Peer Review

Everything ESL

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: Oct 31, 2005 by Teacher Education

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:: "Everything ESL" was created by Judie Haynes, an ESL teacher from New Jersey
with more than 25 years of teaching experience. "Everything ESL" features lesson
plans, teaching tips, over 100 downloads, 450 discussion topics, and additional
links to teaching resources on global issues, culture, and how to use
technology to collaborate and connect classrooms around the world.
Type of Material:: Includes lesson plans on a variety of subject matter including; math, language
arts, science and social studies, teaching tips, resource picks, an askJudie
forum and a comprehensive list of upcoming events in the ESL world. The site
also provides posters, worksheets, interactive questions and answers, links to
issues on diversity, and tolerance.
Recommended Uses:: This site could easily be used with pre-service teachers in education methods
courses. "Everything ESL" provides resources and teaching tips for students
with English as their second language in grades K-12, and in all content areas.

The elementary ESL teacher can use this material as a resource for planning and
can actually print ready-to-use patterns, science experiment lab sheets,
diagrams, and books for children to complete. Intermediate level students can
access sites that provide information for research reports. Professionals can
use the forum to discuss topics and can access professional development
materials for their own growth.
Technical Requirements:: Many of the activity downloads require Acrobat Reader.
Identify Major Learning Goals:: To provide information about and teaching resources for students, K-12, with
English as their second language.
Target Student Population:: All college students in pre-service teaching programs would benefit from this
site. This site is designed to support elementary classroom teachers up through
the intermediate grades. It could also be used by preservice teachers.
Given the links by their teachers, intermediate students could visit the linked
sites themselves and use information in preparing their own reports.

This may also be helpful to college students majoring in sociology.

Practicing teachers and paraprofessionals who work with students whose second
language is English would also find this site helpful.

The site also imbeds several links and topics on tolerance and diversity. This
allows teachers an avenue for discussion on such topics.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:: Teachers must be able to apply sound selection criteria as they choose
activities, since there are NUMEROUS learning activities from which to choose.
Teachers must select activities that will help them meet the objectives set for
their specific groups of students. Selection criteria must always be based on
the individual needs of students. Teachers also need sound knowledge about best
practice in lesson design in order to implement the activities in a sound
sequence to promote learning. If intermediate students use the linked sites
directly, they need prerequisite skills in technology.

Content Quality

Rating:
Strengths:: The content is current and consistent with best practice identified in the
professional literature. The activities provide concrete experiences for
language development and suggest strategies such as cooperative learning, known
to be effective with English language learners. Activities seem to be
developmentally appropriate for the grade levels for which they were developed.
Sites provide current information for elementary students and emphasize cultural
diversity.
Concerns:: I located some links that did not work. I have some concern over using the term
"ELLs" to refer to English Language Learners. Somehow, the acronym seems
incongruent with people first language.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:
Strengths:: The specificity and simplicity of lesson plans makes this a quick resource for
classroom teachers and faculty who want to show undergraduate education majors
examples of how to plan instruction for students whose 1st language is not
English.It provides particularly helpful
resources for preservice teachers/student teachers and inexperienced teachers.
Lesson plans are clearly labeled with the grade levels for which they were
developed. The readability of the material on many of the linked sites seems to
be appropriate for most intermediate students who might use a site
independently.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:
Strengths:: Activities are ready to be printed, saving time for the busy teacher. The sites
for student research are easily and quickly accessed. The site seems very user
friendly for both students and teachers.

Other Issues and Comments:: The site needs to use 'people first language'. Phrases like, "ELLs may be
able....", "activities that ELLs can do ", and "challenges ELLs face" these are
used throughout the site.
Creative Commons: