
  • Use a comma to separate items in a series. (Example: I like apples, bananas, and grapes.)
  • Use a comma after the greeting and the closing of a letter. (Examples: "Dear Abby,” or “Sincerely, Jessica”)
  • Use a comma in addresses.
    • Use a comma between the name of a city and a state. (Example: Toledo, Ohio)
    • Use a comma to separate each item in the address when written in a sentence (Example: Abby’s new address is 244 Hanover Lane, Toledo, OH 43615, and she would love to hear from you.)
  • Use a comma with quotation marks.
    • Use a comma before quotation marks. (Example: Tyler yelled, “Look out!”)
    • You don’t need to use a comma in indirect quotations where quotation marks are not used. (Example: You said you were coming.)

For other ESL Teaching Tips, visit the following blog posts:

Click here to read about the pronunciation of -ed.
Click here to read about pronouncing plurals.
Click here to read about voiced and voiceless sounds.
Click here to read about rising and falling intonation in questions.
Click here to read about syllable stress and the schwa.
Click here to read about adding the suffixes -ing, -ed, -er, and -est.
Click here to read about teaching common suffixes. 
Click here to read about teaching common prefixes. 
Click here to read about spelling words that end in S, F, and Z.
Click here to read about syllable division in multi-syllabic words.
Click here to read about soft sounds of c and g.