Helpful Sites for Learning English

Helpful Sites for Learning English

Dear Students,

This document contains dozens and dozens of links to useful websites that will help you learn and use English well.

The index below is organized by skill area. Click on the skill you want to work on. It will take you to a page of links for you to choose from.

Let me know if you need help, or if you have any questions!

Have fun learning English!

-Mrs. Bay

INDEX
(Click on the links to take you to each page)

Helpful Links

Listening Activities

Speaking Activities

Reading Activities

Writing Activities

Grammar Activities

Vocabulary Activities

Pronunciation Activities


Helpful Links

Here are some good websites that have many different kinds of activities with the same topic. They also contain transcripts of the video or audio in the article.

To practice several English skills: http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/
This website has activities for grammar, reading and vocabulary at different levels.

For American English: http://www.voanews.com/learningenglish/home/
This website has news and other academic articles for ESL students. There are articles with audio tracks, and grammar lessons and other activities as well. You can practice many skill areas with this website.

For British English: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/
This website also has articles with transcripts of the audio. You can read articles, play games, take quizzes, learn grammar and do other activities. This also has a lot of vocabulary definitions.

Other websites like CNN Student News (http://www.cnn.com/studentnews/) can be a little easier for ESL students.

This is a link to a resource that has many websites for all skill areas:
Technology Resources

This is a website for making flashcards: http://quizlet.com/

The National Geographic website has lots of videos and expository articles. You can also watch whole T.V. episodes on NatGeoTV.

This website has many different kinds of activities for all skill areas: http://www.manythings.org/

This website can be used to practice multiple skill areas through ACT test preparation: http://actstudent.org/sampletest/index.html

This website has some really good links to other language learning websites: www.onlineuniversities.com


These websites have some TOEFL studying tips and some practice test activities:
http://examenglish.com/TOEFL/index.php
http://www.toeflgoanywhere.org/meet-study-group-tips-test-takers-you
Listening Activities

1. Listen to a six minute English program: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish

2. Watch a movie from the SASC. Write down words and grammar that you don’t understand. Learn about the words and grammar that you wrote down.

3. Both of these websites have some great listening activities: http://www.elllo.org and http://www.5minuteenglish.com/listening.htm

4. Use this website with lots of listening activities (organized by level) to find different listening activities: http://www.esl-lab.com

5. Use this website to listen to a one-minute world news summary: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/video_and_audio/news_summary

6. This site has a lot of listening strategies for comprehension and videos for different levels: http://www.eslgold.com/listening.html.

7. Listen to news videos, take notes on what you can understand: http://video.nytimes.com

8. This website has videos from MIT which can help with listening, speaking and pronunciation: MIT Courses

9. This website has lectures from Yale: http://oyc.yale.edu/

10. This website has lectures from a variety of American universities: http://academicearth.org/

11. This website has listening activities on lots of different subjects. There are also  short quizzes you can take: http://www.brainpop.com

12. You can go to this website to view famous movie speeches. The text is also provided so you can follow along: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/moviespeeches.htm

13. Speak with a native speaker friend for one hour, or make an appointment to speak with the lab teacher or an intern/tutor

14. Create a speaking/listening group with a few other students. Have each student think of 2 topics to discuss. At the end of the discussion each student summarizes what another student said. (limit of 5 students in a group)

15. Use this website to watch “How To” videos: http://www.howcast.com/categories#arts-and-media

16. Do one of the listening activities out of the “Tapestry” book. The CD is available in room 103.

17. Have another student read one of the passages from one of your textbooks – take notes on what you understand.

Speaking Activities

1. Make a speaking group with other students in the class. Each student could come up with two or three discussion topics. (limit of 5 students in a group)

2. Make a Video of yourself speaking.  Click on the Quicktime icon (4th icon down – large ‘Q’), click on ‘File’ and ‘New movie recording’. Record a minute or two of you speaking. After recording, write down what you said word for word. This will help you notice what you are saying and what mistakes you are making. Re-record yourself until you feel you have made improvement.

3. Play a game like “Catch Phrase” where you have to speak quickly.

4. Come up with a list of questions and interview another student in the class.

5. Give a presentation/summary of a news report you watched or read.

6. Choose a speaking activity out of one of the books in the cabinet, “Let’s Talk”, Northstar Listening/Speaking Level 3, Mosaic Listening/Speaking, “Talk it Over”.

7. Pick a grammar topic you have trouble with, study it and then make a speaking group where you practice using it.

8. Make a speaking group where you practice new vocabulary.

9. Use TOEFL speaking prompts to make a recording to practice academic speaking. Use these helpful links: http://jasonrenshaw.typepad.com/ibt_speaking_writing/2008/05/40-new-practice.html

http://toefltips.wordpress.com/2008/03/16/toefl-speaking-%E2%80%93-free-choice-questions/

Reading Activities

1. Extensive fun reading. Choose a book from the shelves in the SASC and read it. Don’t pay attention to the details – just read it!

2. Use Reading Horizons Online (ask your teachers about log in passwords) to practice reading, spelling, vocabulary and comprehension skills.

3. Use Softread (on the lab computers) to practice comprehension and reading speed skills.

4. Intensive reading practice. Choose a book from the shelves in the SASC and read it, but pay attention to details, vocabulary, grammar – take notes on what you don’t understand.

5. Read news articles online. www.nytimes.com, www.cnn.com, www.ksl.com, www.bbc.co.uk. Practice a reading strategy you have learned.

6. Read English news articles.

British English: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/ New         vocabulary is defined for you! The “ask about English” section has explanations for common questions about English.

American English: http://www.voanews.com/learningenglish/home/

7. Use this website to find different reading on topics you are interested in: http://www.5minuteenglish.com/reading.htm

8. Read the same book, story, or news article as a few other students. After reading, get into a group and discuss what you read. Each person should think of 2 things to talk about.

9. Focus on reading strategies you have learned in your other classes. Practice them with new texts.

10. This website has some exercises to practice identifying patterns of organization: http://www.uforbess.com/READ0305/strategy_eight_exercise.html

11. This website has some good guidelines for understanding and identifying patterns of organization: http://webhome.broward.edu/~msmith1/patterns/

12. This website has explanations and practice worksheets for patterns of organization: http://webhome.broward.edu/~msmith1/patterns/

13. Use these websites to look at patterns of organization for both reading and writing activities. Read different articles or books to see if you can identify the pattern they use. (If you use more academic texts it will be easier to see some of the patterns) http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/bsndev-436159-patterns-of-organization-for-text/

    http://academic.cuesta.edu/acasupp/as/614.htm



Writing Activities

1. Write ten minute paragraphs and have a tutor review them and make corrections. You can do several drafts of the same paragraph to improve each time.

2. Use the TOEFL writing topics handout to write a 30 minute essay. Review it with a tutor and write several drafts to improve.

3. This is a helpful website that has examples, and information to help you improve all aspects (parts) of your writing: http://writefix.com/

4. Choose a writing activity from the textbook.

5. Interview one of the students in the class and write an article about them.

6. Write a daily journal or create a blog. Review it with a tutor if you want grammar feedback.

7. Write sentences with vocabulary words and review them with a tutor.

8. Use this website to study different types of essays. Practice writing different kinds of essays. http://www.custom-essays.org/types_essays.html

9. Use this website that has 346 writing prompts to write creative essays: http://www.creativewritingprompts.com/

10. Use the TOEFL writing prompt handout to practice brainstorming, writing introductions, thesis statements, topic sentences and essay outlines.

11. The following websites have some information about writing thesis statements: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/545/1/, http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/thesis_statement.shtml, http://faculty.ncwc.edu/lakirby/English%20090/090%20Thesis.htm,  http://writingcenter.unc.edu/resources/handouts-demos/writing-the-paper/thesis-statements

12. This website has some activities for pre-writing and writing activities: http://www.eslflow.com/academicwritng.html

Grammar Activities

1. Use these websites to review grammar, or to learn new grammar principles: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/678/01/

    http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/

2. Use any of the other websites in any of the skill areas and do the grammar activities from them. For example: http://www.5minuteenglish.com/grammar.htm

3. Choose an activity from one of the grammar books in the cabinet. Do the activities alone or in a group. A really good set of books are the Dyad Learning Program books.

4. Use this website to practice grammar: http://www.grammar-quizzes.com/. There are hundreds of grammar quizzes you can complete.

5. These websites have great lessons, quizzes and exercises for grammar: http://www.englishpage.com/index.html and http://a4esl.org/

6. This website has many activities to practice your grammar: http://learn-english-online.org/

7. Make a QuickTime recording of yourself speaking, then type up what you said and mark all the errors. Correct the errors and then rerecord them until you have no errors.

8. Write a 10-minute paragraph. Look for grammar mistakes in your writing. Have the teacher look over it and make marks for corrections.

9. Do intensive reading practice. Choose a book or reading passage and pay close attention to the grammar you don’t understand. Ask the teacher to help you understand the new grammar and how it is used.

10. Use this website to answer your grammar questions: http://www.grammarbook.com/

11. Use this website to complete grammar lessons: http://www.edufind.com/english/grammar/grammar_topics.php

12. Use this website to take grammar quizzes: http://www.prenhall.com/grammarassessment

13. This website has some common errors made in English and discussions about them: http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors

14. Use this website for writing grammar exercises: http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/exercises

15. The BBC Special English website has answers to common grammar questions: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/askaboutenglish/index.shtml

16. Use this website for grammar information: http://www.englishlanguageguide.com/english/grammar/

Vocabulary Activities

1. Use this link to go to the Academic Word List: http://www.victoria.ac.nz/lals/resources/academicwordlist/

2. Paste your essay into this site, and it will count the number of academic words in your writing: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~alzsh3/acvocab/awlhighlighter.htm

3. Tips on studying vocabulary and various vocabulary lists www.uefap.com/vocab/vocfram.htm

4. Lists of words based on academic topics here . Click on new resources, Then click on Academic words, click on download, type in your name and email and check the box for learner.  Check the box that says you will not use this information to make money and submit.  Choose a list - word families, general core or technical/ sub-genre. If you choose sub-genre then you will need to click on the subject you want to see such as business.

5. Use http://quizlet.com/ to make flashcards to study vocabulary. You can make new ones, use other ones on the website and also share them with your classmates in the Gap Lab group.

6. Use http://www.puzzlemaker.com/ to make your own crosswords to study vocabulary. This is a fun way to make quizzes for yourself and your classmates.

7. Use this picture dictionary to review basic English vocabulary: www.pdictionary.com

8. Use this resource to find new vocabulary for a variety of subjects: http://www.talking-about.net/

9. This website is great for practising vocabulary and synonyms, and you are also helping the world: http://www.freerice.com/

10. This website has vocabulary and other activities: www.eslflow.com

11. Use the vocabulary section on www.5minuteenglish.com

12. This website has many vocabulary quizzes: http://www.englishmedialab.com/vocabulary.html

13. Use this website for vocabulary exercises: http://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/index.htm

14. This website is a dictionary designed for students learning English as a second language: www.learnersdictionary.com

15. Use these two websites to look up English idioms and phrases: http://www.phrases.org.uk/index.html and http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/

16. This website has 8 levels of vocabulary words, with 15 different lists on each level. Use this website to find new vocabulary words and practice them with different drills and activities. http://www.vocabtest.com

Pronunciation Activities

1. Use this google doc to work on pronunciation: Pronunciation and Listening Practice

2. Use this website to practice pronunciation with lots of different exercises: http://www.rachelsenglish.com/

3. This website has an IPA chart where you can click on the symbols/letters and hear the sound: http://phonetics.ucla.edu/course/chapter1/chapter1.html (consonants and vowels) and http://phonetics.ucla.edu/course/chapter1/vowels.html (vowels) here is another IPA chart http://web.uvic.ca/ling/resources/ipa/charts/IPAlab/IPAlab.htm

4. Use this website to practice pronunciation using minimal pairs: http://www.manythings.org/pp/

5. This is a great website to looks at what your mouth, tongue and lips are doing when you pronounce words in English (this is the website that Jonathon shared in lab): http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/english/frameset.html

6. Use this website for pronunciation information and practice: http://www.englishlanguageguide.com/english/pronunciation/

7. Use this website for information about suprasegmentals: http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Cohen-Suprasegmentals.html

8. Use this website for information and practice: http://www.soundsofenglish.org/pronunciation/index.htm This part has more information about suprasegmentals: http://www.soundsofenglish.org/pronunciation/suprasegmentals/index.html