Useful Links to Other Sites
William's Site which explains his PRIME Approach and SIDCME Method.
http://prime-learning.weebly.com
Site where William's Teacher Training Course Resource Books are publish and freely downloadable.
http://slideshare/net/professorredbag
Free Online Teaching Resources Banks of free online teaching resources tend to vary in quality; moreover, because these sites are so diverse, categorization by proficiency level can be inconsistent. Still, used with care, such resources can definitely be of value. Please note that some of these sites are also listed on the Online Interactive Students Materials Page because they identify distinct sections for each of students and instructors; however, you may also want to examine the other sites listed there (but not mentioned here) because some of them could prove useful in the hands of a creative teacher.
General-use sites Adult Learning Activities from the California Distance Learning Project ( http://www.cdlponline.org/)
Designed for self-access, these numerous and slick materials (typically with both reading and listening options, plus associated learning activities) are specifically intended for Adult Basic Education not ESL students, but they could definitively interest ESL teachers working at CLB 5-6 or higher. For in-class use, teachers would need to highlight and copy desired reading materials and then paste them into Word or WordPerfect; the audio (RealAudio format) seems not to be downloadable but could readily be re-recorded.
Azar Grammar Exchange ( http://www.pearsonlongman.com/ae/azar/grammar_ex/index.html)
Online Resource for ESL Teachers and companion website to the Azar Grammar Series, providing a forum where teachers can share ideas, questions, and grammar-teaching materials.
BBC Skillwise ( http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/words/index.shtml)
Skills-based BBC site full of worksheets, fact sheets and fun on-line games and quizzes to help practise spelling, punctuation, grammar, reading comprehension, etc. There is also a section for tutors which provides further teacher support and ties materials into curricula in the U.K.
Best of the Reader ( http://bestofthereader.ca/)
An online series of e-books called Best of The Reader. The content is based on some of the best stories from British Columbia's The Westcoast Reader newspaper. There are 14 e-books as well as a Teachers' Guide. The material is organized by topics: People and Jobs, Special Days and Holidays, Many Ways to Help, Easy Stories: People, Families, Keeping Safe, Sports, Amazing Stories, Canada’s Aboriginal People, Word Games and Puzzles, Recipes, Canada, Reader's Stories, and Your Health. Each e-book has 8 to 10 stories which are accompanied by comprehension, vocabulary, and grammar exercises. Photographs, maps, illustrations, and answer keys are also included. The stories are written at three levels of reading ability, according to the levels Joan Acosta developed for use in The Westcoast Reader.
Business Emporium
( http://www.emse.fr/%7Eyukna/business/businessemporium.html)
Business-oriented vocabulary quizzes, tests, eccentric and ESL Business lessons as well as tools to help teach or master the T.O.E.I.C (Test Of English in International Communication). Fun yet informative activities with detailed instructions for tomorrow's class, homework or tutorials in Business English.
Canadians and Their Government ( http://www.pch.gc.ca/special/gouv-gov/cont-eng.cfm)
A resource guide containing ready-to-use material for various types of learning environments. The activities use creative tasks, role-playing, research and discussion-oriented tasks to illustrate how government works. The information provided within the guide gives a comprehensive and concise explanation of how Canada has developed, and continues to develop, as a strong democratic country.
CBC Podcasts ( http://www.cbc.ca/podcasting/)
Free, downloadable MP3 files for potential use as part of listening activities; even broken into parts and well scaffolded, probably useful no lower than CLB 5.
Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks ( http://www.language.ca/)
The CCLB lesson plans were compiled as part of a cross-Canada project. ESL teachers submitted samples of successful lesson plans for learners at Stages 1 and 2 of the CLB (CLB 1 –8). These lessons outline ideas for activities and tasks to help learners develop CLB competencies in all four skills.
CNN Student News ( http://www.cnn.com/studentnews/)
Student-oriented CNN site with podcasts, transcripts, one-pagers, maps etc.
Compleat Lexical Tutor ( http://www.lextutor.ca/)
Under the ‘Tutorial’ title on the left—you will find links to resources and tools for teaching ESL vocabulary. In the middle, there is also a ‘Research’ list with tools for use in analyzing the vocabulary of texts.
Dave’s ESL Café ( http://www.eslcafe.com/)
One of the oldest and most enduring sites for ESL teachers, including an ‘Idea Cookbook’(in the menu on the left) with lists of materials under a series of headings such as ‘Business English’, ‘Games’, ‘Grammar’, etc; these are mostly explanations of activities (often quite detailed), not actual worksheets.
E. L. Easton's English Online ( http://eleaston.com/)
A teacher's resource website with links to materials for teaching such as country profiles, holidays, libraries and museums, pronunciation, sports and teaching ideas as well as links to online courses in English and other useful ESL websites.
English-4U ( http://www.english-4u.com/index.html)
This site offers very slick downloadable PDFs of lesson materials (in both student and teacher versions, the latter including a lesson outline and answer key); while these colour materials may lose some impact when printed in monochrome, they do look appealing provided that teachers can locate the right theme to match their educational plans. Much of the material on the site is not free (see Subscription-based Online Teacher and Student Resources list), but there is a good deal that can be accessed either by any visitor or by those who register for free , without a paid subscription.
English Lessons Online ( http://www.smic.be/smic5022/)
Belgian-based website which gives teachers free access to more than 100 vocabulary and grammar resources, interactive quizzes and exercises, ready-to-use handouts and lesson ideas.
ETNI Teacher Ideas and Projects ( http://www.etni.org.il/index.html)
The Israeli English Teachers Network site appears to be designed for teachers of high school students, but has some Lesson Plans that all teachers might find useful(e.g. Book Reports, Computer Applications, Crossword Puzzles, etc).
ESL Lesson Plans/Activities and Resources ( http://www.csun.edu/%7Ehcedu013/eslplans.html)
Mainly a teacher's resource website but also has links for ESL students. Includes links to CNN Newsroom and Worldview for ESL, Conversation and Questions for ESL/EFL classroom, ESL Lessons and Games, ESL Teacher Connection, Dave's ESL Web Guide, etc...
ESL Lounge ( http://www.esl-lounge.com/siteguidetop.shtml)
A large selection of downloadable lesson materials (graded according to 7 different levels, not related to the CLB but relatively clear: http://www.esl-lounge.com/siteguidelevels.shtml). Some materials are in Word but most are in PDF; permission is given for individual, non-commercial classroom use.
ESL Teachers’ Board ( http://www.eslteachersboard.com/)
Some useful material available via the links in the ‘ESL RESOURCES’ list: teaching tips and techniques (most for children, some for older learners) under ‘ESL Lessons’; various exercises under ‘ESL Printables, Handouts’; and links re. free software or materials under ‘Free Stuff for Teachers.’
GVTV ( http://gvtv.ca/)
Hundreds of video stories about issues, people and ideas shaping Greater Vancouver. Learners from Canadian Language Benchmark 5 and up can search for stories and videos on various topics.
Historica: History by the Minute ( http://www.histori.ca/minutes/default.do;jsessionid=F6A53E487A6CD310283350591767F1CD.tomcat1?page=.index)
Historica Minutes: one-minute movies from Canada’s past, Footprints: stories of Canada’s athletes, Radio Minutes: short dramas on various Canadian issues and personalities. All for Upper Intermediate to Advanced (CLB 5-7) students.
Holidays on the Net ( http://www.holidays.net/)
A teacher's resource for holiday celebrations on the World Wide Web. This site provides information on each holiday celebration including its history, as well as related activities.
Hot Potatoes ( http://hotpot.uvic.ca/)
A suite of software tools for teachers to create interactive multiple-choice, short-answer, jumbled-sentence, crossword, matching/ordering and gap-fill exercises for the World Wide Web. On September 1, 2009, a freeware version will be released.
Internet Projects for Learners and Teachers of English ( http://www.wfi.fr/volterre/inetpro.html)
A compilation of links to websites for Internet projects from around the world.
John and Sarah’s TEFL Pitstop ( http://www.lingolex.com/jstefl.htm)
Once you get past the links to advertisers like Oxford Seminars and edHelp.com, there are links to games, resource books, and other contributions at various levels by ESL/EFL teachers.
Lanternfish ( http://bogglesworldesl.com/)
This site includes (among other resources) a wide range of quite well organized free downloadable worksheets in Word format. The Terms of Use specify: “You may use any resource, including photocopies, for the purpose of teaching and distribution to your classes. You may not redistribute them, electronically or otherwise, in any other form, package, or collection.”
Linguistic Funland ( http://www.linguistic-funland.com/)
A list of various links to resources for language teaching and learning, linguistics study, and other miscellaneous resources.
National Film Board of Canada ( http://www.nfb.ca/explore-by/title/)
Hundreds of films that are viewable online for free, available for potential use as part of listening activities; the films vary widely, so that careful selection is required with respect to appropriate scaffolding and matching to the proficiency level necessary for pedagogically effective listening/viewing.
National Public Radio ( http://www.npr.org/)
News, podcasts and other high-quality but also high-CLB-level recordings (you will find little other nothing that would be suitable for students below at least CLB 5).
Oral English Activities ( http://www.waze.net/oea/)
Oral English activities for adult learners (developed and field tested in an EFL setting in China); seem to be generally at least CLB 4; plans and procedures for role-plays, discussions etc., organized according to a variety of topics.
Oxford Teachers’ Club ( http://www.oup.com/elt/select?url=/eltnew/teachersclub/?oup_jspFileName=teachersclub.jsp)
Signing up for a free subscription to this site provides access to purpose-designed supplementary materials for use with ESL materials from the Oxford University Press.
Pizzaz ( http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/%7Eleslieob/pizzaz.html)
According to a note on the home page, “PIZZAZ! is dedicated to providing simple creative writing and oral storytelling activities with copyable (yes, copyable!) handouts for use with students of all ages. Permission is given to use these resources for in-class, non-profit use only.”
Puzzlemaker ( http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/)
Teachers can create different types of puzzles online such as mazes, crossword puzzles, word searches, cryptograms, etc. Puzzles can be saved online or printed.
Randall’s ESL Cyber Listening Lab ( http://www.esl-lab.com/)
A site with recordings of “everyday conversations with adult and children's voices”, rated at “easy”, “medium” and “difficult”, and supported by vocabulary tips, vocabulary work, and interactive comprehension questions. The audio files may not be downloaded, but they can be used in class; the print materials supporting them can be downloaded and printed out for student use (see full details in “Randall’s Copyright Notice”). Note: there are few if any truly low-level materials here; the “easy” listening passages tend to be at least CLB 4-5.
RCI – Radio Canada International ( http://www.rcinet.ca/rci/en/)
Upper Intermediate to Advanced (CLB 5-7) learners can read national and world news, listen to web radio and daily/weekly programs on immigration news and stories, plus much more.
Shaggy Dog Stories ( http://www.antimoon.com/other/shaggydog.htm)
Downloadable MP3s of 10 shaggy dog stories; potentially useful, but no transcripts available.
Simons ELT Activity Land ( http://semumf.tripod.com/)
Simon Mumford’s English Language Teaching (ELT) website with original word games, drills, speaking and grammar practice activities, all written by him. A heavy emphasis on decontextualized grammar potentially made fun by using games and puzzles. British English.
StoryCorps Audio Archive ( http://www.storycorps.org/listen)
Literally millions of life-history recordings in the form of free, downloadable MP files for potential use as part of listening activities; even broken into parts and well scaffolded, probably useful no lower than CLB 5.
Teaching English: Tips, resources, materials, downloads and more…
( http://www.teachenglish.ws/resources/)
This is a rather general site for EFL materials developed in Japan, but instructions for some potentially interesting games (click on ‘Game ideas’ in the menu on the left); also, an appealing ‘Bingo Card Generator’ to make bingo cards with words, phrases etc.
Ted Power English Language Learning and Teaching ( http://www.btinternet.com/%7Eted.power/phono.html)
This pronunciation website helps to identify common errors based on language background and recommends resources for practice.
TEFL Magic ( http://www.tefl-magic.com/)
A British-based website with teacher-designed worksheets on English Skills, Good/Bad, Numbers/Statistics, Everyday Life, Business English, Health/Body, Idioms/Phrases, Travel/Countries, as well as information about the ESL teaching experiences of the author.
TESL English Lessons from the Internet TESL Journal ( http://iteslj.org/links/TESL/Lessons/)
Mainly a teacher's resource website but also has links for ESL students, such as reading comprehension activity, vocabulary games, advanced English skills for ESL students, etc.
TESOL Tasks ( http://www.tesoltasks.com/)
Free worksheets designed for teen-aged ESL students. The page owner notes that, as posted, the sheets are not in a printer-friendly format, but that they can readily be printed by highlighting the desired lines, copying, and then pasting into Word (and we’ve tested that technique: it works fine, for ordinary text and even for tables). “The materials found on this site may be copied and/or adapted for use in the classroom or for private study. Any other use is strictly forbidden.”
Tower of English ( http://towerofenglish.com/
A guide to the internet with about 300 fun and interesting websites in 34 different categories.
University of Iowa: Phonetics ( http://www.uiowa.edu/%7Eacadtech/phonetics/english/frameset.html)
Animated mouth diagrams and sound files for how to pronounce specific sounds (separate sounds, plus sounds within example words: typically initial, medial and final positions). The materials are designed for online use, not downloading, but they do illustrate the sounds very clearly and could therefore be well worth using in class via a WWW link.
Using English in China ( http://www.xiangtan.co.uk/teachers.htm)
Web page of a British teacher who worked in China for 4 years. Teacher resources include Lesson Plans at higher levels (CLB 6+), plus links to English Newspapers Online, World Headlines, Online Translation and Dictionary Tools, Quote of the Day, Article Database, Watching English and Foreign TV Online For Free, and Chatting Online with ICQ.
Voice of America ( http://www.voanews.com/english/index.cfm)
Streaming audio of news reports and other programs; specially simplified versions in the Special English section: http://www.voanews.com/specialenglish/index.cfm(with transcripts and downloadable Real Audio and MP3 audio files).
VoicePrint – Canada’s Broadcast Reading Service ( http://www.voiceprintcanada.com/)
Authentic listening to top stories — international, national, regional and local — from more than 600 Canadian newspapers and magazines. For advanced level students – CLB 6 and up.
Volume 41(1) of English Language Forum ( http://eca.state.gov/forum/vols/vol41/no1/)
Downloadable MP3s (plus PDF transcripts) for 4 Blues songs.
Westcoast Reader ( http://www.westcoastreader.ca/)
Archived copies of issues of this award-winning monthly newspaper for CLB 1-4, including Teacher’s Notes.
Western/Pacific Literacy Network: Learning Resources ( http://www.literacynet.org/cnnsf/index_cnnsf.html)
CBS and CNN new stories, in both full-length and abridged versions (plus outlines), including RealMovie and RealAudio files for online viewing /listening (can also be saved to a computer for use offline).
Mainly for teaching children Children Only ESL/EFL Games ( http://www.childrenonlyesl-efl.com/mainpages/maincategories/gameshomepage.asp)
Quite detailed instructions for printable games of various kinds, suitable for young learners: Board Games, Action Games, Counting Games, etc.
Exchanging Letters with the World ( http://www.angelfire.com/ut/elww/)
An EFL teacher-developed website for a pen pal-type project where elementary and possibly high-school students write letters about themselves and exchange them with students in another country.
Genki English (commercial site)
( http://genkienglish.com/)
Elementary School English Games, Songs and Lesson Plans and Ideas! Self-described ‘Leading Site for ESL teachers in elementary schools’ in Japan. As seen on NHK TV.
Language Works ( http://www.lang-works.com/)
An on-line curriculum for young learners which uses flashcards with no audio, starting at Beginner Level 2 and going to Intermediate Level 4. The syllabus for the curriculum includes units entitled Noun Wizard (nouns), Action Wizard (verbs), Lesson Wizard (nouns , pronouns and prepositions), Game Show (Q & A activity), Role Plays and Photo Talk.
The EFL Playhouse ( http://www.esl4kids.net/)
This site offers suggestions for “educational games, songs, fingerplays, action rhymes, craft ideas, printable materials, tongue twisters” etc for use with children learning ESL or EFL. While potentially quite useful as a memory-refresher, the site provides only basic “ideas” for activities, not detailed instructions.
Way Ahead ( http://www.macmillanenglish.com/younglearners/wayahead/wayahead.html)
All about a new resource for young EFL learners from MacMillan, including a selection of downloadable tests from the first level of the Way Ahead Teacher's Resource Book.
Resources for literature-based teaching Great Books Online ( http://www.bartleby.com/)
Classic books and poems for free downloading; includes short poems by Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, and Gerard Manley Hopkins.
The Gutenberg Project ( http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page)
Over 100,000 online books are now available from Project Gutenberg and its partners.
The Online Books Page (University of Pennsylvania) ( http://digital.library.upenn.edu/books/)
Over 35,000 free online books, updated regularly.
Advocating Strong Standards-Based Induction Support for Teachers (ASSIST) Comprehension Instructional Strategies Module
The ASSIST project is supported by a partnership with Michigan State University and the Michigan State Board of Education through funding provided by the U.S. Department of Education. This professional development module is intended for new and veteran teachers and is divided into three parts: comprehension strategies, discussion, and comprehension difficulties. Each part includes a brief introduction, research-based instructional approaches for building comprehension, videoclips of teachers working in the classroom, questions and activities for use, presentation slides, articles for further reading, and websites and professional books for further learning.
Reading Rockets - Classroom Strategies: Comprehension
Reading Rockets is a national multimedia project offering information and resources on how children learn to read. The classroom strategy section of the website is designed to share research on the most effective ways to build comprehension. Each strategy (teaching fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing skills) includes instructions on its use; downloadable templates; examples; children’s books recommended for use with the strategy; tips on differentiation to meet students’ individual needs; and supporting research.
International Reading Association Webinar - Facilitating Comprehension: The Role of Talk, Text, Task
In this webinar, Dr. P. David Pearson discusses the role that talk, text, and task play in facilitating student comprehension.
Colorín Colorado: Increasing ELL Student Reading Comprehension with Non-fiction Text
This article discusses how to increase English language learners’ nonfiction reading comprehension by explaining four steps to introducing text. The article also contains “hot links” to related sites.
Florida Center for Reading Research - Empowering Teachers: Instructional Routines
The Florida Center for Reading Research has compiled a series of K-3 instructional routines to be used during small-group instruction based on student need. Instructional routines are organized by reading components. Topics under the comprehension component include: identifying main idea, sequencing events in text, making inferences, retelling and summarizing, identifying cause and effect, answering higher level questions, and identifying story details.
International Reading Association: Class Acts and Insights Podcasts
The International Reading Association (IRA) provides a series of podcasts related to teaching reading and writing, often from literacy leaders sharing their expertise on reading-related issues. Podcast topics include: understanding the main idea of texts, modeling during shared reading, and gradual release of responsibility.
IRIS Center Resource Locator: Reading, Literacy, Language Arts
The Idea and Research for Inclusive Settings (IRIS) Center provides reading- and literacy-related modules, case studies, activities, information briefs, and podcasts. Topics include peer-assisted learning strategies, collaborative strategic reading, response to intervention, differentiated instruction, early reading assessment tools, and best practices for ELLs.
ReadWriteThink: Comprehension Strategies
ReadWriteThink is a partnership between the International Reading Association (IRA), the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), and the Verizon Foundation. This website provides research- and standards-based lesson plans and resources written and reviewed by educators. Lesson plans and activities can be sorted by grade level and resource type. This link will take you to a pre-sorted page of resources for comprehension strategies, including: summarizing, predicting, strategies for choosing the right book, and learning centers.
Florida Center for Reading Research - Teaching and Learning: Principal Reading Walk Through Checklists
The Florida Center for Reading Research provides a checklist tool for principals of kindergarten through fifth grade to observe effective reading instruction and structure their classroom visits. The tool provides a snapshot of classroom organization, instruction, and learning opportunities that support reading instruction.
Florida Center for Reading Research – Differentiated Reading Instruction: Small Group Alternative Lesson Structures for All Students
This document provides guidance to Reading First coaches and teachers regarding alternative lesson structures for providing small-group, differentiated instruction to students in grades K-3.The lesson structure also provides an opportunity to engage students in enjoyable activities that help them think about the meaning of texts.
Concept-Oriented Reading Instruction (CORI)
The CORI instructional program merges reading strategy instruction, conceptual knowledge in science, and support for student motivation. The program fosters reading engagement and comprehension through teaching reading strategies, science concepts, and scientific inquiry skills and explicitly developing students' motivation to read. Reading engagement is defined as the interplay of motivation, conceptual knowledge, strategies, and social interaction during literacy activities.
Free and handy ESL materials (thanks to Julia Reed)
http://custom-writing.org/blog/writing-tips/28708.html
http://prime-learning.weebly.com
Site where William's Teacher Training Course Resource Books are publish and freely downloadable.
http://slideshare/net/professorredbag
Free Online Teaching Resources Banks of free online teaching resources tend to vary in quality; moreover, because these sites are so diverse, categorization by proficiency level can be inconsistent. Still, used with care, such resources can definitely be of value. Please note that some of these sites are also listed on the Online Interactive Students Materials Page because they identify distinct sections for each of students and instructors; however, you may also want to examine the other sites listed there (but not mentioned here) because some of them could prove useful in the hands of a creative teacher.
General-use sites Adult Learning Activities from the California Distance Learning Project ( http://www.cdlponline.org/)
Designed for self-access, these numerous and slick materials (typically with both reading and listening options, plus associated learning activities) are specifically intended for Adult Basic Education not ESL students, but they could definitively interest ESL teachers working at CLB 5-6 or higher. For in-class use, teachers would need to highlight and copy desired reading materials and then paste them into Word or WordPerfect; the audio (RealAudio format) seems not to be downloadable but could readily be re-recorded.
Azar Grammar Exchange ( http://www.pearsonlongman.com/ae/azar/grammar_ex/index.html)
Online Resource for ESL Teachers and companion website to the Azar Grammar Series, providing a forum where teachers can share ideas, questions, and grammar-teaching materials.
BBC Skillwise ( http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/words/index.shtml)
Skills-based BBC site full of worksheets, fact sheets and fun on-line games and quizzes to help practise spelling, punctuation, grammar, reading comprehension, etc. There is also a section for tutors which provides further teacher support and ties materials into curricula in the U.K.
Best of the Reader ( http://bestofthereader.ca/)
An online series of e-books called Best of The Reader. The content is based on some of the best stories from British Columbia's The Westcoast Reader newspaper. There are 14 e-books as well as a Teachers' Guide. The material is organized by topics: People and Jobs, Special Days and Holidays, Many Ways to Help, Easy Stories: People, Families, Keeping Safe, Sports, Amazing Stories, Canada’s Aboriginal People, Word Games and Puzzles, Recipes, Canada, Reader's Stories, and Your Health. Each e-book has 8 to 10 stories which are accompanied by comprehension, vocabulary, and grammar exercises. Photographs, maps, illustrations, and answer keys are also included. The stories are written at three levels of reading ability, according to the levels Joan Acosta developed for use in The Westcoast Reader.
Business Emporium
( http://www.emse.fr/%7Eyukna/business/businessemporium.html)
Business-oriented vocabulary quizzes, tests, eccentric and ESL Business lessons as well as tools to help teach or master the T.O.E.I.C (Test Of English in International Communication). Fun yet informative activities with detailed instructions for tomorrow's class, homework or tutorials in Business English.
Canadians and Their Government ( http://www.pch.gc.ca/special/gouv-gov/cont-eng.cfm)
A resource guide containing ready-to-use material for various types of learning environments. The activities use creative tasks, role-playing, research and discussion-oriented tasks to illustrate how government works. The information provided within the guide gives a comprehensive and concise explanation of how Canada has developed, and continues to develop, as a strong democratic country.
CBC Podcasts ( http://www.cbc.ca/podcasting/)
Free, downloadable MP3 files for potential use as part of listening activities; even broken into parts and well scaffolded, probably useful no lower than CLB 5.
Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks ( http://www.language.ca/)
The CCLB lesson plans were compiled as part of a cross-Canada project. ESL teachers submitted samples of successful lesson plans for learners at Stages 1 and 2 of the CLB (CLB 1 –8). These lessons outline ideas for activities and tasks to help learners develop CLB competencies in all four skills.
CNN Student News ( http://www.cnn.com/studentnews/)
Student-oriented CNN site with podcasts, transcripts, one-pagers, maps etc.
Compleat Lexical Tutor ( http://www.lextutor.ca/)
Under the ‘Tutorial’ title on the left—you will find links to resources and tools for teaching ESL vocabulary. In the middle, there is also a ‘Research’ list with tools for use in analyzing the vocabulary of texts.
Dave’s ESL Café ( http://www.eslcafe.com/)
One of the oldest and most enduring sites for ESL teachers, including an ‘Idea Cookbook’(in the menu on the left) with lists of materials under a series of headings such as ‘Business English’, ‘Games’, ‘Grammar’, etc; these are mostly explanations of activities (often quite detailed), not actual worksheets.
E. L. Easton's English Online ( http://eleaston.com/)
A teacher's resource website with links to materials for teaching such as country profiles, holidays, libraries and museums, pronunciation, sports and teaching ideas as well as links to online courses in English and other useful ESL websites.
English-4U ( http://www.english-4u.com/index.html)
This site offers very slick downloadable PDFs of lesson materials (in both student and teacher versions, the latter including a lesson outline and answer key); while these colour materials may lose some impact when printed in monochrome, they do look appealing provided that teachers can locate the right theme to match their educational plans. Much of the material on the site is not free (see Subscription-based Online Teacher and Student Resources list), but there is a good deal that can be accessed either by any visitor or by those who register for free , without a paid subscription.
English Lessons Online ( http://www.smic.be/smic5022/)
Belgian-based website which gives teachers free access to more than 100 vocabulary and grammar resources, interactive quizzes and exercises, ready-to-use handouts and lesson ideas.
ETNI Teacher Ideas and Projects ( http://www.etni.org.il/index.html)
The Israeli English Teachers Network site appears to be designed for teachers of high school students, but has some Lesson Plans that all teachers might find useful(e.g. Book Reports, Computer Applications, Crossword Puzzles, etc).
ESL Lesson Plans/Activities and Resources ( http://www.csun.edu/%7Ehcedu013/eslplans.html)
Mainly a teacher's resource website but also has links for ESL students. Includes links to CNN Newsroom and Worldview for ESL, Conversation and Questions for ESL/EFL classroom, ESL Lessons and Games, ESL Teacher Connection, Dave's ESL Web Guide, etc...
ESL Lounge ( http://www.esl-lounge.com/siteguidetop.shtml)
A large selection of downloadable lesson materials (graded according to 7 different levels, not related to the CLB but relatively clear: http://www.esl-lounge.com/siteguidelevels.shtml). Some materials are in Word but most are in PDF; permission is given for individual, non-commercial classroom use.
ESL Teachers’ Board ( http://www.eslteachersboard.com/)
Some useful material available via the links in the ‘ESL RESOURCES’ list: teaching tips and techniques (most for children, some for older learners) under ‘ESL Lessons’; various exercises under ‘ESL Printables, Handouts’; and links re. free software or materials under ‘Free Stuff for Teachers.’
GVTV ( http://gvtv.ca/)
Hundreds of video stories about issues, people and ideas shaping Greater Vancouver. Learners from Canadian Language Benchmark 5 and up can search for stories and videos on various topics.
Historica: History by the Minute ( http://www.histori.ca/minutes/default.do;jsessionid=F6A53E487A6CD310283350591767F1CD.tomcat1?page=.index)
Historica Minutes: one-minute movies from Canada’s past, Footprints: stories of Canada’s athletes, Radio Minutes: short dramas on various Canadian issues and personalities. All for Upper Intermediate to Advanced (CLB 5-7) students.
Holidays on the Net ( http://www.holidays.net/)
A teacher's resource for holiday celebrations on the World Wide Web. This site provides information on each holiday celebration including its history, as well as related activities.
Hot Potatoes ( http://hotpot.uvic.ca/)
A suite of software tools for teachers to create interactive multiple-choice, short-answer, jumbled-sentence, crossword, matching/ordering and gap-fill exercises for the World Wide Web. On September 1, 2009, a freeware version will be released.
Internet Projects for Learners and Teachers of English ( http://www.wfi.fr/volterre/inetpro.html)
A compilation of links to websites for Internet projects from around the world.
John and Sarah’s TEFL Pitstop ( http://www.lingolex.com/jstefl.htm)
Once you get past the links to advertisers like Oxford Seminars and edHelp.com, there are links to games, resource books, and other contributions at various levels by ESL/EFL teachers.
Lanternfish ( http://bogglesworldesl.com/)
This site includes (among other resources) a wide range of quite well organized free downloadable worksheets in Word format. The Terms of Use specify: “You may use any resource, including photocopies, for the purpose of teaching and distribution to your classes. You may not redistribute them, electronically or otherwise, in any other form, package, or collection.”
Linguistic Funland ( http://www.linguistic-funland.com/)
A list of various links to resources for language teaching and learning, linguistics study, and other miscellaneous resources.
National Film Board of Canada ( http://www.nfb.ca/explore-by/title/)
Hundreds of films that are viewable online for free, available for potential use as part of listening activities; the films vary widely, so that careful selection is required with respect to appropriate scaffolding and matching to the proficiency level necessary for pedagogically effective listening/viewing.
National Public Radio ( http://www.npr.org/)
News, podcasts and other high-quality but also high-CLB-level recordings (you will find little other nothing that would be suitable for students below at least CLB 5).
Oral English Activities ( http://www.waze.net/oea/)
Oral English activities for adult learners (developed and field tested in an EFL setting in China); seem to be generally at least CLB 4; plans and procedures for role-plays, discussions etc., organized according to a variety of topics.
Oxford Teachers’ Club ( http://www.oup.com/elt/select?url=/eltnew/teachersclub/?oup_jspFileName=teachersclub.jsp)
Signing up for a free subscription to this site provides access to purpose-designed supplementary materials for use with ESL materials from the Oxford University Press.
Pizzaz ( http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/%7Eleslieob/pizzaz.html)
According to a note on the home page, “PIZZAZ! is dedicated to providing simple creative writing and oral storytelling activities with copyable (yes, copyable!) handouts for use with students of all ages. Permission is given to use these resources for in-class, non-profit use only.”
Puzzlemaker ( http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/)
Teachers can create different types of puzzles online such as mazes, crossword puzzles, word searches, cryptograms, etc. Puzzles can be saved online or printed.
Randall’s ESL Cyber Listening Lab ( http://www.esl-lab.com/)
A site with recordings of “everyday conversations with adult and children's voices”, rated at “easy”, “medium” and “difficult”, and supported by vocabulary tips, vocabulary work, and interactive comprehension questions. The audio files may not be downloaded, but they can be used in class; the print materials supporting them can be downloaded and printed out for student use (see full details in “Randall’s Copyright Notice”). Note: there are few if any truly low-level materials here; the “easy” listening passages tend to be at least CLB 4-5.
RCI – Radio Canada International ( http://www.rcinet.ca/rci/en/)
Upper Intermediate to Advanced (CLB 5-7) learners can read national and world news, listen to web radio and daily/weekly programs on immigration news and stories, plus much more.
Shaggy Dog Stories ( http://www.antimoon.com/other/shaggydog.htm)
Downloadable MP3s of 10 shaggy dog stories; potentially useful, but no transcripts available.
Simons ELT Activity Land ( http://semumf.tripod.com/)
Simon Mumford’s English Language Teaching (ELT) website with original word games, drills, speaking and grammar practice activities, all written by him. A heavy emphasis on decontextualized grammar potentially made fun by using games and puzzles. British English.
StoryCorps Audio Archive ( http://www.storycorps.org/listen)
Literally millions of life-history recordings in the form of free, downloadable MP files for potential use as part of listening activities; even broken into parts and well scaffolded, probably useful no lower than CLB 5.
Teaching English: Tips, resources, materials, downloads and more…
( http://www.teachenglish.ws/resources/)
This is a rather general site for EFL materials developed in Japan, but instructions for some potentially interesting games (click on ‘Game ideas’ in the menu on the left); also, an appealing ‘Bingo Card Generator’ to make bingo cards with words, phrases etc.
Ted Power English Language Learning and Teaching ( http://www.btinternet.com/%7Eted.power/phono.html)
This pronunciation website helps to identify common errors based on language background and recommends resources for practice.
TEFL Magic ( http://www.tefl-magic.com/)
A British-based website with teacher-designed worksheets on English Skills, Good/Bad, Numbers/Statistics, Everyday Life, Business English, Health/Body, Idioms/Phrases, Travel/Countries, as well as information about the ESL teaching experiences of the author.
TESL English Lessons from the Internet TESL Journal ( http://iteslj.org/links/TESL/Lessons/)
Mainly a teacher's resource website but also has links for ESL students, such as reading comprehension activity, vocabulary games, advanced English skills for ESL students, etc.
TESOL Tasks ( http://www.tesoltasks.com/)
Free worksheets designed for teen-aged ESL students. The page owner notes that, as posted, the sheets are not in a printer-friendly format, but that they can readily be printed by highlighting the desired lines, copying, and then pasting into Word (and we’ve tested that technique: it works fine, for ordinary text and even for tables). “The materials found on this site may be copied and/or adapted for use in the classroom or for private study. Any other use is strictly forbidden.”
Tower of English ( http://towerofenglish.com/
A guide to the internet with about 300 fun and interesting websites in 34 different categories.
University of Iowa: Phonetics ( http://www.uiowa.edu/%7Eacadtech/phonetics/english/frameset.html)
Animated mouth diagrams and sound files for how to pronounce specific sounds (separate sounds, plus sounds within example words: typically initial, medial and final positions). The materials are designed for online use, not downloading, but they do illustrate the sounds very clearly and could therefore be well worth using in class via a WWW link.
Using English in China ( http://www.xiangtan.co.uk/teachers.htm)
Web page of a British teacher who worked in China for 4 years. Teacher resources include Lesson Plans at higher levels (CLB 6+), plus links to English Newspapers Online, World Headlines, Online Translation and Dictionary Tools, Quote of the Day, Article Database, Watching English and Foreign TV Online For Free, and Chatting Online with ICQ.
Voice of America ( http://www.voanews.com/english/index.cfm)
Streaming audio of news reports and other programs; specially simplified versions in the Special English section: http://www.voanews.com/specialenglish/index.cfm(with transcripts and downloadable Real Audio and MP3 audio files).
VoicePrint – Canada’s Broadcast Reading Service ( http://www.voiceprintcanada.com/)
Authentic listening to top stories — international, national, regional and local — from more than 600 Canadian newspapers and magazines. For advanced level students – CLB 6 and up.
Volume 41(1) of English Language Forum ( http://eca.state.gov/forum/vols/vol41/no1/)
Downloadable MP3s (plus PDF transcripts) for 4 Blues songs.
Westcoast Reader ( http://www.westcoastreader.ca/)
Archived copies of issues of this award-winning monthly newspaper for CLB 1-4, including Teacher’s Notes.
Western/Pacific Literacy Network: Learning Resources ( http://www.literacynet.org/cnnsf/index_cnnsf.html)
CBS and CNN new stories, in both full-length and abridged versions (plus outlines), including RealMovie and RealAudio files for online viewing /listening (can also be saved to a computer for use offline).
Mainly for teaching children Children Only ESL/EFL Games ( http://www.childrenonlyesl-efl.com/mainpages/maincategories/gameshomepage.asp)
Quite detailed instructions for printable games of various kinds, suitable for young learners: Board Games, Action Games, Counting Games, etc.
Exchanging Letters with the World ( http://www.angelfire.com/ut/elww/)
An EFL teacher-developed website for a pen pal-type project where elementary and possibly high-school students write letters about themselves and exchange them with students in another country.
Genki English (commercial site)
( http://genkienglish.com/)
Elementary School English Games, Songs and Lesson Plans and Ideas! Self-described ‘Leading Site for ESL teachers in elementary schools’ in Japan. As seen on NHK TV.
Language Works ( http://www.lang-works.com/)
An on-line curriculum for young learners which uses flashcards with no audio, starting at Beginner Level 2 and going to Intermediate Level 4. The syllabus for the curriculum includes units entitled Noun Wizard (nouns), Action Wizard (verbs), Lesson Wizard (nouns , pronouns and prepositions), Game Show (Q & A activity), Role Plays and Photo Talk.
The EFL Playhouse ( http://www.esl4kids.net/)
This site offers suggestions for “educational games, songs, fingerplays, action rhymes, craft ideas, printable materials, tongue twisters” etc for use with children learning ESL or EFL. While potentially quite useful as a memory-refresher, the site provides only basic “ideas” for activities, not detailed instructions.
Way Ahead ( http://www.macmillanenglish.com/younglearners/wayahead/wayahead.html)
All about a new resource for young EFL learners from MacMillan, including a selection of downloadable tests from the first level of the Way Ahead Teacher's Resource Book.
Resources for literature-based teaching Great Books Online ( http://www.bartleby.com/)
Classic books and poems for free downloading; includes short poems by Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, and Gerard Manley Hopkins.
The Gutenberg Project ( http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page)
Over 100,000 online books are now available from Project Gutenberg and its partners.
The Online Books Page (University of Pennsylvania) ( http://digital.library.upenn.edu/books/)
Over 35,000 free online books, updated regularly.
Advocating Strong Standards-Based Induction Support for Teachers (ASSIST) Comprehension Instructional Strategies Module
The ASSIST project is supported by a partnership with Michigan State University and the Michigan State Board of Education through funding provided by the U.S. Department of Education. This professional development module is intended for new and veteran teachers and is divided into three parts: comprehension strategies, discussion, and comprehension difficulties. Each part includes a brief introduction, research-based instructional approaches for building comprehension, videoclips of teachers working in the classroom, questions and activities for use, presentation slides, articles for further reading, and websites and professional books for further learning.
Reading Rockets - Classroom Strategies: Comprehension
Reading Rockets is a national multimedia project offering information and resources on how children learn to read. The classroom strategy section of the website is designed to share research on the most effective ways to build comprehension. Each strategy (teaching fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing skills) includes instructions on its use; downloadable templates; examples; children’s books recommended for use with the strategy; tips on differentiation to meet students’ individual needs; and supporting research.
International Reading Association Webinar - Facilitating Comprehension: The Role of Talk, Text, Task
In this webinar, Dr. P. David Pearson discusses the role that talk, text, and task play in facilitating student comprehension.
Colorín Colorado: Increasing ELL Student Reading Comprehension with Non-fiction Text
This article discusses how to increase English language learners’ nonfiction reading comprehension by explaining four steps to introducing text. The article also contains “hot links” to related sites.
Florida Center for Reading Research - Empowering Teachers: Instructional Routines
The Florida Center for Reading Research has compiled a series of K-3 instructional routines to be used during small-group instruction based on student need. Instructional routines are organized by reading components. Topics under the comprehension component include: identifying main idea, sequencing events in text, making inferences, retelling and summarizing, identifying cause and effect, answering higher level questions, and identifying story details.
International Reading Association: Class Acts and Insights Podcasts
The International Reading Association (IRA) provides a series of podcasts related to teaching reading and writing, often from literacy leaders sharing their expertise on reading-related issues. Podcast topics include: understanding the main idea of texts, modeling during shared reading, and gradual release of responsibility.
IRIS Center Resource Locator: Reading, Literacy, Language Arts
The Idea and Research for Inclusive Settings (IRIS) Center provides reading- and literacy-related modules, case studies, activities, information briefs, and podcasts. Topics include peer-assisted learning strategies, collaborative strategic reading, response to intervention, differentiated instruction, early reading assessment tools, and best practices for ELLs.
ReadWriteThink: Comprehension Strategies
ReadWriteThink is a partnership between the International Reading Association (IRA), the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), and the Verizon Foundation. This website provides research- and standards-based lesson plans and resources written and reviewed by educators. Lesson plans and activities can be sorted by grade level and resource type. This link will take you to a pre-sorted page of resources for comprehension strategies, including: summarizing, predicting, strategies for choosing the right book, and learning centers.
Florida Center for Reading Research - Teaching and Learning: Principal Reading Walk Through Checklists
The Florida Center for Reading Research provides a checklist tool for principals of kindergarten through fifth grade to observe effective reading instruction and structure their classroom visits. The tool provides a snapshot of classroom organization, instruction, and learning opportunities that support reading instruction.
Florida Center for Reading Research – Differentiated Reading Instruction: Small Group Alternative Lesson Structures for All Students
This document provides guidance to Reading First coaches and teachers regarding alternative lesson structures for providing small-group, differentiated instruction to students in grades K-3.The lesson structure also provides an opportunity to engage students in enjoyable activities that help them think about the meaning of texts.
Concept-Oriented Reading Instruction (CORI)
The CORI instructional program merges reading strategy instruction, conceptual knowledge in science, and support for student motivation. The program fosters reading engagement and comprehension through teaching reading strategies, science concepts, and scientific inquiry skills and explicitly developing students' motivation to read. Reading engagement is defined as the interplay of motivation, conceptual knowledge, strategies, and social interaction during literacy activities.
Free and handy ESL materials (thanks to Julia Reed)
http://custom-writing.org/blog/writing-tips/28708.html
Federal Resources for Teaching Excellence - More than 1600 federal teaching and learning resources organized by subject: art, history, language arts, math, science, and others -- from FREE, the website that makes federal teaching and learning resources easy to find.
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Free Printables for Teachers - Resources for teachers of young learners. All of the resources are designed to be versatile and useful in many K-6 classrooms. I have free flashcards, printable worksheets and handouts to match, phonics worksheets, printable ESL games, printable certificates, stickers to print, and other activities all ready for printing.
Discovery Education Free Resources for Teachers - Free elementary, middle and high school teacher resources, including puzzlemaker, student games and activities and lesson plans.
A to Z Teacher Stuff - A to Z Teacher Stuff is a teacher-created site designed to help teachers find online resources more quickly and easily. Find lesson plans, thematic units, teacher tips, discussion forums for teachers, downloadable teaching materials & eBooks, printable worksheets and blacklines, emergent reader books, themes, and more.
ABC Teach - A quality educational site offering 5000+ FREE printable theme units, word puzzles, writing forms, book report forms,math, ideas, lessons and much more. Great for new teachers, student teachers , homeschooling and teachers who like creative ways to teach.
Teacher Created Resources - A treasure chest of free lessons, activities, calendars, brain teasers, teaching tips, daily quotes, and much more! Our free teacher resources are updated frequently, so check back soon for new freebies!
Thinkfinity - Thousands of Free Lesson Plans in Math Social Studies Art Language Arts Music Physical Education Reading Writing Geography Science Projects Science Lesson Plans and Thematic units. K-12 educational resources and activities for teachers, parents and students.
PBS Teachers - PBS Teachers provides PreK-12 educational resources and activities for educators tied to PBS programming and correlated to local and national standards and professional development opportunities delivered online.
Promethean Planet - Explore free teacher resources created by teachers for teachers. Join today and download free teaching resources and lesson plans.
The Frugal Shopper - Online Free Teacher Resources Website - Worksheets, Printables, Math Created for Teachers.
Learning Today Teacher Toolbox - Resources for Teachers include: Mathematics Games, Reading Games, Coloring Pages, Bookmarks, Word Searches, Award Ceritificates.
Teacher Files - Free clipart for teachers. Educational clip art and free printable teaching resources ready for teachers to use in their classroom.
Super Teacher Worksheets - Thousands of printable materials for teachers and homeschoolers, including math worksheets, spelling lists, reading comprehension passages, math games, flashcards, and science activities.