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Literacy Education and Second Language Learning for Adults (LESLLA)

This website provides information about current research with low literacy level adult English language learners, as well as numerous resources for teaching and supporting beginning level learners.

Adult ESL Beginning Level Instruction Videos

Find Low-Literacy Instruction and Classroom Activities videos that feature Minnesota teachers working with ESL Beginning Level learners on a wide variety of activities and skills, including phonics, TPR, speaking skills, and numeracy.

New American Horizons: Adult ESL Teacher Training Videos – Low Literacy

This collection of 12 teacher training videos were filmed in adult ESL classes and feature a variety of teaching strategies and activities. For teachers interested in learning more about working with low-literacy learners, there are three videos that address this level.

Language Experience Approach and Adult Learners

This Center for Adult English Language Acquisition (CAELA) article explains how the language experience approach (LEA) approach can be used in tutorial or classroom settings with homogeneous or heterogeneous groups of learners to help develop and strengthen English literacy skills.

Rigor, Relevance, and Respect for Beginning Adult English Learners

Oxford Picture Dictionary author Jayme Adelson-Goldstein shares tips for laying the foundation of college and career readiness skills in beginning level adult instruction.

Phonics Pull-Out Kit

English language learners at many levels need additional assistance with building their phonetic awareness and strengthening their phonetic decoding abilities. The Phonics and Phonemic Awareness Kit provides a variety of activities that can be used with low-beginning to high-intermediate levels of English language learners.

Literacy Minnesota Pre-Beginning ESL Story Bank and Curriculum

This curriculum builds literacy skills and incorporates level-appropriate Transitions skills identified by the ATLAS program's Academic, Career & Employability Skills (ACES) initiative, as outlined in the Transitions Integration Framework (TIF), into every life skill unit.

Making It Real: Teaching Pre-Literate Adult Refugee Students

This book is a great place reference for both new and experienced teachers. It covers a variety of effective practices for teaching low-literate adult refugees, and describes techniques and activities that support these practices.

Getting to the Rough Ground of Language and Literacy Learning Through the Language Experience Approach

This blog post from The Literacy Bug describes how teachers can use the language experience approach (LEA) to support early language learners by providing them with ample opportunities to hear, see, use and manipulate language in contextualized, purposeful ways.

Five Activities to Promote Interaction and Communication

This packet contains in-depth descriptions of five communicative activities that can be used with literacy- and beginning-level learners through advanced level learners.

ESL Literacy Readers

This collection of beloved theme-based readers for beginning levels of ESL literacy has been discontinued (in late 2024). They are no longer available at the Bow Valley College site. However, colleagues at the Immigrant Welcome Center in Indianapolis, Indiana, have a number of the readers posted (with permission) on their Adult ELL Pathway to Literacy website. This document outlines the changes and how to find these materials.

Beginning and Literacy Level Adult ESL Students

This online collection from the Center for Adult English Language Acquisition contains links and citations for multiple articles, guides, and handbooks focused and adult literacy level readers.

New Resources

Ability to Benefit Resources

Ability to Benefit allows students without a high school diploma to access financial aid and enroll in career pathway college programs through coordinated support services. This collection of documents provides a comprehensive set of resources for implementing Ability to Benefit programs at Minnesota State, including guidance on program design, approval processes, and ongoing compliance. It includes tools for partnership development, program selection, and student participation (checklists, agreements, and forms), as well as detailed implementation support such as a how-to guide and instructions for meeting federal and state requirements for financial aid eligibility.

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PD Catalog

Get an overview of all MN Adult Education professional development (PD) activities in one convenient, searchable place!

PD Catalog

Presenter Information

Get information about stipends, reimbursements, the MN Adult Ed policy on use of images in presentations, and other instructions for presenters.

 

MN Adult Ed YouTube Channel

The MN Adult Education YouTube Channel is a free online PD resource that you can use to explore teaching techniques and classroom ideas in action! Find out more in this MN ABE Connect newsletter article.

 

ATLAS Announcements & Future PD

Check out the latest list of ATLAS professional development announcements and opportunities! This is the document that is shared at all ATLAS events.

 

Virtual Meeting Resources

Find resources for conducting online meetings/events/presentations! You are welcome to use and adapt these materials to fit your own needs and context.

 

Upcoming ABE Events

May 12, 2026 6:30 pm–8:30 pm
Literacy Minnesota
Online

Volunteer Core Training Module 3: Instructional Best Practices: Working with Learners

Online

Registration Deadline: TUE. 5/12/26 Venue: Online (see details below) Participants learn how to apply teaching practices that support language and skill development for all learners. These practices include ensuring that instruction is learner centered, using an appropriate level of teacher talk and delivering error correction. Learn More

Online
May 13, 2026 12:00 pm–1:15 pm
ATLAS
Online

Minnesota ABE Leadership Book Club: Cultivating Genius

Online

Registration Deadline: By each meeting date DATES: (YOU MUST REGISTER FOR EACH DATE) Meeting 1: Wednesday, March 4 – 12-1:15 pm (CST) – REGISTER Meeting 2: Wednesday, April 8 – 12-1:15 pm (CDT) –… Learn More

Online
May 14, 2026 3:00 pm–4:00 pm
Literacy Minnesota
Online

Integrating AI Literacy Across Adult Education Classes and Levels – Session 1

Online

Registration Deadline: THU. 5/14/26 Venue: Online (see details below) Integrating AI Literacy Across Adult Education Classes and Levels Across adult education, AI literacy is a critical skill for navigating the modern workforce and daily life. This two-part webinar series moves beyond the “what” of AI… Learn More

Online