Ideas and resources for parents of ESL/ELL students

These reviewed resources offer information so share with parents of ESL/ELL students. Some are resources parents can use at home with children to reinforce language skills. Others include suggested activities ESL/ELL learners can begin in school and share with parents. Be sure to read the "In the Classroom" suggestions for ways these reviewed resources can build language skills both at home and at school.
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Tip of My Tongue - Chirag Mehta.
Grades
1 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): crosswords (18), puzzles (143), spelling (93), word study (57)
In the Classroom
Create a bookmark/favorite on class computers and your class website for students to use when they just cannot think of the right word. Use for word games like Hangman or Monopoly. Use to solve crossword puzzles. Have students look up words they do not know how to spell! Use this tool with ESL/ELL students as an interesting way to learn new words. As with any online dictionary intended for all ages, you will need to set explicit consequences for students "looking up" inappropriate words-- just as you would for saying those words out loud in your classroom! Share this tool with parents at back to school night as an interesting tool for the whole family to use.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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CurriConnects Book List - Music and Musicians - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): composers (16), music theory (45)
In the Classroom
Share this list with students (and parents) during Music in Your Schools Month (March) or even during a unit on sound in your science classes. Bring the Arts into STEM to make STEAM!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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What is Ebola? - KidsHealth
Grades
3 to 8This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Introduce this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Discuss together when you are answering children's questions regarding the Ebola virus. This site is perfect for use with weaker readers and ESL/ELL learners. Allow them to listen to the article on classroom computers or read in Spanish. Share this link on your classroom website for parents to use when discussing Ebola with their child. Have students create a word cloud of the important terms they learn from this site using a tool such as WordItOut, reviewed here. Have students create true/false quizzes using information from this site. Use an online poster creator, such as Padlet, reviewed here. Challenge older students to share what they know about Ebola before reading this article then research information on misconceptions using Snopes.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Parent-Teacher Conference Tip Sheets - Harvard Family Research Project
Grades
K to 12tag(s): parent conferences (21)
In the Classroom
Use these tip sheets as suggested on the site. Prepare copies for parents, principals, and teachers well before conference meetings. Include a link to parent tip sheets on your class website or include with class newsletters. Be sure to include copies for other professionals such as counselors, and ESL/ELL, Learning Support, Speech/language clinician, or Gifted Education teachers.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Ba Ba Dum - Aleksandra MizieliA...
Grades
K to 12tag(s): arabic (13), chinese (44), french (72), german (48), italian (28), multilingual (59), portuguese (22), spanish (102)
In the Classroom
Use your interactive whiteboard (or projector) to introduce this site in your world language class, ENL/ESL class, or young elementary classroom. Make a shortcut to Ba Ba Dum on classroom computers for use as a center in a language class or world cultures. Use this tool with young students just learning the English language to build up their vocabulary. The website offers audio options on many of the interactives, making this site ideal for non-readers (even kindergartners). Share this site with your gifted students looking for individual challenge. Why not learn Lithuanian or Chinese? Be sure to share a link to this site on your class website or blog for students (and possibly parents) to use at home. Have cooperative learning groups create online picture or ABC books featuring a different language using a tool such as Bookemon, reviewed here.Comments
Buena practica de vocabularioClaudia, TX, Grades: 1 - 7
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Chatzy - Chatzy.com
Grades
7 to 12tag(s): chat (38), communication (134)
In the Classroom
Use this site to connect to other classes to open up discussion between your students in one convenient place. Safety is not a concern with this site, since only those with an email invitation/link can participate in a chat. (Your students need not have email. You can simply email the link to yourself and share it with students to enter into their browsers.) Teach good digital citizenship of chat etiquette while using this activity to learn. Connect with other classes to learn about other locations, learn various perspectives, find animals that are similar yet different, learn about the different books others are reading, or survey students on various economic, political, or environmental topics. Be sure to plan content ahead of time, so students have the opportunity to think through the material and formulate a response. Discuss appropriate ways to communicate to others prior to connecting with another classroom. Use Chatzy as a place for students to brainstorm and share ideas about a topic. Use as a simple help forum for students to ask questions of each other and of you. Share a chat room with parents once a month for a question and answer session at a scheduled time.Use backchannel chat on laptops during a video or student presentations. Pose questions for all to answer/discuss in the backchannel, or ask students to pose their own "I wonder if..." questions as they watch and listen. Keep every student engaged and THINKING as an active listener. The first time you use backchannel, you will want to establish some etiquette and accountability rules. The advantage of backchannel chat is that every student has a voice, no matter how shy. Use this in world language classes, ESL/ELL classes, or autistic support classes for backchannel chat. Challenge students to use their new language skills by acting out a scene from a video or describing the feelings of the actors. When studying literature, collaborate with another class to have students role-play a chat between two characters. In a history class, create fictional conversations between soldiers on two sides of the Civil War or different sides of the Scopes Monkey trial.
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My Live Chat - mylivechat
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): chat (38), communication (134), DAT device agnostic tool (139)
In the Classroom
Create a chat message pop-up for the most frequently asked questions students and parents have about finding items on your classroom site. Offer a set time for office hours published well in advance for parents and students to drop in and ask questions about assignments, homework help, or any other questions that they may have. Set up a chat time early in the school year for "meet and greet" so parents discover your website or for those who are unable to attend back to school night! Cut down on email! Encourage students to identify the questions they (or their parents) have the most as you develop the scope for your chat. ESL/ELL teachers can use the chat to provide extra written language practice for their students in an engaging way! Use the chat with your colleagues in a Teacher Lounge format to help each other in the appropriate use of technology, content sharing, or professional development.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Lingo Hut - Lingo Hut
Grades
1 to 8This site includes advertising.
tag(s): flash cards (42), multilingual (59), vocabulary (231), vocabulary development (91)
In the Classroom
Sit ESL/ELL students in pairs at classroom computers to get extra review for survival vocabulary and phrases. This site is perfect for the classroom where there is one or more English language learners. This would be like having a personal tutor. Be sure to put the URL on your class website so students can work at home, too. It would be a good idea to get parents involved, if they are learning English, too.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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CurriConnects Book List: Childhood Here and There - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): book lists (151), cross cultural understanding (151), independent reading (84)
In the Classroom
Include these books for independent reading during a unit on world cultures, in a guidance class about differences, or in a reading unit about drawing inferences. Spark discussions about what we assume is "normal" and what we should realize about our own upbringing. The conversations will easily evolve into projects where students can compare and contrast or create "profiles" of childhood in different places and cultures.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Wordsmyth Kids! - Wordsmyth
Grades
K to 5tag(s): dictionaries (47), parts of speech (41), spanish (102), thesaurus (21), vocabulary development (91)
In the Classroom
This site is a must-add to any elementary classroom's bookmarks! Demonstrate Wordsmyth Kids! on your classroom whiteboard or projector, bookmark it in your favorites, and make it directly available to students from your class webpage. Tell parents about it, too. Elementary students will enjoy defining their spelling words or content area vocabulary. Have students categorize words by parts of speech or create a list of synonyms. Have students create their own word "sticky note boards" for new vocabulary words using a tool such as Lino, reviewed here (no membership required) to create and share their sticky notes. Be sure to share this site with parents for use at home too! Speech and language and ESL/ELL teachers will love the audio possibilities and the activities related to many of the basic vocabulary groups, such as animals, etc.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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iPracticeMath - iPracticeMath.com
Grades
K to 12tag(s): addition (126), commoncore (74), decimals (85), division (97), equations (116), fractions (160), functions (53), integers (21), measurement (125), multiples (16), multiplication (120), number sense (70), numbers (120), operations (74), order of operations (28), polynomials (21), pythagorean theorem (19), statistics (114), subtraction (108), time (92)
In the Classroom
Add a link to classroom computers for use during math centers. Be sure to share a link with parents on your class website or newsletter for math practice at home. Differentiate content based on individual student's needs. If you wish, encourage parents to create individual student accounts to track progress and share with you throughout the school year. Have them email reports or print them out and send to school with younger ones. If you and the parent wish to "share" a login, you could work together to support struggling students. Learning support teachers and ENL/ESL teachers will find this simple tool a great asset in the classroom.Comments
This website is now, out of beta and they have added a lot of new content. Editor's Note - Thank you, we will update our information.ise, , Grades: 0 - 12
Great website for math-practiceise, , Grades: 0 - 12
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News in Levels - newsinlevels.com
Grades
K to 8This site includes advertising.
tag(s): differentiation (79), guided reading (33), multilingual (59), news (228), reading comprehension (135)
In the Classroom
Add this website to your classroom computers, websites, and newsletters for parents of ENL/ESL students or beginning readers. This tool is especially helpful at the beginning of the year, as you are learning students' reading levels. Use this tool to differentiate in all primary classes. Although this site was created for English Language Learners, it could still be used by all students including gifted and learning support. Differentiate for your advanced/gifted students in elementary, while meeting Common Core standards of Informational Text. Use these news articles as informational text meeting your Common Core goals. Assign students of different levels the same story at the appropriate level or build skills by sharing the same story as a class. Challenge groups to compare the stories in pairs. Have students create a visual presentation of the story. First have students create a rough draft of their comic using Printable Comic Strip Templates, reviewed here. For Level 1 readers have them create their final comic using ToonyTool, reviewed here, for Level 3 readers use Make Beliefs Comix, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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English With Jennifer - Jennifer Lebedev
Grades
2 to 8tag(s): grammar (139), video (252), vocabulary development (91), writing (308)
In the Classroom
Visit Jennifer's Blog to find ideas about how to use these lessons in the classroom and to find additional support. Jennifer frequently updates the offerings. Share these videos on your interactive whiteboard or projector. FLIP your classroom and have students view the videos at home and discuss the next day in class. (This is a great option if YouTube is blocked in your school.) Use the videos to introduce a grammar or punctuation point you would like to make, and assign others in the series for homework. Look at the "Word of the Day" each morning when you begin your ESL/ELL lesson. Use the slang offerings in a similar manner. Be sure to provide this link on your class website for students (and their families) to access at home for additional English practice.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Online Voice Recorder - 123apps
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): blended learning (17), communication (134), fluency (22), preK (247), speech (67), spelling (93)
In the Classroom
Have students practice spelling words orally, record speeches, practice reading fluency, and much more using Online Voice Recorder. After recording, allow students to listen to the playback and reflect upon the quality of their work. Do before and after recordings of students to share with parents during conferences to demonstrate reading progress. Have students record weekly summaries for what has happened in your class to share on your class website or blog (you will have to upload the files). Record weekly or daily homework assignments and share as a voice recording on your website. Save file space by replacing old files with new ones. Online Voice Recorder would be an excellent resource for recording and sharing more complicated directions for projects and assignments (adding you voice intonation and cues!). Your weaker readers and ENL/ESL students may do better with a combination of written AND auditory directions. Provide the link on your class website for students to use at home for additional practice in spelling, reading, practicing reports, and more. Share this site with parents at Back to School Night. Have students write and record audio book reviews others can play on iPads in the school library. If you have gifted students in your classroom, this tool is simple enough for even the youngest to be able to record audio mini-dramas portraying a historic figure, poetry readings, and more. Be sure to show them how to NAME and download the files to the local computer! Anything they can say out loud can become a creative project recording. Don't forget about recording musical performances or practices.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Calkoo - Trinity Capital
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): addition (126), area (51), calculators (37), division (97), fractions (160), measurement (125), multiplication (120), percent (59), quadratics (26), subtraction (108), volume (33)
In the Classroom
Calkoo is a great free tool to replace expensive graphing calculators that many students may not have. Calkoo works well on computers, mobile devices, and interactive whiteboards. Use this site during a unit on careers, economics, or financial literacy. Include it as part of a measurement unit. Share during Family and Consumer Science units to explore the cost of living and have students put together a mythical "budget" for living in their chosen career. Have students send you on a vacation and include calculations for the currency converter, fuel cost calculator, sales tax for souvenirs, and more! This is a great site to support many experiments in science. Calculate acceleration, velocity, and time, or use the mathematics category to complete problems. Use this tool in social studies class for quickly calculating years or months from important timelines or when figuring out geographical distances. In English or L.A. classes, quickly figure out the life span of authors or how long ago a story took place. In health or science classes, use the BMI calculator or get other accurate measurements. Visit Calkoo and select a calculator to meet your needs! Include this site on your class web page for students and parents to access as a reference. The various languages make this tool very useful for ESL/ELL students.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Newsela - Matthew Gross
Grades
2 to 12Incase you're wondering - Newsela features current events stories tailor-made for classroom use. Click "Products" on the top menu and slide down to browse content in subject areas (social studies, science, etc.). Stories are student-friendly and can be accessed in different formats by reading level. Use Newsela to differentiate nonfiction reading. Newspaper writers rewrite a story four times for a total of five Lexile levels per story. All articles have embedded Common Core-aligned quizzes that conform to the reading levels for checking comprehension, customizable assignments, writing prompts, and annotations. An account is required to use Newsela, both for teachers and for students, but students sign up using a teacher or parent-provided code rather than an email address. Click the Resources tab at the top to find guides and short webinars. Teachers can create classes and assign reading-level specific articles to individual students or download printable PDF copies of the article in any of its reading-level versions. There is no outside advertising.
tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (139), differentiation (79), guided reading (33), independent reading (84), news (228), reading comprehension (135), remote learning (63)
In the Classroom
Achieve two goals here: help students improve their reading comprehension and keep them current with what is happening in our nation and the world. When assigning articles, choose to have the class read at one reading level, or choose individuals and set the reading level for them. There are five categories from which to choose. You may want to set up different articles at different learning stations on the computers in your room. Have the students rotate daily through the stations, completing one or two a day until they have completed all five articles. Since Newsela is cloud based, even absent students can complete the missed work easily. If you and your students are teaching and learning remotely, or you have a blended classroom, Newsela will work perfectly for those! Teachers of gifted students can use this site to accelerate or enrich reading for students. Find each student's individual levels for reading nonfiction. Teachers of Learning Support and ENL//ESL students will love this alternate way for their students to meet nonfiction/current events requirements.Comments
This is an excellent article. Thanks for sharing this information. Please keep sharing content like this.Cassandra, IL, Grades: 0 - 12
This is an excellent site and allows differentiation while everyone is reading the same text.Renee, NC, Grades: 0 - 5
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ESL Reader- Online Reading Help - ESLdesk.com
Grades
2 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): dictionaries (47), guided reading (33), thesaurus (21), vocabulary development (91)
In the Classroom
Provide a link to this site on classroom computers, and use it like a dictionary. Share this link with parents and students on your class web site to have as a resource any time.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Learn American English Online - Learn American English Online
Grades
2 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): dictionaries (47), grammar (139), grammar review (31), listening (65), pronunciation (33)
In the Classroom
Check this site if you need a quick grammar review of any topic. Share this site on your interactive whiteboard/projector. Provide a link to this site on your class webpage. Many of these lessons would be useful with non-ESL/ELL students, as well. It is easy to scroll through the lessons in each color-coded level. Put a link to this site on classroom computers and send it home with ESL/ELL students in school newsletters to share with their parents.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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ESL Games World - eslgamesworld.com
Grades
1 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): grammar (139), grammar review (31), verbs (27), vocabulary (231)
In the Classroom
This website contains many ads, demonstrate avoiding the advertisements with your students before assigning or using any of the activities. Find ways to assist your ESL/ELL students in an engaging way! You can also use many of the games to reinforce basic skills with native speakers. Customize some of the activities for the content areas you are studying. Use as a whole class activity on your projector (or interactive whiteboard) to practice vocabulary, grammar, and content. Add as a resource for ESL/ELL learning or even struggling readers. Ideas and materials are gathered in one spot to help you reduce the time you need to meet your ESL/ELL students' differentiated needs. Add this link to your class website or share it with parents as a resource.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Sound City Reading - Kathy Davis
Grades
K to 2tag(s): alphabet (48), phonics (47), preK (247), reading comprehension (135), reading strategies (92), spelling (93)
In the Classroom
Browse the site for materials to use along with your current classroom curriculum. Print books and sound pictures for students to take home for practice. Share a link to the site on your class website for parents to access additional reading materials. Use materials with ESL/ELL students for additional reading practice. Use with learning support students for extra support in reading.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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