There are an amazing number of TEFL websites out there to help you prepare for teaching your English classes.  There are sites that give you step by step lesson plans and others that give you ideas, games and resources to complement your classes.

Over the next few weeks, I will be  looking at a range of the websites available.  Today is a look  at www.onestopenglish.com . I personally think they have done a great job and the quality of their website is excellent and really easy to navigate.

The site used to be completely free but now has paid sections (they have to make a living!) and I think it’s worth the investment. However, there are still plenty of free resources available on the site.

These are my 3 favorite areas.

News Lessons – these are done in association with the Guardian Weekly.  They take an article from the newspaper and adapt it to the classroom.  They are split into 3 levels, elementary; intermediate; advanced.  I however don’t think the elementary level is suitable for true elementary students, it is more suitable for strong pre-intermediates.  The topics are always up to date, interesting and current.  They set out the lesson really well and there are a range of activities normally ending in a discussion. They also work really well as homework as they come with the answers so your students can correct their own work.

Lesson Share – this section is truly inspiring as it is all content from other teachers who submit their lessons for a competition. They create lessons, materials and resources and the area is divided into the skill sets.  One of my favorites is the gnome game which is has never failed to get even my most super serious business students, defending the rights of gnomes!

Teaching children – most TEFL courses are for teaching adults and only do a few short inputs on teaching children.  There are some excellent resources, tips and advice sections to help you get to grips with teaching children.