AALL Internet Based Lessons for Adult Learners

I. Teacher's Page If you have any comments/questions please contact Fred Cheshire

A. Teaching Plan

  1. Lesson Title: EASY STUDENT SIMULATED WEB PAGE- "WHO AM I"
  2.  Learning Level: ESOL Upper levels and ABE/GED.
  3.  Arizona Standard(s) and Indicator(s) Note: Standards and Indicators are not quoted fully; sections are used which relate to the lesson.
    4. Pre-lit:
    A. Listening: Comprehends pre-literacy vocabulary in spoken context.
    B. Reading: 3.Recognizes basic sight words.
    D. Writing 3.: Writes basic sight words.
    Functions: N/A
    Beginning:
    A. Listening: Comprehends beginning vocabulary in spoken context.
    B. Reading: Reads and comprehends sentences with beginning vocabulary.
    C. Speaking: Practices sentences and vocabulary.
    D. Writing: Writes sentences using the vocabulary and structures in the lesson; composes sentences using lesson vocabulary.
    Functions: Gives directions.
    Supporting grammar: 8. Employs adverbs of time.
    Intermediate:
    A. Listening: Comprehends intermediate vocabulary in spoken context.
    B. Reading: Reads and comprehends sentences with intermediate vocabulary. C. Speaking: Practices sentences and vocabulary using the vocabulary and structures of the lesson.
    D. Writing: 3. Writes text.
    Functions: Describes events, problems, and situations.
    Advanced:
    A. Listening: Comprehends vocabulary in spoken context.
    B. Reading: Reads and comprehends texts in unfamiliar contexts.
    C. Speaking: Practices texts and vocabulary.
    D. Writing: Writes expository texts using the vocabulary and grammar forms in the lesson.
    Functions: Expresses an opinion.
    Learning Context: Varied: Students express their identity in many contexts.

4. Learning Context: Community member, worker, and family member

5. Lesson Overview

    It may appear overwhelming to introduce Web design to ESOL students and others with low level computer literacy skills. The following lesson, which develops a simple Web page, is basically a writing lesson that relates to an individual personally. Assuming that the students have Internet access and use a standard Internet browser (Netscape or Internet Explorer), sites are provided to search for graphics that relate to their lives. The students copy and save these pictures from the Internet.

    A simple "cook book" format is then provided on either diskette, network server or saved into the individual’s computer so that these pictures appear on a "mock" Web page entitled "Who Am I". The "cook book" format provides students space to insert their text writing about themselves. Their work is saved and may be brought up on a Web browser just like a Web page on the Internet!

B. Instruction

1. Warm-up
The students are encouraged to think about their lives. Their lives are made up of: country of origin, family, education, occupation, hobbies, travel, goals, pets, projects, religion, recreation, responsibilities, etc. They are to make up a list of 10 pictures that would tell about themselves.
2. Student Activities STUDENT PAGE
Some information about several simplistic graphic search engines is provided for teachers.
Pics4Learning is a copyright-friendly image library for teachers and students. It is designed as a place for teachers and students to find resources as well as share their own resources with others. The Pics4Learning collection consists of thousands of images that have been donated by students, teachers, and amateur photographers. Unlike many Internet sites, permission has been granted for teachers and students to use all of the images donated to the Pics4Learning collection.
http://www.pics4learning.com/
AltaVista lets you preface keywords with the image: operator. While this works well for many images, it will return hundreds of thousands of results for common image names.
http://www.altavista.com/cgi-bin/query?mmdo=16&stype=simage
Yahoo Image Surfer is a very small subset of the familiar Yahoo directory. Like its parent, it is a directory of images on the Web, not a comprehensive index. "Its purpose is to lead to other people's sites by images of interest, not to serve as an image archive," according to the FAQ. Yahoo's Image Surfer displays thumbnail images of graphics rather than filenames or page descriptions.
It may benefit the students to have the URL for these search engines book marked in advance. Student worksheets with step by step procedures for the following activities are provided through the Student Activity links.
a. The students complete the warm up activity by listing 10 pictures on the worksheet WHO AM I 
b. Using the Internet, students go to a suggested Web page and learn to copy and save a graphic of a school building. Steps for Copying a Picture from the Internet to a Diskette. 
c.  If the students need more practice, The students use a graphic search engine for a selected image (Cheshire cat), find the image and save it. Steps for Finding an Image of a Cheshire Cat and Saving It. 
d. The students find and saves 3-10 graphics to a diskette. The students should list the names of the graphics as they save them. Steps for Going to a Graphics Search engine, Finding Images that Relate and Copying Them. 
e. Using a text editor like Notepad the students will type the names of their pictures over a list of pictures in an HTML file on their diskette and save it both as an HTML file and a text file.
The very short HTML file that serves as the template follows. The file should be placed in a text file and saved to the students’ diskettes.

<HTML>

<HEAD>

<TITLE> HTML ALL ABOUT ME </TITLE>

</HEAD>

<BODY>

<IMG SRC="picture1.jpg">

<IMG SRC="picture2.jpg">

<IMG SRC="picture3.jpg">

<IMG SRC="picture4.jpg">

<IMG SRC="picture5.gif">

<H4>Paste here the text about your pictures.

</H4>

</BODY>

</HTML>

For simplicity purposes the HTML references to the graphics size and borders have been omitted. This will account for the resizing that will occur to the student’s graphics. Also, the student need to notice, save, and make a note as to whether their graphics are gif or jpg.
Using the desktops "My Computer" or other directory system, they will locate their saved "WHO AM I" HTML file. If they are connected to the Internet, their simulated Web page should appear after double clicking on it. Steps for Using a Text Editor like Notepad. 
f. Using a word processor like Microsoft Word, the students will type 1-3 paragraphs about their pictures and their personal lives. The students will Save their file. If appropriate the students will do a COPY so that the text placed on the Windows Clipboard so it can be PASTED into the developing text and HTML file. Steps for Writing Activity and Saving It. 
g. The students will open their previously saved Microsoft Word writing exercise. They will copy their writing and paste it into the text file "WHO AM I" in Notepad and save it as an HTML file. Using the desktops "My Computer" or other directory system, they will locate their saved "WHO AM I" HTML file. If they are connected to the Internet, their simulated Web page with both pictures and writing assignment should appear after double clicking on it. Steps for Putting It All Together.

3. Post Assessment
Teacher and students view the student’s simulated Web page with graphics and writing activity. If the teacher has access to an internet provider, perhaps the students' pages may be published on the web.


C. Branching Out Activities
Find other schools which publish student pages in your area. most High Schools and Colleges have pages.

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