Not sure where to start with ESL teaching resources? Start with a lesson plan, a few reusable activities, strong visuals and a level framework you can trust. Below, you will see how those pieces fit together.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Levels in the CEFR | Six (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2) |
| CEFR drawn up / adapted | 2001 / 2018 |
| Strands in Nation’s course framework | Four |
| Class time for meaning-focused input in Nation’s view | A quarter |
These figures come from a Luxembourg lifelong-learning page on the CEFR and a Wikipedia summary of Paul Nation’s work. They can change or be revised, so check the source before you rely on them.
What counts as an ESL teaching resource
An ESL teaching resource is anything that helps a learner meet, practise or remember English. That covers far more than a coursebook, so it helps to sort what you have into types before you collect more.
- Lesson plans and frameworks: the skeleton that tells you what happens, in what order, and why.
- Activities: warm-ups, games and speaking tasks that you can reuse with different words and topics.
- Visual and physical materials: flashcards, photographs, real objects, word walls and gestures.
- Printables: worksheets, gap-fills, reading texts and record sheets.
- Reading and listening input: graded readers, recordings and podcasts at the right level.
- Language supports: sentence frames, glossaries and model answers.
Most teachers find that a small, well-chosen set beats a large, unsorted folder. A resource earns its place when it fits a clear aim, suits the learners’ level and can be used again next week with new content.
The sections below follow the order in which most teachers make decisions. You first fix the level, then balance the lesson, then pick materials for vocabulary and speaking, and finally assemble everything into a plan.
Match materials to the learner’s level
The most common reason a good activity fails is a mismatch with level. Text that is too hard leaves learners guessing, while tasks that are too easy waste time and lower motivation.
The CEFR is the shared yardstick most course books and exams use. According to a Luxembourg lifelong-learning page, the framework describes foreign language proficiency at six levels, running from A1 up to C2.
The same page says the framework was drawn up under the auspices of the Council of Europe in 2001 and adapted in 2018.
At the lowest level, A1, the same page describes a learner who “can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type”. That gives you a practical test for materials. If an activity needs more than familiar expressions and basic phrases, it is probably above A1.
The framework also offers a way for learners to place themselves. The page notes that “there is a self-assessment grid showing the main categories of language use at each of the six levels”, which is useful when a new student arrives and you do not yet know where to start.
- Decide the learners’ approximate level, using a placement chat or the self-assessment grid.
- Read any text or task and ask whether most of the words are already known.
- Choose one language aim that is slightly beyond what they can do now.
- Trim everything else, such as extra vocabulary, long instructions or unfamiliar topics.
If your learners are true beginners, our guide on how to teach english to beginners goes through the first lessons step by step. For the learner’s side of the picture, the hub on how to learn english shows what students can do between classes.
Balance the lesson across four strands
A pile of resources does not make a course. Applied linguist Paul Nation suggested a simple check: does your course give learners opportunities in four strands?
The strands, as summarised on Wikipedia, are meaning-focused input, meaning-focused output, language-focused learning and fluency development. Here is what each looks like in a classroom, based on that summary of Nation’s work.
- Meaning-focused input: reading and listening, such as graded readers, podcasts and recordings.
- Meaning-focused output: speaking and writing to get a message across, such as free writing in a journal or telling a story aloud.
- Language-focused learning: explicit study of “pronunciation, spelling, vocabulary, grammar, and discourse”.
- Fluency development: practising skills learners already have so they can use them faster and more smoothly.
The same summary says Nation “insists that only a quarter” of class time should go to meaning-focused input. Treat that as a prompt to look at your own week rather than a rule, since it comes from a secondary summary. The useful question is whether one strand, usually language-focused learning through worksheets, has quietly taken over.
Seeing how adults and children acquire a second language makes the balance easier to judge. Our explainer on how do people learn a second language sets out the ideas behind this kind of planning.
Visuals, flashcards and word walls for vocabulary
Visual materials are some of the cheapest and most flexible ESL teaching resources. A picture can carry meaning without translation, so learners spend their attention on the English word rather than on decoding an explanation.
Colorín Colorado, a bilingual site for educators of English language learners, lists many kinds of visuals. Its page on using visuals includes photographs and maps, cartoons and drawings, videos, labelled diagrams, charts and “realia (real objects), manipulatives, models, gestures and action”, as the page describes. It also stresses that “visuals do not reduce rigor”, so a picture does not mean a lesson is less demanding.
One teacher writing in Edutopia gives a simple rule: “Whenever you introduce new vocabulary, couple a picture with each important word.” The same teacher then posted each word with its picture on a word wall.
Colorín Colorado’s vocabulary page recommends the same habit: “Post new vocabulary on a word wall that you can refer to regularly”, as that page advises. It also suggests creating anchor charts with the class to introduce new concepts and thematic vocabulary.
Flashcards are the classic version of this idea. For ways to make, sort and use them beyond simple drilling, see our english flashcards ideas. For activities that help words stick after the first meeting, see our collection of esl vocabulary activities.
- Pair each new word with a picture, object or gesture.
- Show the word, say it, then let learners say it back.
- Put the word on the wall and point to it in later lessons.
- Bring old words back in new contexts rather than moving on.
Which resources get learners speaking?
Many learners understand more English than they dare to say. The best speaking resources lower the risk of speaking, give learners something to say and make every learner talk, not just the confident ones.
The first tool is the sentence frame. Colorín Colorado’s page on sentence frames and starters says they support “academic language development both in their writing and speaking”, and advises you to “differentiate sentence frames by proficiency level”, as the page sets out.
The Edutopia teacher quoted earlier explains why this matters: “Many ELs in my classroom, especially less proficient learners, are shy about speaking in front of the class.” Providing frames during discussion, such as a starter for explaining an answer, is one way to answer that shyness.
The second tool is partner talk. According to Colorín Colorado, “turn and talk” activities are “quick check-ins in which students turn and talk to a partner for a quick conversation about the topic of the lesson”. The same page advises you to look “for partners who will be patient and supportive of ELLs when pairing them with native English speakers”.
Warm-ups are where many teachers first lower the barrier to speaking. Our list of esl warm-up activities covers short openers that get everyone using English in the first minutes of a lesson.
For the main part of the lesson, our guide to esl speaking activities covers pair work, role-play and discussion tasks. If your learners respond well to competition and play, the esl classroom games page collects games that keep the language practice at the centre.
Putting resources into a lesson
Once you have a level, a balance and a set of materials, the last step is a lesson plan. A plan makes you choose, because it will not fit every resource you own.
A simple structure works for most classes, whatever the age or level.
- Warm-up: a short activity that activates English the learners already know.
- Presentation: new language introduced with visuals, objects or a short text.
- Practice: controlled tasks such as gap-fills, matching or drills.
- Production: a speaking or writing task where learners use the language to say something real.
- Review: a quick check of what was learned and what to revisit.
If you want ready structures, our collection of esl lesson plan ideas shows how to arrange these stages for different ages and aims. Use them as starting points and change them to fit the group in front of you.
Printables slot into the practice stage. Our guide to printable english worksheets explains how to choose and use them without letting worksheets dominate the lesson.
If you want a wider library of ideas, Colorín Colorado’s strategy library is a good place to browse. Its overview says the library “includes more than 35 research-based classroom strategies”, as the overview states. Although the strategies were written with English language learners in mind, they are designed for school classrooms, so adapt them for adult or private classes.
A quick resource audit
Before adding anything new, run your current materials through four questions.
- Is the level clear, using the CEFR or your own simple labels?
- Does it serve one of the four strands, and which one?
- Can learners use it to speak, not only to fill in blanks?
- Can you reuse it with new words or topics next time?
Anything that fails two or more questions is a candidate to rewrite or drop. Keep the rest in a folder sorted by lesson stage and level so that you can find it in under a minute.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best free ESL teaching resources?
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No single source is best for every class. Free libraries such as Colorín Colorado’s strategy collection offer step-by-step guides, and the planning, visuals and speaking sections above show how to turn them into lessons. Check the licence or terms of any free material before you copy or share it.
How do I know whether a resource is at the right level?
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Compare it with the CEFR descriptions. If learners need more than the language described for their level, simplify the text, add visuals or pre-teach a few key words. Then try it with a small group before using it with the whole class.
Should I make my own resources or use ready-made ones?
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Use ready-made resources for structure and make your own for fit. A short custom set of pictures, frames or flashcards, built around your learners’ real topics, often works better than a generic pack. Keep what works so the effort pays off more than once.
Are visuals only for young learners?
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No. Colorín Colorado’s page on visuals states that visuals do not reduce rigor, and teenagers and adults also benefit from pictures, diagrams and real objects. Choose images that suit the age group and the topic.
