Current Tutor Resources

• About.com – A portal directing you to many other Basic Literacy websites that concentrate on reading.
• Dictionary and Thesaurus – Good all purpose site. Includes the word-of-the-day, the daily crossword, translator and other fun activities. We learned a lot!
• Dictionary – Merriam-Webster online Includes more than 160,000 entries. Each word has a definition, pronunciation, usage, grammatical function and brief etymology. We enjoyed the quizzes — “Spell It,” “True or False,” and “Vocabulary.”
• Easy English Times – What’s Black and White and Read all over? Your English Times Newsletter!
• Ed Helper – Exercises on reading and every other subject for grade levels K-12 and low-level adults.
• English Club – Helping you learn or teach English. You’ll find everything from lessons for learners to jobs for teachers, including fun pages of games, videos, quizzes and chats.
• English for Everyone – A great resource of printable worksheets in 37 categories such as comprehension, verb tenses, synonyms and antonyms, phonics, etc.
• FreeBookNotes – Book summaries and author info about many classic books.
• Free English Study – Exercises in listening, speaking, reading, writing, grammar, and vocabulary at beginner through advanced levels.
• Freeology – Many free downloadable worksheets on grammar, parts of speech, homonyms, alphabet, numbers and math, telling time, calendars and more.
• Kennedy Center Arts Edge – Supports creative use of technology to enhance the educational experience and innovative teaching with the arts. Free digital resources include lesson plans, audio stories, video clips and interactive online modules. Target population is K-12 but many materials are suitable for adult literacy and ESL students.
• Khan Academy – Offers free math and science exercises from very beginning to advanced levels. Feels like playing a game! And you can track your progress!
• Literacy Tools – Printable and online exercises of reading, writing, spelling and life skills.
• Literacy Tribune – A bimonthly newsletter with articles and useful literacy links.
• National Geographic Education – Did you know the Great Wall of China spans apprx 5500 miles? That’s longer than the continent of Africa! You can learn interesting stuff like this and more at this site.
• ProLiteracy Education Network– “Thinkfinity” for adults. Offers online courses, lesson plans, activities, techniques and strategies for tutors.
• Purdue Online Writing Lab – Materials and resources for students and teachers covering Basic Literacy, ESL, grammar, spelling, punctuation and more.
• Quizlet – Free, easy access to 1000s of ready-made flashcards (or make your own) on a variety of subjects, including learning English! Also has learning games to check your vocabulary.
• Sofa Adventures – Reading Suggestions for Kids, Tweens and Teens. (And adults too!)
• Superpages – An interactive site that teachs your student how to use the white pages online.
• Teaching Tips – Articles, classroom tips and useful tools for teachers and aspiring teachers.
• Thinkfinity by Verizon – Free lesson plans and educational resources for grades K – 12 primarily, including “Camp What-a-Wonder.”
• TLS Books – 1000s over education Worksheets for preschool thru 6th grade. There’s also a daily quiz on math, science, language arts and history.
• Tongue Twisters – If you notice this notice, you will notice that this notice is worth noticing.
• Traffic & Road Signs – When your student is ready to test for their Drivers License, this is a great site to study DMV exam questions.
• TV 411 – A collection of videos and web activites designed to help you reach your reading and writing goals. There are also some Spanish lessons.
• Word Detective – Baffled by Balderdash? Flummoxed by Flabbergast? Perplexed by Pandemonium? Here’s help for you in a humorous vein!
• Worksheets Plus – Free printable Worksheets for Kindergarten thru 7th grade. Includes iPad games and holiday themes.
• Visual Thesaurus – An online thesaurus and dictionary of over 145,000 words that you explore using an interactive map. It’s a tool for people who think visually.

• About.com for ESL – Newsletter that includes lesson plans, vocabulary and grammar.
• Activities for ESL Students – Quizzes, puzzles and exercises to help the ESL student learn English.
• Boost English Vocab – Skill building quizzes, test prep materials, vocab/spelling quizzes. Lots of fun!
• Breaking News English – Lesson Plans on current events.
• Citizenship – Over 40 YouTube videos for practicing Citizenship Test questions.
• Citizenship and Voting Prep – iCivics was founded by Justice Sandra Day O’Connor to reverse Americans’ declining civic knowledge and participation. This website prepares young Americans to become well-informed and engaged in government issues. We particularly enjoyed playing the “Cast Your Vote” game.
• Dave’s ESL Cafe – The internet’s meeting place for ESL and Basic Literacy teachers and students.
• Duolingo – Learn a new language; completely free! Apple’s 2013 App of the Year!
• English Current – Articles on current events that include lesson plans, quizzes and activities.
• ESL Galaxy – Lesson Plans, printables, materials and activities for ESL Students.
• ESL Gold – Many resources in conversational skills, listening, speaking, reading, writing, grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and business English for both ESL student and teacher.
• Forvo – On this site a student can type in a word and hear it pronounced.
• Internet TESL Journal – Articles, lesson plans and classroom handouts for ESL Students.
• Preparing for the Oath: An interactive website presenting videos and activities that showcase artifacts from the Smithsonian, features 100 questions/answers from the naturalization test, lesson plans to assist teachers with classroom activities; a word list with definitions of terms, and the opportunity for users to test themselves.
• USA Learns – A great website for the ESL student to listen and practice English pronunciation.
• Using English – A large collection of quizzes, idioms and worksheets for ESL learners. Also, a Community Forum for teachers to participate in.

Laubach Way to Reading – a four-level series that uses step-by-step lessons to take learners from what they know (the spoken word) to the unknown (written words.)  An excellent phonics-basic program for non-readers or low-level readers.

Challenger – an eight-level series using phonics, vocabulary and sequential skill development via fiction and non-fiction stories.  An excellent structured program using writing and short answer exercises that are effective in improving basic skills.

Voyager – a three-level series with a theme-based approach that teaches essential reading, writing, listening, speaking and critical thinking skills that encourage the student to be an active learner.  An excellent contemporary program for the student who enjoys dialoguing with his/her tutor through discussion and multiple choice questions.

Supplemental Materials:

• Focus on Phonics
• Patterns in Spelling
• Breakthrough to Math
• Cursive Writing
• Passing the GED
• Life Skills (Signs Around Town, Controlling Your Money, Studying for your Drivers License, Fixing Your Car)
• Fiction (Easy Stories) and NonFiction (religious, autobiographies, etc)

Laubach Way to English – a four-level series that offers practice in listening to, speaking, reading and writing the patterns of English.  Lessons cover skills areas that are important in mastering English such as parts of speech, writing sentences, and filling out forms.

English No Problem – a five-level program focused on developing critical thinking, cultural awareness, and building language and life skills.  Designed to address themes and issues meaningful to adults in the United States.

LifePrints – a four-level program that helps adult ESL students gain English language skills needed to participate at work and in their communities.  Presents lessons through everyday life experiences faced by immigrants, their neighbors and co-workers.

Supplemental Materials:

• Word by Word Picture Dictionary
• Oxford Picture Dictionary
• Focus on Grammar
• Grammar Wise
• Citizenship: Passing the Test
• Rosetta Stone