Word Processors: A Tool for Teaching

Highlighting
Highlight is a good method to stress something. In reading class, teacher can highlight or let
students to do highlight what they are reading. Also, teachers can annotate by highlighting.
Teachers can stress his or her main idea for students. Besides these purpose, there are many
ways the highlight function could be used in teaching.

Gold

Gold, a precious metal, is prized for two important characteristics. First of all, gold has a
lustrous beauty that is resistant to corrosion. Therefore, it is suitable for jewelry, coins, and
ornamental purposes. Gold never needs to be polished and will remain beautiful forever. For
example, a Macedonian coin remains as untarnished today as the day it was minted twenty-
three centuries ago. Another important characteristic of gold is its usefulness to industry and
science. For many years, it has been used in hundreds of industrial applications. The most
recent use of gold is in astronauts suits. Astronauts wear gold-plated heat shields for
protection outside spaceships. In conclusion, gold is treasured not only for its beauty but also
for its utility.


Teachers also can change the color so that students can notice different sections.
Title
Topic Sentence
First Main Idea
Second Main Idea
Conclusion

Gold

Gold, a precious metal, is prized for two important characteristics. First of all, gold has a
lustrous beauty that is resistant to corrosion. Therefore, it is suitable for jewelry, coins, and
ornamental purposes. Gold never needs to be polished and will remain beautiful forever. For
example, a Macedonian coin remains as untarnished today as the day it was minted twenty-
three centuries ago. Another important characteristic of gold is its usefulness to industry and
science. For many years, it has been used in hundreds of industrial applications. The most
recent use of gold is in astronauts suits. Astronauts wear gold-plated heat shields for
protection outside spaceships. In conclusion, gold is treasured not only for its beauty but also
for its utility.





Font Color

Example
Topic Controlling Idea
Driving on freeways requires skill and alertness.

1. The Caribbean island of Trinidad attracts tourists because of its calypso music.
2. Spectacular beaches make Puerto Rico a tourist paradise.
3. Living in an American college dormitory can be a stressful experience for newly arrived
international students.
4. Many religious rules developed from the health needs of ancient times.
5. A major problem for international students is taking essay examinations.
6. In my opinion, many television commercials for cosmetics lie to women.
Adapted from: Writing Academic English, Pg. 24 pr. 2















Pictures and Clip Art
Pictures and Clip Art are useful to enliven a handout or support an idea. Especially helping students make
connections between new vocabulary words and illustrations is beneficial. I think using pictures are really
helpful for EIL students. Sometimes, L2 learners do not know some words. By putting some pictures, teachers
can help their understanding. In addition, pictures increase class rapport. Students can feel interesting to learn
lessons with puctures.



How Butterflies Got Their Colors
by Rachel Christensen, April 2003

Once upon a time there was a white butterfly who lived with her mom in a tree. One day
the mom gave the little butterfly a bath in the After the bath it was raining. They both went to get dry
under a leaf.
Finally, the rain stopped and the little butterfly saw a rainbow . She wanted to
play by the rainbow. She flew up in the sky. She flew in and out of the rainbow. Then the rainbow
grabbed her and she got stuck.
She pulled and pulled . At last she got out. She flew . On the way she saw her
reflection in the rain puddle. She looked like a rainbow. When all her butterfly friends came to play with
her, they wanted to look like her. They asked her how she got her colors and they tried it. Now all
butterflies are colorful .

WordArt can also draw attention to words or beautify a document.

In the exercise below, change words in CAPITAL LETTERS to and add clip art for support.

Symbols of Christmas

Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a and placed it before the mantle.
"Teach the children that the pure green color of the stately fir tree remains green all year round, depicting the
everlasting hope of mankind, all the needles point heavenward, making it a symbol of man's thoughts turning
toward heaven."

He again reached into his bag and pulled out a brilliant . "Teach the children that
the star was the heavenly sign of promises long ago. God promised a Savior for the world, and the star was the
sign of fulfillment of His promise."

He then reached into his bag and pulled out a . "Teach the children that the candle
symbolizes that Christ is the light of the world, and when we see this great light we are reminded of He who
displaces the darkness."

Once again he reached into his bag and removed a and placed it on the
tree. "Teach the children that the wreath symbolizes the real nature of love. Real love never ceases. Love is
one continuous round of affection."

Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a and hung it on the tree.
"Teach the children that the candy cane represents the shepherds' crook. The crook on the staff helps to bring
back strayed sheep to the flock. The candy cane is the symbol that we are our brother's keeper."























Drawing
Teaching with visual materials is helpful for students learning. I think especially this skill is useful for listening
part. When I was a teenager and EIL student, I have listened about finding an area with listening. I listened
some spatial words such as under, over, right, left, blocks, and so forth. During I was listening the audio file; I
tried to find the space that the listening said. Using visual materials encourage students to learn.

My drawing

























Use the drawing functions found in Word to create an original exercise. Make sure to demonstrate that you know how
to:
insert various shapes
fill shapes with various colors
put a shape within a shape
use textboxes to put words between your shapes
use both vertical and horizontal text
Show only the text and not the text box
put a border or frame around your exercise











Kulanui Street
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Waikiki Street
Track Changes
Track change is useful for EIL students. In addition, it is useful for teaching second language learners. When
teacher use track change, students can notice what they wrong. Students can see what they wrote and what
they need to change at the same time. In addition, students can see the final essay with no error. I think track
changes are good to encourage L2 students to increase their writing skills.

1. The church which had a wonderful fragrance had been decorated with many flowers. It had a wonderful
fragrance.
2. While Tthe organ was playing. Ppeople were looking eagerly down the aisle.
3. Suddenly tThe music changed. as Tthe bride appeared at the entrance to the church.




Comments
Making comments are helpful to correct EIL students. Teachers can correct students grammar mistakes. In
addition, teachers can teach word choics, prepositions, articles, and so forth. By using this technique,
.

1. Nowadays, many Korean students like to travel in roller blades.

2. Horses provided the best way to travel in the island of Samoa many years ago.

3. In country side, A cultivator is very useful transportation more than car.




Replace
By using replace tool, teachers can make some quizzes for ESL students. Students can fill in the blak and learn
how to understand the context and vocabulary.

Cloze Story:
Directions: Fill in the blanks with a or the.
4 Sons
These 4 gents go out to play golf one sunny morning. One is detained in ________ clubhouse, and ________ other three
are discussing their children while walking to ________ first tee.
"My son Kent," says one, "has made quite ________ name for himself in ________ home-building industry. He began as
________ carpenter, but now owns his own design and construction firm. He's so successful in fact, in ________ last
year he was able to give ________ good friend ________ brand new home as ________ gift."
________ second man, no to be out done, tells how his son began his career as ________ car salesman, but now owns
________ multi-line dealership. "Norm's so successful, in fact, in ________ last six months he gave his friend two brand
new cars as ________ gift."
________ third man's son, Greg, has worked his way up through ________ stock brokerage, and in ________ last few
weeks has given ________ good friend ________ large stock portfolio as ________ gift.
Formatted: Strikethrough
Formatted: Strikethrough
Comment [S1]: preposition
Comment [S2]: get the prep
Comment [S3]: article
Comment [S4]: Cap
Comment [S5]: cultivator
As ________ fourth man arrives at ________ tee, another tells him that they have been discussing their progeny and
asks what line his son is in.
"To tell ________ truth, I'm not very pleased with how my son turned out," he replies. "For 15 years, Chico's been
________ hairdresser, and I've just recently discovered he's gay. However, on ________ bright side, he must be good at
what he does because his last three boyfriends have given him ________ brand new house, two cars, and ________ big
pile of stock certificates."

Cloze Story from website: http://l.georges.online.fr/tools/cloze.html

4 Sons
These 4 gents go _out__ _to_ play golf one sunny morning. One is detained __ the clubhouse, and the other
three are discussing their children while walking __ the first tee.
"My son Kent," says one, "has made quite a name ___ himself __ the home-building industry. He began as a
carpenter, ___ now owns his own design and construction firm. He's so successful __ fact, __ the last year he
was able __ give a good friend a brand new home as a gift."
The second man, no __ be ___ done, tells how his son began his career as a car salesman, ___ now owns a
multi-line dealership. "'"Norm's so successful, __ fact, __ the last six months he gave his friend two brand new
cars as a gift."
The third man's son, Greg, has worked his way __ _______ a stock brokerage, and __ the last few weeks has
given a good friend a large stock portfolio as a gift.
As the fourth man arrives __ the tee, another tells him that they have been discussing their progeny and asks
what line his son is __.
"__ tell the truth, I'm not very pleased ____ how my son turned ___," he replies. "___ 15 years, Chico's been a
hairdresser, and Ive just recently discovered he's gay. However, __ the bright side, he must be good __ what he
does because his last three boyfriends have given him a brand new house, two cars, and a big pile __ stock
certificates."





Formatting

This handout was 4 pages. I edited the four handouts into one page long by changing below tools.

o Font size
o Line spacing
o Margins
o Columns
o Resizing Pictures (Be sure that all the original material is still visible)
o Text wrapping around the pictures
o Etc.

ESL students views on syllabus Design
Formatted by: (Sera Kim)

Are syllabi really the nuts & bolts of courses, or just another handout
from a teacher?

We believe and know a syllabus is an important tool for
teachers to explain course objectives and procedures efficiently.
However, what do students really think about the syllabus? Through
this survey, I hope I can offer some thoughtful ideas and information
that we as teachers can consider in making the syllabus more practical.
And I hope that this information can help us to understand our students
more. I surveyed twenty students in an EIL intermediate writing class.
0
5
10
15
20
Yes No
Do y ou know
what a
sy llabus is?
Do teachers
in y our home
country give
students
sy llabi?

All EIL students know what the syllabus is; however, most students said
teachers in their home country do not give a syllabus to them.


Generally our EIL students understand the syllabus, but some do not
understand it fully.


Most students said the syllabus is useful and guides them to reach their
course objectives.


What is the first thing you look at in the syllabus?

The grading scale is the first thing that the students look at when they
get the syllabus.



What is the most important element of the syllabus in your opinion?

Even though the students look at the grading scale first, they think all
elements of the syllabus are fairly important to them.




The students think the teacher follows her syllabus and the
students sometimes refer back to their syllabus during the course.

Through this survey I conclude most EIL students are aware of
the syllabus and rely on it. The syllabus is a method for teachers to
communicate the objectives and other information about the course to
the students. Moreover it acts as a stimulus to operate the class
effectively. A good syllabus can direct students to know the teachers
expectations for the course and reduces misunderstandings. Therefore,
the primary role of an efficient syllabus is to be the nuts and bolts of the
course.

Used by Permission 2007

0
2
4
6
8
10
12
None Half All
How much of
your EIL syllabus
do you
understand?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
1 2 3 4 5
Do you think
the syllabus
helps you to
reach the
course
objectives?
How useful
is your
syllabus?
Question 6
Teacher's
information
assignments
Grading scale
Other
Question 7
Course objectives
Schedule
Grading scale
Explaination of the
assignments
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
No
Do your EIL
teachers
follow the
syllabus?
(Schedule,
Course
objectives,
Grade scale)
How often
do you refer
back to your
syllabus
during the
semester?