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Learning english, we found 175 activities for you.

Uses of like

This activity helps you to practise using like in different sentences

I love sports

This activity helps you practice using words to do with time and place

Family holiday

Add some prepositions to a story about going on a family holiday

What a great idea!

Learn about exclamative clauses

See and know

Learn about how to use see in spoken English

Choose which parts of these sentences have been left out

Bank accounts

Practice listening with this activity about bank accounts

Can you understand?

Can you identify what is really being said in this listening activity?

Which animal?

Answer some questions to learn new words to describe animals

Vocabulary for the house and home

Practise using vocabulary about the house and home

Vocabulary for work and jobs

Practise using vocabulary connected to work and jobs

Actually and actual

Learn about the uses of actually and actual

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Free Printable English Worksheets For ESL Teachers

Browse our archive of free quality English worksheets and lessons (PDF and Word documents). Download, customize and print the resources, incorporate them in your lessons or assign them as homework to your students.

A Massive Library of Free ESL Worksheets by Category

If you are looking for ESL worksheets for different learning areas, select the matching category. You’ll find assorted lists of worksheets and other materials there, for all levels from beginner to advanced, for all ages from kids to adults.

Reading Comprehension

Listening comprehension, phrasal verbs, vocabulary & conversation, lesson plans (coming soon), esl worksheets for adults and teens (intermediate to advanced students, b1-c1).

These are our available worksheets on different topics for higher-level students, like adults and teens. You can download, edit and print them all for free. When you open the worksheets, there is an option to download PDF and Word files.

50 Gerunds and Infinitives Conversation Questions

51 mixed conditionals conversation questions, 180 esl conversation starters and questions (from beginner to pro), the impact of wildfires on the environment (esl lesson plan, intermediate, ~b1/b2), home-cooked meals vs. eating out (esl worksheet), dialogue/debate worksheet: fast fashion – the true cost of clothes (intermediate-advanced), 41 artificial intelligence discussion questions: personal, legal and ethical, listening worksheet: reported speech – harmful social media content (upper intermediate-advanced), esl vocabulary worksheet: weather report & forecast (elementary-intermediate), esl writing worksheet: opinion essay about video games (intermediate), esl listening comprehension worksheet: technology and relationships (intermediate-advanced), esl vocabulary & conversation worksheet: job interview (intermediate-advanced), esl lesson plan: nature & environment (intermediate), esl grammar worksheet, future tenses: traveling (intermediate-advanced), esl vocabulary worksheet: let’s go shopping (elementary-intermediate), illustrated esl lesson packages for kids.

Exclusively available from JIMMYESL: The following bundles include illustrated vocabulary worksheets for various exercises, flashcards, and a certificate of achievement. They’re great to help young learners memorize new vocabulary with fun!

School & Classroom Objects – ESL Vocabulary Worksheets & Flashcards

Shape names – esl vocabulary worksheets & flashcards, body parts – esl vocabulary worksheets & flashcards, esl worksheets for beginners and lower-intermediate students (a1-b1).

These are the ESL worksheets for young students, and for beginner and elementary level students. Again, you can download all worksheets in PDF and Word format, edit and print them for your lessons. Have fun teaching!

Listening Comprehension Worksheet: The Pet Competition (Elementary)

Esl vocabulary worksheet: sports activities, action words (elementary), esl reading comprehension worksheet: the world of dinosaurs (elementary), esl lesson plan: animals (beginner exercises), esl grammar worksheet: using articles (elementary-intermediate), esl grammar worksheet: -ed & -ing adjectives: describing feelings & situations (elementary-intermediate), esl reading comprehension worksheet: in the restaurant (beginner-elementary), esl reading comprehension worksheet: france (beginner-elementary), esl vocabulary worksheet: describing people (elementary-intermediate), esl reading comprehension worksheet: zoo animals (beginner-elementary), esl reading comprehension worksheet: playing football (beginner-elementary), ideas to create your own esl lesson plans.

Check these ideas for engaging and fun ESL lesson activities, which you can use to create customized worksheets easily. Or browse our full list of activity ideas to find tons of inspiration and materials.

15 Engaging Community Building Activities for the Classroom

Esl icebreakers: 8 games & activities for students of all ages, fun esl warm up activities & games for adults & kids, 12 fun esl speaking activities for teens or adults, 17 fun esl vocabulary games for adults and kids, 120 would you rather questions to start an esl conversation, how to make a lesson plan for teaching english (the definitive guide), the definitive guide on teaching english pronunciation, 12 great esl listening activities & games, 33 sure-fire strategies & activities for teaching english grammar, 18 tips on giving great english conversation lessons for adults, 20+ great business english topics and lesson activities, discover a treasure trove of esl worksheets at jimmyesl, comprehensive categories for targeted learning.

At JIMMYESL, we understand the importance of targeted learning, which is why we’ve organized our worksheets into comprehensive categories. Whether you’re focusing on grammar, vocabulary, reading, writing, listening, or speaking, you’ll find a wealth of resources tailored to your specific needs. Our categories also include worksheets for different age groups, such as kids, teens, and adults, ensuring that you can find materials appropriate for your students’ developmental stages.

Engaging and Interactive Worksheets

Our worksheets are designed to be engaging and interactive, promoting active learning and fostering a love for the English language. From colorful illustrations and fun activities to thought-provoking exercises and real-life scenarios, our worksheets aim to capture your students’ attention and keep them motivated throughout their learning journey. We believe that learning should be enjoyable, and our worksheets reflect that philosophy.

Flexible Formats for Easy Customization

Exclusive lesson packages for young learners, a growing library of resources.

At JIMMYESL, we are committed to continuously expanding our library of ESL worksheets to meet the evolving needs of our teachers and students. We regularly add new materials to our collection, ensuring that you always have access to fresh and relevant content. Our team of experienced educators and language experts works tirelessly to create worksheets that are not only academically sound but also visually appealing and user-friendly.

Practice Your English – Exercises, Quizzes, And Tests

Welcome to our comprehensive collection of English grammar, vocabulary, and speaking exercises designed to enhance your language skills. Below, you’ll find curated links to a variety of exercises and tests to practice your English. These exercises, tests, and quizzes cover different aspects of English language learning. Whether you’re focusing on grammar, expanding your vocabulary, or honing your speaking abilities, we’ve got you covered.

Practice Your English

English exercises, quizzes, and tests, grammar fundamentals, english tenses, exercises on present tenses, exercises on past tenses, exercises on future tenses, exercises on the imperative tense, parts of speech, prepositions, conjunctions, interjections, determiners, gerunds and infinitives, advanced grammar concepts, language structure and usage, word usage and misuse, basic vocabulary exercises, thematic vocabulary exercises, adjective exercises, confused words exercises, british vs american english exercises, speaking exercises.

ESL Worksheets | Free Worksheets For Teaching English

Welcome to our ESL worksheets page. On this page, you can find many printable ESL worksheets on many topics for English language learners and teachers. All the worksheets on Games4esl are absolutely FREE to download and use in your English classes.

Worksheets For Teaching English

Worksheets by topic, worksheets by grade, reading comprehension worksheets, more esl resources.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out our other free ESL materials, including  ESL Games ,  Board Games ,  Flashcards ,  PowerPoint Games , Online Quizzes , and  ESL Lesson Plans .

• Grades 6-12
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25 High School English Activities You’ll Want To Try Right Away

Think outside the box.

Engaging middle and high schoolers can sometimes be tricky. How many times have you planned (what you think is) a cool and exciting lesson, only to walk away feeling pretty bummed and discouraged when your hip activity is a bust? Believe me, I get it. I’ve tried English activities for high school that I am positive (most) of my kids will love and appreciate. I’ve attempted to make English relevant and fresh. I’ve even tried to choose vehicles like social media that fit into their lives. As I plan, I often think, “Man, I would have loved having this kind of stuff when I was in school!”

Sometimes, my efforts fall flat. Other times, I hit a home run. After a lot of trial and error, I’ve finally figured out some techniques that consistently work. Here are my favorite English activities for high school.

1. Pretend you are an alien from another planet

As an alien, you don’t understand human emotions. Ask students to explain what happiness is to alien you. They will try to use other emotions to explain happiness, so you will need to kindly remind them that you don’t understand those. Someone will figure out that what you are looking for is figurative language (e.g., happiness is a Diet Coke at 11:30), and then, mission accomplished. This is one of my favorite mini-lessons to do because when I start class with “I am an alien from another planet …,” some give me weird looks, but most don’t even flinch because they’ve already witnessed enough of my shenanigans to think it may be true.

Try it: Alien From Another Planet Activity at TPT

2. Embrace the season and let it dictate your unit

I change things up every year, but most recently I created a unit around “Spooky Season.” We read “spooky” stories and watched suspenseful short videos to evaluate how authors and storytellers employ devices that heighten the suspense for the audience. In these high school English activities, we analyzed theme and character development and compared different mediums all under the umbrella of Spooky October. As always, what works for my school and grade level may not work for everyone, but some of my students’ favorite spooky short stories were “Lamb to the Slaughter” and “The Landlady.”

3. Write your own spooky story

After reading from our mentor texts and learning how to create suspense, we write fictional narratives that will haunt your nightmares … just kidding—I wanted to add a bit of drama. They pull from grab bags I create of different character names, setting ideas, and props they can use to create their own terrifying tale.

Try it: Spooky Story Starters at TPT

4. Turn everyone into a poet with blackout poetry

Thanks to Austin Kleon , poetry is cool and accessible. If you haven’t heard of blackout poetry already, it’s created by taking a newspaper or loose book pages that can no longer be repaired and creating a poem using certain words on the page. Then, you black out the rest. I’ve done this every year and have changed my approach each time. Sometimes I give students free rein and let the words speak to them, and sometimes I’ll give them a specific topic I’d like them to create a poem around. I love to see 25 different variations of “courage” through poetry.

Try it: Blackout Poetry at We Are Teachers

5. Use emojis in class

When teaching a complex concept like symbolism, use symbols that are already part of students’ daily life. Assign each small group a word or theme and then have them choose an emoji to symbolize that message. Have kids sketch them out on the board and explain why they chose that symbol, or turn it into a full-on art project and display them around the room. ADVERTISEMENT

Try it: More Fun Ideas for Teaching With Emojis at We Are Teachers

6. Go hunting for mechanics, usage, and grammar errors

Doing a quick search of these kinds of fails on the internet will provide you with a great deal of content. You can turn those fails into a slideshow while the class finds the errors and corrects them, or you can assign a few to each small group to tackle. 

7. What’s better than a one-pager?

The name speaks for itself here. There are so many variations of one-pager assignments that you could do, but the one that I like is to use one-page as a blank canvas for them to demonstrate their understanding of developing theme and symbolism. They sketch out symbols and images that are significant to the book they are reading and include text evidence to support their inferences and takeaways. 

Try it: One-Pager Template at TPT

8. Play reviewsical chairs

When I first started teaching and was looking for solidarity, understanding, and inspiration, I found love,teach . In one of her blog posts, she suggested playing reviewsical chairs to prepare for a test. It is like musical chairs, but you review. When the music stops, someone is without a chair and they have to challenge someone else for their chair by answering a review question correctly. This is a fan favorite in middle and high school.

9. Play the flyswatter game

I love a fun review game. This one requires you to put up answers around the room (e.g., character names, dates, themes, symbols, storytelling devices, etc.). Then, you divide the class up into two teams. Have them send two representatives up to the front and arm them with flyswatters. I normally tape off a box that they have to stand in while I read the question. Then, the first person to hit the correct answer with their flyswatter wins the point. This game is intense and so fun! Make sure you move any book bags or obstacles that may be tripping hazards (for me this is just air).

10. Listen to podcasts and discuss them together

Not all teenagers are familiar with podcasts, but it’s a great way to introduce lessons in an interesting way. And so far, my students have reported really enjoying them. In fact, I’ve even had students come back and tell me they’ve continued to listen to a podcast series on their own after we’ve concluded our lesson.

Podcasts encourage students to be actively engaged, because the information being shared must be processed and visualized by the students as it’s being said. I usually prepare questions for them to answer as they listen, and then facilitate a discussion afterward. In my classroom, this sometimes leads to mildly heated debates, which is a learning experience in and of itself.

Try it: List of Educational Podcasts at We Are Teachers

11.  Introduce “chapter chats”

My students love being in charge of leading “chapter chats” in small groups. By encouraging them to be leaders in discussing specific book chapters, they take ownership in a whole new way. I’ve really enjoyed watching my kids come up with thoughtful questions, bring food to connect to something that happened in the text, and even create fun games that encourage their classmates to recall information from the chapter. Chapter chats are great high school English activities to assess those speaking and listening standards while also making them read critically because they are in charge of facilitating the discussion. 

Try it: Chapter Chats at TPT

12. Let your students be podcasters

Last year, I finally decided to let my students create their own podcasts. I’ve wanted to do this for years but logistically was not sure how to execute. It took a lot of planning on the front end of the assignment and organizing where to find places for them to record (makeshift sound booths), but we did it! They had to pitch their topics and get a red, green, or yellow light. Then, they had to research, cite evidence, write a script, and finally produce their own podcasts. We listened to the episodes and answered questions on the “listening guide” that they created. I loved this assignment and will definitely do it again. 

13. Throw parties with a purpose

We just finished reading The Great Gatsby , and since throwing lavish parties was Gatsby’s thing, we threw our own 1920s soiree. I divided my students into small groups to do research on their assigned topic (historically accurate fashions, refreshments, ambiance, guest list, etc.) and then deliver presentations. The students were responsible for assigning each other parts, complete with instructions on how to dress and what food or beverage to bring. They even provided each participant with a lexicon (specific vocabulary) to use at the party. This assignment was fun, and it also covered many standards, which is a win-win for me!

 14. Give speeches as characters

After watching a number of TED Talks and studying what contributed to an effective performance, my students wrote and delivered speeches of their own. They drew prompts for characters with different occupations giving different types of speeches (e.g., Beyoncé giving a Grammy acceptance speech). I found that my students were much more confident and comfortable speaking when given permission to act like someone else. This activity was a hands-down favorite event for my eighth grade students. Those speaking and listening standards can be tough to master, and high school English activities like this helped us get there.

15. Read, solve, and create murder mysteries

My students in both middle and high school love true crime. I’ve created murder mystery activities for high school English that fit really well with literature units and that focus on making inferences, writing, and using textual evidence. Once the premise of the mystery is determined, students create their own case files, evidence, and clues for their classmates to solve. I’ve had them pull from bags of evidence, locations, and possible suspects to add another element of fun and challenge. It’s simple, but they really like pulling things from mystery bags. This activity is also an excellent support for students who struggle with finding a starting point.

16. Read children’s books

I know many high school and middle school teachers who use children’s literature in their classrooms to introduce literary devices. Inspired by Ludacris , I once rapped Llama Llama Red Pajama in my creative writing class before I had students write children’s books of their own. I am sure there is footage of this out there living sneakily on someone’s camera roll, but thankfully, it hasn’t surfaced.

Try it: Famous Children’s Books at We Are Teachers

17. Use magazine clippings for found poetry

Give students some scissors and a stack of magazines, newspapers, or books to look through. Have them cut out words and phrases they like and then arrange them into their own unique work of poetry.

18. Perform plays

Just this week, one of my sophomore students asked me what we were going to be reading next. We just finished 12 Angry Men . She said she wanted to do another play. Then, another student chimed in and agreed. Plays are appealing for many reasons. Plays allow us to study literature without having to tackle the entire length of a novel. Plays allow students to become characters and perform. Plays invite students to let out their inner thespian. My students take on roles and commit to them. 

19. Pique interest by doing First Chapter Friday

It may seem uncomfortable reading aloud to your secondary students, but I am telling you, they still enjoy it! Read an exciting first chapter from books that you hope they pick up and read on their own. First Chapter Fridays are especially great activities for high school English if you have an expansive library of books for them to choose from.

Try it: First Chapter Fridays at We Are Teachers

20. Have them create SNL -style satirical sketches

When I teach my students satire and parody, I show them examples of school-appropriate satire. Then, we discuss why it is satire. After we get the hang of it, I have them write and perform them. I also happen to have a weird collection of wigs and costumes in my room that may help them get into character. Funny wigs are always an asset!

21. Write a summary of what they are reading incorporating teen slang

My juniors are reading The Crucible and the language can be tricky for them. After a long weekend, I was worried they would forget what we read so I decided at 1 a.m. to write a Gen-Z summary of Acts 1 & 2. They may have called me cringey and told me to burn my paper but it made them laugh and they understood it so it was a W (as the kids say.) Afterwards, I thought it would be a fun assignment to have them write the same style of summary for Acts 3 & 4. It forces them to go through and truly understand the dynamic relationships in the play and how the events are unfolding. Then, they get to flex on everyone with a summary that slaps. 

Try it: Teen Slang Every Teacher Should Know at We Are Teachers

22. To build background knowledge, create fun stations

At the beginning of a short story or a novel, give your students the background knowledge they need by setting up stations for them to visit. When I had planned for my students to read Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe, we had some ground to cover before diving in. I set up stations that gave background information on who Poe was, what Carnival was, information about the Catacombs, vocabulary that they’d encounter and need to know, and finally questions that focused on heavy topics they’d see dealt with in the story.

Some of these stations were videos they watched that were posted as QR codes, some were articles they had to read, and some were discussion questions they chatted about and then wrote down their consensus. To make it vibey, I added dollar-store battery-operated candles, scattered plastic skulls around, and turned down the lights with a spooky playlist playing.

23. Get them talking and thinking by using anticipation guides

An easy way to get your students excited about the next story you’re going to read is to have them complete an anticipation guide. This is a great way to preview the topics that will point to themes in the story they’re about to read. It’s also a great way to start some good discussions before getting into the text. They’ll have a better idea of what they’re supposed to be taking away from the literature if you guide them in a way that’s engaging before reading. My favorite anticipation guide is from The Most Dangerous Game. I teach at a school where hunting is very popular so when we go over the questions, I’ll have them sit or stand if they agree and then each side will share their explanations as to why they chose what they did. 

24. To teach figurative language, create a weird grab bag

When my students struggle with figurative language, I put them into groups of three or four. Then I throw weird things in a bag, and one member of their group chooses an object from the bag. Once they pull out their fake mouse or rubber duck or whatever item they’ve selected, they have to write a few sentences using personification that is inspired by the object they grab. Then, they choose their favorite sentence and write it on the board for the class to see. We’ll then go through everyone’s sentences to check to make sure we’re using personification correctly and to inspire creativity! If they can write incredible sentences using personification about an Expo Marker, they can definitely challenge themselves in their own writing. 

25. For all the Swifties out there, analyze Taylor Swift

Will there be haters? Yes. Be prepared to shut them down swiftly. In my poetry unit, we analyzed “All Too Well.” Taylor Swift is an incredible songwriter. Her songs are an English teacher’s dream. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t speak for all English teachers but any and all Swifty English teachers will agree. You can choose other music too! We’ve also analyzed Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come.” 

If you liked these activities for high school English, check out these 10 Playful Tricks To Engage High School Students .

Plus, sign up for our free newsletters to get all the latest teaching tips and ideas, straight to your inbox.

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English learning for beginners: Tips, resources and lessons

Do you want to learn English ? Or are you helping someone else who is a beginner English learner?

We have lots of tips, tools, books, resources, and free video lessons to help with English learning for beginners .

We’ll show you simple ways to speak and understand English better. Are you ready to start your fun language adventure? Let’s go!

Basic English learning tips for beginners

When you start learning English, it might feel difficult. Here are some simple things you can do to get started learning English as a beginner:

• Watch English movies and TV shows. This is a fun and easy way to get used to the sounds and rhythms of the English language.
• Listen to English podcasts. Improve your English listening skills wherever you are.
• Meet other English learners. Join a local community of English learners to get support on your journey.
• Write a diary in English. Start with one sentence each day. Write about how you feel or what happened today.
• Learn new words. Write down new words in a notebook or on your phone. Leave sticky notes around your house to help you remember.
• Read the news in English. Use websites to explore English news stories at your level.
• Make a plan. Decide how often you will practice English and which tools to use.

Keep reading this article for more ideas!

Top websites and apps for beginners to learn English basics

There are so many great resources for learning English online, on your computer, tablet, or phone. Here are some of the best English learning resources for beginners :

BBC Learning English

This free resource from the BBC has lessons and activities in three levels: Easy, Medium, and Hard. Visit the website to learn about pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary.

You can take free English lessons for beginners here , too. You will hear British accents from the BBC.

Gymglish is an app to learn English. It has short lessons that you can do on your phone or computer.

The lessons are very fun and use AI technology to help you learn English faster .

There is a monthly subscription fee for Gymglish of about $13/month, but you can try it free for 1 month . Choose the beginner course when you join.

Mondly is another good English learning app for beginners. It has short daily lessons and a special vocabulary builder for important words.

The English lessons on Mondly feel like playing a game! You can try it now for free or read our Mondly review for more information.

Voice of America (VOA)

The Learning English website from Voice of America has English lessons and exercises for beginner, intermediate, and advanced level students.

You can study new words, practice pronunciation, and learn about American culture too.

Rocket Languages

Rocket Languages is a good app to help you improve from beginner to intermediate level English.

It has a voice recognition tool so you can practice speaking and improve your pronunciation.

There are 132 hours of lessons and you can get lifetime access for just $99 .

News in Levels

This website shares daily news stories in English. Choose Level 1 for simple stories that use easy English words for beginners. There is an audio recording for each news story, so you can improve your listening skills too.

News in Levels is free to access.

English books for beginners

Books are an important part of learning English. As you read books, you learn new words and sentence structures. You can use books to study English too.

Here are some English learning books that we recommend for beginners:

English for Everyone: Beginner Box Set

This English book for beginners has simple self-study lessons with pictures. Lessons cover vocabulary, grammar, and sentence-building.

The box set includes two study books and two practice books. Audio lessons are available on the DK website.

English Short Stories for Beginners

This book of short stories is written for beginner English learners. Each story has a word list and a comprehension test.

The stories are based on real-life scenarios from American life.

77 Real Life English Dialogues with 500 Most Common English Words

Learn English from real-life conversations in this book, focusing on 500 of the most common words for beginners.

The book includes access to audio recordings of the dialogues.

Video English lessons for beginners

Video lessons are an engaging way of learning English for beginners. You can practice your listening and speaking skills too.

If you don’t understand, you can slow down the video. Pause and rewind if you need to watch it again.

Here are some video lessons to help you learn English:

Complete English Course: Learn English Language for Beginners (Udemy)

This beginner English course has more than 9 hours of video lectures on 44 topics. Each lesson has a test for you to complete.

The lessons are taught by a native English speaker teacher with a British accent.

English with Ronnie (YouTube)

Ronnie is an English teacher with hundreds of videos that are free to watch on YouTube. She teaches with a whiteboard, like in a classroom.

Here is one of her videos about auxiliary verbs:

Learn English with Camille (YouTube)

This YouTube channel features conversations between the hosts, Camille and Calvin. They use basic English and speak slowly. The videos have subtitles to help you understand them.

Here is a lesson where you learn how to talk about the weather in simple English:

Lingopie is an English app that provides interactive subtitles (and a heap of other features) as you watch TV shows and movies. You can even use it with your favorite shows on Netflix.

You can try it free for 7 days, and it costs from $5.99/month after that.

English podcasts for beginners

Podcasts are a fun and convenient way to improve your English listening skills. You can listen to a podcast while you are driving to work, at the gym, or cleaning your house.

Beginner English podcasts have short episodes and the hosts speak slowly so you can understand more easily. You can slow down the podcast speed even more if you need to.

Here are some good English podcasts for beginners:

Podcasts in English

On the Podcasts in English website you can listen to special beginner-level podcasts .

They are free to listen to. If you want access to the transcript, worksheet, and vocabulary tasks for each episode, there is a small subscription fee.

Coffee Break English

The Coffee Break English podcast is designed for learners at level A1-A2. You can listen to episodes on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. There are videos on their website too, with notes for each lesson.

The episodes cover topics like pronunciation and easily confused words.

BBC Real Easy English

This is a new weekly podcast from the BBC just for beginner learners.

Each episode features a real conversation. The website has a vocabulary list and transcript to help you learn as you listen.

VOA Learning English Podcasts

If you want to start learning American English, listen to some VOA podcasts.

VOA has a lot of different podcasts, but Everyday Grammar and Ask a Teacher are good English lessons for beginners. You can download them to listen to whenever you like.

Understanding the foundations of the English language

Learning English is like piecing together a puzzle. You need all the pieces to see the full picture.

Vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation are these pieces that help you form sentences and build fluency.

Words are the building blocks of any language. You need these to communicate basic ideas.

When you start to learn English, you will cover topics like:

• Days and months
• Colors and shapes
• Introducing yourself
• Describing people
• Food and dining
• Likes and dislikes
• Daily routines

You will learn phrases as well as words. Phrases are groups of words like:

• Brush your teeth
• Wash the dishes
• How are you?
• I don’t like
• I would like

Playing word games like crosswords is also a fun way to remember words better. Find some fun games for learning English here.

English grammar can look scary, but it’s easier when you learn it little by little.

Many common sentences in English use auxiliary (helping) verbs like ‘do,’ ‘be,’ ‘have,’ ‘can,’ and ‘will’. Learning about these will help you build sentences.

English has many tenses to talk about the past, present, and future. Start with the simple tenses:

• I went to the park yesterday. (simple past)
• I go to the park every day. (simple present)
• I will go to the park tomorrow. (simple future)

It’s easier to learn English grammar if you take lessons, use an app, or have a study book.

Pronunciation

Although English pronunciation can be irregular, it’s important to get it right to avoid miscommunication. Here are some tips to help you improve your English pronunciation:

• Start with slow speech practice.
• Pay attention to word stress and practice stressing the correct syllables.
• Practice some tongue twisters to improve articulation.
• Pay attention to mouth movements and try to mimic them.
• Listen and repeat after native speakers to fine-tune your pronunciation. Record yourself and compare it to a native speaker.

With consistent practice, you can improve your English pronunciation.

Key skills for beginner English learners

Learning English means practicing reading, writing, listening, and talking.

Let’s look at these things one-by-one and see how to improve them.

Reading English is a vital skill whether you want to do business in English, travel, or just keep in touch with friends.

Reading should be fun. Start with easy books so you can understand the words and enjoy reading. As you improve, you can try harder books.

Watching English movies and TV shows with subtitles will help improve your reading skills , too.

Writing skills are important for communication. You can practice writing by:

• Keeping a diary and writing about your day
• Joining a language exchange or an online community for people learning English
• Using a writing checker like Grammarly to help you learn from your mistakes and improve your spelling
• Using Write & Improve , a free tool from Cambridge English to practice writing and receive feedback

Understanding spoken English can be difficult because people have so many different accents.

Podcasts, movies, TV shows, and YouTube videos are all helpful ways to learn how English words sound. Listen to different accents and notice how words flow together.

Find more tips to improve your listening skills here.

Speaking English is when you really get to use what you’ve learned. Talking with people who have always spoken English can help you speak better.

Here are simple ways to get better at speaking in English :

• Ask questions when you talk to others
• Join groups where people talk about your interests or hobbies
• Take some private lessons with a tutor using Preply or British Council
• Record yourself talking and listen back

If you keep practicing and trying new things, your speaking will improve.

Assessing your English level: From beginner to fluent English speaker

Beginner English speakers are classed as CEFR level A1 or A2. You can check your level with free tests on these platforms:

• British Council
• Gymglish (sign up for free and receive an assessment after 1 week of lessons)

You can take these tests as often as you like to track your progress. As you improve, make sure you challenge yourself with harder lessons and learning materials.

Assisting others with English learning for beginners

If you are reading this article because you want to help someone else learn English, this part is for you.

Hopefully, you already have some inspiration from the tips and resources listed above. Other ways you can support beginner English learners include:

• Identify their preferred learning style (visual, auditory, reading/writing, or kinesthetic) and find lesson materials to suit them
• Work on creating some meaningful goals for learning English
• Help create a study schedule that they can commit to
• Keep them accountable to their study plan and celebrate short-term milestones together
• Help them find community groups with other English learners
• Watch short video clips together and discuss the content
• Be realistic about how long it takes to learn English

Learning English is a big step, but it opens up many opportunities. You can use websites, podcasts, books, videos, and online lessons to build your vocabulary and learn English basics like how to form sentences.

Practice reading, writing, listening, and speaking a little every day. And connect with other English learners so you can support one another as you improve.

Listen and click on the correct images.

Click to make correct sentences.

Look at the images and make sentences.

Practice vocabulary and phrases for daily activities.

Look at the images and guess the adjectives.

Click on the images to see the body parts.

Look at the images to practice adverbs.

Practice adverbs of frequency.

Move the letters to make the vocabulary items.

Click the words to practice making phrasal verbs.

Practice present simple tense verbs.

Guess the job and practice job language.

Listen and click on the correct food images.

Look at the image and then spell the word.

Practice the 12 months of the year in English.

Interactive clock to practice telling the time.

Describe the images by making sentences.

Find the words to match the images. Practice spelling.

Practice future tense sentences with 'Going To'.

Practice making sentences in past tense.

Find the matching pairs of images and words.

Look at the images and make comparatives.

Listen to the numbers and move the monster.

Click on the words and make questions.

Guess the word or phrase as the image is revealed.

Make conditional phrases to match the images.

Read the description and click on the matching image.

Guess letters to spell out a hidden word.

Speaking practice. Say the vocab items.

Speaking practice. Say the phrases.

Guess the animal by forming questions.

Listen to the words and click on the images.

Move the objects to match the prepositions.

Move the clouds to make sentences.

Practice vocab for family members.

Practice making sentences in perfect tense.

Listen and move the weather images to the countries.

Read the sentences and move the clothes.

Practice days of the week in English.

Reveal the images and click on the words.

Click and drag the words to match the images.

A fun quiz to practice simple English.

Games to Learn English

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10 entertaining homework ideas for online English Language Learners

Did hearing the words, “do your homework,” when you were a child excite you? 

For most of us, the word homework doesn’t conjure up exciting or fun memories. 

Homework was likely one of the last things you wanted to do as a student!

However, what if you could make homework fun for students? What if homework was entertaining? 

In this article, we share some entertaining homework ideas for English language learners to help them improve their English while having fun!

You might be familiar with lots of ESL games and activities for your students , but assigning the right homework can feel overwhelming. 

This is particularly true if you don’t want to burden your students with a tremendous amount of information. 

Have you ever thought about combining games with homework? 

There are many alternative ways to create memorable lessons, such as incorporating karaoke songs to learn English. 

Here are 10 fun and entertaining homework ideas for your ESL students:

• Cafe hopper
• Tiktok star
• Let’s go to the movies
• Hello Mr. Teacher
• Interview a stranger
• Shine like a Karaoke star
• Expert on the loose
• 24 hour challenge
• It’s a wrap!
• Masterchef in the making

1. Cafe hopper

Most people love checking out cafes and this is an easy homework task to assign to your students.  

Have your students visit a variety of cafes as part of their homework. 

Then, consider what they could do for homework in a cafe of their choice.

Here are some fun ideas for turning cafe-hopping into homework:

• Practice ordering in English off of the menu.
• Take a photo of the cafe’s and share the differences and similarities with you in class.
• Speak to a stranger in each cafe in English and ask them some interesting questions about their life.
• Interview the barista about their favorite kind of coffee or beverage.

This is a stress-free homework idea that your students will love, especially if they are coffee or tea lovers!

2. TikTok star

Tiktok is a fun social media application where you can watch videos and songs from creators. You can also watch creators lip-synching to catchy tunes.

Show some fun examples in your class of some famous TikTok songs being lip-synched to by others and practice doing one together.

• For homework, have them choose their favorite song on TikTok.
• They can lip-synch to the song and download the song to their camera album without having to actually post it to TikTok.
• Have them share their creation with you in the next class!

Depending on the age and location of your student, TikTok might not be an option for them. If you are teaching older students or adults , then it might be easier for them to use social media for this homework assignment rather than young children.

If they are too young to use the app, have them find an online video of their favorite song and ask a parent to record them singing!

3. Let’s go to the movies

Going to the movies doesn’t sound like homework, does it? Well, as you might already be discovering, homework doesn’t have to be conventional!

Find some interesting movies that are playing in your students’ area or ask them to watch a movie of their choice in English. 

Tell them that their homework is going to be based on the movie they watch.

Here are some ideas for making going to the movies part of their homework:

• Have them write a summary of the movie or their favorite part.
• Tell them that they have to give you a movie review in your next class.
• Have them act out their favorite part of the movie with a sibling or family member and record it (in English of course!).
• Ask them to make a poster advertising the movie with captions, titles and text to accompany any drawings.

If you are struggling to find movies they can go and watch in the cinema, you can always use these ESL movies and TV shows as a resource. 

Students can also watch movies from the comforts of their homes. 

4. Hello Mr. Teacher!

Students love playing the role of the teacher! 

This can work for in-person or online ESL classes.  

Tell them that as part of the next classroom activity, the first 5 – 10 minutes will be their time to shine as the teacher!

For homework, ask them to:

• Think of one topic that they know a lot about (This could be a sport, musical instrument, game, topic, etc…).
• Have them prepare 5 important things that someone needs to know about their topic.
• Tell them that in their next class they will be the teacher and share their knowledge! (They can even give you homework!).

Have fun with this homework idea and role-play the student where you ask them questions after they finish. 

Your students will love this one!

5. Interview a stranger

This one might need some parent support and guidance if you are teaching children, but having them interview someone is an entertaining homework idea for English language learners.

• It encourages their own voice as they come up with ideas.
• It helps with writing skills as they write out their questions.
• Interviewing encourages conversation and role playing which is a fun way to learn English.

You could have your younger students interview a family member and ask questions related to that family member’s childhood. 

Here are some sample questions you could help your students form:

• What kind of things did you like to do when you were my age?
• What was your favorite thing about school?
• What types of sports did you play when you were young?
• Tell me about what life was like when you were a child.

Have them choose and write out 5-10 questions and come back to class to report on their findings!

6. Shine like a Karaoke star

Who doesn’t like a bit of karaoke? Imagine….singing your heart out to “I love rock n roll” in the privacy of your own home!

You don’t need to go to a karaoke place to actually sing karaoke songs. There are lots of great karaoke songs available online to learn English with your students.

YouTube is a great place to start, just by searching for your favorite song + “karaoke lyrics” in the search bar.

In class, help your student(s) choose a song and task them with finding the online karaoke lyrics to sing along.

Have them sing this for homework! You could even ask a parent to help them record it if they are comfortable with that.

Here are some fun and popular karaoke songs online to learn English:

• “I Will Survive” with Gloria Gaynor
• “Livin’ on a Prayer” with Bon Jovi
• “Summer Nights” with John Travolta and Olivia Newton John
• “Don’t Stop Believin’” with Journey

7. Expert on the loose

There is an expert in all of us, including your students!

In this fun and entertaining homework idea, have your student share their expertise on something!

To add a different dimension to the homework idea, “Hello Mr. Teacher,” task your students to dress up as the expert and make a short speech on their topic of choice.

Here are some examples:

• Harry Potter
• Michael Jordan (to talk about basketball)
• Favorite sports athlete
• Insect scientist
• Astronaut (if your student knows a lot about space)
• Presidential candidate
• Pilot (for students who know a lot about countries)

Even if they are not an expert on the topic, part of the homework assignment could be to do some research and learn more about their chosen field.

You could even ask them to dress up and come to class in the role, ready to share their knowledge with you! 

8. 24 hour English challenge

This one is self-explanatory and incredibly fun!

Set a challenge for your student to only speak in English for 24 hours. 

This means that you might need to get parents involved with the homework assignment, so that they can help out.

The idea is that they have to speak only in English (as much as is possible given their situation) when interacting with family, friends and at school.

Your students might already be immersed in English environments, but, oftentimes, they are speaking their native language at home with family and friends.

Having your students force themselves to only speak in English is challenging and a great way to encourage English outside the classroom.

9. It’s a wrap!

Lots of students love to rap! Rap music is poetic and encourages a lot of ESL language skills that we want to build in our students.

This is an activity that you can model with your students in class and assign it for homework for them to create their own rap.

Again, they can come back to class and rap their new song to you! It might, however, work better with older students who have a good base level of English, to begin with.

Here are some fun homework assignments incorporating rap:

• Create their own rap if they are the creative type
• Find a well known rap online and practice it to present in class
• Assign your students to find a rap online that they sing and record with their friends

10. Masterchef extraordinaire

For the food lovers, creating a homework assignment that includes cooking can be really fun.

Most kids love the idea of cooking, especially if it centers around cooking their favorite food!

When considering this as a homework idea, consider these possible assignments:

• Create and write out a recipe for a unique culinary dish.
• Make a video about the cooking experience.
• Record a tutorial of how to cook something.
• Turn it into a competition if you have multiple students.

Plus, this works with physical and online classrooms. 

Of course, if you have a physical classroom with multiple students, this could be a really fun in-class experience with some homework assignments to accompany it.

Who doesn’t love a food-related assignment? 

If you choose Masterchef extraordinaire, allow your students to share the food they make with the class and encourage lots of conversations in English.

Homework doesn’t have to be boring!

As you can see, homework doesn’t have to be boring! 

Most of your ESL students have a lot to do even outside class, and that’s why assigning homework that doesn’t feel like homework is ideal!

This is an opportunity to get creative, creating excitement for your students to learn English.

If you use some of the homework ideas mentioned here, make sure you document the experience and continue to discover new activities that bring laughter and joy to the classroom. 

And when you are applying to online teaching jobs , be sure to share how you plan to creatively incorporate class assignments and homework for your students!

Enjoy the process and make learning an enjoyable experience for everyone. 

Enjoyed this article? Don't forget to share.

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• Confusing Words
• Online Grammar Quizzes
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• Grammar Book
• Grammar Blog

Free English Grammar Worksheets

These free English Grammar Worksheets or practice sheets are an excellent way to improve your grammar. 

You can  download  and  print them off  as PDFs so they are excellent grammar resources for the classroom if you are a teacher. 

All the worksheets can be accessed through the links below and they are all  with answers . They are also available as interactive  online grammar quizzes .

Printable English Grammar Worksheets (With Answers)

Adverbial clauses.

• Adverbs of Concession and Manner
• Adverbs of Cause and Reasons
• Adverbs of Time
• Adverbs of Condition

Conditional Clauses

• The Zero Conditional  
• Type 1 Conditional Clauses
• Type 2 Conditional Clauses
• Type 3 Conditional Clauses
• Mixed Type Conditionals
• Mixed Exercises (Part 1)
• Mixed Exercises (Part 2)
• Intermediate Worksheets 1  
• Intermediate Worksheets 2
• Intermediate Worksheets 3
• Intermediate Worksheets 4
• Advanced Worksheets 1
• Advanced Worksheets 2
• Advanced Worksheets 3
• Advanced Worksheets 4
• Defining and Non-defining

Present Simple

• Mixed Forms
• Affirmative
• Interrogative (Yes / No Questions)
• Interrogative (Question Words)
• More exercises
• Worksheets from the Web

Present Perfect Simple

Present perfect continuous, past simple.

• Affirmative (Regular Verbs)
• Affirmative (Irregular Verbs)

Past Continuous

• Uses of the Past Continuous

Past Perfect

• Interrogative (Questions Words)

Past Perfect Continuous

Future simple.

• Affirmative ('will' & 'be going to')

Future Perfect Simple

Future perfect continuous.

• Interrogative

Sentence Structure 

• Identifying Phrases and Clauses
• Identifying Clauses  
• Identifying the 8 Parts of Speech
• Converting Active to Passive Voice  
• Substitution
• Direct and Indirect Objects
• Subject and Object Complements
• Transitive and Intransitive Verbs
• Used to (repeated past actions)

Nouns and Pronouns 

• Pronoun Antecedent Agreement
• Sentence Nominalisation Practice
• Relative Pronouns
• Gerund or Present Participle
• Common vs Proper Nouns
• Demonstrative Adjectives (this, that, these, those)
• Quantifiers
• Types of Adjective 1
• Types of Adjective 2
• Possessive Adjectives
• Indefinite Adjectives
• Predicate Adjectives

Direct & Indirect Speech 

• Converting Direct to Indirect Speech  

Confusing Words 

• Affect vs Effect
• Be/Get Used To
• Hanged vs Hung
• Either or Neither

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Writing Across the Curriculum: Quill's nonprofit mission is to now build both reading and writing skills through free, OER content across the curriculum. Over the coming years, we will be building a library of free ELA, social studies, and science activities that engage students in deeper thinking through writing prompts that provide immediate feedback.

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Provide your students with nonfiction texts paired with AI-powered writing prompts, instead of multiple-choice questions, to enable deeper thinking.

Students read a nonfiction text and build their comprehension through writing prompts, supporting a series of claims with evidence sourced from the text. Quill challenges students to write responses that are precise, logical, and based on textual evidence, with Quill coaching the student through custom, targeted feedback on each revision so that students strengthen their reading comprehension and hone their writing skills.

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The Quill Lessons tool enables teachers to lead whole-class and small-group writing instruction.

Teachers control interactive slides that contain writing prompts, and the entire class responds to each prompt. Each Quill Lessons activity provides a lesson plan, writing prompts, discussion topics, and a follow up independent practice activity.

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Quickly determine which skills your students need to work on with our diagnostics.

The diagnostics cover vital sentence construction skills and generate personalized learning plans based on the student’s performance.

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Proofreader teaches your students editing skills by having them proofread passages.

Students edit passages and receive personalized exercises based on their results. With over 100 expository passages, Proofreader gives students the practice they need to spot common grammatical errors.

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Students practice basic grammar skills, from comma placement to parallel structure.

Quill Grammar has over 150 sentence writing activities to help your students. Our activities are designed to be completed in 10 minutes so you have the freedom to use them in the way that works best for your classroom.

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How to Set Up Authentic Assignments in High School English

Assignments that align with standards and hone students’ critical thinking skills can boost their engagement in learning.

During my district’s teacher-led summer professional development, my colleagues and I often discussed the benefits of authentic learning, which helps create a culture of learning. With authentic activities and assessments, ELA students work on a variety of tasks that connect to the real  world. Authentic learning is effective in virtual and in-person classes, and increases student engagement while deepening learning. 

What makes an activity meaningful or authentic? Authentic activities mirror real-world tasks. They give students an opportunity to showcase their work to others, the community, other students, or parents. Authentic assignments have several defining characteristics. When considering and planning authentic assignments, think about how to incorporate the following:

• Collaboration 
• Real audience/ assessment 
• Interdisciplinary connections 
• Polished products
• Multiple solutions/ perspectives
• Real-life relevance 

Authentic learning has many benefits in the classroom. Students individualize their assignments, hone critical thinking skills, practice autonomy, innovate and adapt, and become agents of change. 

Core Authentic Learning

Authentic learning  assignments closely align with the Common Core State Standards and 21st Century Skills . The Common Core State Standards center on preparing students to read, write, listen, and speak across all content areas. The skills and knowledge that make up the standards prepare students for the real world. Here are some examples of the standards :

• Writing. 9-10.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
• Writing. 9-10.6: Use technology, including the internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically.
• Reading Information Text. 9-10.8:  Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false statements and fallacious reasoning.

These standards serve as the foundation of the authentic tasks. In my planning, I always look at the language of the standard to help design the authentic task. For example, the writing standard encourages a variety of ways to use technology to publish student work. Additionally, the Speaking & Listening Standards encourage students to question, share, and expand.

A common misconception is that teachers lack the time and resources to implement authentic learning, but they can easily integrate mini-lessons covering specific skills. Teachers can focus mini-lessons or small group work on these standards while also providing independent time for students to work on their authentic projects.

5 Examples of Authentic Tasks

1. Blogging/vlogging: Students capture their thoughts, ideas, and questions while showcasing their work to a wide audience. They can blog about current events, or react to themes in a unit, or explore ideas from class. Keeping a blog or vlog helps students learn how to write for an audience and practice using their voice.

2. Community newsletters: Communication is a foundational skill and part of the Common Core. Creating a newsletter is a good example. In my school, students make newsletters about what’s going on in our classrooms to send home to their families. Additionally, using a template from Canva or Google Docs, students can create newsletters about what’s happening in the local community. Sending out the newsletters to others, such the local newspaper, school community, and parents, gives meaning to student writing.

3. Student presentations: Speaking and presenting are two critical skills for students to learn, and teachers can invite other classes, administrators, or even community members to watch the presentations. With an audience, students practice their public speaking and gain confidence. My favorite students’ presentations have been when our class re-created Shark Tank and invited community members to listen, provide feedback, and comment on the projects. If time is an issue, students can record presentations on platforms like Flipgrid or upload videos to Padlet or Google Sites.

4. Student-designed assessments: The classroom is always abuzz when students create tests and quizzes for each other. The competition among peers results in increased motivation and engagement, with students competing over who can make a harder test. In the past, I’ve provided students with the Common Core State Standards they needed to assess, which culminated in deeper learning for all students.

5. Competitions and contests: The New York Times and NPR both run student contests that are free to enter. The New York Times  offers a variety of options throughout the school year, and NPR  has a student podcast challenge each year on any topic. I also check local organizations and groups for a variety of essay or poetry contests.

Remember to focus on making learning fun, applicable, and rigorous. Authentic assignments are flexible for teachers, as students can work on them independently, in small groups, as end-of-unit assessments, or as whole-unit assessments. These learning opportunities create student platforms that will engage all students . Most important, meaningful assignments foster highly effective student collaboration and critical thinking for a lifetime of learning. Authentic tasks help prepare students for the expectations of tomorrow. 

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Reading worksheets.

Ereading Worksheets has the best reading worksheets on the internet, and they're all free. These worksheets are skill focused and aligned to Common Core State Standards. You are free to save, edit, and print these worksheets for personal or classroom use. Many of these assignments can now be completed online. You're going to like this.

This page features a sampling of the reading worksheets on this website, organized by skills. You can find more activity by browsing the pages that are dedicated to each reading skill.

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104 Comments

great website! it made my work easier.. love it. thank you

This is one of the best websites I ever came across! It’s just simply the best website for English, apart from the web dictionaries 😉

I’ve been using this website for getting great grades (alliteration is one of those things that your games inspired me to do; not that yours are bad though) at my examinations for atleast 2 years.

I will be forever grateful to Mr. Morton for his wonderful website!

Maybe-Your-Most-Favourite-Viewer

Thank you for visiting and the kind words!

English is my second language.

It is with great pleasure that I found your web site. Over the summer 2020, I printed almost all your reading comprehension materials for my grade 7 and 9 kids to read. I myself read each of them too and answered each of the questions. Your web sites rekindled my interest in reading as an adult.

I am bit selfish to hope there are more reading comprehension materials for my kids and myself.

Thank you for your great work! The world becomes more beautiful because of your altruistic contribution.

Thank you for taking the time to comment. I am always trying to create more content as well as improve the existing content. Best wishes, friend!

Tina Torres

This will help my child alot with her homework,i like this app

Laura Stapel

Hi, Thanks so much for these reading worksheets. They are original and unique and perfect for my tuition of gifted and talented sudents. Just wondering if you have an answer key for the following sheets:

The Authors Purpose 3 Figurative Language Worksheet 3 Non Fiction Reading Test Garbage

Thanks so much and well done on an excellent resource!

its good but i think u should add more games

this is great.

Zainab Ali Asghar

Hello Mr Morton, WOW!! these worksheets, games and activities are simply outstanding!! I am a teacher from Pakistan and these worksheets have helped me immensely in my learning as well as in the school when I share them with my students!! Thank you SOOOO much! I came across figurative language activities which was just the thing I was looking for but I would really appreciate if you could put up activities related to other grammar content; for example, characterization, inferential, fact and opinion, and all other content which we can integrate in our classroom activities.

Forever grateful, Zainab

That’s awesome. I actually have all of that content posted already. I’ve got to figure out some way to make the content more visible. Thanks for visiting!

it helped me in my exams

Hello Mr. Morton,

Thank you for using this great website for my daughter and me. It helps me and my daughter a lot. Do you have answers below***** those tests? If you have can I have it?

***** Jacob the Great Comprehension Test Nutrition Facts Comprehension Worksheet Pain Reliever Comprehension Worksheet

Here are those keys.

https://www.ereadingworksheets.com/reading-comprehension-worksheets/jacob-the-great-answers.html

https://www.ereadingworksheets.com/reading-comprehension-worksheets/medicine-comprehension-worksheet-answers.html

https://www.ereadingworksheets.com/reading-comprehension-worksheets/nutrition-facts-comprehension-activity-answers.htm

Thanks for using the website!

well,these storys are…AWSOME

Michael Holson

Would I be able to post your Power points and worksheets on my webpage? I’ll leave all of them the same and i’ll also put your name on them.

I’m ok with that. Links back to my website as attribution are appreciated.

Samira El-Sabban

Such an outstanding work; i do appreciate the effort and i find it quite useful thanks a million Samira El-Sabban Head of English Department Rajac Schools Egypt

Sarah Madden

Thank you THank you!!!! This site is amazing! I cannot be more happy with it!

hello great passages but is there answers to these passages.

Answers are posted where available, typically under a link that says “View Answers.”

great website!!!!!! I am using your materials for my home school kids

steward Pheirim

This is brilliant, Thank you so much. Absolutely a treasure!!!

My tutor absolutely LOVES this website(so do I) but I was just wondering where the answer key for Jacob the Great? Awesome stories too. I love how detailed they are!

You make teaching easier! Thank you!

Just amazing thanks a lot really

very helpful, exercises are enriching.

I’ve read three of the passages you have here.

The first one was about metal detectors, was amusing, I like it and it’s good to know some of this facts.

The second one was a persuasive text about seat belts, how them keep us safe and the author keeps telling us to use them.

And the third one, my favourite, was about the pony express and how they carry the mail and how hard was and the complications, it’s interesting because they had a problem and they sorted it out in a clever way.

I like your website, thank you very much.

I’m so happy that you do. Best wishes!

hello my name is gabby i like this app it is really fun

It was very good and it is also enriching

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• Conflict Worksheets
• Figurative Language Activities
• Figurative Language Poems with Questions
• Genre Activities
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Designing Assignments for Learning

The rapid shift to remote teaching and learning meant that many instructors reimagined their assessment practices. Whether adapting existing assignments or creatively designing new opportunities for their students to learn, instructors focused on helping students make meaning and demonstrate their learning outside of the traditional, face-to-face classroom setting. This resource distills the elements of assignment design that are important to carry forward as we continue to seek better ways of assessing learning and build on our innovative assignment designs.

On this page:

Rethinking traditional tests, quizzes, and exams.

• Examples from the Columbia University Classroom
• Tips for Designing Assignments for Learning

Reflect On Your Assignment Design

Connect with the ctl.

• Resources and References

Cite this resource: Columbia Center for Teaching and Learning (2021). Designing Assignments for Learning. Columbia University. Retrieved [today’s date] from https://ctl.columbia.edu/resources-and-technology/teaching-with-technology/teaching-online/designing-assignments/

Traditional assessments tend to reveal whether students can recognize, recall, or replicate what was learned out of context, and tend to focus on students providing correct responses (Wiggins, 1990). In contrast, authentic assignments, which are course assessments, engage students in higher order thinking, as they grapple with real or simulated challenges that help them prepare for their professional lives, and draw on the course knowledge learned and the skills acquired to create justifiable answers, performances or products (Wiggins, 1990). An authentic assessment provides opportunities for students to practice, consult resources, learn from feedback, and refine their performances and products accordingly (Wiggins 1990, 1998, 2014). 

Authentic assignments ask students to “do” the subject with an audience in mind and apply their learning in a new situation. Examples of authentic assignments include asking students to: 

• Write for a real audience (e.g., a memo, a policy brief, letter to the editor, a grant proposal, reports, building a website) and/or publication;
• Solve problem sets that have real world application; 
• Design projects that address a real world problem; 
• Engage in a community-partnered research project;
• Create an exhibit, performance, or conference presentation ;
• Compile and reflect on their work through a portfolio/e-portfolio.

Noteworthy elements of authentic designs are that instructors scaffold the assignment, and play an active role in preparing students for the tasks assigned, while students are intentionally asked to reflect on the process and product of their work thus building their metacognitive skills (Herrington and Oliver, 2000; Ashford-Rowe, Herrington and Brown, 2013; Frey, Schmitt, and Allen, 2012). 

It’s worth noting here that authentic assessments can initially be time consuming to design, implement, and grade. They are critiqued for being challenging to use across course contexts and for grading reliability issues (Maclellan, 2004). Despite these challenges, authentic assessments are recognized as beneficial to student learning (Svinicki, 2004) as they are learner-centered (Weimer, 2013), promote academic integrity (McLaughlin, L. and Ricevuto, 2021; Sotiriadou et al., 2019; Schroeder, 2021) and motivate students to learn (Ambrose et al., 2010). The Columbia Center for Teaching and Learning is always available to consult with faculty who are considering authentic assessment designs and to discuss challenges and affordances.   

Examples from the Columbia University Classroom 

Columbia instructors have experimented with alternative ways of assessing student learning from oral exams to technology-enhanced assignments. Below are a few examples of authentic assignments in various teaching contexts across Columbia University. 

• E-portfolios: Statia Cook shares her experiences with an ePorfolio assignment in her co-taught Frontiers of Science course (a submission to the Voices of Hybrid and Online Teaching and Learning initiative); CUIMC use of ePortfolios ;
• Case studies: Columbia instructors have engaged their students in authentic ways through case studies drawing on the Case Consortium at Columbia University. Read and watch a faculty spotlight to learn how Professor Mary Ann Price uses the case method to place pre-med students in real-life scenarios;
• Simulations: students at CUIMC engage in simulations to develop their professional skills in The Mary & Michael Jaharis Simulation Center in the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and the Helene Fuld Health Trust Simulation Center in the Columbia School of Nursing; 
• Experiential learning: instructors have drawn on New York City as a learning laboratory such as Barnard’s NYC as Lab webpage which highlights courses that engage students in NYC;
• Design projects that address real world problems: Yevgeniy Yesilevskiy on the Engineering design projects completed using lab kits during remote learning. Watch Dr. Yesilevskiy talk about his teaching and read the Columbia News article . 
• Writing assignments: Lia Marshall and her teaching associate Aparna Balasundaram reflect on their “non-disposable or renewable assignments” to prepare social work students for their professional lives as they write for a real audience; and Hannah Weaver spoke about a sandbox assignment used in her Core Literature Humanities course at the 2021 Celebration of Teaching and Learning Symposium . Watch Dr. Weaver share her experiences.  

​Tips for Designing Assignments for Learning

While designing an effective authentic assignment may seem like a daunting task, the following tips can be used as a starting point. See the Resources section for frameworks and tools that may be useful in this effort.  

Align the assignment with your course learning objectives 

Identify the kind of thinking that is important in your course, the knowledge students will apply, and the skills they will practice using through the assignment. What kind of thinking will students be asked to do for the assignment? What will students learn by completing this assignment? How will the assignment help students achieve the desired course learning outcomes? For more information on course learning objectives, see the CTL’s Course Design Essentials self-paced course and watch the video on Articulating Learning Objectives .  

Identify an authentic meaning-making task

For meaning-making to occur, students need to understand the relevance of the assignment to the course and beyond (Ambrose et al., 2010). To Bean (2011) a “meaning-making” or “meaning-constructing” task has two dimensions: 1) it presents students with an authentic disciplinary problem or asks students to formulate their own problems, both of which engage them in active critical thinking, and 2) the problem is placed in “a context that gives students a role or purpose, a targeted audience, and a genre.” (Bean, 2011: 97-98). 

An authentic task gives students a realistic challenge to grapple with, a role to take on that allows them to “rehearse for the complex ambiguities” of life, provides resources and supports to draw on, and requires students to justify their work and the process they used to inform their solution (Wiggins, 1990). Note that if students find an assignment interesting or relevant, they will see value in completing it. 

Consider the kind of activities in the real world that use the knowledge and skills that are the focus of your course. How is this knowledge and these skills applied to answer real-world questions to solve real-world problems? (Herrington et al., 2010: 22). What do professionals or academics in your discipline do on a regular basis? What does it mean to think like a biologist, statistician, historian, social scientist? How might your assignment ask students to draw on current events, issues, or problems that relate to the course and are of interest to them? How might your assignment tap into student motivation and engage them in the kinds of thinking they can apply to better understand the world around them? (Ambrose et al., 2010). 

Determine the evaluation criteria and create a rubric

To ensure equitable and consistent grading of assignments across students, make transparent the criteria you will use to evaluate student work. The criteria should focus on the knowledge and skills that are central to the assignment. Build on the criteria identified, create a rubric that makes explicit the expectations of deliverables and share this rubric with your students so they can use it as they work on the assignment. For more information on rubrics, see the CTL’s resource Incorporating Rubrics into Your Grading and Feedback Practices , and explore the Association of American Colleges & Universities VALUE Rubrics (Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education). 

Build in metacognition

Ask students to reflect on what and how they learned from the assignment. Help students uncover personal relevance of the assignment, find intrinsic value in their work, and deepen their motivation by asking them to reflect on their process and their assignment deliverable. Sample prompts might include: what did you learn from this assignment? How might you draw on the knowledge and skills you used on this assignment in the future? See Ambrose et al., 2010 for more strategies that support motivation and the CTL’s resource on Metacognition ). 

Provide students with opportunities to practice

Design your assignment to be a learning experience and prepare students for success on the assignment. If students can reasonably expect to be successful on an assignment when they put in the required effort ,with the support and guidance of the instructor, they are more likely to engage in the behaviors necessary for learning (Ambrose et al., 2010). Ensure student success by actively teaching the knowledge and skills of the course (e.g., how to problem solve, how to write for a particular audience), modeling the desired thinking, and creating learning activities that build up to a graded assignment. Provide opportunities for students to practice using the knowledge and skills they will need for the assignment, whether through low-stakes in-class activities or homework activities that include opportunities to receive and incorporate formative feedback. For more information on providing feedback, see the CTL resource Feedback for Learning . 

Communicate about the assignment 

Share the purpose, task, audience, expectations, and criteria for the assignment. Students may have expectations about assessments and how they will be graded that is informed by their prior experiences completing high-stakes assessments, so be transparent. Tell your students why you are asking them to do this assignment, what skills they will be using, how it aligns with the course learning outcomes, and why it is relevant to their learning and their professional lives (i.e., how practitioners / professionals use the knowledge and skills in your course in real world contexts and for what purposes). Finally, verify that students understand what they need to do to complete the assignment. This can be done by asking students to respond to poll questions about different parts of the assignment, a “scavenger hunt” of the assignment instructions–giving students questions to answer about the assignment and having them work in small groups to answer the questions, or by having students share back what they think is expected of them.

Plan to iterate and to keep the focus on learning 

Draw on multiple sources of data to help make decisions about what changes are needed to the assignment, the assignment instructions, and/or rubric to ensure that it contributes to student learning. Explore assignment performance data. As Deandra Little reminds us: “a really good assignment, which is a really good assessment, also teaches you something or tells the instructor something. As much as it tells you what students are learning, it’s also telling you what they aren’t learning.” ( Teaching in Higher Ed podcast episode 337 ). Assignment bottlenecks–where students get stuck or struggle–can be good indicators that students need further support or opportunities to practice prior to completing an assignment. This awareness can inform teaching decisions. 

Triangulate the performance data by collecting student feedback, and noting your own reflections about what worked well and what did not. Revise the assignment instructions, rubric, and teaching practices accordingly. Consider how you might better align your assignment with your course objectives and/or provide more opportunities for students to practice using the knowledge and skills that they will rely on for the assignment. Additionally, keep in mind societal, disciplinary, and technological changes as you tweak your assignments for future use. 

Now is a great time to reflect on your practices and experiences with assignment design and think critically about your approach. Take a closer look at an existing assignment. Questions to consider include: What is this assignment meant to do? What purpose does it serve? Why do you ask students to do this assignment? How are they prepared to complete the assignment? Does the assignment assess the kind of learning that you really want? What would help students learn from this assignment? 

Using the tips in the previous section: How can the assignment be tweaked to be more authentic and meaningful to students? 

As you plan forward for post-pandemic teaching and reflect on your practices and reimagine your course design, you may find the following CTL resources helpful: Reflecting On Your Experiences with Remote Teaching , Transition to In-Person Teaching , and Course Design Support .

The Columbia Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) is here to help!

For assistance with assignment design, rubric design, or any other teaching and learning need, please request a consultation by emailing [email protected] . 

Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT) framework for assignments. The TILT Examples and Resources page ( https://tilthighered.com/tiltexamplesandresources ) includes example assignments from across disciplines, as well as a transparent assignment template and a checklist for designing transparent assignments . Each emphasizes the importance of articulating to students the purpose of the assignment or activity, the what and how of the task, and specifying the criteria that will be used to assess students. 

Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) offers VALUE ADD (Assignment Design and Diagnostic) tools ( https://www.aacu.org/value-add-tools ) to help with the creation of clear and effective assignments that align with the desired learning outcomes and associated VALUE rubrics (Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education). VALUE ADD encourages instructors to explicitly state assignment information such as the purpose of the assignment, what skills students will be using, how it aligns with course learning outcomes, the assignment type, the audience and context for the assignment, clear evaluation criteria, desired formatting, and expectations for completion whether individual or in a group.

Villarroel et al. (2017) propose a blueprint for building authentic assessments which includes four steps: 1) consider the workplace context, 2) design the authentic assessment; 3) learn and apply standards for judgement; and 4) give feedback. 

References 

Ambrose, S. A., Bridges, M. W., & DiPietro, M. (2010). Chapter 3: What Factors Motivate Students to Learn? In How Learning Works: Seven Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching . Jossey-Bass. 

Ashford-Rowe, K., Herrington, J., and Brown, C. (2013). Establishing the critical elements that determine authentic assessment. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education. 39(2), 205-222, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2013.819566 .  

Bean, J.C. (2011). Engaging Ideas: The Professor’s Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom . Second Edition. Jossey-Bass. 

Frey, B. B, Schmitt, V. L., and Allen, J. P. (2012). Defining Authentic Classroom Assessment. Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation. 17(2). DOI: https://doi.org/10.7275/sxbs-0829  

Herrington, J., Reeves, T. C., and Oliver, R. (2010). A Guide to Authentic e-Learning . Routledge. 

Herrington, J. and Oliver, R. (2000). An instructional design framework for authentic learning environments. Educational Technology Research and Development, 48(3), 23-48. 

Litchfield, B. C. and Dempsey, J. V. (2015). Authentic Assessment of Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes. New Directions for Teaching and Learning. 142 (Summer 2015), 65-80. 

Maclellan, E. (2004). How convincing is alternative assessment for use in higher education. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education. 29(3), June 2004. DOI: 10.1080/0260293042000188267

McLaughlin, L. and Ricevuto, J. (2021). Assessments in a Virtual Environment: You Won’t Need that Lockdown Browser! Faculty Focus. June 2, 2021. 

Mueller, J. (2005). The Authentic Assessment Toolbox: Enhancing Student Learning through Online Faculty Development . MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching. 1(1). July 2005. Mueller’s Authentic Assessment Toolbox is available online. 

Schroeder, R. (2021). Vaccinate Against Cheating With Authentic Assessment . Inside Higher Ed. (February 26, 2021).  

Sotiriadou, P., Logan, D., Daly, A., and Guest, R. (2019). The role of authentic assessment to preserve academic integrity and promote skills development and employability. Studies in Higher Education. 45(111), 2132-2148. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2019.1582015    

Stachowiak, B. (Host). (November 25, 2020). Authentic Assignments with Deandra Little. (Episode 337). In Teaching in Higher Ed . https://teachinginhighered.com/podcast/authentic-assignments/  

Svinicki, M. D. (2004). Authentic Assessment: Testing in Reality. New Directions for Teaching and Learning. 100 (Winter 2004): 23-29. 

Villarroel, V., Bloxham, S, Bruna, D., Bruna, C., and Herrera-Seda, C. (2017). Authentic assessment: creating a blueprint for course design. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education. 43(5), 840-854. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2017.1412396    

Weimer, M. (2013). Learner-Centered Teaching: Five Key Changes to Practice . Second Edition. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 

Wiggins, G. (2014). Authenticity in assessment, (re-)defined and explained. Retrieved from https://grantwiggins.wordpress.com/2014/01/26/authenticity-in-assessment-re-defined-and-explained/

Wiggins, G. (1998). Teaching to the (Authentic) Test. Educational Leadership . April 1989. 41-47. 

Wiggins, Grant (1990). The Case for Authentic Assessment . Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation , 2(2). 

Wondering how AI tools might play a role in your course assignments?

See the CTL’s resource “Considerations for AI Tools in the Classroom.”

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5 Ways of Assessing English Language Learners Without Tests

Seeing growth and improvement can be a huge motivator for ELL students .

But you can’t see growth if you don’t measure it.

That’s why no  great class is complete without some way of assessing students.

Not only is it a fantastic way for both you and your students to see what they’ve learned, but you can also use the results to help you plan future lessons .

However, don’t rely solely on tests to assess your students!

They’re not always an accurate way to measure their skill levels. Instead, I have five alternative ways you can assess your ELL students, and examples of what each might look like. But first, let’s take a closer look at the issue with tests.

Why Tests Aren’t an Accurate Way to Measure Performance

5 alternative ways to assess english language learners, 1. rubrics and performance criteria, 2. oral presentations or performances, 3. non-verbal assessments, 4. written assessments, 5. portfolios.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

One of the most common reasons why teachers shouldn’t only use tests is because students may have test anxiety . What tends to happen is that students are so nervous when presented with a test that they don’t do as well. You then aren’t able to see what the student is really capable of. For ELL students, they can be extra nervous because not only do they have to recall information they’ve learned, but they may have to decipher what the test question is asking in the first place.

Also, tests really only measure what students can memorize or recall, not necessarily what work they can produce. For example, if you give a multiple choice test about  vocabulary they learned , it really only tests if they understand one meaning of the word, and not necessarily whether they understand how to apply the same word in different contexts.

Another example would be oral skills. If students understand certain phrases you’ve taught them, they may not understand if another person outside the classroom says it, especially if that person has an accent.

If an ELL student is a little slower to read or decipher material (especially if they’ve had lots of support in their class), a time constraint on a test won’t give them sufficient time to complete the test . Just because a student didn’t finish a test, doesn’t mean they don’t understand the material. You then are left guessing as to whether or not your student actually understood what you were testing them on.

So how can you start assessing English language learners without tests?

Using rubrics and performance criteria is a great way to assess a variety of student work. It’s usually based on language proficiency and academic progression through work such as presentations, written assignments and reading activities . You can not only use these to grade your students, but to chart their growth over a set period of time.

Both tools feature a list of criteria or standards that students know you’re assessing. Rubrics show what is considered below level, at level and above level . A performance criteria can simply be a checklist of what to assess for each student. With either of these assessment tools, it’s important to develop your own, as assessments are based on the teacher’s judgment.

A tool like RubiStar is helpful, as it can show you sample rubrics other teachers have developed, and anyone can modify them for their own use.

When creating rubrics or performance criteria, make sure that what you’re assessing is clear and fair from the beginning . As well, don’t assess too much at once, as it’ll not only overwhelm you but your students as well. If it helps, ask other teachers how they created their rubrics, or simply have someone look over yours to see if it looks okay.

You can even take it a step further by bringing FluentU into the classroom.

Using authentic content in the target language is a great way to let your students see the language used in context—and FluentU has a wide array of videos to choose from. From music videos and movie trailers to interesting talks, you can use these videos in your English lessons to help immerse your students in the language. You can even assign homework for your students to complete outside of the classroom and monitor their progress.

Many students who have test anxiety might get nervous because their reading or writing skills aren’t very good. That doesn’t mean, however, that they aren’t proficient in oral skills.

Assessing oral presentations or performances typically include  role-plays , interviews, oral reports and summarizing/paraphrasing pieces of text. When used on an ongoing basis, it’s a great way to monitor a student’s comprehension through a longer period of time.

Here are some ideas to incorporate oral presentations or performances as part of your assessments:

• Role-plays:  Role-plays can be used to assess students individually or as a group. Some ideas include having students write a play and performing it or even having the students teach the teacher as part of a review class.
• Interviews:  This type of assessment is very helpful if you have students that are early English learners. To help test students on content knowledge, try to use a lot of visual cues. For example, have students pick from a pile of pictures, and ask questions to elicit responses from them. You can assess the student based on vocabulary used or comparing concepts.
• Describing/explaining/retelling/paraphrasing/summarizing texts:  Instead of a written book report or summary of a piece of text, you can have your students retell the plot in front of the class or just to you. Other ideas can include asking the students to pick a character in the book and tell a story from their point of view, or even to describe their favorite part of the text.

When assessing oral work, it’s helpful to use a checklist of things to look for, such as pronunciation , volume, pace and content. Use the same checklist for the same types of oral presentations to see the progression over time.

For students who are shy or aren’t as proficient in English, using non-verbal assessments is a great way to see a student’s academic progress. What you’re looking for in this type of assessment is their understanding of vocabulary.

Examples include:

• Charades:  Give a student vocabulary words you’ve taught, and have them act it out to see if they understand what the word or concept is. You could even have them summarize a text by miming it.
• Pictures:  You can ask students to draw or collect pictures to show their knowledge on a topic. For example, if you’re assessing a student on their knowledge of nouns, ask students to pick out pictures of nouns in a magazine. Pictures can also be used to assess reading comprehension . Students can read a paragraph and then draw a picture to show their understanding of the text. If the picture is mostly accurate except for a few details, it could be a vocabulary issue.

Written assessments are a nice way to see how students can apply their knowledge of English over a wide variety of concepts. For example, you can use assignments to see just how well they understand a text, or even different forms of writing.

Some different ways to incorporate written assessments in your class include:

• Creative and structured writing assignments:  Ask students to write a creative story, or even give them a writing prompt—where students read the beginning of a story and are asked to write the ending.
• Editing writing:  Give students a piece of text with grammatical mistakes and ask them to correct it, to test their knowledge of grammar.
• Reading response logs:  Give students a list of questions, such as how do they know a character is evil, or how would they change the ending of a story. When students are finished reading a book or article, have them write down the answers to these questions. Make sure to only assess for content, and not spelling or grammar, unless you specify to your students that you’re doing so.
• Content logs:  Have students write down facts they learned about a text. You can also have them write what parts they didn’t understand. This is helpful for you to see if there are concepts you may need to reteach or review, particularly if a lot of students are confused about similar parts of the same text.

With writing, don’t assess too much at once. For a writing piece, you could assess just  spelling , complete sentences or unity in paragraphs. Build it up to assess more than a few criteria once you see that your students have mastered what you have taught them.

Portfolios are powerful assessments and are used to gather various samples of student work to track their development over a period of time. In order to maximize the potential of using a portfolio as an assessment tool, you should regularly curate student work to include in them, and have scheduled conferences with students about their work.

You should also have a checklist of qualities that are important to showcase student achievement. Not only do you critique and assess the work, but so should the students. That way, they’re responsible for their learning and take more ownership of making sure they improve.

Material you can include in a portfolio can include the following:

• performance criteria or rubrics
• recording of oral presentations
• writing samples, drafts and final copies
• book reports
• interview checklists

In order to best assess a student, you should include more than one kind of student work in the portfolio. The work does not have to be the best work they’ve done, rather a wide variety is best. Based on your judgment, you can even ask students for their opinion as to what types of work they should include.

In a portfolio, you are looking for any type of improvement in their work. For example, if you keep a couple of a student’s writing pieces , look to see if their sentence or paragraph structure gets better. When looking at tests, see if their spelling tests, for example, have gotten higher scores over time. If you notice that they continually lack in certain skills, this would be the time to address it. You can either give the student extra support in class or find ways for them to practice with extra work at home.

Tests aren’t bad, but they’re not the only way to assess student achievement.

If you use a wide variety of assessments, you’ll be able to portray an accurate picture of your student’s English abilities.

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