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Do you need support for your students with limited English language skills?
Many students with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) are children of Spanish-speaking families. Teachers are challenged in teaching academic content to these students without recourse to timely translation support.
eLibrary provides several integrated tools that help teachers and students to make the transition from Spanish to English.
Spell Checker: When students type in their search terms, they often make spelling errors, especially those with limited English skills. eLibrary automatically checks the search terms entered for spelling and suggests other terms that are more appropriate.
Type "Huricane" (intentionally misspelled) and search. eLibrary will provide some results by guessing about what you mean so that students can proceed; but an alert "Do you mean hurricane?" prompts the user that there is a misspelling. By clicking that message, a new search with much improved results will be launched. and to click that message instead of going back and searching again. Sometimes there are no results, so instead of frustration, students can one-click their way to success.
English to Spanish dictionary: Students who are browsing any document can highlight a word they don't understand, click Reference, then select the English to Spanish dictionary that will to define the selected words in Spanish and give synonyms to boot.
Remember the traditional teacher advice when you were reading and didn't understand a word -- "look it up in the dictionary" -- and there was a copy in each class? This solution is so much easier that students will want to use this tool to improve their English vocabulary and understanding of what they read.
Lexile Search: Educators can test students to determine their unique Lexile reading level. LEP students will want to put this score in the Advanced Search box for Lexiles. This will provide articles in the search results with score 50 points below and 100 points above the desired score.
Lexiled Article Reprints: Fair use guidelines allow teachers to select Lexile-appropriate articles and copy them for classroom use and discussion.
Lexiled BookCarts: When classes are composed of students with a wide range of reading levels, teachers can create BookCarts that include a wide range of Lexile level articles. Another strategy is to create BookCarts on the same topic but limit their resources to appropriate Lexile reading level articles.
Example of Lexiled BookCarts: Access your eLibrary Teacher Edition (links here), click BookCart Admin, then select the Lexiled BookCarts folder. Note the same topic at different levels, with different resources. (BookCart overview.)
Looking for a way to assess students easily and score automatically?
eLibrary QuizCarts (Overview) are a great way for teachers to assess student knowledge of content before they start the formal research process. This is especially important when a topic/issue has not already been thoroughly introduced through the textbook or classroom discussion.
Teachers can create a multiple choice test of up to ten items and instruct students to use one of the resources such as an encyclopedia to get the necessary background that ensures a successful mini-research activity. What's great about this system is that students can take the quiz within a BookCart and email the answers to the teacher selected email address. Results are tallied automatically, saving teacher time and ensuring students are prepared for the research activity that will invest three to five class periods in learning or could be wasted.
The key to creating QuizCarts in BookCart Editor is to first select the Product box option, Quizzes, instead of the default (BookCart) when you're creating a new BookCart/QuizCart.
You must also include the appropriate email address of the teacher or librarian in the Email box and then check the box at the bottom Show Reading/Websites before Quiz. (Details.)
ProQuest has several models that you can review to prepare you for creating your own QuizCart collection. First, logon to your eLibrary version's Teacher Edition (links here).
Click the BookCart Admin link at the top right, select the ProQuest Carts tab, then click BookCarts with Quizzes folder. Explore by clicking on a BookCart/QuizCart title of interest.
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