Tech Tools for ELLs - Part 1: “Just Google It” Isn’t for Everyone

Tech Tools for ELLs:

A Three Part Series

For many teachers, differentiation is a tough process.  Teachers spend endless hours working to perfectly craft a lesson, project, or unit for each type of learner in the classroom.  So, why not give your students the autonomy to differentiate lessons on their own?  Doing this will both decrease your workload as well as increase the academic skill set of your students.  Let’s take a look at some *FREE* tools that can help your students become independent learners...

Part 1: “Just Google It” Isn’t for Everyone  

ReadWorks and Choosito are search engines that allow your students to search by lexile levels.  Students simply enter a topic in the search box and then choose the appropriate lexile level, so only websites at the student’s chosen level will populate.  Another option for lower lexile research is the Simple English Wiki.  Yes, I realize that many teachers cringe when they see students using Wikipedia, but I think there’s a time and a place for this type of website.  If Wikipedia (or the Simple English Wiki) allows students to get a general understanding of a concept, and they can find other sources to support the content afterward, then I say ‘Go for it.’  For your ELL students who need to access cognitively higher concepts written at lower lexile levels, these tools will help you overcome this barrier.

If you cannot find an article written at the appropriate level for your student(s), give Rewordify a try.  You simply copy and paste a passage into a box, and it simplifies the complex words into more basic terms.  As opposed to other summarization tools out there, which often leave out important information, Rewordify aims to simplify the language of the entire passage.

*Stay tuned for Part 2, which will cover extensions that allow students to translate, highlight, and annotate.