Materials

-> Where    can I find materials?
-> How     to create a work sheet?

Links to international educational websites

DALC Library for students and tutors

You can find the library on the first floor in DALC. The library's opening hours are Monday to Thursday from 9:00 to 9:00 and Friday from 9:00 to 4:30. Nicola Rogers is the DALC librarian and will assist with any queries you might have..

Students, volunteer tutors and staff members are free to browse the library at any time. Because of the open nature of the library it's everybody's responsibility to maintain the quality of the library by returning books and worksheet material.

Classification:
Both worksheet materials and reading books are broadly classified according to the level of difficulty.
Yellow Label - Basic
Green Label - Intermediate
Blue Label - Advanced

What can be borrowed?
Books that contain a card in the front of the book can be borrowed. All other books are for use in the centre only. If you borrow a book make sure you fill in the card and drop it into the red - library box at the library entrance. The maximum borrowing time is one month.

The library's contents can be divided up into four main categories:

I    Ready to go Work Sheet materials
II   Resource Books

III   Reading Books

Most of the books in the library are for advanced (blue) readers.
Books for beginner readers (yellow/green) are kept together on the shelves. These include Brown and Brown publications, Sally McKeown books, GateHouse publications, beginner biographies and misc. beginner fiction.
For more independent readers there are the Open Door Series (some with workbooks), Quick Reads, Penguin Readers, Oxford Bookworms and other simplified texts.


IV    Reference materials

The reference section can be subdivided into tutor's reference books on methodologies & theories and reference books on topics like Dublin, EU, Women's issues etc.

Notice board           

Notice for tutors and any topical/seasonal worksheets are displayed on the notice board in the Resource Room

How to create a worksheet.

1. Decide on the purpose of the worksheet. - Is it for information? Is it to practise a new skill? Is it for revision?

2. Think about the student's needs. Make sure that your student has the necessary skills to cope with the worksheet. Make sure the language is appropriate and the instructions are clear.

3. Look for interesting content. Use newspaper articles, poems, and extracts from novels or non-fiction books depending on the interests of the student.

4. Ensure that the layout is not confusing. Vary the size of the print, put some things in bold, underline some words or put words in boxes, use words from the Dolch list (the hundred most common words in English), include sight vocabulary.

5. Do not try to cover too many things on one worksheet.

6. Always ask yourself is this worksheet suitable for my student?

How to simplify texts

Size of print: Print which is small or densely packed together adds to the reader's difficulty, but if it is magnified or spaced out too much it may cause problems as it makes it difficult to scan and pick up word groups.

Spacing: Print which is arranged in sections with spaces around it, is easier to read. Text with headings, paragraphs, indentations and margins is easier to read than dense print.

Illustrations: Strategically placed illustrations will give clues to the context.

Stages in simplifying text

1. Select the main points from the text and jot them down. It is important to keep the overall meaning of the text.

2. Simplify the vocabulary where appropriate, but do not remove essential technical words. Avoid idioms or colloquialisms with which the reader might be unfamiliar.

3. Simplify long sentences by breaking into shorter sentences where possible. Avoid using the passive voice.

4. Reduce the amount of new vocabulary by repeating some words where appropriate.

5. Introduce illustrations if appropriate, but do not use childish pictures.

6. Space text clearly. For some students line-breaking helps.