Ebi's Guide: WIP (but feel free to comment on what's posted so far)

[5100]

Also adding my two cents in here regarding worksheet construction. All of Ebi's instructions are perfect, but I'd like to emphasize that you should make sure there's a good English to picture/etc ratio.

A lot of English tends to scare the kids, but adding pictures/clipart helps make the worksheet more fun and approachable, even if it's only a worksheet on grammar.

This is the important word.

I have seen some right confusing and awful shit made worse by low-res clipart covered in shutterstock tags.

[Ebi]

Oh my God! This is amazing! Thank you!!

You're welcome, I hope I can finish up the rest soon.

Amazing work, Ebi!

Thanks!

Putting down my vote for Ebi getting an award for all of this wonderful stuff.

I have no idea what sort of award would be appropriate. I'm just glad to have a venue to share stuff. Up until now I've only shared things with my local JETs via our mailing list.

Also adding my two cents in here regarding worksheet construction. All of Ebi's instructions are perfect, but I'd like to emphasize that you should make sure there's a good English to picture/etc ratio.

A lot of English tends to scare the kids, but adding pictures/clipart helps make the worksheet more fun and approachable, even if it's only a worksheet on grammar.

Word. Visual aids make a big difference, but you need to use them in an effective way, not just for decoration. (Decoration is fine if it's not too distracting though.)

This is the important word.

I have seen some right confusing and awful shit made worse by low-res clipart covered in shutterstock tags.

Word. A big part of my next section will talk about evaluating clipart and how to find high-quality images. Crappy clipart is a huge pet-peeve of mine.

[Gizmotech]

Voicing support

[Ebi]

I've added a section about font choices as the first section of "how to make a worksheet from scratch". I hope to cover spacing, and some other style basics. Anything technical about how to use MS Word will go in my new thread here.


Srvrvr - You found the end of the trail. Post the following in the srvrvr thread to win:

Behind each of you is a torch. Grab a torch and approach the flame. Dip it in and get fire. This is part of the ritual of tribal council, because in this game, fire represents life. Once your fire is gone, so are you.

[Saga]

This guide is absolutely fabulous - you covered almost everything I just learned in a semester-long TESOL class plus more, and you did it in a lot less time. Thank you for putting in all that effort!

I'm definitely going to use your guide once I start lesson planning in detail. Thanks, Ebi!

[webstaa]

I like the font choice/guide. I split my font choices according to student level. First years get as close a font as I can find to their penmanship books (block letters - they stopped learning to write cursive.) For second years, I'll introduce mild serrif fonts in titles etc. And for third years, I continue that a little. Although I do stop to show them different fonts and their attributes - the different a, g, Q, y, etc.

If you've got a lot of time on your hands, you could try your hand at making a font to match your penmanship book - if there isn't one available. The teachers' version came with a CD with the font on it.

[Jiggit]

I always use Comic Sans because it is the most lighthearted and fun!

[Ebi]

This guide is absolutely fabulous - you covered almost everything I just learned in a semester-long TESOL class plus more, and you did it in a lot less time. Thank you for putting in all that effort!

I'm definitely going to use your guide once I start lesson planning in detail. Thanks, Ebi!

That was kind of my goal: summarize what I learned in my TESOL program + how it relates to being an ALT. I've been summarizing some major teaching/linguistic theories and I realize how many terms I've already forgotten. If you can think of something I should add/improve, let me know.

I like the font choice/guide. I split my font choices according to student level. First years get as close a font as I can find to their penmanship books (block letters - they stopped learning to write cursive.) For second years, I'll introduce mild serrif fonts in titles etc. And for third years, I continue that a little. Although I do stop to show them different fonts and their attributes - the different a, g, Q, y, etc.

If you've got a lot of time on your hands, you could try your hand at making a font to match your penmanship book - if there isn't one available. The teachers' version came with a CD with the font on it.

Same, I try to mix things up depending on the grade level. Thanks for the feedback and suggestion!

I've thought about making or downloading a custom font to use, but unfortunately I don't think it would work well in my situation because:
1. The admin block on my work comp is so high I can't even install fonts (but I could probably get permission)
2. I share my worksheets with my JTEs via the school network so I'd have to convince them all to install the custom fonts too
3. I share worksheets with other ALTs regularly, so they'd also have to install fonts
4. I already have a few fonts that are similar enough that it doesn't matter

I always use Comic Sans because it is the most lighthearted and fun!

I used to use Comic Sans for everything and I still rely on it a lot, but I've started branching out now that I figured out how to easily replace lower-case "a" with a better symbol.

[x_stei]

That was kind of my goal: summarize what I learned in my TESOL program + how it relates to being an ALT. I've been summarizing some major teaching/linguistic theories and I realize how many terms I've already forgotten. If you can think of something I should add/improve, let me know.

Same, I try to mix things up depending on the grade level. Thanks for the feedback and suggestion!

I've thought about making or downloading a custom font to use, but unfortunately I don't think it would work well in my situation because:
1. The admin block on my work comp is so high I can't even install fonts (but I could probably get permission)
2. I share my worksheets with my JTEs via the school network so I'd have to convince them all to install the custom fonts too
3. I share worksheets with other ALTs regularly, so they'd also have to install fonts
4. I already have a few fonts that are similar enough that it doesn't matter

I used to use Comic Sans for everything and I still rely on it a lot, but I've started branching out now that I figured out how to easily replace lower-case "a" with a better symbol.

I like that you're branching out! Comic Sans needs to die a slow and painful death.

I offer this for you. Hopefully it will be useful! Makerbook - The best sites to get free high quality graphics.

[Gizmotech]

It's a shame that all the digital river downloads were broken in May. I should've downloaded all the japanese/english language packs so people could install them on their systems.

Right now I've got both the original Japanese office installed at work, and the english language pack as well, which lets me switch the full user interface between them.

[Zolrak 22]

I like that you're branching out! Comic Sans needs to die a slow and painful death.

I offer this for you. Hopefully it will be useful! Makerbook - The best sites to get free high quality graphics.

I'm always a fan of the noun project, it's nice to see it in the list.

Edit: I was really hoping they were kidding about liking Comic Sans...

http://www.comicsanscriminal.com/

But I guess it depends on the audience.

As a general rule of thumb fonts with serifs are easier to read on paper, though they are seen as serious/old fashioned most of the time.

Whereas Sans serifs (the ones without the little lines), are easier to read in digital form.

[Ebi]

I like that you're branching out! Comic Sans needs to die a slow and painful death.

I offer this for you. Hopefully it will be useful! Makerbook - The best sites to get free high quality graphics.

Thanks for the link! I'll check it out.

It's a shame that all the digital river downloads were broken in May. I should've downloaded all the japanese/english language packs so people could install them on their systems.

Right now I've got both the original Japanese office installed at work, and the english language pack as well, which lets me switch the full user interface between them.

Nice. A few ALTs in my city seem to have English on their computers but most don't. It's a big pain in the ass to request permission to install things from our BOE. I can't even update the stupid Flash auto-updater they installed since I don't have permission. Some IT people come a few times a year to do our computer updates for us.

I'm always a fan of the noun project, it's nice to see it in the list.

Edit: I was really hoping they were kidding about liking Comic Sans...

http://www.comicsanscriminal.com/

But I guess it depends on the audience.

As a general rule of thumb fonts with serifs are easier to read on paper, though they are seen as serious/old fashioned most of the time.

Whereas Sans serifs (the ones without the little lines), are easier to read in digital form.

Don't get me wrong, I'm aware of how terrible Comic Sans is as a design choice for most things. It has terrible kerning and generally looks kind of sloppy. But if you're stuck using only default fonts like I am, it's one of the better options.

I agree with the serif/sans-serif argument for native speakers, but I disagree that serif fonts are preferable for worksheets targeting non-native English learners.

If kids are beginners, then I think worksheets should have a small amount of text that is generously spaced, written in a font similar to the penmenship/textbook font they're using, and very large. Over time I decrease the size, switch fonts, and can tighten up the spacing. If you look at children's books I think they follow the same principle. We can't process text as well when it's small and close together as a beginner.