Entry 2: Reflecting on online vocabulary tools: Wordle, Quizlet, and Puzzlemaker

Since I recently was offered a job as a Ganenet for 2- and 3-year olds at an English-speaking Gan for next year, the focus of my work in this course has shifted considerably. I no longer am thinking about the business English option, but rather am tailoring the blended learning tools we learn about for toddlers. Additionally, since the tools we learned about in our last lesson were online vocabulary tools and since the age group I am working with are pre-reading age, I decided to focus these tools on phonics - something more age appropriate but still involving the reading process.

Wordle

I based all of the tools I created (Wordle, Quizlet, and Puzzlemaker) based on the story: Zac is a rat! via Starfall.com, a phonics website for kids. This is an audible interactive story where young learners get practice with the flat -a sound (rat, pan, nap, etc...). In the lesson, we would first play the game on the Starfall website so students are familiar with the story, characters, and words. Then we could look at the Wordle (see image)

and students could try to find all the 'a's that they could and would have a chance to see the words again in a new format, in bright colors, reinforcing the vocabulary and phonics. Then we would go to Quizlet to break down the words they heard in the story and saw on the Wordle and practice phonics - sound to letter correspondence. Finally, they can (try) to find the words from the story in a wordsearch created via Puzzlemaker.

I think all three of these tools are very valid and relevant and do exactly what blended learning sets out to do - makes learning more engaging and effective. In terms of my own students, the wordsearch is probably the least practical as they are only 2 and 3 years old and, while they may be able to identify letters, expecting them to sort through a jumble of letters to find a word is developmentally inappropriate. However, I think that Wordle and Quizlet have a high potential for effectively bringing technology into the classroom, even at this young age. Wordle is bright and engaging and the students will want to look and play with it. I could even cut out the words and letters and have them put the letters together by color. Quizlet can also be useful, but obviously we would use it in the classroom as a learning tool rather than being a study tool at home. I especially like that instead of vocabulary words, you can insert pictures. This is very age appropriate for my kids. Working together, these three tools are a great way to practice and reinforce a phonics lesson.