While the United States does not have an official language, most people in America speak English. Therefore, learning English as a second language is so common in America that ESL programs in public schools are a staple of the American education system.

Teaching ESL or starting an ESL program in any capacity requires that teachers and educators obtain the proper tools and resources to do so. ESL programs are essential to non-English speaking student success. 

The ESL toolkit is an online resource with games and activities that can help anyone involved in an ESL program improve their program’s ability to effectively teach English to young and even older students. 

What is ESL?

ESL programs exist to help students learn English as a second language in American schools. These programs are also designed to help students learn English as a third and even fourth language. 

There is no specific first language that ESL programs cater to. Students whose first language is Spanish are just as likely to succeed in ESL programs as students whose first language is French or Bengali. 

ESL programs are open to more than just young students. Still, they exist even in higher educational institutions like universities and trade schools. At all stages and from all walks of life, some students speak little or no English and need to learn it fluently. 

Because learning a new language is challenging, and even more so when matters like citizenship and immigration status are added stressors, private ESL programs also exist to facilitate a less pressuring environment for students to learn English. 

The pressure of learning a new language also requires teachers and other staff in ESL programs to use learning materials that will cater to individual student needs. 

What is the ESL Toolkit? 

Teaching English to non-English speaking students is not only challenging and stressful for students but also tricky to manage for ESL practitioners themselves. 

The ESL Toolkit is an online resource that might help students and teachers mitigate some of the stresses that come along with teaching and learning a new language for beginners. 

Not all ways of learning need to be as formal as students facing the teacher to take notes for a test. 

ESL games and activities are valuable resources teachers and program directors can use to make teaching English easier for students and themselves. 

Likewise, it is a resource that ESL educators can pass on to other educators to spread the Toolkit’s positive effects to a more significant number of students. 

It is important to note that while the Toolkit is an indispensable resource for aiding ESL programs, it should not be used as a substitute for teaching. ESL toolkits are only a means of enhancing already existing ESL programs. 

The chief benefit of using the ESL Toolkit is its ability to ease some of the tensions that inevitably come with learning a new language while simultaneously engaging in activities that help students learn to speak English. 

Ideally, teachers and educators can insert the ESL Toolkit into their curriculum at a certain point during the day so students can have an ‘active’ break of sorts. 

ESL Games 

The ESL Toolkit has several ESL games for beginners and older students to help them learn English more enjoyably. 

Many of these games do not require a computer because they have reliable alternatives on paper and pencil –which is especially useful if your program lacks the material resources needed to use the ESL Toolkit, such as a computer. 

Memory Game  

The Memory Game is an assemblage of straightforward memory games designed to help students comprehend regular expressions (i.e., vocabulary words)  in the English language. 

The vocabulary words students will learn to understand include notions such as shapes, colors, animals, and inanimate objects by seeing pictures of them and guessing what word corresponds to the picture.

The paper version of the memory game can be replicated using flash cards. Teachers can draw a picture on one side of the flashcard and, on the other, the English word for what the concept refers to. 

Hangman

Hangman is a game traditionally used by ESL teachers to help students with spelling and reviewing vocabulary. 

The game works by thinking of a word and drawing a dash for each letter in that word. Then you can fill in some dashes with letters so students can start guessing the word. 

Students can guess either words or sentences, but if they get either wrong, a piece of a diagram is drawn, which, if you aren’t careful, turns into a stick figure hanging from the gallows, indicating loss of the game. 

Spin the Wheel (Wheel of Fortune) 

Spin the Wheel or Wheel of Fortune is a version of hangman with slight differences. 

Guessers are given a mystery expression to solve and the broad category range that the expression belongs to as a hint. 

Having a turn at guessing is preceded by spinning the wheel to determine how many points or dollars are at stake in making the right guess, and guessing correctly allows guessers to spin the wheel again for another turn. 

Phrase Unscramble 

Phrase Unscramble is a game to learn grammar by using common and easy sentences. 

Students are given a sentence with a blank dash and multiple-choice options for what fits best in the blank. 

In phrase unscramble, students will learn how to use verbs and even how to use advanced English tenses. 

Teachers without access to a computer should construct ESL worksheets for beginner’s vocabulary with the same principle in mind. 

Word Miner  

An ESL game centered around finding words, Word Miner, is particularly well-suited to younger students learning English. However, older students can also benefit from Word Miner too. 

Word Miner can help young non-English speaking students enhance their introductory reading skills, speaking, and writing skills by rehearsing using the words they have newly comprehended. 

Of these skills, students will need to use their reading skills most intensely to find hidden words scattered throughout the game –scoring is based on how quickly you can find all the hidden words within a specific timeframe. 

Finding the Odd One Out 

Learning a language is, at the most basic level, all about pattern recognition. For example, what objects or shapes correspond to certain sounds? And which of these correspond to the categories we already understand? 

These questions are answered for students playing Finding the Odd One Out, which teaches students about the semantic categories found in English, such as animals, colors, jobs, classroom objects, and locations. 

Students are given several items or words, and their task is to find the item or word that does not belong with all of the others. To determine which one’s the “odd one out,” students will be compelled to think critically about the semantic categories of the items in the game. 

Reading Activities – Comprehension Quizzes 

ESL quizzes are used not to judge students but simply as a piece of data for teachers to use to individualize their teaching practices.

Suppose on a reading comprehension test that a student does well with verbs but cannot understand nouns and adverbs. In that case, teachers should help that student improve in those areas by using individualized assignments and lessons.

ESL is not an educational program designed to amplify the importance of grades. Instead, it is intended to aid the learning outcomes of students. 

Quizzes and activities in ESL should follow this principle in using the helpful data points they provide to account for individual learning needs.

Other Resources for ESL Programs 

Teaching ESL is valuable to students and the community because, in many ways,  it facilitates the former’s ability to participate in the latter.

Without the ability to speak English in America, students will be disadvantaged in almost every respect –on the job market and in future educational pathways. 

Utilizing all of the resources you can to ensure successful outcomes for ESL students is something all ESL teachers, directors, and staff should take heed of, as the level of program improvement they can provide in program outcomes is considerable. 

A valuable tool in addition to the ESL Toolkit and its games is provided by the U.S. Government’s Department of Education (Office of English Language Acquisition) called the “English Learner Tool Kit.” 

The English Learner Tool Kit allows educators to optimize their ESL curriculums for their students and their unique needs. Likewise, the English Learner Tool Kit accommodates students who speak dozens of non-English languages as their primary language. 

This tool kit has advantages over other tool kits because it has features that enable educators to accommodate students with disabilities and help students succeed in their English-speaking lives after completing their ESL program. 

Furthermore, it enabled teachers and other ESL professionals to meaningfully communicate with a student’s family members and loved ones who speak little English. 

Student outcomes improve when educators pull from reliable resources such as these to aid their ESL programs.