I put together a list of free digital and online teaching resources, or resources that now offer premium features for free, that might be useful now when many teachers are overwhelmed by the sudden shift to online teaching, for which many of us aren’t prepared due to the consequences of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Zoom is video-conferencing tool. The users can collaborate on projects, record sessions and share screens. The Basic plan is free and it offers unlimited number of meetings, however it limits the time of the meetings with three or more participants to 40 minutes.
Classdojo is a free communication app and website for building school community. You can share photos, videos, files, use portfolios, messaging and more.
This free service by Google simplifies creating, distributing and grading assignments. It helps teachers get classes organized, and communicate efficiently with students.
Padlet has a free version and a premium version for schools. It is a virtual board similar to Pinterest, but it offers a better way how to organize your notes, or whatever you want.
This website is great for practicing writing! Students register for free and submit their word and get instant feedback and tips on how to improve their writing. There are many writing assignments, W&I workbooks: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced and extra category “Just for fun.”
There is also a test zone for IELTS Academic, General training and B2 First Certificate.
This is great for assigning homework. There are lessons based on the videos, students just need to register for free. I then assign videos, they watch it at home, do the Dig deeper and Discuss sections. You can also customize the lessons.
This lovely website is great when students have to study at home. They can practice grammar and vocabulary and I particularly like the Skills section that has online exercises so students get instant feedback.
Free courses. Who needs more? But seriously, this is a great resource for older students. There are plenty of free courses on different subjects(Science, History, Languages, Nature, etc.)
The Smithsonian offer a lot of online activities not only for the younger kids. On their website you will find the Learning Lab with thousands of resources and Science Game Center with fun games and apps.
Bonus
Future Learn is another platform that offers free courses. There is one that might be particularly interesting for some teachers, it’s called Teaching English Online. Why not give it a go if you have the time. And let us know what you think!
Video lessons are an engaging and fun way to teach vocabulary, grammar, listening and culture to various age groups and levels.
However, sometimes you just want to use an interesting video as a filler or a discussion material without any preparation. Sometimes there is no time for printing the lessons plans. No time for searching for an appropriate video. Just hit the play button and catch a breath. Trust me, I understand.
Here is a list of 10 ESL Netflix shows to watch with your students. These are appropriate for the classroom, educational and suitable for discussion about the usual topics as food, travel, health, etc.
You can find more TV shows on Netflix featuring David Chan, but I chose Ugly Delicious because it cover s lot of different cuisines and foods and therefore a more diverse vocabulary.
The episodes in the first season of this show are named after various terrain. Mountain. Forest. Coast. Underground. The second season focuses on countries including Portugal, Switzerland, Spain, Norway so the views are spectacular and the vocabulary interesting and useful.
Even if you don’t teach history, you should understand the importance of documentaries about WWII. Especially now, when young people lack critical thinking, spread fake news and believe in alternate history.
This show cover a wide range of topics from music to animal intelligence. Be careful though, there are a couple of episodes in the first season that are probably not appropriate for school( Orgasm, Weed) so have a look at the episodes and make sure you choose a topic that is appropriate for your students.
The show has six episodes: Memory, Dreams, Anxiety, Mindfulness, Psychedelics. Each twenty-minute episode explains the mysteries of our brains in an engaging, fun way, with plenty of real-life examples, graphics, and experts. You can even download a worksheet for one of the episodes – Anxiety, here.
My students really like this show. It is interactive and the students make decisions in order to help Bear Grylls survive. They love making Bear eat bugs or raw eggs and jump from cliffs. Highly entertaining.
Great for teaching clothes&fashion vocabulary, this reality show competition has 10 episodes in which eighteen designers compete in rounds to create unforgettable designs.
This ESL Netflix video lesson plan is based on “The Mind, Explained” docuseries that answers the questions about our brains. What is going on inside my head? How does memory work? Why do I dream?
The show has six episodes: Memory, Dreams, Anxiety, Mindfulness, Psychedelics. Each twenty-minute episode explains the mysteries of our brains in an engaging, fun way, with plenty of real-life examples, graphics, and experts. Students like this format, many of them already know Vox and their videos and each episode is the right length for a video lesson with warm-up questions, vocabulary, and after-video discussion.t
Balderdash is a word bluffing game in which you write definitions for weird words. The definitions may or may not be correct.
The ESL variation of the game is played very similarly. The PDF which you can download below, contains words that are balderdash, or nonsense. At least they seem to be. They are actually real words that sound silly. Each word has a real definition, the students will have to come up with two more definitions and the bluffing will begin.
If you like the game and would like to play the original, there are plenty of the game versions on Amazon. This one is the originalGame. Or you can try this One.
How I played the game with my students:
Put the students in groups of three or four.
Give them the words that you cut into cards.
Each student draws a card.
They will read the true definition of the word and make up two more definitions which are not true.
They read three definitions of the word and the other students guess which definition is correct.
The student who guesses the correct definition gets a point.
ESL
Game: Balderdash
Argle-bargle
— (adj) copious but meaningless talk or writing
Bibble
— (v) to drink often; to eat and/or drink noisily
Yarborough
— (n) hand of cards containing no card above a nine
Ratoon
— (n) a small shoot growing from the root of a plant
Ulotrichous
— (adj) having wooly or crispy hair
Bumfuzzle
— (adj) confused, perplexed
Cabotage
— (n) coastal navigation; the exclusive right of a country to
control the air traffic within its borders
Widdershins
— (adj) a left-handed or contrary direction; counterclockwise
Poppycock
— (n) nonsense
Discombobulate
— (v) to disconcert of confuse
Salopettes
— (n) high-waisted skiing pants with shoulder straps
Blatherskite
— (n) a person who talks at great length without making much
sense
This extensive list contains 47 interactive and online ELT resources that can help English teachers save a ton of time when preparing for lessons.
ELT Resources: SPEAKING
1. BBC Learning English
The site is sponsored by BBC and its divided into these topics: General & Business English Grammar, Vocabulary & Pronunciation, Talking Sports, Quizzes, The Flatmates, Community, And For Teachers. http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/teachingenglish/talkingbusiness/
2. TalkEnglish
TalkEnglish.com offers speaking lessons on Regular, Business, Interviewing, Traveling Lessons, along with new Listening lessons, Pronunciation lessons, Basic Grammar, and Intonation and speed of speaking tips. http://www.talkenglish.com/
3. TESOL
This is the site for the TESOL International Association. It has many teacher resources such as activities, assessment, lesson plans, teaching tips, virtual seminars and more. You can search by picking the type of resource, audience, and language proficiency level. http://www.tesol.org/connect/tesol-resource-center/explore-the-resource-center http://www.tesol.org/docs/tesol-resource-center/73d51d33-0b1f-4b71-8065-
4. Usingenglish
This site includes activities and lesson plans. It also includes specific LP test sample items, so it is good if you are preparing students for these tests, or great for practicing these skills. http://www.usingenglish.com/teachers/lesson-plans/ http://www.usingenglish.com/files/pdf/bulats-speaking-part-1-topics.pdf
5. ESLgold
Materials, lesson plans, quizzes, online conversation partners, and links for teachers and students. http://www.eslgold.com/speaking/ss_giving_information.html
6. Digital Story Telling – University of Houston
Teachers can use digital storytelling as a teaching tool in the classroom. Using digital storytelling will assist both the visual and auditory learners. Students can tell their own stories or make up ones of their own and compose them along with pictures, audio, and more. http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/esl.html http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/movies/aleyda.wmv
7. Totalesl
An ESL EFL TEFL TESOL worldwide resource for ESL/EFL/TEFL/TESOL jobs, teachers resumes, schools, teacher training courses, private tutors, blogs, lesson plans, activities, and more. http://www.totalesl.com/ http://www.totalesl.com/video.php?id=19
8. Englishclub
Conversation worksheets, activities, teacher notes for lessons. http://www.englishclub.com/esl-worksheets/conversation/index.htm http://www.englishclub.com/esl-worksheets/conversation/TP_Adventure.pdf
9. Linguarama
Business English, offers mini-lessons and worksheets. Look under “Themes” for lessons categorized under very precise headings like management, banking, and marketing. It’s straightforward and best for ESL classes that are intermediate and higher. http://www.linguarama.com/ps/sales-themed-english/polite-speech.htm
10. Skype in the classroom
Skype is a free and easy way for teachers to open up their classroom. Meet new people, talk to experts, share ideas and create amazing learning experiences with teachers from around the world. You can have a language interchange and have real-world conversation opportunity for your students. https://education.skype.com/
11. EverythingESL
By a teacher for teachers. This site has content based and cultural lesson plans, teaching tips, resource picks and more. http://www.everythingesl.net/ http://www.everythingesl.net/lessons/favorite_food.php
12. EFL Ideas
Creative resources for ESL/EFL teachers focused mainly on speaking and vocabulary and communicative lessons based on videos. Role-plays, group activities, communicative activities, video lessons, worksheets, teaching tips.
ELT Resources: LISTENING
13. British Council Learn English
This website is sponsored by the British Council and it is for adult learners. It is divided into the following sections: Listen & Watch, Grammar & Vocabulary, Fun & Games, Business & Work, and IELTS. http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/ http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/big-city-small-world/series-2-episode-11-date
14. Manythings
The website is divided into the following categories: vocabulary, reading, grammar, listening and speaking. There are songs, quizzes, word games, word puzzles, proverbs, slang expressions, anagrams, a random-sentence generator and other computer assisted language learning activities. http://www.manythings.org/ http://www.manythings.org/mp/m08.html
15. ESLPod
ESLPod.com provides a great selection of podcasts that are written and read specifically to ESL learners. http://www.eslpod.com/website/index_new.html
16. OneStopEnglish
Onestopenglish is a teacher’s resource site for English teachers. All materials are written and edited by a team of teachers and authors and are organized into core subject areas. The link sample takes you to the listening skill section, which contains innovative lesson ideas for listening such as an audio soap opera, cinematic listening, live from …authentic interviews, mini-plays, jazz chants, listening lesson plans, and teaching tips. You do not have to be a registered user to have access to these resources. http://www.onestopenglish.com
17. Voice of America
This is a multimedia source of daily news and information for millions of English learners worldwide. Audio programs and captioned videos are written using vocabulary at the intermediate and upperbeginner level and are read one-third slower than regular VOA English. Online texts, MP3s and podcasts let people read, listen and learn American English and much more. http://learningenglish.voanews.com/ http://learningenglish.voanews.com/archive/learningenglish-programs-radio-people-inamerica/latest/978/1578.html
18. Eviews
eViews has been designed for ESL to hear authentic English speakers in “natural” conversations. Interviews are recorded at a natural speed, are not scripted, and are spoken by “real” people, not actors. Students are able to practice hearing and understanding native English speakers in a wide range of accents; English, American, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, etc. http://www.eviews.net/ http://www.eviews.net/1349/
19. Tefltunes
ESL and EFL teachers thinking about using songs and lyrics to teach English grammar. Includes worksheet and teacher notes for each song. http://www.tefltunes.com/search/searchall.aspx?name=public
20. Randall’s ESL Cyber Listening Lab
Bank of ESL listening activities. The sound clips have pre and post-listening exercises, and comprehension questions too. Most of the content would suit low-to-high intermediate students, but there are some resources for beginners and advanced learners too. http://esl-lab.com
21. Scholastic
Offers teacher resources including student activities, computer lab favorites, interactive whiteboard activities, new teacher support, daily starters, Everything you need for: lesson plans, planning calendar, printables, mini-books, and more. http://teacher.scholastic.com/commclub/animal_moves_activity/ http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/bll/nina/home/
22. BrainPop
BrainPOP ESL uses lively, engaging content to teach English to ESL’s. Lessons are built around animated movies and supporting features that reinforce vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, reading comprehension, and writing skills. New concepts are couched in everyday situations, adding context for learners and helping them master idiomatic and cultural nuances. Versatile and easy to use, BrainPOP ESL assumes no prior knowledge of English, and effectively addresses diverse learning styles. http://www.brainpop.com/free_stuff/ http://www.brainpopesl.com/level1/unit1/lesson1/
23. Storyline
Online streaming video program featuring Screen Actors Guild members reading children’s books aloud. Each book includes accompanying activities and lesson ideas. http://www.storylineonline.net/
24. Abcfastphonics
This program presents the basics of phonics, including rules for vowels, consonants, and blends along with practice pages. Young children and other beginning readers of all ages can navigate the site just by using the hand buttons. Click and hear the sound of each alphabet letter, consonants, vowels long and short, rules, common words, and more. http://www.abcfastphonics.com/ http://www.abcfastphonics.com/letter-names.html
READING
25. GCFLearnFree
GCFLearnFree helps improve English vocabulary with their Reading program. Fun activities and videos will help you master 1,000 common English words. Reading and listening to texts will improve your ability to speak, read, and understand English. You can even choose your native language to learn English! http://www.gcflearnfree.org/learnenglish http://www.gcflearnfree.org/reading/play/2
26. American English
American English is a resource center for teaching and learning about American English language and culture. This website provides a variety of engaging materials and resources for teachers’ professional development and for students in the classroom. Both teachers and students will find new ways to practice English and learn more about the United States. http://americanenglish.state.gov/materials-learning-english http://americanenglish.state.gov/resources/build-fire-and-other-stories#child-360
27. Scribd
This bank of “did they really happen?” stories has a good selection of offbeat reads about topics like animal heroism and dumb burglars. The content reminds me of Reader’s Digest; it’s nothing groundbreaking, but the mass appeal is great for structuring classroom activities. Some stories have a good deal of supplementary exercises for students. Reading articles with vocabulary and follow up questions. http://www.scribd.com/ http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/117748668?access_key=key-25kb6t3j5d1rroeh65nt
28. British Council Learn English Teen
This website is sponsored by the British council and it is for teenagers. The website is divided into English skills practices, grammar and vocabulary, exams, free time, and magazines. http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/ http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/english-skills-practice/read-your-level/la-skaters-interviewlevel-1
29. Starfall
You can teach children to read with phonics. Systematic phonics approach, in conjunction with phonemic awareness practice, is perfect for preschool, kindergarten, first grade, second grade, special education, homeschool, and English language development (ELD, ELL, ESL). http://www.starfall.com/ http://www.starfall.com/n/comics/lemonade-girl/load.htm?f
30. PBS Teachers
Free Resources for Teaching & Learning for preK-12. Here you’ll find classroom materials suitable for a wide range of subjects and grade levels, thousands of lesson plans, teaching activities, on-demand video assets, and interactive games and simulations. These resources are correlated to state and national educational standards. http://www.pbs.org/teachers/ http://www.pbs.org/teachers/connect/resources/7873/preview/
31. Colorincolorado
Colorín Colorado is a free web-based service that provides information, activities and advice for educators and Spanish-speaking families of English language learners. http://www.colorincolorado.org/educators/ http://www.colorincolorado.org/webcasts/reading/
32. Scholastic
Offers teacher resources including student activities, computer lab favorites, interactive whiteboard activities, new teacher support, daily starters, Everything You Need for, lesson plans, planning calendar, printables, mini-books and more. http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/adventure/spanish1.htm
33. Readinglesson
Lessons, stories to read, coloring sheets, and games. http://www.readinglesson.com/
34. Sesame Street Sesame workshop is the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street. Our projects bring critical lessons in literacy & numeracy, emotional well being, health & wellness, and respect and understanding to children in over 150+ countries. http://www.sesamestreet.org/home http://www.sesamestreet.org/games#media/game_955a4838-3ce1-4029-99f6-e983a3654419
35. Children’s Story Books Online
Illustrated children’s stories for kids of all ages http://www.magickeys.com/books/ http://www.magickeys.com/books/noblegnarble/index.html
36. Free Reading
Free Reading is a high-quality, open-source, free reading intervention program addressing literacy development. Includes a library of lessons in phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing. The site is also filled with free, downloadable supplemental materials including flashcards, graphical organizers, illustrated readers, decodable texts, audio files, videos and more. http://www.free-reading.net/ http://www.free-reading.net/index.php?title=Introduce_th
37. Oxfordowl
With over 250 free e-books, Oxford Owl is a free website built to help you with your child’s learning, It is full of great support for reading and math. Extended to provide practical advice and top tips up to age 11 to help you support your child’s reading all the way through their primary school years. Special Kids’ barn area jam-packed with games and fun activities to make reading more fun. http://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/Reading/ http://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/EBooks/Big_Game_Adventure/
ELT Resources: WRITING
38. PaperRater
This website can be an aid for the students to develop their English writing. The site shows most of the grammar, punctuation, and spelling mistakes. Also, it evaluates the word choice and then gives the writer an estimated grade. http://www.paperrater.com/
39. Study Zone
The Study Zone is for students of the English Language. The English-language lessons and practice exercises are created by teachers. The site is designed to support our adult English-language learners. http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/courses/elc/studyzone/ http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/courses/elc/studyzone/410/grammar/2cond.htm
40. Academic English Café
Learn English online at your own pace in the Academic English Cafe! English language quizzes on grammar and writing topics, practice with real academic vocabulary, read model essays on many academic topics, listen to authentic English language programs. Quizzes, writing, essays, handouts, and lessons. http://www.academicenglishcafe.com/index.html http://www.academicenglishcafe.com/writing-quiz-1.html
41. John Fleming’s ESL Grammar help
College professor’s writing lab. http://faculty.deanza.edu/flemingjohn/stories/storyReader$22
42. Readwritethink
Provides educators, parents, and afterschool professionals with access to the highest quality practices in reading and language arts instruction by offering the very best in free materials. In this writing section you will find lesson plans, student interactive, calendar activities, and printouts. http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/ http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/bear-poem-composing-performing835.html
43. TeacherTube
An online community for sharing instructional videos. Educationally focused, safe venue for teachers, schools, and home learners. Provides anytime, anywhere professional development with teachers teaching teachers. Teachers can also post videos designed for students to view in order to learn a concept or skill. http://teachertube.com/ http://teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=25156
44. Hubforteachers
The Hub, a new destination dedicated to bringing kids and families together, is partnering with Discovery Education to support teachers with comprehensive lesson plans, activities and a writing contest to inspire storytelling in the classroom. http://hubforteachers.discoveryeducation.com/storytelling-in-classroom/ http://hubforteachers.discoveryeducation.com/media/pdf/sensory-details.pdf
45. Discovery Education
Provides high quality, dynamic, digital content, interactive lessons, real time assessment, virtual experiences with some of Discovery’s greatest talent, classroom contest & challenges, professional development and more – Discovery is leading the way in transforming classrooms and inspiring learning. http://www.discoveryeducation.com/teachers/index.cfm?campaign=flyout_teachers http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/WordSearchSetupForm.asp
46. British Council Learn English Kids
This website is sponsored by the British council and it is for kids. The website is divided into six main sections, kids games, listen and watch, read and write, make, speak and spell, and grammar. http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/ http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/word-games/make-the-sentences/letter-santa
47. Scholastic Offers teacher resources including student activities, computer lab favorites, interactive whiteboard activities, new teacher support, daily starters, Everything you need for: lesson plans, planning calendar, printables, mini-books and more. http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/story-starters/
I often use various picture prompts for discussions, simple photo descriptions, storytelling, short warm-ups, fillers.
I used these two quite recently when discussing fashion. You can either have the students compare the photos or to create a short story for each of them.
