Web resources

Useful ESOL websites

Try a few out and then post a comment on the blog.

http://www.dfes.gov.uk/readwriteplus/LearningMaterialsESOL

The ESOL curriculum online

http://www.niace.org.uk/projects/esolcitizenship/Home-Eng.htm

Citizenship materials, which are used in class.

http://www.flo-joe.co.uk/fce/students/writing/makeover/archive.htm

Model answers for various writing activities (letter, report, article etc.)

http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-central-news-current.htm?mtklink=central-learnenglish-portal-popular-offers

Good site for various days of the year….eg overpopulation day 11^th July. Lots of reading!

- has thousands of activities to help you study.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/videonation/

Great site if you want to use a video resource. You can choose the video of the day or go to a region of the UK (fantastic if you want to vary accents). A variety of topics from homelessness to graffiti to relationships. Click on the archives for a quick search.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/

Great site, my favourites are News English (words in the news) and Watch and listen, both these are good for high level learners. There are areas for lower level learners too, check out the flatmates.

www.real-english.com/reo/index-int1.htm

Selection of short videos at various levels, includes subtitled videos

http://cla.univ-fcomte.fr/english/dictations/realenglish/realindex.htm

Similar videos but with gaps for students to write in what was said

http://a4esl.org/

Interesting site, although it is not very colourful! Bi-lingual quizzes, even in Kurdish, Somali and Lingala. Has some basic grammar and vocab quizzes, which are good for independent study. My favourite is the Daily English Show, which changes every day, nice for some basic video and a Kiwi accent!

http://wwwedu.ge.ch/cptic/prospective/projets/anglais/exercises/welcome.html

Basic website but useful if you want to find some language (grammar, vocab) exercises on the net rather than paper based.

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/quiz_list.htm

A huge variety of quizzes. For all you Yankophobes, stay away from the phonology section!

http://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/grammarexercises.html

Loads of Quizzes

http://www2.essex.ac.uk/jobshop/help/examples.shtm

Great site for anyone doing CVs and covering letters

http://www.btinternet.com/~ted.power/first.html

Gapped texts for lower level learners. Hint - always choose the interactive version for use on the net. (to do this you need to click on the chapter then click on the interactive version)

www.insideout.net is good for topical e-lessons. Teachers need to register in order to receive material.

www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish provides all sorts of things that teachers or students can access, including quizzes

www.englishclub.com (lots of skills and exercises and a chat room)

www.longman-elt.com/dictionaries/webdictionary.html

www.eslcafe.com/discussion/ (discussion room for different subjects - might need to check with Jane's conversation club)

www.englishpage.com/

www.peevish.co.uk/slang/

http://esl.about.com (lots of links)

htttp://www.write101.com/too.htm (writing tips)

http://www.grammarbook.com/

http://www.english-at-home.com/

Websites to accompany coursebooks, eg English File: ww.oup.com/elt/englishfile

British Council http://www.britishcouncil.org

BBC Learning http://bbc.co.uk/learning

BBC Skillswise http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise

Letter of advice

Dear Student

I am write to find out if the Entry 3 class was suitable for me. At now I am live in Exeter, however I am move to Plymouth in April. I have been lived in UK since about 3 years, but my English not so good. Originally I from Sudan and had to leave due to problems in my country. I hope finding friends in Plymouth and in future I would like working. Do you think the Entry 3 course improve my English for both of these situations? Can you tell me in what way. Most difficult thing for me to do in English is to write. Will the course help improve my write? What tips have for me to make my writing better? What type of writing practice do you do in class (informal, formal, letters, reports etc.)? I would like to know if I can pass the Entry 3 exams. I haven't passed any parts of the exam but I would like to. Do you know when they are? Have you any advice on taking the exams? I am so sorry I have lots of questions, but I am sure you are the best person to help me.

I hope to hear from you soon

Mohammed

--- The Pink 'Boto' (Dolphin) Legend ---

When North of Brazil was passing through colonization, families from Northeast and Middle of Brazil moved to that remote place to start a new exploration of Amazonian Forest.
The Rubber Tree, a native tree from the Forest, offers a god milk to produce the basic rubber. At the time there was still slavers working in the farmers, but in North, the workers were basically families communities. Miscegenation of Black, Native Indian and White.
As the people were free, the families were getting closer and the communities were getting bigger, turning into cities. Marriage was fundamental to increase a family and follow the catholic church.

But if a girl got pregnant before married?

So now comes the 'Pink Boto Legend'

June was a very happy month for people in North. When the families and the rich farmers would celebrate together around a bonfire, eating traditional food, singing loud, dance...
But at night, a very handsome man, was not a normal man, but a fantastic creature just came from the sweet water of the river, to try seduce a young lady and take her into his voice and into his river.
That man would be the Pink Boto. A lovely pink dolphin that plays with human in the water. So at the night, it would appear as a man in a white suit with a big straw hat. To hide a little bit of its nose that wouldn't be all transformed.
All the handsome men in the community, had to show their heads, to prove that they were humans.
But if a lady was not aware. She could let her be taken by him, and find out a few weeks later, that she was pregnant.

''My God!! My daughter pregnant!!'' Her parents would say. ''How is she going to marry now?!''

No good guy, from a well known family, would be take her as a wife with such shame, or even her sisters.
But wait, we got a last hope in that case. This pregnancy was not because she slept with someone else, some bad guy tanking advantage on young girls.
But she fell in love with 'Boto' because 'Boto' is a fantastic creature able to do the impossible things. And nobody doubt of the innocent girl.

''Thank God! It's a Boto child'' Her parents would say afterwards.

Yeah, and Thank God that this legend was created, probably, for a very smart girl that knows how to lie.

People...

Warm people, hot people, smile people, happy people, worried people, suffered people, worker people, criminal people, dangerous people, misery people, glamours people, hopeful people, abandoned people.
People who love it. People who hate it.
People dancing, people sweating, people travelling, people spending, people eating, not eating.
People out. People in.
Living. Missing.

Susanne

Our Class

Take two Monica, Danuta and Elena.
Give them in a big glass boil.
They are from Poland and Ukraine.
All the women have a blue eyse.

Mixt Ahemed, Jair and Ruthba give a hot and spicy testy.
Take them in a big glass boil.
Then take a blend Sandra and Greg
And take in boil and in the frydge.

We add Susane for bubbles and Mr Wong for noise.
Finally we have our class.

TAWILLAS PEOPLE

Take some from Tawilla and mix with Bobaysijili and add some from Konjara
Mix them to gether to be more beautiful .
Put them to the fire and fry them antil becom drayer.
sprinkle some Alfasher and stire them .
Blend all the ingredients to gether .
RAGAB

THE PERUVIANS

Sons of the sun
Douthers of the moon
Spirits of the winds
Race of copper
High up on the mountains and valleys

Work the soil
Products wonderful fruits
For the humanity
Potatoes, avocados,maize to eat
Lamas, alpakas and vicunas
To make clothes and transport

Cesar

Poem

If you want live in big castle or you want have nice and big swimming pool
you have to live in England.
When looking everywhere you can see villas with huge garden in warm country.
All the time you can get sunbathe near the sandy beach and enjoy with sun rise.
Now you are in the town you can enjoy shopping without expensive stuff.

Oh, yes!also you can travel everywhere very chip with good condition transport.
How you can see the clean birds on the street?
You can driving with your car always in the town so easy and parking everywhere near shopping center without penalty.


About food you are very lucky to live this country and enjoy special dish in high class restaurant with chip bill.

Starting to write

Think about what you write in English, and how you can improve your writing.

Some students have said they can write things like diaries, shopping lists, application forms, emails/letters, CVs.

In the Writing exam you will have to write a selection of items.

Please post your written work on here and let others see it. Please comment if you feel it will help.

Happy Blogging!

Jason