Participants:

Basic ABE students with some computer experience, but no prior access to the Internet.

Objectives:

1. To learn the kinds of information available on the Internet.
2. To develop a working vocabulary of basic Internet terminology.
3. To learn how to access the Internet and the World Wide Web.
4. To learn how to send and receive e-mail.

This lesson is designed for use with very basic ABE students (reading levels 2 to 4) who will need a lot of support and guidance throughout their introduction to the Internet so that they will not get frustrated by materials that they cannot read.

Activities - Objective 1:

1. Bring magazines, pictures, newspaper articles, computer junk mail, texts, e.g. The Internet for Dummies, etc. to class and engage students in a discussion on the many uses of the Internet. Have students list as many uses as they can and sort them according to the following categories:

   • Information
   • Entertainment
   • Shopping
   • Programs
   • Discussion Groups
   • Electronic Mail

Have students make a chart depicting each category and its list of examples. The charts can be used as the basis for reading and writing activities.

Activities - Objective 2:

1. Introduce the basic vocabulary list; review definitions and provide visual examples of each term using the computer.
   Basic Vocabulary List:
   • Browser
   • Chat room
   • E-mail
   • E-mail address
   • Home page
   • Internet
   • Listserv
   • Maillist
   • Search engine
   • URL
   • Web page
   • Web site
   • World Wide Web

2. Give each student a list of the vocabulary words and definitions. Work together to create sentences using each word. Make sure that each student has a copy of each sentence. Review vocabulary during each session until mastery is achieved.

Activities - Objectives 3 and 4:

1. Prepare a list of 4 or 5 Web site addresses that have a lot of graphics and manageable text, for example:
   • The White House -- http://www.whitehouse.gov
   • USA Today -- http://www.usatoday.com
   • Boston Museum of Science -- http://www.mos.org
   • Discovery Channel -- http://www.discovery.com
   • State Parks/Countries
   • Local newspaper if available

2. Pair each basic student with an upper level student experienced in using the Internet at a computer. Have the mentor take his/her student through the steps to log on. Have the student write down the steps to keep as a reference until he/she can log on without assistance. Have the mentor select Web sites from the prepared list and visit them with his/her student assisting with reading as necessary.

3. Have students keep a list of the Web sites he/she visits so that the teacher can incorporate materials from the sites into reading and writing lessons.

4. After the students have had the opportunity to visit numerous Web sites, have them come together as a group to discuss their experiences and what they have learned. Have them put together a list of their favorite Web sites with a summary of what each one contains. The list should be considered a work in progress with students adding sites as they discover them.

5. Once students are comfortable with the process of accessing Web sites, have them move on to using e-mail with their mentors. To facilitate this process, contact 2 or 3 ABE programs to arrange opportunities for the students to correspond with each other via e-mail.

6. Mentors will follow the same process for teaching their students how to use e-mail as they did for visiting Web sites being sure that the students write down the steps in their notebooks.

7. Each student should keep a folder with materials they have downloaded from Web sites and samples of their correspondence so that those materials can be incorporated into reading and writing activities.