The world of language teaching is vast, and while no book could possibly cover every relevant topic in detail, in Teaching English: A Practical Guide for Language Teachers, we’ve attempted to provide a thorough introduction to all the essential topics. This companion website supplements the book by providing links and handouts that cover a wide range of topics at various levels of expertise: introductory ideas for new teachers; handouts for teacher-trainees to use for practice; activities and lessons for teachers to use or adapt for their classes; links to useful articles, journals and organizations; practice sites for language students; and so on. The focus, in most cases, is on providing practical ideas and content for new(er) language teachers.

All handouts below (in pdf or doc format) are free to download, print, and use; most websites linked below also provide free access, though a few require an account or a subscription.

 

Chapter 1: All About Teachers

• Teaching ESL: Introductory ideas for new teachers (CSU)
• Seven Tips for Teaching English to Beginners (Pearson)
• Essential Tips for Teachers of Modern Languages (British Council)

Chapter 2: Learning About Learners

• Print and Use: Graphic Organizer for Student Profiles in Chapter 2 (pdf).
• ESL Learners: Questions to consider when preparing to teach language learners (CSU)
• Language Acquisition: An Overview: Stages, strategies, and recommendations
• Most Useful Tips to Learn a New Language (Middlebury)
• A Critical Period for Second Language Acquisition (Science Direct)

Levels and Benchmarks

• ACTFL: American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages
• CCLB: Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks; see in particular the introduction and e-Learning Portal.
• CEFR: Common European Framework of Reference for Languages; see in particular their level descriptors. See also this video introduction from Cambridge, and the useful links at the bottom of this page.
• ILR: Interagency Language Roundtable
• WIDA: World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment

Chapter 3: Learning from Others: Approaches and Methods

• What’s the best way to teach languages? (The Guardian)
• An Analysis of Language Teaching Approaches and Methods (US-China Education Review)
• The History of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (T&F)

Chapter 4: Planning Courses, Using Textbooks

• Textbooks: Advantages and Disadvantages (TeacherVision)
• Longman/Pearson, Cambridge, Oxford, and Macmillan: Major publishers of ESL textbooks
• An Alternative Approach to EFL/ESL Course Design: A quick and interesting read

Chapter 5: Planning Lessons and Activities

• Print & Use: Lesson Plan Template (doc)
• BusyTeacher.org: Thousands of free, printable worksheets and lessons
• EnglishClub.com: Lessons, handouts, posters, and more
• Using English.com: A wide variety of resources for students and teachers

Chapter 6: Class Management

• Effective Classroom Management: Articles that discuss effective classroom management (Faculty Focus)
• Classroom Management Strategies: Taking Control Of Noisy Students (Video)
• TESL Canada Journal, The Internet TESL Journal, TESOL International Journal, and ELT Journal are useful for professional development.

Chapter 7: Assessment

• Assessment in the Classroom: A broad discussion of assessment in education (NAP)
• Advantages and Disadvantages of Different Types of Test Questions (Faculty Focus)
• 20 Simple Assessment Strategies You Can Use Every Day: Simple but practical tips

Chapter 8: Teaching Speaking

• Teaching Speaking: Activities to Promote Speaking in a Second Language (ITESLJ)
• Teaching Speaking Skills (British Council)

Chapter 9: Teaching Listening Comprehension

• Cyber Listening Lab: Listening exercises at easy, moderate, and difficult levels
• Learning English with CBC: Interactive audio exercises for listening practice

Chapter 10: Teaching Reading

• Breaking News English: Free reading lessons at seven levels
• News in Levels: News articles at various reading levels
• Reading: Reading practice at various levels (British Council)

Chapter 11: Teaching Writing

• Writing Activities: Practical, easy-to use activities (British Council)
• Teaching Writing: A brief discussion and suggested activities (CSU)

Chapter 12: Understanding and Teaching Vocabulary

• EF Word Lists: Lists of the most commonly used words in English
• English Vocabulary Exercises: Online practice
• Vocabulary Practice (British Council)

Chapter 13: Understanding Grammar

• Print & Practice: Word formation and parts of speech (pdf)
• Print & Practice: Common types of phrases: NP, VP, A,P, AvP, PP (pdf)
• Print & Practice: Sentence Functions: S, IO, DO, OC, SC (pdf)
• Print & Practice: Phrases and Functions (pdf)
• Print & Practice: Clauses (pdf)
• English Grammar Explanations (English-Hilfen)

Chapter 14: Teaching Grammar

• Grammar Practice (British Council)
• Grammar Practice (First English)
• Grammar Practice (OUP)
• Grammar Explanation and Practice (EnglishGrammar.org)
• Grammar Explanations and Quizzes (GrammarBook)
• Grammar Bytes: Practice correcting errors in sentence structure and punctuation

Chapter 15: Understanding Speech Sounds

• Interactive IPA Chart; also here (UVic), and here (CAM)
• IPA translators; also here and here. See also this online IPA keyboard
• Ship or Sheep: Online minimal pair practice

Chapter 16: Teaching Sound Perception and Pronunciation

• Word Stress: Online Practice
• Print & Practice: Sentence Stress (pdf)
• Print & Practice: Intonation (pdf)

Chapter 17: Linguistic Factors in Language Acquisition

• The Role of Linguistics in Second Language Classrooms (AIJCR)
• Studies in Second Language Acquisition (subscription required)

Chapter 18: Intercultural Communication

• Cultural Bridges: Helpful hints for bridging cultural gaps in the classroom (CSU)
• Dimensions of Culture (Hofstede)
• Culture Comparisons (Hofstede)
• Shakespeare in the Bush (Laura Bohannan)
• Incredibly Bizarre Experience of Teaching in North Korea (Suki Kim)
• Body Ritual Among the Nacirema (Horace Miner)

Chapter 19: Frequently Asked Questions

• JET Programme: The Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme
• Auxiliares de Conversation: English Language and Culture Assistants in Spain
• TAPIF: Teaching Assistant Program in France
• TLG: Teach and Learn with Georgia
• EPIK: English Program in Korea
• TaLK: Teach and Learn in Korea

Appendices

• See the corresponding chapters above