ENGLISH
WEBSITES
We have provided a brief description of the website's content and use for our English Language Learners and for our Basic Literacy students.
Activities for ESL/EFL Students
Valuable site for vocabulary building. Offers basic words, homonyms, idioms, etc. Also provides many grammar exercises. Some bilingual capability. Student needs sufficient English to navigate site. Rather dry. Student must be self-motivated.
Awesome Stories
Offers thousands of stories, slide shows, videos, audio clips and documents on topics including biographies, history and sports.
USA Learns
Excellent general ESL site for improving reading and listening skills. Some speaking and writing exercises. Nice audiovisuals and life-skills topics. Easy to use. Good for independent study.
**Please contact us if you would like to use this website because we have a BRLC class already set up.
One Stop English
According to ProLiteracy, One Stop English features educational resources in a variety of topics including business, English for specific purposes, beginner’s ESL, exams, and more. Educators can gain free access to teaching tools including lesson plans, activities, and teaching tips.
ESL Listening Lab
Opportunities for students to hear every day conversations for a variety of situations. Quizzes are included to test listening skills.
ESL Flash Cards
Every set of flashcards comes in color and 3 different sizes to make teaching easier. The Big set is great for vocabulary presentation, the Medium set is very good for teaching groups of students and playing language learning games. The Small sets are great for ESL games such as Down Pass or Go-Fish.
The Times in Plain English
This is a current events website in plain language for English Language Learners and Adult Basic Education students.
K12 Reader
Simple leveled worksheets that target specific reading and writing skills.
Many Things
Easy to use site that focuses on vocabulary and reading fluency; some grammar. Student can listen to recorded passages and repeat. Teacher needs to preview and select activities based on student's abilities, needs and interests.
Merriam Webster Online Dictionary
Type in any word for a definition, an example of how it's used and to hear the pronunciation. Click on "See (your word) defined for English-language learners" to get a simpler definition. From there, sign up to create your own on-line personal dictionary and/or receive a new word of the day to your e-mail.
Dolch Word List
List of sight words for reading, spelling, writing. Different levels. Flash card and list options available.
OWL Purdue Writing Lab
Very good grammar section. Also contains substantial information on the writing process. Useful for GED and college students needing academic English writing skills.
ESL Bits
BITS is an excellent site for improving reading and listening skills. Select a book, short story or timely article, many by a famous author. The audio speed can be adjusted to accommodate various reading levels.
Duolingo
Excellent general ESL site for beginner and intermediate students. It includes listening, speaking and writing exercises. No advertisements!
Other Resources
The main branch of the Henderson County Library has added to the Adult New Reader Collection. There are about 400 fiction and non-fiction books that are written for lower-level readers but are of interest to adults. Find the List here.
Literacy Connection Library
We have a library in our office of books categorized by reading level. Please come browse and check out any you would like to use with your student. While most of our books are meant for adult new readers, we also have books that parents could read with their children.