Websites for very weak students

icebergiceberg

Any body know any websites for very, very weak secondary aged 12-15 students?

Many of the common websites eg skoool.ie I think are very limited in what they offer to very slow and academically challenged sec students. It has I think many links to mainstream websites whose language is far too difficult to understand. Any ideas?

Moody_mona

Slow??

What subject areas are you interested in particularly?

icebergiceberg

Moody_mona wrote: »

Slow??

What subject areas are you interested in particularly?

History to JC level. 12 -15 year olds with no interest no motivation. Low reading ages. Poor comprehension. Have tried skoool.ie. Its material is so difficult. A lot of links to other websites for example BBCschoolhistory.co.uk and other sites. They are all so challenging.

spurious

icebergiceberg wrote: »

History to JC level. 12 -15 year olds with no interest no motivation. Low reading ages. Poor comprehension. Have tried skoool.ie. Its material is so difficult. A lot of links to other websites for example BBCschoolhistory.co.uk and other sites. They are all so challenging.

Enter them to do the project option.
My ESS classes love the project elements, particularly the History.

vamos!

icebergiceberg wrote: »

History to JC level. 12 -15 year olds with no interest no motivation. Low reading ages. Poor comprehension. Have tried skoool.ie. Its material is so difficult. A lot of links to other websites for example BBCschoolhistory.co.uk and other sites. They are all so challenging.

Perhaps you could create your own suitable resources. Don't forget to differentiate according to ability and learning styles. Above all, don't forget to correct their work. Feedback is valuable if you correct appropriately and sufficiently.

Mod Warning:
Please do not refer to spats on other threads. Each thread is taken on it's own merits.
Member has been warned.

icebergiceberg

spurious wrote: »

Enter them to do the project option.
My ESS classes love the project elements, particularly the History.

Project option?

spurious

icebergiceberg wrote: »

Project option?

There is and always has been an option to do a project in JC History which would count for a proportion of the examination mark. As far as I know, no school takes up this option, or has done in many years, but it's still there.
Last sentence of syllabus document
The option is also there in Geography.

We went for ESS for the students in our school who struggled with the terribly book-heavy nature of History. They love it, though I suppose it will go the way of many of the better elements of the JC in the new version.

icebergiceberg

spurious wrote: »

We went for ESS for the students in our school who struggled with the terribly book-heavy nature of History. They love it, though I suppose it will go the way of many of the better elements of the JC in the new version.

I don't know anything about ESS at all. I am wary of projects due to high dependency of teacher required.

(JC OL History) I use an old series People of the Past and it must be 20 years old at least. I am sure there are other books better produced, better illustrated etc but this series has two pages every chapter. It has a beginning, middle and an end. It is beautifully self contained. I have my own worksheets based on that.

Lest we forget I am inquiring about websites not Action Projects. I don't know if you have tried the skoool one. Take a look at the study sections! How badly and unimaginatively they are presented! Have you ever tried to print it out? Questions and answers come out on the same page. No thought even put into sorting that out. I think it has been the same for years and years. Doesn't anybody try and improve it?

schoolhistory -the British site has some interactive features. We tried the penalty shoot out game and it worked a treat- complete with crowd chanting. They took to it but then started ignoring the questions and clicked on any answer just to be able to shoot! The content unfortunately is based on the English curriculum.

Many websites I look at are simply too difficult. I think the skoool one has links but many of these links are simply links to for example the National Museum or the Oireachteas -the standard website for the ordinary citizen. This has no relevance to struggling students who can not even name our president.

Do you know of any engaging history websites for weak, struggling kids who would like colour, movement, sounds in addition to good accessable content?
Thanks

spurious

I've used the BBC site a fair bit and made my own 'Fling the teacher' quizzes for revision on Moodle which they like.
Info on Fling the Teacher

I also used the 'People of the Past' series but mainly used my own notes and taught using story.

seavill

Like with textbooks etc. Most of the time your own versions are better than anything that is already available. Have you thought of doing your own website or using the free ones where you can create your own games around anything which may engage.
I havnt got the names with me but have them at home

icebergiceberg

spurious wrote: »

I've used the BBC site a fair bit and made my own 'Fling the teacher' quizzes for revision on Moodle which they like.

What is Moodle?

Don't you have to pay to generate your own games on schoolhistory.co.uk? How much? Is it a yearly fee? Did you do that? Was it easy to generate your own games? Would it be easy for someone like me (a pretty computer illiterate person) to do that? I thought about signing up for it but then I shrunk out lacking the confidence to be able to do it. I thought there was a fee of about 100 quid-which our school can ill afford. But the great thing is that you could tailor make it to your own needs.

A long time ago -20 years ago maybe would it be- I remember using some programme or other whereby I would for example, write a short history story, and (if my memory serves me right) highlighting some vocab in it , click, and hey presto I would at one click have generated in that story and by the highlighted vocab - a cloze exercise , and another kind of exercise as well but I can't remember what kind. I can't for the life of me remember what the programme was called. That was a long time ago and I can not find a similar programme anywhere but surely there must be.

Boober Fraggle

That sounds like hot potato.

icebergiceberg

Boober Fraggle wrote: »

That sounds like hot potato.

hot potato? Do you have any experience of that or a similar kind of programme as described above.

The only thing I am reduced to is my own Word documents simply put on the computer and that's not good enough. In the literature you see hundreds of websites listed but when you come down to it, at the coalface, they are not worth a toss for students who struggle. I certainly have not been able to find a website that very weak students can manage and enjoy.

I might only have about 10 max in my class and our school only has four computer in total so to be able to work on history related, manageable stuff is great.

spurious

Sorry when I said 'on Moodle' I meant I uploaded them to the school's Moodle, not that I made them on Moodle.

This is Moodle. Many primary schools and third level places use it too. It's free to get and use, you just have to pay for extra space on the schools website server to host it. The Moodel comminutitesd are really helpful for tips and sharing resources.

Yes, I use Hot Potato for some 'matching' quizzes as well. For those that are not confident readers, it's good to have the option of using visuals.

icebergiceberg

spurious wrote: »

Sorry when I said 'on Moodle' I meant I uploaded them to the school's Moodle, not that I made them on Moodle

Yes, I use Hot Potato for some 'matching' quizzes as well. For those that are not confident readers, it's good to have the option of using visuals.

Thanks for your reply.
You sound like an expert in this area but you are dealing with a luddite here.

In a nut shell, what exactly is Moodle? Should I know about it? We do not have a school website. We are all useless at computers. Lost causes. Is it any good for us? Should i be interested?

I looked at Hot Potato and it seems like what I have used in the past. I know what I want to do with it but how to do that I am afraid is completely beyond me. I have fiddled with it and I can not get to the point where a student would open it and see a page with task on it. When I save something, I am left with the page that I am fiddling with-including answers. How long did it take you to do it? Once I see words like HTML or Java I run away.

You may need a Phd to do it. If I keep on tying, do you reckon I could make some exercises from hot potato or would I need to call in the experts?

Is there some organisation called the NCTE or something like that that offers tech support to schools? Do they visit schools? Nothing worse than getting tech advice over the phone.

byhookorbycrook

icebergiceberg wrote: »

Any body know any websites for very, very weak secondary aged 12-15 students?

Many of the common websites eg skoool.ie I think are very limited in what they offer to very slow and academically challenged sec students. It has I think many links to mainstream websites whose language is far too difficult to understand. Any ideas?

You lost me at " slow." I teach children with all types of SEN and find it insulting in the extreme and indeed unbelievable that any qualified teacher would use such a term.

icebergiceberg

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

You lost me at " slow." I teach children with all types of SEN and find it insulting in the extreme and indeed unbelievable that any qualified teacher would use such a term.

Apologies if you feel insulted.

It is a word I would use among teachers to describe student who is not up to speed, slow 'literally' to get books out, lazy, slow to write down answers, absentminded or weak academically too. A colleague would say 'Johnny is grand but a bit slow' meaning any or all of the above. And I would say something similiar or the same. I know exactly what he means. Neither him or me would be outraged in the least. Or insulted. It is just the language that we use to each other. We understand each other perrfectly well.

After a heavy, brutal class, I would often say to a colleague 'That Eamon, was a first class b...... he was in my class today' or ''what a ....... clown Eamon was today'. No big deal. Are you insulted by that? I would not say 'That Eamon was such a silly billy in my class today'.

Again apologies if you feel offended.

spurious

Your computer teacher would be the one to explain Moodle really. It's an online educational resource that teachers in the school can upload stuff to and the children can access from home via the Internet. I used to find it very handy for homework, or if I was sick, I could still upload work for my classes.

Like with anything you can get very adept with it, but it's easy to use at a basic level. I'm sure some of your local primary schools would have one.

icebergiceberg

spurious wrote: »

Your computer teacher would be the one to explain Moodle really. It's an online educational resource that teachers in the school can upload stuff to and the children can access from home via the Internet. I used to find it very handy for homework, or if I was sick, I could still upload work for my classes.

Like with anything you can get very adept with it, but it's easy to use at a basic level. I'm sure some of your local primary schools would have one.

Yes I googled and Youtubed hot potato and found out quite a lot and more too.

whiteandlight

Try zondle. It's completely free games based quizzes. It requires a bit of input on your end but it's pretty easy. I use it for both music and maths and there's plenty of quizzes up there for all subjects which can be amended if they don't quite match what you need. You can also monitor their scores and the game choice is up to them, it incorporates your questions into one they choose. Mine are particularly find of the shooting ones

icebergiceberg

Musicmental85 wrote: »

Try zondle. It's completely free games based quizzes. It requires a bit of input on your end but it's pretty easy. I use it for both music and maths and there's plenty of quizzes up there for all subjects which can be amended if they don't quite match what you need. You can also monitor their scores and the game choice is up to them, it incorporates your questions into one they choose. Mine are particularly find of the shooting ones

Thanks.
I am beginning to see these names recurring as game generating exercises.
I have tried hot potato and made a few questions but when it comes to transferring it to computer something real bad happens and instead of it opening up as a student quiz it opens up as a page full of words pre and suffixed by <these yokes>

byhookorbycrook

icebergiceberg wrote: »

Apologies if you feel insulted.

It is a word I would use among teachers to describe student who is not up to speed, slow 'literally' to get books out, lazy, slow to write down answers, absentminded or weak academically too. A colleague would say 'Johnny is grand but a bit slow' meaning any or all of the above. And I would say something similiar or the same. I know exactly what he means. Neither him or me would be outraged in the least. Or insulted. It is just the language that we use to each other. We understand each other perrfectly well.

.

The fact that another teacher is also using the term "slow" to describe a child with SEN does not make it any more acceptable. Do you have any training in dealing with children with SEN? Do you do any differentiation of work ? Would you write it in a school report that Johnny is "a bit slow?"

I'm starting to think you are trolling or in the wrong job.

poolsandles

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

The fact that another teacher is also using the term "slow" to describe a child with SEN does not make it any more acceptable.

I agree. Have you every worked with children with SEN or done any courses on the subject? I have worked in several schools and have never, ever heard any teacher use the term "slow" to describe a child who struggles academically.

It may have been used in the past but it is now seen as an insulting and quite a degrading term. I find it hard to believe an entire staff would use that word.

f3232

Teachercorner is a good site for doing worksheets puzzles etc

Pwpane

poolsandles wrote: »

I agree. Have you every worked with children with SEN or done any courses on the subject? I have worked in several schools and have never, ever heard any teacher use the term "slow" to describe a child who struggles academically.

It may have been used in the past but it is now seen as an insulting and quite a degrading term. I find it hard to believe an entire staff would use that word.

Excuse my ignorance, but why is 'slow' seen as insulting? What do people think it implies about a child other than that they are slower than others at getting on in class?

seavill

icebergiceberg wrote: »

Apologies if you feel insulted.

It is a word I would use among teachers to describe student who is not up to speed, slow 'literally' to get books out, lazy, slow to write down answers, absentminded or weak academically too. A colleague would say 'Johnny is grand but a bit slow' meaning any or all of the above. And I would say something similiar or the same. I know exactly what he means. Neither him or me would be outraged in the least. Or insulted. It is just the language that we use to each other. We understand each other perrfectly well.

After a heavy, brutal class, I would often say to a colleague 'That Eamon, was a first class b...... he was in my class today' or ''what a ....... clown Eamon was today'. No big deal. Are you insulted by that? I would not say 'That Eamon was such a silly billy in my class today'.

Again apologies if you feel offended.

Pwpane wrote: »

Excuse my ignorance, but why is 'slow' seen as insulting? What do people think it implies about a child other than that they are slower than others at getting on in class?

Because the poster said the highlighted bit above.

Would you go into the staffroom and say "hes a bit slow" or would you word it completely differently or at least clarify it with ...at taking out his books and settling in class?

byhookorbycrook

Because "slow" was a term once used to describe SN pupils.

f3232

Actually I find the term "special need" offensive. What is so special about an individual student needing help to learn?

evolving_doors

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

Because "slow" was a term once used to describe SN pupils.

Actually its not acceptable to put the term in front of the word student any more as it defines the person in terms of their ' disability'. So I think you have to say its a student with a special need as opposed to a special needs student.
Come to think of it the term ' special need' was first introduced by baroness warnock in the 70's to describe ALL students. Basically she said that at some stage in their educational experience all students will have a special need...and that at any one time the population would be about 20%... Unfortunately it got twisted into ' the special needs minority amongst us' thus creating the stereotype.
In Scotland they have abandoned the term 'special' it places a medical defect within the student (it's the students fault!), instead they use the term 'additional need' which can encompass EBD or issues surrounding temporary problems at home etc.

In terms of the op's use of the word slow it's not really de rigeur these days for sure... but at the same time words evolve and the new words and labels become quickly just as loaded. Anyone got a better term?

I think though we can take it that the OP is still trying to improve his teaching by asking for advice to help the students. He's thinking about his teaching problem moreso than the students learning problem.

I still can't recommend any website though !

Pwpane

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

Because "slow" was a term once used to describe SN pupils.

But why is that offensive? Is saying that someone is SN offensive as well then?

Some of my students are really quick and some are really slow. The rest are around the middle. Is it that I shouldn't comment on their ability at all, only on their behaviour?

Maybe I missed out when the term 'slow' became offensive and why that happened.

In any case, the OP didn't mention special needs at all, just someone who is weak academically. SN children aren't automatically weak academically, some are very bright.

spurious

Let's get back on topic please - any suggestions for websites?

icebergiceberg

spurious wrote: »

Let's get back on topic please - any suggestions for websites?

Thank you.

Does anybody regularly use the skool website?

I have looked at the history section and would be quite unimpressed with it. Wonder who owns / runs it? Is it updated regularly? I feel I could do better myself and that is from someone who is not great with technology.
Even dipping into the websites of schools on line in Ireland has not produced many resources. For example, some schools have a section eg Irish Maths where 'outsiders' have free access.

Moody_mona

If you don't like skoool.ie don't use it. No one is making you. Why do you keep mentioning it? Find a different website.

vamos!

icebergiceberg wrote: »

Thank you.

Does anybody regularly use the skool website?

I have looked at the history section and would be quite unimpressed with it. Wonder who owns / runs it? Is it updated regularly? I feel I could do better myself and that is from someone who is not great with technology.
Even dipping into the websites of schools on line in Ireland has not produced many resources. For example, some schools have a section eg Irish Maths where 'outsiders' have free access.

I am genuinely not being sarky but if the material available doesn't meet your needs could you not just create your own which would be of a suitable and appropriate standard? Try learnclick.com for cloze tests. I haven't actually tried this yet but it on my to-do list. Weaker students might also benefit from making mind-maps. Plenty of software available if you want it to be an online activity. There are also sites for creating flashcards. toolsforeducators is good for creating games and worksheets. There is wealth of methods out there if you are prepared to put in the time and prepare for your classes. I am quite lucky this year as I can use ready-made materials for my classes, as well as all of the extra bits I do but when I was in a LS role I had to create my own appropriate materials which were differentiated to suit their individual needs. Time consuming but worth it.

icebergiceberg

vamos! wrote: »

I am genuinely not being sarky but if the material available doesn't meet your needs could you not just create your own which would be of a suitable and appropriate standard? Try learnclick.com for cloze tests. I haven't actually tried this yet but it on my to-do list. Weaker students might also benefit from making mind-maps. Plenty of software available if you want it to be an online activity. There are also sites for creating flashcards. toolsforeducators is good for creating games and worksheets. There is wealth of methods out there if you are prepared to put in the time and prepare for your classes. I am quite lucky this year as I can use ready-made materials for my classes, as well as all of the extra bits I do but when I was in a LS role I had to create my own appropriate materials which were differentiated to suit their individual needs. Time consuming but worth it.

I will check those out thanks. I have reams and reams of worksheets and I don't want to even think about how many hours I have put into making them so I well know the value of prep time and what you can get back in the class as a result.

Again, thanks.