Session+4

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Embed - to incorporate something into something else. An example of this is when we embedded our article into our wikispace. To implant something or someone into something else......embed a rock into a pathway. =====

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Embed code - This, to me, is when we incorporate a code into something. We found the html and embedded it on to our wikispace. Not found on vocabulary.com, but you can look up embed and code seperately. =====

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Download - a file transferred onto a computer from another computer or from the internet. When you want to copy a file and move it, you must download it to a portable drive and then you can copy it and transfer the info. =====

"**Session 4.2 Vocabulary.com**"
Why might students and teachers find Vocabulary.com more useful than using a dictionary or glossary? Teachers and students will find this site useful for many reasons. The biggest will be that it is so easy to use. Students can keep the site open while they are reading and have immediate access to definitions. They can look the words up prior to a reading and save them so that they can refer to them as they read. I like that it gives the definition, examples, and usage. Kids will like being able to hear the way the word is pronounced and be more likely to use it.

What type of student might benefit from the use Vocabulary.com? I believe all types of students will prefer using this rather than a hard copy of a dictionary and dictionary.com. I think it is a lot more user-friendly. Visual learners will like it because of the way it is set up. Auditory learners will like that they can hear the word as many times as they need to. Students of all academic levels use the computer, therefore will benefit from using this site.

**"Session 4.4, Using Word Sift"**
Identify the two tools you have selected and insert links: Visual Thesaurus: [|visual thesaurus] Word Games: [|word games]

How is Word Sift an effective pre-reading strategy? Wordsift can be a useful pre-reading strategy because teachers can use it to identify words that will be problematic for students, words that are "academic words", etc. Students can see the word in a variety of contexts.

How would Word Sift help students who struggle reading? I think that it would be especially helpful for struggling readers and ELL's. They can identify difficult words and practice reading them and see them in a variety of ways prior to a reading. Also, identifying these words in advance will give them a clue to the content in the reading.

"**Session 4.5 Using E-Vocabulary Strategies**"
One of the sites I chose was the visual thesaurus. It offers the following to students: -create word maps -color codes words depending on part of speech -includes historical people, phrases, and trademarks -suggests words if spelled incorrectly -can hear the pronunciation of words -can connect directly to the internet -can e-mail word maps to peers/teachers -features 5 different languages -gives sentence examples to help assure use of correct word For Teachers: -improve students writing -prepare students for SAT/MCAS -site offers lesson plans -"word of the day" -on line magazine dedicated to language and the creative process

The second site I chose was Vocabulary.co.il, a word game site. This site offers english language games, foreign language games, and liturature games. Students can do word searches, crossword puzzles, hangman, and much, much more. They can choose the level they want to play at or choose from a list of thousands of vocabulary words. Words are organized into catagories to help students make connections. It can be used to help prepare for standardized tests such as GRE, SAT, etc. I played two of the games offered. At the beginning of each game you chose the level you wanted to play at, I chose the 15 to 19 age group. The first game was the analogy game, where students chose the correct analalogy from a,b,c,or d. If they got it incorrect the first time, they had the opportunity to keep guessing until they got it correct. The second game I played was the "context game". In this game you first chose the level and then the area such as "Romeo and Juliet" or "SAT math vocabulary". I feel that both of these web sites would be useful in my classroom. In the student support classes, students are often working on writing assignments from academic classes. The VT would be helpful in getting them to use new vocabulary. Also, the word games would be a great way of rewarding kids for hard work....they would love to "play" and not even realize they are learning!

4. 6 Additional Resources
list of resources