Dance Mat Typing (BBC, 2005)

Though the BBC developed the Dance Mat Typing site for school-aged children, seven to 11 years old, it also can help older students unfamiliar with touch typing get started (or restarted) typing quickly using all ten digits–fingers and thumbs on both hands. Amusing animated animal characters introduce keyboarding techniques and practice activities in a step-by-step fashion through four levels and 12 stages. Practice activities begin with ten keys in the home row (A-G and H-;), and work up to punctuation and capitalisation (BBC, 2005, About this site). The key to learning to type quickly and well from practice on site is to listen carefully to the instructions, paying special attention to what you see on screen rather than looking at your fingers or the keyboard. 

The animated characters speak (or mimic) different varieties of English, which may challenge learners of English as an additional language. Yet colourful screens show progress through each stage, and there are audio and visual cues to give feedback on mistyping during practice activities. Moreover, there is plenty of review practice–Warm Ups for every new stage, and the site offers printable certificates at the end of each level.

Working your way through each of the stages and levels, perhaps more than once, should make it much easier to complete both typing homework and writing assignments. As the BBC explained, "touch typing is the fastest way to write" (BBC, 2005, About this site, Why learn to touch type? ¶1).

Reference

BBC. (2005). Dance mat typing [website]. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/

[255 words]

BR 1-03: Hairy Maclary (Dodd, 1983)

Another favorite story with animals!

"'EEEEEOWWWFFTZ!' said Scarface Claw" (n.p.).

Hairy Maclary is an animal adventure story from New Zealand (NZ). It was a gift from a friend from . . . , you guessed it–NZ! It's a great story for pronunciation practice because of all of the rhymes. My favorite line from the book, the quotation above (no page numbers), is a bit of a challenge to pronounce. Can you say that big word, and make it sound like a . . .  (a four-footed animal)?

Reference

Dodd, Lynley. (1983). Harry Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy. Wellington, NZ: Mallinson Rendel Publishers Ltd.

[106 words]

BR 1-02: The Cross-with-Us Rhinoceros (Bush & Geraghty, 1988)

Photo of book cover, 2014.04.17

"Poor Tilly was so scared she couldn't speak" (Bush & Geraghty, 1988, n.p.*).

This is a children's book that I've read again and again. It is a great story about four children who went out together and had an adventure. Like the last book I reviewed, BR 1-01: Dear Zoo (2014.04.16), this one features animals. The ending was surprising, but I'm not going to tell you what happened. You'll have to read it for yourself.

Reference

Bush, John, & Geraghty, Paul. (1988). The Cross-with-Us Rhinoceros. London, England: Hutchinson Children's Books.

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* This story doesn't have page numbers. If it did, I'd use "p. #" instead of "n.p." (no page number).

[117 words]

BR 1-01: Dear Zoo (Campbell, 1982)

I wrote to the zoo to send me a pet.... So they sent me a .... He was too grumpy! I sent him back. (Campbell, 1982, n.p.*)

Dear Zoo is a children's book. It is short and easy to read. It tells a story about animals coming from the zoo. There are little windows to open to see surprising things. If you like zoo animals, or easy books to read, I recommend this story.

Reference

Campbell, Rod. (1982). Dear Zoo. London, England: Campbell Books.

____________________
* This story doesn't have page numbers. If it did, I'd use "p. #" instead of "n.p." (no page number).

[106 words]

European etymology maps of common words

These cool maps show how words for nine common items (apple, bear, church, ...) vary across Europe. Thanks to Michael Kelley for pointing them out and providing brief explanations (These Fascinating Maps Show The Origin Of Words We Use All The Time, Business Insider, 2013.11.05).


Source: Europe etymology maps 1 by /u/Bezbojnicul (c. 2013.11.01)

[55 words]

Flying Kittens vs. Flying Puppies (Slow Motion Battle)

Who has got the best moves – the pussy cats or puppy dogs? Check 'em out!

Reference

Winn, Scott (Producer & Director). (2013). Flying Kittens vs. Flying Puppies (Slow Motion Battle) [YouTube video]. United States: ScottDW.

[35 words]

Even birds may enjoy bluegrass!

The bird on the guitar in the screenshot above (from approx. two minutes into a rough but ready dogwork.com video) seems to have dropped in to listen to Josh Williams, who stopped playing and pet the bird, but continued singing the song. 

KeenValleyGuy, who uploaded the following video, pegged the event at the Doyle Larson Bluegrass Festival, in Denton, NC, on May 5, 2011:

Josh Williams - Mordecai, uploaded by KeenValleyGuy, June 7, 2011

Since the bird didn't get it's own mic, it's hard to tell whether it actually did sing along!

[92 words]