ESL Publications & Resources

An ESL Classroom: Observations and Reflections on
Good Teaching

An ESL Classroom: Observations and Reflections on Good Teaching is a 24-minute video for ESOL professional development. It is accompanied by a 50-page teaching guide. The video and guide can serve as an in-depth resource for individual teachers who, for personal, distance or availability reasons, can't attend workshops in person. The video and text are applicable for both new and seasoned ESOL instructors.

The video features the actions, reactions and insights between a teacher and his students in a real Chicago ESOL classroom with perceptive commentary from a panel of experienced ESOL teachers. The text provides teachers and trainers with additional explanations, observations, and suggestions (see sample pages). The video and text may be used independently by groups or individuals. For more information about the video and guide, contact Judith Diamond,
224-366- 8500.

ESL Materials
A useful resource is Adult ESL Instruction: Some Suggested Materials, developed by the ALRC.

Assessment Options for ESL
Assessment tools for adult ESL approved by the state of Illinois are: The Basic English Skills Test (BEST) Literacy Skills Section, the BEST Plus, and the CASAS Life and Work Series.

English Literacy / Civics Education Resources  

Curricula and Materials for General Civics Instruction:

• Illinois EL/Civics Competencies
• Individual Checklist for EL/CE Competencies
• Resources for EL/Civics Instruction

Community Connections: Education for Involved Communities (formerly titled Illinois Connections). The Community Connections curriculum, developed as a national demonstration grant through the US Department of Education (USDOE)/OVAE, is available through the Curriculum Publications Clearinghouse, www.wiu.edu/CPC.

This curriculum is a fully reproducible, multilevel curriculum that is easily integrated into any existing ESL curriculum. It contains 6 units: The Democratic Process, Community and Home Safety, The Public Library, The U.S. School System, Public Health Services, and Housing (see sample pages from the curriculum). Three components are included: 310 pages of illustrated, multilevel lessons and teaching techniques; a classroom Picture Set of 243 enlarged, cardstock illustrations from the curriculum; and a Flashcard Picture Set of 200 cardstock flashcards.

Training is available at various times throughout the year and throughout Illinois. For more information on the curriculum or training, contact Laurie Martin, 224-366-8500. Information on other national EL/CE demonstration projects funded through USDOE/OVAE can be found at http://www.ed.gove/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/AdultEd/elcnote.html

ERIC Q & A: Civics Education for Adult English Language Learners, www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/collections/civics.html. This website offers civics lesson activities as well as links to other civics resources.

Useful Web Resources

Illinois TESOL-BE - is the Illinois affiliate of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL, see below).

Dave's ESL Cafe - a popular web site with chat rooms, classroom activities, and job postings has many links to other ESL topics and sites.

TESOL - The international professional organization for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, based in Alexandria, Virginia.

ERIC Digests - ERIC Digests are short reports based on current topics in education. There are numerous ESL topics and the database has a search by topic feature.

The Central Illinois Adult Education Service Center - has listservs on the following topics: ABE/GED, ESL, and Family Literacy through this web address. 

Adult Learning Resource Center, 2626 S. Clearbrook Drive, Arlington Heights, IL 60005-4626, Phone 224-366-8500, Fax  847-378-6225 ©2004