Aliens: a negative example for learning

The website Aliens on the official White House website is a government information page that presents the current U.S. administration’s position on immigration and undocumented migrants. 

The site uses direct and highly persuasive language, combining statistics, policy statements, images, and political messages to support a particular viewpoint on border security and immigration enforcement. Because of its strong political framing, it offers an interesting opportunity for educational work in the ESL classroom, particularly when combined with human rights education and critical thinking.

From a language-learning perspective, the website provides authentic English material that students can analyse. Learners can identify persuasive vocabulary, emotional language, rhetorical strategies, and the way information is organised to influence readers. Activities might include examining headlines, identifying facts and opinions, or discussing the difference between informative and persuasive texts.

The resource is also valuable for developing media literacy and critical thinking skills. Students can explore questions such as: Who is the intended audience?, What message is the website trying to communicate?, What information is included and what information might be missing?, and How do images and language influence the reader’s perception of migrants? These discussions help learners understand that even official sources can present information from a particular perspective.

From a human rights perspective, the website can be used as a negative example to introduce debates about migration, asylum, discrimination, and the rights of refugees and migrants. Students can compare the language used on the website with principles found in documents such as the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and discuss how different societies balance security concerns with the protection of human dignity and fundamental rights.

Possible ESL classroom activities include analysing key vocabulary related to migration, comparing the website with reports from international organisations, writing alternative headlines from different perspectives, holding debates on migration policies, or evaluating the reliability and purpose of different sources. In this way, students not only improve their English language skills but also learn to read critically, recognise bias, and reflect on complex social issues from an informed and respectful perspective.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/aliens/

Pedestrians First

Pedestrians First is an interactive online tool designed to help people understand and measure how walkable a city is. It has been developed by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP. New York) and focuses especially on the needs of babies, young children, and their caregivers, using them as a reference to design better cities for everyone.

The site offers several tools that allow users to explore and analyse cities at different levels. For example, you can see maps and data about how close people live to services like schools or public transport, evaluate whether a neighbourhood is easy to walk around, or even assess a specific street using a checklist of features such as sidewalks, crossings, safety, or shade. These tools are based on indicators like access to services, population density, or the quality of pedestrian infrastructure, helping users understand what makes a city more or less walkable.

The main idea behind the project is that walkable cities are healthier, more sustainable, and more equitable. When cities are designed so that even the most vulnerable people can move safely on foot, they become better places for everyone to live.

This website can be very useful in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom. First, it provides authentic, real-world content in English, which helps students develop reading and vocabulary skills related to topics like cities, environment, and transport. Second, it can be used for interactive activities, such as analysing a city, comparing different places, or discussing how to improve urban life. These tasks encourage speaking and critical thinking.

https://pedestriansfirst.itdp.org/

PhET Interactive Simulations

PhET Interactive Simulations is a free educational website that offers interactive simulations to help students learn science and mathematics in a simple and visual way. It was created as a non-profit project at the University of Colorado Boulder with the goal of improving how subjects like physics, chemistry, biology, and math are taught.

The main idea of PhET is that students learn better by exploring and experimenting instead of only reading or listening. On the website, users can interact with virtual simulations that behave like real scientific systems. For example, they can build electric circuits, explore how forces work, or see how molecules move. These simulations are designed to be fun, visual, and easy to use, often with tools like sliders, buttons, and drag-and-drop actions.

One important feature of PhET is that it helps make abstract or invisible concepts easier to understand. Things that are normally hard to see—like atoms, energy, or electric fields—are shown through animations and graphics, allowing students to see how they work in real time. The simulations also give immediate feedback, so learners can observe cause-and-effect relationships as they change variables.

Another key aspect is that all the simulations are research-based and tested in real classrooms to make sure they are effective for learning. They are also free, open-source, and available online or for download, which makes them accessible to teachers and students all over the world

https://phet.colorado.edu/

Exploring the Global Footprint of the American Empire

American Empire on Metaphorician presents an interactive historical map and timeline showing the global influence of the United States through military, political and economic activities from 1900 to today. Instead of using broad claims alone, the tool visualizes where and when the U.S. has maintained military bases, intervened abroad and engaged in political or economic actions that shaped international relations over more than a century.

By combining different types of intervention — such as troop deployments, coups, sanctions and long-term military installations — the resource allows users to see how U.S. foreign policy has evolved and how its presence has spread across regions and decades. Each type of action is categorized and colour-coded, offering a dynamic way to understand the historical patterns of American engagement in the world beyond simple statistics or narrative descriptions.

Overall, this page is useful for educators, students and anyone curious about geopolitics who wants to explore the history of U.S. influence in a visual and data-rich format.

https://metaphorician.com/american-empire

Most Americans love reading aloud to children, survey finds

A recent YouGov survey reveals that 53% of U.S. adults say they love reading to children, with another 14% doing so very frequently. The findings highlight the continued value placed on shared reading experiences, especially when books are fun, visually engaging, and educational.

What kinds of books are most enjoyed?

Picture books top the list, with 50% saying they “love” them and 34% saying they “like” them.

Books with rhyming text and educational content are also well-received.

While chapter books are slightly less popular, they still hold a strong place in read-aloud routines.

The survey also shows what adults prioritize when choosing read-aloud books:

They should be entertaining (64% rated this as very important).

Have appealing illustrations (57%).

Offer a valuable message or lesson (51%).

Interestingly, 18% of respondents say they “always” use different voices for characters, while over 60% do so at least occasionally — a simple yet powerful strategy to spark imagination and hold children's attention.

This data reinforces the importance of reading aloud as an educational and emotional tool. Teachers and families alike can enrich storytime by selecting fun, visual, and meaningful books, and bringing characters to life with voice variations. It’s not just about reading — it’s about creating a moment of connection and curiosity.

Source: 

https://today.yougov.com/society/articles/52531-most-americans-say-they-love-reading-to-children

LGBTQ Youth Resources

Lambert House, established in 1981, is a non-profit community center in Seattle dedicated exclusively to LGBTQ+ youth aged 10-22.This resource is a comprehensive page on the Lambert House site dedicated to helping LGBTQ+ youth and their families in Seattle and King County.  It offers carefully curated links to local support networks, including school programs, peer groups, arts initiatives, and scholarship opportunities—all designed to build community, promote mental health, and foster resilience. 

Lambert House also highlights its own specialized services, such as the David Bohnett CyberCenter—a tech hub providing computers, high-speed internet, software tools, printing, and mentoring to at-risk youth.

https://www.lamberthouse.org/resources

The Learning Network

The Learning Network is a section of The New York Times that provides educators, students, and parents with resources to enhance learning.

It offers lesson plans, writing prompts, and activities based on current events and Times articles, aiming to promote critical thinking and engagement with real-world issues. The platform also encourages students to develop their writing and analytical skills through various interactive features.

https://www.nytimes.com/section/learning

Some things I have learned about the U.S by Juan Luis Cortés Nicolás

This OER (Open Educational Resource) presents a series of activities that encourage and motivate students to explore and experiment, as well as to work in teams to learn about different aspects of the English curriculum related to the development of their Cultural Competence. 

ESO (Educación Secundaria Obligatoria, equivalent to secondary school) students will be able to develop their skills and acquire knowledge in a way that relates concepts and associates ideas, solves problems, and enhances their critical thinking, so that it becomes part of their personal and academic development to function in their environment.

The OER, which can be found in the Creatum repository of digital educational objects of the Community of Madrid, consists of a set of varied learning situations, presented as small challenges that spark curiosity and creativity, and can be developed over several sessions. 

This is a didactic proposal in which, through learning situations related to the USA, it is intended to develop the cultural competence of English Language students. It will aim to introduce aspects of the country's history, traditions, and geography, highlighting the following content:

The Civil Rights Movement in the USA, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Rosa Parks.

The celebration of Thanksgiving and the importance of being grateful.

The National Parks of the USA, emphasizing Big Bend National Park, located in Texas.

For the development of the learning situations, the English language will be used as a vehicle, in any ESO course, with the activities being especially suitable for bilingual courses, as they have to learn the cultural component of the foreign language and possess greater communicative skills to express themselves in English.

Find this OER on:

https://innovacionyformacion.educa.madrid.org/creatum/odes/9acad783-f54a-4454-b1cb-ec8ac1347151/index.html

Library of America short stories

This webpage offers an extensive, alphabetically organized list of stories featured in the Library of America's "Story of the Week" series. Each entry includes the author's name and the title of the story, providing readers with easy access to a diverse range of American literature. 

This resource is particularly useful for educators, students, and literature enthusiasts seeking to explore works by specific authors or to discover new stories within the American literary tradition.

https://storyoftheweek.loa.org/p/stories-sorted-by-author.html

The Presidential Ham by @bijijoo (Thanks to @NaoCasanova)

The Presidential Ham is a satirical website that humorously critiques American political figures and events. The site uses the concept of "The Presidential Ham" as a fictional, slightly absurd award to comment on U.S. politics with wit and humor. 

By embracing the quirky idea of a "presidential ham," the site playfully examines the actions, statements, and controversies of the presidents of the United States.

Given the current U.S. elections, this resource could be useful in English class to work on physical and character descriptions.

You can find it here:

https://presidentialham.com/

https://bijijoo.com/

USA Learns. Free English classes

USA Learns is a free online platform designed to help adults learn English and improve their English language skills. It offers a wide range of resources for learners at various levels, covering essential topics such as reading, writing, listening, and speaking. The platform is structured with interactive lessons that focus on real-life scenarios, such as work, school, and daily activities, making it practical for adult learners aiming to enhance their communication skills for daily use or career advancement.

In addition to English language instruction, USA Learns also provides a citizenship course to help learners prepare for the U.S. citizenship test, covering the civics and history topics needed to pass the exam.

Find it on:

https://www.usalearns.org/

Dialogs for everyday use

Short situational dialogs for students of English as a foreign language. 

This is a collection of 30 situational dialogs which focus on a wide variety of communicative and natural encounters in English. Each dialog is accompanied by language notes that provide useful information on grammar and intonation patterns.

Free to download:

https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/dialogs_for_everyday_use_508.pdf

Teaching Matters #podcast

The Teaching Matters podcast is an audio series that explores various topics related to education, teaching methodologies, and the needs of students. It is provided by WOUB Public Media, a non-profit, public broadcasting organization based in Athens, Ohio, United States. 

WOUB offers educational, informational, and cultural programming through diverse media outlets such as television, radio, and online platforms. Affiliated with Ohio University, it serves as a crucial community resource, delivering news, entertainment, and educational content to its audience.

https://www.npr.org/podcasts/514312608/teaching-matters 

Comprehensive English Language Development (ELD)

Padlet with resources created by the California Regional English Learner Specialists.

https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/el/t3/coeleadscontactlist13.asp

California Practitioners’ Guide for Educating English Learners with Disabilities

The California Practitioners’ Guide for Educating English Learners with Disabilities was developed by the California Department of  Education (CDE), Special Education Division and the English Learner Support Division through a contract with WestEd, to provide information on identifying, assessing, supporting, and reclassifying English learners who may qualify for special education services and pupils with disabilities who may be classified as English learners.

This resource is structured to make valuable information readily available to busy educators. It contains lists of  key questions addressed in each chapter, sample forms, checklists, illustrative scenarios, tables, illustrations, frequently asked questions, links to additional resources, and other visual and organizational elements to improve the accessibility of  the text.

https://padlet.com/carelspecialists/ELD/wish/867873767

USA Learns

USA Learns offers free English classes. You can learn English speaking, listening, vocabulary, pronunciation, reading, writing and grammar

https://www.usalearns.org/ 

Groundhog Day

Groundhog Day is observed every year on February 2, having originated in the town of Punxsatawney, Pennsylvania. The annual ritual has roots in pre-Christian traditions and was brougt to the USA by German immigrants. The emergence of a groundhog from its burrow is said to foretell the weather for the following,

The following video explains the origins of the tradition:

English Teaching Forum

English Teaching Forum is a quarterly journal supporting the teaching of English around the world through the publication of innovative, practical ideas. It is published by the U.S. Department of State.

This magazine welcomes submissions from English language teachers around the world. Most of the authors published in English Teaching Forum are classroom teachers.

Find it on:

https://americanenglish.state.gov/forum 

I Have a Dream #MartinLutherKing

Our entry today commemorates the birth of Martin Luther King, a prominent leader of the civil rights movement, on this day in 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Freedom’s Ring is Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, animated. Here you can compare the written and spoken speech, explore multimedia images, listen to movement activists, and uncover historical context. 

An amazing educational resource that you will fall in love with.

http://freedomsring.stanford.edu/?view=Speech

Chronicling America

Chronicling America is a website providing access to information about historic newspapers. More than 3,000 newspapers are available for viewing on this site. 

Chronicling America is produced by the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP), a partnership between the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Library of Congress (LC). This digital resource is developed and permanently maintained at the Library of Congress. 

Find it on:

https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/