Web Sites, Pages and Links

ESL Lesson Plans, Ideas, Quizzes, Teacher Information, etc.:

About.com: ESL (lessons, tips, techniques)

Adult Education ESL Teacher’s Guide (lesson plans)

Texas A&I University

http://humanities.byu.edu/elc/teacher/teacherguidemain

Adult Language Training Branch, Labour & Immigration, Government of Manitoba

The Learning English section of the website has information for Adult ESL learners, employers of ESL speakers, teachers, prospective teachers, and volunteers.

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California Literacy: ESL Special Collection

http://www.literacynet.org/esl/home.html

also see:

http://literacynet.org/esl/teachertutor.html

Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks

Sample tasks http://www.language.ca/pdfs/sampletasks.pdf

Comenius English Language Centre

http://www.comenius.com - this one is good for students, too.

Edhelper.com: Free lesson plans and worksheets

http://www.edhelper.com/

E.L. Easton – Material for Teaching and Learning

Click on English Online

http://eleaston.com/

Education Resources Information Center (ERIC)

A comprehensive site with lesson plans, research papers and journal articles about many aspects of public education. This collection also includes Internet sites, educational organizations, and electronic discussion groups.

http://www.indiana.edu/~eric_rec/

Eric® Digest

To search this very valuable database, go to: http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/index/

The Elements of Style (online)

This text, originally published in 1918, is still considered to be the most concise and best guide to writing in English.

http://esl.about.com/library/strunk/blstrunk_contents.htm

The English Professor (ESL activities and links)

http://www.theenglishprofessor.com/

ESL/EFL Learner Sites (with Canadian Language Benchmarks ratings)

http://esl-links.cjb.net

Erlynn Baack

Website provides useful outlines of Giving Instructions, Cause/Effect, Comparison/Contrast, Persuasion and Writing Sentences. A useful site for students self-study too.

http://www.ebaack.com/

The Internet TESL Journal

http://www.aitech.ac.jp/~iteslj/

One Stop English

http://www.onestopenglish.com/index.htm

The National Center for ESL Literacy Education (NCLE)

Links to many sites with information related to the teaching of English to adults and out-of-school youth.

http://www.cal.org/ncle/links/htm

NetLearn Languages: Free Resources

http://www.netlearnlanguages.com/

Self-Study Quizzes for ESL Students

A special project of The Internet TESL Journal

http://iteslj.org/quizzes/

South East Asian Ministers of Education Organisation (SEAMEO) Regional Language Centre (RELC)

Provides a comprehensive bibliography on Individual Differences: Styles, Strategies

http://www.relc.org.sg/sb66b.htm

Teaching Multilevel Adult ESL Classes

http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed383242.html

Ted Power’s ESL ( resources and links)

http://www.btinternet.com/~ted.power/

The Tower of English: The ESL guide to the internet

http://towerofenglish.com/

The Internet TESL Journal

http://www.aitech.ac.jp/~iteslj/

Teacher Development:

AlphaPlus Centre

Check out the On-line Learning Manuals and the LLEOpard Workshops.

http://alphaplus.windnetcs.com/practres.html

American Speech Language Hearing Association has a bibliography listing various fact sheets and resources including Cultural Differences in Communication and Learning Styles and Assessing Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Populations.

http://professional.asha.org/resources/multicultural/OMA_fact_sheets.cfm

Education Resources Information Center (ERIC)

http://www.indiana.edu/~eric_rec/

From Now On (FNO) Education Technology Journal

An article that shows how schools may take advantage of electronic networks to raise a generation of free range students —people capable of navigating through a complex, often disorganised information landscape.

http://www.fno.org/text/grazing.html

Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition in Manitoba

http://www.plarinmanitoba.ca/plar_main_e.html

Grammar:

Many of the ESL websites contain information on grammar lessons. Some are designed for the learners to work through exercises on their, others are resources for teachers. For specific information on common ESL problem areas, try, English As Second Language site at http://esl.about.com/:

Articles:

http://esl.about.com/sitesearch.htm?terms=articles&SUName=esl&TopNode=3042&type=1

Conditionals:

http://esl.about.com/sitesearch.htm?terms=conditionals&SUName=esl&TopNode=3042&type=1

Fragments:

Gerunds:

http://esl.about.com/sitesearch.htm?terms=gerunds&SUName=esl&TopNode=3042&type=1

Idioms:

http://esl.about.com/sitesearch.htm?terms=idioms&SUName=esl&TopNode=3042&type=1

Canadian Idioms Archive

http://eltc.com/idioms.html

Dave's ESLCafe Idioms Section

http://www.eslcafe.com/idioms/

Comenius Idioms Section

http://www.comenius.com/idioms/

Modals:

http://esl.about.com/sitesearch.htm?terms=modals&SUName=esl&TopNode=3042&type=1

Objects:

http://esl.about.com/sitesearch.htm?terms=objects&SUName=esl&TopNode=3042&type=1

Perfect Tenses:

http://esl.about.com/sitesearch.htm?terms=perfect%20tenses&SUName=esl&TopNode=3042&type=1

Prepositions:

http://esl.about.com/sitesearch.htm?terms=prepositions&SUName=esl&TopNode=3042&type=1

Run-ons:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_sentpr.html

Paragraphs: Go to Paragraph Punch, a program which guides users through each step in writing a complete paragraph. Help messages are provided as they write.

http://esl.about.com/msub4.htm

Sentences:

http://owlenglihs.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_sentp.html

Pronunciation:

Sounds of English (pronunciation)

http://www.soundsofenglish.org/

fonetiks.org

Language pronunciation tutorials with sound clips.

http://www.fonetiks.org/

Speech Accent Archive

This site examines the accented speech of speakers from many different language backgrounds reading the same sample paragraph.

Also some useful links to international phonetic alphabet (used by many ESL students) and map of world.

http://classweb.gmu.edu/accent/

Listening Exercises:

About.com

http://esl.about.com/cs/advanced/index_4.htm

Working with Immigrants and Refugees:

Cultural Profiles Project (Citizenship and Immigration Canada)

A country by country cultural profile with an overview of life and customs.

http://cwr.utoronto.ca/cultural/english/index.html

Mental Health and the Adult Refugee: The Role of the ESL Teacher

http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed439625.html

Mental Health and the ESL Classroom: a Guide for Teachers Working with Refugees

This guide was produced by the International Institute of Boston and the Immigrant and Refugee Services of America and can be downloaded:

http://www.refugeesusa.org/help_ref/esl_manual.pdf

Trauma and the Adult English Language Learner

http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed444397.html

Translations from one language to another:

SYSTRAN

http://www.systranlinks.com/systran/cgi

Travlang: Translating Dictionaries

http://dictionaries.travlang.com/

Babelfish

http://babelfish.altavista.com/

Somali Dictionary

Cultural Diversity Network,104 1/2 West Broadway, Owatonna, MN 55060

http://www.hickorytech.net/~cdn/somali.htm

Quirky and Interesting:

Common Errors in English

http://www.wsu.edu:8080/%7Ebrians/errors/errors.html

Click on the error for explanation

English-Zone.com: Language Fun Pages (thesaurus games)

http://english-zone.com/language/roget.html

Jokes for the ESL/EFL Classroom

http://iteslj.org/c/jokes.html

Oxymoron list (the largest list of oxymorons ever collected online)

University of Phoenix

http://www.oxymoronlist.com/

Metacognitive Strategies:

sites to get students – and teachers - thinking about how they think

Assessing the Metacognitive Growth of ESL Student Writer
http://www.kyoto-su.ac.jp/information/tesl-ej/ej09/a1.html

Loretta F. Kasper looks at the relationship between metacognitive growth and students learning English as a second language.

Brain Dancing For Students
http://braindance.com/frambdi1.htm

Creativity Web – Resources for Creativity and Innovation

Several ideas for stretching your students’ thinking. Try clicking on the Mental Workout Centre

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~caveman/Creative/index2.html

Developing Metacognition: ERIC Digest
http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed327218.html

Strategies for teaching metacognitive skills.

Learning and Mathematics: Metacognition
http://forum.swarthmore.edu/~sarah/Discussion.Sessions/Schoenfeld.html

Suggestions for making math more meaningful to students.

Learning to Learn: Thinking and Learning Skills, an Online Course

http://www.ldrc.ca/projects/projects.php?id=26

Metacognition
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/learning/lr1metn.htm

Metacognition and Reading to Learn
http://www.indiana.edu/~eric_rec/ieo/digests/d96.html

How learning about text structure, task demands and strategies on comprehension in reading can help your students.

Metacognition: An Overview
http://www.gse.buffalo.edu/fas/shuell/cep564/Metacog.htm

Jennifer A. Livingston writes about various aspects of metacognition.

Multiple Intelligences:

Explanations, examples and lesson ideas sorted by subject area

www.multi-intell.com/

Strategies of Intelligence: A Model for Learning

http://www.soisystems.com/model_for_learning.pdf

http://www.newhorizons.org/trm_soi.htm

What is metacognition?
http://www.lincoln.ac.nz/edu/tip/90.htm

A definition of metacognition based on the work of Flavell.

Word Safari: Vocabulary Expeditions

http://home.earthlink.net/~ruthpett/safari/

Not specifically ESL (but relevant and useful):

Adult Literacy Resource Institute

Boston, Mass

http://www.alri.org/litlist/lessons.html

The Change Agent: Adult Education for Social Justice. News Issues and Ideas

http://www15.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca/english/es.asp

Cool Teaching Lesson and Units

http://169.207.3.68/~rlevine/coolunits.htm

Cyber Guides: Teacher Guides and Student Activities

CyberGuides are supplementary, standards-based, web-delivered units of instruction centered on core works of literature. Each CyberGuide contains a student and teacher edition, standards, a task and a process by which it may be completed, teacher-selected web sites and a rubric, based on California Language Arts Content Standards. In the guides, the magenta text indicates the language (or context-appropriate equivalent to the language) of the content standards.

http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/SCORE/cyberguide.html

click on Grades 9-12 in the side bar

English Online

This site is a vast professional development resource for teachers of English in New Zealand and worldwide. Educators will find over 150 fully resourced and downloadable teaching units, professional readings, selected links and discussion forums.

http://english.unitecnology.ac.nz/

Click on English Units, then Years 11-13

National Adult Literacy Database (NALD)

This comprehensive site provides regional, national and international links and resources on literacy, numeracy and essential skills.

http://www.nald.ca

Government Web Sites:

Province of Manitoba – Government links

http://www.gov.mb.ca/index.shtml

Manitoba Labour and Immigration – Learning English links

http://www.gov.mb.ca/labour/immigrate/english/learningenglish/1.html

Government of Alberta: Learning: English as a Second Language

http://www.learning.gov.ab.ca/k_12/curriculum/bySubject/ESL/default.asp

Saskatchewan Education: Incorporating the Common Essential Learning and the Adaptive Dimension: A Resource Package

http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/pdf/celadapt.pdf

City of Winnipeg

http://www.city.winnipeg.mb.ca/interhom/default.stm

Winnipeg Public Library

http://wpl.city.winnipeg.mb.ca/library/

Winnipeg Transit Info

www.winnipegtransit.com

Workplace related:

AWAL: Applications of Working and Learning National Project

(A data base of interviews conducted by educators at various workplaces. You can search by essential skill (eg: reading) then click on a particular file for more information about that interview, including suggested classroom activity and links to resources.)

http://www.awal.c2t2.ca/

Canada Works 2nd Edition - ESL Teacher's Resource Guide

www.settlement.org/sys/library_detail.asp?PageID=REF&passed_lang=EN&doc_id=1002616

The Canada Works Resource Guide focuses on employability skills and knowledge and is designed to be integrated into ESL classroom curriculum. This resource is referenced to the Canadian Language Benchmarks.

A separate workbook called Through the Looking Glass has been written for learners to use and it supports the information and activities in CanadaWorks.

http://www.settlement.org/downloads/Through_the_Looking_Glass.pdf

HRDC Essential Skills: Skills for Life, Learning and Work

http://www15.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca/english/es.asp

Jobboom: Top 100 Internet Sites for Learning and Employment

http://www.jobboom.com/conseils/top100A.html

Looking for Work in Canada: Strategies for New Canadians: by the London Language Training Advisory Council

A resource created from the experiences of newcomers to Canada, ESL instructors, employment counsellors, and employers. Part 1, The Preparation covers how to self-assess skills and write a resume. Part 2, The Search covers how to search out employment opportunities and how to submit applications, resumes and cover letters. The curriculum including handouts is available in .pdf format at

http://alphaplus.ca/lincdoc/looking.htm#

National Institute for Literacy Special Collections

Academic Skills Assessment with applications for the real world (ie: workplace)

http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/

See specifically this page below, on oral communication, for an article containing a communications assessment rubric with excellent ties to descriptive verbs.

http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/tt_communication.html

Owl Online Writing Lab: Employment Workshops, Cover Letter

The cover letter workshop is a useful exercise for students to practise writing a cover letter.

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/hypertext/coverletter/index.html

Prior Learning and Assessment in Manitoba

http://www.plarinmanitoba.ca/plar_main_e.html

Resume Tutor

A helpful site that guides learners through the process of writing a resume that best suits their situation.

http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/ecep/resume/step1.htm

Steps to Employment

A series of workshop manuals, ready for use in settlement and integration programs in Ontario. Each workshop manual includes materials for twenty-five hours of orientation, and twenty-five hours of occupation-specific language training.

http://www.stepstoemployment.net/manuals.html

Local, National and International News:

All Africa News

http://allafrica.com/

BBC

http://www.bbc.co.uk/

CBC

http://www.cbc.ca/

Canada Newswire

http://www.newswire.ca/

CNN

http://www.cnn.com/index.html