Discover what's new or coming soon, including upcoming lessons and resources and product feature updates. 

Announcements

Starter courses for each level with a suggested teaching order from the ESL Library publishing team.

Courses

<p>Do you use <a href="https://ellii.com/folders">Folders</a> to create your own modules or courses?&nbsp;This week, we released our latest feature: Ellii&nbsp;Folders. You will find these in the Class Prep drop-down menu under Folders. Toggle to Ellii&nbsp;Folders to find&nbsp;preset folders that you can use for inspiration or to teach a ready-made course. If you&#39;ve ever wondered <em>what</em> to teach <em>when</em>, these folders are for you!</p>

<p>In each Ellii Folder, you&#39;ll&nbsp;find:&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li>Teachers&#39; Notes (housed on our blog)</li>
	<li>Introductory Resources (e.g., Class List, Attendance Sheet)</li>
	<li>Content (in a suggested order, including&nbsp;lessons, resources, customized flashcard sets, and blog posts)</li>
	<li>Grammar Tests, Review, or Assessment (not yet available in all courses)</li>
</ul>

<p>There are three&nbsp;types of Ellii Folders:&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li>age-based courses</li>
	<li>level-based courses (for teen to adult)</li>
	<li>language target- or theme-based modules (more coming soon)</li>
</ul>

<h2>Sharing</h2>

<p>You can also:</p>

<ul>
	<li>save an Ellii Folder to your own Folders to make it customizable,</li>
	<li>share your Folders with other Ellii members in a group account</li>
	<li>receive Folders from other Ellii members in a group account</li>
</ul>


Introducing Ready-Made Ellii Courses (Folders)

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Learn how to make the most of your Ellii subscription with tips from our publishing team.

Teaching with Ellii

<blockquote>
<p>Update: June 8, 2022</p>

<p>We now have <a href="https://ellii.com/collections/clb-competencies">CLB Competencies Collections</a>! You can filter by level.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Are you a Canadian teacher&nbsp;looking for content for your CLB 5+ adult newcomers? ESL Library (now Ellii)&nbsp;has several sections you might be interested in. Here are a few places to get started.&nbsp;</p>

<h1>Teach about Life, Work&nbsp;&amp; Culture&nbsp;in Canada</h1>

<p>These sections and lessons include content related to LINC themes.</p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/112/lessons">Pre-Employment in Canada</a></h2>

<p>Try a lesson on <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/112/lessons/2480">Career Fairs</a>. (CLB 5)</p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/75/lessons">Living in English&nbsp;</a></h2>

<p>Try a lesson on <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/75/lessons/2737">Insurance</a>. (CLB 5&ndash;7)</p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons">Holidays &amp; Events&nbsp;</a></h2>

<p>Try a lesson on <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1852">Victoria Day</a>. (CLB 5&ndash;6)</p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/98/lessons">Historic Events</a></h2>

<p>Try a lesson on <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/98/lessons/2092">Residential Schools</a>. (CLB 5&ndash;8)</p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/80/lessons">Famous People</a></h2>

<p>Try a lesson on <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/80/lessons/1398">Tim Horton</a>. (CLB 5&ndash;6)</p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/81/lessons">Famous Places</a></h2>

<p>Try a lesson on <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/81/lessons/3082">Toronto</a>. (CLB 5&ndash;6)</p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/82/lessons">Famous Things</a></h2>

<p>Try a lesson on <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/82/lessons/2963">The Charter of Rights and Freedoms</a>. (CLB 6&ndash;8)</p>

<hr />
<h1>Focus on Skills Needed for Reading &amp; Writing at School &amp; Work</h1>

<p>These sections and lessons focus on reading and writing skills.</p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/74/lessons">Writing in English&nbsp;</a></h2>

<p>Try a lesson on <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/74/lessons/3569">How to Take Notes</a>. (CLB 5&ndash;9)</p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/127/lessons">Reading in English</a>&nbsp;</h2>

<p>Try a lesson on <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/127/lessons/3038">Identifying Register</a>. (CLB 6&ndash;8)</p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons">Grammar Practice Worksheets</a>&nbsp;</h2>

<p>Our Grammar Practice Worksheets lessons include practical writing and speaking prompts.</p>

<p>Try a lesson on <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1607">Equative, Comparative, &amp; Superlative Adjectives</a> (with two videos).&nbsp;(CLB 5&ndash;6)</p>

<hr />
<h1>Read about &amp; Discuss/Debate Real-World Topics</h1>

<p>These sections and lessons focus on reading and speaking competencies, including comprehending and sharing information.</p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons">Discussion Starters&nbsp;</a></h2>

<p>Try a lesson on <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons/2091">Food Labels</a>. (CLB 7&ndash;8)</p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/73/lessons">Mini-Debates</a></h2>

<p>Try a lesson on<a href="https://ellii.com/courses/73/lessons/2719"> Online Privacy</a>. (CLB 7&ndash;9)</p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons">That&#39;s News to Me</a></h2>

<p>Don&#39;t let this section title scare you away! We cover plenty of international topics.</p>

<p>Try a lesson on <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/3403">Hoarding Vaccines</a>. (CLB 6&ndash;8)</p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/95/lessons">Health Matters</a></h2>

<p>These lessons are all centred around thematic lists.</p>

<p>Try a lesson on <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/95/lessons/2802">Diabetes</a>. (CLB 5&ndash;7)</p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/86/lessons">Business Matters</a></h2>

<p>Try a lesson on <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/86/lessons/3406">Leadership Qualities</a>. (CLB 9&ndash;11)</p>

<hr />
<h1>Find Extra Resources for CLB 5+</h1>

<p>Visit our Resource Library for lots of extra resources and assessment tools.&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/105/resources/3611">Speak Up</a>&nbsp;(Speaking prompts)</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/105/resources/3087">Conversation Questions</a> (Themes)</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/104/resources/3584">Teacher Evaluation Forms</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/104/resources/3651">Digital Literacy Needs Assessment</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/104/resources/2450">Grammar Test 3</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/104/resources/2451">Grammar Test&nbsp;4</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/104/resources/2326">Advanced Reading Comprehension&nbsp;</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/104/resources/2771">Role-Play Assessment Tool</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/104/resources/2383">Personal Opinion Assessment Tool</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/104/resources/2966">Vocabulary Cards</a></li>
</ul>

<p>You can also invite your students to our <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/categories/for-students">For Students</a> section on our blog where they will find extra activities for practising English.</p>

<p>Try&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/live-longer-with-small-talk">Can Making Small Talk Help You Live Longer?</a>&nbsp;</p>

<hr />
<h1>Useful Courses/Folders for CLB 5+</h1>

<p>Here are some ready-made, theme-based folders. You can <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/introducing-esl-library-folders">copy these folders</a> into your own folders to create the modules you need.</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/folders/published/72702">Family &amp; Relationships</a> (CLB 4&ndash;5)</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/folders/published/76851">Financial Literacy</a>&nbsp;(CLB 5+)</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/folders/published/71501">Health</a>&nbsp;(CLB 5&ndash;8)</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/folders/published/71515">Health</a> (CLB 9&ndash;12)</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/folders/published/82132">Digital Literacy</a>&nbsp;(CLB 5+)</li>
</ul>

<hr />
<h1>Coming Soon...</h1>

<p>Here are some&nbsp;intermediate to high-intermediate&nbsp;materials that the publishing team is currently working on.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/folders/published">Ellii Folders</a></h2>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/128/resources">Real-World Reading</a></h2>

<p>Try a lesson on <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/128/resources/3382">School Letters</a>. (CLB 5&ndash;6)</p>

<h2>Functional Business&nbsp;</h2>

<p>Watch for this new <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/135/lessons">Business English</a> section that will focus on speaking and listening.</p>

<hr />
<p>Did you know that we develop materials based on teacher requests? This month we&#39;re working on a <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons">Holidays &amp; Events</a> lesson on <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/3668">St. Jean Baptiste Day</a> as well as videos for our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/76/lessons">Everyday Dialogues</a> lessons. These are just a few examples of requests that came in from LINC programs across Canada this spring.&nbsp;Please leave a comment and let us know what you and your students need so that we can try to fit it into our publishing schedule.</p>


Suggested Lessons & Sections for CLB 5+

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These posts are written for learners of English themselves. Find learning tips and ideas for learning English.

For Students

<div class="ckeditor-html5-audio" style="text-align: center;">
<audio controls="controls" controlslist="nodownload" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/attachments/1504/making-small-talk.mp3">&nbsp;</audio>
</div>

<h2>How many people do you talk to as you move throughout your day?</h2>

<p><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/92/lessons/1749">Making small talk</a> is an important part of the culture here in Canada as well as in the United States&nbsp;and in many other countries around the world.&nbsp;We make small talk with&nbsp;friends, <strong>acquaintances</strong>, and even people we&#39;ve never met before (and may never see again).&nbsp;</p>

<p>Small talk is short, informal conversation.&nbsp;It may end after a few <strong>pleasant</strong> <strong>exchanges,&nbsp;</strong>or it may act as a bridge into<strong>&nbsp;</strong>a more serious discussion.</p>

<p>Making&nbsp;small talk is <a href="https://thewalrus.ca/blah-blah-blah-the-lack-of-small-talk-is-breaking-our-brains/">more difficult during a pandemic</a>, but it is not impossible. You can make small talk in a virtual setting, on the phone, or even in person from a safe distance.&nbsp;</p>

<blockquote>
<p>&ldquo;I never thought I&rsquo;d say this, but I miss small talk. I miss those 15-second exchanges with strangers at the gym. I miss asking acquaintances about their <strong>significant others</strong> or <strong>dropping</strong> an &lsquo;<em>I like your shoes</em>&rsquo; to a woman in the elevator before <strong>hopping off</strong>.&rdquo;</p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;Hannah Seo</p>
</blockquote>

<h1>Small Talk Challenge</h1>

<p>According to psychologist Susan Pinker, social interaction (including small talk) is the #1 secret to living a longer life. (Watch the video below.)</p>

<p>Try counting how many people you talk to on an average day. Then see if you can slowly increase the number of social interactions you have, even if it starts with one extra hello!</p>

<h2>5 Types of People&nbsp;to Chat with</h2>

<ul>
	<li>postal workers / delivery people</li>
	<li>cashiers / customer service reps</li>
	<li>neighbors / dog walkers</li>
	<li>transit workers</li>
	<li>coworkers / classmates</li>
</ul>

<h2>5 Places to Make Small Talk</h2>

<ul>
	<li>at a bus stop</li>
	<li>at a playground or park</li>
	<li>before a live or virtual meeting or class</li>
	<li>in a waiting room or lineup</li>
	<li>in (or while waiting for)&nbsp;an elevator</li>
</ul>

<h2>5 Safe Subjects for Small Talk</h2>

<ul>
	<li>the weather</li>
	<li>sports and entertainment</li>
	<li>scenery or surroundings</li>
	<li>food and beverages</li>
	<li>weekend or holiday plans</li>
</ul>

<h2>5 Small Talk Questions</h2>

<ul>
	<li>How are you? / How are things? / How have you been?</li>
	<li>Do you have any plans for the weekend?</li>
	<li>Have you been waiting long?&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Have you seen any good movies lately? / Did you <strong>catch the game</strong> last night?</li>
	<li>Nice day, huh? / Is this winter ever going to end?</li>
</ul>

<h2>5 Reasons to Make Small Talk</h2>

<ul>
	<li>to be polite</li>
	<li>to practice your English</li>
	<li>to fill an uncomfortable silence</li>
	<li>to help people feel comfortable around you</li>
	<li>to live longer (watch the video clip from&nbsp;7:12&ndash;9:27)</li>
</ul>

<div class="videoWrapper"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ptIecdCZ3dg?start=432" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div>

<h2>Leave a Comment</h2>

<p>Will this &quot;secret&quot; to a longer life convince you to take this challenge and <strong>step out of your</strong> <strong>comfort zone</strong>? Will you turn your microphone on in your online class and ask your teacher about her weekend? Will you <strong>strike up</strong> a conversation with your neighbor as he&#39;s walking the dog? How about talking about the weather with your friendly postal worker?&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Vocabulary</h2>

<ul>
	<li>acquaintance: a person you&#39;ve met but&nbsp;don&#39;t know well</li>
	<li>pleasant: light and happy&nbsp;</li>
	<li>exchange: a short conversation (often between two people)</li>
	<li>significant other: a romantic partner (e.g., wife or boyfriend)</li>
	<li>drop: to quickly say something</li>
	<li>hop off: to exit quickly</li>
	<li>catch the game: watch a&nbsp;sporting event</li>
	<li>step out of one&#39;s comfort zone: to take a risk or do something that makes you feel uncomfortable</li>
	<li>strike up: to start</li>
</ul>

<div class="whiteBox"><span class="label hangingLabel">Related Lesson</span>

<p class="circleThumb"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/92/lessons/1749"><img src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/emails/monthly-newsletter/thumbs/Tara_Making-Small-Talks_Thumb.png" /></a></p>
In this <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/92/lessons/1749">Functional English</a> lesson, students listen to a number of short dialogues and practice making small talk. The digital version of this lesson includes a speaking assessment task (video coming soon).</div>


Can Making Small Talk Help You Live Longer?

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<p>You can now practice your speaking using ESL Library tasks! Your teacher will assign you a speaking task for homework. You will see this task on your student dashboard. A speaking task may be one question or a few questions. You always have 2 minutes to answer each question.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Here are 5 Speaking Tips&nbsp;</h2>

<h3>1. Read and Reread the Instructions</h3>

<p>Read the <strong>intructions</strong> carefully. Did you already start the task? You can review the instructions by clicking on the <strong>i</strong>&nbsp;in the top right corner.&nbsp;</p>

<p><img alt="instructions modal" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1406/content_Screen_Shot_2021-04-14_at_2.23.55_PM.png" style="height: 266px; width: 400px;" /></p>

<h3>2. Study the Prompt</h3>

<p>Every speaking task is different. The <strong>prompt</strong> might be a question, a picture, or a listening task.&nbsp;Study the prompt before you speak.</p>

<p><img alt="speaking task example" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1404/content_Screen_Shot_2021-04-14_at_2.16.15_PM.png" style="height: 437px; width: 400px;" /></p>

<p>Note: There may also be a <strong>reference</strong> that you need to look at. Click the&nbsp;View Reference button if you see one. Some text or a video will appear. This will help you answer the question.</p>

<p><img alt="" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1409/content_Screen_Shot_2021-04-14_at_2.32.20_PM.png" style="border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; width: 400px; height: 157px;" /></p>

<h3>3. Make a Plan</h3>

<p>Take a bit of time to <strong>plan</strong> what you want to say. There is no time limit. Take some notes. Your&nbsp;teacher will be able to see how long you spent on the task (not just the recording time).</p>

<p><img alt="speaking plan example" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1407/content_Image_from_iOS.jpg" style="height: 533px; width: 400px;" /></p>

<h3>4. Practice</h3>

<p>Practice before you submit your final recording. Record your answer and listen to it. Did you speak <em>loudly</em> and <em>clearly</em>? Did you say everything you wanted to say?&nbsp;If you want to try again, <strong>delete</strong> the audio&nbsp;and <strong>re-record</strong> it.&nbsp;</p>

<blockquote>
<p>Check that there is no background noise in your room. Make sure you are close to your microphone. Do not cover&nbsp;your microphone with your hand.</p>
</blockquote>

<p><img alt="Review Answer" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1408/content_Screen_Shot_2021-04-14_at_2.28.35_PM.png" style="width: 400px; height: 127px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid;" /></p>

<p>If you are happy with your recordings, <strong>submit</strong> your responses to your teacher!</p>

<p><img alt="Submit" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1410/content_Screen_Shot_2021-04-14_at_2.50.29_PM.png" style="border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; width: 400px; height: 161px;" /></p>

<h3>5. Review the Feedback</h3>

<p>Your teacher can leave you <strong>feedback</strong> about your speaking activity. After your teacher leaves you feedback, you will see a <strong>speech bubble</strong> on your <strong>dashboard</strong> beside the speaking task. Review your teacher&#39;s feedback or rating. You can try&nbsp;again&nbsp;if you want to improve!</p>

<p><img alt="Teacher Feedback" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1405/content_Screen_Shot_2021-04-14_at_2.19.13_PM.png" style="width: 400px; height: 145px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid;" /></p>

<p><b>Vocabulary</b></p>

<ul>
	<li>instructions (<em>noun</em>):<em> </em>information about what to do</li>
	<li>prompt (<em>noun</em>): the&nbsp;text, audio, or&nbsp;picture you are going to speak about</li>
	<li>reference (<em>noun</em>): an extra prompt to help you answer the question</li>
	<li>plan (<em>verb</em>): to&nbsp;think about what you want to say</li>
	<li>delete (<em>verb</em>): to erase your response</li>
	<li>re-record (<em>verb</em>): to record your response again</li>
	<li>submit (<em>verb</em>): to send the file to your teacher</li>
	<li>feedback (<em>noun</em>): your teacher&#39;s notes and rating</li>
	<li>speech bubble (<em>noun</em>): a comic&nbsp;icon that you write spoken words in&nbsp;(see image at the top of this blog post)</li>
	<li>dashboard (<em>noun</em>): the place you go to find digital assignments from your teacher&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<p>Waiting for speaking assignments? Ask your teacher to assign you some tasks from our <strong>Speak Up</strong> resources (<a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/105/resources/3608">Beg&ndash;Low Int</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/105/resources/3594">Low Int&ndash;In</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/105/resources/3611">High Int&ndash;Adv</a>). Your teacher can also assign a task called <strong>Pronounce Your Name </strong>from the digital version of this&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons/1211">Discussion Starters</a> lesson.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Video Demo for Teachers</h2>

<div class="videoWrapper"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JP6GbZ2Lxvs?si=KTI_x_Azcz4Lsebk" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>

<p>Teachers: Please take our short&nbsp;<a href="https://esllibrarysurvey.typeform.com/to/X8N9ng5N">Speaking Task Survey</a> to help us improve this task type. Thank you!</p>


Speak Up! 5 Recording Tips for Students

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Tour around the ELT conference circuit as our team shares conference highlights and session reviews.

Conferences

<h1>Virtual TESOL 2021</h1>

<p>A few members of the ESL Library team attend the annual TESOL convention every year. As per tradition, we always&nbsp;spend the Monday after TESOL reflecting on the event and sharing summaries of the top takeaways and sessions.&nbsp;Over the past several years, we&#39;ve attended TESOL in <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/tesolboston2010">Boston</a>, <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/tesol-2011new-orleans">New Orleans</a>, <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/tesol-12-convention-recap">Philadelphia</a>, <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/tesol-portland">Portland</a>, <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/highlights-from-tesol-2015-in-toronto-canada">Toronto</a>, <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/baltimore-charms-the-esl-library-team-for-tesol-16">Baltimore</a>, <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/tesol-17">Seattle</a>, <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/tesol-18-chicago">Chicago</a>, and <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/tara-tanyas-top-10-tesol-takeaways">Atlanta</a>. This year&#39;s virtual TESOL was an entirely different experience, but we were thrilled&nbsp;to be able to sponsor the&nbsp;event, share what we&#39;ve been up to for the past two years, and attend sessions for our own professional development. Here are some of my personal highlights and takeaways!</p>

<h2>5 Great TESOL Sessions</h2>

<h3><a href="https://tesolvirtual.tesol.showcare.io/lessons/transformative-classrooms/">Transformative&nbsp;Classrooms</a></h3>

<h4>Dr. Clint Smith&nbsp;</h4>

<p>Many attendees&nbsp;missed <a href="https://twitter.com/ClintSmithIII">Dr. Smith&#39;s</a> live opening plenary due to technical problems, but we were all grateful&nbsp;to TESOL for offering the recording so we didn&#39;t have to miss this great talk. Dr. Smith inspired us with poetry instead of powerpoints and spoke about the educator&#39;s&nbsp;role&nbsp;in teaching history and bringing relevant conversations to the classroom.</p>

<p><a href="https://tesolvirtual.tesol.showcare.io/lessons/transformative-classrooms/"><img alt="Dr. Clint Smith at TESOL" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1361/content_Screen_Shot_2021-03-29_at_12.44.07_PM.png" style="width: 500px; height: 275px;" /></a></p>

<blockquote>
<p>&quot;It is so important for us to recognize that, as educators, we have a real opportunity and we have a real responsibility to create small communities in our classrooms&nbsp;in which our students can feel like they have the space and they have the permission and they have the opportunity to wrestle with and ask questions about things that, in other contexts of their lives, they might not be able to ask questions about.&rdquo;</p>

<p>&mdash;Dr. Clint Smith</p>
</blockquote>

<h3><a href="https://tesolvirtual.tesol.showcare.io/sessions/the-ubiquitous-no-3/">The Ubiquitous No. 3</a></h3>

<h4>Dr. Gabriel Maggioli</h4>

<p>Here at ESL Library, we&#39;re about to launch our new digital speaking task, so I was excited to attend this session that focused on student speaking. One thing that Dr. Maggioli pointed out that I hadn&#39;t thought about for this task type is that we seldom&nbsp;give students the time to plan out what they are going to say.&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="https://tesolvirtual.tesol.showcare.io/sessions/the-ubiquitous-no-3/"><img alt="Dr. Maggioli at TESOL" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1357/content_Screen_Shot_2021-03-25_at_3.12.58_PM.png" style="width: 500px; height: 322px;" /></a></p>

<blockquote>
<p>&quot;One of the characteristics of active, engaged learners who actually progress in language learning fairly quickly is that they do take a lot of risks.&quot;</p>

<p>&mdash;Dr. Maggioli</p>
</blockquote>

<h3><a href="https://tesolvirtual.tesol.showcare.io/sessions/implementing-6-thinking-hats-in-large-language-classrooms/">Implementing&nbsp;6 Thinking Hats in Large Language Classrooms</a></h3>

<h4>Kaukab Azhar</h4>

<p>This session focused on critical thinking skills. There were some useful takeaways for business teams too! Though Kaukab Azhar recommended that we shouldn&#39;t categorize people as a certain hat-wearing &quot;type,&quot; it was hard not to think this way. I definitely wear&nbsp;my&nbsp;red hat (thinking with feeling and intuition)&nbsp;first and foremost.&nbsp;The speaker suggested that everyone should wear&nbsp;the same hat at the same time during a discussion, but also that everyone should try wearing all hats. Here&#39;s more info about Edward de Bono&#39;s <a href="https://www.debonogroup.com/services/core-programs/six-thinking-hats/">6 Thinking Hats</a>.</p>

<p><a href="http://tesolvirtual.tesol.showcare.io/sessions/implementing-6-thinking-hats-in-large-language-classrooms/"><img alt="Kaukab Azhar at TESOL 2021" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1358/content_Screen_Shot_2021-03-26_at_9.14.10_AM.png" style="width: 500px; height: 301px;" /></a></p>

<blockquote>
<p>&quot;Employers are looking for criticial thinking skills.&quot;</p>

<p>&mdash;Kaukab Azhar</p>
</blockquote>

<h3><a href="https://tesolvirtual.tesol.showcare.io/lessons/using-gamification-to-balance-academic-rigor-and-soft-skill-development/">Using Gamification to Balance Academic Rigor and Soft Skill Development</a></h3>

<h4>Dr. Katie Welch</h4>

<p>Katie had so many great ideas about keeping online learners engaged by gamifying your course. If you&#39;re concerned that your students log in and then head off to do other activities, she has a trick for keeping their eyes on the screen (hide Easter eggs for bonus points). This presentation proved that the look and feel of a presentation and the energy of a speaker is key to keeping the audience engaged.&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="http://tesolvirtual.tesol.showcare.io/lessons/using-gamification-to-balance-academic-rigor-and-soft-skill-development/"><img alt="Katie Welch at TESOL 2021" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1356/content_Screen_Shot_2021-03-26_at_10.24.20_AM.png" style="width: 500px; height: 279px;" /></a></p>

<blockquote>
<p>&ldquo;You can still take gamification elements and use them in your classroom even if you&rsquo;re a nube (new/non-gamer).&rdquo;</p>

<p>&mdash;Dr. Katie Welch</p>
</blockquote>

<h3><a href="https://tesolvirtual.tesol.showcare.io/lessons/10-quick-and-easy-tricks-for-creating-effective-reading-worksheets/">10 Quick and Easy Tricks for Creating Effective Reading&nbsp;Worksheets</a></h3>

<h4>Nancy Overman</h4>

<p>Our in-house materials writers and editors always get&nbsp;inspiration from teachers at TESOL, and we love to attend sessions like Nancy&#39;s.&nbsp;If you like to make your own materials, you&#39;ll find some fun ideas here.</p>

<p><a href="http://tesolvirtual.tesol.showcare.io/lessons/10-quick-and-easy-tricks-for-creating-effective-reading-worksheets/"><img alt="Nancy Overman at TESOL 2021" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1363/content_Screen_Shot_2021-03-29_at_12.49.42_PM.png" style="width: 500px; height: 295px;" /></a></p>

<h2>5 Benefits of the Virtual Environment</h2>

<p>Though it&#39;s easy for a remote worker like me to conclude that a&nbsp;face-to-face TESOL convention has more to offer than a virtual one, there were definitely a few benefits to going virtual, including:</p>

<ul>
	<li>long-term access to recorded sessions &amp; keynotes</li>
	<li>connecting virtually with attendees and speakers and quickly finding them on other platforms like <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/esl-library/">LinkedIn</a></li>
	<li>ability to politely leave a session that is not a good fit</li>
	<li>ability to take notes on a laptop (instead of going through pages of handwritten notes on the airplane)</li>
	<li>eliminating the&nbsp;risk of contracting COVID-19 (plus no need to hire a puppy sitter!)</li>
</ul>

<h2>5 TESOL Takeaways&nbsp;</h2>

<p>Here are a few of my takeaways from this year:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Tech difficulties happen to everyone. We all need to be patient with each other (and have back-up plans).</li>
	<li>Learning online all day is exhausting. There are so many distractions. Let&#39;s be patient with our students.</li>
	<li>Conferences, even virtual ones, are a fantastic opportunity for networking.&nbsp;1,808 people visited the ESL Library booth!&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Genre-based language teaching is an&nbsp;ELT trend to watch for this year (starting with relevant, engaging topics is key).&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/collections">We&#39;ve got you covered there!&nbsp;</a></li>
	<li>Classrooms are small communities. A simple affirmation from an engaged, caring&nbsp;teacher can change a student&#39;s life forever. (A grade 3 teacher looked over Clint Smith&#39;s shoulder as he wrote a poem about clouds. That teacher told him he could be a writer one day.)</li>
</ul>

<blockquote>
<p>&ldquo;We realize the importance of trusting in ourselves, knowing that we have superpowers and that this past year has helped us find them and develop them.&rdquo;</p>

<p>&mdash;Deborah Short</p>
</blockquote>

<h2>5 ESL Library&nbsp;Sessions</h2>

<p>If you attended TESOL, we hope you had a chance to come to one of our sessions! If you missed one,&nbsp;you&nbsp;can access ESL Library&#39;s recorded sessions at any time.</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/tesol-2021-coffee-talk">Coffee Talk: Encouraging Open Discussion &amp; Debate in Language Classrooms</a>: Tara &amp; Ben with Ann&nbsp;(Summary)</li>
	<li><a href="https://tesolvirtual.tesol.showcare.io/sessions/using-images-to-elicit-teach-and-reinforce-target-structures/">Using Images to Elicit, Teach, and Reinforce Target Structures</a>: Ben with Tara (Recording for TESOLers)</li>
	<li><a href="https://tesolvirtual.tesol.showcare.io/lessons/maximize-student-success-using-esl-library-content-and-courseware/">Maximize&nbsp;Student Success Using ESL Library Content &amp; Courseware</a>: Ben with Tammy (Recording for TESOLers)</li>
	<li><a href="https://tesolvirtual.tesol.showcare.io/lessons/teaching-social-justice-topics-online-with-esl-library/">Teaching Social Justice Topics Online with ESL Library</a>: Tammy with Lei&nbsp;(Recording for TESOLers)</li>
	<li><a href="https://tesolvirtual.tesol.showcare.io/lessons/maximize-student-success-using-esl-library-content-and-courseware-2/">Maximize Student Success Using ESL Library Content &amp; Courseware</a>: Tammy&nbsp;with Ben (Recording for TESOLers)</li>
</ul>

<p>We also have similar sessions available in our <a href="https://help.ellii.com/category/119-digital-tools">Help</a> section if you didn&#39;t register for TESOL. Tammy&#39;s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlrA1efMOnQ">Quick Intro</a>&nbsp;offers&nbsp;a handy overview for anyone to watch at any time.</p>

<p>Did you attend this year&#39;s virtual TESOL? Do&nbsp;you have any sessions to recommend or highlights to share?&nbsp;Please leave a comment for us. We hope to see you in person next year!&nbsp;</p>


Reflections on the TESOL 2021 Virtual Conference

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<blockquote>
<p>Session Description: <em>Bring a beverage and join us for casual conversation about the real-world topics you discuss in your classroom and how you create an environment that facilitates open discussion and debate.</em></p>
</blockquote>

<p>TESOL 2021 got off to a rocky start technically, but we were grateful that the stars aligned just in time for us to host our first ever Coffee Talk.</p>

<p>The best part of TESOL every year is catching up with teachers who are actively working in the field, especially ones who rely on ESL Library and have important ideas and feedback to share.&nbsp;This&nbsp;year, we invited teachers to join us for an informal chat about discussion and debate in the language classroom. We prepared a short introduction and a list of questions, and the amazing teachers who joined us filled in the rest!&nbsp;</p>

<p>Here are some of the questions we discussed:</p>

<ul>
	<li>What real-world issues do you discuss in your classrooms?&nbsp;</li>
	<li>How do you find out what your students want to talk about?</li>
	<li>Are there some topics that you are hesitant to discuss or would not discuss?</li>
	<li>Do your students have the language they need to discuss and debate relevant topics?</li>
	<li>What do you do when discussions or debates get heated?</li>
	<li>How can you make your students feel comfortable sharing their varying viewpoints?</li>
	<li>Do you share your own personal opinions, or do you act solely as a facilitator/guide/listener?&nbsp;</li>
	<li>How important is reflection after a class discussion or debate? How can teachers encourage reflection?</li>
</ul>

<p>Here is a short summary of a few key points teachers made in our conversation:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Teachers need to pay close attention to their students to understand their interests. <em>What do they carry with them (e.g., skateboards) or wear (e.g., concert Ts)? What do they discuss in their own languages?</em> Some teachers start with an open discussion period.</li>
	<li>Many teachers agreed it is tough to discuss real-world topics with low-level learners (though many of the students really want to). We talked about the need for students to have&nbsp;the foundations first. Talking about familiar topics (family, health, school, community) is a stepping stone before getting into controversial&nbsp;topics like politics or crime.</li>
	<li>One teacher said she&nbsp;asked students&nbsp;what issues they would like the president to focus on. This is how she discovered issues that were important to her students.</li>
	<li>Some teachers felt that cultural topics&nbsp;(holidays, festivals, traditions) were a good starting point, even for low levels. Others suggested using pictures, collaborative boards, or videos.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>One teacher recommended putting multi-level students in small groups to help lower-level learners get their points across. In groups, they&nbsp;can work on a writing piece together (sometimes relying on their L1) and then share it with the class.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Everyone agreed on the importance of sentence frames (and we shared some resources from our <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/124/resources">Sentence Stems</a> section).</li>
	<li>Some teachers said they talk about anything and everything with their students, including sensitive subjects. Other teachers said there are some topics such as &quot;crime&quot; or &quot;politics&quot; that they avoid. One teacher said he was&nbsp;only allowed to cover subjects from the textbook.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Many teachers mentioned that the location they teach in determines whether or not their students are comfortable discussing certain topics.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Teachers said that in a group setting, they focus on being facilitators and remaining neutral. Their role is to help students find the language and to help teach respect (turn-taking, listening to others&#39; opinions, etc.). In a one-to-one situation, this may be different&nbsp;since students often&nbsp;expect their teacher&nbsp;to be their conversation partner.</li>
	<li>Teachers expressed concerns about the&nbsp;pandemic. In addition to technical problems, many students are not comfortable going on video or using their microphones. Students are experiencing&nbsp;a language slide, especially in speaking. Some just join a room and leave, so teachers have to think of activities to keep them engaged.</li>
	<li>We shared the exciting news that our new Speaking Task is almost ready. This new task type will give students a chance to reflect on <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons">discussion topics</a> from class that they may&nbsp;want to talk more about. It will also give students a chance to practice using new language in a comfortable space.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>One teacher expressed how much her students love <a href="https://info.flipgrid.com/">Flipgrid</a>. We shared that we are now a FlipGrid Discovery partner!</li>
</ul>

<p>The hour went too fast, and not all of the attendees got a chance to share their great ideas or questions. Fortunately, some visited us at our booth to pick up some free resources and continue the conversation.&nbsp;</p>

<blockquote>A Restorative Circle can help students have difficult conversations. In this setting, the teacher has students sit in a circle&nbsp;and poses a question to the group. There is a &ldquo;speaking stick/object&rdquo; and only the person holding it can speak. The next speaker can add to the previous comment, answer the question themselves, or use the &ldquo;pass&rdquo; feature if they don&rsquo;t feel comfortable speaking. This provides a comfortable and safe place for students to contribute to difficult conversations! Can be done virtually as well using FlipGrid or live in a Zoom or Google Meet! &mdash;Crystal</blockquote>

<p>Here are some more questions we didn&#39;t get a chance to cover:&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li>How do you find out if your students are comfortable or ready to talk about a certain topic or issue?</li>
	<li>Which current events have you discussed in class&nbsp;recently?</li>
	<li>Do you have any recommendations for where to find authentic materials for discussion?&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Do you teach your students about bias and separating facts from opinions?&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Do you teach your students about using credible sources? Do you talk about fake news?</li>
	<li>Would you discuss the following&hellip;? (gun control, puppy mills, inclusive language, war, slavery, memes)</li>
</ul>

<blockquote>
<p>&quot;One of the worst things we can do as educators is feel that we cannot tackle controversial topics in our classrooms. We are not preparing our students to encounter and engage with the complicated world...&quot;</p>

<p>&mdash;Dr. Clint Smith, TESOL 2021 opening keynote speaker</p>
</blockquote>

<p>At ESL Library, our main mission has always been to encourage open communication around the world. Like Dr. Smith, the opening plenary speaker, we believe that language teachers have an important role to play in doing this. We&#39;d like to say a special thank-you to all of the teachers who joined us for this very important conversation at TESOL.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Related Resources</h2>

<ul>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/124/resources">Sentence Stems</a></li>
	<li class="collection"><a href="https://ellii.com/collections/70/lessons">Social Justice Lesson Collection</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons">Discussion Starters</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/73/lessons">Mini-Debates</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons">English with The Washington Post</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons">Holidays &amp; Events</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/80/lessons">Famous People</a></li>
</ul>


TESOL 2021 Coffee Talk: Encouraging Open Discussion & Debate in Language Classrooms

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<p>Listen to this post.</p>

<div class="ckeditor-html5-audio" style="text-align: center;">
<audio controls="controls" controlslist="nodownload" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/attachments/1160/Word-of-the-Year.mp3">&nbsp;</audio>
</div>

<blockquote>
<p>&quot;The way you do great things is by setting great&nbsp;goals.&quot;</p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;Bill de Blasio, New York City Mayor (New Year&#39;s Eve, 2020)</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Dear students,&nbsp;</p>

<p>Happy New Year! Do you like to make New Year&#39;s resolutions? Instead of deciding what <em>not</em>&nbsp;to do at the beginning of a new year, I always choose a Word of the Year.&nbsp;</p>

<p>My Word of the Year for 2021 is &quot;zeal.&quot; Here is the definition from <a href="https://www.lexico.com/definition/zeal">Lexico</a> dictionary.</p>

<blockquote>
<p><strong>zeal </strong>(noun): <em>great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an&nbsp;objective</em></p>
</blockquote>

<p>I chose the&nbsp;word &quot;zeal&quot; because I think it will inspire&nbsp;me to bring enthusiasm to lots of different goals, including work goals, family goals, and personal goals. In 2021, I&#39;ll&nbsp;do my best to bring energy and enthusiasm into every space I&#39;m in.<br />
<br />
My new office wall offers a strong&nbsp;visual for my Word of the Year! It&#39;s a fun backdrop for virtual meetings&nbsp;and&nbsp;a useful conversation starter. The connected names symbolize&nbsp;the importance of teamwork (and my own love of words).&nbsp;</p>

<p><img alt="Tara Benwell's Office Wall" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1158/content_IMG-3019.jpg" /></p>

<p class="caption">I have about 15 more ESL Library staff names to add (waiting on&nbsp;more wooden tiles to arrive)! My pup Rootbeer is also full of energy and keeps my family moving, even during lockdown. (He&#39;s hoping I&#39;ll add his name to the wall!)</p>

<p>What&#39;s your Word of the Year for 2021? Ask your teacher to assign the ESL Library lesson <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/74/lessons/2563">How to Write a Basic Paragraph</a>. In this lesson, you will practice writing a short paragraph about your Word of the Year. If you want to share your writing, please copy your paragraph in the comments below for all of us to see!<br />
<br />
You don&#39;t have to be an ESL Library student to share your Word of the Year. Anyone (teachers and ESL Library staff) can participate by sharing their word in the comments below.&nbsp;Please tell us why you chose your word.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Best of luck with your language learning throughout 2021!</p>

<p>XOXO</p>

<p>Tara &amp; the ESL Library Team</p>


Word of the Year for 2021

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<p>We&#39;re taking stock of our busy year and making lots of plans for next year!&nbsp;If there&#39;s a lesson or section&nbsp;you&#39;d like us to consider for 2021, be sure to get in touch with our customer service team.</p>

<p>Here are some&nbsp;materials we have in progress for the last month of this year. For a full list of new content from 2020, visit <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/new-2020">What&#39;s New This Year?</a>&nbsp;Keep an eye on our new&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons">English with The Washington Post</a> section for weekly additions as well.</p>

<h1>Lessons</h1>

<div class="whiteBox"><span class="label newLabel hangingLabel">New</span>

<p class="circleThumb"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/80/lessons"><img src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/emails/monthly-newsletter/thumbs/80_Tchaikovsky.png" /></a></p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/80/lessons">Tchaikovsky</a></h2>

<p>In this new lesson from our&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/courses/80/lessons">Famous People</a>&nbsp;section, students will read about a&nbsp;composer whose music we often listen to during the Christmas season. Watch for an additional jigsaw lesson&nbsp;on the four composers we&#39;ve recently covered as well as a video listening&nbsp;task to go with each one.&nbsp;</p>
</div>

<div class="whiteBox"><span class="label newLabel hangingLabel">New</span>

<p class="circleThumb"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/86/lessons/3406"><img src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/emails/monthly-newsletter/thumbs/86_Leadership-Styles.png" /></a></p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/86/lessons/3406">Leadership Qualities</a></h2>

<p>In this new lesson from <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/86/lessons">Business Matters</a>, students will read about different leadership qualities. They will discuss what makes a good leader and talk about real-life experiences that have required them&nbsp;to develop their own leadership skills.</p>
</div>

<div class="whiteBox"><span class="label revisedLabel hangingLabel">Revised</span>

<p class="circleThumb"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/84/lessons/2349"><img src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/emails/monthly-newsletter/thumbs/84_Donald-Trump.png" /></a></p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/84/lessons/2349">Donald Trump</a></h2>

<p>A lot has happened since 2016, and we&#39;re currently working on updating&nbsp;our&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/courses/84/lessons">American Presidents</a> lesson on this historic world leader. We&#39;ll also be adding a digital version and audio to this lesson.</p>
</div>

<h1>Resources</h1>

<div class="whiteBox"><span class="label newLabel hangingLabel">New</span>

<p class="circleThumb"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/128/resources/3398"><img src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/emails/monthly-newsletter/thumbs/128_Health-Labels-and-Warnings.png" /></a></p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/128/resources/3398">Health Warnings and Labels</a></h2>

<p>In this new resource from <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/128/resources">Real-World Reading</a>, students will learn and review vocabulary and graphics found on&nbsp;very basic labels and warnings, including food and prescription labels.</p>
</div>

<div class="whiteBox"><span class="label newLabel hangingLabel">New</span>

<p class="circleThumb"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/103/resources/3407/"><img src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/emails/monthly-newsletter/thumbs/103_Grammar-and-Usage.png" /></a></p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/103/resources/3407">Punctuation Chart</a></h2>

<p>Do your student confuse the&nbsp;different types of punctuation? This <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/103/resources">Grammar &amp; Usage</a> chart will help your students review the&nbsp;functions of the most common types of punctuation used in written English.&nbsp;</p>
</div>

<h1>Videos</h1>

<p>If your students liked <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/3396">The Scaredy Cat</a>, watch for our upcoming Christmas video, <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/3408">The Sparkly Star</a>.</p>


Coming in December 2020

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<p>This month we&rsquo;ve spent some time doing a bit of rearranging! You&rsquo;ll notice that our Young Learners &amp; Adult Literacy content has moved closer to the top of our <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons">main index</a> to make it easier to find. We&rsquo;ve also separated our Phonics &amp; Pronunciation section into three parts: <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/118/lessons">Phonics</a>, <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/130/lessons">Pronunciation</a>, and <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/131/lessons">Phonics Stories</a>. Finally, we&#39;ve opened a new section called <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/132/lessons">Picture Stories</a>&nbsp;and moved some&nbsp;older worksheets to a resource section called&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/126/resources">Young Learner Activities</a> (100&nbsp;resources).</p>

<p>In addition to all of this housekeeping, we&rsquo;ve been digitizing content, preparing British English printable and audio versions, and developing new content, including this mid-month release about <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/117/lessons/3391">Fall Foliage</a>. Here are some more upcoming materials to watch&nbsp;for.</p>

<h1>Lessons</h1>

<div class="whiteBox"><span class="label newLabel hangingLabel">New</span>

<p class="circleThumb"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/127/lessons/3393"><img src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/emails/monthly-newsletter/thumbs/127_Distinguishing-Fact-from-Opinion.png" /></a></p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/127/lessons/3393">Distinguishing Fact from Opinion</a></h2>

<p>In this new lesson from our&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/courses/127/lessons">Reading in English</a>&nbsp;section, students will learn to identify facts and opinions while reading many different types of&nbsp;reviews.</p>
</div>

<div class="whiteBox"><span class="label newLabel hangingLabel">New</span>

<p class="circleThumb"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/3392"><img src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/emails/monthly-newsletter/thumbs/93_Black-Friday.png" /></a></p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/3392">Black Friday</a></h2>

<p>We&#39;re adding a low-intermediate version of our popular <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons">Holidays &amp; Events</a> lesson about this American Thanksgiving tradition. Black Friday might be a little less crazy this year!</p>
</div>

<div class="whiteBox"><span class="label newLabel hangingLabel">New</span>

<p class="circleThumb"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/123/lessons/3394"><img src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/emails/monthly-newsletter/thumbs/123_Prepositions.png" /></a></p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/123/lessons/3394">Prepositions of Place</a></h2>

<p>Our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/123/lessons">Super Simple Grammar</a> section continues to grow and has been fully digitized. This upcoming lesson will help your beginners practice using common prepositions.</p>
</div>

<div class="whiteBox"><span class="label newLabel hangingLabel">New</span>

<p class="circleThumb"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/130/lessons/3395"><img src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/emails/monthly-newsletter/thumbs/130_o.png" /></a></p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/130/lessons/3395">/o/</a></h2>

<p>Our new&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/courses/130/lessons">Pronunciation</a> section will soon have another new lesson: the long O&nbsp;sound! Leave us a comment to let us know what&nbsp;other pronunciation lessons you would like to&nbsp;see.</p>
</div>

<div class="whiteBox"><span class="label revisedLabel hangingLabel">Revised</span>

<p class="circleThumb"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/81/lessons/2237"><img src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/emails/monthly-newsletter/thumbs/81_White-House.png" /></a></p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/81/lessons/2237">The White House</a></h2>

<p><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/3381">Election Day</a> is almost here. Who will be living in the White House next year? We&rsquo;re fixing up the vocabulary review exercise&nbsp;in this&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/courses/81/lessons">Famous Places</a> lesson based on a student&nbsp;request!</p>
</div>

<h1>Videos</h1>

<p>Our video department is putting the finishing touches on a new Halloween-themed video lesson. Watch for <em>The Scaredy Cat</em> popping up in our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons">Holidays &amp; Events</a> section any day&nbsp;now.</p>


Coming in November

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<p>Do your students enjoy studying English while also learning and talking about current events? Are you looking for content that you can use in your multi-level classes? Would your advanced learners benefit from using authentic materials to expand their&nbsp;vocabulary and speaking skills?</p>

<p>Try ESL Library&#39;s new pilot section,&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons">English with the Washington Post</a>.</p>

<h2>English with The Washington Post&nbsp;</h2>

<p>This pilot section currently houses three&nbsp;digital-only reading lessons and one&nbsp;video lesson. The&nbsp;reading lessons&nbsp;(low-intermediate, intermediate, and advanced) focus on the issue of the digital divide, a problem that has been highlighted by&nbsp;the closure of traditional schools during the coronavirus pandemic.</p>

<p>While the advanced version of <strong>The Digital Divide</strong> centers around an&nbsp;authentic article from The Washington Post, the low-intermediate and intermediate lessons feature graded versions of the reading&nbsp;(modified with permission). We also have a video lesson featuring a Washington Post documentary&nbsp;about a coronavirus experiment at a concert venue in Germany.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Lessons</h2>

<ol>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/3388">The Digital Divide (Low Int)</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/3387">The Digital Divide (Int)</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/3386">The Digital Divide (Adv)</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/3389">Video: A Coronavirus Experiment</a></li>
</ol>

<h2>Task Types</h2>

<p>Each lesson contains the following five&nbsp;digital tasks:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Vocabulary Preview A&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Vocabulary Preview B&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Reading or Video</li>
	<li>Comprehension&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Discussion or Writing&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<h2>Assign and/or Broadcast</h2>

<p>You can <a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/122-how-to-assign-digital-homework">assign</a>* these digital lessons to your students for homework and/or <a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/200-how-to-broadcast-tasks">broadcast</a> the content in an online or traditional class. You could also try a blended-learning approach:&nbsp;Assign the pre-tasks&nbsp;for homework, read/watch the articles/video in class, and use the follow-up tasks for review or assessment.&nbsp;We hope these relevant topics and interactive task types keep your students engaged at all levels.</p>

<p>*Note that the readings and video are currently assignable for both Standard and Plus subscribers. Additional tasks are assignable for Plus subscribers only. All subscribers have access to the Task Player to broadcast all lessons and tasks. Not a member?&nbsp;Learn more about our <a href="https://ellii.com/pricing">Pricing</a>&nbsp;plans.</p>

<h2>Survey</h2>

<p>After you try a lesson from this pilot section, please take our <a href="https://esllibrarysurvey.typeform.com/to/wLbsIXYf">mini-survey</a>. Your feedback will help us understand the level of interest ESL Library teachers and students have&nbsp;in weekly current events lessons like these.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Please note:</strong>&nbsp;As this is a pilot section, the lesson content in <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons">English with The Washington Post</a> may be removed on short notice.&nbsp;</p>


English with The Washington Post 

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<p>School is in session for most of our subscribers now, and we&rsquo;re back to filling requests and making adjustments to our materials based on teacher feedback. We&rsquo;re so grateful to everyone who takes the time to write or call in. In addition to lots of new video content, we&rsquo;re working on some materials that will help our American subscribers teach their students about election season. Here are a few items that are currently in&nbsp;progress.</p>

<h1>Lessons</h1>

<div class="whiteBox"><span class="label newLabel hangingLabel">New</span>

<p class="circleThumb"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/3381"><img src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/emails/monthly-newsletter/thumbs/93_Election-Day-US.png" /></a></p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/3381">Election Day (US)</a></h2>

<p>In this upcoming lesson from <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons">Holidays &amp; Events</a>, students will learn about the tricky concept of the Electoral College and the two main parties in the US. Students will also discuss opinions about mail‑in&nbsp;voting.</p>
</div>

<div class="whiteBox"><span class="label newLabel hangingLabel">New</span>

<p class="circleThumb"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/118/lessons/3380"><img src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/emails/monthly-newsletter/thumbs/118_uh.png" /></a></p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/118/lessons/3380">/ʊ/</a></h2>

<p>In this new lesson from <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/118/lessons">Phonics &amp; Pronunciation</a>, students will learn a fourth sound related to the letter&nbsp;u. For related lessons, visit our pronunciation&nbsp;section.</p>
</div>

<div class="whiteBox"><span class="label revisedLabel hangingLabel">Revised</span>

<p class="circleThumb"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1886"><img src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/emails/monthly-newsletter/thumbs/93_Black-History-Month.png" /></a></p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1886">Black History Month</a></h2>

<p>We&rsquo;re making some important updates to our Black History Month lesson from our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons">Holidays &amp; Events</a> section. The new version will also have an updated audio&nbsp;recording.</p>
</div>

<h1>Resources</h1>

<div class="whiteBox"><span class="label newLabel hangingLabel">New</span>

<p class="circleThumb"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/128/resources/3382"><img src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/emails/monthly-newsletter/thumbs/128_Reading-School-Letters.png" /></a></p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/128/resources/3382">Reading School Letters</a></h2>

<p>We&#39;re working on a new resource for parents of school-aged kids in our&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories">Real-World Reading</a>&nbsp;section.&nbsp;Parents&nbsp;will practice reading letters that their students bring home from&nbsp;school.</p>
</div>

<h1>Videos &amp; Flashcards</h1>

<p>In addition to printable and digital lessons, we&rsquo;re also working on new video content to go with our Mozart lesson and our upcoming Election Day&nbsp;(US) lesson. We&rsquo;re also adding a Picture Dictionary task (digital flashcards) to all of our pronunciation lessons. Stay&nbsp;tuned!</p>


Coming in October 2020

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<p>Our back-to-school to-do list is all about getting as much digital content up as we can as many students and teachers head back to online (or hybrid) school. We&rsquo;ve also been filling requests for new content and making improvements based on teacher feedback. Here are some items the publishing team is working on right&nbsp;now!</p>

<h1>Lessons</h1>

<div class="whiteBox"><span class="label newLabel hangingLabel">New</span>

<p class="circleThumb"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/123/lessons/3367"><img src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/emails/monthly-newsletter/thumbs/123_Yes-No-Questions-with-Be.png" /></a></p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/123/lessons/3367">Yes/No Questions with&nbsp;Be</a></h2>

<p>In this new lesson from <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/123/lessons">Super Simple Grammar</a>, students will practice forming yes/no questions in the simple present tense with the Be verb using subject pronouns and&nbsp;nouns.</p>
</div>

<div class="whiteBox"><span class="label newLabel hangingLabel">New</span>

<p class="circleThumb"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons/3368"><img src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/emails/monthly-newsletter/thumbs/72_School-Uniforms.png" /></a></p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons/3368">School Uniforms</a></h2>

<p>We&rsquo;re continuing to add low-level versions of our most popular <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons">Discussion Starters</a> topics. Watch for a new low-intermediate lesson where students learn about and discuss the pros and cons of wearing uniforms to&nbsp;school.</p>
</div>

<div class="whiteBox"><span class="label revisedLabel hangingLabel">Revised</span>

<p class="circleThumb"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/98/lessons/1466"><img src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/emails/monthly-newsletter/thumbs/98_September-11.png" /></a></p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/98/lessons/1466">September 11</a></h2>

<p>This important lesson from our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/98/lessons">Historic Events</a> section will have a new look and feel in time for the 9/11&nbsp;anniversary.</p>
</div>

<h1>Resources</h1>

<div class="whiteBox"><span class="label newLabel hangingLabel">New</span>

<p class="circleThumb"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/128/resources/3369"><img src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/emails/monthly-newsletter/thumbs/128_Menus.png" /></a></p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/128/resources/3369">Menus</a></h2>

<p>In this new resource from <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/128/resources">Real-World Reading</a>, students will practice reading a variety of&nbsp;food menus. We have a related flashcard set coming soon&nbsp;too.</p>
</div>

<div class="whiteBox"><span class="label revisedLabel hangingLabel">Revised</span>

<p class="circleThumb"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/128/resources/3313"><img src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/emails/monthly-newsletter/thumbs/128_Job-Ads.png" /></a></p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/128/resources/3313">Job Ads</a></h2>

<p>We&rsquo;re working on a few updates to our Job Ads resource from <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/128/resources">Real-World&nbsp;Reading</a>.</p>
</div>

<h1>Videos &amp; Quizzes</h1>

<p>Are you enjoying our new <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/introducing-videos-on-esl-library">grammar videos</a>? We&rsquo;re putting the finishing touches on our video about the simple future tense. You&rsquo;ll soon find it in the Grammar Practice Workhseets lesson on the <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1596">Simple Future</a>. We&rsquo;re also working on some new paper-based quizzes and digital assessment tasks to go with our throwback series <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/77/lessons"><em>Everyday Idioms&nbsp;1</em></a>.</p>


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Tara Benwell