Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking

This is an introductory textbook in logic and critical thinking. The goal of the textbook is to provide the reader with a set of tools and skills that will enable them to identify and evaluate arguments. The book is intended for an introductory course that covers both formal and informal logic. As such, it is not a formal logic textbook, but is closer to what one would find marketed as a critical thinking textbook. Downloadable as a pdf file.

Material Type: Textbook

Author: Matthew J. Van Cleave

Writing Commons

Writing Commons aspires to be a community for writers, a creative learning space for students in courses that require college-level writing, a creative, interactive space for teachers to share resources and pedagogy. Our primary goal is to provide the resources and community students need to improve their writing, particularly students enrolled in courses that require college-level writing. As mentioned in 'About Us', we believe learning materials should be free for all students and teachers‰ part of the cultural commons. Hence, we provide free access to an award-winning, college textbook that was published by a major publisher and awarded the Distinguished Book Award by Computers and Composition: an International Journal.

Material Type: Reading, Textbook

How Arguments Work: A Guide to Writing and Analyzing Texts in College (Mills)

How Arguments Work takes students through the techniques they will need to respond to readings and make sophisticated arguments in any college class. This is a practical guide to argumentation with strategies and templates for the kinds of assignments students will commonly encounter. It covers rhetorical concepts in everyday language and explores how arguments can build trust and move readers.

Material Type: Assessment, Full Course, Homework/Assignment, Textbook

Author: Anna Mills

Write What Matters

A modular open educational resource to support first-year writing courses in Idaho Short Description: Have you ever wished for a comprehensive source that would steer you in the right direction through all of your reading and writing assignments? This text aims to be that kind of guide. We included lessons, examples, exercises, and definitions for many of the reading and writing-related situations that you will encounter in your first-year writing courses as well as other subject-specific classes that require writing. Word Count: 404182 ISBN: 978-1-936323-72-2 (Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided as part of a bulk import process.)

Material Type: Textbook

Authors: Amy Minervini, Joel Gladd, Liza Long

Big Grammar Book

** This book has been donated to the public domain.** From the introduction: Hello there . . . ! Welcome to English Banana.com’s Big Grammar Book. It’s the third fantastic book from English Banana and the aim this time is to practise grammar, grammar and, er, more grammar! It’s jam-packed from cover to cover with a great selection of photocopiable worksheets taken from the popular English Banana.com website. We wanted to provide teachers with a really useful book of no-nonsense grammar worksheets that they can dip into and use in class with students at Entry Level (ESOL Core Curriculum Entry Levels 1 & 2). It is also ideal for students to work with at home since the answers are all printed at the back. The book is divided into four parts and is graded in difficulty, so that it begins with some basic stuff and builds up to more challenging grammar activities. It features a selection of Essential English worksheets which provide practice for crucial basic areas of knowledge for learners at Entry Level, like using numbers, writing the alphabet, spelling days and months correctly, and so on.

Material Type: Textbook

Author: Matt Purland

Conversation Hour: Travel and Survival Unit

This is a conversation class unit created using Google Slides. The lesson covers travel vocabulary and discussion activities as well as survival skills vocabulary and activities. The slides include lots of pictures and all the directions you will need to carry out these activities in your class. You can easily modify the slides by making your own copy of them.

Material Type: Lesson Plan, Unit of Study

Author: Jessica Johnston

Creating Comics: Using Storyboards and Comics to Share Personal Migration Stories in the ESL Classroom

As part of this nine to ten-lesson unit, students utilize news stories supported by the Pulitzer Center from Time for Kids and Mission Local to familiarize themselves with the concept of an underreported migration story. They will then research stories, summarize and share the gist of what they read to their small groups and to the entire class. As part of their conversations, students will note key details and themes from the stories they explored about migration and consider why these stories could be considered “underreported.”

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Author: Kathy Keffeler

Crossing Boundaries Through Bilingual, Spoken-Word Poetry

Students explore the idea of ńcrossing boundariesî through bilingual, spoken-word poetry, culminating in a poetry slam at school or in the community.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson Plan, Unit of Study

A Complete Program for Teaching Basic ESL Fluency Using See-Say Picture Cards

 My See-Say Basic English Fluency Program offers a fun and efficient way to teach basic English.  It uses picture cards (not text), so it is ideal for students who are not literate in any language. I find that it is a great way for any student to learn English.  The teacher speaks a simple sentence while showing it as a sequence of picture cards.  The cards represent the exact grammar of the sentence.  As the teacher changes a card or two, students learn to speak the corresponding “change” they see in the sentence, for example, “I see a ball.”  “She sees a ball.”  “She sees a car.”  “They see a car.”  Suggestions for different types of partner-practice, songs, games and other activities are included in each session.All the materials (teacher cards, student cars, teacher's manual, orkbook, etc are available to anyone who would like to use them (see link below) By following the sequence of lessons in the manual, teachers introduce new cards (new grammatical elements) in a logical progression, so that students are soon able to speak simply, but correctly, using adjectives, adverbs, questions, different tenses, and so on.All materials (manual, workbook, card-masters to print, digital card images) are FREE and available on the internet. This project has NO commercial motive.This method can be used in the most rudimentary learning environment (e.g. a refugee camp) but is easily adaptable to technologically-enabled classrooms.The manual guides a teacher through a complete, self-contained core curriculum for basic English. However it can also be used to supplement any other basic English core curriculum.Access all materials by clicking on or cutting and pasting this link into your browser:  https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B8Vb7TN7QKrfQlJLOGV0Y3JwS0E

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Author: Meredith Folley

ESL College Transition: Listening & Speaking

We created this site to share the lesson plans and other materials that we use in this Listening/Speaking Level F class with other ESL teachers -- click around and use what works for you! This is a 10-week course at LCC, but you can pick and choose from the 8 chapters for a shorter or longer term. The chapters can be covered in any order. Lane Community College's Intensive English Language Program offers 6 levels (A=beginner, F=college transition). This site was designed for Listening/Speaking Level F, which is a class that teaches listening and note-taking strategies focused especially on lecture listening, as well as presentation, pronunciation, conversation, and academic discussion skills. LCC ESL Students in Level F take three separate intensive classes (Writing, Listening/Speaking, and Reading for a total of 20 in-class contact hours per week). Prior to the re-imagining of this class and the creation of this site, each Level F class had a different textbook with different thematic progressions. Students experienced cognitive overload with the demand to learn the vocabulary, concepts, and skills of the three separate classes. In addition, students in our department are often from marginalized backgrounds and can find it financially difficult to purchase the three separate textbooks. In order to lessen students' financial and cognitive burdens and create more connections between the three classes, we used the topics from the Reading textbook (Academic Encounters Level 4: Reading and Writing, 2nd edition, Cambridge 2014) to find freely-available authentic videos or recorded audio for the Listening/Speaking class. Over the past year, students have expressed appreciation for the reduced cost of taking the course. In addition, they have shown increased interest and engagement in the course due to the authentic, real-life materials and complementary nature of the three Level F classes.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Homework/Assignment, Lesson Plan, Teaching/Learning Strategy

Authors: Annick Todd, Colleen Shields, Dave Schenderlein, Jen Sacklin, Maggie Mitteis

ESL - Learning English through letter writing

There can be many reasons why a family finds themselves facing a new country, a new language and even new customs. This program is aimed towards families attempting to learn English together, although it could work for anyone learning a new language. Learning the language of your new country can greatly lessen the stress of unfamiliar circumstances as well as bring the family closer by doing it together. The methods are to write letters to each other, and thereby increasing vocabulary. Getting confident in writing, reading and understanding English while bonding as a family.

Material Type: Teaching/Learning Strategy

Author: Lovisa Jernsletten

Read Faster, Understand More: Advanced Academic Reading Skills for English Language Learners Compiled by Timothy Krause

ESOL Reading Level 8 ESOL 260 This advanced academic reading curriculum for English language learners features eight units, each focusing on a different reading skill. Each unit includes presentation slides with a graphic organizer for taking notes; two readings with comprehension questions; academic vocabulary exercises of terms drawn from the readings; and an extension activity. Materials include student textbook, teacher textbook (with answer key and Quizlet links), and presentation slides. Course Description Presents reading as a process that involves determination of purpose, selection and adjustment of strategies, analysis and reflection of underlying meanings, and integration of prior knowledge with new knowledge to address the purpose. Covers content comprehension, textual analysis, critical thinking skills, study skills, and language analysis at the high advanced level. Includes reading diverse texts for a variety of purposes. Includes finding themes and main ideas, analyzing figurative language, summarizing, paraphrasing, evaluating sources and analyzing arguments, inferencing, and using context clues, word forms and common affixes. Prerequisites: ESOL placement test OR successful completion of ESOL 250 AND concurrent enrollment in or completion of (ESOL 252 and ESOL 254) or placement into (ESOL 262 and ESOL 264). Audit available. Intended Outcomes for the course Understand the development of reading as a process that involves determination of purpose, selection and adjustment of strategies, analysis and reflection of underlying meanings, and integration of prior with new knowledge to address the purpose. Acquire and use words and phrases found in high advanced-level academic and everyday texts. Accurately read high advanced level academic and everyday texts which include dense or long complex sentences and paragraphs with appropriate pacing, phrasing, and expression. Choose from a range of strategies, including some sophisticated ones and integrate them to monitor and/or enhance text comprehension. Form and express an opinion and draw conclusions based on the information found in high advanced-level academic and everyday texts.

Material Type: Lesson, Textbook

Author: Timothy Krause

In the Community: Intermediate Academic English

Reading, writing, speaking, and listening activities will focus on health care and community and college libraries. Students will review modals and use them to give advice.  

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Homework/Assignment, Module, Reading

Authors: Linda Patterson, Margie Dernaika, Janet Rosenthal, Rachel Mixson, Jessica Miller, Chris Hastings

Education and Careers

In this module, all reading, writing, speaking, and listening assignments focus on educaiton and careers. 

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: Linda Patterson

Grammar Slides for English Learners

Presentation slides intended for use in an intermediate academic English as a Second Language (ESL) classroom. Each set of slides includes the following: 1. An introduction to the grammar point using inductive reasoning, intended for use in the classroom to complement instructor presentation. Explanations of meaning and form for each grammar point. 2. Example sentences based around a theme. The themes are listed in the title of each slide set. 3. Reference charts and lists for the grammar point. 4. Links to websites and related videos. These websites and videos have been curated for accuracy and are comprehensive. 5. Meaningful practice activities that integrate the grammar instruction with other language skills. 6. Lesson plans for a project based on the grammar presentation slides, suitable for Project Based Learning approach.

Material Type: Lecture

Author: Sara Ferguson

Podcasts and Podcasting for ESL Students

This site allows teachers to find supplemental listening materials for academic themes. Here you will find links to podcast episodes and corresponding worksheets. Approximate CEFR Levels have been included for each podcast episode and its corresponding tasks. Teachers are welcome to download worksheets and use them as is or adapt them for specific class needs or objectives.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Homework/Assignment

Author: Sara Schroeder

Short Reading Exercises

This is a collection of short reading exercises that utilize high frequency academic vocabulary in context. They can be used with adult students of English as a Second Language with intermediate-advanced reading proficiency or in a supplemental reading course/reading skills course at the community college level. Questions provide practice with lexical inference, topic and main idea identification, identification of different text types and text structures, and other key reading skills. (This is a work in progress - please check back for additional reading exercises and updates!)

Material Type: Reading

Author: Eric Maceyko