English Language Learners

As teachers we are always looking for ways to be better.  Below are different ELL Resources and websites to help you be the teacher you want to be.  We are lucky to have so many useful resources at the touch of our fingertips.  Enjoy and become better!

Teachersnetwork.org – How-To Articles: Adjust your teaching styles for English Language Learners (ELL) in ESL/ Bilingual Classrooms http://teachersnetwork.org/NTOL/howto/eslclass/resources.htm - This page on this website has a list of different resources and books that teachers can get to help them have new ideas and tools to be a highly qualified instructor when dealing with parents and students who are ELL learners.  For example, one of the suggestions is a book called “Teachers’ Messages for Report Cards” by Maria Elena Mendez-Robbins, which helps the teacher communicate with Spanish-speaking families.  The book provides statements that are both positive and sensitive in nature.  Another book that this website suggested is called “Group Solutions” which is full of engaging lessons that combine teamwork and logic.  If you are a fan of Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences then this is a book for you.

ESL Partyland www.eslpartyland.com – this website has different lesson plans for teachers, strategies for teaching ESL students, quizzes and games.  The pages linked to this website are to provide resources and connections to help you become a better ESL teacher.  This website is full of information and seems to be very interactive for a student learning English as well as for a Teacher wanting to gain better ways to teach ESL students.

Conversation Questions for the ESL/EFL Classroom – http://iteslj.org/questions - this website has numerous topics where an ESL student can click on any topic and be given questions about that particular topic.  The point of this will help the ESL students be able to talk about something and provide discussion opportunities in the classroom.

www.pinkmonkey.com is a website that is similar to cliff notes.  This is a website that would help when teaching literature, it has over 460 study guides, book notes, and chapter summaries all online for free.  It also has a study smart link that provides information for students, parents, and teachers.  This can be beneficial to ESL students that may need extra information about a book that they are studying in class.

Bright Hub http://www.brighthub.com/education/languages/topics/esl.aspx - this website has many articles, games, vocabulary, activities and lesson plans for an ESL teacher. I also found a link to an article about how to teach ESL students who have a disability.  The article informs a teacher to make sure to have a good understanding of a student’s disability when preparing lesson plans for the mainstreamed classroom.  It then provides an example of a language lesson plan on personal presentation for a job interview for a 15 year old student.

The hardest part about learning a new language is being able to understand all the idioms that come with it.  It is one thing for an ESL student to understand the basic sentence structure but when books and/or discussions have lots of idioms then the ESL student is going to get confused.  The UE website http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/h.html - Using English: English Language (ESL) Learning has a list of different idioms and expressions that can be beneficial for an ESL student.

www.Busyteacher.org is a website that understands teachers are busy, therefore, provides many great tools, worksheets, flashcards, ideas for vocabulary, and teaching ideas to help all teachers be better.  One article that caught my eye is called, “10 Best Pieces of Advice You Could Ever Give Your ESL Students”.  A few advices listed in this article are remember why you’re learning English, set milestones for your overall goal, and nourish your brain and your body.

ESLpoint.com www.eslpoint.com - is an online resource where teachers and students can get the help they need whenever they need it.  This website has many different links from speaking and listening to pronunciation and business that are quick and easy to access.  Each link provides you with additional resources for beginners to advance in a certain topic.

English as a Second Language http://rong-chang.com website is for ELS/EFL learners who want to study English through the web.  It has many links for beginners, intermediate learners, and for ESL Instructors.  This website also has a free app that can be used on smartphones which makes it more accessible to students and teachers.

All of these websites connect you with a multiple of other websites where teachers and students can be find resources that work for their particular need.