CALL & Language Skills

Hello everyone!

Today I would like to describe some sites which were suggested us for exploring at university.

1. Listening, Speaking and Pronunciation

So, the first one is http://www.manythings.org/

This web site is for people studying English as a Second Language (ESL) or English as a Foreign Language (EFL). There are quizzes, word games, word puzzles, proverbs, slang expressions, anagrams, a random-sentence generator and other computer assisted language learning activities. Even though the primary focus is for ESL, native English speakers may also find some interesting things on this site.

 http://fsm-portal.net/video_lessons/1119-professor-xiggins-anglijskij-bez-akcenta-versiya-61.html

Here is a great phonetic and grammatical multimedia guide. During the training you will be able to compare completely your own pronunciation with a computer, and on the monitor you will see graphs, which will clearly show how correctly or incorrectly you pronounce a word. The essence of the training is that the program will independently study the level of your learning and pronunciation of the language, and on the basis of already created graphs will determine how much you still need to tighten the language, and what you already know at a sufficient level There is a huge amount of theoretical materials, as well as a lot of technical features (schemes, rules), dictionaries, as well as various user guides. Grammar is learned through various interactive exercises.

http://englishpronunciationcourse.com/

English Pronunciation Lab has been designed to be one-stop pronunciation guide for the English language. Whether you’re worried about the way you speak, or are just looking for the correct pronunciation of a commonly mispronounced word, you’ll be able to find your answers there

https://www.rosettastone.com/?rd=0.

This site is aimed at learning new languages. But, unfortunately, the free version limits some functions of program.

http://www.24english.ru/multimedia/programs-english/380-tell-me-more

The software product Tell Me More from Auralog company is presented for learning 7 languages. The course consists of three levels: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced.
Tell me More offers its customers a multimedia software package with charting functions to develop a curriculum that corresponds to your level and objectives, dictionaries with a large volume of words, exercises, texts, audio materials, video.

2.  Reading and Writing

http://literacynet.org/learningresources/

The Learning Resources site offers web-delivered instruction using current and past CNN San Francisco bureau and CBS 5 - KPIX (CBS Broadcasting) news stories. Western/Pacific LINCS (part of the National Institute for Literacy's LINCS Project), and Literacyworks has partnered with news agencies to develop an online literacy site that benefits all learners and instructors. This material is intended for adult literacy and educational purposes. Though the intended audience is adults, instructors and learners (of all ages) are encouraged to use this material to promote better literacy.

Each module includes the full text of each story and interactive activities to test comprehension. The learner can choose to read the text, listen to the text, and view a short video clip of the story. Each module is designed for ease of use so the learner can use it independently. The instructor can also incorporate any story into class activities and lesson plans.

http://www.er-central.com

Extensive Reading gives students chances to read longer pieces of reading, which they choose, which they can read at their own speed and at their own ability level. This can be done with Graded readers.
Intensive Reading and Extensive Reading are complementary and teachers should use both. A balanced reading program uses Intensive Reading to introduce new language, and complements this with Extensive Reading which consolidates and raises awareness of this language leading to reading fluency.


https://www.purdue.edu/

The Purdue University Writing Lab and Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) assist clients in their development as writers—no matter what their skill level—with on-campus consultations, online participation, and community engagement. The Purdue Writing Lab serves the Purdue, West Lafayette, campus and coordinates with local literacy initiatives. The Purdue OWL offers global support through online reference materials and services.

3. Grammar

https://www.grammar-quizzes.com/index.html

English language quizzes covering grammar, usage and vocabulary for beginner, intermediate and advanced level English students. Simply answer all of the questions in the quiz and press submit to see your score and other statistics. Each ESL quiz is also available as a printable teacher handout. We also have a range of phrasal verb quizzes in our reference area.

http://www.ets.org/toefl

The TOEFL iBT test  can measures your ability to use and understand English at the university level. And it evaluates how well you combine your reading, listening, speaking and writing skills to perform academic tasks. In addition to the test, the ETS TOEFL^® Program provides tools and guides to help you prepare for the test and improve your English-language skills

https://www.pearson.com/english/

MyEnglishLab delivers your Pearson workbook content online.
You can use it to set homework or extra practice for your students\pupils, without the hassle of photocopying and correcting work, or use it in class with an interactive whiteboard. Some schools also enjoy having MyEnglishLab available in their computer labs for students\pupils to use in their free time.

http://www.azargrammar.com/index.html

This website’s mission is to support teachers who incorporate a grammar component in their ESL/EFL teaching. Our vision is a global community of ESL/EFL teachers who share resources, learn from one another, and support one another in their work.

Website Goals

• Provide teaching support to all ESL/EFL teachers who include a grammar component in their teaching, by offering ideas, information, and materials to help them succeed
• Provide textbook support to Azar users
• Facilitate community, sharing, dialogue, and mutual support among ESL/EFL teachers
• Promote partnership between authors and teachers
• Define a grammar-based approach and the pedagogical assumptions underlying the teaching of grammar and the Azar texts

https://ru.scribd.com/

Scribd brings together the best books, audiobooks, and journalism to help readers become their best selves and provide everyone to read and listen to it to improve your English skills. But it can give you free access only during 30 days. So, hurry up!

http://www.esltower.com/

This website has partnered with the following sites to offer you quality resources.The ESL Tower is however not a duplication of the contents these websites. ESL Tower has a unique way of presenting resources for easy access. There are also lots of new printable worksheets and self-grading exercises.

 4.Vocabulary

https://www.ldoceonline.com/

LDOCE Online offers you free access to a range of Longman monolingual and bilingual dictionaries that are specifically designed for learners and teachers of English, and for people who need to use English as a second language at work. Their dictionaries have integrated thesaurus, collocations and important grammar information.

http://pdictionary.com/ 

  The Internet Picture Dictionary is a completely free, online multilingual picture dictionary designed especially for ESL students and beginning English, French, German, Spanish and Italian language learners of all ages.

So, in this post I selected the most convenient and interesting resources for studying all aspects of the English language.

But as for me, for my teaching of English, I use such applications as quizlet and reverso context .

Quizlet

https://quizlet.com/ru

Quizlet Learn is powered by the Learning Assistant Platform, which uses machine learning to process data from millions of anonymous study sessions and then combines that data with proven techniques based on cognitive science. This powerful platform is adapted to how people actually learn and drives studying more effectively and efficiently. It focuses on the material students truly need to study, while making it fun at the same time.

Why use Quizlet Learn?

1. It takes the guesswork out of studying by creating a study plan that guides you through what must be learnt and reminds you when it's time to review.
2. See how you're improving, get study reminders and make progress with short and actionable study sessions.
3. Quizlet Learn is powered by Quizlet's new Learning Assistant Platform, which uses data from millions of anonymous study sessions combined with proven ideas from cognitive science.

Reverso context

http://context.reverso.net/

About the contextual dictionary

• The examples are taken from millions of texts previously translated ranging from dialogues, and official documents to multilingual websites. They cover both formal and informal language. Some translation examples can contain inappropriate language. We apologize for this inconvenience. We are currently working on a filter to detect such situations.
• These texts are taken from a variety of domains, to cover the multiple meanings of each word. Their examples come from legal, computing, medical and industrial documents, but also from the corporate world. 
• You will find some translations above the example list. They are automatically calculated thanks to algorithms.  Sometimes, the highlighted text in the source might not correspond to the one on the translated text, even if the translation is correct.
• If you click on a translation, Context will only display the examples containing this particular translation. This will help you to have a better picture of the conditions for its use.
• To access a wide range of translations and check alternative translations, click on : this will display all the examples that are not associated with any translation.
• You can also search the "inverse" translation of a translation. This allows you to check if this translation is often translated by the word or expression you were searching.
• You can add any translation illustrated by an example to Reverso's Collaborative Dictionary. You just need to to click on , which appears when pointing the cursor on an example. You will be redirected to the "Add an entry" page, with pre-filled "source" and "translation". If you find an interesting translation, you can also add it by clicking on the arrow that appears on its right, then selecting "Add to the dictionary". The entry created will be visible for all Reverso Dictionary users. You can refine it by adding its grammar category or a comment. You can also add it to your vocabulary list.
• To make your search easier, this recource advise you to look for a group of words rather than a single one; use capital letters, accents (when applicable) and punctuation marks. 
• Are you looking for an idiom? No need to type it all! Context only needs some distinctive words to provide you with some results.
• To know the source of an example or to access extra context, just click on 

I sincerely hope that all these resources will help you learn English and make progress every day!

I welcome everyone who has visited this blog. I am a 4th year student of BSU, specialty-modern foreign languages (teaching). 

Today the popularity of English in the world is huge. Judge for yourself, English is native to 500 million people in 12 countries of the world, about 600 million people speak English as a second language and several hundred million more know it to one degree or another. And all this is because English is now more relevant than ever and in demand, it becomes just a necessary necessity.

This blog was created to help anyone learn and improve their English. I will try to provide all kinds of resources for this.