Resources in this section have been organized into the following categories:
Decoding and Phonics
- Autocognita
Autocognita – TapTap Read
This App takes learners through lessons where they learn the alphabet, letter sounds, vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency. Each lesson is easy to understand, interactive, and quick. Tap Tap Read is a finalist in the Adult Literacy XPRIZE competition. Once downloaded, learners can complete exercises offline. Each exercise takes about 5 minutes to complete.
Please note: only available for Android.
Find it in the Google Play store here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.autocognita.taptapread
- Listen and Learn English 1
Listen and Learn English 1 – Adults Phonics Course via Video
This video Adult Phonics Course is geared for ELL learners but is appropriate for beginner English-speaking literacy learners who are learning the basics of phonics. The videos cover the alphabet, short and long vowel sounds, consonant pairs and vowel pairs. There are 70 separate lessons which last 10 minutes on average.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLp5zSGEKWyU6FrxaRZkxieeP7dk4Hu6H6
- Listen and Learn English 2
Listen and Learn English 2 – Basic English Course via Video This video-based Basic English Course is geared for ELL adult learners but is appropriate for beginner English-speaking literacy learners who are learning foundational grammar and vocabulary. There are 54 bite-sized lessons around 10-12 minutes in length that cover foundational grammar and vocabulary
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLp5zSGEKWyU4Xmzj3obJHMAFkiLpf7rE5
- Listen and Learn English 3
Listen and Learn English 3 – Adult Phonics Course via Video This video Adult Phonics Course is geared for ELL learners but is appropriate for beginner English-speaking literacy learners who are learning the basics of phonics. The videos cover the alphabet, short and long vowel sounds, consonant pairs and vowel pairs. There are 70 separate lessons which last 10 minutes on average.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLp5zSGEKWyU6FrxaRZkxieeP7dk4Hu6H6
- Montessori Words and Phonics
Montessori Words and Phonics Based on the Montessori learning method, Montessori Words helps develop reading, writing and spelling skills by building words from a set of 320 word-image-audio-phonics combinations using a phonics-enabled Movable Alphabet. This App encourages users to practice simple decoding and phonics exercises. The exercises start with simple CVC words and builds up to more complex words.
Costs $4.99.
- PB Phonics
PB Phonics – Levels 1 – 3 and 4 – 7 This App takes learners through lessons where they learn the alphabet, letter sounds, vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency. Each lesson is easy to understand, interactive, and quick.
Please note: only available for Apple devices
Find it in the Apple store here: PB phonics in the Apple Store
- Ultimate Phonics
Ultimate Phonics
The Ultimate Phonics complete program consists of more than 4,400 words and 2,100 sentences organized into 262 lessons. The lessons are grouped into 12 levels, teaching the entire phonics system of English.
You get the first level (lessons 1 to 50) for free as an App and you can do a free 10 day trial of the Windows or iOS version for laptops. There is the option of purchasing additional levels or a license. Ask the LU program director for more information on this product and getting a license.You can learn more about this resource from an LU Tutor who is using this software by visiting our Let’s Zoom TNT recording from January 2021.
Vocabulary
- Earth Day Wordsearch
Earth Day Resources
You can download and use fun and engaging free printable worksheets from PrimaryGames.com. If you’re looking for something for Earth Day, it’s a good place to stop. Scroll down and you’ll find links to a free downloadable wordsearch on Earth day.
Click here to go to the website: Primary Games, the fun place to learn!
- Grocery Store Vocabulary
Grocery Vocabulary – Tutor Created Handouts
This highly engaging list of vocabulary was created by an LU tutor. The vocabulary focuses on the fresh produce aisle of a grocery story. Each item is illustrated with a colour photo, great for beginning readers. Included in the handout are some word puzzles to practice the new vocabulary.
Download the PDF grocery vocabulary and activities here.
- Learnhip
Learnhip – Tips and Resources, Puzzles and Games 
Learnhip is a great website where you can find all sorts of resources and tips for your tutoring session. It has interactive games, puzzles, activities and exercises aimed at learning and teaching English and other subjects online. Contains some great ideas for screen sharing activities in remote tutoring.
- Listen and Learn English 1
Listen and Learn English 1 – Adults Phonics Course via Video This video Adult Phonics Course is geared for ELL learners but is appropriate for beginner English-speaking literacy learners who are learning the basics of phonics. The videos cover the alphabet, short and long vowel sounds, consonant pairs and vowel pairs. There are 70 separate lessons which last 10 minutes on average.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLp5zSGEKWyU6FrxaRZkxieeP7dk4Hu6H6
- Listen and Learn English 2
Listen and Learn English 2 – Basic English Course via Video This video-based Basic English Course is geared for ELL adult learners but is appropriate for beginner English-speaking literacy learners who are learning foundational grammar and vocabulary. There are 54 bite-sized lessons around 10-12 minutes in length that cover foundational grammar and vocabulary
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLp5zSGEKWyU4Xmzj3obJHMAFkiLpf7rE5
- LU Word Puzzles For Special Occasions
LU Word Puzzles for Special Occasions
From time to time, LU creates wordsearches, crosswords and other word puzzles on special themes, e.g., Halloween, Winter Holidays, Thanksgiving. You can download these PDF puzzles below:
- Thanksgiving Wordsearch – What did the Turkey say?
- Halloween Wordsearch – What Scares You?
- Spooky Season Crossword Puzzle
- Winter Word Jumble
- Remembrance Day Wordsearch
- LU Word Puzzles For Special Occasions
LU Word Puzzles for Everyday Life
From time to time, LU creates wordsearches, crosswords and other word puzzles for everyday life, e.g., shopping, managing your money, health. Some of these puzzles are created by tutors. You can download these PDF puzzles below:
- ReadWorks
ReadWorks ReadWorks is a nonprofit organization with the mission to support the growth of successful, joyful readers. By creating a free educator’s account on this site, you will have access to a library of curated nonfiction and fiction passages, along with reading comprehension and vocabulary supports, text-dependent question sets, teacher guidance, and more! Learners create an account and join the tutors ‘class’. You can assign a learner a reading passage and comprehension questions. Learners can build their own library of reading materials.
ReadWorks resources for the teaching and learning of reading comprehension are always fully free for use by both educator and learner.
It’s easy to create an account. Just go to the website and click on the Sign Up button. The Teachers Guide section (look for the tab at the top of the webpage) gives step-by-step instructions on how to get started and invite your learner. Once you are signed up, you can use screen share in an online session to walk your learner through signing up as a student.
- Unite For Literacy
Unite for Literacy Online Books Unite for Literacy develop online picture books to encourage literacy. The site may have been developed for a young audience, however, many of the books are suitable for and interesting to learners of all ages. Each book contains vivid colour pictures and short text. There is also an audio for each book. At the end of each book is a suggested activity or question.
- World Food Program Quiz
World Food Program Free Rice Quiz – Vocabulary The UN World Food Program (WFP) have created lots of quizzes in a game called Freerice. As you answer questions correctly, ads appear on your screen. When you see one of these ads, you trigger a cash payment to WFP that is equivalent to the cost of 5 grains of rice and this is used to save and change lives. The Freerice vocabulary quiz is a multiple-choice quiz with four options to choose from. You can set the difficulty level for the quiz in a drop-down menu on the top left of the screen.
Reading Fluency
- Bow Valley Readers
Bow Valley College Readers Bow Valley College has developed seven sets of readers at different levels for ELL or beginner/intermediate learners. Each reader has content relevant and important to everyday adult life. There are lots of photos for readers to refer to. There is an audio recording for each text that a reader can listen to as they read.
https://globalaccess.bowvalleycollege.ca/learners/readers.php
- Reading Skills 4 Today
Reading Skills 4 Today – Minnesota Adult Basic Education This website has a large number of reading texts written for an adult audience at different levels (1 -16). Each text has three audios that learners can listen to as they follow the text. Each recording shows a higher level of reading fluency. The short texts are accompanied by pre-reading activities and comprehension questions. A stopclock on the site allows learners to see how far they can read in 1 minute. This can be used to measure progress in reading fluency over time.
Reading Comprehension
- Dartmouth Reading Network – My Front Yard
Dartmouth Reading Network – My Front Yard A course consisting of 4 modules (Geography, Government, History and Lifestyle) that cover basic communications topics like reading comprehension, grammar and vocabulary. Lessons in each module contain stories written by adult learners in Nova Scotia.
Learners navigate through the modules via a series of slides that have interactive capabilities. Learners can click on tabs, drag and drop words, click boxes in quizzes and type into boxes.
- Earth Day Wordsearch
Earth Day Resources
You can download and use fun and engaging free printable worksheets from PrimaryGames.com. If you’re looking for something for Earth Day, it’s a good place to stop. Scroll down and you’ll find links to a free downloadable wordsearch on Earth day.
Click here to go to the website: Primary Games, the fun place to learn!
- Grocery Store Vocabulary
Grocery Vocabulary – Tutor Created Handouts
This highly engaging list of vocabulary was created by an LU tutor. The vocabulary focuses on the fresh produce aisle of a grocery story. Each item is illustrated with a colour photo, great for beginning readers. Included in the handout are some word puzzles to practice the new vocabulary.
Download the PDF grocery vocabulary and activities here.
- Listen and Learn English 3
Listen and Learn English 3 – Adult Phonics Course via Video 
This video-based Basic English Course is geared for ELL adult learners but is appropriate for beginner English-speaking literacy learners who are focused on reading comprehension and writing. There are 70 bite-sized lessons and practice tests around 10-12 minutes in length that cover new vocabulary, speaking, listening, reading comprehension and writing.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLp5zSGEKWyU7e5qniGH3XcxwL_47hX8c9
- LiteracyWorks
LiteracyWorks – Multiple Intelligences Assessment This assessment consists of 56 questions that help your learner determine which intelligences are strongest for them. When they complete the assessment, they get descriptions of their top 3 intelligences and scores for the others. At the bottom of the results page, there is a “Practice” link that suggests tutoring strategies to engage each of the multiple intelligences.
https://www.literacynet.org/mi/assessment/findyourstrengths.html
- ReadWorks
ReadWorks ReadWorks is a nonprofit organization with the mission to support the growth of successful, joyful readers. By creating a free educator’s account on this site, you will have access to a library of curated nonfiction and fiction passages, along with reading comprehension and vocabulary supports, text-dependent question sets, teacher guidance, and more! Learners create an account and join the tutors ‘class’. You can assign a learner a reading passage and comprehension questions. Learners can build their own library of reading materials.
ReadWorks resources for the teaching and learning of reading comprehension are always fully free for use by both educator and learner.
It’s easy to create an account. Just go to the website and click on the Sign Up button. The Teachers Guide section (look for the tab at the top of the webpage) gives step-by-step instructions on how to get started and invite your learner. Once you are signed up, you can use screen share in an online session to walk your learner through signing up as a student.
- The West Coast Reader
The West Coast Reader Monthly newspaper (similar to ‘Your News’) in PDF format with news stories adapted for people who want to improve their English language skills. Newspaper content is presented in 3 different levels with accompanying photographs and downloadable teacher’s notes.
There is also a library with articles at three reading levels. Most articles have quizzes and audio readings at a slower pace and a natural pace. Each article has a downloadable PDF version and downloadable PDF exercises.
For some of their best articles, also check out Best of the West Coast Reader.
- Unite For Literacy
Unite for Literacy Online Books Unite for Literacy develop online picture books to encourage literacy. The site may have been developed for a young audience, however, many of the books are suitable for and interesting to learners of all ages. Each book contains vivid colour pictures and short text. There is also an audio for each book. At the end of each book is a suggested activity or question.
Online Books
- Bow Valley Readers
Bow Valley College Readers Bow Valley College has developed seven sets of readers at different levels for ELL or beginner/intermediate learners. Each reader has content relevant and important to everyday adult life. There are lots of photos for readers to refer to. There is an audio recording for each text that a reader can listen to as they read.
https://globalaccess.bowvalleycollege.ca/learners/readers.php
- Unite For Literacy
Unite for Literacy Online Books Unite for Literacy develop online picture books to encourage literacy. The site may have been developed for a young audience, however, many of the books are suitable for and interesting to learners of all ages. Each book contains vivid colour pictures and short text. There is also an audio for each book. At the end of each book is a suggested activity or question.