One of the videos in this collection is specifically designed to introduce newcomers to Canada’s tax system — “New to Canada? Learn about Taxes.” The remaining videos look at more mainstream topics such as how to file tax returns, tax issues in common-law relationships, the underground economy and taxes for separated or divorced persons.
“New to Canada? Learn about Taxes.” Video:
https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/news/cra-multimedia-library/individuals-video-gallery/transcript-new-canada-learn-about-taxes.html
Free access:
ClassHook is a digital tool that allows you to find, upload and share video clips that are organized by topic/theme. It is very useful for whole group or small group discussions at all levels. Instructors can play the video to the group after having embedded time-stamped “Pause Prompts”: time-stamped questions that automatically pop-up at the timestamp you've specified. The video will stop at your specified time and your question will appear full-screen in its place. This is the prompt for the class to engage in a discussion based on your prompt. Students could break into small groups to discuss and then return to continue viewing the video.
Added July 2023
ClickView is a digital tool that lets you create interactive video lessons with videos within their collection (by topic area) or with videos you find online or that you’ve created on your own. It can be used with any level since the teacher can customize the questions within the timeline of the video: short-answer, multiple choice, and true/false questions. For beginner levels, you can add annotations to a video with the ClickView editor (e.g. define vocabulary or provide additional information). This would be suitable for independent or small group work. Completed lessons can be shared to Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams, Canvas or any other LMS. Instructors have the ability to enable a special ClickView feature that prevents students from skipping ahead instead of watching the entire video. A tutorial for using Click View can be found here .
Added: July 2023
Creately is a platform for creating colourful graphic organizers, Venn diagrams, storyboards, and flow charts. Diagrams may be useful for organizing lesson plans, classroom activities, and presentations. For intermediate and advanced learners, there is an effective essay sequence planner and organizer. Free templates are simply designed and easy to populate.
This playlist produced and compiled by the University of Oregon's Centre for Applied Second Language Studies consists of sixteen short instructional videos that prepare students to participate in digital discourse. The playlist covers themes such as using hashtags, creating memes, game design and connecting with other language learners through MMOGs. These 1-2 minute videos would make good minds-on activities as part of a larger 'social media' theme
A language learning website that uses gaming to keep learners motivated. Easy to navigate lessons are personalized, immediate feedback is provided, "rewards" are handed out as levels are mastered. Can be used for independent practice, or in a lab setting. The learning program is based on language-acquisition research and makes the claim: "34 hours of Duolingo are equal to 1 university semester of language courses".
This site may also be of interest to teachers interested in acquiring another language. There are 33 languages to choose from, including Klingon - not kidding!
Edmodo is an educational platform and global network that permits teachers to share content, distribute assignments and assessments, as well as manage communication with learners and others, and connect with other educators globally. Edmodo is integrated with Google Apps for Education and Microsoft OneNote and Office. Instructors can form groups, assign homework, schedule quizzes and manage learner progress with the platform.
Free access:
https://www.edmodo.com/teachers
ESL Quizzes where you can test your knowledge of English with a quiz and have fun at the same time! There are quizzes for all levels - on grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation and more. You can do all quizzes online on phone, tablet or desktop. And most of them can also be printed on paper to be done offline, perhaps as homework or in the classroom.
Free ESL Fun Games, Interactive Grammar & Vocabulary Games for Classrooms. This site is dedicated to helping teachers by providing Fun esl games for Classrooms, Powerpoint Game & Templates, Printable Board Games, Interactive Games for Classrooms, Games for ESL Kids & Adults, Grammar Games, Vocabulary Games, Reading Games, featuring Snakes & Ladders, Hangman & Wheel Games. ESL Online Games.
This YouTube quiz plays 22 different audio clips of native speakers of regional varieties of Englishes (British, New Zealand, Australian, Canadian, Singaporean, Jamaican, Welsh, Indian, South African, Irish etc). It is a really effective way to demonstrate to students that native speakers of English can sound very different from one another, and that there are many unique varieties of English spoken around the world, (even within different regions of the same country). Have your students take the quiz for fun, or better yet, have them watch you take the quiz!
This playlist on YouTube, produced by the University of Oregon's Centre for Applied Second Language Studies, consists of nineteen short videos intended for independent learning by students. The topics covered would provide a very helpful introduction to intercultural communication and pragmatics, and could be assigned for independent viewing or as part of small group discussion. The various themes would allow for interesting and lively cross-cultural comparisons between rules around politeness, backchannelling, social distance, discourse markers and more.
This website is written by a British academic and author of books on teaching English using film. The website contains a large library of short films, cartoons and TV ads. The lessons can be browsed according to theme and language level. Topics cover issues such as bullying, love, the gold mining industry, and compassion, to name just a few. Lesson plans are interesting, clear and well presented. The levels are aligned with CFER (Common European Framework of Reference); A1='beginner' ; A2=CLB4, B1= CLB 5, B2 = CLB 6-7, C1=CLB 8-9.
Kieran also offers teacher training in empathy, teaching social justice, and teaching with film.
Free access:
This listening activity playlist compiled by the University of Oregon's Centre for Applied Second Language Studies is ideal for independent learning for students both outside and inside the classroom. The YouTube videos consist of the following nine topics:
- Summarize What You Heard with A Friend;
- Research a Topic Before Listening ;
- During Listening: Document What You Understand ;
- After Listening: Listen Again and Again ;
- Familiarize Yourself with Sounds - Listen While Reading a Transcript ;
- Pay Attention to What you Know and Need to Know ;
- Slowing Down Online Videos ; Listening Strategy: Predict What You Will Hear ; and
- Connecting Sounds to Written Language .
While geared toward the language learner, the content of these videos is also a helpful refresher for teachers planning listening activity lessons.
This highly engaging podcast is hosted by an English language learner: Daniel Goodson, a German speaker from Switzerland. He interviews linguistics scholars, polyglots, travelers and other English language learners to discuss, tips, challenges, vocabulary, accents, motivation and research. His podcasts are accompanied by a blog and links to his social media accounts. The episodes could be used as listening exercises to prompt in-class discussion, or as inspiration to create a class podcast.
The NFB website provides a large variety of Canadian films, documentaries, animation, plus an educational site with prepared lessons (suitable for higher level students). You'll find material covering Canadian culture, history, music, personal stories, famous musicians, etc.
Free access:
An IRCC developed video for newcomers to provide information about the tax system, filing returns, rights and responsibilities, benefits and deductions. Optional subtitles are provided for learners to read as they watch.
This is an American news website is designed for mainstream classrooms, but is adaptable for English learners (5 reading levels) and set for designed for distance learning; it allows teachers to assign online learning activities to classes. The content includes news stories and articles about law, science, sports, opinion and arts and culture. Support for educators is offered. Teachers without a subscription may access news stories only.
Below are links to several English-language online radio stations. Listed first are news and talk radio sites for general audiences.
English Club: https://www.englishclub.com/listening/radio.htm
CBC Radio: http://www.cbc.ca/radio/
BBC World Service: http://bbcworldservice.radio.net/
New York Times: http://nyttalk.radio.net/
Washington Post: http://fromthepageswp.radio.net/
NPR (National Public Radio): http://npr.radio.net/
VOA (Voice of America): http://voalatestnewscast.radio.net/
Euronews: http://euronewsenglish.radio.net/
Online stations for English learners:
BBC Learning English is specifically for ESL learners, and provides several subsections: English for University, English for Work, 6 Minute English, The English We Speak, Drama, Pronunciation, Words in the News and News Report:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/news-report
VOA: has stories written in three levels, English in a minute videos, and short video lessons on pragmatics: http://learningenglish.voanews.com/
Instructor-recommended websites that focus on building reading skills:
$ AceReader: Designed for mainstream learners but is also successfully used by English-language learners. More than 1,000 reading comprehension tests that are themed and levelled. Each time a test is taken, learners’ speed and comprehension scores are logged. Learners can monitor their own progress, and instructors can track their results. https://www.acereader.com/education
Breaking News English (British): The lessons are based on world current events, produced twice weekly, with levels ranging from 0–7. The 0 level corresponds to CEFR2 (the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, high basic level). The lessons include a downloadable PDF, a two-page mini lesson and podcasts delivered in British or American accents. The online activities provide a variety of skills practice: reading at different speeds, grammar activities and vocabulary flashcards, gap fill and matching games.
http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/
English Zone Reading (American): This site offers basic reading activities with text in three levels: easy, intermediate and advanced. Topics range from animals, to clothing labels, map reading and health problems. Each reading comes with a quiz with a drop-down menu. The website also contains activities for grammar, idioms, verbs and spelling, plus teacher resources. http://www.english-zone.com/reading/
Recommended writing websites focusing on building writing skills:
Storybird: A beautiful writing platform that provides a bank of artwork to use as a prompt for creative writing. For writers of all ages, it can be used with all levels of learners. It provides a creative gateway to introduce lower level and literacy learners to reading and writing, to create their own stories and poetry.
https://storybird.com/
$ Paragraph Punch: This is a mainstream resource that is suitable for intermediate to advanced English learners. There are five levels of instruction to improve paragraph writing. Individual or institution subscriptions. https://www.meritsoftware.com/software/paragraph_punch_online/index.php
Learn English with EF podEnglish, bite-sized 5 minute English lessons. Perfect for beginners, intermediate and advanced students, these video lessons are as good as having an English teacher in your pocket! Created by EF, the world's largest language school with over 400 schools in 50 countries worldwide.
A popular platform among instructors, Quizlet can be used to create classroom games, learning interactions and content reviews. It can also be used individually as a study aid by students.
Created by Récit (a network of educators in Quebec) this website is a repository for videos/webinars and other pedagogical resources pertaining to ESL for special needs learners. Included are downloadable classroom posters, differentiated task templates, and evaluation strategies. There are also links to their Facebook site, YouTube channel and Pinterest board where they share the latest research on autism, dyslexia, dysgraphia, ADHD, assistive technology and more.
For a limited time, teachers and students will have free access to Spelling City. (Use code: VSCFree90. ) This website provides interactive vocabulary and spelling activities for English learners and mainstream students. Spelling City allows teachers to create and customize their own spelling/vocabulary lists for classes, which are turned into enjoyable learning activities for student practice. The activities were designed to meet the needs of all learners, including those with learning challenges. The website also has pre-set lists and games that students can also access. Premium accounts can be purchased schools. Free basic memberships with limited access are also available.
TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) posts engaging talks on scientific, academic and cultural issues to its website. Speakers from around the world deliver talks in a lecture-style format. New lectures are posted on a weekly basis. The lectures range from 5 to 18 minutes and longer, and have transcripts and subtitles available in more than 100 languages. Learners can use the talks for independent study. Instructors can use the search feature to find talks on appropriate themes, and build lessons around talks to target specific language skills and academic skills, such as note taking.
TEDEd: Instructors can open an account and develop their own lesson plans or access lessons developed by other teachers. Learn English with TED Talks: TED Talks/National Geographic Curriculum for English Learners. The integrated skills curriculum for adult learners is called Keynote. It is divided into 6 levels. The content integrates TED Talks and National Geographic photos into lesson plans. Also available: National Geographic English learning textbooks on a variety of topics including Grammar, Pronunciation, and Business English. There is a cost.
TV411 is an American online learning resource for adult literacy learners, but the resources are also relevant for ESL learners (low intermediate and above). There are videos, downloadable worksheets and interactive lessons to build reading, writing, vocabulary and finance skills, as well as math and science. Reading lessons focus on practice in summarizing, restating, reading charts and graphs. Writing lessons include creative and personal writing, workplace and business writing. Grammar, vocabulary and personal finance lessons are also available.
Free access:
http://www.tv411.org/about-us
YouTube is an online video sharing service. Content includes video clips, TV shows, music videos, movie scenes, documentaries and video blogs. Users may also upload their own videos.
Recommended ESL channels:
TESL Ontario: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB8jCi0be7y9jPgVN7wjdcQ
ISSofBC (Canadian): https://www.youtube.com/user/lSSofBC
BusyTeacher: http://busyteacher.org/24395-youtube-esl.html
English Club: https://www.englishclub.com/efl/tefl-articles/esl-channels-on-youtube/
BBC Learning English: https://www.youtube.com/user/bbclearningenglish
VOA: https://www.youtube.com/user/VOALearningEnglish
Anglo-Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/MinooAngloLink
Real English: https://www.youtube.com/user/realenglish1
