ESL Holiday Lessons
Kwanzaa
Teach English language learners about the week-long holiday of Kwanzaa that is celebrated around the world during December. It includes holiday-themed reading comprehension passages, phrase matching, fill-in-the-blanks, and journaling...
Southern Illinois University
I Can Write a Poem
It is so important for English language learners to be able to write for a variety of purposes. Specifically written for an ELD class, this activity provides explicit instruction for teaching learners how to write a poem. First, they...
Curated OER
Crocodiles Escape in Vietnam
What, there was a crocodile escape? Read, analyze, and examine a newspaper article with your class about the crocodiles that escaped in Vietnam. Your English language learners note the facts and key vocabulary in the story and answer...
Curated OER
ESL Vocabulary & Writing: Shapes and Colors
English language learners review names of colors and shapes, creating a sentence for each color or shape provided. Each vocabulary word includes two lines of handwriting paper to guide young learners' letter formation.
Curated OER
Definitions by Context
Use this two-page resource either with your English language learners or your upper elementary native speakers. There are eight questions that test your learners' ability to use the context of a sentence to define an unknown word....
Curated OER
Word Pair Analogies 3
Designed for English language learners, but a good practice activity for all kids, this resource focuses on SAT words like saccharine, pragmatic, and precept. Effective scaffolding is provided here, as the last two questions require the...
Road to Grammar
Fame
Smile for the camera and find out how your English language learners feel about fame! Class members read three different points of view on fame and then discuss ten questions about the topic.
Road to Grammar
Health
Are your English language learners feeling unwell? Provide them with the tools to express how they are feeling and to talk about health in general. Included here are discussion activities, vocabulary, listening activities, grammar...
Curated OER
Test Your Speaking & Listening Skills: Lucky Dip 1
Get your English language learners talking with this fun trivia worksheet! They'll name three cities in Europe, complete basic math problems, recall the name of Britain's Prime Minister, etc. A fun way to get everyone talking!
Curated OER
Test Your Speaking & Listening Skills: Lucky Dip 2
Sometimes your English language learners don't need structured speaking practice to build oral fluency. This fun trivia worksheet provides them several opportunities to talk. In groups, they must list three countries in Asia, three...
Curated OER
Test Your Speaking & Listening Skills: Lucky Dip 3
Group your English language learners for this fun trivia exercise. There are 20 questions for each group to discuss. They must name different animals that live in water, recall basic vocabulary terms, recall the capital of Russia, etc....
Curriculum Corner
English & Spanish School Word Cards for ELL
Transition young English language learners back to school with this set of vocabulary cards. Addressing common classroom vocabulary like teacher, backpack, and crayons, this set of cards is perfect for developing the language children...
Curated OER
Auxiliary Verbs
What is an auxiliary verb? Is that the same thing as a modal verb? Use this reference guide to explain each verb type to your emerging grammarians. While it is intended for native English speakers, you could use it with English language...
Curated OER
Lesson Four: Comparatives and Superlatives
Put on your best smile, or a least a better one, for this instructional activity on superlatives and comparatives. English language learners first fill out a graphic organizer by finding other people in the class who are taller than they...
Road to Grammar
Shopping
Talk about what you bought last weekend with plenty of activities centered around the theme of shopping. English language learners have the opportunity to listen, speak, write, and read over the course of these exercises. The resource...
Curated OER
Low Level Activities for Adult ESL
Suggestions for interview topics with question prompts, scavenger hunts, oral presentations, and reading and writing prompts abound in this 11-page packet of activities for English language learners. ESL worksheets are also included in...
Project Shine
ESL Health Unit: Describing Pain and Symptoms
Designed for advanced beginning English language learners, this 21-page packet includes listening, speaking, and writing practice exercises related to the theme of visits to the doctor's office.
Teach Children ESL
You're a Superhero
Engage your English language learners' vocabulary acquisition superpowers with a set of materials about superheroes. Pupils create their own superhero alter-egos by choosing from a list of superpowers, deciding on sidekicks and other...
Curated OER
Possessive Adjectives
You could use this resource with your young native English speakers or your English language learners. They practice using possessive adjectives like my, your, his, her, its, our, and their. First they study a chart that compares...
Sean Banville
New Year's Day
Focus on a passage about the new year with your English language learners. You can start with reading the passage aloud to your class, and then launch into the related activities. Pupils match phrases, complete cloze-style activities,...
Curated OER
Revision Race
Sometimes it's hard to get your English language learners speaking in a natural manner. Print out this board game to provide learners with several opportunities to speak. Everyone gets a chance to participate in this game!
Curated OER
Language for Giving Directions
English language learners practice their speaking and listening skills by taking turns asking for directions to different places and responding to their partner.
Curated OER
Rowan Atkinson: Famous People, ELL Assignment
This 13-page assignment was designed for English language learners. It includes a one-page reading on the comedic actor Rowan Atkinson and 10 activities/exercises that focus on listening and reading comprehension, speaking, vocabulary...
Curated OER
The Learning Network: Alligators Everywhere Fill-In
Meant to be used with the article, "In Florida, the Natives Are Restless" (included here), this is a great source of high-interest, nonfiction reading. A fill in the blank vocabulary activity and an activity focusing on reading...