Conversations Questions

Conversation questions provides lists of questions organized by topics such as holidays, fashion, films, childhood dreams, etc. One thing to bear in mind here, is that the aim is to get students talking, not just to answer yes or no to the questions, even when those questions are polar questions, and that there won't be any "right" or "wrong" answers. Although the format may look like a questionnaire, the idea is that the questions are mere prompts/cues for meaningful communication and should not just be "ticked off" in rapid succession.

Material Type: Assessment, Game, Lesson Plan

Jobs Research Project for Beginning ESL Computer Lab Students

This computer-based project was developed for my ESL Computer Lab. Students who attend this lab learn the basics of using a computer and complete mini-projects in English to build English Proficiency. This Job Research lesson may be used as a introductory lesson to preface a deeper career exploration. Additional lessons may include writing a cover letter, identifying personal jobs skills, goal-setting, writing a resume, and practicing for a job interview. However, this lesson is limited to using websites to obtain information about a job of interest to the student. At the end of the lesson, students present their slide show to the class.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: Sharon Ram

Presidents Day Computer Lab Research Project for Beginning ESL Students

This computer-based project was developed for my ESL Computer Lab. Students who attend this lab learn the basics of using a computer and complete mini-projects in English to build English Proficiency. This lesson coincides with Presidents's Day so students can learn about the previous and current US Presidents and their contribution to America. Students share their research with each other in Google Drive. The culminating activity is a group game that only included information the students have provided.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Game, Interactive, Lesson Plan

Author: Sharon Ram

Using Sentence Strips to Practice Transition Words

This lesson works well with developing writers to help them learn to incorporate transition words into their writing. Students begin by manipulating sentence strips to illustrate how changing the transition words in a piece of text changes the overall meaning. Then they complete a chart that helps them to understand that there are a variety of transition words, and they are used for specific purposes and to signal different relationships between ideas. This material was remixed based on Transition Words and Phrases by DPI Writing Strategies. The remixed lesson was created to be used with adult learners. The original lesson can be found by clicking on the link that is included with this resource.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Author: Stephanie Sommers

Logical Fallacies Student Exploration Chart

This chart can be used by students to record what they learn about the logical fallacies that are explained on the website yourlogicalfallacyis.com This chart can be altered by users to focus on any logical fallacies that are relevant to the lesson. The column headings can also be changed to create a new chart that students can use to identify and track examples of logical fallacies that appear in any text.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Homework/Assignment, Interactive

Author: Stephanie Sommers

Grocery Shelves Tutorial

Scan the shelves, read labels and price tags to find items.

Material Type: Diagram/Illustration, Interactive, Reading

Electing a US President in Plain English

A short and simple guide to understanding the U.S. election process.

Material Type: Lecture

Authors: Lee LeFever, Sachi LeFever

Fishy Fun

This material contains 5 incomplete tongue twisters.Student will complete each line by adding the same letter. Students practice saying the tongue twisters in pairs and/or with the instructor. Second activity has fishing vocabulary with missing first and last letters and matching definitions.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Interactive

Author: unknown

Listen Up!

This activity deals with the concept of rhyming. This concept is not immediately understood by most students and needs to be explained first with ample examples. The activity consists of groups of 3 words two of which rhyme and one doesn't. Students read the words or listen to the instructor and select the word that doesn't rhyme. They are then directed to pick a specific letter from the "wrong" word and write it in a separate column. After completing the assignment students unscramble the letters trying to form a meaningful expression related to listening which in this case is "I'm all ears".

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Game, Interactive

Author: not stated

Elder Literacy Initiative

This curriculum was developed for volunteers working 1:1 with pre-literate ESL students. All materials are ready-made and available digitally through dropbox or google drive. This curriculum is organized by 13 instructional themes that are relevant and authentic to adults of any age, with a special focus on learners who are 65+. The curriculum guidelines are informed by Massachusetts ABE Basic Literacy Standards, training materials from the Minnesota Literacy Council, and Transitions Integration Framework. The materials are easy to use with pre-literate learners 1:1, in small groups, or in classroom settings. All activities are leveled and include detailed instructions, tips, and extension ideas. This curriculum can be adapted and edited to suit your community. For more information, please visit www.elderliteracy.org .

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Diagram/Illustration, Teaching/Learning Strategy

Authors: Burgen Young, Lisa Vogl, Missy Staloch

Starfall Reading Program

The Starfall reading program is designed to be fun, exciting, and to instill confidence in young children as they learn to read. The website and companion printed materials are clear and effective tools to help you implement proven teaching methods. Our website was created by carefully observing the way children learn using a computer. The Starfall Website is easy for students to navigate independently, but it is not intended as a surrogate for the teacher. Primarily designed for first grade, Starfall is also useful for pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and second grade.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Game

Maximizing Area: Gold Rush

This lesson unit is intended to help you assess how well students are able to: Interpret a situation and represent the variables mathematically; select appropriate mathematical methods to use; explore the effects on the area of a rectangle of systematically varying the dimensions whilst keeping the perimeter constant; interpret and evaluate the data generated and identify the optimum case; and communicate their reasoning clearly.

Material Type: Assessment, Lesson Plan

ACES: Critical Thinking

ACES (Academic, Career & Employability Skills) The goal of ACES is to ensure that Adult Basic Education (ABE) programs are able to provide effective contextualized instruction integrating post-secondary education and training readiness, employability skills, and career readiness at all levels. The Transitions Integration Framework (TIF) is the cornerstone of ACES. It was designed to provide ABE programs and instructors with guidance on the effective integration of transitions skills into instruction at all levels of ABE. The TIF defines the academic, career, and employability skills essential for adult learners to successfully transition to post-secondary education, career training, the workplace, and community involvement. The ACES Resource Library contains tools to help ABE practitioners incorporate the TIF skills into lessons and instructional settings and provides materials that can be used directly with adult learners.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Author: Heather Turngren

ACES: Self Management

ACES (Academic, Career & Employability Skills) The goal of ACES is to ensure that Adult Basic Education (ABE) programs are able to provide effective contextualized instruction integrating post-secondary education and training readiness, employability skills, and career readiness at all levels. The Transitions Integration Framework (TIF) is the cornerstone of ACES. It was designed to provide ABE programs and instructors with guidance on the effective integration of transitions skills into instruction at all levels of ABE. The TIF defines the academic, career, and employability skills essential for adult learners to successfully transition to post-secondary education, career training, the workplace, and community involvement. The ACES Resource Library contains tools to help ABE practitioners incorporate the TIF skills into lessons and instructional settings and provides materials that can be used directly with adult learners.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Author: Heather Turngren

ACES: Navigating Systems

ACES (Academic, Career & Employability Skills) The goal of ACES is to ensure that Adult Basic Education (ABE) programs are able to provide effective contextualized instruction integrating post-secondary education and training readiness, employability skills, and career readiness at all levels. The Transitions Integration Framework (TIF) is the cornerstone of ACES. It was designed to provide ABE programs and instructors with guidance on the effective integration of transitions skills into instruction at all levels of ABE. The TIF defines the academic, career, and employability skills essential for adult learners to successfully transition to post-secondary education, career training, the workplace, and community involvement. The ACES Resource Library contains tools to help ABE practitioners incorporate the TIF skills into lessons and instructional settings and provides materials that can be used directly with adult learners.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Author: Heather Turngren

Beginning Level Housing Stories for Adult ELLs

Resources for building literacy and reading fluency with beginning level adult learners. These two short stories were originally created for a beginning level class of adult Somali women. The stories are set in a familiar context and are designed to help the readers learn the names of rooms and features in an apartment or house. Additional activities for language extension are included after both of the stories.

Material Type: Reading

Author: Andrea Echelberger

Stories and Activities About US Laws for Adult ELLs

Resources designed to introduce beginning level adult ELLs to laws in the US in regards to child welfare. Two weeks of activities including pictures, stories, handouts, and discussion questions around the topics of car and home safety for children.

Material Type: Diagram/Illustration, Reading

Author: Andrea Echelberger

Comparin

Comparing sales ads for the Shopping Unit for Beginner Adult ESL learners. Using sales ads students will learn how to figure out sale prices, percentage discounts, and final cost of items. They will compare ads from advertisers, compare like items, and find the best price available. Students will learn how to make sentences using comparatives (and superlatives – for higher level ESL learners.)

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Game, Interactive

Author: Amanda Duffy

Job Ads,

This group-work lesson is designed for students with beginner to low-intermediate communication skills. The purpose of this lesson is to help students to familiarize themselves with basic elements of job ads (e.g. job title, role responsibilities, minimum qualifications, and company description), and how to compare the description in these categories to target job applicants. Through this lesson, students will learn how to analyze a job advertisement and match example job applicants to the target job. They will also work to improve their discussion skills.

Material Type: Lesson, Primary Source

Author: Salim Pinjar

Oral Communication: An English Conversation Board Game

This board game combines practicing conversational English for adult ESL students with using the various purposes for oral communication (informing, entertaining, persuading, and honoring/inspiring). It will also develop foundational reading comprehension skills through game participation and will develop professional communication and interpersonal skills by allowing discussion of different social subjects that students could encounter in daily life, academic, and career situations.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Game, Interactive

Author: Heidi Kirby