A list of ESL materials

<b> Forum for the discussion on ESL/EFL textbooks </b>

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towamba
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Jan 31, 2006 9:47 pm
Location: Australia

Post by towamba » Wed Feb 01, 2006 12:24 am

Hi All

For those of you who teach ESL at primary or middle school level I have just finished reading a really practical book especially for work in the mainstream classroom called [b]Designing learning for diverse classrooms by Paul Dufficy[/b]. It is published by the Primary English Teachers Association here in Australia. Not sure how available it is but you can check their website. It talks to teachers in a really equal way and is never patronising (especially important when dealing with theory - which it does). But the book's main aim is to make our classrooms really dynamic places where talk of many kinds occurs and where challenge and assisted performance are key elements. There are more than 20 reaaly great activities that can be endlessly adapted. Highly recommended.

Mark[/b]

rusmeister
Posts: 44
Joined: Thu Jan 29, 2004 7:04 am

Post by rusmeister » Sat Jun 17, 2006 6:33 pm

OK, here's my short list:
Adults: (New) Headway; Round-Up (for grammar)
7-11 yr olds: Chatterbox; Round-Up
5-7 yr olds: Get Ready
All publications by Oxford University Press

American textbooks suck! (I say this, with shame, as an American)
Linguistic schizophrenia is better than professional incompetence in language building.

charless47
Posts: 8
Joined: Sat Aug 12, 2006 9:30 am
Location: Spain
Contact:

ellies english

Post by charless47 » Sat Aug 12, 2006 9:45 am

For something very different take a look at www.elliesenglish.com - the idea is to provide entertaining text and audio for intermediate level upwards. The material is intended to complement formal grammar training. The site has just started (officially from Monday 14 August) and (based on feedback) will be developed extensively over the next year.

Jocelyn Kikuchi
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Jul 30, 2007 2:04 am
Location: *beep*,Japan
Contact:

text recommendation

Post by Jocelyn Kikuchi » Tue Jul 31, 2007 3:46 pm

Hi,

I'm currently teaching in Japan and my students varies from elementary level, Junior High and adult and professionals

Here are some of the texts which work well with my students.

Challenge book by Helen Uchida leve 1 2 3 4 with tapes and CDs

Interchange 1 2 3 By Jack C. Richards

English Pronunciation for Japanese Speakers perfect book for adult level and professionals who are strugggling to pronounce the R L V F TH Z sounds.

I also read some of the highly recommeded text here and if I got a chance I'll check them at the nearest bookstore. Thank you so much everyone.

It's me,

Jocelyn

veranike
Posts: 5
Joined: Sun Nov 04, 2007 9:07 pm
Location: Hungary

favourites

Post by veranike » Wed Nov 14, 2007 6:41 pm

Hello All,

One of the first resource books I purchased (and still is my favourite):
700 Classroom Activities by D. Seymour & M. Popova (Macmillan)

A great supplementary activity book (grammar, vocab and phrases) with an excellent index and cross-references:
Language Links with CDby A. Doff & C. Jones (Cambridge) (now available up to pre-intermediate level)
Check out at: http://www.cambridge.org/elt/elt_projec ... id=2500714

For younger learners:
100+ Ideas for Children (with cassette) by J. Holderness & A. Hughes (Macmillan)
Primary Pronunciation Box (with CD) by C. Nixon & M. Tomlinson (Cambridge)

sbourque
Posts: 158
Joined: Thu Dec 09, 2004 12:32 pm
Location: USA

Post by sbourque » Sat Feb 16, 2008 6:56 pm

In our college we've just started using English Pronunciation Made Simple, by Paulette Dale and Lillian Poms. It comes with 2 CDs and has a lot of exercises for individual sounds, word and sentence stress, rhythm, and intonation. Plus, there are a number of short poems, which I like as I have a poetry-memorization assignment.

Eric18
Posts: 151
Joined: Fri May 18, 2007 12:38 pm
Location: Los Angeles, California
Contact:

A long list of quality ESL books by an ESL veteran teacher

Post by Eric18 » Wed Dec 17, 2008 6:07 am

Here is a quick list of quality ESL books for different audiences/levels.

Academic ESL/intensive English programs
Cambridge Vocabulary in Use series - An excellent supplemental text, especially for the more academically inclined. The self-contained two page format allows students, teachers, and tutors to pick and choose materials.

Cambridge Grammar in Use series - This series is the only grammar series that I've ever felt comfortable using in the classroom. Again, the accessible, clear format with self-contained lessons allows both self-study and effective use as a supplemental text.


Adult Education:
Side by Side - This classic series, now in its 3rd edition, particularly appeals to English language learners with limited literacy in their own best language. Given the appalling educational policies in some nearby poor countries, this textbook series has become extraordinarily popular in California and Texas.
Day by Day - Simple, clear communicative textbook for workplace instruction. Low intermediate- intermediate
Word by Word – This visual dictionary focuses on verbs, and shows English language learners how to describe their everyday activities in English. This book taught me the power of process descriptions to build language.
Oxford Picture Dictionary and workbook - excellent for beginning and intermediate English language learners. Some pages, inevitably, are more practical than other pages. Isn’t that always the case?

Writing

Writing Academic English, by Alice Oshima and Ann Hogue, provides practical techniques for students planning to attend community college or university. I think the latest version is the fourth. I've used it in several programs with considerable success.

In Focus: Strategies for Academic Writers by Myra Ann Shulman, however, is my current choice for intermediate ESL students.
The clear, detailed exercises allow students to learn academic writing by actually writing short, focused pieces.

Finally, for advanced ESL students and international graduate students, I strongly recommend Academic Writing for Graduate Students, 2d ed.: Essential Tasks and Skills (Michigan Series in English for Academic & Professional Purposes) by John M. Swales and Christine A. Beer Feak. I teach two courses using this textbook at USC, and students make clear, significant progress by completing bite-sized writing exercises and analyzing short journal readings. The teacher's guide, called Commentary for, also deserves to be on your list.

Any Longman Dictionary – For whatever reason, Longman dictionaries seem much more accessible and practical in their design than other series. I’m particularly impressed with their Business Dictionary for English Language Learners.

Speaking Skills:
Giving Academic Presentations, by Susan Reinhart, stands heads and shoulders above the other ESL textbooks for public presentations. Students learn how to give clear, systematic oral presentations including problem-solution and process descriptions.

Communicating in Business by Simon Sweeney -Yet another outstanding Cambridge title, this Business English textbook includes helpful materials on nnegotiating and socializing as well as presenting.

Speak English Like an American by Amy Gillet. This fine book, which includes a strong CD, introduces over 300 American idioms in context. Engaging and informative, the book is almost perfect for an idioms class.

Last, but not least, I naturally recommend Compelling Conversations: Questions and Quotations on Timeless Topics, by Toni Aberson and Eric Roth, as a supplemental text for advanced ESL classes, conversation clubs, and tutors.

Other special interest ESL books of quality.
Film is Content: A Study Guide for the Advanced ESL Classroom by Julia A. Williamson and Jill C. Vincent- This underappreciated University of Michigan textbook deserves a much wider audience. Although slightly dated, students learn critical thinking skills, academic vocabulary, and modern film.

The Creative Classroom: Teaching Language Outside the Box, by Hall Houston, contains dozens of bite-sized exercises to spark authentic language and creative discourse, This slim book, published by Lynx, should especially appeal to ESL students with a background or interest in engineering, science, and the arts.

Of course, this is just a quick list.

What would you add?

mesmark
Posts: 276
Joined: Tue Apr 19, 2005 12:44 pm
Location: Nagano, Japan
Contact:

Post by mesmark » Sat Sep 25, 2010 3:40 pm

For phonics worksheets you can try Fun Fonix.com. There are 5 workbooks available free for download as well as worksheet makers, clipart and other materials

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