MAJOR ESL PORTAL / GATEWAY SITES
New American English Web Site from the Regional English Language Office in Washington, DC:
http://americanenglish.state.gov
(includes Games, Access to the ENGLISH TEACHING FORUM, Access to Trace Effects, Video Game; Free downloadable presentations,
Lesson Plans, Grammar Help, Resources, and information about American Culture through learning American English.)
See also the American English Professional Development site at:
http://americanenglish.state.gov/#professionaldevelopment
Free ESL Downloadable Books and Songs now available at:
http://americanenglish.state.gov
Free Downloadable Material:
http://americanenglish.state.gov/search/solr?f%5b0%5d=bundle%3Aresource&f%5b1%5d=im_field_resource_type_of_conten%3A46
See also the American English e-book resource page for more details
http://americanenglish.state.gov/ebooks
FREE ESL AUDIO BOOKS such as Mark Twain's autobiography, Edgar Allen Poe & more are available
for free download: http://go.usa.gov/g9pB
SPEECH ACCENT ARCHIVE http://accent.gmu.edu/
The Speech Accent Archive has collected 300 plus audio speech samples from people, native and non-native speakers
of English, around the world -- reading the same English paragraph. The archive "allows users to compare the
demographic and linguistic backgrounds of the speakers in order to determine which variables are key predictors of
each accent." A person's accent is commonly (improperly or prejudicially) assigned a certain social standing,
demographic, and income level. The goal of this project is to show the continuity of accent across geographical
language groups. The native language phonetic inventories section gives a chart of the phonetic qualities of each
language, so that two or more languages can be compared. The "Accent Atlas" pinpoints on map different
speakers, and audio samples represent the different locales.
Dave’s ESL CAFE: (One of the best ESL sites around)
http://www.eslcafe.com/
Larry Ferlazzo’s Daily Blog on the best ESL/EFL WEBSITES:
http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/
This blog of the best ESL/EFL sites now includes Twitter Feeds – another outstanding site! “
There are many pages on my main website, and they have nearly 8,000 categorized links appropriate for English
Language Learners. The best place to start exploring is the Main English Page. You can read an overview about
each section of my website on the Teacher’s Page. This page also has many links specifically useful to
teachers.”
You can also go directly to each page:
English for Beginners and Early Intermediate
English Themes for Beginners and Early Intermediate
English for Intermediate and Advanced
English Themes for Intermediate and Advanced
Bilingual Exercises for English Language Learners
Examples of Student Work
Science for English Language Learners
Geography and United States History for English Language Learners
World History for English Language Learners
The Best Websites
About.com: English as 2nd Language: http://esl.about.com/
This site offers a wide variety of resources for both English language teachers and learners. Students will
find tools to improve grammar and vocabulary, as well as reading, writing and listening skills. Teachers will
find lesson plans, teaching techniques and career information.
U.S. Embassy, Mexico City: free Internet sites for English Language Teaching:
http://www.usembassy-mexico.gov/bbf/bfingles.htm
The Online English Language Program from the University of Oregon (OELP):
http://oelp.uoregon.edu/
Thematic materials include Business English, Civic Education, Peace Education and HIV Education, as well as
other materials and resources.
ENGLISH PAGE: http://www.englishpage.com
(tutorials and explanations of tenses in English Grammar)
ESL Gold [Real Player, Pdf] http://www.eslgold.com/
The site’s primary materials are thematically organized into categories such as “Speaking”,
“Listening”, “Reading”, and “Writing”. One can also find “Topics for
Writing” or “Organizing and Composing”. The web site has materials for beginning, intermediate,
or advanced level students.
NEW! MADISON COLLEGE LIBRARY GUIDE (LIBGUIDES) ON ESL with free web sites devoted to reading,
listening comprehension and building up key vocabulary:
http://libguides.madisoncollege.edu/content.php?pid=29095
(ONCE YOU ENTER THIS WEB SITE, PLEASE NOTE
ALL THE TABS AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE)
Using English: http://www.UsingEnglish.com
Provides grammar glossaries, reference sheets on irregular verbs, phrasal verbs and idioms, teacher handouts,
and ESL forums. The forums are particularly useful, as registered users can post questions in the “Ask a
Teacher!” feature, and receive a response from one of their team of expert advisors. The articles area
contains short pieces on using punctuation properly, teaching English in South Asia, and formal letter writing.
The site also has its own Weblog, which contains valuable information on various elements of the English
language that may be helpful both for ESL teachers and those seeking to learn the language.
ZOOM IN ON AMERICA: U.S. CONSULATE, KRAKOW, POLAND:
An incredibly useful publication with Quizzes and Lesson Plans, with an archive of previous issues.
Free Technology for Teachers: Lesson Plans and how Teachers
are using Technology to teach English and other subjects: Voted one of the best new Internet
resources of the year. The Web Site is totally searchable as well. Type “ESL” or “GRAMMAR”
to locate specific resources. This resource includes many Lesson Plans as well.
See for example:
ESL/EFL Worksheets, Lesson Plans, Curriculum Materials and Free Print Resources for ESL Teachers
Online Grammar Exercises and Practicums: English grammar
lessons for EFL / ESL students. This site has lessons on all parts of speech and grammar resources for English
learners and teachers. Also has Games and Riddles and a section on Business English.
Simple English Wikipedia:
A useful source in finding articles and resources using basic simple English words
ESL Cyber Listening Lab [Windows Media Player, Real Player]
Developed by an educator with a series of experiences spent educating persons in the art of learning English,
this website provides a multimedia experience for those seeking to learn the language. The focus on the site is
most definitely on developing users’ listening skills, and it provides dozens of helpful audio features
that quizzes students on topics such as renting an apartment, understanding credit cards, and making doctor’s
appointments.
