Resources
Results
Once Upon a Picture: The Thinking Collection
A collection of images, photo and illustrations, with prompts to inspire learners to write or speak using critical thinking skills about the image.
ESL Conversation Questions
Find conversation questions grouped by topic or by grammar point. The site also contains ideas for icebreakers and additional online resources for teachers.
Print Discuss
This relatively new website contains printable lists of conversation questions arranged by topic or grammar point. Most conversation lists contain simple warm-up questions and a vocabulary word list.
Clear English Corner with Keenyn Rhodes – for learners
This channel is dedicated to helping learners speak American English with clarity and confidence. Video resources are uploaded weekly. This channel is a great resources for learners, and can also be used by teachers as supplemental resources for class, and can help teachers gain a greater understanding of English pronunciation.
Clear English Corner with Keenyn Rhodes
This channel is dedicated to helping learners speak American English with clarity and confidence. Video resources are uploaded weekly. This channel is a great resources for learners, and can also be used by teachers as supplemental resources for class, and can help teachers gain a greater understanding of English pronunciation.
Rachel’s English YouTube Channel – for learners
Americans speak fast and conversation can be hard! This channel is a great resource for learners, where they can unpack pronunciation features with videos on all aspects of spoken English – from dropped sounds and linked words to idioms, phrasal verbs, and conversation study. It can also be used by teachers as supplemental resources for class, and can help teachers gain a greater understanding of English pronunciation.
Rachel’s English YouTube Channel
Americans speak fast and conversation can be hard! On this channel, unpack pronunciation features with videos on all aspects of spoken English – from dropped sounds and linked words to idioms, phrasal verbs, and conversation study. This channel is a great resource for learners! It can also be used by teachers as supplemental resources for class, and can help teachers gain a greater understanding of English pronunciation.
Baruch College: Tools for Clear Speech – for learners
"TfCS offers a variety of practice exercises and online resources for remote access. From individual English sounds to overarching features like intonation and stress, these exercises are an excellent way to preview, practice, and maintain what you learn." The tools are made to support learners taking classes at Baruch College, but anyone can access and learn from their excellent Tools to Go!
Baruch College: Tools for Clear Speech
"TfCS offers a variety of practice exercises and online resources for remote access. From individual English sounds to overarching features like intonation and stress, these exercises are an excellent way to preview, practice, and maintain what you learn." The tools are made to support learners taking classes at Baruch College, but anyone can access and learn from their excellent Tools to Go!
The Pronunciation Doctor YouTube Channel
Marsha Chan demonstrates how teachers can use multiple textbooks to improve language learners' pronunciation through a variety of techniques. Teachers will also find videos of professional development workshops on pronunciation instruction, and examples of adult ESL learners engaging in pronunciation activities in the classroom.
Getting Started with Effective Math Talk in the Classroom
Using mathematical discussions in the classroom is a powerful way to increase our students’ critical thinking and communication skills. This article explores ways to get your students thinking and communicating mathematically from the very first days of school. The article is written for K-12 teachers, but the language and strategies work well with adult learners.
10-step guide to Teaching Effective Conversation Classes
Learn suggestions for incorporating conversation into the classroom, or beginning a stand-alone conversation class or a conversation circle. The article includes a link to a guide with 30 speaking activities.
The Teachers’ Room: Correcting Errors
This video shares different things teachers should to take into consideration when correcting errors, and gives suggestions for ways to do learner-friendly error correction 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).
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.
Minnesota Literacy Council 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.
Give It a Go: Teaching Pronunciation to Adults
This interactive PDF resource provides "a brief and accessible overview of how pronunciation works in English, some explanations of the particular difficulties faced by learners from different backgrounds, and activities that teachers can use to help adult language learners to improve their pronunciation."
Error Correction
This article provides strategies for how and when to correct learners' mistakes and suggestions for how to make error correction a part of your classroom routine.
6 ESL Teaching Techniques to Cut TTT and Get Your Students Talking
Learn easy and effective strategies to cut teacher talk time and provide more opportunities for your learners to practice their English in this article by FluentU.
New Resources
Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility
Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility is being added to the Featured Resources as part of our effort to look at ACES/TIF through the important lens of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and social emotional learning (SEL). Part of how they fulfill this mission is by sharing a robust collection of classroom resources that focuses on helping people understand current issues, celebrate diversity, and explore intersectionality. The lesson collection is very well-organized and can be searched using key terms and/or by applying various filters.
Center for Global Environmental Education (CGEE) – Hamline University
CGEE provides online classrooms activities, videos, and images for K-12 students that are adaptable for adult education. Many of these resources are focused on the watershed health of the Mississippi River and Lake Superior. Activities include interactive demonstrations of watersheds and more intentional action projects such as Adopt-a-Drain.
Carbon-14 Dating & Half-Life
Carbon-14 dating is a popular topic on the science GED. This resource provides a comprehensive lesson plan that explains the concept of half-life to students, with particular emphasis on how to read and interpret a decay curve graph.
Presenter Information
Get information about stipends, reimbursements, and other instructions for presenters.
MN ABE YouTube Channel
The MN ABE 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.
Upcoming ABE Events
March 29, 2023
6:30 pm–8:30 pm
Online
Phonics in Adult ESL: Recommendations, Activities and Resources
Online
Registration Deadline: WED. 3/29/23 Phonics–the knowledge of the sounds letters make when they are combined to make words–is essential to beginning literacy and beginning level English language instruction. But, many teachers and tutors lack the knowledge, confidence and resources to teach the topic. Attend this session to learn… Learn More
Online
March 30, 2023
2:00 pm–3:15 pm
Online
ABE-Dev Ed Affinity Group Meeting
Online
Mark your calendar NOW, for this school year’s online ABE-Dev Ed Affinity Group meetings. Attendees are provided two meeting options to discuss the same content, allowing for greater practitioner engagement. The upcoming meeting options are: Thursday, March 30 (2-3:15pm) or Friday, March 31 (10-11:15am) Affinity Group meetings are facilitated by… Learn More
Online
March 31, 2023
10:00 am–11:15 am
Online
ABE-Dev Ed Affinity Group Meeting
Online
Mark your calendar NOW, for this school year’s online ABE-Dev Ed Affinity Group meetings. Attendees are provided two meeting options to discuss the same content, allowing for greater practitioner engagement. The upcoming meeting options are: Thursday, March 30 (2-3:15pm) or Friday, March 31 (10-11:15am) Affinity Group meetings are facilitated by… Learn More
Online