TeachersFirst: Resources for Understanding and Working with ESL/ELL students

Understanding and Working with ESL/ELL students:

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ESL Teacher Handouts, Grammar Worksheets, and Printables Grade K to 12 - Using English.com- 6900

Find ESL Teacher Handouts, Grammar Worksheets, and Printables on this site. These will give you a quick source of easy-to-use handouts for instant extra practice with your ESL/ELL students. Parents may elso find the handouts helpful at home.

In the Classroom:
ESL/ELL teachers may want to share this source with regular classroom teachers and with parents to help provide students with extra practice. Some of your larning support students may benefit from them, as well. Don't forget to print the answer sheet, as well!

Pair Your Newcomers with Buddies Grade K to 12 - Everything ESL: Judie Haynes- 6898

Try this article on using buddies as a helpful strategy for your ESL/ELL students. Specific suggestions wbout what kind of buddy to choose and what buddy rsponsibilitites should be are very useful. You may want to share some portions of this article with the buddies themselves in secondary-level classes. Don't forget to also read TeachersFirst's Top Ten Tips for Working with ESL/ELL students.

Activities for Newcomers Grade K to 12 - Everything ESL: Judie Haynes- 6897

Your class is welcoming some ESL/ELL students. Here are some tips for starting out right with newcomers who speak little or no English. The tips include drawing on the resources of others so you, as the teacher, do not feel you must do everything yourself. Don't forget to also read TeachersFirst's Top Ten Tips for Working with ESL/ELL students.

ESL Gold Picture Dictionary Grade 1 to 6 - ESL Gold- 9166

ESL Gold's "Words and Phrases" page is a listing of vocabulary, grouped in categories ideal for learning a new language. The categories are divided by levels from Low Beginning to Advanced. Many of the categories provide a picture dictionary of all items. Some of the more advanced levels do not include pictures. All levels have audio pronunciation. The higher levels contain vocabulary in context, word phrases, and other vocabulary development activities without definitions. This site requires Windows Media Player or Quicktime to play the audio. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Use this site to share vocabulary by category, using pictures, audio, and written words with your ESL/ELL students, primary students, special ed students, or speech/language students. Include this link in a newsletter that goes home with ESL/ELL students. Mark it as a Favorite on your classroom computer. Demonstrate how to use this website on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Then have students work alone (or with a partner) at their current speaking level. This website could also be used in a regular education class with emerging readers. The five difficulty levels allow teachers the flexibility to differentiate the instruction. Note: small type fonts and some advertising may make this site difficult for some younger students to use. Preview and decide what your class can handle.

Let's Read It Again Grade K to 3 - Intl Reading Assn.- 8758

This lesson uses a bilingual (Spanish-English) picture book to increase comprehension and reading skills in ESL students by having them retell the story in a variety of ways. Many non-ESL/ELL students would benefit from the same skills.They make vocabulary lists, make diagrams, retell the story, and rewrite the book using their own words. Teachers can generalize the knowledge gained after using this lesson plan to incorporating other bilingual books while teaching ESL students. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Allow ESL/ELL or other students to work on the various online tools included in this lesson on their regular classroom computer or cluster, printing the products and sharing them in partner-reading or other activities with non-ESL/ELL students. Learning support students would also benefit from the comprehension strategies involved.

ESL HQ Grade 1 to 6 - ESL HQ- 9179

This site helps regular classroom, ELL, and ESL teachers prepare vocabulary review and game sheets by providing ready-made sets of pictures and flashcards. You must register, but registration is free and is simple. The many topics and options are a bit difficult to find because of all the forums and blogs on the page; just look for the tabs across the top of the opening page and also "See this Worksheet" when you enter a subject category page. Registrants can create their own combinations of the pictures provided and leave a copy of the worksheet at the site for others to use. The pictures themselves are fairly neutral and would work with all elementary levels. Warning: this site has several advertisements that can be rather distracting. Also, due to the forums and blogs, this is NOT a good site to send students to independently.

In the Classroom:
This site is a time saver when you are looking for pictures around a certain theme for your ESL and ELL students. Select whatever pictures you like and create worksheets, games, and flash cards. Have students review the pictures and vocabulary with each other after you demonstrate the activity.

Free Short Stories For Low Intermediate ESL Learners Grade 8 to 12 - eslfast.com- 8850

This site offers a list of short stories for ESL/ELL learners. Students can read the story, listen to the story, review the story, click on vocabulary words to access an online dictionary, and more. There is also a link to an online dictionary for other new words not featured in the vocabulary section at the top of the page. Many of the stories offer two listening speeds (slow and normal). Although the advertisements are a bit distracting, this website does offer a high number of ESL/ELL stories on a variety of topics. The subject matter of many stories is not appropriate for younger students. Preview! This site requires Windows Media. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
The reading and listening activities are easy for students to work on independently because of the listening option. Special ed teachers may also have students who will benefit from the listening practice. Don't forget to provide the headphones. Provide this link on your class website or newsletter, so the families of ESL/ELL students can read (or listen) to the stories together.

Teaching Tips Grade 1 to 12 - Mr. Shurley- 8835

These teaching tips work well in an all ESL class, or a regular class with only a few ESL students. The tips provide ideas to help with preparing materials, making assessments, and modifying materials and expectations so that the ESL students can succeed. The file format is PDF.

In the Classroom:
Keep these practical tips handy in your favorites as a reminder when you are struggling to meet the needs of ESL/ELL students in your regular class. If you serve as a teaching mentor, you may also want to share them with less-experienced teachers charged to your "care." Many of the same tips apply to learning support students, as well.

ESL Environmental Education Grade 2 to 6 - Charles LaRue- 7431

This site, intended for ESL/ELL students, has environmental education issues on six topics; Each topic is available in English, Hmong, Arabic and Somali. Students-- even those without special needs-- can listen to the very simple lesson while viewing a related picture online or they can opt for the print version and read the lesson themselves. English learners and special ed students would benefit from listening and following along with the written versions. Quizzes are available to check comprehension of the material presented. Topics include recycling, reuse, personal involvement in conservation, and hazardous waste disposal. The non-English language choices offered are less common, but this is an extremely useful site for adapting curriculum for ESL and special ed students.

In the Classroom:
If you teach environmental issues or ESL, this is a good site to know about when planning a lessons. Make sure you have headphones available for students to listen without disturbing others. ESL and Special Ed teachers may want to make regular ed/science teachers aware of this site to include with their environmental units.

ESL Levels Grade K to 12 - TeachersFirst- 6929

TeachersFirst provides these descriptions of ESL levels to help you think about what your student may be capable of doing in your class. These will also help in dialog with other teachers who work with this student. If you have an ESL/ELL specialist available for consultation, you may want to talk to him/her about where your students fit in this continuum.

ESL Writing Wizard Grade K to 6 - Nick Ramsay- 9027

This site allows teachers to make their own practice worksheets in D'Nealian, Zaner-Bloser style, or cursive form. . Each prints out with the full word, a dotted word, and blank lines. Create your own word lists for children to practice or use some created and submitted by other teachers. The site also provides alphabet practice and a management tool for you to save your completed worksheets. This website is quick and simple to use. There are some unobtrusive advertisements at this website.

In the Classroom:
Use the cursive option with even your advanced level ESL and ELL students, some of whom have only learned to write English by printing. With ESL and ELL students, combine writing practice with survival word lists, such as colors, numbers, days of the week, months of the year etc. Use this for extra practice for your students learning to print or learning cursive. Although this site was created for ESL and ELL students, it would be useful in any elementary classroom learning printing, cursive writing, or even spelling words. For kinesthetic practice with any students, project the worksheet on an interactive whiteboard for use with a finger as a “pencil.” Children with special needs will find this kinesthetic option very helpful and engaging.

100 Free Short Stories for ESL Grade 6 to 12 - Rong-Chang Li & Bill Bailey- 8915

This website provides a large collection of short stories selected for beginning and advanced beginning ESL students. The subject matter of many stories is not appropriate for younger students. Some include topics you would find in newspaper articles, and some deal with dating. Preview! The website allows you to read the story yourself or click on the speaker icon to hear the story read aloud. The site could also be used to provide extra reading and reading/listening for struggling readers. There are also an online dictionary, numerous follow-up activities to check comprehension, and crossword puzzles. The questions and other review activities provide immediate feedback. This website requires RealPlayer or Windows Media Player. You can get both from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Share these activities with individual students as an assignment or independent practice on your classroom computer and as a link from your web site. The reading and activities are easy to work on independently because of the listening feature and the available dictionary. Don't forget to provide headphones. Provide this link for the families of ESL/ELL students to read (or listen) to the stories together.

Eclectic English Grade 2 to 12 - eclecticenglish.com- 8903

This site offers grammar practice, exams and quizzes, worksheets, and more for learning ESL. Spellings and vocabulary are British. Drag the words to match a picture in the vocabulary exercises. Submit a request for new ESL exercises on the Wish List. NOTE: the ESL forums provide an opportunity for students to use new English knowledge, but they may not include topics you wish to make available in the classroom. PREVIEW first. Requires JAVA: Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Use the listings on this site to find review and extra practice for your ESL students. Make the specific activities available on your classroom computer.

Awesome Comics Webquest Grade 4 to 12 - Grammarman.com- 8855

This complete unit gives ESL/ELL students get an opportunity to create (write and draw) a new comic character for the Grammarman comic series. (See TeachersFirst’s review of the broader Grammarman web site for other activities that may require less time). Students are able to research the history of comics, drawing, manga, super heroes, character development, and more. Throughout the webquest, students can check out what other students have created. After going through the 8 stages of the webquest, reading, writing, and drawing, your students can submit the finished product to the student pages so others can enjoy their creation. Notes for teachers summarize each of the 8 steps and make suggestions about how to use this webquest in a shorter time period. Eager comic creators who aren't ESL/ELL students will also enjoy a modified version of this quest. This website requires FLASH. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Share this webquest on laptops or a classroom computer cluster for students to accomplish the “quest.” Use this project in an ESL/ELL class as a cumulative review of each student's specific grammar problem. Pair ESL students with a native speaker to work on the research and drawing. This creative activity is sure to excite ESL/ELL students and native English speakers.

ESL Bears Grade 3 to 12 - - 8825

This is a handy compilation site for ESL activities arranged by subject and level. The Listening 1 and Pre-reading sites are especially helpful for low level ESL/ELL students. The site focuses on the needs of newly arrived English learners. Subjects covered include listening, reading, grammar, writing, and games.This site requires Flash, Shockwave, and a media player. Get Them from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Use this site with newly-arrived ESL/ELL students in your regular classes. The listening offerings in particular give them an alternative voice to hear and also allow them to become familiar with computer use. Make this link available on your classroom computer for use as an adapted activity during language arts time or as an on-demand activity for your ELL students. Be sure to make the link available from your teacher web page for others working with these students to access, as well.

ESL Podcards Grade 4 to 9 - eslpodcards.com- 8753

ESL Podcards is a unique ESL site, offering downloadable MP3 audio files (for mp3 player, computer listening, or burning to CD)at two levels about locations in a variety of countries. Each lesson shows a pictures of a postcard from one of the featured regions. Users can select to listen, use an accompanying worksheet, read the tapescript, or download the material for later use. New locations appear frequently on the site. At the time of this writing, it contains mostly material in the UK and South Africa. The speaker has a British accent, but his voice is clear and understandable. There is a separate section on the site where students can listen to the pronunciation of irregular verbs. This site, if using the computer for listening, requires Quicktime or Windows Media PLayer to play the MP3 files. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Use the advanced organizer questions to build listening comprehension and understanding of idioms as student listen for expressions with a specific meaning. Incorporate the listening activities as part of your study of the UK or Africa in world geography. Share this link on your classroom computer or cluster for extra listening practice for ESL students. Encourage students to create their own location mini-descriptions of spots from their town or country and record them as podcasts you can post on your class web page or wiki. Better yet, use these as a model for student-created "podcards" on places students research in geography class.

Song Lyrics for Teaching ESL Grade 1 to 8 - Songs for Teaching- 7413

This site offers words and audio clips from songs helpful in teaching ESL. Categories include teaching conversational skills, teaching grammar, and teaching children through songs. Note: you will have to "learn" the song from the clip, a small portion of the entire song. You can download songs ( for a fee), but the clips should be enough to get you started. Links offer further song categories including alphabet songs, holidays and rap! The audio clips require the Quicktime plug in. Although the site has links to purchase books, this is not necessarily a negative feature for teachers who have been searching for ESL songbooks for their classroom.

In the Classroom:
Use ESL songs from books written by ESL specialists! Use links provided for using songs in the regular classroom, too.

Follow the simple suggestions at the end of each set of lyrics for ways to do the activity with your students.

National TESOL Standards: Online Edition Grade K to 12 - TESOL- 6926

Read the national TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of other languages) standards for ESL. Of particular interest are the Sample Progress Indicators and scenarios that decribe differeing levels of proficiency for ESL/ELL students you may find in your classroom. THIS SITE OPENS SLOWLY Please be patient. TeachersFirst has more information on how you may want to use ESL/ELL levels and tips for working with these students.

Multicultural Holidays Through Student Artwork Grade 2 to 8 - Everything ESL: Judie Haynes- 6899

This lesson plan provides a way to encourage cultural awareness and make your ESL students' knowledge of their home culture a classroom asset. The lesson can be done in an all-ESL/ELL class or in a regular class as part of an investigation of cultures, part of a unit on research, or as an art lesson. It can also be adapted for use in a high school level world cultures class.

The Internet TESL Journal Grade 1 to 12 - - 189

This is a venerable (well, since 1995 anyway) online journal for ESL teachers. The various editions include articles, activities, and projects for ESL teachers and students. Importantly, back issues are archived on-line, creating an extensive resource for ESL teachers.

Activities for ESL Students Grade 1 to 12 - International TESL Journal- 5709

Nice collection of teacher-created interactive tests, quizzes, exercises and puzzles, spanning multiple skill levels and topics. Includes crossword puzzles to be done online for all ESL levels and by word-type or subject (Ex. Thanksgiving words).

English Gateway Grade 8 to 12 - englishgateway.com- 8959

This free practice link offers ESL and ELL students idioms, collocations, and phrasal verbs presented in context. The specific topics are “Day to Day,” “Workplace,” “Getting Personal,” and “Idiomania.” The latter, a special idioms-in-the-news section, would be useful for any language arts class, not just ELL. There is also one free topic available, a short reading with a variety of follow up exercises (see the Free Topic link). In addition to the "free" information, on the opening page ( English Gateway ) there is a daily article of current interest with interesting links to other information about the topic. Be sure to preview any material; some is not suitable for younger students. The website also includes a blog for ESL and ELL teachers. Be aware, some of the other material available on this website requires a fee.

In the Classroom:
Mark this site in your Favorites for extra practice for your ESL and ELL students. Have them make similar collocations with idioms and phrasal verbs they encounter and compile them into an ESL and ELL idiom dictionary–-maybe on a wiki!

English for All Grade 7 to 12 - US Department of Education- 8818

This multimedia online program allows teachers to set up English classes for ESL/ELL students from all language groups. The website includes online stories, accompanying print materials, videos, and optional videos and CDs for purchase. Teachers can set up this FREE program (including 20 lessons) for unlimited classes. Each lesson has vocabulary, a video, support work, listening requirements, grammar, and a test. Students go through a series of activities; results are reported back to the teacher. Videos are available as downloads or podcasts. Teacher guides are provided. This site requires Flash and Quicktime. Get them from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Be sure to take advantage of this FREE website to help your ESL/ELL students improve their English. For older students, this program can help them prepare for the world of work. Some parents of ESL/ELL students may even appreciate the resource for their own learning. ESL teachers may want to share the site at an open house or conferences as a non-invasive way of drawing parents into the process.

How are You? Grade K to 8 - Genki English- 8637

This ESL site uses cute graphics to illustrate a variety of feelings. Users can view them online or print them out as flash cards. Genki's commentary adds suggestions of how to use the cards. An accompanying song file (RIGHT-click and Save Target As to download onto your computer) and lyrics spice up the lesson. There are also illustrative photos of a Japanese elementary class using hand gestures to reinforce the lesson. A free online game allows users to click on graphics when they hear the description of a feeling, such as, "I'm sad." Although the page itself advertises products, enough of the offerings are free to make this a worthwhile beginning-level ESL/ELL, speech/language, or emotional support lesson. This site requires Shockwave. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Share the activities on a computer cluster or interactive whiteboard with a group or a single computer with one or two students. Special Ed teachers may find the musical activity helps some students respond where they are usually more distant. For more lessons with illustrated gestures, flash cards, teaching suggestions, and songs for ESL students, scroll down to the bottom of this long page.

Karin's ESL PartyLand Grade 4 to 12 - Karin M. Cintron- 8475

Originally written for ESL students to practice language skills, these interactive quizzes are very useful for allowing all levels of students to test their skills online in a nonthreatening way. These interactive quizzes seem to touch on all bases from business English to grammar to vocabulary (including idioms), making them great for either pretesting, practice or review. They also allow the teacher to individualize what students need from a variety of choices.

In the Classroom:
Assign individual or mini-lesson practice on laptops or a computer cluster in your classroom after grading writing assignments or while studying grammar. Learning support and ESL teachers will also like the extra practice options to help students with grammar skills and idioms. Since there is no "scoring" function, you may want students to raise hands and SHOW you how they did as they complete activities.

ESL Teacher Lesson Plans & Worksheets Grade 2 to 8 - Using English.com- 7414

This index to short ESL lessons and resources in three levels provides material for quick review of grammar, reading, and special-topic classroom activities. Some contain photographs that clarify the questions or provide conversational stimulation. HAndouts are in PDF format and are well prepared. Many have cloze passages or similar activities to reinforce vocabulary. Special ed teachers seeking materials to reinforce basics will find some activities helpful, as well.

In the Classroom:
Find reinforcement and review activities quickly. For a multi-level classroom containing some ESL students, use these plans with your regular lessons to provide extra help.

English Grade 2 to 8 - Larry Ferlazzo- 7225

This is an excellent, frequently updated collection of links especially appropriate for ESL/ELL learners and instructors. The site's creator is a teacher himself. We do not usually list "hotlists" of links, but these are quite helpful for ESL teachers or those with ESL students in their classroom. Check here if you're looking for help with a specific language learning need or some new way to present standard materials.

The teacher section include links categorized by native language so you can individualize your approach with different language learners.

In the Classroom:
Mark this one in your Favorites as a valuable reference.

ELL Outlook Grade K to 12 - Course Crafters- 7054

This bi-monthly magazine for ELL professionals in K – 12 is especially good for newer teachers; it contains classroom techniques as well as pertinent news. Past issues are archived. Format is straightforward: mainly text reading but content is academic and addresses the latest issues, concerns, techniques, and political/news events that affect ESL teaching.

In the Classroom:
A professional resource for ESL/ELL instructors or those with ESL/ELL students.

Top Ten Tips for Working With ESL/ELL Students Grade K to 12 - TeachersFirst- 6928

Teaching ESL./ELL students in your regular classroom can be a challenge. You feel great empathy for the children who enter your room, bewildered, but you have the rest of the class to think of, too. TeachersFirst offers these Top Ten Tips for Teachers working with ESL/ELL students to help you find appropriate ways to differentiate instruction and make minor adjustments for the individual student and maximize the benefit of having these new students in the class.

Mystery Story Writing Grade 2 to 4 - Leslie Opp-Beckman- 6757

This lesson plan provides prompts for collaborative student mystery writing at the high beginning ESL level. Options include individual writing of an original mystery and also illustrating the mystery with hand or computer assisted drawing. Links offer other exciting reading/writing opportunities that span the academic curriculum including decoding, invisible writing, and science treasure hunts.

In the Classroom:
Although designed for ESL/ELL students, you could pair English-speaking students with ESL students to do this activity, forging positive relationships. You could also have students work with others in a different classroom or location using ideas from this site.

Adapt-a-Strategy Grade K to 12 - TeachersFirst- 6997

Adapt your existing lesson plans using these simple strategies to help ESL students. Click on the activity type you have planned and find suggestions and resources to help your ESL/ELL students be successful with the lesson. Some of the same strategies may help with students with IEPs for speech and language or learning support.

In the Classroom:
Share this one with your colleagues who also have ESL/ELL students.

Takako's Great Adventure Grade 4 to 6 - Brian Rhodes- 6965

A story in 10 serial units for ESL students leads a newcomer to Canada and the English-speaking world through the agonies of arrival, acculturation, education in a new setting, and making friends. Text offers vocabulary definition through hyperlinks; audio version is available with a Shockwave plugin. (Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.) Besides the story, vocabulary, and pronunciation, sets of comprehension questions include work on word meanings and online reviews and quizzes which make use of standard reading attack skills. The stories are available in PDF downloads as well as on screen at the left. Audio files are available for MP3 downloads also.

In the Classroom:
Use the stoies for ESl students to increase understanding or for your weak readers to develop reading strategies such as vocabulary development and comprehension. MP3 files offer the option of putting the stories on MP3 players for ESL students to listen to on the bus or at home.

On-Line ESL News Grade 5 to 12 - VOA- 9257

This site features news stories and articles of general interest in simpler language. Text scripts of the news features appear on the screen as students open the page. Most of these news articles offer streaming audio for listening as students follow the text.The general interest articles range in topic from science and technology to global culture to studying in America. There are minor advertisements at this website. The news is available using RealAudio. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Ask intermediate to upper level ESL and ELL students to research, write, and record a podcast of similar news. Poll students to find out which words in the broadcast are difficult for them, and assign a few words to each student to look up and explain. Ask ESL and ELL students to share similar stories from their home cultures. Learning support teachers will want to share these easy-to-understand news stories for their students’ weekly current events “articles.”

Randall’s ESL Cyber Listening Lab Grade 3 to 12 - Randall Davis- 9022

This site offers audible everyday conversations with adult and children’s voices for ESL/ELL students. There are three levels of difficulty. Each story (conversation) includes before, during, and after listening information. Note: some content, such as “Dating Woes,” “The Ideal Woman,” and “Personal Problems" may not be appropriate for younger students. Preview! There are some small Google ads, but they are not objectionable. This site requires Windows Media Player or Real Media and Acrobat Reader. Get them from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Consider using some of the listening exercises to help all students learn to become better listeners or to discuss the concept of "main idea.” Turn up your speakers (and use a projector to display the "quiz script," if you wish) to share the stories and questions or assign stories for student listening in a center. Use the follow-up questions to assess listening skills.

Be sure to follow your school district’s guidelines for students posting information online if they will be responding to the blog feature on this site.

Inspiration Lane Grade 4 to 12 - Susan Alyn- 8851

This dynamic site offers a blog-style newspaper for ESL/ELL students and could also be used in other academic areas. The daily entries follow the same basic format: "Quote of the Day," "This Day in History," "Article of the Day," "Comic Creators,” "Cooking State," "Match Up," “Museum Town,” and “Caption Central.” All change daily! “Today’s English Lesson” changes on weekdays. Like a newspaper, teachers and students can read a single feature or the entire sheet. Interspersed with the information are grammar reminders and practical applications. For foreign language students and beginning language learners, there is an option to translate the page into Korean, French, German, Italian, Portuguese,Spanish, Japanese, simplified Chinese and even Arabic!

In the Classroom:
Project this on your whiteboard at the start of your lesson as students enter or to wrap up the final five minutes with interesting clips from history, quotes, ESL in music etc. Encourage your students to try a new vocabulary word each day on their own. If your students have Internet access outside of class (even in study hall), require a weekly current events response for writing practice--perhaps on a class blog?

Zozanga.com Grade 3 to 12 - Zozanga.com- 8837

This is an excellent, well-organized compilation site of links to the various language skills for ESL/ELL learners: grammar, listening comprehension, vocabulary, reading, general learning skills and tips. Many of the links are internal, that is, created by the Zozanga project. Others are carefully selected; the presentation indicates care in formatting and precision in meeting the needs of students. Many skills include an ESL/ELL level. A list of English grammar skills makes it easy to find the specific skill your student needs.

In the Classroom:
Use this site to find extra practice for ESL/ELL students in the regular classroom, especially as specific needs show up in regaular assignments. Many of the language learning tips can be used by teachers of other languages, as well.

Visual ESL Grade 1 to 8 - Learn English Vocabulary Visually- 8752

Visual ESL has created quite a selection of engaging drag and drop vocabulary lessons and quizzes. For example, the "Basic Verb" lesson uses stick figures jumping, punching, running etc to illustrate the verbs. Users drag the correct label to a box beneath the figure. The offerings in the drag and drop section are much more interesting than the grammar section which is text only. There is a wide range of game selections. They include fill ins and grammar illustrated with cartoons. There are advertisements on the site (text links).

In the Classroom:
This is a good site for ESL students who are more visual learners to practice concepts. Special Ed teachers may find some games helpful for vocabulary development and basic grammar, as well. Many of the drag and drops would work well on an interactive whiteboard or as a learning center on a single classroom computer.

firstfind.info Grade 3 to 8 - Westchester Library System- 8660

This site offers a quick way to find basic information on many topics written in very simple English. There are 9 major topic areas which users can choose from and each area has a variety of inside divisions. Of particular interest to K-12 students would be Government, History, Travel (includes maps), and Health. Especially useful for ESL students are the online magazines written in simplified language and the dictionary link.

In the Classroom:
Suggest this site to your students from other countries when they are assigned a research project. Keep this one in Favorites on your teacher web page or classroom computers for ESL students to use the Dictionary or find simplified information on your government, history and health lessons. Special Ed teachers with students of low reading ability can also find adapted resources here.

Genki Hip Hop Quiz Grade 6 to 12 - Genki English- 8467

This site combines current-sounding songs, a chance to listen to music, lyrics in print, and choices to click on exactly what students hear. Scores show up immediately to reinforce correct answers. Students can try that selection again or go on to another song. Although consumers can purchase the songs for an MP3 player, the complete song plays from the site. ESL/ELL students enjoy song lyrics and show marked improvement in accent development and vocabulary enhancement, so this site is ideal.

In the Classroom:
Refer your middle and high school ESL students to this site as a link from your home page or favorites. Pair one ESL student with a native speaker of English to select the correct words to the song.

EFL Reading Grade 3 to 10 - Kieran McGovern- 7821

This UK-produced site offers free reading materials at six levels from beginning through advanced ESL/ELL learners. The collection is not extensive, but it is useful. Each reading has a level rating as well as links to the original work if an adaptation. The readings are divided into categories such as ghost stories, comic stories, and adventures. Most readings have accompanying exercises and plenty of interesting illustrations to keep motivation high and promote previewing skills. An added bonus is a selection of readings about world football (known as soccer in America).The children's stories include some favorite fairy tales. The fastest way to find stories is to use the site map to browse the list of offerings.

In the Classroom:
Some of these reading would work well for general comprehension activities, as well. Use the Before Reading and Glossary sections to introduce vocabulary. Share a story on an interactive whiteboard (or overhead transperancies if you do not have a whiteboard)to have your ESL/ELL or reading students use pens or whiteboard highlighting and annotations to show where they find important facts, new vocabulary, and main ideas. Use color coding!

Teach Children ESL: Games Grade K to 3 - Teach Children ESL- 6882

This site has many games available for downloading including card games, board games, and Valentine’s Day bingo. Children learn vocabulary and have fun while manipulating the various versions of memory cards, Go Fish, and other traditional children’s past times. Downloads include colorfully illustrated cards and game parts as well as instructions. Links include more goodies: worksheets, songs, and flashcards.

In the Classroom:
Downloaad the games and laminate the materials or send them home for parents and children to do together. Speech and language teachers as well as ESL/ELL teachers will love the free games-to-go!

Heinle’s Newbury House Dictionary of American English Grade 3 to 8 - Heinle Newbury House Publishers- 6699

Designed especially for the limited English speaker, this easy-to-use dictionary contains definitions in simple language ESL learners can understand, and each word is used in a sentence. Other features include pronunciation, synonyms, part of speech, word of the day, and activities; browsing and advanced search options are also available.

In the Classroom:
A great dictionary to bookmark for your ESL learners on your classroom computer for handy reference anytime.

Dave's ESL Café Grade 4 to 12 - - 996

Here's a site with resources specifically for ESL students. The concentration is on building fluency in English using a variety of conversational and reading strategies. There are also links to a number of other ESL resources. Some of the material is designed for adult learners, but could be adapted for secondary students.

Interactive Drama Grade 9 to 12 - Skotos & individual authors- 9388

This is an interesting set of scenarios, mostly written in murder mystery format, by ESL and ELL students in Taiwan. Very little editing was done to the scenarios, so you may notice some grammatical and spelling errors. Be sure to preview whichever of these scenarios you want to use to be sure they are appropriate for your students (although most of them are fine). Most of the scenarios are available in either WORD or PDF versions. If you need Adobe Acrobat, you can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
The murder mystery set-up is always a hit with students and provides both acting practice as well as revision skills since some of the writing needs work due to the nature of being written by ESL and ELL students. Have students prepare and perform the scenarios for each other, having the rest of the class act as the audience, guessing the answer to the mystery.

EcoKids Grade K to 6 - Earth Day Canada- 9335

Even kids in the US can learn oodles from this Canadian ecology site, and teachers will find a trove of information and instructional materials as well. You will appreciate the Earth Day activities and information. There are also numerous educational games highlighting the food chain, bugs, animal adaptations, acid rain, transportation, and other topics. While the site is obviously meant to inform a Canadian audience, USA teachers and students will benefit as well. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Click on “Downloads” on the bottom left to find printables, including coloring sheets of Canadian wildlife and various ecology-related worksheets and lesson plans. Click on the ‘games and activities’ tab and use the interactive whiteboard or projector for whole class eco-minded fun. ESL and ELL teachers, don’t miss the ‘teacher’ section for a cache of activities written for your ELL/ESL students.

ESL Podcasts Grade 5 to 12 - Internet TESL Journal- 9192

This site offers a continually updated variety of podcasts on news subjects at a level appropriate for ESL and ELL students. A short description tells the subject of the podcast as well as other extras like quizzes, speakers, and creators or originators. Students and teachers can listen from the Internet or download to an MP3 player or local computer. A "Read the Web Page" link takes viewers to the news article or other special feature mentioned in the broadcast. Be certain to preview the podcasts that you plan to use in your class. Some are not appropriate for elementary students and young adolescents. This website requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Use this page to listen to current events news in simple English. Play them on your speakers for an entire class or provide headphones for individual listening. Have the students try to write the main points of the podcast they listen to and then check their listening against the webpage with the original article. Special education teachers may want to use this resource as an adapted way for students to read and submit weekly current events articles. Mark this site as a favorite on your classroom computer so students can use it during their free time with headphones. Share the link on your teacher web pages for parents and students to access quickly from home, but be sure to suggest that parents of younger students monitor the topics for appropriateness.

Oddcast Text to Speech Grade 4 to 12 - Oddcast, Inc.- 9191

This “text to speech” service is a rare find and highly useful in ESL, ELL, and world language classrooms. This site is also ideal for students with limited hearing. The website offers two main options: Text to Speech and Text to Speech Translator. At the Text to Speech link, phrases or short stories can be typed into the text box. Space is limited, so the stories cannot be long. Then you can choose among countless avatar voices (in U.S., Australian, or British English accents). Turn up the volume, and listen to your text. At the Translator link, you are able to type in any phrase or story to translate the words from one language to another. This site offers a great variety of world languages (European and Asian) including English, Chinese, Greek, Korean, Russian, Swedish, Polish, and many others. You can even select from a variety of speakers for each language group so that different dialects and areas are covered. For example, Chinese is offered in Mandarin, Cantonese, and Taiwanese. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.. a>

In the Classroom:
Type or copy and paste what you'd like to hear into Oddcast's box. Listen to American and British English accents with your ESL and ELL students and ask them to note specific pronunciation differences. Use this as a survival translator when a non-English speaking student arrives in your classroom! Open the site, type in what you need to tell the student, and translate aloud to his/her language during those desperate moments when acting it out simply does not work! This site is also useful in nearly all world language classrooms Show students how to use the site, then share it as a link on your teacher web page for them to use when practicing at home or outside of class. Why not assign students to learn several “homework” phrases on their own each week, assuming they have access to computers at home or during study times at school. Mark this site on your teacher web page for your ESL/ELL students to hear something read or pronounced both in an outside of class.

Look Way Up Dictionary/Thesaurus Grade 3 to 12 - RES Inc.- 9176

This online dictionary claims to correct misspelled entries, so ESL and ELL students might want to try it. The spelling correction is a bit quirky, however, often suggesting an alternate word that is NOT the intended word. Students can download it to any web browser including those on cell phones. The dictionary itself is extensive; each item shows a series of definitions. Students can then click to see the word used in a sentence, synonyms, and related terms. There is also information on homonyms. Finally, definitions sometimes include a link to more information on the subject, including links to outside sources. The site can translate to and from German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Dutch. Note that there are Google ads on the page, so you will want to be sure that students know to avoid these. The necessary plug-ins for installation on other web browsers are included on the web page.

In the Classroom:
Mark his site as a favorite on your classroom computer for ESL and ELL students who have problems looking up words in the dictionary. Make a game with this site: have students deliberately misspell words and see what they come up with. Give prizes to those who can find the worst guesses in the dictionary. Have them calculate how many times the dictionary actually finds the words they were looking for. This will help students understand how important context clues and contextual “does this make sense” strategies are. Students can also opt to sign up for "word of the second."

ESL Reading Lessons Grade 4 to 10 - 5 Minute English- 9170

This teaching site has a variety of short readings at various levels that could be useful in an ESL, ELL, special education, or regular ed classroom. Some of the topics include sentences with grammar errors, students must figure out what is wrong with each sentence. This is excellent practice for any student learning proper grammar. True/ false comprehension questions follow the reading in most cases. Most of the answers are provided at the bottom of the website – so don’t scroll too quickly. Before the reading begins, students can study difficult vocabulary words presented in an attractive format. There are full units (with many mini-lessons): grammar, reading, vocabulary, listening, pronunciation, and writing. This site does have unobtrusive advertisements, but watch out for the audio announcements when you open the site. Some of the listening activities require Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Use this site if you want your students to do additional reading. Project the topic, story, and questions on an interactive whiteboard or projector for group discussion. Have your students make up their own questions to go with the site. Have your students write up a similar subject relevant to their own culture and present it, along with questions to check for comprehension. This is a fabulous site to list on your class website for students to use for at-home practice.

Talking About Grade 8 to 12 - English Portal- 9168

This English language site is great to use for in-context vocabulary acquisition for ELL and ESL students. The site has twenty-five general topics with banks of commonly used words and examples of how they are used in different situations, phrases, and idioms. Some of the topics include weather, telling the time, lies, cars, trips, letters, vacations, Christmas, and numerous others. Definitions and pronunciation (British) of some of the expressions are provided. There are also examples of the expressions used in a variety of sentences. After taking a look at the definition/pronunciation page, students can select a variety of checkups, including drag and drop, true/false, and fill in the blank. This site requires Media Player or Quicktime. You can get this plug-in from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Check this page to see if any of the general topics has relevance to your lessons. Students can work on their own to increase their vocabulary knowledge of specific expressions used containing the topic focus word. For example, at Christmas time, ESL and ELL students can add to their cultural knowledge as well as language usage by using the Christmas pages.

Story Building Exercises Grade 3 to 9 - Michael A. Riccioli- 9096

In this sequenced reading/writing activity, students choose one of three partial sentences to begin a story. After the page changes, they choose the next sentence part to keep the story going and to keep the sentence grammatically correct. When they make a correct choice, the story shows up in the box below. Many of the sentences in the finished stories are grammatically complex, so only upper intermediate and advanced level ESL or ELL students would benefit from this site. Fortunately, the stories indicate levels of difficulty. In addition to stories, there are Aesop's Fables, poems, and nursery rhymes.. Some activities which include alphabetization, learning days of the week, and using numbers still require reading skills.

In the Classroom:
Refer your older, upper-level ESL and ELL students to this site for extra grammar practice that doesn't look like grammar! Use this site as a complement to reading stories using sentence strips. ESL and ELL students may find the "verbs which become irregular" section useful to review irregular verb forms.

UsingEnglish.com Grade 5 to 12 - UsingEnglish.com- 9011

Check this site for things you need to help for ESL/ELL students. You will find lesson plans, reference links, grammar practice, reading comprehension work, tests, word lists for specific tests, vocabulary offerings, professional articles, and more. The site is easy to searchand well organized, present exercises and tests in a consistent and easy to read format. The "question bank" offers difficult grammar points in a poll format, with results constantly renewed; some answers are obviously wrong, but grammar, too, has its debatable points! With free membership registration, teachers get access to even more activities, exercises, quizzes, games, a newsletter, and more. NOTE: There is a Forum (bulletin board) feature on this site. If your school does not permit students to use such tools, be sure to spell out the consequences as you tell students to avoid that area.

In the Classroom:
Regular classroom teachers will want to use this site with ESL and ELL students fwhen they need a quick review on a specific grammar point. Use the professional articles for your own edification as well as links to other topics of interest.

Kindersay Grade K to 1 - Webmosis- 8867

Although it describes itself as being "preschool" site, Kindersay is a great web site for primary readers, ESL/ELL students and special education students working on speech and language. This site offers simple, easy-to-use activities such as letter recognition and vocabulary. Each letter and vocabulary word has a corresponding video with correct pronunciation. The Favorites tab provides an opportunity to create differentiated instruction for each child. Registration is free!

In the Classroom:
Add the link to a classroom homepage for center-time or for parents and children to practice at home. Use a different activity category each day or week with ESL/ELL or special ed students to build vocabulary. Then use a digital camera to create some pictures and sound files of your own for new categories using PowerPoint slides or the online "My Family" area.

Real Life Language Grade 3 to 12 - Mr. Shurley- 8836

This page provides a rationale for using field trips, web quests, and virtual visits as language teaching that sticks. By learning the language in connection with a real world experience, ESL/ELL students are highly motivated to learn, remember, and use it. Follow-up activities, such as response letters and reaction papers help reinforce the new words and experiences. The article include links to may sources of virtual field trips that will bring the real world into your ESL classroom. Don’t forget to use the TeachersFirst keyword search to find many more virtual field trip options.

In the Classroom:
Use the rationale in this article to gain permission to take your students on REAL field trips. You can also use the many virtual field trip ideas for sharing on your interactive whiteboard or projector when you must stay “in house.”

Chuala Grade 4 to 12 - Chuala- 8773

This site allows students to practice pronunciation in 10 languages, including English, European languages, and Mandarin Chinese. After a free registration, you can put in a search term for lessons. It's a bit difficult to guess search items, so looking at the entire list in any given language is a good way to start. Currently, English has 298 items. You are also able to contribute lessons.

One helpful document is the Chuala inventory which allows instructors to quiz ESL students on their pronunciation by having them pronounce 144 distinct items. They can then search the lessons for practice, recording, and making comparisons on these phonemes.

Some of the lessons take the whole language approach and appear as dialogs, discussions, or Q and A. Most, however, have students practice distinct sounds only, with no context. One advantage of the program is that you can select lessons by distinct language area. For example, American English students can hear examples of American English rather than British English. You can also request that other lessons be created. This site requires Flash and enabled Javascript. Get Flash and directions on enabling Javascript from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Set ESL/ELL or speech/language students up with this site on a classroom computer cluster or in a lab to practice phonemes they can't hear or pronounce (see safety notice below). You MUST have a microphone or use a computer that has one built in. Use the inventory to make initial ESL/ELL evaluations as well as periodic progress checks. Students may like the site so much they'll want to practice at home.

This website could be very useful to French, Spanish, and German teachers (or teachers of other world languages). Use this site to learn new vocabulary and improve pronunciation of world languages.

Safety concern: This site requires FREE membership to use the audio tools and access content. Membership includes social networking tools, such as "friends" and "messages," and requires an email address. You may want to set up a single class account for in-school use, entering your "extra" email address to avoid unsafe use of the site by your adventurous students. If you KNOW how they are logging in (with your account), you can remove any friends or other unauthorized contacts. The problem with this approach is that you will not know which student has done what. If you do permit individual user accounts (according to your school's policies, of course), have parents and students sign an agreement that spells out permissible behavior and consequences -- and get your principal's OK!

Auto English Grade K to 12 - Bob Wilson- 8653

This is a wonderful new "labor of love" resource for second language learners and ESL teachers created by an English teacher living in Spain. It includes the typical grammar lessons, flash cards, worksheets, phrasal verb practice, and idioms, but also less typical links to many video lessons and a few audio mp3's. Many of the sections have unique applications; for example, the vocabulary section has both online interactive practice and printable materials for the same lesson. The puzzles and games section includes a variety of printable worksheets. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
This is a good overall site you can rely on for a variety of ESL purposes. Use it to find lessons and review activities for your ESL students.

Elllo( English Language Listening Lab Online) Grade 5 to 12 - Todd Beuckens- 8652

This site offers a wide variety of listening activities specifically for ESL students. The site is updated weekly with new interviews, games, news, talking points, and songs, all available for free. A huge audio archive stores items from previous weeks, months, and years. "Mixers" include opinions of several people. Students can listen to these short sessions, answer a main idea question and also see the transcript of the piece. Another feature allows users to see the transcript of interviews as they listen. There are quiz questions available after each interview. Video links connect users to offsite videos from a variety of courses; these are available with some articles and interviews.

Note: Teachers should PREVIEW content before using it in class or assigning it. Some slang and topics are not appropriate for younger students, though most of it is excellent. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.. Downloads for mp3 players are available for free.

In the Classroom:
Share chosen activities from this site on laptops or computers with headphones to build ESL/ ELL student confidence and listening skills. Some activities are well-suited for speech/language students to improve listening comprehension skills, as well.

ESL Monkeys Story Room Grade 1 to 12 - Mary and David Monkey- 8651

This site offers many readable stories; short, long, and classic stories are available in full by clicking on the links on the opening page. There are also tools for using current events selections. A reading tool allows students to copy and paste a puzzling text into a box and get definitions from words in that text by clicking on the unknown words. For teachers, there are many "teaching reading" hints and links to lesson plans. Although the site focuses on ESL students, the variety and number of short stories makes it useful to all aspiring readers.

In the Classroom:
Use the selections from this page to teach specific reading skills on an interactive whiteboard or for students to practice reading and language skills independently at a computer center or on laptops. If you allow students to select their own stories (ages are noted to help them find the appropriate level), they may be more interested in the story, as well.

Body Parts Grade K to 2 - Birmingham Grid for Learning- 8261

This site is a simple drag-and-drop activity that matches words with pictures for various body parts. It would be especially useful for ESL, speech and language students, and primary students in general. Clicking on the words and pictures provide audio as well as visual clues to encourage language development. Available in the following languages: Bengali, English, Punjabi, Gujarati, Mirpuri and Urdu. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
This site would work well with an interactive whiteboard with a small group or individually at a computer to informally assess student knowledge or to help ESL/ speech ad language students students learn the names of body parts. Note that the pronunciations are British, so American students will need to listen carefully at first.

Using Humour in the Second Language Classroom Grade K to 12 - Paul-Emile Chiasson - 6996

Read about the value of humor as a teaching tool, especially for ESL/ELL students. Using joking frequently is a way to say the same thing in a slightly different way. Students want to learn what is funny in the U.S. Humor varies from culture to culture and your ESL students want to know why certain things are funny so they can join in with the fun.

Using Games in the ESL Classroom Grade 1 to 8 - Teacher Joe- 6956

This site has suggestions for ways to convert classroom games to ensure that they’re not only fun but also promote language learning. ESL teachers cna use the games to help develop skills within their classes, as well.

Using Humor in the ESL Classroom Grade 1 to 8 - Teacher Joe- 6955

Humor is a valuable teaching tool.This site has plenty of suggestions about how to make learning more fun, increase student involvement in activities, and use humor as part of daily/weekly lesson plans when you have ESL students in your class.

Communicating With Gestures Grade 2 to 12 - Everything ESL: Judie Haynes- 6914

Learn about gestures from other cultures and share the discussion through this lesson plan as part of your language class or as an activity to help students communicate with ESL/ELL peers. Gestures can have VERY differnet meanings in other cultures, so this site is a must before any foreign language trips abroad!

English Question Words Grade 1 to 12 - Kenneth Beare- 6901

Use this explanation of how to form questions in English to help your ESL/ELL students with basic skille they need in class and elsewhere. Be sure to show them where to click for pages 2 and 3 so they can practice forming questions.

In the Classroom:
Marke this one in the Favroites on your classroom computer. You may even want to make a special folder with your ESL/ELL student's name within the Favorites so he/she can find sites to help with grammar practice. Younger students might enjoy working on these sites with a study buddy.

Online Quiz Generators Grade 3 to 8 - Various- 6769

This helpful tool for all teachers with ESL students provides a template that allows instructors to write quizzes which can be either printed or used from a web page for students to take there. The online quizzes are scored immediately so the students benefit from immediate feedback. Examples of quizzes written by other instructors give teachers ideas of how to set up their quizzes. No knowledge of html is required.

In the Classroom:
Write quick quizzes to help students review. This is also a great way to help with terminology for ESL students in a content-area subject such as Social Studies or Science. Once you make the quizzes, you have them forever. Consider dividng up the task by delegating different chapters among teachers who teach the same subject.

Many Things.org Daily Grade 4 to 12 - Charles I. Kelly & Lawrence E. Kelly- 6717

Part of "Interesting Things for ESL Students," this unadorned site changes daily and provides common slang (near the top of the page), idioms, or proverbs and definitions plus daily grammar quizzes. It also features an audio broadcast of a simplified news release backed up with archives (Click on links below Listening). Also available is a multilingual translating dictionary and access to three top search engines.

In the Classroom:
Use this to beef up vocabulary, to explore culture through idioms and proverbs, and for listening and discussion practice in response to news reports. Great to fill in 5 – 10 minutes at the beginning or end of classes! For the regular classroom teacher, this may provide an alternate way for ESL students to "study" current events. Be sure to mark it in Favorites on your classroom computer for these students to access (or place a shortcut on the desktop). Note: you need speakers for the audio!

Boggle's World Grade 1 to 12 - Boggle's World- 6260

This impressive collection of free printable worksheets, flashcards, puzzles, and lesson plans offers ESL teachers at all levels so many options for teaching vocabulary, conversational skills, "survival" English, and culture. You may have to poke around a bit to find what you need, but this is definitely a resource to bookmark.

Island of the Blue Dolphins - ESL Grade 4 to 8 - LA School District- 4157

Originally designed by teacher Carol O. Burleson for ESL students, this site contains lessons that are suitable for all students reading Scott O’Dell’s book. The Chapter Study Guide contains questions and vocabulary to enhance the student’s daily reading assignments. Research links are offered on topics relevant to a final project in which students can create a Power Point presentation, a shoebox museum, or a virtual museum. Teachers will find students can independently this website.

English Language Proficiency Standards in the Core Content Areas Grade K to 12 - TESOL- 6927

This site has the PreK-12 English Language Proficiency Standards in the Core Content Areas. Particularly helpful for classroom teachers are sections within the pdf document listed at the bottom of the page [click on Preview: PreK-12 English Language Proficiency Standards in the Core Content Areas (PDF)] It would be most helpful for you to print these out.

Page 15 which describes the 5 levels of proficiency for ESL students in public and private schools from preschool through high school. It also describes “Grade Level Clusters” for such students, as well as defining standards for the students in school and academic fields.

Pages 20 and 21 which have a chart of appropriate student abilities by language domain (reading, writing, speaking, and listening) in the 5 levels of proficiency.

Standards for 16 states including Washington DC can be found beginning on page 22. This document requires Acrobat Reader. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

Classic Stories - Johnnie's Story Page Grade K to 6 - Johnnie Wilson- 9341

This website offers a compilation links to about thirty interactive classic stories. Read Greek Myths, Alice in Wonderland, The Life of Buddha, The Golden Goose, Ramayana, Aesops Fables, Hans Christian Anderson, Grimms Fairy Tales, and numerous others. The color coded descriptors let you know if the story includes text, pictures, sounds, animations, and videos. Most of the interactive stories also include interactive phonics and grammar activities. The reading levels vary, so preview the stories before sharing them with your students. This is a MUST-SEE for primary language arts classes, special education classes, ESL and ELL classes, and others.

This website was created by Johnnie Wilson, a mentor math coach and former 5th grade teacher. Be aware, there are minor unobtrusive advertisements at this website. Nearly all of the interactive stories require Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
What a fabulous way to share classic stories, fables, fairy tales, and myths! Use your interactive whiteboard or projector to introduce your students to these wonderful stories. Use this website in your language arts classes, special education classes, with your ESL and ELL students to share these classic stories. Challenge your gifted students to create new "classics." Have students work in pairs to explore this website (provide headsets), and then share their classic story with the rest of the class. Explore the "less known" stories available at this site. Don't forget to provide this link in your class newsletter or on your class website, so students can practice their reading skills at home.

RedKid Scrabble Grade 3 to 8 - RedKid.Net- 9328

How about an interactive Scrabble game for some language arts fun? This website provides a cooperative Scrabble game. Students can log-in and play Scrabble together, against other students from around the world, or start a new game independently. The website log-in requires a registration with an email account. For safety purposes, you may want to create your own Gmail account with sub-accounts for students (by sub account code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how. This site is ideal for language arts lessons (especially spelling and vocabulary practice), ESL and ELL students, gifted enrichment, or a Scrabble club or tournament.

In the Classroom:
Why not create two user accounts, divide your class into two groups, and have a Scrabble tournament using spelling words, vocabulary words from science or social studies class, or whatever is applicable to your class. Use an interactive whiteboard or projection screen so the entire class can see (and join in on) the fun. If individual computers are available, pair students with a partner and have them create their own accounts and play against their partner. Use this site with your ESL and ELL students to practice English. Be sure to highlight this link on your class website so students (and their families) can enjoy the challenge at home.

Adventure Island Grade 2 to 5 - National Geographic- 9308

Welcome to Adventure Island. At this interactive site students learn to read map symbols by learning how they are created from more complex drawings or photos. They also learn to read map keys. By listening to the questions the tour guide asks them, students can quickly answer and receive verbal feedback for answering well. This activity would work well with ESL, ELL, and special education students since it combines easy directions, pictures, and instant feedback. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
This activity would work well as a cooperative learning activity or on individual computers.. If individual computers aren’t available, this site would also be ideal for an interactive whiteboard or projector.

Have students create their own map symbols and map key as they try their own hand at mapping. ESL and ELL students, as well as the general student body, will benefit from creating their own set of oral directions to read and have other students respond to.

Visual Geography Grade 5 to 12 - Boris Kester and Nana Bjørnlund- 9279

This site offers rich geographical information visually: through photographs. Students select a continent to investigate. (Note: all continents except Antarctica are included.) After viewing pictures of one country on that continent, they can click for a more in-depth examination and more pictures, listen to the native language of that area, click on another country to make a comparison, and take a quiz on that information. They can also select certain categories to learn more about transportation, education, religion, people, etc.

In the Classroom:
Use this site as an anticipatory set or “activator” to introduce a world cultures or geography unit or lesson on an interactive whiteboard or projector. This site offers a visual approach to studying and comparing other countries and interesting research information to use for independent projects. This site is also excellent for enrichment. Include it on your teacher web page for students to access both in and out of class. Use this site to introduce the countries your ESL and ELL students represent. Have your ESL and ELL students guide the interactive picture tour for the class. World language teachers can use this site as part of their cultural studies.

LingQ Grade 3 to 12 - LingQ- 9276

LingQ assists students in developing language fluency in any of 9 target languages including German, Spanish, French, Italian, Swedish, Japanese, and Chinese, Russian, and Portuguese. It tracks hours spent on listening and reading assignments, vocabulary development etc. An example lesson consists of listening to a text while reading through it, clicking on unknown words, seeing the definition in one's native language, saving the words in a list or as flashcards etc. Students can also download the audio files to an MP3 player. Students should have at least a beginning understanding of the language before attempting to use this site. They also need to be flexible learners since the learning/teaching style is based on immersion, not translation. Students may have up to 5 active "assignments" going to stay within the free level. Any completed work can be archived to make room for more assignments. There is a charge to have your work evaluated, graded, and critiqued. There is an option to save new vocabulary words in a list and print flashcards for these words. You will want to join and explore the site before assigning students to use it so you know how to navigate. The site requires a fast Internet connection to download large podcast (audio) files. The podcast files can be downloaded and played on your local computer or an mp3 player.

In the Classroom:
Establishing membership requires an email account. Check your school policies about accessing/sharing student email on school computers. You may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how.

Assign specific "lessons" for your ESL or world language students, but be aware that the free version does not permit you to monitor progress on student accounts. You therefore will want to use this as a practice site more than a formal assessment tool. Demonstrate the navigation on your projector or interactive whiteboard before assigning students to wor