Take a fresh look at the BC's LearnEnglish sites

Although you might have used 1 or 2 of the BC's ELT websites, do you really know all that's on offer?

Podcasts
These are a relatively new addition to the site - and a response to users' requests:

• Elementary podcasts have proved especially popular. They offer learners who want to reach the CEF Level A2 (Council of Europe Framework of Reference) an engaging way to improve their listening skills. Up to now, most listening material designed for this level has tended to be bland, boring and patronising. These podcasts, however, sound fresh and natural – their magazine format ensuring a good variety of pace and content – even though the lexis and grammar employed in them are deliberately restricted. Each podcast comes with notes on how to best exploit it and learners can download a comprehensive Support Pack containing activities, explanations plus a transcript of the podcast.

• Also worth checking out are the Professional podcasts which cover a wide range of current issues of particular interest to professional people and also give advice about how to prepare for English language exams. Each podcast is twinned with an article on the same topic and accompanied by complementary activities.

One click access to the suite of websites
The LearnEnglish portal is at http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish.htm and offers a one-click access to the complete suite of websites:

• LearnEnglish Central provides English language practice for everyone, but especially teenagers and adult learners. Why not try out Wordshake – a great way to practise your vocabulary – or Agents Underground where you play the role of a secret agent travelling around London on the underground solving puzzles as you go?

• LearnEnglish Professionals caters for people who move especially in business and professional worlds. For something that’s really entertaining and fun, I recommend J@m, a cartoon series set in a web design company.

• LearnEnglish Kids is aimed at children of infant and primary age and is one of my all-time favourites. First choose a topic and then you will be presented with a splendid list of songs, stories, activities and worksheets related to it. Many of the interactive activities adapt really well for use with IWBs (interactive whiteboards) or data projectors in a whole class setting. It’s also an invaluable resource for parents/carers who want to help children with their English at home.

• Parents and carers can now find specific advice and information on how to share the experience of learning English with children on the LearnEnglish Parents – a site that is specially dedicated to them. For example, there is a very helpful piece on using rhymes with young children with a link to a scary and gripping animated rhyme In the dark, dark, wood .

• While English Online has been designed for Chinese speakers, it’s well-worth a visit. The site has a community format enabling users to become members, maintain their own blog and to add comments or join in on forum discussions. I can particularly recommend Big City Small World for teenage learners. It’s a highly entertaining audio soap that follows the lives of a group of young people from around the world who meet up in a London café.

• Finally, there is Go4english.com, the British Council LearnEnglish offer for the Arab World. The site provides entertaining and user friendly games and activities as well as culturally specific content, such as celebrity interviews and downloadable resources, for teachers in the Arab World.