I have created a list of ESL teaching resources – books, textbooks, websites, etc. – for all teachers who work with English learners – whether you are a classroom teacher, one-on-one tutor or someone in between! The products mentioned here I truly love and recommend. From lesson plan websites to plain simple necessary items -they have made my life easier and more organized and I hope they will do the same for you!
*This list contains affiliate links. I may earn a commission if you make a purchase through one of my links, at no extra cost to you.*
If you have any questions, feel free to email at simplyieva@gmail.com and we will chat;)
ESL Teaching Resources
Books for Teachers
Ever wonder HOW to actually teach absolute beginners and what you need to know before and during the process? Teaching Absolute Beginners: an ESL Teachers Handbook is a guide for both ESL and mainstream teachers that will provide you with the necessary background information, tips, strategies, checklists, charts and lesson plan templates and ideas. Whether you are a new ESL teacher, a mainstream teacher with little to no idea how to teach English learners or even someone with experience, you are sure to benefit from the ESL Teacher’s Handbook! For more information about the book and a more detailed description, click here.
The New Ways in Teaching
This series is a wonderful series of books with implementable activities by/for TESOL/TEFL teachers from all over the world. I keep going back to all of those books – the New Ways in Teaching Writing, New Ways in Teaching Reading, Speaking and Listening – whenever I need an inspiration, something to supplement my lesson, or a fill-in activity. It is a must-have series in every ESL teacher’s cupboard and I truly recommend these books because I have used them many a time.
Materials for teaching beginner ESL students
Inside the U.S.A.
This textbook by Deborah J.Short et al. is an excellent resource when you have absolute beginner English learners in middle and high school. The book is full of age-appropriate visuals that help newcomers figure out their new daily life and school with ease. Each chapter builds on the previous one and your students will practice listening, speaking, reading and writing. It also comes with the practice book.
I Want to Learn English
This textbook by Jose V.Torres is something that recently literally came to me and I wish I had known about it last school year. It is a textbook designed to teach older students (adults, high school, and some components can be used for even middle school), who are just starting to learn English. It has the basic survival skills vocabulary, alphabet, numbers, etc. and focuses on the phonetic aspect of the English language, which is quite difficult for some students to master. An added bonus to this book is that it has listening exercises, which can be accessed on a website provided in the book. Definitely recommend getting this book, especially because finding good resources for teaching older students is not always an easy task.
The Complete ESL for Beginners by Stephanie Lerner.
I heard lots of good things about this book and it comes equipped with great tips and a full set of topics PLUS lesson plans to cover with your beginner students. Who can beat that?! A great resource, and ready to use – a win for you!
25 Authentic Speaking Activities for Your ESL Classroom.
Speaking practice is always necessary when learning a new language. However, finding activities that would be engaging, real and not boring can be a challenge. 25 Authentic Speaking Activities for Your ESL classroom to the rescue! It contains 25 photo prompt lessons with related idioms/metaphors, word banks, sentence starters, discussion questions and extension writing activities. Photos are authentic and presented in a way that will allow your students to go beyond what the discussion questions are asking and engage your class in a lively conversation – both beginners and intermediate level students. In addition, it comes with fully prepared 25 lesson plans, which you can use exactly as they are written or adapt them to your teaching situation. If you are looking for an authentic and engaging resource for your ESL classroom, this is it! Check it out by clicking here or the image below. You will not regret it!
25 TED Talks For Your English Class
I love TED Talks as part of my classroom because they are just such a great inspiration. A good TED talk will answer your questions, or possibly spark new ones; it may teach you, open your eyes or challenge you. I like to search for them myself, but sometimes it takes longer than I care to admit, so when I found an ebook 25 TED Talks For Your English Class by my fellow blogger and English teacher Sapna Seghal, I did a nice “bingo” dance (well, maybe only in my head, but you get it:)
Websites and memberships
The ESL Teacher Boss Society
ESL newcomer/beginner resources – curriculum guides, ready-made lessons, personalized coaching and more – for K-12 ESL teachers.
If you have been looking for materials AND support, the ESL Teacher Boss Society is the place for you. Click here for more information and to join!
Lesson Planet
The website lessonplanet.com is full of teaching resources that have the potential of saving you tons of time. The best part – unlike other membership sites, this one is really reasonable: the plans are $2/$3 and $5 a month.
Visual Thesaurus
Visual Thesaurus is a wonderful website that helps you and your students visualize the words and the connections between them. It is a great tool for teaching vocabulary! You can use it to do a weekly vocabulary lesson, where all the words are connected and the students have to explain the nuances between the meanings. You can also introduce two or three words at a time that would help your lower level English learners by drawing or acting them out. The possibilities are endless with the Visual Thesaurus! You can click any of the links earlier or here to try it out.
Audiobooks
Over the years of teaching English learners, I’ve discovered that listening to books is a great way to promote language learning. Since listening is one of the first skills that is learned in a new language, especially when one is immersed in English speaking environment, it is only natural that the audiobooks are going to be easier accessed than regular reading material assigned in class. You can use them for listening out loud in the classroom, assigning certain portions, previewing vocabulary and more. And here is where Audible comes in. It is a great tool for language teaching and learning and has a fantastic library of both free and paid books for you and your students to choose from. And now you can get 2 free books immediately upon signing up.
Classroom Decor
If you have a classroom, you likely want it to look both cozy and educationally appropriate. Click the picture below to check out a few ideas and see your imagination run wild!:)
Professional development for ESL teachers
The ESL/ELL Teacher’s Survival Guide by Larry Ferlazzo is a great resource for an ESL teacher that you can refer to time and time again. It contains sample activities and websites that are useful for ESL/ELL teachers (and for the lists for which Larry Ferlazzo is well known:) A great resource to have in your bookshelf for quick reference or a refresher.
Teaching Reading to English Language Learners (Grades 6-12) by Margarita Calderon. I have gone to a workshop where the author of this book presented the newest strategies in vocabulary instruction and provided great insights on how to weave in tiered vocabulary teaching through content and it was invaluable. This book will be helpful for experienced and newer educators of English Learners alike.
This is one of my all-time favorite books. If you are interested in the specific workings of a language or wonder why on earth do your students construct sentences the way they do, or if you have any questions about the impact of one’s native language on learning English – this is the book for you. A great addition to your classroom or even personal library.
Making Content Comprehensible for English Language Learners. The SIOP Model. As the title of this book suggests, making it easier for our English learners to understand what is going on in the classroom is essential. It outlines a specific and, what I call, “plain good teaching” model of how to reach the students all all levels of English language development.
Looking for gifts for teachers, students, colleagues or yourself?
Amazon is the place to be, in my humble opinion. You can get anything there from clothing to electronics to food. Why wouldn’t it be the place to find something interesting to give as a gift?
And if you’re looking for something funny, original or unexpected, check out Amazon’s New and Interesting Finds page. It is bound to give you TONS of ideas.
School shopping done in one place!
I don’t know about you, but I get totally overwhelmed when I go to a store, especially when I need to buy stuff like office supplies. There is either too much of it, or not what I am looking for, or the price in my head does not match the one I see.
That’s why I am a huuuuuge fan of amazon.com. I literally buy everything I can on there, including whatever I need for school. And when you have Amazon Prime, your order arrives within two days with no extra shipping fee!
I was going back and forth about whether it is worth it for me to have the Amazon Prime, but to tell you the truth: it’s a no-brainer. Free 2-day shipping – check. Movies – check. Photo storage – check. Music – check. I mean, if I buy on there anyway – why not, right?
And even if you decide against it, you can still check out all of the back to school stuff for teachers on there. Just click this link and have fun! Back to School Supplies
Last, but not least – MAPS
I don’t know about you, but I CANNOT imagine teaching my English learners without a map. First, we all need to get our bearings in the world and that is one of the reasons why I have a world map. Second, if you are in the USA, the map of this country is an absolute must! Learning the states and the history of the U.S.A (which is very connected to the rest of the world) without seeing it is much more difficult than having a visual of it all to make sense. These Rand McNally maps are laminated so you will be able to use them longer. They make a great addition to any room and area always a topic of conversation. Click here for more information.
And that is all for now. I am constantly on the lookout for something that would make my life easier, so I will be updating this page periodically.