Interlink Language Centers ESL Resource Center: Spelling Practice

Details

Activity Description

This Web site provides listening and spelling practice with five levels of exercises that each have 10 quizzes. For these exercises, students see a sentence with a word removed. They click on an audio play button or on the word “Listen” and type the word that is said in the space. There are also five levels of exercises with 10 quizzes that do not contain audio. For these exercises, students must select from pairs of words the one word that is spelled correctly.

Preparation

1. Make sure that the site is not blocked at your school before using it with students.
2. Preview the site and select which exercises you would like students to do.
3. Go through the activity yourself to ensure that it is appropriate to your students' level of English and your teaching objectives and to anticipate students' questions or difficulties in using the Web site.
4. If using an audio exercise, make sure that an audio player (such as Windows Media Player, Real Player, etc.) is installed.
5. Set the volume on the computer or it speakers (or headphones, if students will do that exercises individually in a computer lab setting) at an appropriate level.

How-To

1. For quizzes with sound:
   • Open the Example Web Site (above).
   • Select the quiz number you want to use. Demonstrate the activity to students by projecting the Web site.
   • Select the play icon or the Listen button
   • Type the word you hear in the text box.
   • Select the Check button. The accuracy of the answer typed in is provided at the top of the screen. If the answer is incorrect, delete it and try again. If you repeatedly spell the word incorrectly, you can choose the Cheat button and the correct spelling will be provided.
   • Continue to the next question in the quiz.
2. For quizzes with no sound:
   • Open the Example Web Site (above)..
   • Select the quiz number you want to use. Demonstrate the activity to students by projecting the Web site.
   • Select the radio button next to the word in each pair that is spelled correctly.
   • A pop-up message will provide immediate feedback on the accuracy of your answer.
   • Continue to the questions that follow.
3. As a follow-up, students can write the correctly-spelled words to study for a dictation/spelling test.

Teacher Tips

• The exercises on the Web site can be assigned or suggested as extra supplemental homework or practice for those that finish early, or used as warm-up or filler activities.
• The site has many advertisements so be sure to preteach about avoiding advertisements. (This is a great critical thinking activity.)

More Ways

• The Resource Center has many other online exercises for students to practice grammar, reading, writing, vocabulary, idioms, pronunciation, and listening.

Program Areas

• ESL: English as a Second Language

Levels

• Beginning Low
• Beginning High
• Intermediate Low
• Intermediate High
• Advanced

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