How to set up language Lab?For 20 students what would be the cost?

I’ve got lots of ideas, but you did not say what the ages of the students are or what kind of learners they are. Also, you didn’t say what kind of budget you had or where you are at for me to figure some costs. So I’ll just tell you a lot of stuff and you can work from there. By the way, I teach 5th and 6th grade, and I focus on ESL students.

First, a computer lab would be ideal – this can provide both audio and visual learning opportunities. You would need headphones for the computers, too. You would not need a computer for each student, but a couple to get you started would be great, then you could set them up as “centers,” allowing students to rotate through this area along with the others I’ll tell you about. I don’t have website links to any specific software, but the ones we use at my school are SuccessMaker, ReadingReadiness, and Discover English. I also use Rosetta Stone with my ESL students. All of these programs can be set up on a server so you can enter individual student information and easily track student progress.

Another “center” you could easily set up is a CD/tape player center. Again, you would need some headphones. You can even buy a headphone splitter, so several students can listen to the same player at the same time. Then buy several books and recorded versions (either tape or CD) of the book. Ideally, you should go with an educational supply store. A good place to get started is www.thelibrarystore.com. But if you are on a real budget, just getting a tape/CD player from Walmart and some blank tapes will get you started. Just record yourself reading some books.

I would also suggest hands-on activities, and for these you would need to go to an educational supply store. I like www.lakeshorelearning.com and www.discountschoolsupply.com. When looking at these materials, really think about getting games and other things that can be turned into games. For example, Lakeshore has several “langauge” games, like “parts of speech bingo.” I bought some “sentence building” kits and a fantastic set of prefix/suffix/root word tiles which I love. Just look through the sites to get you started. Once you have an idea of what the possibilities are, you can even start making your own materials – some index cards and markers can get you started.

Please email me if you need some more specifics or have any questions. I would be happy to help you more. [email protected]