How-To's

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Adult Education ESL Teachers Guide
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C. Graham and M. Walsh, Adult Education Center, Texas A&I University, 1996
Gives new teachers a foundation in teaching adult EL. Includes beginning and intermediate EL lessons with accompanying teacher training modules. Also has a section on teaching non-literate adults.
http://humanities.byu.edu/elc/Teacher/TeacherGuideMain.html

The Center for Adult English Language Acquisition (CAELA) Network
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Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE), CAELA helps state staff, teachers, and administrators build their capacity to promote English language learning and strengthen the academic achievement of adults learning English. Site provides research studies, instructional curricula, language acquisition resources, tools for professional developers, statistics and data, information about technical assistance opportunities, and more. For teachers, administrators, students, and researchers, offers a resource database of more than 100 ESL documents that can be searched and downloaded.
http://www.cal.org/caelanetwork/

Computers in Action!
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S. Quann and D. Satin
Lesson plans for teachers incorporating computers into their English literacy classrooms. Based on Learning Computers, Speaking English.
http://tech.worlded.org/docs/cia/

Effective Practices in Workplace Language Training
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Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), 2003
Offers guidance to providers of workplace English language training services. Outlines the essential elements of effective programs, such as developing a strategic plan and marketing approach, conducting a research-based instructional needs assessment, and selecting appropriate instructional materials and activities. Effective practices are illustrated with case studies.

Available for purchase from:
http://www.tesol.org/

Engaging Immigrant Seniors in Community Service and Employment Programs: A Guide for Providers
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Senior Service America, Inc., and Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL), 2006
Describes today’s foreign-born elders and offers advice on outreach, recruitment, communication, and services to organizations assisting immigrant seniors entering or re-entering the workforce.
Download/view: PDF (8.2MB) | HTML

Financial Resources and Economic Education (F.R.E.E.): A Teacher's Guide for Educators of English Language Learners
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C. Reta, California Literacy, Inc., 2004
Funded by the National Endowment for Financial Education, this guide outlines the basic teaching steps of the F.R.E.E. curriculum, a series of course units on language skills and personal finance for learners with limited-English speaking, reading, and writing skills. Includes lesson activities, reproducible worksheets, and supplemental online resources.
Download/view: PDF (1.7MB)

Outcomes of Seven EL/Civics Demonstrations Grant Projects Funded by OVAE in FY 2000
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U.S. Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education
Presents outcomes from seven English Literacy/Civics demonstration grant projects. Links to program websites offering a variety of resources, including an EL/Civics How-To Manual, curricula, lesson plans, and teacher training materials.
http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/AdultEd/elcnote.html

Practical Ideas on Alternative Assessment for ESL Students
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J.E. Tannenbaum, ERIC Digest (ED395500), 1996
Defines alternative assessment and suggests examples of implementation in EL classes. Describes in detail nonverbal assessment strategies, K-W-L charts (what I know/what I want to know/what I've learned), oral presentations, and portfolios.
http://www.ericdigests.org/1997-1/esl.html

Practitioner Toolkit: Working with Adult English Language Learners
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National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL), Center for Adult English Language Acquisition (CAELA), and the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL), 2004
Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Adult and Vocational Education (OVAE), this guide provides support to adult education and family literacy instructors new to serving adult English language learners and their families in rural, urban, and faith- and community-based programs. Includes student activities, lesson plans, assessment tools, and information on non-native English-speaking adults, parent education, learning disabilities, and citizenship.
http://www.cal.org/caela/tools/instructional/prac_toolkit.html

Randall’s ESL Cyber Listening Lab
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Lets EL students practice English along with recordings of airport announcements, an answering machine message, a driving road test, and other everyday experiences. While geared toward English language learners, the site also offers help to instructors who want to develop EL lesson plans.
http://esl-lab.com/

Teaching Reading to Adult English Language Learners: A Reading Instruction Staff Development Program
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Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL), 2005
Developed with a U.S. Department of Education grant, this manual is divided into three sections: Facilitator Guide, Facilitator Notes, and Participant Handouts. Each section provides tools to conduct four field-tested staff development workshops on the foundations of reading in a second language. Includes information on reading instruction methods, handouts, student activities and assignments, workshop evaluation forms, and reading materials.
Download/view: PDF (6.7MB)

U.S. Civics and Citizenship Online: Resource Center for Instructors
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Compiles information and resources on incorporating civics education into English language instruction and preparing adult students for naturalization. Includes links to educational curricula, lesson plans, teacher assessments, state ESL standards, and background resources.
http://www.uscis.gov/

What's New? Reaching Working Adults with English for Speakers of Other Languages Instruction (ESOL): Best Practices Report
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Center for Impact Research, 2002
Examines two approaches, distance learning and workplace literacy, to reach working immigrants who want to learn English. Identifies barriers to implementing both approaches and offers recommendations for overcoming those barriers.
Download/view: PDF (104KB) | HTML

Workplace Essential Skills, Pre-GED, and GED Connection
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Kentucky Education Television for PBS Literacy Link
Multimedia curriculum that teaches basic reading, writing, math, and job skills. Links to public television programs, workbooks, and online lessons in the areas of workforce development, pre-GED, GED, and English literacy/civics education.
http://litlink.ket.org/wesged.aspl

English for Limited English Proficient Adults Curriculum Framework
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Florida Department of Education
Describes Literacy for Adult ESOL Learners and Citizenship curriculum frameworks (content standards) and skills at six proficiency levels. Citizenship standards cover requirements and procedures for becoming a U.S. citizen; citizens' rights and responsibilities; U.S. symbols; prominent individuals and events in U.S. history, government, and culture; and the structure and function of the U.S. government.
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ESOL Starter Kit
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Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center, 2002
A one-stop resource providing guidance and materials for EL instructors on subjects such as assessing students' language levels, using community resources, creating effective lesson plans, managing the classroom, and choosing a curriculum. Features section on integrating EL/Civics in the ESL classroom. Also includes general information on how adults learn.
Download/view: PDF (805KB)

Making It Real: Teaching Pre-Literate Adult Refugee Students
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A. Croydon, Tacoma Community House Training Project, 2005
Funded by the state of Washington, this resource contains strategies and techniques for teaching beginning literacy and speaking skills to non-native English speakers. Illustrated text includes survival competencies for speaking, listening, reading, and writing; activities to provide practice and application of these new skills; strategies for teaching pre-literate refugees in a multi-level ESL class; and techniques such as games, role play, and total physical response (TPR).
Download/view: PDF (1.5MB) | HTML

REEP ESL Curriculum for Adults
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Arlington Education and Employment Program (REEP)
A regularly updated online ESL instructional system that provides learner assessment tools, curriculum content, and instructional strategies for nine proficiency levels ranging from low-beginning to advanced. Lesson topics include work-related issues, health, community, family literacy, technology, writing, and grammar.
http://www2.apsva.us/15401081182015517/lib/15401081182015517/reep
curriculum/index.html

Tennessee Adult ESOL Curriculum Resource Book
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Center for Literacy Studies, University of Tennessee, 2001
Covers skills used in the classroom, workplace, and other aspects of adult life. Features EL civics competencies, civics curriculum, lesson plans, student materials, and assessment strategies organized by the six adult ESOL National Reporting System (NRS) levels.
http://www.cls.utk.edu/esol_curriculum_book.html