ESOL Queen

I have been introducing my ESOL students to important places in the UK via virtual tours. This is a great way to find out about places without having to worry about money, transport, accommodation etc. (particularly during Covid 19). Just by clicking on a virtual tour places can become a lot more real to students and some of the tours do make you feel like you are actually there! These tours are also a great prompt for students to talk about important places and buildings in their own countries and to write about places which mean a lot to them. They might be able to show your virtual tours from their countries as well 😀 Here are my two latest tours for places to visit in South West England and also for places in London. South West England:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/10ycesie4Sd3SNujlyrqhChj1IBcG4TC6/view?usp=sharing    London: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uIIU4o16TyJQbnyw9k2jLUhivUQcpY8I/view?usp=sharing

I have been teaching my students about the Royal Family and we have been able to go on a virtual trip to Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. Here are two PowerPoints that I made for our trip. They are great for Pre-Entry, Entry 1 and 2 learners: Buckingham Palace  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Y7zHb_CGBLkmWtPmTcPW9aiG78dRYxXA/view?usp=sharing   Royal Family: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1031YgYnBfHBZf9Ldu0RatK8oZNvs_0xJ/view?usp=sharing  

Today I took my students on a virtual tour of Plymouth using this fantastic map from Plymouth University. https://virtual.plymouth.ac.uk/#s=pano526 Some of my students discovered important places for the first time and new activities to do with their children. Unfortunately not all the places are open during Covid-19 lockdown, but they enjoyed finding out new information about these places and ways to visit in the future.  I've also uploaded some of my best ESOL Plymouth resources which can be used with Pre-Entry, Entry 1, Entry 2 and Entry 3 students. Let me know what you think in the comments section below :)  Plymouth Places and Virtual Tour PowerPoint: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1P0jRGuxKbKq8gEkw80_sEUSj7Q3YI_mR/view?usp=sharing Plymouth Tourist Research and Matching Activity: https://drive.google.com/file/d/12xE6z459HR61jWTVTp54BpVxNkZwNcSx/view?usp=sharing Plymouth Pre-Entry Reading Activities: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iIK_0cdE7CPlF3FObWqBzpmonwlglF61/view?usp=sh

Check out my latest Pre-Entry resources uploads. These materials are designed for adult ESOL learners who have zero or low literacy in English: Question flash cards:   https://drive.google.com/file/d/16mRGP-KtkHNBE65wUyXFVUazHkogWASF/view?usp=sharing Question and answer flash cards:   https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rM4RtF6FP9nd3XJlbHcbxH8CH86Zw9-1/view?usp=sharing   Form filling example and activity:   https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SW_VQNjShrtSMjrBEtIhSDqq3wg9gsqO/view?usp=sharing   Form filling vocabulary and matching activities:   https://drive.google.com/file/d/1u_yev7m9xe2y46YGxaXKl3gW8eQT8HFQ/view?usp=sharing        All about me reading and writing activities: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1K1JhWArlWZFTR8yPiRsy4Cod_OEm9Oh8/view?usp=sharing

Check out my pages for ESOL and Functional Skills teaching materials: Pre-Entry:  https://www.esolqueen.co.uk/p/my-pre-entry-absolute-beginner-resources.html Entry 1 and 2:  https://www.esolqueen.co.uk/p/entry-1-and-2-resources.html Entry 3, Level 1 and Level 2:  https://www.esolqueen.co.uk/p/entry-3-level-1-and-level-2.html I will be adding more materials over the next few weeks. Let me know if there's anything in particular you would like to see. 😀

There are hundreds of amazing video resources out there. Here are my favourite websites to use both teaching online and in the classroom: Pre-Entry/ Entry 1:        English My Way- Learning Circles. Simple role plays with flash cards https://www.englishmyway.co.uk/learning-circles         Rocking English Grammar- Very simple grammar and vocabulary explanations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZCcRzgrr8Y         MES English Vocabulary videos (American pronunciation) http://tv.mes-english.com/         Mr Bean YouTube/ Vimeo- worksheets from www.islcollective.com        Shaw English Phonics- Simple phonics videos https://shawenglish.com/tag/phonics-2/ Entry 2 and Entry 3:        British Council ESOL Nexus videos https://esol.britishcouncil.org/content/learners/uk-life/video-uk        Film English http://film-english.com/ A lot of great free lessons are found on here for Levels as well.        Lesson Stream https://lessonstream.org/lessons/          Google Translate Sings- Yo

A lot of my students ask me how they can learn English with their children, particularly during lockdown. Here is a list of different activities I have found: Read Free E-books:      https://freekidsbooks.org/   Listen to Children’s stories:          https://www.storylineonline.net/library/?fbclid=IwAR1O2Nm1LIeHrdRwT9EBGyT1p8iZ6wqrSS3gHEtrYCpKtlUKIEzi7cZ8fUg Quizlet- Play English vocabulary and grammar quizzes:          https://quizlet.com/gb/topic/languages/english/ Play English games online:         https://www.gamestolearnenglish.com/          https://www.eslgamesplus.com/           https://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/fun-games         http://www.koalatext.com/public/index.php/lessonsv2/1/13   Make an E-book story book with your child:         https://bookcreator.com/online/?fbclid=IwAR2g2VyZOqd6aVxXxi3tgRPC4xFtz-Av9VmKJesWMl2gRWbvY1aCBcCFoJk Do craft activities:        https://www.easypeasyandfun.com/?fbclid=IwAR0tF9VwmTso0Qzr5nfDAOZz0upCx-ZcHK

My students often ask me how they can study English on their phones or laptops. Here is a list of some of the best websites and apps I suggest:     English File Student Online Games: https://elt.oup.com/student/englishfile/beginner3/?cc=gb&selLanguage=en This has useful online grammar and vocabulary revision for beginner to advanced.        ESOL NEXUS https://esol.britishcouncil.org/ This has some really good listening and reading activities.         Lyrics Training : https://lyricstraining.com/app?nr=1&~channel=web&~feature=redirect&~campaign=none&ref=https%3A%2F%2Flyricstraining.com%2F Learn English through songs and videos. The app version is very useful.       British Council Kids : https://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/ This is great for low levels and for students who have children learning English as well.        ESL Lab: https://www.esl-lab.com/study-guide/ This has a great range of self-study materials.       A 4 ESL: http://a4esl.o

I'm often asked how ESOL class levels compare to general teaching levels in TEFL. This is a very "rough" guide based on the classes I teach and my experience of teaching ESOL learners... Please note that other language schools and organisations may use slightly different terms and their interpretation of levels may vary. [1] [2] A student’s level ESOL Level CEFR Level What this means: (in an ESOL context). Pre-beginner/ Zero beginner       Pre-Entry A1 (very low) These students are absolute beginners.  They may be completely illiterate in their L1 or use a language with a different alphabet like Arabic or Farsi. Equally, they may have some literacy, but do not know a lot of vocabulary or be able to communicate in English.   Beginner Entry 1 A1 These students have some basic understanding/ experience of English. At t

When I describe my job to people I realise that I use a lot of acronyms and TEFL specific words which can be quite confusing if you are not familiar with English language teaching. Here are a few explanations of terms which are often used: ESOL / ESOL students : English for Speakers of Other Languages. This term is often used to refer to students who have moved to the UK because they are asylum seekers, refugees or migrant workers. EFL/ ESL students : English as a Foreign/ Second Language. This term is often used more generally for anyone studying English (as their first language is different). It is often used for students in private language schools, students who come to study and return to their country or for students who study English in their own country. EAL : English as An Additional Language. This term is used in primary/ secondary schools for children whose first language is not English. TEFL : This is a general term for someone who teaches English as a Foreign Langua