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- Around The Web In ESL/EFL/ELL
- This Week’s Free & Useful Artificial Intelligence Tools For The Classroom
- December’s “Best” Lists – There Are Now 2,566 Of Them!
- My Best Posts That Appeared In December
- All My Ed-Related End-Of-Year 2025 “Best” Lists In One Place!
- More Recent Articles
Eight years ago I began this regular feature where I share a few posts and resources from around the Web related to ESL/EFL or to language in general that have caught my attention.
You might also be interested in all my Best lists on teaching ELLs.
Also, check out A Collection Of My Best Resources On Teaching English Language Learners.
In addition, look for our latest book on teaching ELLs, The ELL Teacher’s Toolbox 2.0.
Here are this week’s choices:
Fluxis is a game on the Atlantic’s website. It’s similar to the game that most ELL teachers have had students play – you say a word, and then a student has to come up with a word that begins with the last letter of the previous word. Flux’s twist, though, is that you are given a category that each new word has to be in. This might work with advanced ELLs.
In my 23 yrs as teacher working w/ ELLs, despite my making many recommendations 4 Spec Ed,I was only successful in getting 1 stdnt accepted 4 service (& that was because he came from Fiji, where English is primary lang of instruction). Response 4 every other stdnt was that it was “language problem”
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— Larry Ferlazzo (@larryferlazzo.bsky.social) June 17, 2025 at 4:19 PM
What Kind of Language Teacher Are You?- A Research Taxonomy of Language Teacher Types is from The Language Gym.
Vocab Track is a Chrome extension that says it can “Transform any webpage into a language learning opportunity. Translate text instantly, build your vocabulary, and track your progress – all without leaving your browsing experience.”
SENTENCE FLOWGRAPH: TURNING SENTENCES INTO VISUALS is from ELTcation. I’m adding it to The Best Sites For Creating Sentence Scrambles.
THE HOMEWORK MACHINE FOR LANGUAGE LEARNERS is from ELTcation.
TASK TWEAKER: REPETITION, BOREDOM, AND TASK VARIATIONS is from ELTcation.
lwlnow and Vocalo are two AI-powered language-learning tools that may or may not have potential.
Waffle Game is a game collection, and some of them might offer ideas for language teachers.
Biden’s DOJ found lingering issues in Newark’s English language learner program. Trump’s team closed the case.
https://www.chalkbeat.org/newark/2025/06/18/biden-doj-found-lingering-issues-english-learner-program-trump-doj-closed-case/
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— Chalkbeat (@chalkbeat.org) June 18, 2025 at 3:00 AM
I’m adding this post to The Best World Poetry Day Resources – Help Me Find More, The Best Sites For Learning About Immigration In The United States, and The Best Sites For Learning About World Refugee Day:
Powerful and worth a read, as well as worth using in class.
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— Larry Ferlazzo (@larryferlazzo.bsky.social) June 19, 2025 at 8:56 AM
Teachers Aren’t Prepared or Equipped to Teach English Learners, Survey Finds www.edweek.org/teaching-lea…
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— Larry Ferlazzo (@larryferlazzo.bsky.social) June 19, 2025 at 2:11 PM
I regularly highlight my picks for the most useful posts for each month — not including “The Best…” lists. I also use some of them in a more extensive monthly newsletter I send-out. You can see older Best Posts of the Month at Websites Of The Month (more recent lists can be found here).
You can also see my all-time favorites here. I’ve also been doing “A Look Back” series reviewing old favorites, too.
Here are some of the posts I personally think are the best, and most helpful, ones I’ve written during this past month (not in any order of preference) – also note that I group many updates on the Trump administration’s current attack on education and democracy in weekly posts you can find here):
You Can Now Pre-Order Our Next Book, “The Better Teacher’s Toolbox,” On Amazon!
“Larry Ferlazzo’s 10 Education Predictions for 2026”
Lots Of Good Zero-Prep Activities For The ELL Classroom
Groups Of Students Can Create Music Together At “Make-A-Beat”
Small Slights Matter – This Workplace Research Has SO Much Relevance To The Classroom
“Mock Talk” Looks Like A Good – And Free – Tool Where ELLs Can Practice Speaking
New (& Veteran) Superintendents Could Do Far Worse Than Reading This Article
With “Learn Everything,” Google Strikes Out Again In Trying To Make AI Useful
Globy Compares Countries’ Data & Shows Visual Results
“Talk To Dai” Seems Like A Decent AI-Powered Language Learning Tool, & It’s Free (At Least, For Now)
“ICE Turns North Carolina Schools ‘Upside Down’”
“Learn About America” Is A New & Useful (& Free) Social Studies Site
I REALLY Think Secondary ELL Teachers Should Consider Radically Restructuring Classes, But I’m Not Sure If They Are
It Seems To Me That These Survey Results Indicate That A Fair Number Of Teachers May Be In The Wrong Profession
Here’s The Video & Resource List From Our Webinar On Assisting Content Teachers To Work With ELLs
“1 Challenge, 2 Challenge, 3 Challenge, 4, Teachers Have Many, Many More …”
Check Out Google’s “Language Explorer”
Genes Are Not THE Predeterminant To How Smart You Are
“Practical Tips for Creating a Safe and Supportive Space for Students”
Maybe More Experienced Teachers Can Afford To Be Less “Data-Driven”?
Google Unveils Advance That Brings Us Closer To Star Trek’s “Universal Translator”
Compare The Sizes Of Living Things At “Size Of Life”
Do We Need More Metaphors When Organizing For Education & Political Change?
I Really Like This Strategy For Talking With People You Disagree With
The “Youth Media Challenge Showcase” Is A Great Authentic Audience For Student Work
Take A Look At What This Former NBA Player Says About Metrics & See If It Also Relates To Schools
Not Good Statistic Of The Day: Most Teachers Take Second Jobs
“‘Schools Cannot Afford to Ignore Race and Identity’”
“TrueSize.net” Compares The Size Of Countries & Also Historical Empires
NPR Announces Special Student Podcast Challenge On The 250th Anniversary Of The United States
“Hello Nabu” Looks Like One Of The Best Free AI-Powered Language Learning Tools That I’ve Seen So Far
No Shocker To Teachers, But New Study Finds SEL Helps Students’ Academic Achievement
Must-Watch PBS NewsHour Video: “A Brief But Spectacular take on connecting through reading”
I’m Pretty Surprised That Sal Kahn Wrote This Op Ed, & Even More Surprised The NY Times Published It
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