Lingua.com English Texts for Beginners

English texts for beginners to practice reading and comprehension online and for free.The texts are brief and appropriate to different levels of proficiency from A1 (CEFR) to B2.

You can also take a multiple-choice self-correcting quiz following each text or download as PDF and print all the exercises.

Visit:

https://lingua.com/english/reading/ 

Coronavirus on Brainpop.com

A new coronavirus emerged in Wuhan, China in 2019, and then spread to people around the world.  

This resource from Brainpop.com offers a video and some interesting ideas to talk about Coronavirus with your students.

https://www.brainpop.com/health/diseasesinjuriesandconditions/coronavirus/ 

A Thin Line

MTV's A Thin Line campaign was developed to empower young people to identify, respond to, and stop the spread of digital abuse in their life and amongst their peers. 

The campaign is built on the understanding that there's a "thin line" between what may begin as a harmless joke and something that could end up having a serious impact on you or someone else.

You can visit this digital safety education resource on:

http://www.athinline.org/

Gross Science by @anna_rothschild

Gross Science from NOVA is produced by WGBH for PBS Digital Studios. Here you can find bizarre stories from the slimy, smelly, creepy world of science. 

Visit this Youtube channel created by Anna Rothschild on:

https://www.youtube.com/user/grossscienceshow/playlists

Educandy

If you are looking to create interactive learning games, Educandy is an interesting tool to develop engaging activities very easily.

There are 8 types of games you can generate. They can be played on individual computers, tablets via the Educandy app as well as on the interactive whiteboard. You can even embed the games into your own website if you want to.

Visit Educandy:

https://www.educandy.com/

How Did Valentine’s Day Start?

Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14.

Valentine's Day customs – sending greeting cards, offering confectionary and presenting flowers – developed in early modern England and spread throughout the English-speaking world in the 19th century. In the later 20th and early 21st centuries, these customs spread to other countries (source Wikipedia) but how did Valentine’s Day start?

European Parliament timeline

This resource may be a useful tool for teachers, students and anyone interested in the history of the European Union. 

You can filter events by category or tag. Each event is linked to a more detailed article on it. 

Find the timeline on:

  

https://europarl.europa.eu/infographic/european-parliament-timeline/index_en.html#event-20200131

Classics for Kids

Lesson plans and teaching resources that use classical music to help children learn. The materials incorporate various philosophies, including those of Orff, Dalcrose, and Kodaly. Games, composers, effective activities to help teachers teach the basics of music, musical terms, music education methodologies, and much more. 

Find it on: 

https://www.classicsforkids.com/

8 teaching resources about Brexit

On Friday 31 January the UK made history as the first EU member state to legally leave the European Union. Nobody has ever left before, so this raises fundamental questions. 

The following educational resources offer good explanations of Brexit and its importance.

Speakeasy News 

https://www.speakeasy-news.com/teaching-about-brexit-web-resources/ 

National Geographic 

https://blog.education.nationalgeographic.org/2016/02/23/what-is-the-brexit/ 

Busy Teacher 

https://busyteacher.org/24573-brexit-esl.html 

One Stop English  

http://www.onestopenglish.com/skills/vocabulary/macmillan-dictionary-resources/macmillan-dictionary-buzzword/pdf-content/macmillan-dictionary-buzzword-brexit-lesson-plan/555240.article 

UKRI 

https://esrc.ukri.org/public-engagement/social-science-for-schools/other-teaching-resources/  

ISLCollective 

https://en.islcollective.com/english-esl-worksheets/search/brexit 

Larry Ferlazzo  

https://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2019/10/21/the-best-up-to-date-teaching-resources-about-brexit/ 

New York Times 

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/11/learning/lesson-of-the-day-brexit.html

VidReader. Interactive transcript of any YouTube video

VidReader is an amazing tool that makes it easy to create an interactive transcript of any YouTube video. It creates article-like transcripts for your videos. Now you can read, search, and locate a segment within any videos quickly. 

Visit: 

https://www.vidreader.com/

Grammarianism

Blog about English grammar written by Bas Aarts, a grammar enthusiast and Professor of English Linguistics. This blog is linked to the Englicious website for teachers of English. 

The main aim of the blog is to discuss points of grammar that may be of interest to teachers of English, especially in primary and secondary schools.

Visit the blog on:

https://grammarianism.wordpress.com/

Programa de inmersión lingüística (recordatorio)

Ayudas destinadas a grupos de alumnos de 6º de Educación Primaria y 2º de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria para el desarrollo de un Programa de Inmersión Lingüística en inglés. Con ello, se pretende estimular la práctica oral de la lengua inglesa en entornos comunicativos no formales más dinámicos y atractivos.

Asimismo, dentro de las actividades a desarrollar, se tratarán temáticas de interés científico y medioambiental, y se promoverá la convivencia con alumnos de otros lugares de España. Durante el desarrollo del programa, la lengua vehicular en la que se desarrollarán todas las actividades será el inglés.

Podéis consultar esta interesante convocatoria en la página web del Ministerio de Educación y Formación Profesional y presentar las solicitudes hasta el 10 de febrero:

http://www.educacionyfp.gob.es/servicios-al-ciudadano/catalogo/general/99/998217/ficha/998217-2020-primavera.html

16º Certamen de cómics y vídeos en inglés IES Azorín de Petrer

Recordad, hasta el 10 de enero.

Bases en:

http://iesazorin.edu.gva.es/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Bases-c%C3%B3mic-y-v%C3%ADdeo-2020-1.pdf

170 Daily actions to transform the world

This book contains 10 daily suggestions for each Goal on how you can make a difference in the world around you. A great tool for parents, teacher and children of all ages and a fun and engaging way to learn about the Sustainable Development Goals and what you can do to take action to make them a reality.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iMdE6DLLuCqwq3K9U-DaTUWB6KyMa8QG/view

Oxfam Education

On this website Oxfam Education offers a huge range of ideas, resources and support for developing global learning in the classroom and the whole school. All of the resources here support Education for Global Citizenship, education that helps pupils understand their world and make a positive difference in it.

https://www.oxfam.org.uk/education/

Clear Alphabet Dictionary

This free book will teach you how to use the new phonemic alphabet for English called Clear Alphabet.

This book is in the Public Domain. You can download it from:

https://purlandtraining.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/N-Clear-Alphabet-Dictionary.pdf

Behind the numbers: Ending school violence and bullying

This UNESCO publication provides an up-to-date and comprehensive overview of global and regional prevalence and trends related to school-related violence and examines the nature and impact of school violence and bullying. 

It reviews national responses, focusing on countries that have seen positive trends in prevalence and identifies factors that have contributed to an effective response to school violence and bullying. 

(Source: UNESCO)

Download it from:

https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000366483/PDF/366483eng.pdf.multi

Seeking Safety

Seeking Safety is an Amnesty International UK human rights resource on asylum and refugee issues.

It encourages students to draw parallels with their own lives. Many of the activities build on an empathetic understanding of situations to develop knowledge and skills for approaching the subject of asylum. Pupils are encouraged to expand their understanding beyond themselves: to think globally and to think about human rights.

It can be used in stand-alone lessons or in projects.

(Source Amnesty International UK)

Download it from:

https://www.amnesty.org.uk/files/2017-06/Activity%20-%20Seeking%20safety.pdf?QEgP75_LXPGt0d91YCDXgx0efPQ4Sl3u=

News in Slow English

Weekly intermediate English language learning program. Real conversations about current events, grammar and idiomatic expressions, delivered at a slower pace to enhance comprehension.

The website includes a comprehensive catalog of grammar and expressions lessons.

A useful resource if you are learning English as a Second Language

https://www.newsinslowenglish.com/?switch_lang=-1

Atlas Obscura

Atlas Obscura is a global community of explorers, who have together created a comprehensive database of the world’s most wondrous places and foods. 

They publish articles about hidden places, incredible history, scientific marvels, and gastronomical wonders.

Website:

https://www.atlasobscura.com/