Top Online Lesson Plan Resources for New and Advanced Teachers
For many new and experienced EFL teachers, one of the most challenging aspects of their career is coming up with lesson plans that are both engaging and effective. Even if your employer provides a specific textbook to follow as a curriculum, you will often find that this can be rather dull for the students unless you spice things up by adding in some fun and original ideas from an outside source. By searching online you will find a huge amount of sites offering all manner of resources of varying quality and relevance. To save you the hassle of searching through them all, we have listed our 5 favorite websites that you can use to find quality lesson plans free of charge.
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Using English
This very useful website offers teachers a wealth of information and resources, regardless of their experience level. There are over a thousand different lesson plans and worksheets that you can download for free and these are conveniently organized by student level, grammar topic, and overall theme. Among its many other features are interactive online quizzes, article and reference libraries covering a wide range of subjects, and a general forum where you can swap ideas and chat with other teachers from around the world. There is also a teacher training forum where you can get advice and support from experts in all areas of English language teaching.
Also read: The 5 Best TEFL Games for Adult Students
TEFL.net
This website covers all aspects of TEFL, including training courses and job listings from all over the world. Although it is not quite as easy to navigate as some other sites, you will still find a large number of great teaching resources that can be downloaded for free. As well as a wide range of lesson plans and worksheets, the site also has a handy ''worksheet generator" that allows you to quickly produce and download your own worksheets using the specific vocabulary that you want to use in your lesson. Elsewhere you will find posters, videos, and other resources that you can download to add something extra to your classroom.
Also read: Top 5 Icebreakers for New TEFL Teachers
ESL Galaxy
This site is another that offers a huge amount of free downloadable lesson plans and worksheets for all ages and levels. Teachers of young learners should find this site especially useful as there is a great section containing a range of downloadable games that should keep your students engaged and entertained while learning. The interactive section is also a great tool if you and your students have access to computers in the classroom. There are a range of interactive grammar and vocabulary quizzes, exercises, and games for your students to tackle.
Also read: The 5 Best Ways to Build Rapport With Your TEFL Students
British Council
This high-quality website is operated by a widely respected British based organization that promotes English language education across much of the globe. The site offers an impressive range of teaching resources that are conveniently organized into sections covering kids, teens, and adults. Each section can also be filtered by student level. Every downloadable lesson plan comes complete with detailed instructions and all the materials needed to deliver it in the classroom. Under the kids and teens sections, you will also find a "teaching tools" tab which gives you access to some extra resources such as posters, flashcards, and an online, interactive phonemic chart.
Also read: The Best Apps to Have on Your Phone While Teaching English Abroad
Bogglesworld/Lanternfish
Despite having two seemingly interchangeable names, this site has plenty of great teaching resources that are primarily aimed at young learners. For ease of navigation, we suggest you focus on the menu at the top of the home page which has links to all the main sections of the site. On the downside, the lesson plans here are not sorted by language level, but you will find a wide array of useful downloads, such as flashcards, song lyrics, word searches, and crossword puzzles. As with all our recommended sites, the resources here are free to download and can be used as often as you like.
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Are you ready to teach English abroad?
Once you have completed your TEFL certification course and have found a job that suits your plans, it is time to start thinking about the content of your future lessons. Whether you are given a set curriculum or are responsible for providing your own, this list of useful resource sites could well become the most important part of your lesson planning routine.
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