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.

Let's Make Tracing Worksheet

Tracing is a good and fun activity for students to learn how to write several words at once. Students trace the per-written dots in the shape of a complete words. They see the pictures, and then trace the dots to complete the words. Let's make tracing worksheet for students. As usual, we are going to use toolsforeducators.com to make the tracing worksheet. By using this tools, teachers can make handwriting worksheets, tracing sheets, or blank lines for free writing activities on any theme with pictures.  You can write single words, a couple sentences, leave them blank for free writing practice, or use them as spelling test.  The students trace the words or write in the words or sentences if you choose to leave them blank.

1. First thing to do, open this webpage:  http://www.toolsforeducators.com/writing/ this is where it all began.

2. Before doing the next steps, we need a type of fonts that can be formed as dots. It's a simple process. The website already prepares the fonts, all you need to do is follow the link in the red circle,
download the font and then install it.

3. When you open the link, you'll be redirected in a new tab, the page contain a download section as seen on the red circle that I made.

4. After downloading the file, you will need to extract the .rar file. Open the folder "print_clearly", open folder "True Type", double click "print_dashed_tt", install the fonts as seen on the picture below.

5. When you finished installing the custom font. Go back to the toolsforeducators.com website, scroll down below the website to choose the group words. This is the part where you have to focus on one language target. Choose which vocabularies that suits your student's ability. Click the link so you'll be redirected in a new tab.

6. Once you've choose the right word group, the new tab that's just opened will looks like the picture below. Choose the image for a hints. The hints will be used by the students to figure out the doted words besides the picture. You can use two words for one image for more challenging practice.

7. Here is the finished result, a simple tracing worksheet for you to be used for guided vocabulary practice. Below are my finished result.

Thank you for following all the steps, congratulation, you have a tracing worksheet ready to print. Copy the worksheet for all your students and begin to use it. Here is an instruction example for your student so they can start working on the worksheet properly.

1. Distribute the worksheet to all your students
2. Fill the dotted words based on the picture besides it
3. The dotted words must be filled with pencil for easier correction process.
4. Finish all eight pictures, gave the worksheet to the teacher for assessment.
5. Good score will be given to the student who can trace it diligently.

Let's Make Spelling Game

Hello super teacher! welcome to my second post, today we are going to make spelling game for young learner. As usual, we are using toolsforeducators.com, which I think the easiest, if not the best, way to make a reliable and simple worksheet. Spelling is not easy for young learner, how we sound a word, and how we write it sometimes entirely different. Let's make a guided practice for them so they can understand the correct spelling of a word group.


1. You need to open this website: http://www.toolsforeducators.com/spelling/ it contains an interface to choose the word group.

2. secondly, choose the language focus that you want to target. The objective of this worksheet is to provide your students a guided practice. You will want to choose the word group that is not too easy or too difficult for your students.

3. In this practice, I'm using classroom group words as an example. You will find boxes to choose. Choose picture 1 - 14 as this is the image that students have to find the correct spelling. Text below pictures are intended for your students to choose. So, fill the empty text box with 2 wrong spelling and 1 correct spelling based on the picture selection above the box.

4. See the picture below for my almost done example. Once you've done all the box filling phase, time to move on to the next phase, hit the "make it" button.

 5. That's it, congratulation. If you've reach this fifth phase, it means you've done generating a spelling worksheet for your students. Here is my example of ready-to-work-on worksheet.

Now, time to print out the worksheet, copy it, and distribute it to all your students. Using spelling guided practice is easy as you've prepare the worksheet. Here are the instruction for your students to follow:

1. There are 14 pictures in the worksheet.
2. You are going to choose the correct spelling.
3. Spelling is how you write down a word in a written language.
4.  When you found the correct spelling of a picture, circle the word.
5. The word that you circled should be the right answer.
6. Choose the right spelling from 14 picture, and you're good to go.

Lets Make Crossword Puzzle Maker

Crossword is a great game to teach your student in a guided vocabulary practice. To make sure they enjoy the learning process, use crossword worksheet to better engage students with your language target.

1. First step, open http://www.toolsforeducators.com/crossword/ , that website is your easiest source to make crossword without hassle of register, etc.

2. Choose a group of vocabularies which is your language target. there is a various selection here in the website. Choose a group that suits your need.

3. Once you've click a group words, you'll be redirected into an interface to create a crossword with default vocabularies based on what you choose.

4. Fill all the image box, hints box, and answers box based on your language target. once you've done it all. Hit Get crossword button.

5. This is the result of the crossword, now time to use this worksheet to teach to your student.

Now, then, you've already print the worksheet,  copy it and give it your student. now what?
Before handing out the worksheet, make sure your students are capable to fill the crossword. You need to teach the vocabulary group about the theme. In my example, I'm using home chores vocabularies to drill verbs.

1. Spread the worksheet to all your students
2. Instruct them to fill the crossword
3. The answer of the crossword is the replacement of X words
4. The X words is the key to fill.
5. Tell your students to work on the easy word first and leave the hard one later
6. Three fastest students to finish will be the winner and get light prize.