BBC Learning English is a department of the BBC World Service devoted to English language teaching. The service provides free resources and activities for teachers and students, primarily through its website.
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
The focus of this resource is to build awareness and improve intercultural communication in culturally diverse work environments. It is intended for foreign-trained professionals, but will also be a useful resource for their Canadian counterparts and for the professional development of ESL instructors.
The resource has four parts: a series of 19 short (2-minute) videos, supported by an activity guide, a booklet of scene-by-scene breakdowns for the videos to give context to each scene, and a guide containing the full transcripts of each video.
The scenarios in the videos are based on the lived experiences of newcomers. (The resource is not referenced to the CLBs, but the language is at an intermediate/advanced level.) The videos present authentic challenges in intercultural communication in a workplace setting: refusing to shake hands, failing to understand the unwritten rules in a meeting, not communicating problems to a supervisor, having a difficult conversation about uncomfortable behaviours.
The resource aims to increase intercultural awareness and competency, build and practice workplace skills and appropriate language. The aim is to enhance the employability of newcomers, give them the tools to navigate communication differences in multicultural settings, not only to enter the labour market but also to maintain employment.
ELLLO - English Listening Lesson Library Online. ELLLO has over 3,000 free listening lessons for all levels! Most lessons have audio or video, a transcript, vocab support and interactive quizzes.
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 job search, job offer, job ads, dream job. Non-CLB. Many Canadian references.
Free access:
This YouTube video help students to learn English.
English Central is a self-directed English learning platform intended for adults who wish to improve their spoken English. The platform has 20,000 captioned videos, organized into Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced levels. The platform provides different ways for learners to interact with the same video to reinforce their learning, such as clicking on a word in the caption to read a definition or filling in the blanks. There is also a live tutor option, but it is part of the subscription that must be purchased to access all the content. Signing up for a free trial will give learners access to a variety of videos on a diverse number of subjects.
Last reviewed June 2023
A children's K-8 website containing word games, spelling and vocabulary practice, online books, and a superhero video series. It's divided by grade level; English learners will enjoy the colourful and easy to navigate site with engaging practice materials that are suitable for their level.
Free access:
For more advanced learners, this multimedia website provides grammar explanations and practice. The site also has presentations, handouts, videos, a MOOC, a Twitter workout, and more.
This is a series of five videos produced by the Ontario Human Rights Commission. Four of the videos focus on the rights and responsibilities related to rental housing, the Human Rights Code and discrimination. The videos are at an intermediate language level; text and transcripts are provided. The fifth video is a review in quiz format.
Alberta Learning Information Services (ALIS) has occupational videos available. The videos have information related to career planning, education, jobs and the workplace. It could be used for listening activities or independent learning.
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 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/
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:
The Learning English with CBC website is a project between CBC Edmonton and the Alberta government. The website contains interactive tools - a podcast, video news stories and interactive quizzes at CBL levels 4 and 6, which may be adapted for other levels. New content is posted weekly. The focus is on soft skills to support real world interactions, using local stories from Alberta with broad appeal. Learners can use the site with mobile devices or in school settings.
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."
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:
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.
First launched in 2000, StoryPlace has been newly redesigned to present favourite stories and activities in a format compatible with desktop and mobile devices. The site also now includes early literacy information for parents and caregivers.
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.
Learning English is Voice of America’s (VOA) source of digital news and information for English learners worldwide. VOA is a news network and radio station that broadcasts a wide range of programming around the world. The video and audio resources, which are drawn from current news, are separated into beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. There is also a free assessment that will help English language learners determine their level of English proficiency. The various resources that are available on the website work well for group work or independent learning. There are also a variety of teaching materials that instructors will find useful for lesson planning. These resources are free to use.
Last reviewed August 2023
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
