Let's Make Cloze Test Using Hot Potatoes

 So, as promised guys, I will tell you how to make Cloze Test using Hot Potatoes. This time, I will use my example about "Talking about Past" to turn the mindmap into a Cloze test. Cloze test is a simple test by filling the blank of a passage. This test is very effective when it comes to language focus, because the missing words can only be answered by reading the passage and use the available hints accordingly.

 First thing to do, go to HOT POTATOES WEBSITE and download a simple 9 MB file of HotPotatoes setup file and install it on your system.

 
When you're done, open it, and choose JCloze as it appears on the screenshot above.

 Next, it's pretty simple, you just need to write the title of the test, and narrate your own text about your lesson. This time I'm using my own example, here there are "Talking about past" narrative. In the aforementioned text, my main idea is the use of simple past. I used three examples on regular and irregular verbs. The gap should be blocked first, and click Gap to fill the hints.

 
 As you can see on the above picture, I block the yesterday word and click Gap. Instantly, another window will appear and next thing to do, I have to give clues on how the students will later fill the blanks. Press OK when you're done.

When you've done every steps before and have lots of red words, time to save this so students can do it as homework. Save your test by clicking "File", then "Create Web Page", and then "Standard Format". Or just press F6. Save to a folder. and give it later to your students. Tell your students to open the .htm file with a Browser, can be Opera, Chrome, or Firefox. Or maybe you want to edit your test for further use, you can save it in a form of .jcl file.

Finally, the above picture shows the end results: a simple cloze test for your students.

Let's Make Mind Map Using ExamTime

Hello guys, so we meet again, this time I'm going to tell you how to make a simple mind map for your daily teaching routine and later test and check your students about their comprehension. You can use mindmap to explain superordinate and subordinate concepts to your students, to explain examples, and to describe objects using picture and simple vocabularies. This mindmap is easy to make and can be utilized into a testing subject for your lesson.
Go to https://www.examtime.com/en/ and register yourself using google plus or facebook account.

 What you need to do is register your email and make an examtime accounts. with this one account, you can access mind map, quiz, flashcards, and note to further helps your students.

 Once you enter the dashboard, select CREATE, and click the mind map.

 Now, you will be redirected into another page, a blank page where you can make the mindmap, but first, you need to know the basic of using it.

 This color part is intended to make the main blocks and sub blocks more interesting for your students. I recommend green, blue, yellow and purple with contrast toward the background.

 You can also change the shape along with the different concept that you are going to teach. For example, you can use circle for sentence, box for phrases, and star for words.

 Adding image will helps students to get the visual message about your lesson. Choose the picture that suits your needs.

 Now, here is an example of mindmap lesson for talking about past. Using photos of old picture, hold againts the street.

 The complete example of the mind map will looks like below. There are big blocks and small blocks. The small blocks uses past simple, pas continues, and past perfect. There are also the extension of examples.

 Be creative and use different colors for each concept, in my example, I use three different colors for each concept.

 Well done! you have now ready to make the mind map of your own. Once you have made this, you can make a test based on the picture using HotPotatoes that I will explain later on this blog.