Bilingual & ESL

Resources for ESL Teachers

Every teacher knows that the internet is a great instructional tool, but most don’t have time to navigate the web. This annotated list of useful websites can be helpful to P2G ESL teachers who are looking for resources to further enhance their instruction.

English as a Second Language:

www.handsonenglish.com: Find out how to subscribe to this excellent periodical which contains current events activities, interactive activities and multicultural activities.
www.cal.org: Research from the Center for Applied Linguistics can be obtained here.
www.nystesol.org: The periodical Idiom, published by the New York State Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, can be acquired here. One can obtain information regarding annual conferences, activities and instructional resources.
www.breakingnewsenglish.com: provides easier and harder versions of news stories based on a variety of lessons.
www.manythings.org: You can learn about the ESL Academy for Teachers, the top six websites for ESL, acquire literacy lesson plans, and other resources.
www.eslcafe.com: This is the Internet’s “meeting place” for ESL and EFL teachers and students from around the world! The site provides job links for second language students, grammar and idiom exercises. The “Idea Cookbook” provides icebreakers, strategies for using the net, listening activities, business English, approaches for enhancing vocabulary, writing ideas. Once you access the site, click on “ESL Links” for an additional 3,024 ESL links on varied topics with lesson plans.
www.parlo.com: Parlo is a leader in interactive language learning. This site provides ESL students who wish to study English on their own with additional practice.
www.vocabulary.com: Lots of fun vocabulary activities, as well as vocabulary lesson plans. Activities are grouped as per level of difficulty.
www.englishlistening.com: This site provides listening passages of authentic American English speakers discussing what interests them. Passages are grouped by difficulty level. This excellent support helps students receive listening practice in the comfort of their homes, as well as techniques in the art of effective listening.
www.eslpartyland.com: Resources are available for both students and teachers. The student pages contain 75 interactive quizzes, 15 discussion forums, interactive lessons on a variety of topics, a chat room, lots of links. The teacher pages include lesson plans and reproducible materials to use in class, a chat room, job board, links, etc.
www.dictionary.com: You will find the English “Word of the Day”, articles, dictionary.com style guide, exercises for practicing grammar/usage, synonyms, antonyms.
www.efl.net: This site provides exercises in the use of idiomatic English, audio projects, audio boards, language software, and links for learning English as a foreing language.
www.cityu.edu.hk/elc/quiz: This site provides quizzes on varied language topics at various levels of difficulty---easy, intermediate, and advanced.
http://A4esl.org: This site offers activities for ESL students---quizzes, tests, exercises, puzzles, as well as links to other ESL/EFL websites.
www.eleaston.com/pronunciation: This site provides authentic pronunciation of vocabulary on various topics. Practice is provided for both vowel and consonant sounds.
www.eslgold.net: This site provides free English teaching and learning resources, including vocabulary pages, grammar and reading exercises, quiz links, conversational materials, free lesson plans.
www.factmonster.com/state: This site offers facts about the states, state maps, flags, landmarks, state games, quizzes, Americana. Great for an ESL Civics class.
www.literacynet.org/cnnsf: This Learning Resource site offers web-delivered instruction using current and past news stories. Each module includes the full text of each story and interactive activities to test comprehension. The learner can choose to read the text, and view a short video clip of the story. Each module is designed for ease of use so that the learner can use it independently. The instructor can also incorporate any story into his/her class activities and lesson plans.
www.biography.com: The website of A and E Biography offers a wealth of biographies of individuals from all fields. The site offers ideas for classroom use, study guides, contests, links and other resources.
www.elllo.org/index.htm: This free on-line listening resource consists of over 1,000 listening activities for ESL/EFL students and teachers. The immersion model is followed. Most listening activities include images, interactive quizzes and transcripts of the audio.
www.odci.gov/cia/publication/factbook: The CIA website offers facts about countries, flags of the world, and frequently asked questions regarding various nations.

Mathematics:

www.teachersnetwork.org/NTNY/nychelp/math/mathweb.htm: This website provides lesson plans by both veteran and new math teachers, online courses, a New Teachers Handbook, and other useful resources.
www.nctm.org: This is the website of the National Council of Teachers of English. You may access math resources, publications and events.
www.literacynet.org/sciencelincs/teachertutor-num.html: You may access resources for teaching the math skills outlined by the Numeracy Network.
www.mathforum.orga/teachers/adult.ed/: Obtain information about adult numeracy assessments, mathematics curriculum design, interdisciplinary math, and other topics.
www.literacynet.org/annu: The Numeracy Network provides information about publications, resources and math links.
www.algebracompletecom: Algebra Complete is a free online tutorial video series that includes over 30 full algebra lessons for students and teachers. Plans are available for the secondary level.
www.create4ms.org: Create for Mississippi is a virtual community for teachers to share ideas, resources, and best practices in technology and includes over 200 technology-infused lesson plans.
www.mathisfun.com: Math is Fun is an educational and fun approach to mathematics. Games, puzzles and online activities are included. Topics include algebra, geometry, measurement, and money. Tutoring services are also listed.
www.mathmodels.org: Math Models is a free modeling forum which provides mathematics educators with problems from a modeling database to enrich their classroom. It also gives students the opportunity to work with their peers or other students from around the world on challenging modeling problems.

Science:

www.learningcenter.nsta.org: The National Society of Teachers of Science has a website which is replete with excellent science resources. There are 1,000 NSTA journal articles, many with high quality lesson plans; 125 e-chapters from selected science texts; 20 sci-guides, a resource to help teachers integrate the Internet into the classroom; 35 science objects, that is, one-two hour interactive simulations based on learning experiences.