Find useful resources and tips for teaching English with interactive apps and sites.

EdTech

<p>Around the world, schools are placing emphasis on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education in order to inspire students to be critical thinkers and problem solvers. These subjects are intimidating for many students, especially language learners, who struggle with the academic language used in learning materials to explain complex concepts and processes. This means teachers need to find STEM materials that are comprehensible for their language learners and that enhance their language development. The following resources will help you discover STEM lessons and activities that are more approachable and engaging for all learners. Additionally, you will discover free web tools to help your language learners comprehend the reading materials you already&nbsp;use.</p>

<h2>Hands-On STEM Lessons and Projects</h2>

<p>STEM is best learned hands on! Students need to put their learning to the test and see it in action. Here are some websites with engaging lesson plans and activities that encourage students to explore STEM concepts actively. The content is also presented in various formats to enhance listening, speaking, reading, and writing&nbsp;skills.</p>

<p>ESL Library&rsquo;s collection of <a href="https://www.ellii.com/collections/35/lessons">STEM lesson plans</a> has audio clips, vocabulary support, projects, handouts, and activities that support reading, writing, and listening&nbsp;skills.</p>

<p><a href="https://mysteryscience.com/" target="_blank">Mystery Science</a> is a website with kindergarten to fifth‑grade STEM activities and lesson plans. The lesson plans do not focus on English fluency or comprehension. However, the lesson plans include a multimedia presentation with closed captioning to display what is being said, and they also have stopping points for reflection and&nbsp;discussion.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.texaspsp.org/tasks" target="_blank">The Texas Performance Standards Project website</a> has a searchable database of STEM lesson plans and projects for kindergarten through twelfth‑grade students. Each lesson includes handouts and instructions in both English and&nbsp;Spanish.</p>

<h2>STEM Reading Materials</h2>

<p><a href="https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/" target="_blank">Science Journal for Kids</a> is a website with scientific articles and teaching resources for kindergarten through twelfth‑grade students. Download a pdf of each article with illustrations, a glossary of terms, discussion questions, and quizzes. Each lesson also features a video and a suggestion for further&nbsp;research.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.dogonews.com/" target="_blank">DOGO News</a> is a website with kindergarten to fifth‑grade STEM articles and videos. Each text highlights key vocabulary items students can click on to discover their definition. There are also reading comprehension activities, such as quizzes and word&nbsp;searches.</p>

<h2>Comprehension and Fluency Support</h2>

<p>Students also need tools to comprehend texts and learning materials. Teachers and students can use <a href="https://rewordify.com/" target="_blank">Rewordify</a>, a free online engine that simplifies any English text. Once teachers register, they can quickly create a vocabulary list with comprehension activities, and they can track students&rsquo;&nbsp;progress.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.onenote.com/learningtools" target="_blank">Immersive Reader</a> is a free online tool that makes reading material more comprehensible with features like the ability to have text read out loud, color‑coded parts of speech, a picture dictionary, and much&nbsp;more.</p>

<p>A <a href="http://www.amathsdictionaryforkids.com/" target="_blank">Maths Dictionary for Kids</a> is an animated online dictionary with definitions, examples, illustrations, charts, and activities to help students understand math terms and&nbsp;concepts.</p>

<h2>Multimedia STEM Content</h2>

<p>Students need visuals to truly grasp science, technology, engineering, and math content. They need to see the content illustrated through models, diagrams, graphs, charts, simulations, blueprints, demonstrations, and 3D objects. Students also need to see symbols, numbers, equations, and abbreviations labeled within a context to aid understanding. The websites below help you find multimedia content to engage students and see STEM in action in the real&nbsp;world.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/" target="_blank">PBS Learning Media</a> is a website with standards‑aligned STEM videos, interactives, and lesson plans for kindergarten through twelfth-grade students. Some of the videos have closed captioning and are also available in&nbsp;Spanish.</p>

<p>Teachers can use the <a href="https://ccsearch.creativecommons.org/" target="_blank">Creative Commons</a> and <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page" target="_blank">WikiMedia Commons</a> search engines to find images, videos, gifs, and audio clips to help students visualize and understand the&nbsp;content.</p>

<p>Gifs are animated images that can be used to illustrate a theory, process, equation, principle, or concept. <a href="https://giphy.com/" target="_blank">Giphy</a> is a free website teachers can use to search for gifs, but not all are educational. The <a href="https://giphy.com/usnationalarchives/" target="_blank">US National Archives</a> has a vast collection of historical gifs on Giphy that are free to&nbsp;use.</p>

<p><a href="http://interactivesites.weebly.com/" target="_blank">Interactive Sites for Education</a> is an online collection of free interactives and simulations that introduce STEM content virtually. Students are presented with scenarios, and they complete various activities to interact with the content and see it&nbsp;applied.</p>

<p>Be sure to check out ESL&nbsp;Library&rsquo;s growing library of <a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/25/flashcard_categories">Science flashcards</a>&nbsp;too!</p>

<p>What other websites do you recommend to find STEM resources for language&nbsp;learners?</p>

<p>If you want to receive more of Shelly&rsquo;s tips for online resources for teaching English, then <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/authors/shelly-terrell">follow her&nbsp;posts</a>!</p>


Tips & Resources to Make Content More Accessible in STEM Subjects

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<blockquote>
<p>At the end of the day, the most overwhelming key to a child&rsquo;s success is the positive involvement of&nbsp;parents.</p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;Jane D. Hull</p>
</blockquote>

<p><a href="http://www.waterford.org/education/how-parent-involvment-leads-to-student-success/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Research</a> shows that one of the best ways to help students achieve is through parent engagement and regular communication. Many schools serve diverse student populations, which means that some parents may not understand all the school communication that is only offered in English. Parents greatly appreciate when newsletters, emails, and text messages are sent in the home language. This way all parents have the opportunity to support their children at home and participate in school events. Thankfully, many free web tools and apps make communicating with parents in multiple languages quick and manageable. Below is a list of recommended tools and apps along with time‑saving&nbsp;tips.</p>

<h1>Getting Started</h1>

<p>To get started with any of the tools listed below you will need a spreadsheet that lists your students&rsquo; names, the parents&rsquo; names, the parents&rsquo; email addresses, and other relevant information needed. Many schools have programs that will let teachers download this information or send home a form for parents to complete. In most cases, the tool will let you create a class quickly by uploading the spreadsheet. In some cases, the spreadsheet may need to be converted into a CSV file. To convert the file simply choose Save As or Download in the spreadsheet program and choose CSV as the format. Once your class is created, invite parents to join the free web tool by sending home the printed letters provided by the tool. Many of the tools also allow you to send parent invites via email or text message. Once parents join, you can send one message to all parents quickly and parents are able to translate the message into the language of their&nbsp;choice.</p>

<h1>Parent Communication Web Tools&nbsp;&amp;&nbsp;Apps</h1>

<p><a href="https://web.seesaw.me/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Seesaw</a> is a web tool and iOS and Android app for creating student digital portfolios with various feedback options. Students upload pictures, create videos, or record audio to add context to their posted images or work. Teachers can quickly and safely communicate with parents in over 50 different&nbsp;languages.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.classdojo.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Class Dojo</a> is a web tool and iOS and Android app that provides a safe platform for teachers to instantly share photos, videos, and announcements to all or individual parents. Messages can be translated into 30+&nbsp;languages. Find other helpful tools, such as a random student name generator, a timer, a noise meter, a student group generator, and class&nbsp;music.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.remind.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Remind</a> is a web tool and iOS and Android app where teachers can send text messages with links, images, and attachments to anyone who subscribes. Translate messages into more than 70&nbsp;languages.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.classtag.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Class Tag</a> is a web tool and iOS and Android app that offers a variety of tools to communicate with parents via text messages or the phone. Translate messages into more than 50&nbsp;languages.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.bloomz.net/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bloomz</a> is a web tool and iOS and Android app that allows teachers to send messages translated into over 80 languages via text message or through the app. Other features include student portfolios, a class calendar, and parent volunteer&nbsp;sign‑up.</p>

<h1>Emails in Multiple Languages</h1>

<p><a href="https://gsuite.google.com/marketplace/app/form_mule_email_merge_utility/968670674230" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Form Mule</a> is my favorite way to send parent emails. This is a free add-on for Google Sheets that helps teachers quickly send a personalized email in English and another language to each parent. Teachers create an email template and include the headings from a spreadsheet column to personalize that email. Create columns with the parents&rsquo; names, student names, grades, or comments and the email will automatically include the information provided in the cells associated with that parent&rsquo;s email. To translate the email into multiple languages, add the language code listed <a href="https://ctrlq.org/code/19899-google-translate-languages" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a> in the field labeled &ldquo;Lang.&rdquo; For example, to translate the email into Spanish, add &ldquo;es&rdquo; to the &ldquo;Lang&rdquo; field (Lang: es). To discover how Form Mule works click&nbsp;<a href="https://gsuite.google.com/marketplace/app/form_mule_email_merge_utility/968670674230" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>

<h1>Newsletters</h1>

<p><a href="https://www.google.com/slides/about/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Google Slides</a>, <a href="https://www.google.com/docs/about/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Google Docs</a>, <a href="https://app.edu.buncee.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Buncee</a>, <a href="https://www.canva.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Canva</a>, <a href="https://wakelet.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wakelet</a>, and <a href="https://www.smore.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Smore</a> are free web tools with professionally designed templates to help you quickly create and send a parent newsletter. In this <a href="http://teacherrebootcamp.com/2018/09/23/parentnewslettertemplates/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">post</a>&nbsp;I share free templates for you to copy and edit as you need. To translate the newsletter in multiple languages you will need to use a translation tool. The two most popular free translation tools are <a href="https://translate.google.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Google Translate</a> and <a href="https://translator.microsoft.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Microsoft Translator</a>. To help parents learn about Microsoft Translator you can <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/translator/education/parent-teacher-conference-letters/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">print and send this letter</a> in over 50&nbsp;languages.</p>

<p>What are your tips for engaging parents throughout the school&nbsp;year?</p>

<p>If you want to receive more of Shelly&rsquo;s tips for online resources for teaching English, <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/authors/shelly-terrell">check out her&nbsp;feed</a>!</p>


Digital Ways to Effectively Communicate with Parents in Multiple Languages

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<blockquote>
<p>Technology is just a tool. In terms of getting the kids working together and motivating them, the teacher is most&nbsp;important.</p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;Bill Gates</p>
</blockquote>

<p>It&rsquo;s that exciting time of the year when we meet new students. Technology can help us support and engage learners who struggle with language skills and literacy. Technology can also help us communicate with parents who are English learners&nbsp;themselves.</p>

<p>Below are several free web tools and apps to help you support your language learners this year so that they surpass their academic and personal learning goals. This list is to get you started, but you can visit this blog regularly to discover the free web tools and apps we share! The web tools listed focus on literacy, reading, writing, comprehension, and fluency in the four skills (listening, speaking, reading, and&nbsp;writing).</p>

<h1>Versatile Tools</h1>

<p><a href="https://education.microsoft.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Microsoft Education</a> and <a href="https://edu.google.com/products/gsuite-for-education/?modal_active=none" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Google for Education</a> have several tools, apps, and features to help every learner. Both feature a suite of apps and tools students can use to create presentations, spreadsheets, surveys, or documents. Additionally, several of the apps have helpful features like spelling and grammar checks, translation, commenting, and dictionaries. These two platforms also provide teachers with training and free resources so they learn how to manage their classrooms, assess, grade and provide feedback much faster and&nbsp;easier.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.classroomscreen.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Classroomscreen</a> is an incredible classroom management tool with a timer, qr code maker, random name caller, voice level signals, and more! No registration is&nbsp;required.</p>

<h1>Literacy</h1>

<p><a href="https://www.onenote.com/learningtools" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Immersive Reader</a> &ndash; Microsoft&rsquo;s Immersive Reader is a game changer for language learners. No registration is required. Students copy and paste any text from a website, pdf, or document in order to have the words read aloud, see the parts of speech color coded, look up words quickly with a picture dictionary and more. <a href="https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/Education-Blog/Immersive-Reader-is-coming-to-an-app-near-you-now-partners-can/ba-p/679795" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Immersive Reader is being integrated</a> into various popular free third party apps such as <a href="http://www.buncee.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Buncee</a>, <a href="https://www.thinglink.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Thinglink</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://wakelet.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wakelet</a>.</p>

<p><a href="https://rewordify.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Rewordify</a> &ndash; Paste in difficult sentences, paragraphs, or chapters of text and rewordify changes it into easier language and vocabulary. Teachers who register can create games or quizzes with the vocabulary. Students who register can keep track of their reading&nbsp;progress.</p>

<p><a href="http://quizlet.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Quizlet</a> &ndash; Make flashcards with vocabulary lists or choose from many flash cards users have already created. Play games with these vocabulary lists. Accessible on any&nbsp;device.</p>

<p><a href="https://kids.wordsmyth.net/we/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wordsmyth&rsquo;s Children&rsquo;s Dictionary</a> and <a href="https://kids.wordsmyth.net/wild/#/home" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Picture Dictionary</a> &ndash; Online dictionaries with images, audio of the word sounded out, related words, vocabulary activities, puzzles, and a&nbsp;thesaurus.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.storylineonline.net/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Storyline Online</a> &ndash; A website with videos of celebrities reading children&rsquo;s&nbsp;books.</p>

<p><a href="https://newsela.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Newsela</a> &ndash; News articles written for students with quizzes and the ability to annotate. Choose articles by grade level or reading&nbsp;level.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.commonlit.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Commonlit</a> &ndash; Access readings, fiction and nonfiction for 5th to 12th graders. Search and filter the collection by lexile, grade, theme, genre, literary device, or common core&nbsp;standard.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.owleyes.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Owl Eyes</a> &ndash; A web tool to annotate the classics and answer&nbsp;quizzes.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.getepic.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Epic Books</a> &ndash; Unlimited access to 35,000 of the best books, learning videos, quizzes and more for ages 12 and&nbsp;under.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.dogonews.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">DOGO News</a> &ndash; A website and iOS/Android app for K to 12 students to find current events and research based articles. Each article includes images or videos and gives a citation for students to&nbsp;copy.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.englishcentral.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">English Central</a> &ndash; Students practice their pronunciation by watching popular videos and measuring their pronunciation of what was said in the&nbsp;video.</p>

<p><a href="http://more.starfall.com/?" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Starfall</a>​ &ndash; Interactive stories and phonics games for very young learners.</p>

<p><a href="http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Learn English Kids</a> &ndash; Interactive games, songs, stories, and videos for young language&nbsp;learners.</p>

<h1>Language Learning Apps</h1>

<p><a href="https://www.duolingo.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Duolingo</a> &ndash; iOS, Android, and web app that gamifies learning English. Students earn points for correct answers, racing against the clock, and completing short&nbsp;lessons.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.busuu.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Busuu</a> &ndash; Students learn English with bite-sized lessons, flashcards, quizzes, and chats with native&nbsp;speakers.</p>

<p><a href="https://bilingua.io/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bilingua</a> &ndash; A language exchange iOS and Android app that connects learners with native speakers through messaging, games, and soon video and audio. A bot helps provide conversation tips and defines&nbsp;words.</p>

<h1>Parent Engagement</h1>

<p><a href="https://www.classdojo.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Class Dojo</a> &ndash; An iOS, Android, and web app for sharing photos and videos of wonderful classroom moments, student work, and student behavior achievements. Communicate with parents quickly through messaging. Instantly translate messages into 30+&nbsp;languages.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.remind.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Remind</a> &ndash; An iOS, Android, and web app where teachers can send text messages with links, images, and attachments to anyone who subscribes. Translate messages into more than 70&nbsp;languages.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.classtag.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Class Tag</a> &ndash; Offers a variety of tools to communicate with parents via text messages or the phone. Messages are translated in the parent&rsquo;s preferred language then back to&nbsp;English.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.bloomz.net/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bloomz</a> &ndash; An iOS, Android, and web app for sharing photos, videos, and announcements in multiple&nbsp;languages.</p>

<h1>Digital Storytelling and&nbsp;Presentations</h1>

<p><a href="http://www.buncee.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Buncee</a> &ndash; Create digital books, posters, greetings, or presentations with audio, video, stickers, templates, stylized fonts, qr codes, and more. Students can use immersive reader within the&nbsp;platform.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.genial.ly/en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Genially</a> &ndash; Create interactive content, such as timelines, animated presentations, infographics, videos, posters, and&nbsp;quizzes.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Makebeliefs</a> &ndash; Create comics in multiple languages. Choose from the library of characters and&nbsp;backgrounds.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.mystorybook.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">My Story Book</a> &ndash; Very young children can easily create a storybook by choosing backgrounds, adding characters, and typing in the story. No registration is required and ad&nbsp;free.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.toondoo.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Toondoo</a> &ndash; Create comic strips or books with a library of characters and backgrounds or draw your&nbsp;own.</p>

<p><a href="http://storybird.com/accounts/signup/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Storybird</a> &ndash; Students create beautiful text stories by choosing from their library of free art. The story is embeddable. With a teacher account create student logins and students able to collaborate on&nbsp;stories.</p>

<p><a href="https://bookcreator.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Book Creator</a> &ndash; Create digital books or comics with easy to use templates, 50 different fonts, and stickers. Students can include video, audio, and text. There are several accessibility features, such as adding descriptions to&nbsp;images.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.writereader.com/en/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">WriteReader</a> &ndash; Children from ages 3 to 10 years-old can learn to read by writing and publishing digital&nbsp;books.</p>

<h1>Class Discussion</h1>

<p><a href="https://flipgrid.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Flipgrid</a> &ndash; Engage and empower every voice in your classroom by recording and sharing short videos with the ability to include stickers. Students can respond to other videos or share their videos in augmented reality. Students can also access immersive reader within the&nbsp;platform.</p>

<p><a href="http://en.linoit.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Linoit</a> &ndash; Sticky web wall accessible on any device in which students can post videos, images, audio, or text notes. No registration&nbsp;required.</p>

<p><a href="http://padlet.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Padlet</a> &ndash; Create a beautiful sticky web wall with their various templates and images. Only 3 are free. Students can post videos, images, audio, or text&nbsp;notes.</p>

<p><a href="https://parlayideas.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Parlay</a> &ndash; A web tool that helps you design collaborative online class discussions investigating any topic, video, article, or link. You can choose from the database of created topics with a set of questions to choose from or create a discussion from&nbsp;scratch.</p>

<p><a href="http://ed.voicethread.com/register" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">VoiceThread</a> &ndash; Interactive way to present stories, images, or host discussions. Parents and students can leave comments by text, video, or audio. They can draw on the images and choose&nbsp;avatars.</p>

<h1>Audio Recording</h1>

<p><a href="http://vocaroo.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Vocaroo</a> &ndash; Easily record audio then email to students who can record audio back. No registration is required. You can also send a link, create a qr code, or download the&nbsp;clip.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.voki.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Voki</a> &ndash; Add voice via text or audio to animated characters, animals, and historical figures. Students can add their own drawings as a&nbsp;background.</p>

<h1>Design a Game or Quiz</h1>

<p><a href="https://kahoot.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kahoot</a> &ndash; Teachers and students can create engaging trivia quizzes and games accessible on any device. New features include a question bank, polls, autosave, and new&nbsp;characters.</p>

<p><a href="http://quizizz.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Quizizz</a> &ndash; A web tool and app to create fun games and quizzes. Teachers have the option of showing a meme after a question is&nbsp;answered.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.tinytap.it/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tiny Tap</a> &ndash; An iOS app where students create learning games, interactive presentations and quizzes. The website has a free library of thousands of games, presentations, and quizzes designed by&nbsp;others.</p>

<h1>Virtual Learning Environments</h1>

<p><a href="https://www.google.com/intl/en-US/edu/classroom/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Google Classroom</a> &ndash; Create a virtual classroom where students can turn in assignments or post responses to discussions. Students can respond to each other. Easily assign work, grade, and create&nbsp;rubrics.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.edmodo.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Edmodo</a> &ndash; A safe virtual learning platform for schools. Create assignments, grade or give a digital badge. Accessible on any&nbsp;device.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.schoology.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Schoology</a> &ndash; Set up a learning management system that is accessible on any device and easily post assignments, grade, and keep&nbsp;attendance.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.nearpod.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nearpod</a> &ndash; Create assignments and presentations for your classes. Students enter your live session with a pin on any device and turn it into you right there. Grade their&nbsp;work.</p>

<p><a href="http://edublogs.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Edublogs</a> &ndash; Student blogging platform and virtual classroom designed for educational purposes to keep students&nbsp;safe.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.pbworks.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">PBWorks</a> &ndash; Create several free collaborative websites that are ad free where students can add images, video, or embedded creations. Comes with a plagiarism&nbsp;checker.</p>

<p>What are your favorite back to school web tools and apps for language&nbsp;learners?</p>

<p>If you want to receive more of Shelly&rsquo;s tips for online resources for teaching English, <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/authors/shelly-terrell">check out her&nbsp;feed</a>!</p>


40+ Back to School Web Tools & Apps to Help English Learners Succeed

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Stay up-to-date with ELT trends and ideas with articles from experts and teachers in the field.

Articles

<blockquote>
<p>&ldquo;Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found&nbsp;words.&rdquo;</p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;Robert Frost</p>
</blockquote>

<p>It is National Poetry Month, but year round students can enjoy learning from poetry. Different forms of poetry appeal to various age groups and literacy levels. All our students can discover poems that make them laugh, smile, or think.</p>

<p>Additionally, teachers can find poems about any topic that help students make a deeper connection to the vocabulary and ideas related to the topic. Students can learn from the examples of poetry they consume to produce their own poems, which gives students the opportunity to experiment with language structures, rhythm, phrasing, figurative language, and literary&nbsp;devices.</p>

<p>The following resources are filled with lesson ideas, activities, and generators to help students write various forms of poetry.</p>

<p>You will also find websites with glossaries of poetic terms and devices so that students can try using these poetic devices in their writing. There are also examples from various famous poets of the different forms of poetry that are listed in this&nbsp;post.</p>

<h2>General Poetry Resources</h2>

<ul>
	<li>The <a href="https://www.poetrygames.org/poetry-machine/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Poetry Machine</a> is an awesome website with different poetry generators that walk students through the process of creating several different forms of poetry, including the ones listed&nbsp;below.</li>
	<li><a href="https://storybird.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Storybird</a> has a library of beautiful artwork created by professionals that students can choose from to create a poetry book. This is a great way to display all the poems they write in your&nbsp;class.</li>
	<li>For lesson ideas, check out the ESL&nbsp;Library lessons <a href="https://www.ellii.com/courses/74/lessons/2026" target="_blank">How to Write a Poem</a> and <a href="https://www.ellii.com/courses/80/lessons/1343" target="_blank">William&nbsp;Shakespeare</a>.</li>
	<li>The <a href="https://www.poets.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Academy of American Poets</a> shares a database of thousands of poems, activities, videos, audio recordings, and other materials for teachers to browse and&nbsp;use!</li>
	<li><a href="https://www.youngwriters.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Young Writers</a> is a website with regular competitions for students and a poetry glossary with examples. Also find poetry collections and teaching&nbsp;materials.</li>
	<li>Below find several poetry student interactives from <a href="http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/calendar-activities/april-national-poetry-month-20478.html" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Read Write Think</a>, which is one of my favorite websites for helping students write in any&nbsp;genre.</li>
	<li>Find printables, videos, and poems very young children will enjoy on the <a href="http://www.shelsilverstein.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Shel Silverstein&nbsp;website</a>.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Acrostic Poems</h2>

<p>Acrostic poems are one of the simplest forms of poetry to write. Students choose a word and then write a poem with the first letter of each line spelling a word or phrase (e.g.,&nbsp;<strong>CAT</strong>&nbsp;&ndash; <strong>C</strong>urious <strong>A</strong>nimal <strong>T</strong>iny tiger).</p>

<p>I usually have students begin with their names. Students simply find adjectives or create phrases to describe themselves. The poem does not have to rhyme and this is a great way for our students to get to know each other!</p>

<p>For a challenge, students can also write acrostic poems where the last letters in the line spell out a word. <a href="https://www.youngwriters.co.uk/types-acrostic" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Find a definition and examples&nbsp;here</a>.</p>

<p>Read Write Think has an interactive that defines acrostic poetry, provides examples, and helps students create their own. Students can download their acrostic poems or email&nbsp;them.</p>

<p><a href="https://commaful.com/create" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Commaful</a> is a very simple and free creative writing online tool that allows users to choose a background image from their library and easily type text on top of the image. Students will enjoy using Commaful to compose several different types of poetry, including acrostic poems. Students don&rsquo;t have to register to create, publish, or share the link to their&nbsp;poems.</p>

<p><a href="https://app.edu.buncee.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Buncee</a> is a multimedia presentation tool students can use to animate all forms of poetry with stickers, images, audio clips, banners, and more. See this <a href="https://app.edu.buncee.com/buncee/96d282f325e944709c2c4cff4af71d9e" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">example</a> of an Acrostic poem created with&nbsp;Buncee.</p>

<h2>Blackout Poetry</h2>

<p>This is one of the newest and most popular ways to get students to enjoy writing poetry.</p>

<p>Give students newspapers, magazines, or other texts. Students scan the article and put brackets around anchor words or words that jump out at them. Then students take a black marker and blackout all the words in the text except those they earlier put brackets around.</p>

<p>Blackout poetry was made popular by the famous author, Austin&nbsp;Kleon. Introduce blackout poetry by showing students the video <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqB9kXzJ0UA" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">interview with Austin Kleon</a> or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKpVgoGr6kE" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">How to Create a Newspaper Blackout Poem by Austin&nbsp;Kleon</a>.</p>

<p>Check out several examples of <a href="http://newspaperblackout.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Newspaper Blackout Poetry</a> on Austin Kleon&rsquo;s Tumblr. Students can pick out their favorites and then see if they can find these poems in their own&nbsp;newspapers.</p>

<p><a href="https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/lesson/8b7fcd91373afa80742ca8b226047a6a" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">K20 Learn</a> has a great lesson plan creating blackout poems and lists more&nbsp;resources.</p>

<p>This <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5ngjrLo_Ao" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">video</a> shows you how to create blackout poems online with Google&nbsp;Draw.</p>

<h2>Magnetic Poetry</h2>

<p>Magnetic poetry is easy and fun for learners! Students simply make poems from words they see on magnets. I have had students create magnet poems with cookie or pie pans and magnetic words. Students can also make their own set of magnetic words by writing them on a magnetic sheet and cutting them out. You can find magnetic sheets in the craft area of stores or at a craft&nbsp;store.</p>

<p>Students can also create magnetic poetry digitally using the <a href="https://magneticpoetry.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Magnetic Poetry</a> and <a href="https://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/word-mover-b" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Word Mover</a> websites. No registration necessary.</p>

<p>Another web tool where students choose words to create a poem is <a href="https://piclits.com/piclit-types/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">PicLits</a>. Students pick a picture and then drag words onto the image from a list provided.</p>

<p>Students can also create magnetic poems by using the free Google Drawing and Google Slide templates created by <a href="https://shakeuplearning.com/magneticpoetry/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Shake Up Learning</a> and <a href="https://www.controlaltachieve.com/search?q=magnetic+poetry" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Eric&nbsp;Curts</a>.</p>

<h2>Concrete Poetry</h2>

<p>Concrete poems are shape poems. Students choose a shape and write phrases and adjectives to describe their feelings and thoughts about the shape. Check out any of these free shape cloud generators that make it much easier for students to create their shape&nbsp;poems:</p>

<p><a href="http://neoformix.com/Projects/WordHearts/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Neoformix</a> and the <a href="https://www.poem-generator.org.uk/concrete/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Poem Generator</a> are free shape generators where students can choose from a free library of shapes, type their words, and choose the shape. An image will be generated for them to download and&nbsp;print.</p>

<p><a href="https://wordart.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Word Art</a> and <a href="http://www.tagxedo.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Tagxedo</a> are word cloud generators with several different types of fun shapes for students to choose. They can also color the fonts and styles of the words. A word cloud generator scatters the words inputted, but students can keep phrases together by adding a ~ between words. The words that are most repeated will also be much bigger than other&nbsp;words.</p>

<h2>Diamante Poetry</h2>

<p>Diamante poems are in the shape of a diamond and about two topics. It is a simple poem to write with only a few words, adjectives, and ing ending words. <a href="https://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/diamante-poems" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Read Write Think</a> has an interactive that walks students through the process of writing this type of poem. Find a definition, the format, and examples&nbsp;<a href="http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/diamante_poems_2/diamante_examples.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>

<h2>Haikus</h2>

<p>Haikus originate from Japan and are usually about nature. A haiku is a 3-line poem that follows a specific syllabic structure: line 1 is 5 syllables, line 2 is 7 syllables, and line 3 is 5 syllables. Find simple interactives for students to create their haikus on <a href="https://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/haiku-poem-interactive" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Read Write Think</a> and the <a href="https://www.poetrygames.org/poetry-machine/poetry-15.php" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Poetry&nbsp;Machine</a>.</p>

<p>What other resources do you recommend for teaching with&nbsp;poetry?</p>

<p>If you want to receive more of Shelly&rsquo;s tips for online resources for teaching English, then check out her <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/authors/shelly-terrell" target="_blank">blog&nbsp;feed</a>.</p>


20+ Ideas, Web Tools & Resources to Help ELLs Compose Poetry

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<blockquote>
<p>&ldquo;To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a&nbsp;spark.&rdquo;</p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;Victor Hugo</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Spelling is an important ingredient of literacy. Spelling words accurately means students make a connection between letters and sounds, which can enhance pronunciation. Students who spell accurately also know the English alphabet and recognize word patterns, which helps them develop reading comprehension. Learning how to type letters on a keyboard is an engaging and hands-on way for students to enhance their spelling&nbsp;skills.</p>

<p>The free online typing games below display letters and words for students to locate on a keyboard quickly to accomplish a fun mission! Some of the websites also sound out the letters, which helps students remember the way letters and words&nbsp;sound.</p>

<h2>Preparing Students</h2>

<p>Before engaging in typing practice, students should be familiar with the alphabet and learn proper finger placement on the keyboard. The following are tips and resources to help you pre‑teach&nbsp;both:</p>

<ol class="spaced-list">
	<li>Make sure students review the alphabet and become familiar with the sounds. Check out the post <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/digital-alphabet/" target="_blank">Let&rsquo;s Learn the Alphabet Digitally</a> to find several free websites and apps to help students learn the alphabet and associated letter sounds in fun&nbsp;ways.</li>
	<li>If you assign students a specific game, you can see what letters they will practice typing ahead of time and can introduce example words with these&nbsp;letters.</li>
	<li>This <a href="https://newsandstory.com/tempImage/21072115395120185088.gif" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">visual</a> will help students locate the keyboard letters and know where to place their fingers to type the words more quickly and&nbsp;comfortably.</li>
	<li>Get students to practice this finger placement on a keyboard and practice several times typing the home row keys: <strong>A</strong>, <strong>S</strong>, <strong>D</strong>, <strong>F</strong>, <strong>J</strong>, <strong>K</strong>, <strong>L</strong>,&nbsp;<strong>;</strong>.</li>
	<li>Students can also start learning about finger placement and where letters and symbols are on the keyboard with the Typetastic game, <a href="https://typetastic.com/keyboard-builder.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Keyboard Builder</a>. This game gets students to use the arrow keys and type letters to build sections of the keyboard. The game is made for elementary age&nbsp;students.</li>
</ol>

<h2>Online Games &amp; Typing&nbsp;Practice</h2>

<p>These are recommended websites and descriptions to help you choose the most engaging typing practice for your students. At the top are recommended free websites with little or no advertisements and no registration. However, some of the websites may have advertisements, which is why they are free and do not require any registration. Make sure if you choose a game with advertisements that you let students know so they don&rsquo;t accidentally click on the&nbsp;ads.</p>

<p><a href="https://typetastic.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Typetastic</a> is one of the best websites for elementary age children (11 years old and younger). The website offers free typing games and no registration is required. You can simply share the website url with your learners and they can begin. I recommend the following typing games, which are also advertisement free: <a href="https://typetastic.com/frog-pond-patrol.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Frog Pond</a>, <a href="https://typetastic.com/cupcake-bugs.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Cupcake Bugs</a>, <a href="https://typetastic.com/astro-bubbles.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Astro Bubbles</a>, <a href="https://typetastic.com/ducky-trouble.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ducky Trouble</a>, and <a href="https://typetastic.com/letter-trucks.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Letter&nbsp;Trucks</a></p>

<p><a href="https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/articles/z3c6tfr" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dance Mat Typing</a> is from the BBC and is advertisement free. The purpose is to help students learn the home row keys and gain accuracy as well as build on their typing speed. The lessons build off each other with four different levels. Students learn to type sentences with animated animals and fun music. The website is geared to learners 12 years old and&nbsp;younger.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.free-training-tutorial.com/typing-games/towncreator/tc-typing.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Typing Town</a> has some advertisements but is free and requires no registration. Students 12 and younger love this game which gets them to type words presented on the screen and rewards them with houses, swimming pools, buildings, cars, and other items to help them build their own towns. There are three levels for beginners to&nbsp;advanced.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.typing.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Typing.com</a> is full of tons of typing drills and <a href="https://www.typing.com/student/games" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">games</a> to help students learn the home row and practice typing words and sentences. Students get to see their typing speed and accuracy as well as receive certificates. The website is appropriate for teens, adolescents, and advanced typers. There are&nbsp;advertisements.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.nitrotype.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nitrotype</a> is a great game for adolescents and teens. Students type complete sentences they read on the screen. Their typing speed and accuracy determines how fast their race car goes. Students compete with other participants worldwide and win virtual prizes like new cars and money. The reading level is much higher, because students type paragraphs. Students can play as guests, but most will want to register for free to keep track of their earnings and compete against their&nbsp;classmates.</p>

<p>What other websites do you recommend to help young learners type and&nbsp;spell?</p>


Fun Web Games & Resources to Help ELLs with Typing and Spelling

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<blockquote>
<p>&ldquo;The human voice is the most beautiful instrument of all, but it is the most difficult to&nbsp;play.&rdquo;</p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;Richard Strauss</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Teachers spend hours preparing learning materials. When this material is presented to students, we want to make sure students make a connection to the material and fully evaluate and consume the material. This means all students must have the opportunity to voice their opinions, perspectives, or ideas about the material. Even if class time is limited, the use of collaborative web tools and apps allows every student in class to contribute their thoughts, questions, and ideas extensively. Real-time online conversations that take place while you are teaching are possible through&nbsp;backchanneling.</p>

<p>Below is a list of free web tools your students can use to carry on a class discussion while you lecture, show a video, or present reading material. This allows you to share your ideas and points about the material and make sure your teacher talk time doesn&rsquo;t limit your students&rsquo; opportunities to exchange ideas and opinions with each other about the&nbsp;material.</p>

<h1>Online Class Discussion&nbsp;Tips</h1>

<p>Online discussions with peers can be rich and meaningful, because everyone contributes and peers offer feedback to one another. However, online exchanges can also quickly go awry. Students may go off topic, be reluctant to post their opinions, not know how to disagree respectfully, or not have the vocabulary, grammar, or fluency to express themselves comfortably. The following tips will help ensure your online discussions are&nbsp;successful:</p>

<h2>Tip #1</h2>

<p><strong>As a class establish norms and expectations.</strong> Let students know they will participate in an online discussion that is visible to you and peers. Ask them to come up with at least 10 good expectations for ensuring the discussion is successful. All students should feel that their opinions and values were heard and respected. You can compare their list to the expectations outlined in this <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1a3_rhQol_NLHNXdCbB8lYra16QRzmI1Af5vmJUkGagI/edit" rel="noopener" target="_blank">document</a>. Ask students if they would like to change their norms and expectations with ideas from the&nbsp;document.</p>

<h2>Tip #2</h2>

<p><strong>Define consequences.</strong> Outline consequences if students go off topic, fail to participate, bully, disrespect others, or post something offensive. One consequence (with grade schoolers) should be that you will highlight the inappropriate behavior and send this to their parents. Students should be aware that what they post online is recorded and they will have to take responsibility for the consequences. This is also an important digital citizenship&nbsp;lesson.</p>

<h2>Tip #3</h2>

<p><strong>Provide examples of how to contribute to the discussion.</strong> Show students examples of rich online discussions or do a practice round where you highlight meaningful exchanges or sharing. Let students know they should feel free to ask questions, contribute prior knowledge, share experiences related to the topic, express ideas, share links to articles, share why they agree or disagree and the reason behind their&nbsp;opinions.</p>

<h2>Tip #4</h2>

<p><strong>Help students feel confident and safe expressing themselves.</strong> Don&rsquo;t grade for grammar or spelling. Do encourage students to do their best. Allow them to use emojis or stickers when they can&rsquo;t figure out the right word. Also, provide a list of useful phrases and vocabulary words before the chat for students to reference. You might also want to give them a few minutes before the chat to jot down ideas about the topic to share in the discussion. You might also want to provide sentence frames. Here is a <a href="http://staff.esuhsd.org/danielle/English%20Department%20LVillage/SocraticSeminar/DISCUSSION%20STEMS.pdf" rel="noopener" target="_blank">PDF</a> full of sentence and question starters to help students frame their ideas. You could print this out or create these as a class poster for students to&nbsp;reference.</p>

<h2>Tip #5</h2>

<p><strong>Show students how to disagree/agree respectfully.</strong> Most students don&rsquo;t understand how to debate or disagree respectfully. They might see an opinion and react emotionally or heatedly. Students aren&rsquo;t often exposed to different ideas and may tell another peer they are wrong or cast judgment. We need to prepare our students to listen to opposing views and teach them how to consider them and come up with healthy responses and reactions that spur the conversation instead of stopping the discussion. Help students understand that they learn more from disagreement versus everyone contributing the same beliefs or&nbsp;ideas.</p>

<h1>Collaborative Discussion Tools</h1>

<p>Now that your students are prepared for their online discussion, introduce them to the web tool they will use. Show them how to register, log on, and create a username. If you are giving a participation grade then you might want to create usernames for your students. Also, introduce students to key features, such as how to specifically reply to someone, use any emojis or stickers, or how to highlight parts of the material and add notes. You might want to direct them to tutorials to learn more about the tool. The following are some web tools your students and you can use for meaningful online class discussions and&nbsp;collaboration.</p>

<h2>Backchannel Chat</h2>

<p><a href="http://backchannelchat.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Backchannel Chat</a> is a very basic backchanneling tool designed with teachers in mind. Teacher scan control all aspects of the online discussion, such as removing messages, preventing posts, or managing the pace of the discussion to allow time for students to respond. You can provide students with a code to join the&nbsp;conversation.</p>

<h2>NowComment</h2>

<p>With <a href="https://nowcomment.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">NowComment</a>, anyone can see comments, but to add to the discussion students must register for a free account. Any sentence, paragraph, image, or video can have multiple conversations. The interface is very easy to use. Check out this <a href="http://lifefeast.blogspot.com/2018/06/how-to-make-interactive-reading.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">detailed description</a> about NowComment with screenshots in the Life Feast&nbsp;blog.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Hypothes.is and Genius</h2>

<p><a href="https://web.hypothes.is/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Hypothes.is</a> and <a href="https://genius.com/web-annotator" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Genius</a> are both tools that allow students to annotate any website as well as have a collaborative discussion. Students can highlight parts of the website, respond to peers, and vote up really great responses from peers. Both require registration and signing&nbsp;in.</p>

<h2>LinoIt</h2>

<p>Teachers register for a free <a href="http://en.linoit.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">LinoIt</a> account and create a web wall where they can share pdfs, files, audio, video, images, and more! Teachers share the link to the wall with students who can choose between different colored sticky notes and add video, pdfs, links, and more. Students don&rsquo;t have to register and can access the web wall on any&nbsp;device.</p>

<h2>Padlet</h2>

<p><a href="https://padlet.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Padelt</a> is also accessible on any device and similar to LinoIt with more features, but educators only get 3 padlets free. Teachers can upload videos, images, pdfs, audio clips, and more! Students only need the link to the web wall to contribute via text, sticky notes, chatting, liking, upvoting, and more. Students can share audio, images, files, links, and&nbsp;video.</p>

<h2>Flipgrid</h2>

<p><a href="https://flipgrid.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Flipgrid</a> is a video response tool designed for schools. Students contribute a short video response to the discussion you start with a video. Students will enjoy their selfie videos they can decorate with stickers. Registration is free and students can also contribute with a mobile device. Create a Grid (group), add your question or topic, and students contribute short video responses. You send students a code or link to make the discussion private. You can determine the length of the video, embed the videos, and download the videos. This is an example of children replying to the question, <a href="https://flipgrid.com/7c04aa" rel="noopener" target="_blank">&ldquo;What does a quality education mean to&nbsp;you?&rdquo;</a></p>

<h2>GoBubble</h2>

<p><a href="https://www.bubble.school/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">GoBubble</a> is a social networking tool designed for schools that looks similar to Twitter and other messaging apps so students must sign up. Students can respond with images, stickers, or text. They can also upload videos. They can participate in groups, add friends, and&nbsp;more!</p>

<h2>Active Textbook</h2>

<p>With <a href="https://activetextbook.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Active Textbook</a>, students can respond to each other in comment threads added to any text as well as highlight. Teachers can enrich the discussion by adding videos, songs, and images for students to also engage with. Check out this <a href="https://lifefeast.blogspot.com/2018/06/how-to-make-interactive-reading-activity.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">detailed description</a> about Active Textbook with screenshots in the Life Feast&nbsp;blog.</p>

<h2>Google Docs</h2>

<p>With <a href="https://www.google.com/docs/about/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Google Docs</a> students can sign in with their Google accounts or you can provide them a link where anyone is able to participate with no sign-in required. Students can highlight parts of any text and add comments on the side. Students can reply to specific comments by clicking on the comment box. You can add visuals, charts, links and more. Check out other <a href="https://gsuite.google.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">GSuite</a> tools that offer collaborative discussion and contribution to slide presentations, spreadsheets, and&nbsp;more!</p>

<h2>OneNote</h2>

<p>Similar to Google Docs in that you can provide a link or invite others through email, <a href="https://products.office.com/en-au/onenote/digital-note-taking-app" rel="noopener" target="_blank">OneNote</a> looks more like a digital notebook with sections. You can add images, links, drawings, and more. Check out other Microsoft 360 tools that offer collaborative discussion and feedback to slides, spreadsheets, presentations, and&nbsp;more!</p>

<h2>Voicethread</h2>

<p><a href="https://voicethread.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Voicethread</a> is a multimedia discussion web tool and app that allows teachers to add slides or images to spark a discussion. Around the border of the slide, students contribute ideas through audio, video, text or doodling. Students can use avatars to protect their identities, but need to&nbsp;register.</p>

<p>What other tips or tools do you recommend for facilitating engaging class&nbsp;discussions?</p>

<p>If you want to read more tips for online resources for teaching English, then check out <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/authors/shelly-terrell/">Shelly&rsquo;s blog&nbsp;feed</a>!</p>


12 Tools to Ensure All Students Participate Meaningfully

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<blockquote>
<p>&ldquo;Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates&nbsp;love.&rdquo;</p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;Lao Tzu</p>
</blockquote>

<p>&#39;Tis the season to give and show kindness and compassion! Technology gives our students the opportunity to help others and learn at the same time. When we tie learning to making a difference, we intrinsically motivate&nbsp;students.</p>

<p>The following ideas and resources will provide you with a variety of ways to motivate students of all ages to practice and develop their English fluency. Some of the ideas require only a little bit of technology and time if you have limited resources. There are also ideas for longer projects that enhance all four skills&mdash;speaking, listening, reading, and&nbsp;writing.</p>

<h2>Feed Others</h2>

<p><a href="http://freerice.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Free Rice</a> is an online game where students answer multiple-choice questions in a variety of categories, including English Vocabulary and Grammar, Math, Science, Geography, Chemistry, Languages, SATs, and Humanities. For each correct answer, Free Rice donates grains of rice to the World Food Programme. No registration is&nbsp;required.</p>

<p>I recommend first introducing students to the World Food Programme and letting them know that they actually do feed people. Once my students learned this they spent hours at home answering questions to increase the amount of rice they could&nbsp;donate.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.freekibble.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Free Kibble</a> is an online game where students only answer one trivia question a day related to pet care and 10 pieces of kibble are given to animal shelters to feed hungry cats and dogs. Students can actually answer two questions a day, one question to donate for dogs and one to donate for <a href="https://www.freekibble.com/kat/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">cats</a>.</p>

<p>The trivia can be used as a writing or class discussion prompt. You can ask students to write down what they believe is the right choice and to explain their answers to a partner. You could also access several past trivia questions on the website for more&nbsp;learning.</p>

<h2>Uplift with Digital Greetings or&nbsp;Ebooks</h2>

<p>Check with an organization to see if there&#39;s an email address to send digital greetings created by your students. Your students could design digital greetings thanking firemen, policemen, or troops. They could send digital greetings to uplift the spirits of people in nursing homes or children or others in cancer wards or with terminal&nbsp;diseases.</p>

<p>Students can use the following free websites and apps to design their greetings: <a href="https://www.edu.buncee.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Buncee</a>, <a href="https://www.redstamp.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Red Stamp</a>, <a href="https://sincerely.com/ink" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Ink Cards</a>, <a href="https://www.canva.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer no follow" target="_blank">Canva</a>, <a href="https://www.magisto.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Magisto</a>, <a href="https://pic-collage.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Pic-Collage</a>, <a href="http://www.123greetings.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">123Greetings</a>, or <a href="http://www.duckduckmoose.com/educational-iphone-itouch-apps-for-kids/chatterpixkids/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Chatterpix Kids</a>&nbsp;app.</p>

<p>If you have more time and access to computers or Chromebooks, then students can design digital books to teach younger students the alphabet, basic math, grammar or other topics. The best part is to get them to read their books aloud to&nbsp;others.</p>

<p>You could also partner with a nursing home and get students to create a digital book to read and show to an elderly person. This enhances their literacy and also uplifts&nbsp;others.</p>

<p>Students can use the following free websites and apps to design their digital books: <a href="https://storybird.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Storybird</a>, <a href="https://www.mystorybook.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">My Storybook</a>, <a href="https://www.edu.buncee.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Buncee</a>, <a href="http://storyjumper.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Storyjumper</a>, Google Slides, <a href="http://www.toondoo.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">ToonDoo</a>,&nbsp;or the <a href="https://bookcreator.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Book Creator&nbsp;app</a>.</p>

<h2>Donate with Photos</h2>

<p>Get your language learners to visualize their learning and build vocabulary by taking&nbsp;photos.</p>

<p>You can provide students with topics or vocabulary each month to focus on. Students can then donate these photos to raise money for charities or help scientists with important&nbsp;research.</p>

<p>The free <a href="https://www.donateaphoto.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Donate a Photo</a> (iOS and Android) app allows you to share photos to raise money for a charity you choose. For every photo shared Johnson &amp; Johnson gives a dollar to a&nbsp;cause.</p>

<p>Older students can download this app for free on their devices and begin taking photos of the vocabulary, phrases or topic you assign them. If you teach young learners, download the app on a specific device and allow a few students each week to take photos around the school or school&nbsp;grounds.</p>

<p>You can also encourage parents to allow students at home to take photos of the vocabulary and topic then email you the photo to add to the&nbsp;collection.</p>

<p>With the free <a href="https://www.inaturalist.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">iNaturalist</a> (iOS and Android) app students take a photo of the plants, bugs, and species around them and share what they observe. The questions are simple and students learn so much vocabulary and grammar just by entering the data. These photos and observations are shared with scientific data repositories like the Global Biodiversity Information Facility to help scientists find and use it to advance their research and&nbsp;discoveries.</p>

<h2>Citizen Scientists and Archivists</h2>

<p>Researchers and archival organizations need help from people around the world to collect and sort data. Students can volunteer their time to advance all kinds of research&nbsp;projects.</p>

<p>Some projects ask students to investigate photos or maps and write down what they observe or locate specific species or occurrences. Other projects involve recording sounds, taking photos, playing online games, answering surveys, or translating old handwritten&nbsp;documents.</p>

<p><a href="https://scistarter.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Scistarter</a> is a free database to help you find the right project your learners can get excited about. Some projects can be completed online and require no&nbsp;registration.</p>

<p>The <a href="https://www.archives.gov/citizen-archivist" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Citizen Archivist Dashboard</a> does require free registration with an email. Once the account is created, learners can begin joining projects where they get to study important literature, writings, historical documents and logs from the past that are handwritten. The goal is for students to create a digital copy by transcribing what they&nbsp;read.</p>

<h2>Help the Blind</h2>

<p>Students with advanced speaking skills can use their English to help a blind person complete a task with the free <a href="https://www.bemyeyes.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">BeMyEyes app</a>.</p>

<p>I downloaded the app and let my classes know that at anytime a blind person might call us and we need to be great at giving specific directions to help the person. I first showed them the <a href="https://vimeo.com/113872517" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">BeMyEyes video</a> so they would know how the app works. This was a great way to encourage them to learn how to give specific&nbsp;instructions.</p>

<p>You could have them practice by pairing them up, blindfolding one student, and asking the other partner to help that student find a marker you&rsquo;ve placed&nbsp;somewhere.</p>

<h2>Crowdfunding Campaigns</h2>

<p>Websites like <a href="https://www.donorschoose.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Donorschoose</a>, <a href="https://www.pledgecents.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Pledgecents</a>, and <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">GoFundMe</a> allow students and teachers to create an online campaign and raise money for a local need or the&nbsp;school.</p>

<p>If you need ideas, you could get students to raise money to provide blankets to a shelter, buy shoes for the homeless, or purchase gifts for the poor. They may also be able to raise money to help those impacted by natural disasters or&nbsp;fires.</p>

<p>Students can design videos or digital posters to spread the news about the campaign and also to enhance their English vocabulary and other&nbsp;skills.</p>

<h2>3D Printing Projects</h2>

<p>If you have access to a 3D printer, get students to design projects they can sell to raise funds that help provide a need or to give as&nbsp;gifts.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.tinkercad.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Tinkercad</a> is a free website with many easy projects for beginner coders. Students follow very simple and brief instructions in quick tutorials to design rings, name tags, and more. Students build their English fluency and learn important design skills and coding. Students and teachers must register for a free account using&nbsp;email.</p>

<p>In what ways do you or your school tie language learning to helping&nbsp;others? If you want to see more of Shelly&rsquo;s tips for online resources for teaching English, check out her <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/authors/shelly-terrell" target="_blank">past&nbsp;posts</a>!</p>


10 Uplifting Ways Students Can Use Tech This Season

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<blockquote>
<p>&ldquo;The noblest pleasure is the joy of&nbsp;understanding.&rdquo;</p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;Leonardo da Vinci</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Students around the globe enjoy using the Internet to communicate and learn. Many already use websites with reading or listening comprehension quizzes. The Internet has evolved and offers even more powerful ways for our English learners to increase fluency. Our students now have the opportunity to learn more interactively and enhance all four skills (speaking, listening, reading, and&nbsp;writing).</p>

<p>Below is a list of some incredible free websites and web tools that will engage your English learners and help them build fluency and comprehension. Some of these web tools are powered by machine learning. This means the more your English learners use these web tools, the better the web tools become at helping them with specific needs. Many of the websites also will let your learners know how much they&rsquo;ve learned and improved. Additionally, some of the websites allow your English learners to speak or write and receive immediate feedback to help them correct their English grammar or&nbsp;pronunciation.</p>

<h1>Microsoft Learning Tools</h1>

<p>No registration is required to test out <a href="https://www.onenote.com/learningtools" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Microsoft&rsquo;s Immersive Reader and Learning Tools</a>. Students can scroll to the bottom of the <a href="https://www.onenote.com/learningtools" rel="noopener" target="_blank">website</a> and copy and paste any text from a website, pdf, or document. Click Try It Out to access the text in the Immersive Reader. Students can then use the following features to engage with the&nbsp;text:</p>

<ul class="spaced-list">
	<li>Listen to the text read aloud and choose the speed and type of&nbsp;voice</li>
	<li>Change the font type, font size, background, letter spacing, and line&nbsp;spacing</li>
	<li>Click on any word to hear it&nbsp;pronounced</li>
	<li>Some words when clicked show an image to help students understand the meaning of the&nbsp;word</li>
	<li>Enable Parts of Speech to see nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs color-coded and&nbsp;labeled</li>
</ul>

<p>When used with a Microsoft account, Onenote, Word or app, teachers and students have access to many more features, including writing&nbsp;help.</p>

<h1>Quizlet</h1>

<p><a href="https://quizlet.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Quizlet</a>, which is available as an app (iOS/Android) and on the web, is a great interactive study tool for building vocabulary. Students create digital flashcards with a list of vocabulary. Features include the ability to add images, have words pronounced in 18 different languages, and play engaging games. Students can also learn vocabulary through interactive diagrams. Teachers can build quizzes for students and present them live in&nbsp;class.</p>

<h1>English Central</h1>

<p><a href="http://www.englishcentral.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">English Central</a> is a website where students can practice their pronunciation by repeating phrases from popular videos into the computer&rsquo;s microphone. Learners receive immediate feedback on their pronunciation. Students can also choose a level and learn new words by filling in the blanks created from the video&rsquo;s&nbsp;dialogue.</p>

<h1>Quill</h1>

<p><a href="https://www.quill.org/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Quill</a> is a website with free interactive writing and grammar activities for elementary, middle, and high school students. The new English learner diagnostic includes translations in six different languages and generates a personalized learning plan for each&nbsp;student.</p>

<h1>En News</h1>

<p>With <a href="https://en.news/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">en.news</a> students enhance their English fluency by reading CNN articles. The website and app (iOS/Android) uses machine learning to automatically repurpose CNN&rsquo;s latest articles, videos, and podcasts into interactive lessons. Learners can access transcripts, click on any word for the definition and pronunciation, complete activities, and earn points and&nbsp;badges.</p>

<h1>Wordsmyth</h1>

<p><a href="https://www.wordsmyth.net/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Wordsmyth</a> is a free online dictionary with several features and tools, which are especially helpful for young English learners. Students build vocabulary with anagrams, crosswords, various types of quizzes, and a glossary maker. My favorite tool is <a href="https://kids.wordsmyth.net/wild/#/home" rel="noopener" target="_blank">WILD</a>, a free illustrated dictionary for children that sounds out words and illustrates them with colorful animated images. WILD is also available in Spanish and&nbsp;Chinese.</p>

<h1>G Suite Tools</h1>

<p><a href="https://gsuite.google.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Google Suite apps</a> (e.g., Docs, Slides, Forms, and Sheets) and the Chrome Browser have several features and <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">add-ons</a> to help English learners enhance their reading and writing skills. Learners can translate, check their spelling and grammar, look up words in a dictionary, conduct research, and much more. One of the newest features is <a href="https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/accessibility/whats-you-say-present-captions-google-slides/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">captioning for Google Slides</a>, which uses a computer&rsquo;s built-in microphone to transcribe the presenter&rsquo;s words and display them in real-time to the&nbsp;audience.</p>

<p>What websites or tools do your English learners use to enhance their comprehension and&nbsp;fluency?</p>

<p>If you want to receive more of Shelly&rsquo;s tips for online resources for teaching English, check out her other <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/authors/shelly-terrell/">ESL&nbsp;Library posts</a>!</p>


7 Incredible Websites & Tools to Enhance English Comprehension & Fluency

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<blockquote>
<p>&ldquo;What seems impossible today will one day become your&nbsp;warm‑up.&rdquo;</p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;Author Unknown</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Just like athletes benefit from a warm-up where they stretch their muscles to prepare them for a good workout, our students benefit from stretching their mental muscles before jumping into a&nbsp;lesson.</p>

<p>One type of warm-up is a bell-ringer activity, which is a simple 5- to 10-minute task students complete as soon as they walk into class, allowing the teacher time to attend to other business (such as taking attendance). Below you will find tips and resources for using bell ringers to engage language&nbsp;learners.</p>

<h1>Bell Ringers</h1>

<p>A web search for &ldquo;bell ringers&rdquo; will provide you with several examples. Here is a list of three types of bell-ringer activities and ideas to get you started. These bell-ringer activities are specifically aimed at helping language learners build vocabulary, acquire grammar, practice writing, or develop one of the four skills (speaking, listening, reading, and&nbsp;writing).</p>

<h2>Writing Prompts</h2>

<p>Writing prompts are the most popular types of bell ringers. Students respond to a question or statement within the allotted&nbsp;time.</p>

<ul class="spaced-list">
	<li>Change this up by giving students the option to respond through a written paragraph, sketchnote, concept map, drawing, or&nbsp;comic.</li>
	<li>Practice different forms of writing, such as getting students to write an email, a poem, text message, tweet, or dialogue, or having them complete a graphic&nbsp;organizer.</li>
	<li>Make these more interesting with visual writing prompts. See examples of visual writing prompts <a href="http://writingprompts.tumblr.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="https://corndogart.com/illustration-examples/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">here</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="http://photoprompts.tumblr.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">here</a>.</li>
	<li>Try comic or cartoon prompts. Give students a comic strip with blank speech bubbles to fill in based on what is happening in each frame. If you subscribe to ESL&nbsp;Library, you have access to thousands of images that can be used for making your own comics and&nbsp;prompts.</li>
</ul>

<p>ESL&nbsp;Library also has ready-made writing prompts in the Guided Writing&nbsp;section.</p>

<p><a class="button" href="https://ellii.com/courses/119/lessons">Go to Guided Writing</a></p>

<h2>Discussion Prompts</h2>

<p>Enhance speaking and listening skills with discussion prompts. Students work in pairs and take turns responding while the other peer listens and writes down the key ideas. While Student A responds verbally to the prompt, Student B writes down the main ideas expressed. Then Student B reviews the key ideas with Student A who confirms the statements are correct. You could give them sentence starters, such as &ldquo;Student A believes&hellip;&rdquo; or &ldquo;Student A is&nbsp;against&hellip;&rdquo;.</p>

<p>Try choosing a topic and question from ESL&nbsp;Library&rsquo;s Discussion Starters section. You can use the lesson afterwards if your students seem&nbsp;engaged.</p>

<p><a class="button" href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons">Go to Discussion Starters</a></p>

<h2>Image Prompts</h2>

<p>Get students to respond to an age-appropriate photo. Find free copyright-friendly photos to use in the classroom on the following websites: <a href="http://photosforclass.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Photos for the Class</a>, <a href="http://www.pics4learning.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Pics4Learning</a>, <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/eltpics/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">ELTPics</a>, <a href="https://morguefile.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">MorgueFile</a>, the <a href="https://ccsearch.creativecommons.org/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Creative Commons Search Engine</a>, and <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a>. Then get students to complete one of the following&nbsp;tasks:</p>

<ul class="spaced-list">
	<li>List nouns, verbs, adjectives, or emotions associated with the image and create sentences using these&nbsp;words.</li>
	<li>Draft sentences describing what the people or animals are&nbsp;doing.</li>
	<li>Imagine the photo is the news of the day and create a news&nbsp;story.</li>
	<li>Write down the conversation or thoughts of the people or animals in the&nbsp;photo.</li>
	<li>Imagine taking a trip to the place and share the itinerary or reason for traveling&nbsp;there.</li>
	<li>Compare and contrast two&nbsp;photographs.</li>
	<li>View a sequence of photos, determine the order, and describe the&nbsp;event.</li>
</ul>

<p>For lower levels, print a few flashcards and put them together. You could also print a whole set and have students write down all the words they know. Here are <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/10-ways-to-use-flashcards-in-class">10 Ways to Use&nbsp;Flashcards</a>.</p>

<p><a class="button" href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres">Go to Flashcard Library</a></p>

<h1>Helpful Tips</h1>

<p>The main purpose of a bell ringer is to help teachers and students prepare for the upcoming lesson. Keep the following tips in mind when designing and using bell&nbsp;ringers.</p>

<h2>Establish a routine.</h2>

<p>Most teachers get students to complete a bell-ringer activity at the beginning of nearly every class so students get into the habit of walking into the class and immediately working on the bell‑ringer&nbsp;activity.</p>

<h2>Keep them short, simple, and achievable.</h2>

<p>Bell ringers help students apply knowledge and skills they have already acquired and the instructions should be simple and clear so you can attend to business. Students shouldn&rsquo;t have to ask you several questions about the&nbsp;task.</p>

<h2>Don&rsquo;t grade them.</h2>

<p>The aim is to engage students and help them build confidence and prepare their minds to learn. A bad mark at the beginning of class hinders student&nbsp;achievement.</p>

<h2>Use them as formative assessments.</h2>

<p>The bell-ringer activity does not have to relate to the topic of the main lesson, but can assess if students have gained the essential knowledge and skills their upcoming lesson will build upon. Bell-ringer tasks can test students&rsquo; knowledge from a previous class or unit and let you know if you have to restructure the lesson or review previous material. Find some quick worksheets in ESL&nbsp;Library&rsquo;s <a href="https://ellii.com/resources">Grammar &amp; Usage</a>&nbsp;section.</p>

<h2>Change them up!</h2>

<p>Bell-ringer activities should assess different skills and knowledge in a variety of ways to keep students&nbsp;engaged.</p>

<h1>Delivery and Collection</h1>

<p>The idea is to keep your delivery and collection of the bell ringers consistent. The choices you make for the presentation and collection depend on the format of the bell ringers, your teaching situation, access to technology, and your preferences. These are a few options to&nbsp;consider:</p>

<h2>Paper Slips/Entry Tickets</h2>

<p>One idea is to create paper slips or cards that students can pick up as they enter the class. These are sometimes called <a href="http://www.theteachertoolkit.com/index.php/tool/entry-ticket" rel="noopener" target="_blank">entrance slips, entry tickets, or admit tickets</a>. One idea is to place these in a basket labeled &ldquo;Bell Ringers&rdquo; and instruct students to pick one up as they enter the class. Students can later place their completed paper slips in a basket labeled &ldquo;Turn In.&rdquo;</p>

<h2>Board</h2>

<p>Designate an area on the chalkboard/dry erase board to display the bell&nbsp;ringer.</p>

<h2>Projector</h2>

<p>Display the bell ringer on a screen for students to see when they walk&nbsp;in.</p>

<h2>Journals/Notebooks</h2>

<p>Many teachers instruct students to keep a notebook or journal of their completed bell-ringer tasks. This works well with the three presentation methods listed above if there is limited access to technology. The digital version of this method would be student&nbsp;blogs.</p>

<h2>Online Class</h2>

<p>Students log onto their class website or learning management system (e.g., Google Classroom, Moodle, Edmodo, Schoology) and click on the bell-ringer task and submit it online. This is probably one of the fastest and easiest ways to quickly collect and assess these tasks, but it also requires Internet&nbsp;access.</p>

<h2>Web Tool/App</h2>

<p>There are several free web tools that work on multiple devices to help you quickly design, deliver, and collect bell-ringer responses. Tools such as <a href="https://socrative.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Socrative</a>, <a href="https://goformative.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Go Formative</a>, <a href="https://nearpod.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Near Pod</a>, <a href="https://quizizz.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Quizzizz</a>, <a href="https://kahoot.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Get Kahoot</a>, and <a href="https://web.seesaw.me/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Seesaw</a> make it easy for students to quickly complete a bell ringer in a variety of ways, such as answering questions, polling, drawing, submitting photos/screenshots, and so forth. As students submit their responses, the teacher gets important assessment data in real-time. Teachers are able to quickly see what percentage of the task students answered or completed and which questions/steps students struggled with the most. Teachers can also see how much time was spent on the bell ringer and get other data. If you have enough devices for most students, then these free apps are a great&nbsp;option.</p>

<p>Browse through the <a href="https://ellii.com/resources">Resource</a> section on ESL&nbsp;Library, and consider making a Folder of bell&nbsp;ringers.</p>

<p><a class="button" href="https://help.ellii.com/article/55-how-to-use-folders-tool">How To Use the Folders Tool</a></p>

<h1>More Resources</h1>

<p>The following links have more bell-ringer activities:</p>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="external-article"><a href="https://calicospanish.com/effective-goals-formats-bell-work/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">What Are Effective Goals and Formats for &ldquo;Bell Work&rdquo;?</a></li>
	<li class="external-article"><a href="https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/ding-start-your-class-off-right" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Ding! Start Your Class Off Right!</a></li>
	<li class="external-article"><a href="http://www.smekenseducation.com/Explore-Bell-Ringer-Options.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Bell-Ringer Activities! Alternatives to Journal Writing</a></li>
	<li class="external-article"><a href="https://www.weareteachers.com/bell-ringers-for-middle-school/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">10 No-Prep Bell Ringers for Middle School ELA</a></li>
	<li class="external-article"><a href="http://www.prestoplans.com/7-bell-ringer-ideas-for-middle-hig/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">7 Bell-Ringer Ideas For Middle and High School English</a></li>
</ul>


Engage Learners with Bell-Ringer Activities

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<blockquote>
<p>&ldquo;Soccer isn&rsquo;t the same as Bach or Buddhism. But it is often more deeply felt than religion, and just as much a part of the community&rsquo;s fabric, a repository of&nbsp;traditions.&rdquo;</p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;Franklin Foer</p>
</blockquote>

<p>The 2018 World Cup takes place in Russia from June 14&nbsp;to July&nbsp;15. The World Cup is celebrated by learners around the world. Not only does the World Cup introduce students to different countries and cultures, but they can also learn math, geography, current events, economics, and world&nbsp;news.</p>

<p>The big World Cup news today is that the US, Mexico, and Canada will host a joint World Cup in North America in&nbsp;2026!</p>

<p><a href="http://www.fifa.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">FIFA</a> is the official site of the World Cup and presents information in different languages. Below, you&#39;ll find over 18 activities and resources related to the World Cup, which are sure to engage learners of all&nbsp;ages.</p>

<h2>Study the Countries, Teams &amp; Players</h2>

<p>The World Cup encourages your learners to celebrate several countries, their teams, and their players. FIFA lists information about <a href="https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup/qatar2022/qualifiers" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">the teams</a>&nbsp;and about the&nbsp;players.</p>

<p>Students can create interactive posters sharing statistics and facts about the different teams or players. Encourage students to pick a player or team from a country they&rsquo;ve never visited. Each student should research a different team or player so that all can learn from each other&rsquo;s posters. <a href="https://www.genial.ly/en" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Genially</a> and <a href="https://www.thinglink.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Thinglink</a> are two free web tools to create interactive and hyperlinked digital&nbsp;posters.</p>

<p>Students can create infographics comparing facts and statistics about two teams or players. <a href="https://venngage.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Venngage</a> has several comparison and contrast infographic templates that are free for students to&nbsp;edit.</p>

<p>You can also create infographics with these free web tools: <a href="https://www.canva.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Canva</a>, <a href="https://piktochart.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Piktochart</a>, <a href="https://www.visme.co/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Visme</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://infogram.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" rtarget="_blank">Infogram</a>.</p>

<h2>Plan a World Cup&nbsp;Trip</h2>

<p>Students can work in small groups to plan a pretend class trip to the World Cup in Russia or to the 2022 event in&nbsp;Qatar.</p>

<p>FIFA provides information about the countries where the event takes place on their&nbsp;website.</p>

<p>Give each group a budget, the amount of days, and any other necessary criteria. The groups will need to study the currency exchange, landmarks, culture, weather, laws and customs to ensure the trip goes smoothly. They will need to look up ticket prices and come up with a schedule that includes the matches, tours, and leisure time. They will have to plan accommodations, flights, transportation, clothing, dining, sightseeing and leisure activities. Each group should present their plans to the&nbsp;class.</p>

<h2>Follow the Matches</h2>

<p>FIFA lists&nbsp;<a href="http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/matches/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">when each match takes place</a> in multiple languages, networks, and areas. Encourage students to practice English while watching the matches with the following&nbsp;activities:</p>

<h3>1. Act As a Reporter For the Match</h3>

<p>Students take down notes during the match and report the highlights in a news article or in a short video news segment. Try the free <a href="https://www.touchcast.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Touchcast</a> video producer or <a href="https://outfit7.com/apps/talking-news/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Talking Tom and Ben News</a> iOS and Android app to produce the video news&nbsp;segments.</p>

<p>Students can either choose the matches they want to see or you can assign pairs a specific match to cover. If two students cover the same match, then get them to compare their reporting of the events, jot down the differences, and have a conversation about the&nbsp;game.</p>

<h3>2. Reenact a Highlight</h3>

<p>Show students one of the videos in this <a href="http://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDgxLNKesJl6D9GsBdjq3lngqH-AYc8Ev" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">playlist</a> of some of the matches reenacted using LEGO characters. Students then recreate one of their favorite World Cup moments by producing a similar video using LEGOs, playdough, or drawn&nbsp;characters.</p>

<p>They could also show this highlight in a comic. <a href="http://www.friendstrip.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Friendstrip</a>&nbsp;is a&nbsp;free app&nbsp;students can use to transform their own drawings into a comic&nbsp;strip.</p>

<h3>3. Act As a Commentator For One Of the Matches</h3>

<p>Introduce students to football/soccer vocabulary, rules, and phrases. Use ESL Library&#39;s <a href="https://www.ellii.com/courses/97/lessons/1476" target="_blank">Soccer/Football</a> lesson to teach learners the vocabulary and interesting&nbsp;details.</p>

<p>You will also want to introduce students to the idioms and expressions used by commentators to describe what is happening in the game. You can adapt this <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/boogafrito/9681785406" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Football Commentator Bingo&nbsp;card</a>.</p>

<p>Motivate students to practice the lingo they&rsquo;ve learned by playing a commentator&nbsp;game!</p>

<p>Play a current or previous video clip of any of the World Cup matches without sound. Provide students with background information about the teams, players, and match. Students watch the video clip at least 2 times without the sound and write down what they want to say as a commentator. They should use the vocabulary and idioms they were taught. Then call on two students at a time to stand in front of the video and pretend they are the commentators while you play it again without the&nbsp;sound.</p>

<h2>Make Predictions</h2>

<p>FIFA&rsquo;s Fan Zone has different options for users to create their own fantasy World Cup team or make their own World Cup predictions. Students can play the digital games listed below or you can always create your own prediction activity based on these&nbsp;examples.</p>

<ul class="spaced-list">
	<li><a href="https://bracketchallenge.fifa.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">The Bracket Challenge</a>: Compete with others and predict the group stage results and knockout matches. Earn points and win&nbsp;prizes.</li>
	<li><a href="https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup/2018russia/news/match-predictor-heats-up-join-now" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Match Predictor (web/iOS/Android)</a>: Predict the winners of each of the 64 matches. Compete with&nbsp;others.</li>
</ul>

<h2>More Resources</h2>

<ul class="spaced-list">
	<li>Our low-intermediate <a href="https://www.ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1895" target="_blank">World Cup lesson</a> includes a listening and short reading about the World Cup as well as a few vocabulary review exercises. Students also read a fun story about Pickles the World Cup&nbsp;hero.</li>
	<li>Our intermediate to&nbsp;high-intermediate <a href="https://www.ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1894" target="_blank">World Cup lesson</a> includes a listening and short reading with basic history about the FIFA World Cup. Friendly and competitive vocabulary games are used to review new words. Students practice summarizing in an information gap pair&nbsp;activity.</li>
	<li>Check out this <a href="https://www.slideshare.net/ShellTerrell/a-world-cup-of-knowledge-teach-the-world-cup" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">slide presentation</a> with these ideas&nbsp;visualized.</li>
	<li>Don&#39;t miss <a href="http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2018/01/26/the-best-sites-for-learning-about-the-2018-world-cup-in-russia/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Larry Ferlazzo&rsquo;s Top Sites For Learning About The 2018 World Cup In&nbsp;Russia</a>.</li>
	<li><a href="http://www.eslgamesworld.com/members/games/vocabulary/WorldCup/Worldcup.html" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">ESL Games World</a> has a fun World Cup vocabulary online&nbsp;game.</li>
	<li>ESOL Courses has <a href="https://www.esolcourses.com/search-results.html?cx=partner-pub-4907793087507170%3A7922225246&amp;cof=FORID%3A10&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;q=world+cup&amp;sa=Search" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">online games and video quizzes</a> for English&nbsp;learners.</li>
</ul>

<p>What other World Cup activities and resources do you use to teach&nbsp;English? If you want to read more of Shelly&rsquo;s tips for online resources for teaching English, check out her other <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/authors/shelly-terrell" target="_blank">ESL&nbsp;Library&nbsp;posts</a>!</p>


A World Cup of Knowledge! 18+ Resources & Activities

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<blockquote>
<p>&ldquo;The world needs dreamers and the world needs doers. But above all, what the world needs most are dreamers that&nbsp;do.&rdquo;</p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;Sarah Ban Breathnach</p>
</blockquote>

<p>The <a href="http://englishagenda.britishcouncil.org/events/eltons" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">ELTons</a> are highly regarded international awards that have been recognizing innovation in English Language Teaching (ELT) for 16 years.</p>

<p>Each November, innovators are invited to submit their projects and products for consideration in five separate categories: <em>Excellence in Course Innovation</em>, <em>Innovation in Learner Resources</em>, <em>Innovation in Teacher Resources</em>, <em>Digital Innovation</em>, and <em>Local Innovation</em>. The submissions are judged by a panel of experts in the field of English language&nbsp;teaching.</p>

<p>In March, the shortlisted projects and products are announced and the project contributors are invited to the awards ceremony, which takes place in London in June.</p>

<p>In addition to announcing the winners, the British Council Lifetime Achievement award is given. The blue carpet event is live-streamed for anyone to watch online.</p>

<p>Check out the <a href="https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/eltons-finalists-2018" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">full list of&nbsp;2018 finalists</a>. We wish them luck! Follow <a href="https://twitter.com/bceltons" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">@BCELTons</a> or the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/eltons?lang=en" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">#ELTons</a> hashtag on Twitter to find out when the event is live-streamed.</p>

<p>Below, you&#39;ll&nbsp;discover a list of 19 English language teaching innovations from past winners that provide teachers with free&nbsp;resources.</p>

<h2>Excellence in Course Innovation</h2>

<h3><a href="https://www.moderna.com.br/qrcode-richmond/peace.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Students for Peace</a> (2017)</h3>

<p>View a digital version of the first of its four English series, which helps secondary school students develop English fluency and skills to promote peace and&nbsp;tolerance.</p>

<h3><a href="http://dystefl.eu/index.php?id=20&amp;L=%27%27%272%2Ftrainers.php%3Fid%3D%270%3DA" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Dyslexia for Teachers of English as a Foreign Language</a> (2014)</h3>

<p>This free online self-study course is 10 units and covers four&nbsp;main topics: understanding dyslexia, understanding the effect of dyslexia on learning, classroom management and teaching techniques, and&nbsp;assessment.</p>

<h2>Innovation in Learner Resources</h2>

<h3><a href="https://developeap.weebly.com/resources.html" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Develop EAP: A Sustainable Academic English Skills Course</a> (2017)</h3>

<p>This is a free course for university students based on the UN&rsquo;s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).</p>

<p>Download a free PDF of the course booklet and a file to upload to Moodle with a variety of assessment tools and engaging activities that develop students&rsquo; academic skills as they reflect on their role as responsible global&nbsp;citizens.</p>

<h3><a href="http://www.learningunlimited.co/publications/free-resources" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Literacy for Active Citizenship</a> (2016)</h3>

<p>Learning Unlimited is a not-for-profit organization that provides books and resources to ESOL teachers, programs, and communities with a focus on adult and family learning and literacy. Some of the resources include: the <em>Parents&rsquo; integration through Partnership (PIP) Toolkit</em>, <em>PIP into the Kitchen</em> (a collection of over 20 recipes from 12 countries), <em>Family Learning in Prisons - A Complete Guide</em>, and <em>Maths4Us</em> (three&nbsp;online courses to help adults manage money better and support their children with&nbsp;math).</p>

<h3><a href="https://bit.ly/3riTcS1" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Sounds: The Pronunciation App</a> (2012)</h3>

<p>This was the first app to win an ELTon. It is available for iOS and Android devices. The free version provides access to the Interactive Phonemic Chart in British and American&nbsp;English.</p>

<h2>Innovation in Teacher Resources</h2>

<h3><a href="https://www.tigtagworld.com/clil/mindmap/#/lessons/CLASS00269" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Tigtag CLIL</a> (2017)</h3>

<p>Teachers can access one free science and geography lesson about various materials, their composition, and their uses. The lesson is complete with short film clips, learning objectives, a glossary, a word bank, a description of instructional strategies, and engaging activities. The online digital lessons are based on the CLIL approach and aimed at learners ages 7 to&nbsp;11.</p>

<h3><a href="https://peacheypublications.com/books/digital-video-a-manual-for-language-teachers" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Digital Video &ndash; A Manual for Language Teachers</a> by Nik Peachey (2016)</h3>

<p>The digital book is available at a very low price and Nik Peachey offers several free resources, lesson plans, activities and valuable information for teachers integrating technology on his various&nbsp;blogs.</p>

<h3><a href="http://www.macmillanenglish.com/life-skills/classroom-resources/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Life Skills</a> (2015)</h3>

<p>Find several lesson plans for adult learners to download on a variety of topics, such as social skills, critical thinking, networking, time management, cultural awareness, and study&nbsp;skills.</p>

<h3><a href="http://film-english.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Film English</a> by Kieran Donaghy (2013)</h3>

<p>Find several lesson plans and activities based on film&nbsp;clips.</p>

<h3><a href="http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Teacher Training Videos</a> by Russell Stannard (2010)</h3>

<p>Features screencasts and tutorials for teachers to introduce them to various free web tools and apps to teach English&nbsp;learners.</p>

<h3><a href="http://lessonstream.org/lessons" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Lesson Stream</a> by Jamie Keddie (2009)</h3>

<p>Previously called TEFLClips. This website provides tons of free lesson plans based on engaging YouTube videos for English learners of various levels and&nbsp;ages.</p>

<h1>Digital Innovation</h1>

<h3><a href="https://textinspector.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Text Inspector</a> (2017)</h3>

<p>Analyze up to 250 words of an English text you want to use with learners for free. Just copy and paste the text into the website&rsquo;s box and a score will be given as well as statistics and information about the difficulty and&nbsp;level.</p>

<h3><a href="http://www.mooveez.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Mooveez</a> iOS/Android App (2016)</h3>

<p>Learn English with famous movies and documentaries. Scripts and subtitles are provided along with grammar exercises. You can also create audio flashcards based on the&nbsp;movie.</p>

<h3><a href="https://www.littlebridge.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Little Bridge</a> (2015)</h3>

<p>The free basic account allows teachers to create 20 student accounts. Little Bridge is an online platform where children worldwide, ages six&nbsp;to 12, meet others in a virtual English-speaking community. Children play games and complete activities to improve their English and learn how to respect and communicate with learners of different&nbsp;cultures.</p>

<h3><a href="http://www.speechinaction.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Cool Speech by Richard Cauldwell</a> (2013)</h3>

<p>Find lesson plans, recordings, and other resources to help instructors teach listening and pronunciation more&nbsp;effectively.</p>

<h3><a href="http://maryglasgowplus.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Mary Glasgow&rsquo;s Magazines</a> (2009)</h3>

<p>Find print, audio, and video resources to help teens learn grammar, speaking, pronunciation, listening, reading, and&nbsp;writing.</p>

<h2>The Macmillan Education Award for New Talent in Writing</h2>

<h3><a href="http://www.onestopenglish.com/esp/eap/eap-for-the-21st-century-learner/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Academic English for the 21st Century Learner </a> by Aylin Graves (2016)</h3>

<p>Find free PDFs of several of the lesson plans from the book to enhance students&#39; Academic&nbsp;English.</p>

<h3><a href="https://www.onestopenglish.com/esp-lesson-plans/teaching-eap-literature-shakespeare-part-3/555101.article" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">EAP Shakespeare </a> by Dr. Chris Lima (2015)</h3>

<p>Find free PDFs of lesson plans to help students learn Academic English and about Shakespeare and his famous&nbsp;writings.</p>

<h3><a href="http://www.onestopenglish.com/skills/integrated-skills/compass/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Compass</a> by Lizzie Pinard (2014)</h3>

<p>Find free PDFs of lesson plans for upper-intermediate adults. Each of the 12 one-and-a-half-hour lessons complement each other and focus on&nbsp;culture.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>What other important English Language Teaching Awards do you know about that recognize the incredible contributions to our field?</p>

<p><em>Our contributing writer <a href="http://teacherrebootcamp.com/about/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Shelly Terrell</a> has attended two ELTons ceremonies for the shortlisted projects she co-organized, <a href="https://twitter.com/eltchat?lang=en" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">#ELTChat</a> and the <a href="http://www.virtual-round-table.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Virtual Round Table Language and Technology online conference</a>. If you want to receive more of Shelly&rsquo;s tips for online resources for teaching English, check out her other <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/authors/shelly-terrell" target="_blank">ESL&nbsp;Library posts</a>!</em></p>


19 Award-Winning English Language Teaching Innovations

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<blockquote>
<p>&ldquo;Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it&rsquo;s the only thing that ever&nbsp;has.&rdquo;</p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;Margaret Mead</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Social media and the Internet has made it easier for people to congregate to advocate over issues or causes. Many of these causes gain support through hashtags on Twitter (#) or by creating Facebook groups. This makes it easier to organize events and share resources. English Language Teachers are passionate about their learners and field; therefore, it should be no surprise that many have gathered to advocate for equality for their learners and colleagues. Below are some of the causes, which are ensuring all English language teachers and their students are treated fairly no matter their gender, culture, economic status, or native&nbsp;language.</p>

<h1>Gender Balance Advocacy</h1>

<p><a href="http://efltalks.com/">EFL Talks</a>, founded by Rob Howard, is hosting an incredible free online event highlighting <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/215123952374408/">Inspiring Women in ELT</a> on March 10 and 11th. Join the online web platform during the time to see 24 women in ELT delivering inspirational messages in 10 minutes with only 10 slides! ESL&nbsp;Library blogger, <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/authors/shelly-terrell/">Shelly Sanchez Terrell</a>, will be one of the keynotes along with past IATEFL president, <a href="https://twitter.com/marjorierosenbe?lang=en">Marjorie&nbsp;Rosenberg</a>.</p>

<p><a href="http://thefairlist.org/">The Fair List</a> was founded by <a href="https://www.nile-elt.com/ourpeople/profiles/tessawoodward/602">Tessa Woodward</a>. The website describes the Fair List as &ldquo;an annual award that celebrates excellence of gender balance in plenary speakers, presenters and speaker panels at ELT events in the UK.&rdquo; The goal is to promote &ldquo;wider coverage of relevant topics and a more balanced perspective on the issues affecting both women and men&rdquo; in ELT.</p>

<p>The <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1321867864514301/">Women in ELT Facebook group</a> was founded by Nicola Prentis and has over 1,000 members. The description encourages the women who join to &ldquo;network, share resources, discuss anything that relates to being a woman in ELT, disagree, agree, agree to disagree and get stuff done.&rdquo;</p>

<p>The <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/tesolwomen/">Women in TESOL Facebook group</a> is moderated by Joy Fujii and Hershey Wier-Global. Females who join the group exchange ideas and resources related to these themes: institutionalized discrimination in education, the hidden agenda of mainstream media, the unequal hiring of ELT females at universities, harassment, and progress towards a more egalitarian educational&nbsp;system.</p>

<h1>Equal Opportunities to&nbsp;Shine</h1>

<p><a href="https://evecalendar.wordpress.com/">EVE</a>: Equal Voices in ELT is an idea conceived by <a href="https://twitter.com/fionamau">Fiona Mauchline</a> and <a href="http://www.eltteacher2writer.co.uk/sue-leather">Sue Leather</a> that recognizes through badges ELT conferences and events with gender and highly proficient speaker parity. These events are listed in the EVE calendar and awarded one of three badges (purple, green, or platinum). Follow the cause on Twitter,&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/eve_elt">@EVE_elt</a>.</p>

<p><a href="http://teflequityadvocates.com/">TEFL Equity Advocates and Academy</a> was founded by <a href="https://teflreflections.wordpress.com/">Marek Kiczkowiak</a> in April 2014 to advocate for equal professional opportunities for &lsquo;native&rsquo; and &lsquo;non-native&rsquo; English speaking teachers. TEFL Equity encourages schools and learning institutions to establish egalitarian employment policies and have listed those who do in their Hall of Fame. TEFL Equity also features a job board and the TEFL Equity Academy to train teachers. Follow the cause on Twitter,&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/teflequity?lang=en">@TEFLEquity</a>.</p>

<h1>Advocacy for English Language&nbsp;Learners</h1>

<p>Heart ELT is a movement to help provide funding and resources for refugee children in Iraq to have a safe learning place to play and sing. The Heart School began with crowdsourced funds and now the organizers publish books with activities donated by leading international ELT authors and teachers. Support the cause by donating an activity, purchasing one of the books, or offering services as an editor, proofreader, designer, or illustrator. ESL&nbsp;Library blogger, <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/authors/shelly-terrell/">Shelly Sanchez Terrell</a>, is one of the ELT authors who has donated an&nbsp;activity.</p>

<p><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESOLAdvocacy?src=hash">#TESOLAdvocacy</a> is a Twitter hashtag started by <a href="http://www.tesol.org/">TESOL International</a> to promote their TESOL Advocacy &amp; Policy Summit. However, the hashtag is also used to share news about policies impacting immigrants and refugees. TESOL lists several <a href="http://www.tesol.org/advance-the-field/advocacy-resources">resources and support</a> for teachers who are concerned about policies impacting their English Language&nbsp;Learners.</p>

<p>The <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DisabledAccessFriendly/">Disabled Access Friendly Campaign</a> organized by Katie Quartano and Paul Shaw, was a 2014 ELTons winner. Unfortunately, the movement seems to be on pause, but <a href="https://marisaconstantinides.edublogs.org/2011/05/14/blog-challenge-a-disabled-access-friendly-world-lessons-for-the-elt-classroom">Marisa Constantinides</a> has collected blog posts by various ELT teachers, which explore disability issues and develop students&rsquo; social awareness and empathy of these&nbsp;issues.</p>

<p>Which causes are you passionate about in ELT? What organizations or resources help you&nbsp;advocate?</p>

<p>If you want to receive more of Shelly&rsquo;s tips for online resources for teaching English, then check out her <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/authors/shelly-terrell">ESL&nbsp;Library&nbsp;feed</a>!</p>


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