Government Web Sites

www.settlement.org  Settlement is a provincial government web site for new Canadians with lots of practical advice for things like how to get a driver’s license, how to apply for a SIN, how to fill in your tax return, etc.  There are also on-line tutorials for ESL practice, where you can listen to a role playing exercise about, for example, how to buy a bicycle at the department store or how to ask directions on a city bus.  There is also a small You Tube link at the bottom of the page that has short videos in several languages with such topics as “how to apply for a library card.”  The Settlement web site can also be translated into more than 30 languages.

http://www.cic.gc.ca   This is the web site for Citizenship and Immigration Canada.  There is lots of practical information for newcomers, but only in English or French.  It has a few video links as well, with transcripts of the text for listeners to follow.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/welcome/wel-22e.asp   (LINK: Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada.)  This is a federal government initiative that is supposed to direct newcomers to an assessment centre and then refer them to a local organization that can provide free ESL instruction. 

Local Agencies

http://www.bwdsb.on.ca/coned/Course_List    (Bluewater District School Board Continuing Education Program: “A Night Out.”)  The local school board does offer ESL courses as part of their night school program. Check to see what is being offered in your area.

.http://www.quillnet.org    The QUILL Network is a literacy coalition in Bruce, Grey, Huron and Perth counties.  They are primarily interested in adult literacy; that is, teaching adults whose primary language is English to read and write, not ESL.  The nearest resource centre is at the Walter Harris Memorial Library in Markdale.

Useful Web Sites for ESL Students

http://legacy.lclark.edu/~krauss/toppicks/toppicks.html   (ESL Independent Study Lab) Excellent entry site for students and teachers, with lots of resources gathered together.  There are many reading and listening exercises that students can do on their own.  Within the Study Lab, two excellent sites are: Randall’s ESL Cyber Listening Lab (http://www.sel-lab.com) and English Listening Language Lab Online (http://www.elllo.org).

Resources in Our Collection

In the Young Adult Collection, ESL students might find the Orca Soundings books useful.  This is a high interest/low vocabulary series designed for older teenage readers who are struggling with reading—the books cover contemporary topics, are written in simple sentences, and are only 10 to 20,000 words long.  Orca is also starting a new series like this for adults called Raven Reads (http://orcabook.com/ravenreads/).

Graphic novels are also good entry level reads for ESL students.  A few, like Watchmen, in the Young Adult collection, might appeal to adults.  We also have a few graphic novels in the adult collection, like Paul Moves Out by Paul Rabagliati and the Bigfoot series by Graham Roumieu.

A good non-fiction series for English learners is the Amazing Stories series found in juvenile non-fiction—crime stories, short biographies, sports stories, etc.

Note also that the Knowledge Ontario databases can be read in seven different languages, and some articles can actually be listened to (look for the little speaker icon in the top right hand side of the page).