Find digital ESL resources for beginners

Vocabulary resources

• BBC: Learning English, Basic vocabulary
• British Council: Beginner vocabulary
• Digital Dialects (Pre-made flashcards, picture dictionaries, and online games on a wide variety of topics for beginners.)
• ESL Club: Vocabulary games online (Matching games, hangman, and crossword games on various topics.)
• Fry Sight Word Flashcards (The classic set of key vocabulary words for beginners.)
• Games to Learn English
• LanguageGuide.org
• Learning Chocolate (Vocabulary on a wide range of topics for beginner students. Listen to this podcast (created by AI at Google NotebookLM) about the benefits of using this resource in your classes.)
• Manythings.org
• My Canadian English (Videos and slides on many topics, including Western Canadian subjects.)
• Oxford Picture Dictionary (YouTube channel.)
• Woodward English (Vocabulary games and videos.)

Learning focus: My Canadian English

Want to know more about how to use My Canadian English in your ESL classes?

Listen to this podcast (created by AI at Google NotebookLM) about the benefits for ESL teachers of using My Canadian English resources.

Listening (audio resources)

• Bow Valley College: The Listening Room
• British Council:
  • Elementary (A1)
  • Pre-Intermediate (A2)
• English Club: Online dictation (Listening dictation activities for beginners.)
• ESL Fast: Easy conversations (Students listen to short conversations on a wide variety of topics.)
• Lanternfish ESL: Beginning listening dialogues (Listen to this podcast (created by AI at Google NotebookLM) about the benefits of using this resource in your classes.)
• Listen in English (Lesson plans arranged by level on a wide variety of topics. These include a video, with vocabulary, comprehension questions, and other activities.)
• Oxford Online English (Free listening lesson plans.)
• Randall’s Cyber Listening Lab
• Rong Chang,com: English Teaching and Learning Materials

Learning focus: The Listening Room

Want to know more about how to use the Bow Valley College’s Listening Room in your ESL classes?

Listen to this podcast (created by AI at Google NotebookLM) about the benefits for ESL teachers of using the Listening Room resources.

Video and image resources

• English Central (Videos with vocabulary and other activities on many subjects.)
• English Express Online (YouTube channel with videos on many topics. Some supplemental resources available at https://www.englishexpress.com.au/bw.)
• ESL Video (ESL lessons and quizzes for beginners.)
• ISS of BC: Janis’s ESL (Video lessons on a variety of topics. Listen to this podcast (created by AI at Google NotebookLM) about the benefits of using this resource in your classes.)

• Oxford Online English (Free video lesson plans.)
• TCDSB Adult Education Youtube Channel: Video playlists (Playlist videos for beginners include Canada, How-to videos, Neighbourhood, Shopping, and Health.)

Learning focus: Oxford Online English

Want to know more about how to use the Oxford Online English video-based lesson plans in your ESL classes?

Listen to this podcast (created by AI at Google NotebookLM) about the benefits for ESL teachers of using Oxford Online English.

Reading resources

• British Council:
  • Elementary (A1)
  • Pre-Intermediate (A2)
• Literacy Centre of Expertise:
  • Interactive stories. (Basic readers on several topics for beginners. PDF versions also available. With teacher’s guide.)
  • Phonics stories (Basic stories available both in interactive and PDF versions. With teacher’s guide.)
• WCR (Best of the Reader) (“Each of the 15 books features 8 to 10 stories, accompanied by exercises and activities as well as an answer key to support independent learning.” Listen to this podcast (created by AI at Google NotebookLM) about the benefits of using this resource in your classes.)

Learning focus: Literacy Centre of Expertise, Reading Skills Stories

Want to know more about how to use the Reading Skills Stories in your ESL classes?

Listen to this podcast (created by AI at Google NotebookLM) about the benefits for ESL teachers of using the Reading Skills Stories.

Speaking and pronunciation resources

• British Council:
  • Elementary (A1)
  • Learn English (Videos and activities for beginners.)
  • Pre-intermediate (A2)
• Ellii: Phonics stories (Short story videos that focus on particular sounds.)
• English Central pronunciation videos
• ESL Club: Pronunciation games
• ESL Speaking (Games and activities for all levels. Many are for in-classroom teaching but can be easily adapted for online classroom.)
• Forvo (Forvo is a pronunciation dictionary.)
• The Internet TESL Journal Archives: Conversation questions for the ESL/EFL Classroom (May need to adapt these for beginners.)
• LearnHip: Minimal pairs pronunciation practice
• Lingoneo (Learn how to master English conversations. Listen to this podcast (created by AI at Google NotebookLM) about the benefits for ESL teachers of using this resource in your lesson plans.)
• TalkEnglish.com (Videos on many topics.)

Learning focus: LearnHip Minimal Pairs Pronunciation Practice

Want to know more about how to use some LearnHip pronunciation activities in your ESL classes?

Listen to this podcast (created by AI at Google NotebookLM) about the benefits for ESL teachers of using the LearnHip minimal pairs for pronunciation practice.

Grammar and writing resources

Note: Visit Understanding grammar: The building blocks of language for resources on specific aspects of grammar.

• British Council:
  • Beginner grammar
  • Writing, Elementary (A1)
  • Writing, Intermediate (A2)
• Ellii grammar targets (Many excellent, short videos on common grammar points. Listen to this podcast (created by AI at Google NotebookLM) about the benefits for ESL teachers of using this resource in your lesson plans.)
• English Club: Grammar games (Online adjective, verb, adverb, and noun games.)
• English Grammar (Lesson plans, rules review, online activities.)
• Games4ESL: Parts of speech quiz
• GrammarBank
• Grammar Monster Lessons, videos, and games on many aspects of grammar. Some of the lessons may be for more advanced students, but the games and videos could be useful.)
• Learning Chocolate: Grammar (Vocabulary and practice activities.)
• Khan Academy (For higher-level beginners.)
• My Canadian English: Grammar bytes (Short videos on various aspects of grammar.)

Learning focus: Learning Chocolate grammar vocabulary

Want to know more about how to use Learning Chocolate’s grammar vocabulary in your ESL classes?

Listen to this podcast (created by AI at Google NotebookLM) about the benefits for ESL teachers of using Learning Chocolate grammar vocabulary.

Lesson plans and more

• 5-Minute English (Short lessons in grammar, reading, pronuniciation, vocabulary and slang/idioms.)
• Adele’s ESL Corner (Listening, reading, pronunciation, and grammar activities.)
• BBC Learning English (Lesson plans, videos, resources.)
• British Council: Teaching adults (Lesson plans, activities, and English for Business.)
• BusyTeacher (Worksheets, ice breakers.)
• English Club (Grammar, vocabulary, speaking, writing, and reading lessons and games.)
• English Express: Beginner Workbook
• ESL Routes (An Alberta initiative with links to print and online resources.)
• ESOL Courses (Lessons focusing on listening, English for work, vocabulary, grammar, and songs.)
• Games4ESL (Video and PowerPoint lesson plans, worksheets, quizzes, and other games for beginning ESL students.)
• Janis’s ESL/ISS of BC (Links to lessons and resources on many topics.)
• Lanternfish ESL (Flashcards, worksheets and audio.)
• LINC resources:
  • Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC): National LINC Curriculum Guidelines (The NLCG project website is “designed to 
foster consistency and excellence in language instruction for newcomers to Canada.”)
  • EMCN LINC Resources (A wide variety of online and print teaching resources for CLB 1 to 6.)
  • LINC-Canada: English in Vancouver (Resources for LINC 1-3 students.)
  • SettlementAtWork.Org: LINC 1-4 lessons and learning objects
• Lingolia (Grammar, vocabulary, listening, and reading skills.)
• LISTN:
  • Resources for lower levels (Literacy to CLB 4)
  • Resources for teachers
• LiveWorksheets (An information-sharing site where ESL teachers post favorite online activities.)
• ThoughtCo (Lesson plans, vocabulary, writing skills, pronounciation, business English, and rsources for teachers.)
• Tutela (You need to create an account for this free Canadian resource-sharing site. Lessons and other ESL teaching resources. Listen to this podcast (created by AI at Google NotebookLM) about the benefits for ESL teachers of using this resource in your lesson plans.)
• VOA, Learning English: Let’s Learn English, Level 1 (A series of free lesson plans, including videos, pronounciation guides, conversations, and comprehension questions.)

Learning focus: BBC Learning English

Want to know more about how to use BBC Learning English in your ESL classes?

Listen to this podcast (created by AI at Google NotebookLM) about the benefits for ESL teachers of using BBC Learning English.

Language assessment

• British Council: Assessing language for specific purposes (Guidance on creating tests to assess reading, writing, speaking, listening, and general proficiency.)
• Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks:
  • Can do statements (These statements describe what students can do in all four language skills at every CLB level. Listen to this podcast (created by AI at Google NotebookLM) about the benefits for ESL teachers of using this resource in your lesson plans.)
  • Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks (Resources, benchmarks, publications, student self-assessments, lesson plans. Note the CCLB’s Speaking and Listening Exemplars, which could help you assess your students’ benchmark levels.)
• LISTN: Classroom assessment toolkit (Assessing listening, speaking, writing, and reading skills.)

Learning focus: CCLB’s Speaking Exemplars

Want to know more about how to use the Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks’ Speaking Exemplars to assess your students?

Listen to this podcast (created by AI at Google NotebookLM) about the benefits for ESL teachers of using the Exemplars in your language assessments.

Focus on EdTech and other teaching resources

• Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks: Canadian Language Benchmarks. (An essential resource for ESL teachers. The Centre’s language benchmarks help you to understand the listening, speaking, reading, and writing language levels of your students and to adapt your lessons to these levels. The site also includes various free courses, including the CLB Bootcamp, a guide to how to better use the benchmarks in your classes. Listen to this podcast (created by AI at Google NotebookLM) about the benefits for ESL teachers of using this resource in your lesson plans.)
• Chris from the The Language House (Many useful teaching videos, some focused on beginners. Some of his videos are primarily for in-person teaching but many can be applied to any kind of teaching.)
• Ellii YouTube channel (Many videos on teaching online.)
• Google Classroom (Use this fantastically useful site to centralize lesson links and uploaded documents. You can add teaching notes and reminders to each link or document. Another part of the site allows you to create assignments and keep track of class marks.)
• Nathan Hall (Many ESL listening and multimedia resources and Edtech resources for teachers.)
• Russell Stannard Teacher Training Videos (Many excellent videos on ways to effectively teach students online with a special focus on using AI in the ESL classroom.)

Learning focus: Russell Stannard Teacher Training Videos

Want to know more about how to use Russell Stannard’s Teacher Training Videos in your ESL classes?

Listen to this podcast (created by AI at Google NotebookLM) about the benefits for ESL teachers of using these videos, using one video as an example.

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