ESL: Movie Trailers: Listening, Reading and Writing

Movie Trailers
Finally. A website for listening, reading, and writing practice in English. English-trailers.com uses movie trailers (commercials) as the basis for learning better English. It has a video component as well. I've had others recommend learning ESL via watching English-speaking movies, but until now haven't found a website that presents learning and is also family safe. http://www.english-trailers.com/. English-trailers is a nonprofit, educational website.

But it's useful for more than just ESL. Many English-speaking people in the Western world have difficulty with our language. English-Trailers is also for them. If you know of anyone (with a computer that supports video), tell them about English-trailers. The trailers are the property of Dream- Works, an enterprise started in the 1990s by Stephen Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenburg, and David Geffen.
Note: this is a large framed site, and you may need to reduce the resolution to get access to the entire page. Our computers set at an 800 x 600 resolution need to be changed to a 1024 x 768 resolution to access the cloze, quizzes and scripts portion of the site. Right click on the mouse to access 'Display Modes' and then 'True Color' followed by changing the resolution to 1024 x 768. You may have to try additional resolutions for your computers if this does not correct the problem.

ESL/ABE/GED: Harnessing Adult Literacy (meta site)

http://www.alri.org/harness.html

Sometimes you run across a site that is so full of valuable information and lesson plans that it's well worth the time to visit. This is one of those sites!

Computer: Practice Using a Mouse

http://www.alri.org/harness.html#MOUSE

This site has some great practice for a student who is unfamiliar with using a mouse. Give it a try.

General: Tools: Pictures and Documents

These sites are courtesy of the ALRC (Adult Learning Resource Center) in DesPlaines:

Free photos for class: This site has thousands of free photos for non-profit use in the classroom or on websites. Photos range from landscapes to historical photos or individual objects. Most are travel related, but there are some that are applicable in the classroom.
www.picturesfree.org

Historical Documents for GED or Citizenship: 100 Milestone documents from the Declaration of Independence and the Emancipation Proclamation to the original design of the Great Seal. www.ourdocuments.gov

ESL: Information: New Generation TOEFL Test

The New Generation TOEFL test will be implemented starting in September 2005. This test will incorporate all 4 language skills- reading, listening, writing and speaking. Speaking and writing are the newest portions of the test, and are also among the most difficult areas of English for foreign students to grasp. The AELC has several new software programs that address the new test and skills.