URL for this presentation: http://academics.smcvt.edu/cbauer-ramazani/present/Colombo/oralskills.htm

Christine's Links to Useful TESL/CALL Resources:
http://academics.smcvt.edu/cbauer-ramazani/Links/useful_sites.htm

     
The Internet has a wealth of resources to aid in the development of oral skills, both for teachers and learners.  From my over 7000-links-compendium I have selected sites that you can integrate into your classes for listening, speaking, and pronunciation practice.  In this hands-on workshop participants will experience audio and video resources for listening development, try out text-to-speech programs, and experiment with some free audio and video recording tools that teachers and students can use for interaction and collaboration on projects.
 

Resources for Listening: highlights from Christine's Links to Useful TESL/CALL Web Sites--ESL Teaching / Learning Resources for Listening (http://academics.smcvt.edu/cbauer-ramazani/Links/esl_listening.htm)
 

1. Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab <www.esl-lab.com/> -- an amazing collection of audio/video lectures for all levels of listening comprehension, together with self-tests and answers

• Easy: Apartments for Rent
  • More activities (listening, vocabulary, discussion, Internet searching) on the same topics at Daily ESL: Conversation Starters for English Students (=> Apartment: Renting a Place of your Own)
  • Pronunciation: Apartment Rentals--Accent Reduction and Conversational English
• Medium: Lecture on Culture Shock (Long conversations with RealVideo and script) and Culture Shock 2: Returning Home

2. Real English <www.realenglish.com/> -- on-line video/audio lessons with fill-in, multiple-choice, matching questions based on spontaneous street interviews; useful for Oral Interaction from Beginner to Intermediate level

• Pre-intermediate: Lesson 7 - What's your astrological sign? This lesson concentrates on a great deal of useful vocabulary while introducing like as an adverb.
  • Lesson 7 Vocabulary: Vocabulary Exercises 1-4 with pictures, sounds, synonyms, definitions
  • Lesson 7 Comprehension Exercises: 14 exercises, each with a new video that expands the topic; cloze, multiple choice, comprehension cloze, drag-and-drop

3. English Language Listening Lab Online <www.elllo.org> -- natural conversations with various speakers of English; over 1000 listening activities for all levels; includes new videos with video slide shows, script, comprehension questions, links to interactive games (e.g. Family Feud)
   Types of activities: interviews, newscasts, surveys (Mixer), songs, presentations (Talking Points), and listening games (for beginners)
   • Mixer: survey that features six different speakers answering the same question; Example: What is your Dream Job? (intermediate to high-intermediate)
   • News Center: 6 news stories; easy academic English and development of test taking skills; Example: Cars (intermediate)
   • Articles for Listening or Reading (or both); Example: Mobile Novels (intermediate to high-intermediate)
   • Activities by level: High Beginner (Example: Snake in the House! Leath talks about Africa), Low Intermediate, High Intermediate , Advanced
   • Listening Games (for beginners): Example: The Phone Call

1. Breaking News English <www.breakingnewsenglish.com/> -- EFL/ESL news with free lesson plans, handouts and podcast for current events; topics include business English, environment, health, issues, lifestyle, people/entertainment/gossip, technology, world news
   • Example: Breaking News English Lesson Plan on Ingrid Betancourt--includes Listening, Text Reconstruction test, script, warm-ups before-listening/reading, vocabulary exercises, while-listening/reading cloze, small group discussion, info-gap activity, writing, homework, answer check
2. Voice of America's Special English <www.voanews.com/specialenglish/> -- audio broadcasts (mp3 and RealAudio) in clear and simple American English; get scripts (by program and day of the week); limited vocabulary of 1500 words; short, simple sentences that contain only one idea; no idioms used; spoken at about two-thirds the speed of standard English; the latest news from around the world; a different short feature every day about development, agriculture, health, education, economics, news events and American idioms; 15-minute in-depth features about life in the United States, news about science and space, American history, popular culture, influential Americans and short stories; also for English Learning: Words and their Stories, Wordmaster, Games with Words; free email subscription
   • News: Young Keyshia Cole Turns the Pain of Love Into Music of the Soul
   • Words and their stories: Back, Shoulders, and Chest: A Pat on the Back for a Job Well Done

1. Teaching with songs <www.isabelperez.com/songs.htm> -- song lyrics and activities for ESL, by Isabelle Pérez Torres; includes matching, cloze, and other interactive exercises!

   •  What have you done, I'm alive

2. ESL Video.com <http://eslvideo.com/index.php> -- songs and other activities with video clips at beginning/low-intermediate/intermediate/high-intermediate proficiency levels, quizzes for listening comprehension, transcripts, and notes on culture, grammar, slang, pronunciation; quiz builder included

   • Beginning level: As tears go by                                   Intermediate: Way back into love

   • Low-intermediate level: Every breath you take          High-Intermediate: Saturn

1. English-Trailers.com <www.english-trailers.com/index.php> -- includes warm-up questions, summaries of movie, vocabulary finder, movie clips, script, cloze exercise, quiz, answer check, and Web links! Great for ESL/EFL activities with movie trailers.
• Example: About Schmidt (intermediate to high-intermediate)
2. Comingsoon.net <http://comingsoon.net/trailers/> -- movie trailers in alphabetical order

3. Internet Movie Database (IMDb) -- search for movie trailers by title, characters, people, quotes, bios, plot, ratings

4. YouTube <http://youtube.com/>, Google Video <http://video.google.com>  -- search for movie trailers, video clips; see also  lesson plans for using YouTube for ESL: <http://esl.about.com/od/listeninglessonplans/a/youtube.htm>

Resources for Speaking: top picks from Christine's Links to Useful TESL/CALL Web Sites--ESL Teaching / Learning Resources for Speaking (http://academics.smcvt.edu/cbauer-ramazani/Links/esl_speaking.htm)

Resources for Pronunciation: top picks from Christine's Links to Useful TESL/CALL Web Sites--ESL Teaching / Learning Resources for Pronunciation (http://academics.smcvt.edu/cbauer-ramazani/Links/esl_pronunciation.htm)