Useful Links And Resources
About.com: English as a 2nd Language
Kenneth Beare’s provides explanations and interactive quizzes for learners. There is material for all levels on many different topics, from general grammar to Business English. The site could certainly be a recommended resource for your students. Also, take a look at his suggested lesson plans and creative grammar chants.
Accurate English: A Complete Course in Pronunciation Dauer, Rebecca
I learned a lot by teaching from this book when I was a classroom teacher. My copy at home is from 1993, but I still keep it in my library.
Activities for ESL Students
Very large collection of exercises at all levels for grammar and vocabulary. There are bilingual quizzes, too. I’ve recommended the exercises to my private students for additional practice. This collection has contributions from many different teachers.
The Daily English Show
Probably the largest collection of videos made by a single English language teacher! Sarah Lilburn is from New Zealand and was one of the first to start making instructional videos on YouTube to help viewers learn English. Although the videos target the independent learner, the collection is so extensive that there are certainly possibilities to make use of the material as supplement for classroom instruction.
Elllo
Love this site. I’ve used it many times with private students. The selection is large enough that I can choose speakers and topics that match my learners’ needs and interests. I build on to the material by creating my own pronunciation and vocabulary exercises. We also base some discussion on the recordings we listen to (before we meet). Just forewarn students that sometimes there are typos in the transcripts, but all is forgiven since the site is such a treasure.
English Pronunciation Made Simple Dale and Poms
A pronunciation textbook with CDs. Easy to follow because it’s well organized. This was the first printed material I worked with as a teacher in the pronunciation classroom.
EnglishCafe
A very supportive and welcoming online community for English language learners and teachers. You can recommend this site to students as a form of support outside the classroom. You can use this site to connect with other teachers. Some groups within EC are for teachers only and serve as professional support. Try your hand at materials writing and contribute content to the community, from interactive quizzes and lessons to blog postings with multimedia. You can also use EC as the platform for teaching online lessons. I choose to collaborate with EC because of their professionalism and continual effort to improve the site as a resource for students and teachers.
EnglishMeeting / EnglishMeeting on YouTube
Dave Sconda’s YouTube channel has a similar aim as mine: to provide quality instruction for independent learners. His videos can also be used to supplement classroom instruction. Visit his site for more useful links.
EnglishRyan / EnglishRyan on YouTube
An experienced teacher originally from Canada, Ryan teaches abroad and posts videos on YouTube to teach academic writing skills. Although he focuses on the IELTS, his lessons would prove useful to upper levels students simply wishing to improve their essay writing skills.
EnglishwithStacy
A welcomed addition to YouTube’s growing ESL/ EFL crowd. Stacy Hagen is a reputable author who is sharing her instruction and talent with ELLs online. Watching her videos can help teachers prepare for their own lessons on the same topics. The videos could also nicely supplement a lesson you teach.
ESLnotes.com
The English Learner Movie Guides
Raymond Weschler has compiled a list of films her recommends for English language instruction. His notes are helpful in choosing a film or recalling what a film is about. Each guide is a time-saver for classroom teachers and includes a plot summary, list of characters, and teaching notes (e.g. discussion questions).
ESLVideo.com
Video-based quizzes for ELLs that make us of authentic commercials, music vids, and more. Recommend the site for independent study or use existing quizzes (beginner to high-intermediate) that tie in to your lesson plan. Take it a step further and create your own quizzes. The site allows you to build your own quizzes and share them with your students. Even cooler – you can see your students results on your teacher’s account.
Guide to Grammar & Writing
A non-profit site with great information for teachers and plenty of material you could recommend to students.
How to Teach English Harmer, Jeremy
Solid and practical information for beginner teachers. Even experienced teachers would enjoy and benefit from Harmer’s discussion of English language teaching. He also has a blog that’s worth visiting. (See the link in my own blogroll.)
Look, Think & Write: Using pictures to stimulate thinking and improve your writing Leavitt and Sohn
A useful paperback book that can inspire you when you teach writing skills. My copy is from 1996.
Principles of Language Learning and Teaching Brown, H. Douglas
Much essential information packed into this book. I recommend it for any teacher who needs to bulk up on theory.
Randall’s ESL Cyber Listening Lab
A large collection of listening quizzes for general and academic study at all levels. The quizzes come with transcripts.
Real English / Real English on YouTube
Mike Marzio is the founder of this project, and it’s an interesting, unique, and valuable resource to use both in and out of the classroom. The range of speakers will expose students to varieties of English. The intelligent editing makes the authentic speech comprehensible to learners. Quizzes on the actual Real English site are categorized by grammar level.
A Student’s Grammar of the English Language Greenbaum and Quirk
An oldie but goodie. I love the copy a colleague passed on to me. I use often use it to solve tricky grammar questions. At times there’s probably more information than students actually need to know, but it helps sort everything in a teacher’s mind.
Super Simple Songs / Super Simple Songs on YouTube
Absolutely wonderful material for young English language learners and children in general. I’ve shared these super songs with my own children, and they love them. We know that adults can learn through music, too, so why not share some of the videos with adult learners? Learning the days of the week or numbers can be more memorable and enjoyable through a song. Devon, the creative master behind the music, also offers teaching tips on his site.
Tefclips.com
Jamie Keddie offers lesson plans and useful teaching ideas for classroom use of YouTube clips. Very creative!
TEFLVideos.com
A well-made collection of videos that offers practical advice on teaching EFL in the classroom.
The Idiom Connection
A resource with explanations and interactive quizzes on idioms. I prefer to list this as a teacher’s resource rather than one for students. As the teacher, you can select which ones and how many to present within the framework of a single lesson.
The Week: The Best of the U.S. and International Media
My favorite magazine for teaching and personal use.
The World Clock
When I began to teach private lessons online, I quickly learned about the necessity of using a time zone converter. Always double check the time difference!
USA Learns
Funded by the U.S. Dept. of Education. Amazing resource for beginners and intermediate students studying independently, but there’s also potential for this site to supplement classroom instruction. Videos and readings could be worked into your lesson plans, and the quizzes could be done in a school lab as homework.
Voxopop
Site for creating an audio discussion board. I have yet to try this out, but I hear creative and positive things being done by other teachers.
