Finding tools online can be a bit daunting because there is so much available that finding quality sites may seem impossible. Further, sites may be so littered with advertisements or so loaded with unfeasible games that it’s hard to find what will work in your classroom with your students. If you scout around, however, there are some excellent sites out there that can give you useful suggestions about games you can play to help you reach and teach English language learners during the tricky elementary school years, and many of these resources can be tweaked and used for learners of various levels. The sites and information outlined here are free to access with no registration required, so it’s easy to quickly get to games that will help your students learn in fun and engaging ways.

Gaming Sites
One of the problems teachers often face is how to find sites where they can access resources all at once without having to spend a lot of valuable time searching for games and activities. But don’t fret: There are lots of sites that group all the information you need and that help you avoid fruitless searching.

FunEnglishGames.com
This site, geared toward all levels of elementary school students, is one of the best. It gives teachers games and activities that are easy to implement, worksheets for students to work on in groups or individually, and “fun stuff” like riddles or tongue twisters. The site also provides videos and quizzes to use, and it offers materials for math and science games. It’s a gem.

Cookie
Cookie is geared more toward younger elementary school students, but it has a lot of resources K–3 will enjoy.  One highlight of this site is that it offers interactive stories in which students can click the words they don’t know and listen to audio of the word, or even of a complete story.

EnglishClub.com
Need a list of games and fast? EnglishClub.com is a resource that provides a quick way to find popular games for ELLs. Click around the site to get information about lesson plans, activities, and interschool projects.

MES-English
MES-English has all sorts of information for K–6 ELLs including games, flashcard sets, and projects students can do and then post for other students to see. The site provides ways to customize and print certificates of achievement for students as well.

ELL Teacher Pros
This site provides links to educational Web sites geared toward ELLs. All the information is free, but some of the sites it links to are not specifically geared toward elementary ELLs.

ESL Games World
Here’s a site, for all levels, with Jeopardy-type games that can be played online while competing with other students.  Getting used to how to set up and play the game may take some teacher guidance, and it’s recommended for upper-elementary grades.  However, once students become familiar with it, the game is an engaging way to learn proper sentence structures.

Gamequarium
Diana Dell, an instructional technology specialist from the University of Missouri at Columbia, compiled a list of sites for K–6 ELLs that use a variety of strategies. Look here for interactive storybooks and audio resources. Please note that some of the sites are from the United Kingdom and are consistent with UK spelling.

Using Interactive Whiteboards
Many teachers now have access to interactive whiteboards, such as Smart Boards, and they can be wonderful educational tools.  Knowing how to use them to gear activities toward ELLs, however, can be a bit of a puzzle. Here are some good games to get you using this tool like a pro so your students can get the most out of this versatile resource.

Busy Teacher
This straightforward site lists 10 games you can easily modify to suit the grade or skill level you’re teaching. Even those who don’t have access to whiteboards can tweak these activities to use with other classroom materials, so this site is worth a look no matter what.

Have Fun Teaching
The Have Fun Teaching site has terrific ideas and resources you can use with a Smart Board that can work with any age or skill level. Many of these can be built into a daily routine, and they provide other suggested uses for a Smart Board to teach subjects other than English. The site is geared toward elementary school students in general, and the activities can be adapted to ELLs as needed.

Smart Board Technology Integration
This site, run by the Lee Summit R7 School District in Missouri, USA, lists an immense number of resources for using Smart Boards for all age levels. Be prepared to be impressed.

Support Sites
One problem you may run into is feeling disconnected from other English language teachers, especially if you teach in a small school. However, there are a lot of resources to help you get in touch with your peers around the world. These resources let you share ideas, find solutions to specific problems, or just provide opportunities to talk to others who know what you’re going through.

Dave’s ESL Café Teacher Discussion Forums
No list of online resources for ELLs would be complete without referencing Dave’s ESL Café.  His site has something for everyone, and you should check out the Idea Cookbook for some straightforward teaching tips.  The site has everything from information about jobs to how to navigate a classroom using a variety of media, so his discussion forum is wide-ranging and particularly valuable.

Teachers Helping Teachers
Teachers Helping Teachers is a treasure trove of suggestions about games and about how to navigate problems in the classroom. It also has a forum for teachers to share what’s new in the field and a place for teachers to discuss the online podcast ESL Teacher Talk. The site is run by MSE-English, which collects all sorts of information about teaching elementary ELLs.

The Internet for ESL Teachers
Articles about how to use the web for online teaching, information on English language teaching organizations, and information about (sometimes free) online courses make this site an excellent resource. The site is easy to navigate, and it lets you see what your peers are using so you can potentially improve your own practices.

The resources listed here are just a few to help get you started tapping into the information available online. Sifting through all the information out there can be tricky, and just remember that not all sites are created equal. Use these as a springboard to learning more about what’s available and as a way to dive into the conversation among educators who can now share their wealth of experiences.

__________________________

Kari Wold is a PhD student in Instructional Technology at the University of Virginia specializing in online education. She holds a master’s degree in International Education from the George Washington University, and her background is in teaching writing using virtual platforms.