ABC Life Literacy Canada is a non-profit organization that aims to strengthen organizations that promote adult learning. Workbooks on different skills.
This group provides an opportunity for adult educators and learners to organize materials dedicated to supporting Adult Basic Education (ABE) and Adult English as a Second Language (Adult ESL) teaching and learning. Adult educators and learners are encouraged to join this open community to share high-quality, high-interest materials for adult learners with low literacy levels preparing for the GED, new career opportunities, increased participation in their children’s education, English language learning, and other important skills. We strongly encourage you to tag each resource you use and evaluate as “Adult Basic Education” or “Adult ESL” so others will also be able to find these adult learner-appropriate material.
21 languages available
Alone in Canada is a 65-page book designed to address mental health needs of newcomers who are alone in Canada and may be struggling with settlement. There are 21 chapters written at an intermediate level; the content is accessible and a comfortable length for the low-intermediate learner. The topics cover a variety of issues, including thinking about the past, present and future, coping with stress, learning the unwritten rules of Canadian manners, developing a routine and celebrating achievements. The chapters contain quotes from newcomers, tips and short exercises to help the reader individualize and apply the content.
Although intended for individuals who are on their own, the content may be helpful to all newcomers who are facing challenges adjusting to life in Canada. In addition, instructors and administrators may find it a useful resource for professional development. The chapters can easily be used or adapted for classroom use.
Bow Valley College (Alberta) has developed a series of graded audiobooks for Literacy learners, with seven levels to meet the different stages of reading development. Level A books present a single sentence per page and large images; Level G books contain images and paragraphs with more complex language and concepts. You will find two versions of each reader along with information on the complexity of the text, structure, and vocabulary. The Audio Book has a preview of the contents. The printable PDF has print settings beside each reader. There are a total of 40 audio books to choose from, with five to seven readers at each level.
Free access:
https://globalaccess.bowvalleycollege.ca/esl-literacy-readers#section-1264
Alberta Workforce Essential Skills has created a series of publications to orient educators to working with newcomers including Essential Skills Assessment, Courses, Intercultural Intelligence, Workplace Safety, and a series of workplace videos.
Free access:
http://www.awes.ca/what-we-offer/tools-publications/
The Best of the Reader site contains a series of e-books for low-level ESL and literacy learners. The books can be used in class or for independent study. Users have permission to download, print and distribute the material found on the website. Each e-reader has 8 to 10 stories with activities and an answer key. The list of e-readers includes a Teachers’ Guide, and calendar of special days and holidays for the year, and specific work-related titles such as People and Jobs.
Free access:
http://www.bestofthereader.ca/
This instructor-recommended site (privately maintained) provides listening practice for learners at the intermediate level or above. The site includes audio books, novellas, short stories, articles and song lyrics. Different listening speeds are available. Grammar and idiom activities are available.
Free access:
http://ESL-Bits.net/
This site is located in Canada and is for all ESL teachers, K to Adult. There are word scrambles and search generators. There are thousands of worksheets available (there are filters). Many are connected to PowerPoint downloads or YouTube/Ted Talk videos or popular movies/songs. There are ESL articles for instructors that focus on professional development. The site is relatively easy to navigate. Search has a drop-down listing of choices aligned with your search words. No registration is required. You can sign up for a newsletter.
Search “employment” or use specific search words such as “job search” or “business English.” It may take time to explore available worksheets, activities or how-to examples.
Free access:
http://www.busyteacher.org
Legal Aid Ontario provides legal assistance for low-income people living in Ontario. There are 73 community legal clinics across the province offering free advice and assistance for matters such as:
- Social assistance (Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program)
- Housing (rental issues, social housing matters)
- Human rights
- Workplace safety
- Employment, workers rights
- Consumer matters
- Education
- Elder law
The clinics are mandated to do community outreach and public legal education; lawyers will come into schools to provide information sessions.
The resources from this website below will be useful to instructors and learners in understanding culture. English Language Lessons (Canadian point of view). Below are two examples:
ELLII is a commercial website based in Winnipeg, offering high-quality lesson plans for Canadian, American, and international educators. The lessons are divided into beginner, intermediate, and advanced learners, with a large variety of activities, including flashcards, discussion starters on political, social and environmental issues, mini-debates, holidays, grammar, writing, podcasts, and a reading series (which includes detective serials). Themes include English at work, the environment, healthcare, everyday English, and idioms. New lessons are added monthly. Sample lessons are available but are watermarked.
Subscription is required. Lessons are downloadable PDFs (copyrighted).
Available in 3-month, 6-month and 12-month memberships, from $25 to $55.
Groups of teachers can share memberships; for example 1–5 teachers can share the 1-year $55 membership.
Subscription required:
https://www.ellii.com/
The English Listening Lessons and Library Online (elllo) site offers audio and video lessons with some printable worksheets. There is a wide variety of topics, including renting a new apartment, paying rent and missing home. Non-CLB. Many Canadian references.
Free access:
http://www.elllo.org/english/1351.htm
Storybooks and related activities in five languages: English, French, Arabic, Tagalog and Chinese. Designed for parents and children to read and develop literacy skills together.
Free access:
http://familyliteracyfirst.ca/
This 58-page guide is designed to assist newcomers with settlement information on arrival, and contains lots of useful information. Written in clear language for intermediate English readers, there are 10 chapters covering health, housing, employment, education, citizenship, legal services and consumer information. There is also practical information on the weather, finding healthcare, cell phone services and recreation suggestions, plus links to community services and organizations.
Free access:
http://settlement.org/downloads/First_Days_Guide_EN.pdf
This guide for newcomers to Canada, prepared by the city of Vancouver, attempts to introduce newcomers in simple language to the First Peoples in Canada and their relationship with Canadian government, while also presenting ways to learn more about First Nations people in Vancouver specifically. It is written with the assumption that newcomers have limited opportunities to meet Indigenous people, and thus have limited awareness of their diverse culture and history. It provides hyperlinks to many useful online resources which could supplement a classroom unit on First Nations peoples or assist a student with an independent study project.
These easy-to-read activity booklets, written by Joan Acosta and Bev Burke, have been designed for adult English learners build their own literacy skills while building the habit of reading with with young children. The first book is for reading with babies, the second is for toddlers, and the third is for reading with preschoolers. The booklets can be read online or downloaded and printed.
Free access.
This is a sharing website for instructor-made materials: a variety of resources including printable worksheets, PowerPoints and videos. Registration required.
Free access:
https://en.islcollective.com/
Kelly Morrissey maintains a popular website and blog with resources for for English literacy teaching. She has developed ready-to-use literacy resources that are clear, relevant and attractive, covering 14 topics from banking, community, health, weather, Canada, transportation, to health and digital literacy. Downloadable modules are aligned with CLBs from Literacy to CLB 3.
Free access:
The resources available are curated by topic or area of interest. They are updated and added to on a regular basis. Resources are available for instructors. Topics are generally aligned to CLB levels and stages.
Online resources include topics such as:
- Settlement
- Citizenship
- NFB Short Films
- PBLA
Lesson plans and resources are for LINC 1–4 classrooms to encourage participation in online learning opportunities.
Free access:
https://settlementatwork.org/resources/linc-1-4-classroom-activities
Created by Bow Valley College of Calgary, the podcasts are on a variety of topics including health, Charter of Rights and Freedoms, housing, consumer matters and money. Short podcasts with transcripts and activities. Does not reference CLB. Three levels: beginner, intermediate and advanced.
Free access:
http://esl.bowvalleycollege.ca/listen/mp3/
This tool allows individuals to use personal information and a drop-down menu to create an individualized settlement plan, using headings such as first weeks, first months, immigration services, culture, laws and rights, working, housing, language, health and citizenship. Each topic has links to resources. Users can print out their personal settlement plan to track their progress.
Free access:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/lctvac/english/index
MemRise is a "platform that leverages memory techniques, deep understanding of neuroscience and novel approaches to second language acquisition to make learning a language dramatically easier and faster."
A resource from ABC Money Matters (TD Bank sponsored), this 2-page lesson plan clearly explains the basics of online banking for learners at intermediate or advanced levels. Suggested classroom activities include setting a strong password.
The text is written at an advanced level. The document contains seven chapters that cover what’s needed for arrival in Ontario, Canada’s history, geography and levels of government, plus healthcare and education systems, and programs and services for newcomers. There are brief review questions at the end of the chapters, and spaces for personal notes and to-do lists.
Free access:
http://settlement.org/downloads/ontario_day_to_day/English_Anglais/OD2D_Workbook_(En).pdf
Settlement Info.
Access Forward: Free training modules for people with disabilities:
http://accessforward.ca/
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation: Housing for Newcomers PDF available in eight languages:
http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/consumers/home-buying/newcomers
Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, Government of Canada:
http://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/
The Canadian Consumer Handbook provides information on identity theft, credit reporting and consumer complaints:
http://www.consumerhandbook.ca/en/
CLEO Resources and Publications: Ontario laws related to housing, family law, criminal, employment. Posters and documents in several languages:
http://www.cleo.on.ca/en/resources-and-publications/resources-and-publications
Consumer Protection Ontario:
https://www.ontario.ca/page/consumer-protection-ontario
Get Cyber Safe, Government of Canada, provides information on how to keep safe online:
https://www.getcybersafe.gc.ca/index-en.aspx
Human Rights Commission of Ontario: Video lessons on rights and responsibilities related to housing:
http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/learning/human-rights-and-rental-housing
Human Rights Legal Support Centre, Province of Ontario, provides information in 10 languages:
http://www.hrlsc.on.ca/en/welcome
Job Bank, Government of Canada. Extensive searchable database:
https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/home-eng.do?lang=eng
Legal Aid Ontario: 1-800-668-8258
Legal Line provides easy to understand explanations on many federal and provincial laws, on many topics, and in 65 languages:
http://www.legalline.ca/answers/
Ontario Labour Market: Job trends and outlooks:
https://www.ontario.ca/page/job-trends-and-outlook
Settlement.org Guides are available in 10 languages:
1. Daily Life
http://settlement.org/ontario/daily-life/
2. Find Services Near Me
http://settlement.org/findhelp/ontario/
3. My First Days
http://settlement.org/firstdays/
Settlement.org: Housing information in 30 languages:
http://settlement.org/ontario/housing/
The Tenant Survival Manual is produced by the Federation of Metro Tenants’ Associations and is available in 13 languages:
https://www.torontotenants.org/resources/tenant-survival-manual
The following English teacher blogs and websites have been recommended by our members:
Patrice Palmer is a veteran Canadian English language professional. She specializes in teacher self-care.
Free access:
https://www.positiveupside.ca/
TheJoyOfESL: Kelly Morrissey is a respected Canadian educator and blogger, with lively discussions on activism, links to other sites, and well developed literacy resources available.
free access:
https://joyofesl.blogspot.com/
EnglishwithJanice: Ontario teacher and tutor, Janice's website offers resources for children and adults and includes pronunciation, business writing, listening for different levels and more.
free access:
https://www.englishwithjanice.com/
Larry Ferlazzo is an American educator whose blog contains a treasure trove of materials and tech suggestions.
free access:
http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/
Susan Alyn's Inspiration Lane (American) contains readings content that changes daily. The website can be projected on a whiteboard and can be translated into several languages.
free access:
http://inspirationlane.blogspot.com/
The goal of this resource (developed by BC TEAL and CLB aligned), is to support male students to discuss men's health issues and address barriers to physical and mental wellness in a safe environment.
The resource aims to draw on the knowledge and experiences of refugee men to facilitate access to health services, and address stigma around mental health issues, feelings of isolation, and cultural differences around expectations of men in home countries and Canada.
The document has four sections: Pathways to Wellness, Addressing Health Issues, Connecting to Community, Building Relationships. It includes a teacher's guide, lesson plans with clear illustrations. Lesson plan topics include: mental health, nutrition, talking to a doctor, male roles, and fatherhood.
This multilevel curriculum for CLB 2–4 multilevel classes was developed by NorQuest College for rural Alberta learners. The document is adaptable to other contexts and used with higher-level learners.
There are eight units: Getting to Know You, Community, Education, Personal Finance, Health and Wellness, Recreation, Safety and Shopping. Each unit contains five modules with teaching notes, suggested activities and instructional resources.
Produced by NorQuest College for small, multilevel settings with CLB 2-4 learners. This resource can be used in other settings. Detailed lesson plans for CLB 2 and 4. Financial literacy in two units, covering money, spending and banking.
Free access:
http://www.englishandliteracy.ca/asset_library/page/rsbj/Rurallinc_CLB_2_4.pdf
The Settlement.org website provides information to newly arrived immigrants and refugees in Ontario. It lists common questions and answers with relevant links. The main headings are “First Days” and “Services Near Me.” Information is presented in Q & A format at an intermediate level of English. Topics covered include immigration and citizenship, housing, health, education, legal services, community and daily life. Information includes getting a driver’s licence, finding a doctor and dentist, the Canada Child Benefit, Employment Standards information, a guide to elementary and secondary schools.
The website information has been translated into 40 languages, plus there is a forum where users can have their specific questions answered. There is also a sidebar listing events by date.
This website contains a range of resources to aid in delivering instruction to children and adults who have had their formal education interrupted. Includes teaching resources and essential learning indicators for language, literacy and numeracy.
Resources for more intensive intervention:
Developed by the Manitoba government in 2008, this resource is intended for beginning English learners. The document contains 6 modules for CLB 1-3 covering issues such as building safety vocabulary, workplace hazards, WHMIS, dressing for safety and reporting hazards and workplace incidents. Lessons contain hand-outs, flashcards, dialogues and games.
Free access:
