The Times in Plain English: Easy to Read News Articles

Newspapers and magazines are a wealth of information on every topic imaginable, just waiting to be discovered. However, they can sometimes be tough to read, especially for ESL learners who are working with a limited vocabulary. The Times in Plain English is an online newspaper that takes current articles and provides simple, more understandable versions, perfect for learners.

Why It's Important to Use One Type of Font Consistently

When you're typing something - a worksheet, an LEA transcript - somebody is bound to read it, and when that somebody is an ESL learner, you want your text to be as easy as possible to read. One area that can confuse learners are fonts. In this post, we'll discuss the differences between fonts and why it's important to use one type consistently.

Font Frustration: Why Learning the Alphabet Can Be More Difficult Than You Think

How can the font you choose for your teaching materials affect your learner's progress? Font choice can make all the difference for learners whose native languages aren't written with the Roman alphabet.  

Dyslexia, Part 2: What is the Orton-Gillingham Approach and How Can I Use It?

Dyslexia provides a complex challenge for both learners and tutors alike, but there are several techniques you can use when teaching people with the disorder. You'll have to adapt them to your learner's learning style, but here are some basics to use as a starting point.

Dialogue Journals: How to Assess Errors and How to Deepen A Conversation

Dialogue Journals can provide valuable information to you about your learner's skills as well as the nature of your learner's errors. Here are tips on how to use dialogue journals to do both.

Dyslexia, Part 1

Dyslexia is a learning disorder that causes learners to have trouble with text. Reading and writing are extremely difficult, and the problem only gets worse when learning English as a second language. In this post, you'll gain a  basic understanding of dyslexia.

Learner Reading: is Your Learner at the Instructional Level, the Frustration Level or the Independent Level? Use a Cloze Exercise to Find out!

Readers generally fall into one of three levels: Instructional Level readers, Frustration Level readers, and Independent Level readers. Read more about what the terms mean, and how to assess what level your learner is at is by way of a method known as a cloze.

How to Sell Literacy to the Skeptical Student

What do you do if your learner has low literacy and seems reluctant to learn how to read and write? 
Here are some tips to help you make literacy attractive and valid.

Learning to Identify Emergent Readers

Did you know that many learners are best referred to as emergent readers? 

An emergent reader is illiterate, yet comes to language learning with a vast skillset. Find out how to identify an emergent reader and employ teaching strategies that best meet their needs.