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Grammar Monster
Completely free website with mini grammar lessons based on common mistakes, vocabulary building activities for ESL students, idioms, punctuation, and more. Each lesson contains an explanation, examples, and a short quiz. There are many interactive online activities for the vocabulary portion of the website.
Randall’s ESL Cyber Listening Lab: Vocabulary Quizzes
Find 1-3 minute intermediate level listening tracks with a variety of activities for learners to test their understanding, including multiple choice questions, gap-fill exercises, and sentence and vocabulary matching.
Total Physical Response (TPR): A Curriculum for Adults
Learn about the "how" and "why" of using TPR in the classroom and explore a lesson routine that can be used for a wide variety of TPR topics. A great resource for teachers who are new to incorporating TPR into their lessons.
ESL Literacy Readers (Bow Valley Readers)
This collection of 40 theme-based readers features adult ESL learners engaging in everyday work and life activities. The learner page provides ESL students with access to seven levels of stories written specifically for adults. Each story focuses on a different learner and has an accompanying listening track so learners can listen as well as read the story.
Rachel’s English
This YouTube channel contains hundreds of videos unpacking the sounds and rhythms of the English language, as well as videos exploring idioms, vocabulary, and recommendations for strengthening listening and learning skills.
Activities for Tutoring a Beginning ESL Literacy Student
Find activity ideas for Beginning ESL Literacy level learners in phonics, pattern based reading, meaning-based reading, checking comprehension, and vocabulary in this handout.
Global Oneness Project
According to their website, “We aim to connect, through stories, the local human experience to global meta-level issues, such as climate change, water scarcity, food insecurity, poverty, endangered cultures, migration, and sustainability. Through featuring individuals and communities impacted by these issues, our stories and lessons provide opportunities to examine universal themes that emphasize our common humanity... Our lessons facilitate the development of students' critical thinking, inquiry, empathy, and listening skills."
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.
Talking Politics: Valuing Different Perspectives
This video from Edutopia demonstrates how high school students learn how to share and listen to opposing beliefs with empathy in the classroom.
Ten ESL Activities to Teach Perfect Pronunciation and Get Mouths Moving
This article from the FluentU English Educator Blog provides ten activities for teachers to use when students have difficulty differentiating between two sounds (known as minimal pairs).
Sounds of English
Sounds of English is a collaboration by Holly Gray and Sharon Widmayer that they started to help their ESL students develop their pronunciation and speaking skills. The site has been expanded to include information about their past research and presentations, lessons and activities for ESL teachers, and more.
- Assessment
- Beginning ESL
- Beginning ESL Literacy
- Emergent Readers
- Listening
- Reading
- Speaking
- Teaching Strategies
- Writing
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.
Learning Chocolate
This learner-based website contains lists of technology-based vocabulary words that learners can listen to, then check their understanding with matching, fill-in-the-blank, and dictation games.
Reading Skills for Healthcare Workers
The Reading Skills for Healthcare Workers website helps learners explore the field of healthcare. The website contains 175 readings, including pre-reading questions, target vocabulary, a text-dependent question set, and two prompts for writing practice.
New Resources
Video #6: Analyzing Our Lessons with the Culture Tree
The Culture Tree helps us name tangible parts of culture, so that when we look at our lesson plans, we can figure out how much of the content is based on our own culture and ways of seeing/thinking of things. Therefore, once we name what part of culture the lesson connects with, we can then think about what kinds of discussion questions or content will invite learners to share about their own experiences. This makes class more relevant and helps learners bridge information they already know to new skills and knowledge.
Videos Series: Moving Equity Forward in Adult Education
Moving Equity Forward in Adult Education is a series of short videos around DEI/antiracism topics in adult education. Each video and accompanying discussion questions will package an important concept that works toward justice in a format that is easily accessible for educators. Videos cover topics such as understanding culture, discovering learners’ funds of knowledge, being a warm demander, and using diverse teaching materials.
ACES Foundations Online Course
This free online course on the Canvas platform provides an introduction to ACES (Academic, Career and Employability Skills) and the TIF (Transitions Integration Framework). Participants can complete the entire course or access specific topics for a refresher, and can earn 6 CEUs for successful completion of all lesson reviews in the course.
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
January 22, 2025
6:30 pm–8:30 pm
Online
Volunteer Core Training Module 3: Instructional Best Practices: Working with Learners
Online
Registration Deadline: WED. 1/22/25 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
January 23, 2025
8:00 am–4:00 pm
Embassy Suites by Hilton – Minneapolis Airport
7901 34th Ave S
Bloomington, MN 55425 United States
7901 34th Ave S
Bloomington, MN 55425 United States
Language & Literacy Institute 2025 – Bloomington, MN
Embassy Suites by Hilton – Minneapolis Airport
7901 34th Ave S
Bloomington, MN 55425 United States
7901 34th Ave S
Bloomington, MN 55425 United States
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: FRI. 1/17/25 by 5:00 pm (CST); Late fee applies after that time! NOTE: Anyone attending the conference, including presenters, MUST register! HOTEL GUEST ROOMS: ATLAS is holding a block of discounted rooms at the event venue, Embassy Suites by Hilton-Minneapolis Airport; however, space… Learn More
Embassy Suites by Hilton – Minneapolis Airport
7901 34th Ave S
Bloomington, MN 55425 United States
7901 34th Ave S
Bloomington, MN 55425 United States
January 24, 2025
8:00 am–5:00 pm
Embassy Suites by Hilton – Minneapolis Airport
7901 34th Ave S
Bloomington, MN 55425 United States
7901 34th Ave S
Bloomington, MN 55425 United States
Language & Literacy Institute 2025 – Bloomington, MN
Embassy Suites by Hilton – Minneapolis Airport
7901 34th Ave S
Bloomington, MN 55425 United States
7901 34th Ave S
Bloomington, MN 55425 United States
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: FRI. 1/17/25 by 5:00 pm (CST); Late fee applies after that time! NOTE: Anyone attending the conference, including presenters, MUST register! HOTEL GUEST ROOMS: ATLAS is holding a block of discounted rooms at the event venue, Embassy Suites by Hilton-Minneapolis Airport; however, space… Learn More
Embassy Suites by Hilton – Minneapolis Airport
7901 34th Ave S
Bloomington, MN 55425 United States
7901 34th Ave S
Bloomington, MN 55425 United States