good ESL resources for children

GENERAL TUTORING ACTIVITIES & LESSON PLANS

• Minnesota Literacy Council/Summer Reads Pinterest board
• Carl’s Corner
• Mrs Jones Room (free printable mini-books, coloring books and book-making ideas)
• Puzzlemaker (create your own customized word search, criss-cross, math puzzles and more)
• Reading Rockets
• PBS LearningMedia
• A Guide to Interactive Reading* (activities to move beyond flashcards and reading to interact with books and words in hands-on, creative ways)
• Literacy Without a Book* (literacy-based activities that don't involve books)
• Multisensory Techniques to Teach Reading* (incorporating the 7 senses into tutoring sessions)
• Book-making project* (example with tips for making books with children)
• Tutoring K-3 using poetry*
• The Reading Nook: Ideas for Children's Tutors* (tutor tips, sample lesson plans and activity ideas)
• Tips for Reading with and to Children
• Children's Book Reviews* (a series of book reviews examining classic tales and modern publications from the perspective of kindergarteners and their tutor)

LITERACY AND ENRICHMENT/OTHER SUBJECTS

• Music, Art and Literacy* (using music and art to build reading, writing and speaking skills)
• Garden Literacy Lesson Plans* (garden and nature-themed activities focused on building literacy skills)
• Literacy Fun Blog* (literacy activities through sports and math)
• All Around Us* (a podcast series produced for children that gives children a chance to expand their vocabulary and listening comprehension through exciting and age-appropriate science topics)

SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL) AND BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT

• Morning Meeting Games & Activities (ideas for "morning meetings" to kick off small or large group programming)
• Games, games, games! (team-building and energizer activities for groups)
• Let's Be Friends anti-bullying campaign*
• Integrating SEL in Literacy Tutoring* (an educator resource guide with activities and books focusing on the growth and development of social-emotional literacy)

ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS (ELL/ESL) AND CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TUTORING

• Perspectives for a Diverse America (literacy-based, anti-bias lesson plans for K-12, aligned with Common Core, fromTeaching Tolerance)
• American Indian culture, education and resources in the Twin Cities*
• Tutoring American Indian students* (brief version, with references)
• Tutoring Somali students*
• Tutoring Spanish-speaking students*
• Tutoring Hmong students*
• Children's Books Representing Minnesota's Linguistic Diversity* (a list of books that support ELL students, their linguistic backgrounds and cultural identities as a whole)
• Tips and Activities for Tutoring ELL Students* (a website with an extensive compilation of tips and activities to use when tutoring students from diverse lingusitic backgrounds)

CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

• Deaf Child Literacy* (tips and activities for working with children who are deaf)
• VISTA Guidebook for working with children with behavior or learning disorders*

PARENT ENGAGEMENT

• Supporting literacy at home (English)* (tips for parents on supporting their child's literacy at home, geared toward bilingual families)
• Supporting literacy at home (Spanish)* (same as above, in Spanish)
• Summer Reads parent handbook (English)* (tips for parents on reading and supporting literacy at home)
• Summer Reads parent handbook (Spanish)* (same as above, in Spanish)

PHONICS AND FLUENCY ACTIVITIES 

• Hubbards Cupboard – Literacy in Kindergarten 
• Sight Readings 
• Phonological Awareness Activities

COMPREHENSION ACTIVITIES

• Practice Passages
• Interactive Story Map
• Lesson Plans and Printables 

VOCABULARY ACTIVITIES

• Visual Thesaurus 
• M-W Word Central 
• Free Rice
• Make Your Own Word Cloud
• Flash Card Maker

SELF-DIRECTED WEBSITES AND APPS FOR STUDENTS

• Review of Children's Literacy Apps and Websites*
• Starfall
• Time for Kids
• Scholastic Weekly Reader
• Fact Monster
• PBS Kids
• PBS Kids Summer Safari (summer version)
• American Libraries Association’s Great Sites for Kids 
• Read with Clifford
• Dr. Seuss
• National Geographic for Kids
• Camp Wonderopolis (STEM and literacy summer learning)

SELF-DIRECTED ACTIVITY GUIDES FOR STUDENTS

• My Book of Crazy Cool Word Games* (reading and writing activities 2nd-4th graders can do on their own)
• Self-directed literacy games for children*