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Online ESL games provide online games for ELs to practice English in an engaging and fun way.  The games range from simple spelling games to sentence construction.  The games are simple to use and are designed for low-level ELLs.  The creator, Owen Dwyer, was a TESOL teacher for over 10 years and designed the content to reach early learners at all levels.

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Free online ESL games to help students learn English in a fun and interactive way.

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US Department of Education Newcomer Toolkit

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US Department of Education Newcomer Toolkit

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The Newcomer Toolkit from the US Department of Education contains resources to help newcomers to the US education system.  The toolkit has chapers on welcoming newcomers, supporting newcomers social, emotional, and mental health needs, providing high quality instruction for newcomers, and establishing partnerships with families:  all resources needed to help Els academically successful.

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The Newcomer Tool Kit is designed to help U.S. educators; elementary and secondary teachers, principals, and other school staff who work directly with immigrant students-including asylees and refugees-and their families.

The Newcomer Tool Kit has 5 chapters, and contains an overview, sample tools, and resources.

Updated Download the entire Newcomer Tool Kit (PDF, 4 MB)

Newcomer Toolkit - Chapters:

1. Who are our Newcomers?

2. Welcoming Newcomers to a Safe and Thriving School Environment

3. Supporting Newcomers' Social, Emotional, and Mental Health Needs

4. Providing High-Quality Instruction for Newcomers

5. Establishing Partnerships with Families

To request the tool kit in an alternate format as a reasonable accommodation, i.e. large print, CD Rom or audio, please contact Melissa Escalante by phone, 202-401-1407 or email at: Melissa.Escalante@ed.gov.

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bilingual education; school reform; language proficiency; english (second language); multicultural education;

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The Newcomer Tool Kit is designed to help U.S. educators; elementary and secondary teachers, principals, and other school staff who work directly with immigrant students--including asylees and refugees--and their families.

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Language Lizard:  Bilingual Childrens products

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Language Lizard:  Bilingual Childrens products

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Lizard Learning is a multicultural online bookstore with reading and classroom materials in over 60 languages.  The owners help teachers and community organizations select the most appropriate materials for their programs and offer customized support to support all language learners.

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Supporting Bilingual Students

Looking for the best bilingual books for language learners? We make it easy to get engaging dual language books into the hands of children. Readers will find fiction and non-fiction books in over 60 languages, including Arabic, Chinese, French, Korean, Pashto, Russian, Spanish, Ukrainian, and much more! Use our books, interactive audio, and free teaching resources to strengthen the parent-home connection, promote literacy, and celebrate diversity.

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Children's Bilingual Books & Multicultural Audio Books | Language Lizard

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Shop award-winning bilingual children's products in 50+ languages! We carry multicultural books, posters, audio books, dictionaries & free lesson plans. Enhance your education today!

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Diffit is an AI resource used to differentiate classroom resources.  Diffit can change reading levels, shorten or lengthen reading passages, translate to a variety of languages, and create summaries and assessments of the material.

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Use existing curriculum, or generate standards-aligned content with real, cited sources.

Choose a grade level and language, and watch Diffit create complete, differentiated resources. ✅

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Use existing curriculum, or generate standards-aligned content with real, cited sources. Choose a grade level and language, and watch Diffit create complete, differentiated resources. ✅

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ELL Scores and Reports is a WIDA resource that helps stakeholders understand score reports and gives resources to help educators connect results with instructional plans and strategies.  It can also help educational authorities engage families in their student’s EL education.

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Top Things to Keep in Mind

Keep the following in mind when using the information in the report.

Proficiency levels are domain specific

For example, a sixth grader who earns a scale score of 370 in Listening is at proficiency level 4.3. If that same student earns a scale score of 370 in Reading, they will have a Reading proficiency level of 3.8.

Proficiency level scores should not be compared across grades

A second grader with a 4.0 in Listening and an eighth grader with a 4.0 in Listening are exposed to very different, grade-level appropriate content as they test. While their score reports reflect the same proficiency level, the eighth grader is demonstrating more skill by responding to more challenging content.

Scale scores precisely track student growth over time and across grades

Because scale scores consider differences in item difficulty, they place all students on a single continuum that stretches from kindergarten through grade 12. In addition, scale scores allow you to compare student performance across grades, within each domain, with more granularity than you'll see with proficiency levels. For example, using scale scores, you can track how much a student's listening ability increases from grade 6 to grade 7, or you might compare the speaking skills of your school's second graders to those of the fifth graders when evaluating curricula.
Note: 2025-2026 WIDA ACCESS scale scores have been reset as part of ensuring the assessments reflect the WIDA ELD Standards Framework, 2020 Edition. For this reason, treat this year's scale scores as a new baseline to measure growth against (you can't compare scale scores from previous years).

Scale scores are not raw scores

A raw score is simply a tally of correct responses. Raw scores are not reported for ACCESS because they do not provide a meaningful measure of student performance. For example, consider two students taking ACCESS Online. As the students move through the test, their performance determines which questions they see. The student at beginning proficiency sees easier items, and the higher-proficiency student sees more difficult items.

Confidence bands are included on the Individual Student Report

A scale score is reported as a single point within a confidence band that shows the Standard Error of Measurement. The Standard Error of Measurement is commonly included in score reports and can help test experts understand student performance.

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WIDA provides sample ACCESS score reports and additional resources to help students, families and educators understand ACCESS scores. Check out the following key resources:For FamiliesWIDA ACCESS: Understanding Your Child's Scores is a family-focused flyer, available in 18 languages, that explains the terms in the score report.WIDA ACCESS Parent Letters are family-focused letters, available in 49 languages including English, that may accompany score reports to help introduce the report to families.

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Quizziz is an online learning platform that gamifies quizzes to increase student engagement.  Quizziz can attach standards to questions, use AI to differentiate and enhance questions, embed video and images, as well as create slides and lessons.  Creators have the ability to import from Google, spreadsheets, or other resources.

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Quizizz - The world's most engaging learning platform

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Find and create gamified quizzes, lessons, presentations, and flashcards for students, employees, and everyone else. Get started for free!

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This innocuous and seemingly unrelated link is a great resource for teachers.  Recording your screen and adding captioning or other languages helps ELs review lessons multiple times and revisit sections at their own pace.  It also helps students develop speaking, listening, and writing skills. I prefer to use Screencastify, but there are other options available, depending on the platform your school uses.

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Need to create a how-to presentation for work? Want to share a fun gaming session with your friends? Recording your screen is a good way to accomplish both.

The task is easier than you might think, as Windows 10/11, MacOS, and even Chrome OS have built-in tools that can get the job done. In this guide, we'll show you how by using native, open-source, and paid third-party tools.

How to record your screen on Windows using Xbox Game Bar

Windows 10 includes a native video capture tool, but it's primarily designed for gamers. However, it can be used for any open application, offering a convenient way to record the screen and even add audio if needed.

Note: All steps for Windows devices will also all work on Windows 11, including options to use PowerPoint explained below. However, Windows 11 will look a little different from the images we are using. If you prefer step-by-step instructions for Windows 11, be sure to check out our Windows 11-specific screen recording how-to guide.

To use the Xbox Game Bar feature, your PC needs to support one of the following encoders. Most modern graphics cards or processors support them.

AMD VCE

Intel Quick Sync H.264 (Intel second-generation CPU or newer)

Nvidia NVENC (most Nvidia GeForce 600 or newer; most Quadro K series or newer)

Alternatively, you can select the Notifications message bubble icon on the taskbar and select the All settings tile in the Action Center. Both of these methods will open the Settings app.

Step 2: Select Gaming in the Settings app.

Step 4: Select Captures listed on the left to view and adjust further customization options if needed.

Under Captures, you can change your save location for your recordings and screenshots, enable background recording, and enable recordings even when your laptop isn't plugged in. There are also options to enable recording while projecting your screen, set a maximum recording length, and adjust your audio settings and video quality settings.

Step 5: When you're done adjusting your settings, type the default keyboard shortcut to open the Xbox Game Bar: Win + G.

You may or may not see a prompt asking if the highlighted application on your screen is a game. If you do, just select Yes. Sure, it's a lie, as Xbox Game Bar is meant for capturing gameplay, but this little fib extends this feature out to other applications. However, Xbox Game Bar does not record the desktop or File Explorer, it only opens with applications.

Step 6: The Xbox Game Bar appears near your screen's top-center edge. It provides buttons to access these overlays and settings:

The Game Bar's Capture overlay should appear by default. If not, select the Webcam icon on the Xbox Game Bar, as shown below.

Note: If your PC has more than one connected display, like a three-monitor setup, the Xbox Game Bar interface will appear on the screen where you last clicked.

Alternatively, you can type the Win + Alt + R key combination to start and stop recording with Xbox Game Bar enabled.

All captured videos are saved as MP4 files in the Videos > Captures folder under This PC in File Explorer.

How to record your screen on Windows using PowerPoint

Recording your screen with PowerPoint is relatively easy. The drawback is that you need Microsoft's desktop software for this to work - and a Microsoft 365 subscription. This does not work with the online-only version.

From the drop-down menu that appears, choose the Screen recording option.

Step 2: The screen dims white and renders a toolbar along your screen's top-center edge, as shown below. Select the Select area button and use your mouse to draw a box around the area you want to record. The target area is then outlined with a red dashed line and devoid of the white transparency.

Alternatively, press the Windows + Shift + R keys simultaneously to record the entire screen.

Step 5: To save the recording, right-click on the video displayed within PowerPoint and select the Save media as option on the pop-up menu. Follow the on-screen prompts to save your recording.

When you're done, you can save the video as a separate file to access or embed as you see fit. Editing and control options are very limited after that, but PowerPoint is a great option for quick-and-dirty recording - especially if you're doing it for a looming presentation.

How to screen record your screen on a Mac using the Screenshot tool

Included with macOS Ventura is a native feature that allows you to record the screen and take screenshots. Here's how:

Step 1: Press Shift + Command + 5 to bring up the screenshot toolbar.

Step 3: Select the Record entire screen button (left) or the Record selected portion button (right) followed by the Record button - it replaces Capture if the tool was originally in screenshot mode - located on the right.

How to screen record your screen on a Mac using QuickTime Player

If you're running a version of MacOS older than Mojave, you can always use QuickTime Player for basic screen recording, as well as audio recording. QuickTime recordings aren't easy to edit, but if you want a fast and easy recording method, it's one of the simplest.

Note: QuickTime Player is also available on Catalina and Big Sur.

Step 1: Open QuickTime Player from the Launchpad. If you don't see it, check the Launchpad's Other folder.

Step 3: Choose the New screen recording option listed on the drop-down menu.

Step 8: When finished, navigate to the menu bar and select the Stop recording button, as shown below. Alternatively, select the appropriate symbol if your Mac has a Touch Bar.

How to record your screen on a Chromebook

Google now offers a native screen recording tool for Chrome OS - no hopping to the beta required. Google continues to update its screen recording options with new capabilities over time.

Step 2: Click the Screen capture button on the pop-up menu.

Step 5: Select the Record button centered within the selected area.

Step 6: To finish, choose the Stop screen recording button displayed on the Shelf next to the system clock.

By default, the captured video saves to the Downloads folder as Screen recording [date][time] in the WebM file format.

Multiplatform (Chrome extension)

If you're not keen on the three native solutions listed above, you can install a Chrome extension called Screencastify that does a good job. Here's how to install and use it:

Step 3: Sign in with your Google account and follow the prompts to create a Screencastify account.

Step 4: Select the Screencastify icon in the top-right corner again. A drop-down menu will appear.

Step 6: Enable the microphone and/or webcam if needed.

Step 7: Select Show more options for additional settings, like a countdown timer.

Step 8: Select the blue Record button. You can only record for 30 minutes using the free account.

Note: If you choose Desktop, the following screen prompts you to select your Entire Screen or application Window. After that, choose Share.

Step 9: When you're done recording, select the pink and white End recording button in the bottom left corner of your screen.

Another tab will open with your recorded video ready to playback for you.

Step 10: You can now edit the video, share a copy, download it, and more. To edit the name, select the text field to the left of the Open in editor button.

The video saves to your Google Drive by default.

How to record your screen on other devices

Recording your screen isn't just limited to PCs. You can do so on mobile devices too. Need to know how to record your screen on an iPhone or Android? Check out our guides for screen recording on Androids and screen recording with iPhones.

Alternative offline apps for professional work

If you want an enhanced recording experience from an app specifically designed for more professional - and gaming-oriented - clips, then your best bet is to download one of the apps below.

OBS Studio (free)

As one of the more advanced and freely available screen-recording apps, OBS Studio is open-source and has built-in streaming functions for those who want a live audience while recording. OBS Studio is more fully-featured than some freemium apps, but setting up your personal preferences can take a little longer. However, it's still the best of the free screen-recording apps currently available. It's available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Snagit ($63+)

Snagit targets startups more than gamers. It packs a ton of recording features primarily for use in a workplace setting. You can use Snagit to help you put together your next training presentation or illustrate an idea or new workflow. These features include a screen recorder, annotations for screenshots, templates, and the ability to create video from a series of screenshots. It does cost $63 (and possibly more after the first year with a yearly Maintenance subscription), but if you don't mind paying for the privilege, the added features are worth it. Snagit also offers a 15-day free trial.

Editors' Recommendations

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How to record your screen on Windows, Mac, or Chrome OS | Digital Trends

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Need to create a how-to presentation for work? Want to share a fun gaming session with your friends? Recording your screen is a good way to accomplish both. The task is easier than you might think, as Windows 10/11, MacOS, and even Chrome OS have built-in tools that can get the job done.

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Newsela is an online platform that delivers instructional content to students.  Newsela differentiates based on reading level, offers read aloud features, video content, screen readers, and the content can be assigned through online platforms such as Google or Blackboard.

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It's time to improve literacy skills during social studies instruction and ensure that readers of all abilities have what they need to access grade-level social studies concepts.

Join us on Thursday, December 7 for a look at scaffolded materials that provide extra literacy support while building key social studies concepts and skills.

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Newsela | Content and assessment platform

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Content Aligned To National & State Standard, Flexible To Support Relevant Curriculum. Find the Perfect Piece Of Content For Lessons. Go beyond the book.

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CommonLit:  Online reading passages and literacy resources

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CommonLit:  Online reading passages and literacy resources

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CommonLit is a comprehensive literacy program that has unique lessons and ELA curriculum.  It contains standards based assessments and offers a wide variety of differentiation strategies for all learners.

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For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your web browser.

World-class content

Access thousands of reading lessons and our comprehensive ELA curriculum, CommonLit 360.

Accessible for all learners

Tailor instruction to students' needs with text-to-speech, translation, and digital note-taking.

Actionable data

Track students' reading performance, set goals, and plan instructional next steps.

CommonLit
Digital Library

Discover thousands of free, supplemental lessons and quizzes in English and Spanish - all featuring great authors.

CommonLit
Assessment Series

Measure growth in reading comprehension with three benchmark assessments when you unlock our premium packages.

CommonLit 360 &
Professional Development

Support a successful rollout of our research-backed ELA curriculum with personalized webinars and on-demand trainings.

"

CommonLit has made a tremendously positive impact on my teaching practice. I'm very proud to teach CommonLit!

Jennifer Lane ELA Teacher

"

CommonLit definitely keeps me organized. It's easy for me to grade and it's easy for me to see students' reading growth increase throughout the year.

"

The CommonLit assessment questions are aligned to our ELA standards, which is extremely helpful when prepping for the state exam.

Teachers trust CommonLit to foster students' reading comprehension

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CommonLit | Free Online Reading Passages and Literacy Resources

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CommonLit is a comprehensive literacy program with thousands of reading lessons, full-year ELA curriculum, benchmark assessments, and standards-based data for teachers.

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Khan Academy offers lessons in a variety of grade level and content areas.  The lessons can be differentiated for different levels, offer captioning for videos, and can be completed at a student’s own pace.

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