ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute OBJECTIVES You will understand: 1. How to find effective reading resources on the internet. You will be able to: 1. Use the internet as a source for reading resources.

ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute READING RESOURCES ON THE INTERNET The internet is a valuable resource for both adapted and authentic reading materials for English language students. Sources of adapted materials include:  Websites from the major English language teaching publishers  Websites from practicing English language teachers  Websites from major news outlets who create materials specifically for language learners *The majority of websites with adapted materials also include accompanying learning activities.

ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute AUTHENTIC READING MATERIALS Sources of authentic materials are too numerous to list, but might include:  News websites  e-zine websites (internet-based magazines)  e-journal websites (internet-based journals)  Electronic libraries  Electronic encyclopedias  Blogs and Wiki’s  Websites for associations and organizations dealing with specific subject-matter  Government websites  Company websites, which often contain informational pages to entice prospective customers to purchase products or services  Non-profit organization websites

ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute ADDITIONAL POINTS TO CONSIDER Other websites offer readings with activities for English language students which can be done right on the computer. Teachers can direct students to these sites on their own time to encourage independent learning. As an alternative, teachers can instruct students to do these activities during allotted computer times and monitor as students work. Because there is so much reading material available on the internet, the key skill that the reading teacher needs to make use of is evaluation of the material. There is a lot of high quality material available on the internet, but there is also a lot of lesser value.

ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute Criteria to use when evaluating internet reading material for language learning purposes are as follows:  Ease of navigation of the site  Ease of reading (size of text, use of white space, overall layout)  Use of supplementary visual materials (photographs, pictures, charts, tables)  Credibility of the reading material and the site  Language level and complexity of the reading material  Accompanying language learning tasks available  Appropriacy of the material for the specific student group

ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute CRITIQUING WEBSITES Choose one example from the list of websites below. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the website. Specifically comment on the criteria presented in this modules lecture notes:  Ease of navigation of the site  Ease of reading (size of text, use of white space, overall layout)  Use of supplementary visual materials (photographs, pictures, charts, tables)  Credibility of the reading material and the site  Language level and complexity of the reading material  Accompanying language learning tasks available  Appropriacy of the material for the specific student group *Use detail and specific examples to critique your chosen website. Make sure you include the link to the website you are critiquing.