Newton Free Library

Here is a list of the web sites that will be of interest to both tutors and learners.

Annotations are provided and used with permission by ERIC Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics.

Their URL is: www.cal.org.

Activities for ESL Students
http://a4esl.org

Provided by the TESL Internet Journal, Activities for ESL Learners Web site offers an array of quizzes and activities for English language learners.

Most quizzes are for learners to complete and check on their own. Learners can choose from a variety of quizzes in grammar, vocabulary and idioms, writing, culture, and more. The site also includes crossword puzzles, "Internet treasure hunts," Web site guides specifically for ESL students, and links to other ESL resources. The activities and quizzes are categorized according to proficiency level (easy, medium, difficult).

Conversation Questions for the ESL/EFL Classroom
http://iteslj.org/questions

Many questions listed by category that you can use in ESL conversation classes or in one-on-one tutoring.

Dave's ESL Cafe
http://www.eslcafe.com

First introduced in 1995, this well-known website, designed and maintained by Dave Sperling, is a meeting place for both ESL teachers and students. This friendly site provides numerous resources for instruction, activities and games, specific teaching tips, as well as opportunities for ESL teachers and ESL students to interact with their peers through chats and discussion groups.

English as a Second Language
http://www.rong-chang.com

The English as a Second Language Web site is a starting point to learn English through the Web. It provides links to Web sites of interest to both English language learners and teachers. Teachers can link to sites that provide lesson plans, job announcements, and discussion forums.

English Online
http://eleaston.com

English Online is a referral service of links to numerous Web resources that ESL teachers can use to support their instruction, including information and resources for teaching English for special purposes (ESP) and business English, history, holidays, reading, speaking., listening, writing, pronunciation, money and banking, and science.

The "Methods" section offers background on such topics as specific instructional approaches, language and learning awareness, and multiple intelligences. There are also links to resources for song lyrics, maps, calendars and clocks, newspapers, and country profiles

ESL Independent Study Lab
http://www.lclark.edu/~krauss/toppicks/toppicks.html

The ESL Independent Study Lab offers over 150 high quality Internet resources for ESL/EFL self-study. The websites are organized by skill area and difficulty from beginner to advanced. Students can review websites and submit writing for posting at the Lab. This resource is hosted by the Institute for the Study of American Language and Culture (ISALC).

ESLoop
http://www.esloop.org

ESLoop is a collection of sites (approximately 70) relevant to English language teaching and learning on the World Wide Web. Each site is linked to the next, so that no matter where you start, you will eventually make your way around all the sites and end up back at the beginning.

The ESLoop is sponsored by Linguistic Funland TESL (http://www.linguistic-funland.com/tesl.html)

Interesting Things for ESL Students
http://www.manythings.org

Interesting Things for ESL Students is, as its title suggests, a "fun study" website for English language learners.

The site offers quizzes, word games, puzzles, proverbs, slang expressions, anagrams, a random-sentence generator, and other study materials. There are also pages with sound for listening skills practice. The site is optimized for speed and is easily navigable.

Internet Basics for ESL Students
http://www.aitech.ac.jp/~iteslj/s/ib

This web-based textbook is hosted by The Internet TESL Journal. It is a 14-lesson introduction to using computers and the Internet for ESL students.

Internet TESL Journal
http://iteslj.org

The Internet TESL Journal is a monthly Web journal for teachers of English as a second language. In May 2001, Netscape rated this site as one of the top 500 sites overall on the World Wide Web.

This online journal provides lesson plans, classroom handouts, activities and projects, and articles on teaching techniques. All previous issues of the journal can be accessed. The journal also accepts submissions of materials that are "of immediate practical use to ESL/EFL teachers." Although the Web journal is targeted for teachers, it does have a page of Web activities for ESL students, which include contributions from many teachers.

Massachusetts State Literacy Resource Center
http://www.sabes.org

Established in 1990 by the Massachusetts Department of Education, (SABES), the System for Adult Basic Education Support, is a comprehensive training and technical assistance initiative for educators and programs.

Its services are delivered through five Regional Support Centers (RSC) located at community colleges across the state. At each RSC, a regional coordinator helps programs determine their needs and then develops a variety of training opportunities to meet those needs.

Online Directory of ESL Resources
http://www.cal.org

This directory provides an online reference for the most useful ESL resources primarily for teachers and students, though other groups, such as administrators, business people, researchers, and parents, may find them helpful as well.

Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab
http://www.esl-lab.com

Opened in 1998 the web-only site is devoted to listening quizzes and activities for ESL students. Teachers are free to use the quiz materials and activities with their students, and to make copies, but a copyright notice must appear on all printed materials. The quizzes are "written for high-beginner to advanced students and focus on both basic functional language and academic, critical-thinking skills".

The site includes three categories of listening quizzes; general listening, quizzes for academic purposes, long conversations with real video, and short listening exercises. Each category includes material that is rated as easy, medium, and difficult. All listening activities include pre-listening, listening and post-listening segments.

Self-Study Quizzes for ESL Students
http://www.aitech.ac.jp/~iteslj/quizzes

This website is a part of The Internet TESL Journal's Activities for ESL Students. It provides a large collection of quizzes for English study including grammar quizzes, learning about places, homonyms, idioms, phrasal verbs & slang, scrambled words, vocabulary quizzes, holidays, and trivia.

Sounds of English
http://www.soundsofenglish.org

Sounds of English is a website designed for learners of English and their teachers. It offers printable handouts, diagrams, movies, and sound files which accompany descriptions of phonological features of English.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Contact Susan Bécam, ESL/Literacy Program Coordinator
By phone: 617-796-1364; or e-mail: legacyforliteracy@minlib.net