ELASH / Test Prep Classes

Online and Print Based Materials for Reading

Comprehension, Listening Comprehension & Language Usage
The aim of the ELASH/Test Prep Classes is to make the students comfortable
with the testing format and get them accustomed to using academic English.
Though much of the reading in the reading comprehension study is done
independently, the aim of this class is to use the time together to interact and
discuss the questions. Students are encouraged to analyze their answers and
use their wrong answers as a learning opportunity.
Print-based Resources:
We are currently using three books for ELASH classes. These include TEST
SMART! Ready-to-Use Test-Taking Strategies and Activities for Grades 5-12 by
Gary Abbamont and Antoinette Bresher, Longman Preparation Course for the
TOEFL Test Skills and Strategies by Deborah Philips, and Longman
Introductory Course for the TOEFL Test by Deborah Phillips. All three books
focus on test taking preparation. They also focus on reading, language and
writing skills. Photocopies from the book can be made for students to work
from, but during class time they should be used interactively as much as or
more so than independently.
Online Reading Comprehension Resources:
The following websites can be posted on the OHP or viewed by students on
their laptops. They are specifically designed for ESL students with aim of
keeping learning interesting. For higher level students, however, it may be
more appropriate to use current news websites such as Huffington Post, New
york Times, Democracy Now, The Guardian, etc. Allowing students to choose
the articles and topics which interest them encourages engagement in the
content. Short stories such as those sent weekly with a free subscription to
http://www.chickensoup.com/ can also offer highly engaging material as they
are often emotionally appealing.
http://www.esl-lounge.com/student/reading-intermediate.php
This website has a variety of reading exercises. The topics are fairly interesting
and the exercises vary with each passage. Some activities provide a short
passage with multiple choice, true or false questions, fill-in-the-blank questions,
sequencing etc. There are also a few other types of exercises such as matching
proverbs, etc.
http://www.newscientist.com/topic/teenagers
This site offers current news articles relevant to teenagers. There are no
comprehension questions or vocab review but the articles are of a higher
interest level for students and a great basis for discussion.

http://www.5minuteenglish.com/reading.htm
This website has some interesting articles with true and false comprehension
questions. It prepares students with a list of vocabulary words. The variety of
articles and activities is very limited though.
http://www.elcivics.com/worksheets/reading.html
This website provide printable reading comp worksheets. The level is a little
low for high school, so this is better for lower level students.
http://www.elcivics.com/worksheets/reading.html
This site has different levels of reading comprehension exercises as well as
vocabulary practice and grammar practice. The pages are printable but you
can keep the activity on screen and used it interactively.
Online Listening Comprehension Resources:
The following websites are some of the best I have found for listening
comprehension activities. Though your best resource will be your own
discussions and interactions with students, these websites offer great news
stories and dialogues on which you may base your discussions. It is also great
for students to hear a variety of accents and speed of conversation, so I would
encourage you to use a variety of the resources. For higher level students, you
may also consider listening to podcasts on topics that interest the class. I have
listed two at the bottom of this resource list but I encourage you to talk with
your students and find podcasts on topics in which they might be interested.
http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/
This is an excellent site for listening comprehension. It offers a couple thousand
articles on various interesting topics. The articles are in both print and audio
form. The audio files are available in five levels: slowest, slower, medium, fast,
& fastest. There are also multifarious comprehension activities that accompany
each article.
http://www.elllo.org/english/index-recent.htm
This is another really good listening comprehension site. It offers a short
dialogue with script about various topics. It has a vocabulary tab which covers
key vocab, idioms and sayings from the script. The audio repeats the word
several times, uses it in a sentence then provides an explanation. There is also
a vocab and comprehension quiz to review as well as speaking and writing
exercises.
https://www.englishlistening.com/
This website offers a variety of short dialogues and monologues on various
topics. The site allows you to filter through subjects, accents, speed of dialogue
and difficulty levels. After listening students can take a test or read the
transcript.

https://www.eslpod.com/website/index_new.html
This site is better for lower level students. The podcasts cover various topics
and are spoken very clearly and slowly. The transcripts are provided but any
additional material is only available with a paid subscription.
http://freakonomics.com/radio/
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/podcast
Freakonomics Radio and This American Life are two really great resources for
higher level students. The hosts generally speak in a slow but natural manner
and the variety of topics covered are both vast and interesting. You may want
to assign the podcasts in advance so that students can listen to the podcasts at
home as many times as they need. You can the use class time to discuss the
content and even replay some of the material if needed.
Online Language Usage Resources:
Language Usage should be a focus that is incorporated throughout the course
rather than specifically focused upon as a separate entity. That being said
however, you may find that there are specific areas of concern with which
student need additional practice. The following websites offer a variety of
practice exercises sorted by grammar topic. The exercises can be assigned
individually to students or worked on together as a class.
http://englishteststore.net/index.php?
option=com_content&view=article&id=10679&Itemid=440
http://a4esl.org/q/h/grammar.html
https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/grammar-exercises
http://www.englishgrammarsecrets.com/
http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/exercises.php