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Amazing Links
Dictionaries and Encyclopaedias
Grammar
General Interest
News
Projects
Puzzles & Games
Skills
Songs
Story Sites
Teacher Resources
Teens
Young Ones
Date: Wed, 6 Jun 2001 10:22:06 -0400
From: HectorLow BCVenezuela
Subject: Useful websites for EFL
Recently The British Council presented several workshops on using
internet for teaching EFL. It was not just based on the classroom, we
looked at self-access/self-study, sites for teachers and the use of
non EFL sites.
The important points that came out in the workshops was (like any use
of technology) that the internet:
1. is not a solution to teaching/learning English
2. could/should be integrated into the syllabus and into the lesson
3. is a very valuable extra tool to use
4. is here and if we don't start to use it we will be left behind
We did not look at topics such as chatting, use of email or on-line
courses.
The following are a list of sites that may be of interest to anyone
who is using or thinking about using the internet for teaching/learning
English. It was originally a Word document but this system doesn't like
attachments. Hopefully ELTeCS LA will be developing a system where we
can share materials or lesson plans for teaching if people think this
is a good idea and part of what ELTeCS should be doing.
Many thanks are due to Gaenor Hardy who put the list together and all
the teachers at The British Council Caracas who gave her ideas.
In the workshop, we asked the participants to look at the sites and think
about them in terms of:
* Is it a teacher resource site, for students or both?
* Is it for adults or children?
* Is it 'authentic'?
* What kind of language are students being exposed to?
(Grammar, vocabulary, a particular skill etc)
* What levels could you use it with?
* Would you use it with your students?
The British Council does not in any way promote or recommend these sites
and, whilst every effort has been made to test out the sites and links, The
British Council cannot be held responsible for the contents of these sites.
This information is correct at the time of publication, (June 2001), but
please be reminded that the links to which these addresses refer can change
or may be abandoned.
Amazing Links
To the top of the list
18 pages of excellent links including teacher resources, student resources
and authentic materials compiled by the British Council in Hong Kong.
Includes, magazines such as GQ, Cosmopolitan, search engines, lesson plans,
quizzes and Usenet and discussion lists.
Another comprehensive list of links - 17 pages in total, including lesson
plans, teaching organisations, jobs, online exercises and instant lessons.
The ESL Centre's links , 7 pages of exercises for pronunciation, listening,
vocabulary, games and news.
A very comprehensive site of links including tons of authentic material,
resources, lesson plans and information.
Possibly the best all-round site for English learners , with plenty of links
to other sites
Dictionaries and Encyclopaedias
To the top of the list
The Longman online interactive dictionary. Lots of activities and ideas for
all levels.
Search four Cambridge University Press dictionaries on line.
Offers many different dictionaries and directories including a multitude of
languages, Roget's Thesaurus, and language discussion forums.
Ideas for using Encarta in the classroom.
A desktop dictionary that can be used to check the meaning of words whilst
surfing the Net in many different languages.
Grammar
To the top of the list
The British Council UK's offering of activities for children, teens and
adults at a range of levels, including games, poems, and grammar.
Slightly less boring than average for a grammar site! Useful multi-choice
and gap-fills with rules and explanations for each exercise.
Loads of activities for all sorts of grammar, vocabulary, idioms, jokes,
hours of self-access material for students and activities for teachers.
More gap-fills and exercises for various grammar points.
A mix of grammar, vocabulary and idioms for a range of levels.
Includes grammar page, downloads of EFL games, tips for teachers, easy to
move around and use, especially useful for self-access.
Simple activities for intermediate levels.
Good for jokes and idioms as well as the usual grammar and vocabulary - to
intermediate level.
General Interest
To the top of the list
Book store and lots of reviews.
A one-stop reference desk including dictionary, geography, foreign exchange.
A U.S.-based mine of information on British culture. Go to about.com for
thousands of other possibilities
News
To the top of the list
Links for British newspapers.
Links for newspapers from all over the world.
A comprehensive site for teachers and students offering on-line courses, an
e-mail discussion forum, and news stories section.
Probably the most useful and user-friendly newspaper site, with a search
facility so that you can find articles on, say, Venezuela at the touch of a
button.
Projects
To the top of the list
a collection of animal trivia.
Natural history trivia.
General trivia from Bill Gates to Spam.
A great site with all sorts of information about English culture, from
politics to paganism!
Travel through time with Dr Klaus (in a yellow and pink Morris Minor) from
the big bang onwards.
Puzzles & Games
To the top of the list
Just as it says . . .and other puzzles too
Every kind of puzzle you can imagine
Random collection of activities and puzzles
Skills
To the top of the list
Excellent listening exercises in real-audio with activities.
This site gives all the stages for effective writing.
Help with story writing
Various activities to practice all skills, excellent site.
Songs
To the top of the list
An excellent site with links and suggestions for using music and songs in
class. A very lively and usable site.
An amusing site devoted to misheard song lyrics.
Learn the words to your favourite songs.
Story Sites
To the top of the list
Great kids' site with the Grimm fairytales
Includes lesson plans and methodology and a great story library.
Listen to and read stories and poems by young learners.
Teacher Resources
To the top of the list
A good variety of resources and research tools.
Resources for English as well as maths, science, social studies. Includes
sites for students too.
Reuters provides online news. A, free lesson every week, but you need to
subscribe to receive endless lessons.
Enter the English Zone for everything from reference material to resources
to chat.
Very comprehensive site of links from planning lessons, to web authoring.
Lesson resources and articles.
A very comprehensive site pitched at 3 levels elementary, pre-intermediate
and intermediate.
Worksheets can be copied into word for use in class, includes vocabulary,
grammar and dictation at intermediate level and above.
Lessons for the movies, - include a plot summary, a list of characters, a
glossary of vocabulary and various cultural references and questions for ESL
class discussion (just hope you can get a hold of the video!)
Very big resource for everything from grammar, TOEFL to clipart.
Young Learners & Teenagers
Search Engines
A search engine that provides for "safe surfing".
Teens
To the top of the list
Kids on the Net site - cool site with all sorts of links and ideas
Stories to read and mysteries to solve, as well as scary stories and magic
tricks!
An online newspaper featuring sports, news, and music for teens.
Answers all you problems with grammar, - send an email and wait for the
answer. Also has help with other school subjects.
Produced by the BBC, can you help to catch the spies during World War 2?
Reading, Listening and grammar activities, a very attractive and exciting
site.
Young Ones
To the top of the list
Quizzes and activities.
Nursery rhymes and songs for kids.
Excellent educational site for young kids with stories, theme-related
activities, great potential once you know what's on there.
Billi Bear's kids site. Just a small page which can be used alone or with
the Muzzy series of books and videos.
The BBC phonics page.
On line help, advice, cartoons, and idioms.
Aims to improve spelling through musical dictation.
Games, puzzles and facts all about frogs.
A nice site for resources for young learners (but is intended for native
speakers), has stories, poems and quizzes.
General knowledge quizzes. Get "splatted" when you answer incorrectly.
(Requires Shockwave).
Entertaining collection of puzzles, comic strips, words games and more.
Fun and challenging on line games for kids, including Maths Baseball, Change
Maker, Fun Match, Spell Check and Wacky Tales.
Wacky Web Tales students can create their own stories by filling in the
blanks to You and Harry Potter, The Mummy, The Camping Trip, The Box, and
other thrilling stories.
A picture warehouse, contains pictures of anything and everything. Also
gives lesson plans and helpful advice as to incorporating pictures in your
lessons.
Resource of rhymes and activities for use with young ones.
Hector Low
Teaching Centre Manager
The British Council
Caracas
Venezuela
Tel: 0058 212 9529965 Ext 239
Fax: 0058 212 9529691
Web Page
If interested in learning English, please
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