John B. Kirk, AOK Basic Skills Workshops
E-mail: kirkjohnb5@gmail.com
Website: www.aokbasicskills.gratis

January 1, 2024 

The AOK Independent Language Learning (ILL) Adult Website Guide:
For ESL Levels A1-B2 by AOK Basic Skills

Directions for Use

There are no page numbers for the units, but they are written in large letters and there is a white space between them.

Unit 3 lists free websites with complete courses for individuals to study from and is about twice as long as the other units.

Almost all the URLs are clickable. My favorites have a bolded description next to them; however, there are many others that are good, as well.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Introduction to the Website Guide for ILLs
Secondary students
University students
Adult students
The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)
Disclaimer
Translating website
How to translate small amounts of information
Website localization
The New York City Public Library Site for Studying English at Home
internet and also Google Bard & ChatGPT.
This Guide Can Be a Continuation Point for Your Studies

Unit 1: How to Study

How to Study to Learn a Language

Unit 2: Vocabulary

How to grow your vocabulary
Three free dictionaries

Unit 3:  Free English Courses on the Internet

Chatbots
English for Beginners with Jennifer
VOA Learning English, Duolingo, USA Learns: A1-B2,
3 BBC Free Courses: Levels A2, B1, B2
Coursera

Unit 4: Grammar

Grammar Sites in English

Basic grammar required to pass CEFR Level A2 as determined by Chat GPT 6/9/2024

CEFR subskills for Level A2  in Reading, Listening, Spoken Interaction, Spoken Production and & Writing.

Unit 5: Listening

Listening
Ways to Improve your Listening
Watching Videos to Improve your Listening

Unit 6: Speaking

Students Different types of questions for Conversation
Lessons, Games, and Activities for Speaking
Ideas on How to Use Songs to help your Speaking
Websites with Music and/or Lyrics (the words to songs)
What is Mr. Bean Doing –  Who, What, When, Where, How, and Why?
Jokes
Pronunciation: Levels A1-2

Unit 7: Reading

Some Ideas for Checking your Reading Comprehension
Varied Reading Materials
Reading the News
A large variety of English Quizzes for Students

Unit  8: Writing

Using Writing to Improve your English
Pen Pals
Punctuation

Unit 9: Multipurpose Sites and Learning Links

Multi-purpose ESL/EFL Sites
Great Learning Links to other English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Sites/

Unit 10: Algunas ideas para estudiar inglés con familiares y amigos

Websites for how to teach English to your child

Unit 11: The CEFR, The European Language Portfolio (ELP), & SEPIE

CEFR: Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
ELP Links; the European Language Portfolio for learning foreign languages.
SEPIE “Learn to Learn” Study Skills

Works Cited
This includes some websites that have been translated from and into Spanish.

 

The Adult Website Guide:
For ESL Levels A1-B2 by AOK Basic Skills

Introduction

Welcome to this website guide. If you do not currently have your own website guide or have one that you want to develop further, this guide can serve as a starting point to individualize to serve your purposes.

In each unit the sites generally are listed from A1-B2. This means that the easiest ones are listed first. Some of the sites are listed in bold. Those are my favorites, but other sites are very good, too

With little effort, you will find here sites that can help you improve your reading, writing, listening, speaking, grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation for free. This guide can help you review for your current English class, study something that was presented in class but for which you were absent, or learn and study independently.

For better organization of the following websites, in each section throughout the guide’s output, websites with A1 material are listed first, A1-A2 second, A2 third, B1 fourth, and B2 last.

Secondary level students

You have studied English since elementary school and have a good foundation and feel for the language. Your time at school should allow you to at least complete CEFR A2 and in some cases level B1. If you finish A2, you will have four semesters free if you decide to study at a university – levels A1, A2, B1 and B2 take two semesters each to complete.

You can think of English as a tool for work. If English is useful for your university major and you want to study at the graduate level abroad, you can consider completing the B2 level and taking the TOEFL-iBT, IELTS or FCE First exams. There are a number of universities in Europe where they mainly use English for their course work, and university education in France is free. In Britain and the United States you can apply for a paid or unpaid internship with a company six months before you graduate from college or apply to graduate school.

The important thing to keep your opportunities open is to do well in your English classes at the college level and not fall behind. Independent language learning (ILL) strategies and free English websites can help you.

 University Students

English is the world’s second language and millions of people are learning to speak it. Imagine being able to meet an educated person from another country who speaks a different language than you and being able to talk about business or have a friendly conversation!

If you think you may want to work for an international company in your country or abroad, you can prepare yourself by taking 8 semesters of university English and preparing to take the Cambridge English: First (FCE) test at the B2 level or the TOEFL-iBT. Level B2 is the equivalent of taking eight 8 semester courses or 640 class hours.

In this guide are some of the best study materials and techniques for learning English. If using them can save 15% of the time needed to prepare for the English: First exam, it will be like taking only seven instead of eight classes per semester. And when you go to have your job interview, your English will be one of the best of the other candidates.

Below in Unit 1 are some of the best ideas people have found for learning English as a foreign language (EFL). In Units 2-9 you can find great materials to support your classes, help you take a class you missed, or study on your own.

Sometimes you need to be able to read at the pre-intermediate level (A2) to understand the explanations and instructions for using different websites in this manual. You might need to find a person who can do this to help, or you can try using Google Translate: https://translate.google.com.

 Adult Students

Since working adults don’t have much time to attend classes, teaching them how to be autonomous learners is an important goal. To do this, they can use the basics of independent language learning (ILL) through the European Language Portfolio (ELP) approach. At ILL you work with your own study team chosen from friends, family and possibly a partner from an Internet learning community.

The ILL is useful both for studying a foreign language independently and for taking courses. Students determine their own curriculum, materials, and preferred strategies for studying. Then they study the CEFR linguistic objectives that are in their texts or those that they have chosen if they study on their own.

If people are not taking an English course and must prepare for an upcoming business event on their own, they will be better able to do so using ILL strategies. In some cases, students can improve their learning rate using ILL by 15-25%.

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)

1. Beginner: A1                                                Intermediate: B1
2. Elementary: A1High – A2 Low             Advanced Intermediate: B2
3. Pre-Intermediate: A2                              High Low Advanced: C1 (not included)

 Often For Secondary Level Students:

Year 1 – A1                                           Year 4 – A2
Year 2 – A1                                           Year 5 – B1
Year 3 – A2                                           Year 6 – B1-2

Often For University Students:

Semesters 1 & 2 – A1: Beginner-elementary
Semester 3 – elementary or High A1
Semester 4 – advanced elementary level – pre-intermediate or A2
Semesters 5 & 6: Pre-intermediate – Intermediate or High A2-B1
Semesters 7 & 8: Advanced Intermediate or B2

Disclaimer

John Kirk has written none of the materials or activities in these links.  These websites belong to the respective corporations, companies, public institutions, and individuals indicated on their pages.  If any of the content on these websites is of an inappropriate nature, please contact Mr. Kirk at kirkjohnb08@gmail.com and he will gladly remove the site from the links he has organized.

Translating Websites

1. To translate a website, open the Google browser.
2. Then go to “Google Translate” and you will see the two translation boxes on the screen.
3. Look right below and you will see the “Google Translate” URL again.
4. Open it and click on the fourth small box to the right which says “Websites”.
5. Click on it and paste the website/URL you want to translate on the left side.
6. Paste in the website you wish to translate.
7. Click the arrow on the right and the Spanish/English website will open if possible.
8. The new Spanish URL will be at the top of your screen.
9. If it doesn’t open, you will need to translate the website piece by piece.
10. To do this, it’s faster to use Chrome as the number of words you can translate is larger.

How to translate small amounts of information

1. To translate other information, open the Google browser.
2. Then open Google translator “from English to Spanish”.
3. Paste the information you want to translate on the left side of the page.
4. The translation will be on the right side.
5. It would be good to reread it, since a translator sometimes makes small mistakes.

Website localization

Sometimes you won’t be able to connect to a website because small changes have been made. For example, http://www.eslamerica.us/Grammar.html has changed to: http://www.eslamerica.us/grammar.html. If you can’t connect to a website, try changing the address to the shorter one: http://www.eslamerica.us/ and go from there.

The New York City Public Library Site for Studying English at Home

https://www.nypl.org/blog/2012/11/28/11-great-free-websites-practice-english  Free websites to practice English at home. You can find a number of sites with lists of websites for studying English at home under “free websites for practicing English at home” on the internet and also Google Bard & ChatGPT.

This Guide Can Be a Continuation Point for Your Studies

Below in Unit 1 are some good ideas people have found for learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL). In Units 2-9 you can find great materials to support your classes, help you take a class you missed, or study on your own.

Sometimes in this guide you need to be able to read at the pre-intermediate level (A2) to understand the explanations and instructions for using different websites. Sometimes beginners using these sites will have to find an A2 speaker or senior representative to help, or they can try using the free Google Translate https://translate.google.com.

Unit 1:  How to Study

For help in learning how to improve your reading, writing, listening, speaking, vocabulary, gramar or pronunciation in English, you can ask ChatGPT or Google Bard. Also, there are sites about this below.

 https://www.wikihow.com/Learn-English  Wikihow has a number of sites that can help with learning English.

 https://www.fluentu.com/blog/english/english-study-plan/  A2-B2. The Fluent U. Complete Guide to Creating an English Study Plan You’ll Actually Want to Follow.

https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/english-levels/understand-your-english-level/a1-elementary  British Council practice at the A1 level including a good number of exercises modeling ways to study English. This first part is for free.

https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/english-levels/understand-your-english-level/a2-pre-intermediate British Council practice at the A2 level including a good number of exercises modeling ways to study English.  This first part is for free.

https://www.englishclub.com/learn-english/how-agenda.htm Level A2.  Great ideas written in pre-intermediate English for how to learn the basic skills of a language.  This site has an example of a 4-week agenda.

http://esl.about.com/od/intermediateenglish/a/i_studyskills.htm   Levels B1-2. Study skills for intermediate learners.  It has an example of a 45 minutes per day four or more times a week personal plan to which you might add vocabulary and writing.

 http://britishenglishcoach.com/33-ways-to-speak-better-english-without-taking-classes/     Levels B1-2. (Some teacher’s assistance needed.)

http://www.ef.com/blog/language/how-to-learn-english-faster/  Levels B1-2. Some good, practical ideas.

Unit 2: Vocabulary

How to Grow your Vocabulary

Vocabulary is the most important part of learning a language.  How can you express yourself if you don’t know the words for doing it?

People who sometimes like to use spare moments to study English like to carry a small English-Spanish dictionary and also a list of important and/or interesting words to study.  When studying by yourself, you don’t need to write down all the words you don’t know – just the ones that you need/want to remember.  They will be a lot easier for you to learn.

https://busyteacher.org/19110-notebook-4-fantastic-esl-activities.html

Students list their unfamiliar words on one side of the page only. If they choose, they write a definition in their native language in a second column on the same page. Then, they fold the page over so they can still see the English word but their translation is covered. They then write an English definition on the folded section so it lays next to the English word. That way they have definitions in their native language and in English, and the folded page is easy to find in the notebook.

https://busyteacher.org/4820-4-ways-to-introduce-new-vocabulary.html

https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-improve-your-vocabulary-1210334      Level A1-B2.  HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.   Learn how to use a number of techniques to grow your vocabulary such as trees, themes, specific lists, word format charts, visual dictionaries, and collocations.

https://www.englishspeak.com/es/english-phrases   Social phrases for beginners.

https://www.fluentu.com/blog/spanish/spanish-vacation-vocabulary/  Social phrases for beginners.

https://www.englishclub.com A large site.

https://www.englishclub.com/english-for-work/tour-guide-vocabulary.htm 

https://quizlet.com/7058846/spanish-money-numbers-and-expressions-flash-cards/  Dinero

http://www.rong-chang.com/vocabulary.htm   Levels A1-2. A large site for vocabulary building.

http://www.headsupenglish.com/index.php/esl-articles/esl-four-skills/539-how-to-keep-a-vocabulary-notebook  Level A1-2. How to keep a vocabulary notebook.

https://atlaslanguageschool.com/how-to-organize-your-notebook/   Different ways to organize a vocabulary notebook.

http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/vocabulary-games  Level A1-2.  Vocabulary pictures, audio, and activities for practice.

http://esl.about.com/od/learningtechniques/  Levels A1-B2.  Four articles on growing your vocabulary.

http://iteslj.org/v/s/    Levels A1-2.  Spanish/English vocabulary quizzes that are well done.

http://www.eleaston.com/materials.html   Levels A1-2.  A large assortment of vocabulary organized by topic.

http://www.pumarosa.com/ingles/index/intermediate/load.htm?f  Levels A1-B2.  This site includes a lot on verbs. See the ‘beginner’ section, as well.  There’s both audio and visual information.

https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/lex_note.pdf  Level A2-B2. Very good site on different ways to keep a vocabulary notebook.

http://www.idiomsite.com/  Level A2-B2.  A good site for learning idioms.

http://a4esl.org/  Level A2-B2.  Many vocabulary and other types of quizzes.

http://www.er.uqam.ca/nobel/r21270/levels/   Level B1-2. A test to find out the size of your English vocabulary.  The lists also have words that you might not quite sure of but are interested in.  These words are often the easiest to learn.  Perhaps enter words of interest into your vocabulary notebook, the first entry above.

http://www.agendaweb.org/   Level B1-2. Many vocabulary explanations and exercises at the intermediate and advanced intermediate level.

http://www.flo-joe.co.uk/fce/students/wordbank/    Level B1-2.  Grow your vocabulary each day with a phrasal verb, collocation, or word from the word formation category (one of the FCE grammar tests).  These words are good for the B2 level and change daily.  To enter words of interest into your vocabulary notebook, the first entry above in this section.

http://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/08-46-3-c.pdf  Level B1-2.   Ways to organize vocabulary.

For Teachers and Students

DOC]A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR TEACHING VOCABULARY  Level A2-B1 by Penny Ur, 2014.  Some great ideas for building your own vocabulary.  In this guide it explains how today the authorities say that vocabulary is more important than grammar in learning a language.  There are some good websites for studying vocabulary at different levels included at the end.

Three Free Dictionaries

http://www.ultralingua.com/onlinedictionary   From English to Spanish and Spanish to English

http://www.merriam-webster.com/   Dictionary and thesaurus.

http://www.dictionary.com/  The largest free dictionary on the web.

 

 

 

 

 

Unit 3:  Free English Courses on the Internet

  Chatbots & Free English Courses with the Basic Skills

Right now, both of these chatbots are free to use. Through them, you can request any number of activities, quizzes and explanations for any level of English and any topic. In a moment they will give you reading, writing, listening, speaking, grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation materials.

https://gemini.google.com/      This is the Google chatbot site.

https://chat.openai.com/     This is the site of ChatGPT.

 

 Free Courses

Below are a series of free English courses at Level A1-2. There are several ways you can use them. For example, you can use them to support a course you are currently taking, use them for your review, or use them as your main way of learning English, supporting them with other websites presented here.

English for Beginners with Jennifer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzES-nhQFzk&list=PL0A0C8CFFE9712B76 Lessons 1-65 for beginners with Jennifer.

 

VOA Learning English

https://learningenglish.voanews.com/p/5373.html

Let’s Learn English – Level 1, A1+-A2 is a new course for English learners. Certified American English teachers designed the course for beginners. The course continues for 52 weeks. Each week, there will be a new lesson with video showing the lives of young Americans. The lesson includes instruction in speaking, vocabulary and writing. There are also printable worksheets, assessments and lesson plans for individual learners and English teachers. We encourage you to follow the weekly lessons and share your progress with us through comments and email.  

Level A1+-A2: Level 1 – English Learner programs are designed for English learners by certified American English teachers. ‘Ask a Teacher’ is a new program where students can ask questions and teachers answer them. ‘News Word’ is a short video that explains a word or term used in the news. WITH AUDIO AND VISUAL PROGRAMS. It’s free.

 

Let’s Learn English – Level 2 is a new course for English learners. Certified American English teachers designed the course for intermediate learners. Each week, there will be a new lesson with a video showing the lives of young Americans. The lesson includes instruction in speaking, vocabulary, and writing.

 

Let’s Learn English directions for both the above courses:

https://learningenglish.voanews.com/p/5644.html  Level 1, lessons 1-52

1. Click on the box for the lesson you want.
2. Read the contents of the blue box to see the lesson description.
3. Go back to the top, watch the video and do the exercises in it.
4. If you are having trouble understanding the video, stop it and scroll down to read the video script.
5. Now do the “Speaking Practice” which is under the blue box.
6. Now do the “Pronunciation Practice”.
7. Now listen to the video and read the script if necessary.
8. Finally, take the “Listening Test”.

https://learningenglish.voanews.com/p/6765.html Level 2, lessons 1-30

1. Click on the box for the lesson you want.
2. Read the video summary just below the video screen.
3. Click the arrow in the middle of the video screen to start the video.
4. If you are having trouble understanding the video, please read the script below.
5. Now study the new words at the bottom of the page. You can find them written in bold in the lesson script.
6. Click on the small black video box to listen without watching the video. If you need help, read the script while you listen.
7. Read the “learning strategy”. If you need help with English, you can easily translate it by opening Google and typing “Translation.”
8. Now take the lesson’s listening comprehension test at the bottom of the page.

https://learningenglish.voanews.com/p/5610.html

B1-B2: VOA Learning Intermediate English – News, technology, lifestyle, and current topics. Business English Pod – All the business topics you can imagine. They include brief presentations on grammar and vocabulary, news articles, and articles of scientific and cultural interest at the B1-2 levels. The articles are recorded at a slow speed.

To learn even more about Let’s Learn English, please see the “How to Build an English Club Guide”, Unit 4.

 USA Learns

http://www.usalearns.org   Level A1-B1.  This program is designed for study at home. It has a number of lessons and two levels from the true beginner to the intermediate level for secondary students and older. The program is quite complete, and with a basic grammar text it can serve as a primary beginning program – the other programs listed here can serve as additional and supporting material.  It’s written by the U.S. Dept. of Education.

To learn more about Let’s Learn English, please see the “How to Build an English Club Guide” Unit 4.

 

https://www.efset.org/

The EF Standard English Test (EF SET) is the first free standardized English test developed by EF Education First. Built to the same standards as other standardized tests, the EF SET rests on a foundation of evidence-based research and analysis. The EF SET is available online for free at www.efset.org, and also offers a free online certificate for those that successfully complete the 50 minute EF SET Certificate.

https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/4272901.html 

Para obtener más información sobre Let’s Learn English, vaya a la Unidad 16.

Duolingo – learn English by Smartphone for Free

https://www.duolingo.com/   A1-B2. This is a multi-language program for adult English learners. It’s is designed for study at home and can be used to complement USA Learns & VOA Let’s Learn English.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-Kb8SrR5LQ Level 1 English.

Upper level A1/Elementary

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLECDB3ECC0AF0E938  Level A1+-A2. This is the EF playlist, which has 78 videos.  Roughly, videos 1-15 are for students who are not complete beginners, 16-30 at the elementary, 31-45 at the pre-intermediate, 46-60 at the advanced intermediate, and videos 61-78 at the advanced levels.  The program provides good, extra material for basic topics that have already been taught.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPUgQayA77Y&list=PLZluTpXp1 7p9_2G8T4zKi1W5bOpd9lP51&index=1  A2. The English for You playlist of 30 lessons at the elementary/pre-intermediate level.  They are about an hour long each.

http://eduteach.es/videos/english-course/subtitles-01.html  Level A2. Videos that go from the high beginner level to the pre-intermediate level.  However, video 1 has a good first lesson on the verb ‘to be’.  These videos are mostly for adult interest and are especially good for listening practice.

http://www.esolcourses.com/sitemap/sitemap.html  Levels A1-B2.  Activities and exercises in the basic skills from the beginner to the advanced level.

Level A2/Pre-Intermediate

http://www.usalearns.org   Level A2.  It has a thorough beginning and elementary level course for secondary students and older. The second level goes to the intermediate/B1 level.

help@usalearns.org  More information about the course right above.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/hygiene/course-information   Level A2+.  This is the new page for BBC that describes their pre-intermediate course.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLECDB3ECC0AF0E938  Level A2-B2. This is the EF playlist, which has 78 videos.  Videos 31-45 are at the pre-intermediate level, 46-60 at the advanced intermediate, and 61-78 at the advanced level.  The program provides good, extra material for basic topics that have been well explained.

https://www.youtube.com/user/JenniferESL  Level A1-B2. These are Jennifer’s playlists describing her YouTube videos from no. 66-300.

http://www.english-online.org.uk/course.htm?name=elem&link=elemcourse.htm  Level A2-B2. English for  Everybody – a British A1+ – C1 course. The intermediate and advanced levels have 7 units each with 15 lessons per unit, including subsections on grammar, functions, vocabulary and dialogue. They’re a fun way to learn how to use English in different situations. The videos are 4-5 min long,  followed by exercises, and have only words to read, not hear.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF467B6C12B713A03  Level A1+ – B2.  The playlist of Mr. Duncan’s 90 lessons with their topics.  Unit 1 is at the advanced beginner level; lesson 30 is at about the pre-intermediate level.  To select different lessons, simply ask for them according to their number in the Google ‘request box’: for example, ‘Mr. Duncan Learning English lesson 8’.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeaadwctbD4&list=PLAie3YzOYRmley8mMYy1s9XuZYVxW1Ot7  Level A1+ – A2.  English for You – Here are 30 lessons that begin to have an in depth focus about half way through the beginner level.  This course was on television and is well done.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/lower-intermediate  This A2 course has 30 units.

http://www.esolcourses.com/sitemap/sitemap.html    Levels A1-B2.  Activities and exercises in the basic skills from the beginner to the advanced level.

 Three New BBC A2-B2 Courses

This BBC course is very well done, and each unit has a number of sessions and activities…  ‘All our courses are designed to work on mobiles, tablets and desktop computers – so wherever you are, you will be able to enjoy studying English with the BBC Learning English team. If you are using a desktop, you can download audio mp3 files and pdf transcripts.’   This course has reading, writing, listening, grammar, vocabulary and material for speaking.  To get more ideas on how to practice speaking, see Unit 6.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/hygiene/course-information   Level A2+.  This is the new page for BBC that describes their pre-intermediate course.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/intermediate  This B1 course has 30 units with good instruction in listening, reading and grammar.  You can use the second USA Learns course (listed above) to complement this course.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/upper-intermediate  B2. At the moment this B2 course has 24 units.

 

What is Coursera? (By Google Gemini)  

“Below are a series of free English courses at Level A1-2. There are several ways you can use it. For example, you can use them to support a course you are currently taking, use them for your review, or use them as your main way of learning English, supporting them with other websites presented here.

Coursera is a global online learning platform that offers anyone, anywhere, access to online courses and degrees from leading universities and companies. It’s one of the top players in the online education space, so knowing what it is and how it works can be helpful if you’re looking for educational opportunities.

Here’s a breakdown of Coursera

What it offers:

• Variety of courses: Coursera boasts thousands of courses in a wide range of subjects, from data science and computer science to business and personal development. There are options for all skill levels, from beginner to advanced.
• Partnerships: The platform collaborates with over 300 leading universities and companies, including renowned institutions like Stanford, Yale, and Google. This ensures high-quality content and industry-relevant curriculum.
• Flexible formats: Courses come in various formats, including self-paced, instructor-led, and specialized programs. You can choose what best fits your learning style and schedule.
• Credentials: Depending on the program, you can earn certificates, professional credentials, or even full-fledged degrees. These can enhance your resume and career prospects.

Key features:

• Interactive learning: Courses include video lectures, quizzes, assignments, and peer-to-peer interaction. This keeps learning engaging and effective.
• Mobile app: Access courses and learning materials on the go with the Coursera mobile app.
• Financial aid: Coursera offers financial aid options for certain courses and programs to make education more accessible.

Who is it for?:

Coursera caters to diverse individuals:

• Students: Expand your knowledge, develop new skills, or prepare for higher education.
• Professionals: Upskill or reskill for career advancement or explore new career paths.
• Lifelong learners: Pursue interests, hobbies, or personal development goals.

Overall, Coursera is a valuable platform for anyone seeking high-quality online education from reputable institutions. Its flexibility, accessibility, and diverse offerings make it a popular choice for learners of all ages and backgrounds.” (According to Gemini.)

 

 

  

 

 

  

Unit 4: Grammar

Some of these site have good grammar explanations with examples and then exercises to practice the rule being taught .

https://www.learn-english-today.com/lessons/lesson_contents/exercises/frequency-adverbs_quiz1.html   A1-B1. Excellent! Parts of speech including verb tenses and other verb forms. Grammar explanations and exercises with answers. Also, vocabulary exercises. Well done.

https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/beginner-to-pre-intermediate/question-forms   A1- A2. Good basic grammar explanations with examples.

https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar  Good, clear lessons.

https://www.teaching-esl-to-adults.com/support-files/esl_cloze_volume_1_complete.pdf  Many present simple grammar exercises with answers.

https://www.grammarbank.com/   A1-B2. Grammar, reading and vocabulary exercises.

http://www.eslamerica.us     Levels A1-B2.  Good selection of grammar activities from different major sites – all the activities are on audio as well as written./ Buena selección de actividades de gramática de los diferentes sitios principales – todas las actividades son de audio, así como escrito.

https://test-english.com/grammar-points/a1/contents-a1/

https://www.examenglish.com/leveltest/grammar_level_test.htm

https://www.examenglish.com/leveltest/listening_level_test.htm

 http://www.talkenglish.com   Level A1-A2. Well done grammar presentations with audio.  Also included is: ‘English Speaking Basics’.  ‘English Speaking Basics’ is created for English speaking beginners who need help to understand the basics of speaking English.  We will use very simple phrases and expressions to help you with your English speaking.’

There are currently 90 lessons with over 900 audio files in the English Speaking Basics Section.  Once you are familiar with the basics of English speaking, you can move to other categories such as Regular English Lessons.

http://www.eslflow.com/   Level A2-B2.  Good for grammar practice. Good with parts of speech worksheets and tenses with time lines.

http://www.1-language.com/englishcourse/  Levels A1-B2  The grammar is first presented in context in a dialogue, then well explained with examples, and practiced in normal exercises and then dialog exercises.

https://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar  Levels A1-B1.  This site has some good exercises for basic grammar at different levels and in some cases it illustrates the grammar in texts.

http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/grammar-exercise-simple-present.php  Level A1-B2.  Great grammar site with exercises.

http://www.autoenglish.org/videos/basic.htm  Level A2-B2.  Elementary level topics explained on video.

http://www.agendaweb.org/  Level A2-B2.  Grammar explanations and exercises at the pre-intermediate level.

Youtube and/or http://www.engvid.com/  Level A2-B2.  For a teacher’s explanation of a grammar element, try ‘engvid’ or simply type in on Google the name of the grammar element and the word ‘Youtube’.  You’ll probably get several possibilities.

http://a4esl.org/a/g.html  Level A2-B2.  Many English grammar quizzes.

http://esl.fis.edu/learners/advice/gram.htm  A2-B2. Advice for studying grammar.

https://www.englishliteracysite.com/english-literacy-worksheets.html    A2-B2 Varied grammar worksheets.

https://elt.oup.com/student/practicegrammar/test?cc=global&selLanguage=en  A2-C1. Highly recommended: Diagnostic grammar test at three levels.  Find out some things that you might need to study.

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/678/01  A2-C1.  Good site for studying grammar and mechanics.

http://www.grammarbook.com/  A2-C1.  Well done text. Grammar and punctuation rules with good explanations.

http://www.agendaweb.org/videos/english-course/subtitles.html  Level A2-C1.  This podcast from agenda web provides video practice with specific grammar topics at the elementary and intermediate levels.  There are also reading selections.

https://www.grammarly.com/  A2-C1.  Free grammar checker

 Robot Tutor Mike

http://www.rong-chang.com/tutor_mike.htm  Levels A1-2.  An electronic tutor that you can practice communicating in English with through its written answers.  Ask Mike about how to learn a language, grammatical terms, languages, culture, government and history.

http://www.rong-chang.com/tutor_know.htm  What does Robot Tutor Mike know?  (See above for access to the robot.)  / ¿Qué sabe Robot tutor Mike?

  

What English grammar do students need to know to pass level A2 in the CEFR:  (ChatGPT)

To pass level A2 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), students need to have a basic but effective command of English, sufficient for routine tasks and simple conversations. Here are the key grammar points that students should be familiar with at this level:

1. Verb Tenses

• Present Simple: Used for routines, habits, and general truths (e.g., “She goes to school every day.”)
• Present Continuous: Used for actions happening now or around the present time (e.g., “He is reading a book.”)
• Past Simple: Used for completed actions in the past (e.g., “They visited Paris last year.”)
• Future Simple (will): Used for future intentions or spontaneous decisions (e.g., “I will help you.”)

2. Modal Verbs

• Can/Could: Ability, permission, requests (e.g., “I can swim.”, “Could you help me?”)
• Must/Have to: Obligation (e.g., “You must stop at a red light.”, “I have to do my homework.”)
• May/Might: Possibility (e.g., “It may rain tomorrow.”)

3. Questions and Negations

• Forming questions: Using auxiliary verbs (e.g., “Do you like apples?”, “Is she coming?”)
• Negative sentences: Using “not” (e.g., “I do not (don’t) like coffee.”, “She is not (isn’t) here.”)

4. Articles

• Definite article: “The” (e.g., “The book on the table is mine.”)
• Indefinite articles: “A” and “An” (e.g., “I have a car.”, “She bought an apple.”)

5. Nouns and Pronouns

• Singular and plural nouns: Regular and irregular forms (e.g., “book/books”, “child/children”)
• Subject and object pronouns: (e.g., “I/me”, “he/him”, “they/them”)
• Possessive pronouns: (e.g., “my/mine”, “your/yours”)

6. Adjectives and Adverbs

• Adjectives: Comparative and superlative forms (e.g., “big/bigger/biggest”)
• Adverbs of frequency: (e.g., “always”, “usually”, “sometimes”, “never”)

7. Prepositions

• Time prepositions: (e.g., “at 5 o’clock”, “on Monday”, “in the morning”)
• Place prepositions: (e.g., “in the box”, “on the table”, “at the bus stop”)

8. Conjunctions

• Simple conjunctions: (e.g., “and”, “but”, “or”, “because”)

9. Basic Sentence Structure

• Simple sentences: (e.g., “She likes pizza.”)
• Compound sentences: Using conjunctions (e.g., “I like tea and she likes coffee.”)

10. Vocabulary and Functions

• Everyday vocabulary: Basic words related to common topics like family, shopping, work, and hobbies.
• Functional phrases: Common expressions used in social situations (e.g., “How are you?”, “Can I help you?”, “Where is the restroom?”)

11. Imperatives

• Commands and requests: (e.g., “Sit down.”, “Please open the window.”)

12. Possessives

• Possessive adjectives: (e.g., “my”, “your”, “his”, “her”, “our”, “their”)
• Possessive ‘s: (e.g., “John’s book”)

Students should practice these grammar points through exercises and real-life application to be comfortable using them in both written and spoken English at the A2 level.

CEFR Curriculum Level A2 – Advanced Beginner/Pre-intermediate

https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=09000016804932bf    Reading, writing, listening, spoken interaction, spoken production

A2 LISTENING

I can understand what people say to me in simple everyday conversation when they speak slowly and clearly

I can understand everyday words and phrases relating to areas of immediate personal relevance (e.g., family, student life,

local environment, employment)

I can understand everyday words and phrases relating to areas of personal interest (e.g., hobbies, social life, holidays, music,

TV, films, travel)

I can grasp the essential elements of clear simple messages and recorded announcements (e.g., on the telephone, at the

railway station)

I can understand simple phrases, questions and information relating to basic personal needs (e.g., shopping, eating out, going

to the doctor)

I can follow simple directions (e.g., how to get from X to Y) by foot or public transport

I can usually identify the topic of conversation around me when people speak slowly and clearly

I can follow changes of topic in factual TV news items and form an idea of the main content

I can identify the main point of TV news items reporting events, accidents, etc., if there is visual support

I can understand short, simple stories when they are told or read clearly and slowly

I can understand simple, concrete instructions about how to use materials and equipment

I can understand simple descriptions of operations related to my work if they are supported by practical demonstrations.

 

2 READING

I can understand short simple messages and texts containing basic everyday vocabulary relating to areas of personal

relevance or interest

I can understand everyday signs and public notices (e.g., on the street, in shops, hotels, railway stations)

I can find specific predictable information in simple everyday material such as advertisements, timetables, menus,

directories, brochures

I can understand instructions when expressed in simple language (e.g., how to use a public telephone)

I can understand regulations when they are expressed in simple language (e.g., safety notices, regulations governing

attendance at lectures)

I can understand short simple personal letters giving or requesting information about everyday life or offering an invitation

I can identify key information in short newspaper/magazine reports

I can understand basic information in routine letters and messages (e.g., hotel reservations, personal telephone messages)

I can understand short narratives about familiar everyday things provided the text is written in simple language

 

A2 SPOKEN INTERACTION

I can handle short social exchanges and make myself understood if people help me

I can participate in short conversations in routine contexts on topics of interest

I can make and respond to invitations, suggestions, apologies and requests for permission

I can say what I like or dislike, and agree or disagree

I can express what I feel in simple terms, and express thanks appropriately

I can discuss what to do, where to go, make arrangements to meet (e.g., in the evening, at the weekend)

I can ask and answer simple questions about familiar topics (e.g., weather, hobbies, social life, music, sport)

I can ask and answer simple questions about things that have happened (e.g., yesterday, last week, last year)

I can handle simple telephone calls (e.g., say who is calling, ask to speak to someone, give my number, give or take take a

simple message)

I can make simple transactions (e.g., in shops, post offices, railway stations) and order something to eat or drink

I can get simple practical information (e.g., asking for directions, booking accommodation, going to the doctor)

 

A2 SPOKEN PRODUCTION

I can describe myself, my family and other people I know

I can describe my home and where I live

I can say what I usually do at home, at school/college, at work, in my free time

I can describe my educational background and subjects of study

I can give short simple descriptions of events or tell a simple story

I can describe past activities and personal experiences (e.g., what I did at the weekend)

I can explain what I like and don’t like about something

I can give simple descriptions of things and make straightforward comparisons

I can deliver very short rehearsed announcements of predictable learnt content

I can give a short rehearsed presentation on a familiar subject in my academic or professional field

 

A2 WRITING

I can write short simple notes and messages (e.g., saying that someone telephoned, arranging to meet someone, explaining

absence)

I can write a simple curriculum vitae giving essential personal information

I can write about aspects of my everyday life in simple linked sentences (e.g., family, school/college, work, holidays)

I can write short simple imaginary biographies and stories about people

I can write short simple descriptions of events, past activities and personal experiences

I can write a very simple personal letter (e.g., accepting or offering an invitation, thanking someone for something,

apologising), with appropriate opening and closing

I can write very simple formal letter (e.g. placing an order or requesting information about a summer jobs or hotel

accommodation), with appropriate opening and closing

I can keep a very simple logbook or diary

 Unit 5: Listening

How to Practice English Listening Comprehension Skills

By Mike Shelby (Click here. This is a link.) 

http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/sitemap  Levels A1+ – B2.  Here you can find British Council podcasts at the elementary speaking level. Click on Instructions and Downloads for the exercises.  Check out – ‘Ways to Improve your Listening’, below, to see how to make the audio/video recordings easier or more challenging.  Of course, this is good advice when possible for using all listening materials.

http://www.rong-chang.com/easyspeak/  Levels A1-2.  Dialogs with their scripts – good for the beginner level and higher.  

http://www.eslfast.com/easydialogs/  Level A1-2.  Very good for the beginner level and higher.

http://www.eslgold.com/listening/levels/low_begin.html  A1.  Beginner’s listening practice.

http://www.autoenglish.org/listenings.htm  Level A1-2. Some interesting recorded stories at different levels as well as good grammar and vocabulary practice.

http://www.1-language.com/esllistening/easy3_script.htm   Level A2.  Good listening material from the elementary level on up.

http://www.ompersonal.com.ar/omaudio/contenidotematico.htm   Level A2-B2.  Good listening practice with exercises.

http://es.talkenglish.com/   Levels A2-B2.  Many recorded dialogues for speaking and listening. There is a good system for improving your listening.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzjbd9zLu_w  A2 Learn English through recorded stories.

http://www.esl-lab.com/  Level A2-B2.  Many recorded dialogues from the elementary to  advanced levels and good lessons to practice them.

http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/elementary-podcasts/  Level A2.  A number of good elementary and pre-intermediate podcasts with the script including some Aesop’s fables.

https://www.englishclub.com/listening/  Level A2-B1.  A number of different types of listening activities in English.  Many of them have transcripts, vocabulary notes and comprehension questions.

http://www.focusenglish.com  Level A2 – B1. A number of dialogues with script.

Bristish Council, Learn English

Elementary Podcast Support Pack – Series 3 episode 13

http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/elementary-podcasts/series-03-episode-13

https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/sites/podcasts/files/learnenglish-podcasts-elementary-03-13-support-pack.pdf

Ways to Improve your Listening

Elementary level Podcasts can be suitable for learners with different levels of English that are a little higher or a little lower. Here are some ways to make them easier (if you have a lower level of English) or more difficult (if you have a higher level of English). You can choose one or two of these suggestions – you don’t have to do all of them!

This is a link for suggestions on reading podcasts.

http://esl.about.com/od/intermediatelistenin1/a/How-To-Practice-English-Listening-Comprehension-Skills.htm   A2-B1

https://www.englishforums.com/English/EnglishListeningComprehension-Speaking/xmwnh/post.htm

“English Listening Comprehension And Speaking”   A1 -B2: Various practice in listening.

http://esl.about.com/od/intermediatelistenin1/a/How-To-Practice-English-Listening-Comprehension-Skills.htm   A2-B1

Programas Escuchando Radio Podcasts

  http://www.wikihow.com/Subscribe-to-Podcasts-With-iTunes  How to subscribe for a free podcast.  It will be sent to your computer, and you can transfer it to your portable music player such as an iPod.

http://mp3.about.com/od/tutorials/ht/iTunes_Podcasts.htm  How to download podcasts for your computer or your portable music player using iTunes.

http://learningenglish.voanews.com/  Levels A1+ – A2.  This site has news articles in audio and video formats.  The audio is spoken at an A2 level.  There are 3 three levels from high A1-A2.

http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/sitemap  Level A2-B2.  Sitemap for British Council Learn English Site. Many different listening podcasts with script and ‘activity tasks’.

http://linkengpark.com/elementary-podcast/  Level A2. British Council podcasts at the elementary speaking level.

http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/elementary-podcasts  Level A2.  More about the British Council elementary level podcasts for high school students and older.  They have a lot to choose from with good variety.  You must click on ‘Instructions and Downloads’ for the scripts and the exercises.

http://www.eslvideo.com/eslvideo_links_page.php  Level A2-B2.  Video, listening, grammar, listening podcasts, and songs with lyrics.

http://a4esl.org/p/   Level A2-B2.  From this page, you can easily and quickly listen to several podcasts.

http://esl-aloud.com/  Level A2-B2.  Over 100 radio podcasts at the pre-intermediate to intermediate levels with sentences to repeat.

http://a4esl.org/p/  Level A2-B2.  From this page, you can easily and quickly listen to several podcasts.  For example, to see a free elementary level podcast on news articles with the script included, try: http://www.simpleenglishnews.com/

http://academics.smcvt.edu/cbauer-ramazani/Links/esl_listening.htm#Sound_Stories  Level A2–B2.  Guttenberg. Many podcasts, sound stories, movies and a lot more. This site is one of the most complete sources of links on the Internet.

http://www.eslvideo.com/eslvideo_links_page.php  Levels A2-B2. Large choice of different EFL activities: video, listening, grammar, listening podcasts, and songs with lyrics.

Watching Videos to Improve your Listening

 http://www.agendaweb.org/videos/english-teaching-videos.html  Levels A1-B2.  78 videos on different basic grammar topics done in a humorous way. / 78 vídeos sobre diferentes temas gramaticales básicas hechas de una manera humorística.

http://es.englishcentral.com/videos#  Level A2.  See videos of people in different situations with written Spanish translations.  Then check your understanding in different ways.  Free registration. 

http://esl.about.com/od/listeninglessonplans/a/youtube.htm  Level A2.  On this page please also see ‘Related Articles’ and ‘Our Expert Recommends’ (below).

http://www.elllo.org/video/V1226x.htm   Level A2+ – B1.  This site, Elllo, has 100’s of videos with several questions that follow.  The students can turn the script on and off.  Pre-intermediate students can understand most of what’s on the videos, and they’re only about a minute long.

http://www.eslvideo.com/eslvideo_links_page.php  Level A2-B1.  Watch different EFL television type programs such as ‘The Daily English Show’, ‘Real English’ or the video

TED  Level B1-C2. Listen to short stories by experts. TED subtitles are complete and there is also a transcript.

 http://www.shiporsheep.com/page1.html  Levels A1-2.  Learn pronunciation of minimal pairs with pictures of the words.  It has British pronunciation. 

https://translate.google.com/  Google translate will pronounce words for you at different speeds./

  

 

 

 

Unit 6: Speaking

A1 Speaking Lessons

http://www.eslgold.com/speaking/  Levels A1-B2.  Good speaking activities for levels A1-2.  See ‘levels’ and ‘skills’ on the left side of the page.

 https://eslgames.com/esl-conversation-questions/

 https://eslconversationtopics.com/level/a1-a2/

 http://roadtogrammar.com/conversationquestions/R2G_Conversation_Questions.pdf

 https://universeofmemory.com/conversational-topics-for-specific-language-levels/

http://www.fluentu.com/english/educator/blog/esl-speaking-activities-for-adults/  Twelve speaking activities for adults.

https://www.eflsensei.com/   A2 -B1. Some interesting speaking activities.

http://www.eslcafe.com/idea/index.cgi?Speaking   Levels A2-B2. Many ideas for speaking activities.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-W_rB9xWfYk    Level A2.  For the pre-intermediate level: A video on how not to be shy and how to improve your speaking.

Lessons, Games, and Activities for Speaking

https://www.englishclub.com/speaking/  Levels A1-B2.  Some good basic speaking lessons on different topics.

http://iteslj.org/questions/  Levels A1-B2.  Excellent.  150 topics and 1000’s of questions for practicing speaking.

http://iteslj.org/c/games.html  Level A1-B2.  Good speaking and listening games.  See p. 1-7.

https://www.englishclub.com/speaking/telephone.htm  Levels A2-B1.  Seven good telephone exercises for business people.

http://busyteacher.org/11988-7-terrific-telephone-english-activities-adult.html  Levels A1-B2.  Good telephone activities.

Old BBC Business Site

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/business/talkingbusiness/unit1telephone/1connecting.sht  Levels B1-B2.  Practice with four types of business telephone conversations including ‘wrong number, appointments, flights, and messages’.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/business/talkingbusiness/unit2meetings/1agenda.shtml  Levels B1-B2.  Practice with four parts of a meeting including ‘agenda setting, interruptions, agreeing, and any-other-business (aob)’.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/business/talkingbusiness/unit3presentations/1opening.shtml   Levels B1-B2.  Practice with four parts of a presentation including ‘the opening, body, tips, and questions’.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/business/talkingbusiness/unit4negotiations/expert.shtml  Levels B1-B2.  Practice with four parts of a presentation including ‘resolving difficulties, asking for a pay raise, difficult clients, and expert’.

New BBC Business Site

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/  This site has free pre-intermediate, intermediate, and upper-intermediate courses.  It also has ‘English at Work’ right below, with dialog, script, and exercises.

http://www.eslcafe.com/idea/index.cgi?Kids  Level A2-B2. Fun games for speaking.

http://eslgo.com/resources/sa.php  Levels A2-B2. Good role plays.   Please see the sites below for practice answering questions on many different themes and also games with which you can practice grammar and vocabulary.

 Games

https://www.gooverseas.com/blog/10-best-games-esl-teachers

http://www.eslinsider.com/blog/the-13-best-esl-games

http://monkeyabroad.com/27-esl-games-for-large-classes/

http://www.reachtoteachrecruiting.com/blog/top-8-esl-games-every-teacher-should-know/

http://www.tesolzone.com/tefl-games.html

Ideas on How to Use Songs to help your Speaking

Sometimes you have the words to a favorite song but you don’t have the music for it. To find the music, try looking on Youtube. If you have the music but don’t have the words, look on Google. Remember to check the multi-purpose sites for music activities as well as the sites below.

To practice your speaking, of course, you can learn the words to your favorite songs and sing them!

 Websites with Music and/or Lyrics (the words to songs

 Songs

Sometimes you can find lyrics to a song on Google and listen to the song on YouTube.

 http://www.esolcourses.com/topics/easy-song-quizzes.html  A1 level songs with quizzes.

http://www.fluentu.com/english/blog/learn-english-through-songs-music/  A2+ How to learn English through songs.  Many good ideas

http://www.agendaweb.org  Level A2-B2 .  About 200 popular singles with lyrics.

http://www.lyricsgaps.com/  Levels A2-B2.  To get activities based on a large number of songs, first click on the letter of the singer or band, then on the name of the song they give you, and then under ‘game mode’ click beginner.  To see all the words, click on ‘karaoke’.  You will need to find the music on youtube.

http://www.tefltunes.com/grammarsongs.aspx  Level A2-B2.  It has some very good songs that are good for practicing certain forms of grammar.  First click on the song lyrics, then wait about one  and the song will play.

http://www.esolcourses.com/topics/easy-song-quizzes.html   Levels A2-B1.  A number of popular songs with activities.

What is Mr. Bean Doing?

One advantage of Mr. Bean movies is that he doesn’t speak. To make them into a speaking exercise, simply tell about what you saw.

https://www.google.com/search?rct=j&q=youtube%20and%20mr.%20bean%20movies  Level A1-B1. This site has a large number of Mr. Bean movies./

http://www.elllo.org/video/V1226x.htm   Levels A2-B1.  This site, Elllo, has 100’s of videos at a low intermediate level with several question that follow.  Students can turn the script on and off.  Pre-intermediate students can understand most of what’s on the videos, and they’re only about a minute long.

Jokes/Bromas

http://www.manythings.org/jokes/  Level A2.

http://iteslj.org/c/jokes.html  Level A2-B1.

http://iteslj.org/c/jokes-riddles.html  Level A2-B1

 Pronunciation: Levels A1-2

http://www.rong-chang.com/pronunciation.htm  Levels A1-2.  Many good links where you can listen to the pronunciation of all the sounds in English.

http://www.howjsay.com/ Levels A1-2 .  The world’s largest pronunciation dictionary.  To use it, go to the homepage and click ‘Go to mobile site’.  Then type in the word to pronounce and click the arrow.

http://www.shiporsheep.com/page1.html  Levels A1-2.  Learn pronunciation of minimal pairs with pictures of the words.  It has British pronunciation. 

https://translate.google.com/  Google translate will pronounce words for you at different speeds./ El traductor de Google pronunciará palabras a diferentes velocidades./

  

 

 

Unit 7: Reading

https://www.englishhints.com/esl-reading.html  How to improve your reading.

When learning a new language, it’s important to read a lot, retell what you read to yourself or a friend, and put new, important or interesting vocabulary words in your notebook.  Reading can serve as an example of grammar used, a great source for new vocabulary, and a good way to review grammar and vocabulary that you’ve learned.

https://teachinginkoreanuniversity.com/esl-news-articles-resources/     How to teach a reading lesson.

https://busyteacher.org/22948-interactive-reading-notebooks.html  Different ways for students to react to something they’re read.

Some Ideas for Checking your Reading Comprehension

http://busyteacher.org/20578-6-simple-reading-response-activities.html  Level A2.  Here are 6 good learning/comprehension activities for you to use after you’ve finished reading a story or article.

https://www.englishclub.com/reading/test-start.htm  Level A2.  A fifteen minute EFL reading test.  It can serve as a point of reference for growth.

https://www.grammarbank.com/beginners-reading-worksheet.html    Level A2. Good basic reading and fill in the blank exercises.

http://www.cambridge.org/ventures/professionaldevelopment/five-ways-connect-reading-and-writing/  Level A2-B2.  Five ideas for connecting writing with reading including some good teaching videos on the topic.

Varied Reading Materials

 http://etii.co/forum/uploads/ressources/ressource_100.pdf  A1+ readings with questions and answers for adults. Very Good.

https://www.readingskills4today.com/   Good, very easy stories for adults.

https://lingua.com/english/reading/   A1-B1 Reading, A2-B1 listening. Some good activities as an introduction to the site.

http://www.eslfast.com/easyread/    A1+ – A2. A large number of short stories at the elementary level.

esl-bits.net  A2-B2.  A site with different level readings of classic books recorded at two speeds.

https://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/short-stories  Level A1+ -A2.  A large number of elementary level short stories that are shown as cartoons with a narrator.  You can also print out the story to have it to read

http://www.englishhints.com/online-reading.html   A2-B1.  This site has some good connections to reading sites. /Este sitio tiene algunas buenas conexiones a sitios de lectura.

http://www.infosquares.com/readingcomprehension/ A2-B2 Varied topics for adults.

Reading the News

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/   Levels A1+ – B2.  This news site offers reading levels elementary to pre-intermediate and higher for each news article including a complete lessons with different comprehension activities.   It also offers speed reading and dictations at different levels, grammar with jumbled sentences and sentence match, and vocabulary with fill in the missing word cloze exercises.  There are a large number of news articles.

http://www.simpleenglishnews.com/  Levels A1+ – 2.  Elementary to pre-intermediate news stories with audio and script. / Elementales noticias para pre-intermedio con audio y la escritura.

http://www.newsinlevels.com/about-us/  Levels A1-B1.  Read and listen to all sorts of news articles.  They are written in 3 levels.  Level 1: A1;  Level 2: A2; Level 3: B1.

https://learningenglish.voanews.com/     Level A2.  Great site mostly at pre-intermediate to intermediate level with a number of recorded news articles and their scripts to read.  The recordings are read at a slow speed.

http://www.allyoucanread.com/   Level A2-B2.  ‘World’s Largest Reading Portal.’

The newspapers and magazines here are well organized by theme and location.  ‘Discover and read the most popular online media outlets organized by 150 topics! Click the links below to find our handpicked media lists for each topic.’

http://www.aesopfables.com/  Level A2-B1.  About 400 fables with morals.

http://literacynet.org/cnnsf/archives.html  Level A2-B2.  Over 100 CNN news stories that are also abridged at the pre-intermediate level and come with an outline and five categories of comprehension questions.

A large variety of English Quizzes for Students

(Some teachers might want to introduce these two sites to their students.)

http://a4esl.org/    100’s of different kinds of English quizzes at different levels

http://www.goethe-verlag.com/tests/  Spanish to English quiz questions

 

 

 

 

 

Unit  8: Writing

Using Writing to Improve your English

 https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/skills/writing  Ideas for improving your A2-B1 writing.

https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/skills/writing/pre-intermediate-a2

 https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=es&sl=en&u=https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/skills/writing&prev=search&pto=aue  Sugerencias para mejorar su escritura de niveles A2-B1.

 (Remember to check the multi-purpose sites for all different types of activities (p…)

Writing is a great way to practice your grammar and vocabulary.  If you have trouble writing, try writing like you speak and not making your sentences too long.

http://www.esolcourses.com/content/topicsmenu/writing.html   Levels A1-B2.  Several 100 basic writing exercises, many with songs.  A lot of gap fill exercises. / Muchos ejercicios de escritura a niveles bajos, muchas con canciones. Una gran cantidad de ejercicios de relleno de brecha

http://www.autoenglish.org/writing.htm  Level A1+ – B2.  Good writing activities at different levels.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z3c6tfr   Levels A1-A2 .  Learn to touch-type with the BBC. / Aprender a tocar-tipo con la BBC.

http://www.rong-chang.com/tutor.htm  Level A2.  Practice writing with Robot “English Tutor” – an interesting way for ESL students to improve writing skills.

http://www.rong-chang.com/easyread/emx/contents.htm  Level A2.  Jumbled sentence exercises.

http://www.rong-chang.com/writing/index  Level A2.  Sentence structure writing practice.

http://www.cambridge.org/ventures/professionaldevelopment/five-ways-connect-reading-and-writing/  Level A2-B2.  Five ideas for connecting writing with reading including some good teaching videos on the topic.

http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/writing.php  Level A2-B2.  Good, basic writing instruction including paragraphs and essays.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IFDuhdB2Hk  Level A2 – B1.  How to write a paragraph/essay for the TOEFL and other exams.

http://www2.actden.com/writ_den/tips/paragrap/index.htm  Level A2-B2.  Good instruction in writing parts of and types of paragraphs.

http://esl.fis.edu/learners/writing/misc/index_color.htm  Levels A1-2. Excellent list of short writing activities.

http://www.englishforeveryone.org/Topics/Paragraph-Correction.htm  Level A2.  Excellent.  A number of upper elementary to pre-intermediate paragraphs to correct.

http://www.englishforeveryone.org/Topics/Writing-Practice.htm  Level A2-B1.  Good writing topics.

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/1/5/  Level A2-B2.  Very good writing instruction for pre-intermediate level to upper intermediate levels.

http://www.sentencemaster.ca/   Level A2-B1.  Good exercises for practicing grammar through writing.  Use the Sentence Master One Word Card Writing Exercises at the top.

http://www.eslflow.com/AcademicWritng.html  Level A2-B2.   Good writing instruction.  It has graphic organizers/pre-writing ideas and essay outlines – good for pre-intermediate level and above.  Also included is instruction for different types of essays such as comparison-contrast and cause and effect.   Good exercises for paragraph  and essay writing.

http://writing-speech.dartmouth.edu/learning/materials/materials-first-year-writers  B1-B2.  Excellent for grammar and writing.

http://www.easybib.com  This site will do some of your bibliography work for you.

https://www.grammarly.com/?q=grammar&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Search%20$.10%20-%20$.20%20CPC%20-%20Poor&utm_content=28014492606&utm_term=how%20to%20learn%20english%20language&matchtype=b&placement=&network=s&gclid=CPuTmYb3odECFYEkhgodFvQGPg      Free grammar checker now with AI.

Pen Pals

Mylanguageexchange.com   Level A2. Use your computer to speak to someone in a foreign country using a good strategy.  Find a partner at the online community and practice your second language with a speaker who is learning your language. We host your online practice.

 

Punctuation

To learn about punctuation, first study the esl.about website right below.  If you have more questions, see ‘8 Steps to Sentence Sense’ where you can learn about sentence

grammar.  Then you can listen to Jennifer’s punctuation videos and use the knowledge you gained from ‘esl.about’ & ‘8 Steps’ to help improve your punctuation.

http://esl.about.com/od/englishgrammar/a/a_punctuation.htm  Levels A2-B1.  A good site for improving your basic punctuation.

Level A2-B1.  Listen and read about the (8) Simple Steps to Sentence Sense by Charlene Tess on Youtube.  There are nine 10-15 minute videos spoken at the A2 Level with writing to support them.

Step 1:  Simple Steps to Sentence Sense .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oELTsQkpD3U

Step 2: Finding the verb

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vMThCeABcc

Step 3: The subject

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkkRsQB2PHw

Step 4: Action Verb Complements

Part 1:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cgnITttLto

Linking Verb complements

Part 2:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZwmBLkH0t8

Step 5: Adjectives and adverbs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYE5bHF-vss

Step 6: Phrases

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQOjTyjxPeM

Step 7:  Clauses

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cC8gONuOgSo

Step 8:  Classifying

https://www.youtube.com/watch?=4FsWlOG2jsU

Jennifer’s Punctuation Videos: Level A2-B1.  After studying ‘esl.about’ and the sentence grammar above in ‘Simple Steps to Sentence Sense’, you can continue with Jennifer’s punctuation lessons below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3f_Dk7WatIY&index=1&list=PLfQSN9FlyB6Q8MTULKyIHzqKeXpBbxES6   Levels A2-B2.  English Writing Skills 1: Sentence Punctuation and Contractions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDABg3pX0OE&list=PLfQSN9FlyB6Q8MTULKyIHzqKeXpBbxES6&index=2  Levels A2-B2.  English Writing Skills 2: Commas and Capital Letters. Part 1 of 3.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZLV7bdvD4A&list=PLfQSN9FlyB6Q8MTULKyIHzqKeXpBbxES6&index=5 Levels A2-B2.  English Writing Skills 3: Commas and Direct Speech.  Part 2 of 3.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSGToBeV6XU&list=PLfQSN9FlyB6Q8MTULKyIHzqKeXpBbxES6&index=4  Levels A2-B2.  English Writing Skills 3: Commas and Capital Letters.  Part 3 of 3.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IHr-M36DnQ&list=PLfQSN9FlyB6Q8MTULKyIHzqKeXpBbxES6&index=6  Levels A2-B2.  English Writing Skills 4: Apostrophes and Commas Part 1 of 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUaNh29eu-E  Levels A2-B2.  English Writing Skills 4: Apostrophes and Commas Part 2 of 2.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unit 9: Multi-purpose ESL/EFL Sites

Each site has very good activities in reading, writing, listening, speaking, grammar, and pronunciation usually from the beginner level on up. The multipurpose sites listed below are mentioned here and in the grammar section.  Please search them for the basic skills and other major topics, as they contain a lot of good information.

http://www.rong-chang.com   Level A1-A2.  Very good site for beginners.Principio del formulario

http://www.eslgold.com  Levels A1-B2.  Starts with low beginning level for the basic skills and is quite comprehensive.  It’s set up for the secondary and university level and is well organized with the basic topics.  It also has some links to other grammar sites for specific issues.

http://www.esolcourses.com/sitemap/sitemap.html  Levels A1-B2.  This site has a large number of exercises in all the basic skills.

http://www.bbcactiveenglish.com/teen-english-zone_information.html  Level A2. Teenagers from around the world introduce the Teen English Zone programs against a backdrop of bustling London and fast-paced music. An on-going email conversation between English and American teenagers provides the opportunity to feature written English in a natural context. Comedy duo sketches reinforce and recycle key language. Video diaries from teenagers across the globe provide an insight into the lives of young people, while reinforcing language and structures.

http://www.agendaweb.org/  Level A1+ – B2.  Many exercises using all the basic skills for different age groups at the pre-intermediate level.

https://oedb.org/ilibrarian/50_essential_resources_for_esl_students/

http://www.myenglishpages.com/  Level A2-B2.  Many exercises using all the basic skills.

http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/sitemap  Level A1+ – B2. Many activities using the basic skills at the A2 level.

https://www.thoughtco.com/esl-4133095  An interesting allaround site with some good study approaches.

Great Learning Links to other EFL Sites 

larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2011/09/19/the-best-beginner-intermediate-advanced-english-language-learner-sites   Dozens of websites for parents and students.  Some of the beginner’s sites are for children. The others are good for adolescents.

http://www.autoenglish.org/writing.htm Dozens of links for EFL students.

http://www.esolcourses.com/sitemap/sitemap.html  Interesting links to courses.

 

 

 

 

Unit 10

Some Ideas on how to study English with your Family

 https://marocmama.com/14-ways-to-help-kids-learn-vocabulary-in-a-new-language/

1. If you’re using the Duolinguo and/or Anki apps and your English level is similar to that of your family member, maybe you can study together. If your level is below, perhaps they can sometimes teach you, or the reverse may be true. (In Costa Rica 80,000 public high school students are using Duolinguo as part of their school program.)
2. Have your family member teach you with his/her English text or one from a different year.

3. Label vocabulary items in the house and study them together.

4. Download 100’s of easy questions from http://iteslj.org/questions/ and practice conversation together.

5. You can both tell stories about something that happened during your day and then repeat what the other person said, asking questions about it.

6. Practice vocabulary on websites such as those listed in the JBK English files.

7. Read the news or stories to each other from the websites in the Reading Sections and then ask each other who, what, where, when, how and why questions about them.

8. Send e-mails to each other.

9. Sing along with a song together and then one of you can say what the song is about.

Algunos de estos sitios están solamente en inglés; sin embargo, puedes traducir artículos interesantes de partes a través de Google en: https://translate.google.com/

http://www.wikihow.com/Teach-Your-Children-a-Second-Language

http://drs.dadeschools.net/InformationCapsules/IC1205.pdf

https://www.noodle.com/articles/5-ways-to-teach-your-kid-a-second-language-at-home

http://www.pbs.org/parents/readinglanguage/articles/introduce-kids-to-foreign-language.html

http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/toddler/education-play/teaching-children-a-foreign-language-20090603-bv0h

10. Game night & role plays. (From Bard)

 (Two websites from https://gemini.google.com/ below.) 

www.ilovelanguages.com/the-memory-palace-technique-an-effective-way-to-learn-a-language/  Language learning ideas.

www.ilovelanguages.com/10-tips-to-help-you-learn-english-in-10-days/  Language learning ideas.

 

 

 

Unit 11

The CEFR is the European system for language foreign language objectives.

The European Language Portfolio (ELP) is the System Used in Europe for Learning Languages Independently.

SEPIE “Learn to Learn” or “Aprender a Aprender” Study Skills – SEPIE functions under the direction of the Spanish Ministry of Education

http://hostingwin.unitn.it/riley/independent_language_learning%20an%20outline.htm This is a good article about how to study with the Independent Language Learning (ILL).  ILL is integrated into the CEFR & the ELP system.

https://www.coe.int/en/web/portfolio/introduction  This site explains what the European Language Portfolio (ELP) is.

 CEFR (The European System for foreign language curriculum)

https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=0900001680697fca  CEFR generic children’s skills aged 4-10

https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=0900001680697fc9  CEFR generic skills ages 11-15.

https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=09000016804932bf   CEFR generic skills ages – 15 years+

http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/resources/european-language-levels-cefr  Self-assessment grid for the ELP. A student can fill out this grid in order to determine at about what level s/he is studying and what should be studied next./ Cuadrícula de autoevaluación del ELP.

http://deniscousineau.pbworks.com/f/elementaryportfolio_revised.pdf  This is an example of a child’s ELP./ Este es un ejemplo del ELP de un niño.

https://www.coe.int/en/web/portfolio/the-language-biography This is the explanation of how to fill out the Biography forms.

https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=09000016804932c5  These are the beginning forms for the Biography.

https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=09000016804932c3 The following forms are used for the biography and “learning how to learn”.

https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=09000016804932c3   These are templates for filling out the Biography forms.

http://sepie.es/doc/portfolio/Guiapelprimaria.pdf  This is an explanation of the SEPIE versión in Spanish of how to use a European Language Portfolio for children at the primary education level.

http://sepie.es/doc/portfolio/pelAdultosimpresos2004.pdf   This is the translated versión SEPIE versión of study skills for the European Language Portfolio. It gives permission to photocopy. Below is p. 8-9 “Aprender a aprender”.

SEPIE Study Skills

“Learn to learn”: (Biography Section of SEPIE’s ELP for “How to learn a language”)

Read each of the translated points in the following sections carefully and determine what you are already doing or what you would like to do. Use the blank spaces to add points that aren’t included.

To Prevent Emotions from Negatively Influencing my Learning: 

I try to keep my anxiety level low when using the new language.

• Although I fear making mistakes, I use the language without fear of ridicule.
• I don’t get stuck if I don’t understand a word or expression, but I keep listening.
• I don’t despair if I don’t remember the exact word I want to use, but I try to say the same thing in a different way.
• I share my mood when it comes to learning.
• I keep a diary where I write down – How do I feel when studying.
• When things have worked out for me, I congratulate myself or give myself a prize.

 To Reflect on Learning and to Organize Myself

• I determine what I need to learn and set goals accordingly.
• I set myself a work rhythm taking into account the time available.
• I regularly review my progress: I check what I know and what I don’t know.
• I look for opportunities to use the language I’m learning (I listen to the radio, use the Internet, etc.).
• I take time off from studying because when I resume it I better understand what I have studied.
• I realize the mistakes I make and try not to repeat them.
• I determine if I’m learning better what I see, what I hear or what I say and do.
• I create a favorable study environment for myself: the right place, time and conditions.
• I determine if I learn better what I see, what I hear or what I say and do
• I create a favorable study environment: appropriate place, time and conditions.
• I write a diary where I write down what I am learning.

To Learn the New

• I associate what I learn with what I already know, whether in my language or in another language.
• I look for language patterns that are repeated with a certain frequency and formulate my own hypotheses.
• I look at and try to imitate the accent and intonation of the speakers of the language.
• To understand the meaning of a new word, I look at its form and the parts that compose it.
• I look for similarities and differences between the new language and the other languages I know.
• I use the dictionary to help me understand what I read or hear. I memorize a word new within the sentence in which it appears.
• I associate the sound of a new word or expression with the sound of a known word or expression.
• I mentally visualize how words are spelled

To Fix What I have Learned

• I often practice, in new situations, what I have learned.
• I organize and group the words I have learned.
• I use combinations of sounds and images.
• I practice sounds that are difficult for me to pronounce.
• I draw words or expressions.
• I repeat or write the word or expression many times.
• When I study I use the language I am learning to take notes.
• I review frequently.

Works Cited

Actividades de aprendizaje – Impreso 7. Impresos fotocopiables. (n.d.).
SEPIE. Retrieved January 18, 2024, from http://sepie.es/doc/portfolio/pelAdultosimpresos2004.pdf

Aprender a aprender – Impreso 6. (n.d.). SEPIE. Retrieved January 18, 2024,
from http://sepie.es/doc/portfolio/pelAdultosimpresos2004.pdf       

Bard, Google AI. (2024, January 19). (Different Types of Intelligences &
Examples of How to Use Them for ESL). Bard, Google

1. https://bard.google.com/ Bard, Google AI. (2024, January 18). (Coursera). Bard, Google  https://bard.google.com/

Breaking News English Lessons, (n.d.). Easy English World News Materials –
ESL. Retrieved January 19, 2024, from https://breakingnewsenglish.com/

CEFR Illustrative Descriptors, Extended Version 2016, (n.d.). Young Learners
Aged 11-15. Retrieved February 1, 2024, from https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=0900001680697fc9

Dialang. Retrieved January 18, 2024, from https://dialangweb.lancaster.ac.uk/

Europass LP. (n.d.). European Union. Retrieved January 18, 2024, from
European Language Portfolio – Junior version: Revised edition. Retrieved
January 18, 2024, from https://europa.eu/europass/system/files/2020-05/CEFR%20self-assessment%20grid%20EN.pdf

European Language Portfolio – Junior version: Revised edition. Retrieved January 18, 2024, from http://deniscousineau.pbworks.com/f/elementaryportfolio_revised.pdf

Gardner, H., & Finley, T. (n.d.). Multiple Intelligences: What Does the Research Say? Edutopia. Retrieved January 18, 2024, from https://www.edutopia.org/multiple-intelligences-research.

Generic checklists for use in ELPs designed for language learners aged 15+. (n.d.). https: //rm. coe. int. Retrieved January 18, 2024, from https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=09000016804932bf

Goal Setting and Learning How to Learn, (n.d.) p. 11,14,15, 23, 26. Retrieved January 18, 2024, from https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=09000016804932c3

Independent Language Learning. Retrieved January 18, 2024, from http://hostingwin.unitn.it/riley/independent_language_learning%20an%20outline.htm

Preliminary consultative edition.  For Young Learners Ages 7-10, Retrieved February 1, 2024, from https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=0900001680697fca

Shelby, M. (n.d.). How to Practice English Listening Comprehension and Speaking Skills. English the international language. Retrieved January 18,2024, from https://english-the-international-language.com/elcss.html