5 Free ESL Resources for Back to School
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5 Free ESL Resources for Back to School



As most teachers are getting ready for back to school, at least here in Québec (CA), I thought I would share a list of free resources that might come in handy during this busy time of the year.


Use this editable weekly newsletter template to inform students and parents about important news/messages, course content, homework, and assignments. This freebie is available in print and digital formats. Click the image below to download this freebie from my TpT store.



This free editable coupon-based classroom management system is ideal for upper-elementary and middle-school classes. I successfully used this coupon-based system in my grade 8 ESL class last year.

How this system works

Students will receive 10 coupons at the beginning of the school year. Each coupon is worth 5 points. These 10 coupons are for the entire year. Students may lose coupons, but they are also responsible to earn them back. Learners may earn coupons by completing their work neatly, doing their homework, helping you out during class, and reading books in English. Possible consequences and rewards are already included on the back of each coupon, but you may customize these to better suit your needs. Click the image to download these free coupons.


This is a free back-to-school writing journal that students can use all year round. These writing prompts do not require learners to write texts, but they rather give them the opportunity to reflect on their goals and actions.

The writing journal covers different topics and seasons:

  • smart goals (back to school/fall)

  • being a teenager

  • things students are thankful for

  • 5 things that will help students move forward

  • bucket list before learners’ next birthday

  • fall bucket list

  • winter bucket list

  • sharing some love (Valentine’s Day)

  • spring bucket list

  • and summer bucket list

Click the image to download this freebie from my TpT store.


Keep these anecdotal record forms in your teacher binder to document students' performance, engagement, and behaviour. You can also use them to take notes of the positive aspects of your lesson and the things you need to improve or change next time. There is also a form to record students' name who need to show up for remediation time. Click the image below to download.



5. Editable Learning Progression Tracking Sheet for High School ESL Teachers

Use this editable learning progression tracking sheet to monitor high school learners' development of the ESL competencies: oral interaction, reinvestment of understanding, and writing. The learning outcomes show what competency level upper-intermediate and advanced ESL learners should reach by the end of their final year of high school. This document is based on the Framework for Evaluation of Learning published by the Ministry of Education in Quebec and has a layout that helps teachers track the development of these learning outcomes more easily. You can adapt this resource to better suit your needs. You may download this freebie from the free resources library.



These freebies, along with many other goodies, are also available in my exclusive free resources library. Subscribe to my mailing list to receive the password.


If you used these resources, I would love to know how they worked out for you.


Have a pleasant new school year!

Kynga C.



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