ESL Monkeys: ESL Online Resources
This site provides quite a great deal of resources for teachers, schools, and students. One interesting tool of this site is that if you double click and one more click on any word, which is not linked, on a page with the "Double Click a Word!" sign on the top, then, it directs you to the word's definition on an online dictionary. I find the following three sections most useful:
1. Free ESL Teaching Materials: ESL teachers can search lesson plans according to topic, skill, level (elementary, intermediate, advanced, and business), age (chlidren, teens, and adults), and keyword. In the "Reading Materials" section, they provide up-to-date news articles, short, long, and classic English stories, along with tips on teaching reading skills.
2. Free Resources for ESL Learners: this section provides useful resources such as free lessons and free downloadable books for ESL learners. Especially, I like "Word, Idiom, and Quote of the Day."
3. Admissions Essay Guide and Samples: this section provides useful tips and guidelines for writing application essays along with essay samples.
Hmmm, I'm not quite sure if I like this site, at least the lesson plans. It certainly has a lot of options and a variety of types of lessons, but some of the lessons I found seemed quirky. For example, there is a 'speed dating' ice breaker. I'm not sure what level or group this would be suitable for. High school students might like activities that incorporate love/relationship topics, but I would still be careful to make sure they promote appropriate dating etiquette. This might fly for adults, but could also be uncomfortable, especially if many of the adults are married.
ReplyDeleteOther lessons that were media-centered like gossip articles from a real news source seemed a little out of place. However, there were some lessons that did use media to teach about environmental concerns, which I think would be more appropriate. I would check this site out again because I think it does have some useful resources, but I would be hesitant about some of the lessons.
Hi, Regina. Thank you so much for your comments. I agree, some lesson plans do not look that organized or professional. I think, it is because the lesson plans are posted by many real teachers, not by one person. It can be both a strength and a weakness of this website that the materials are uploaded by users. I think we should not rely solely on the plans provided there. We should be cautious.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both of you. You are right, Eunjeong, we should be careful about what materials we choose to use in our classrooms. There is so much of information and so many ideas available on the net that it is almost overwhelming. But, some of these things may not be good quality resources.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I think this website does have some useful materials. I like the collection of stories they offer under their Online English Story Room. Some of these stories can be effectively used as reading materials in the classroom.