ESOL Queen

Hi everyone, Thank you so much to everyone who has visited my blog, shared my resources and spread the word about my blog! What started as a small lockdown project in 2020 with just a few views each month has now expanded to over a 1000 visits per month, which is really exciting! I often receive many requests to edit my resources. Unfortunately, with the restrictions on Bloggler I can only upload resources via Google Docs, which makes access to 'edit' documents a bit tricky, as it would mean everyone could edit at the same time. If anyone knows a solution to this, I would be really grateful for ideas 😀  Whilst, I will do my best to respond to you, I currently do not have a lot of time to answer all the requests due to my current work commitments.  However, you can find the majority of my resources on the website ISLcollective under the name of Squeen , with the options to download and edit as you wish.  You can access my materials here: English ESL worksheets, activities...

I've been spending the last few weeks encouraging my Pre-Entry low literacy students to do self-study with a focus on phonics- particularly looking at initial sound patterns and CVC words. My students all have access to Microsoft Teams and after a lot of practice they can now log on and click on their class Team independently. When they have logged on they can click on the websites I post and access them on their mobiles. This has been really useful in enabling my learners to practice at home. If you want to know more about using Microsoft Teams with a low literacy class, let me know in the comments box below and I will post more information about it when I have time. Here are my best self-study phonics websites and videos: Citizen Literacy – Reading and Writing for Everyone  This is an excellent app for reviewing basic literacy and phonic skills. Learn to Read with Phonics | Starfall Education e Word Machine (starfall.com)   Phonics - KS1 English - BBC Bitesize phonics – Sha...

 Over the last few weeks I have been introducing my very low (zero) literacy ESOL students to body parts, health problems and medical treatment vocabulary. One of the main reasons for this is to encourage my students to be confident should they or their family need medical help. Another reason is to help them see that certain words like "children" and "expiry date" can be found on medication labels, enabling them to gain some practical skills for word recognition.  My PowerPoints can be used for both Zoom and face-to-face teaching. They include slow typing motion to show students how the words are formed (with colour-coded vowels). They also include matching activities, simple sentences to practice reading and a few have "fill in the missing letter" activities (see below). Today, I asked my colleagues to bring in their old "over the counter" medical packaging and I was able to create a mini pharmacy in my classroom. My students were able to look ...

After 3 months of online teaching due to lockdown, I am rather pleased to be back to face-to-face teaching again! It has been so lovely to see students in flesh rather than on a screen and everyone seems so happy to be back :) One of the things I've been keen to establish with my very low/ zero literacy Pre-Entry students is how much their literacy and language skills have developed over the last few months and where I will need to 'pitch' my class over the next few weeks. I will also have some new learners starting, so it will be useful to know how much to 'repeat' what we did online and which words and phonic patterns we can move onto next. Therefore, I've created a 'Pre-Entry Literacy Progression Test', which covers basic phonic activities such as initial letter recognition, CVC and CVCC words and simple sentences. I have also included activities to review personal information and basic vocabulary (e.g. colours, clothes and house objects etc.).  To do...

 I've created two new PowerPoints for zero/ low literacy students to use on Zoom, this time focusing on colours and clothes (using British English). I have tried to break up the vocabulary into simple phonics patterns (CVC/ CVCC etc.) and to use words relevant to my students everyday lives.  I have struggled to find adult appropriate and phonics friendly materials for very low English learners who have zero / low literacy skills which uses British English. Whilst there is a lot of amazing American resources out there, I do feel it is important to familarise my students with British English words, as that is what they are most likely to encounter when shopping in Britain. Therefore, I have decided to include words like "jumper" instead of "sweater" and "trousers" instead of "pants".  Do you struggle with the differences between British and American English when teaching low level/ beginner English? What approach do you take? I'd love to re...

I have recently made a writing work book for my Entry 1 class who really need to practice their writing in order to progress to Entry 2. The workbook has 8 different texts covering letters and e-mails. Each text has an example, a framed writing activity and space for students to write on their own. There are also some correction activities at the end.  Feel free to download by clicking on picture. Let me know what you think in the comments box below 😀 

 It's been awhile since my last few posts. but I have been rather busy going back to online teaching on Zoom. These last few weeks have involved going back to shouting "press connect to audio!" and "you need to unmute!" to my ESOL learners, most of whom have coped with online learning very well. I've also had the chance to be more creative with my online resources.  Here are my latest PowerPoints for my low/ zero literacy Pre-Entry learners learning about objects in the home. I have made the PowerPoints to focus on phonics and sound patterns and have chosen home words as a way to make the language relevant and meaningful to my learners' lives. Each PowerPoint has activities such as "read and find the object", encouraging my learners to go to the correct room and find the objects in their house e.g. "cup" and "cushion". There are also activities for matching the words to the pictures, filling in the missing letters, watching ...

Today some of my students taught me how to say "Merry Christmas" in their languages:     I love teaching my students about Christmas at school and using it as a chance to find out about festivals and traditions in my students' own countries.  Many of my ESOL students are very familiar with Christmas as they celebrate it in their home countries. However, for a lot of my students from the Middle East and Sudan Christmas can be a completely new for them:  "Who is this man with a red coat and white beard? Why is my child dressed as a shepherd in their school play? Why are there green trees with lights in every shop and building?" These are just a few questions that my students often ask! There are many great Christmas resources out there. Two of my favorite videos to show students are: The Nativity Story for ESL students:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swmOqAcFP80 Mr Bean's Christmas:  Mr bean Episode 6 FULL EPISODE 'Merry Christmas, Mr bean' - YouTube...

I have been very busy teaching my Entry 1 students writing skills over the last few weeks in preparations for their Entry 1 ESOL and FS writing exams.  Enabling ESOL students to write at Entry 1 can be a challenge, as some literacy concepts such as writing postcards and letters can be quite alien to learners. Writing postcards especially is a very British/ Western activity and these days so much communication is now done online digitally (when was the last time you handwrote a note rather than send a text message?). One of my students pointed out today that she doesn't need to worry about spelling when she e-mails her boss as the computer checks everything automatically! Therefore, I try hard to familiarise my students with as many different types of written text as possible and encourage them to write about places they are familiar with using the name of another friend in the class to write to.   As with my previous Entry 1 worksheets, the first page is designed as an ex...

I've been spending a few classes teaching my low/ zero literacy class how to read and say the date in English recently. We've done several activities looking at days, months and ordinal numbers vocabulary. I have been trying to think of creative ways to make this language really meaningful and personalized to my students (particularly in terms on engaging in the literacy element). Therefore, I made two worksheets looking at birthdays and expiry dates for foods. I will also add my Ordinal Number PowerPoints and worksheets below. The birthday worksheet was very interesting as many of my students could only tell me their own or their children's birthdays, but not any other family members. This really showed me how "birthdays" are not necessarily celebrated in some countries or hold as much importance as they do in Western countries like the UK. Therefore a few of the later activities in the worksheet can be adapted to each student. My birthday worksheet is here: The ...

 I've been very busy over the last few weeks preparing my students for their ESOL and Functional Skills writing exams. As this year I am teaching Entry 1 and Entry 3 students, a lot of my new resources will be made for these levels, but can easily be adapted to higher or lower students.  Both the ESOL and Functional Skills writing exams require students to write specific types of texts with a specific purpose. Therefore these writing activities aim to reflect the tasks my students might come across both in exams and also everyday life.  The Entry 1 activities have been specifically scaffolded to show students an example of a note or letter and then prompt creativity by encouraging students to use their own words and write their own personalized letter. A lot low level students struggle with writing their own thoughts and ideas, so I make sure I spend a lot of time gathering ideas with them as a whole class before doing the gap fill and independent writing tasks.  Her...

 I've been back to face-to-face teaching with my ESOL students for nearly 2 weeks now. It has been really fun, although slightly strange with all the social-distancing and Covid-19 rules. One of the challenges my students have faced is accessing updated Covid-19 information in their own languages (particularly if they have low level English). They have also been unsure what to do if they, a family member or someone they live with has Covid-19 symptoms or what the rules are for self-isolating.  So I made several enquiries on Twitter and Facebook to other ESOL teachers and refugee organizations and was sent these very useful links in response:  https://www.walsallforall.co.uk/post/covid-19-translatedguidance https://www.covid19.nhs.uk/   https://www.doctorsoftheworld.org.uk/coronavirus-information/      This information is as up to date as I can find from 6/10/20. I have made some basic posters for my learners here: The second poster also has information...

It's been a long time in coming, but I have been so excited to go back to face-to-face teaching this week. Sure, there have been a lot of challenges, but it has been fun as well. My students are so happy to see each other in person (rather than on Zoom) and know that we are taking every precaution for their health and safety. So what's changed? Firstly, we have very strict rules for wearing face coverings, hand sanitizing  and keeping a 1 meter difference at all times. Everyone is temperature checked when they arrive (if they are above 37.5 we will send them home) and asked if they have any Covid-19 symptoms (a new continuous cough, high temperature and loss of taste or smell). We must cover our faces when in communal areas such as the hall and toilets, but we are allowed to uncover our faces when sat in the classroom (as all  the chairs are 1 meter apart). I have been provided with a face shield, which I wear in the classroom when I am near students. I have used this a lot wh...

  TEFL vs ESOL Teaching: I’m often asked what are the main differences between teaching TEFL and ESOL in the UK? After all teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) sounds pretty similar to teaching English as a second language (ESOL), doesn’t it? I’ve spent several years working for both the TEFL and ESOL sectors in Plymouth, UK. I’ve taught in two private TEFL language schools and also at an ESOL school. Nowadays, I tend to teach ESOL students from September to June and then in private TEFL school in July and August  [1] .   Generally, I would describe the main difference between TEFL and ESOL in the UK, is that students in private TEFL language schools come to learn English for a short period of time (either for a holiday or course) with the intention of returning to their home country afterwards or going on to study at a university in the UK. The ESOL sector, on the other hand is for students who have moved to the UK permanently. This could be because they...

Check out my new Entry 1 Grammar worksheets: Be with I and You in + - and ? https://drive.google.com/file/d/15KuOryO4Hud5XzON25exm5Sfk3-pVKpQ/view?usp=sharing Be with He, She and It in + - and ? https://drive.google.com/file/d/1clFwyph3GgdHxavi53n1jhfh2DZQyHiC/view?usp=sharing Be with We and They in + - and ? https://drive.google.com/file/d/1n6-xfCa3B7gzIyfXW7CXj7iDsMhZI5JV/view?usp=sharing Wh- Questions: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11c8o8jvF4xcLGmyfNTNwNZw3vAo6Fwm5/view?usp=sharing Wh- Questions and answers using be : https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CWNOpGW35nNI021_i6lVUO3YDH8DdTlI/view?usp=sharing Present Simple Verb Examples and Activities: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jOMMbGew0iMmnXdESquw1JJdefq6w_PM/view?usp=sharing Be and Present Simple Word Order: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PSN0qkocrsMPULq63V4MY5-plk2Kf08K/view?usp=sharing

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  

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. 😀

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/on...