A selection of English ESL encyclopedia printables

This early learners children's encyclopedia from DK is perfect for key stage 1 learners. It's packed with information about a variety of subjects from prehistoric life to space travel, bacteria to the human brain help your child discover all about the world we live in. They'll discover how life on Earth began, how the human body works, how people lived in Ancient Egypt, why some dinosaurs were so huge, what makes machines work, the countries of the world and much, much more.

First children encyclopedia

Originally based on the Disney Animals Encyclopedia. This ws can be also used as group work, a web quest or a library assignment. Reading comprehension, writing exercises and critical thinking all in one worksheet which can also be used as the basis for conversation or a classroom discussion. Suitable for group work as well. REMARK: THE PREVIEW OF THIS HANDWRITTEN WORKSHEET LOOKS A BIT UNTIDY, BUT ONCE YOU DOWNLOAD AND PRINT THE QUALITY IS ACCEPTABLE.

Read and Complete - Animals Encyclopedia

This is a lesson plan I prepared for my middle schoolers (Upper intermediate-adv). It can be adapted/edited. It includes reading, speaking, listening and writing skills. Speaking activity is about the recent horse meat scandal in the UK and writing activity is factual writing/encyclopedic style as the article is from Britannica Encyclopedia. For the writing part to help the students you can hand out fact sheets about a list of chosen animals that they can choose from and write about.

If your classes are short like mine (40 mins) this can be divided into two lessons. Ideally, some short videos from youtube can be shown as a warmer at the beginning of the class.

I have been teaching only for 2 months so it may not be up to standard but I hope you'll find this useful. 

Horses the graceful friends all in one lesson plan

For this activity, students randomly picked one paper from a bowl where I wrote about 25 countries. 

For this worksheet, they will learn how to research for information with the help of the internet and encyclopedias. Students can use it as homework in case they don\'t have access to resources. 

Students will also learn about how to find the specific information and turn them into an informative text. 

With this worksheet, they will not only put their writing skills into practice but also learn new things and facts about the topic.

 After the students finish their homework, they will present it and talk about their country in front of the class to share what they found.

I would love to hear your feedback and maybe share some of your students own work. 

Enjoy it !!

Describe a country

An excerpt taken from the Encyclopedia Britannica, with some comprehension questions. It was in the news this week as an American tourist climbed it, dropped his phone in the crater, went to retrieve it, fell in and had to be rescued. 

RC: Mount Vesuvius, an active volcano

Here are the 20 best English slangs by magiclearning (   https://www.magiclearning.com/) and their meaning to take your language learning to the next level, so you can move like a native speaker and get your tourist brand off. It's time to aim for the informal.



Do you know what slangs are?



English slangs are nothing more than colloquial or informal words.



You don't learn all the slang in English classes, but they are certainly there and are part of the language.



Any culture has reconverted or transformed words that many can describe as "street slang."



In reality, English slangs are like any other idioms that gradually transform the language or are used in specific situations.



Most of them are just the product of slight changes that are not usually decisive from one moment to the next, but they do not cease to exist and coexist in parallel with the regulated words.



Why should I learn Slangs in English?



Because when you learn a language, it is one of the most challenging aspects; for example, in the UK, there coexist as many accents as variations of slang in English.



It wouldn't hurt to learn a few terms to get a complete education of the language.



Classes give you a formal grounding in the language, but you should not underestimate the importance of English idioms because, after all, everyone uses them.



In conversation, using these colloquial English words allows you to relax and maintain a level of confidence that you wouldn't get if you spoke like the gentlemen at the round table all the time.



Also, when traveling or meeting native speakers, it will be a great help. It's not about mispronouncing words in English. It's about knowing idioms that can help you in an informal situation.



Try as you might maintain formality, the reality is that you won't always be at a conference speaking like an encyclopedia. You will have to go out on the street and deal with colloquial English words most of the time.



It doesn't mean you have to become a gangster, but consider that many, regardless of race and social strata, speak this way, and you should adopt as best you can.



Another good reason to learn English slang is to have fun with friends without sounding like you came out of a library. This vocabulary is basic for everyday social situations.



Learning the idioms will help you in understanding the language. It will be a way to expand your vocabulary and study accents and intonations in depth.



Top 20 slangs in English



Enough chitchat, here are the 20 best slangs in English and their meaning so you can immerse yourself in the Anglo-Saxon culture as you should.



Practice these phrases and make them part of your English vocabulary.



1. Bloody: Widely used in movies and can substitute a swear word and emphasize something good or bad. You are very used by the British. Here is an example: "You're a bloody mess."



2. Dig: Although it means "dig," it is used when you like something. Example: "Hey, I dig your new shoes!" - Hey, I love your new shoes.



3. Ace: One theory suggests that this word came from Ace Ventura's movie with Jim Carrey. We're not sure about that, but what we do know is that it serves to highlight something fantastic.



4. Aye: An alternative and much more informal way to say "yes": "Can you come tonight? Aye" - Can you come tonight? Yes.



5. Tacky: Refers to something terrible, low quality: "Those shoes are tacky" - Those shoes are ugly.



6. Ledge: An abbreviation of Legend is used to exaggerate the quality of a person, animal, or thing in a specific situation: "You are a ledge" - You are a legend.



7. Numpty: It would be the opposite of the ledge. It refers to a dumb or incompetent person: "What a complete numpty you are" - You are a complete idiot.



8. Bestie: It is another way of saying my best friend, Best Friends, and BFF: "You're my bestie" - You're my best friend.



9. Fierce: Means you're confident, attention-getting, or stylish: "You're fierce" - You're hot.



10. The fuzz: The police have many colloquial terms, some more derogatory than others, although this is one of the most common: "The fuzz took my license."



11. Crisps: One of the most used, it never goes out of fashion. Refers to potato chips: "They ate an entire bag of crisps!" - They ate an entire bag of crisps.



12. Fancy: It is an ancient idiom, but it is used to say when we like someone or want something: "I sure fancy her. Would you fancy a coffee?" - I sure fancy her. Would you prefer a cup of coffee?



13. Loaded: In any other situation, it would mean loaded, but as an idiom, it is used to denote a person with a lot of money: "That lady is loaded, look at her house."



14. Loony: One of the most beloved slangs, perhaps because it is mentioned in many movies or comedy series. It means crazy: "Adam is loony" - Adam is crazy.



15. Telly: It is common to invent idioms for what we are fond of, such as the television: "Turn on the telly! It's time for the show!" - Turn on the telly. It's time to watch the show!



16. Tosh: A rather crude neologism to say that someone is talking tosh when drunk: "She was talking tosh when drunk" - She was talking tosh when drunk.



17. Any road: Another way of saying, "anyway," it's not a way of cutting off the sentence, it's just a slightly "cooler" variant, so to speak: "So, any road, are you from Spain or Italy?" - So, anyway, are you from Spain or Italy?



18. Lass: Another one of the most common, it refers to something nice or sound in a girl, recommended to use it when defining that girl you like: "Sarah is such a good lass" - Sarah is such a good lass.



19. Earwig: Means to eavesdrop on someone else's conversation, although it is also a wake-up call, something like, "Ears, flies!": "Ana, don't earwig on your aunt!" - Ana, don't eavesdrop on your aunt!



20. Lad: The counterpart of Lass, it is used to talk about a boy, usually someone young: "He's a nice lad."



There you have it, a complete list with the best, most functional, and most used slang in English so that you can act like a native speaker without making a fool of yourself.



We recommend that you constantly practice with different groups to study and learn them as you should. If you have no way of mixing with the Anglo-Saxon culture, try social networks.



There you will find many people to share and chat with as much as you want, from anywhere in the world.



This list of the 20 best English slang may not be worthy of Shakespearean praise, but they are undoubtedly beneficial for everyday life; after all, not everything is in books.

MagicLearning Lesson "Top 20 Slangs in English and Their Meaning"

Culture, intercultural communication, cross-cultural communication

Adjectives to describe feelings, emotions

Adjectives to describe personality and character

Adjectives: Gradable / Non-gradable adjectives

Articles: Definite or indefinite article (a, an or the)

BE + infinitive structures (e.g. he was to become famous)

Clauses of contrast (e.g.  although, while)

Clauses of purpose (e.g. in order to, so that, so as to)

Clauses of reason (e.g. because, because of, due to, as, since)

Cleft sentences (e.g. It's Joey we're looking for)

Comparison: Comparative adjectives and structures

Comparison: Superlative adjectives and structures

Conditional 2 (second conditional) - would

Conditionals: Conditional phrases (e.g. unless, provided that, as long as)

Conjunctions (aka connectives, e.g. and, but, or, so, then)

Contractions (shortened forms, e.g. don't, aren't, etc.)

Determiners (words that can come before nouns)

Formal and informal English (politeness or colloquial language)

Future perfect continuous (progressive) tense

Future perfect simple and continuous (progressive) tense

Future phrases (e.g. be about to, bound to, likely to, due to, set to + INF)

Homonyms (two words with the same pronunciation - homophones and homographs)

It as preparatory subject (e.g. it's raining, it's nice of you to)

Linking verbs (aka copulas, e.g. I am a student)

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how to accuse somebody of something in English

how to apologize, say sorry, forgive and express regret in English

how to ask for information and make inquiries in English

how to ask for something, make requests in English

how to blame somebody for something in English

how to defend yourself from criticism in English

how to deny or admit something in English

how to describe things or people in English

how to emphasize important things in English

how to encourage or discourage people in English

how to evaluate people or progress in English

how to express agreement /disagreement in English

how to express approval and disapproval  in English

how to express cause and effect in English

how to express interest in something in English

how to express likelihood, probability in English

how to express likes and dislikes in English

how to express sequence and chronology in English

how to express shock and disbelief in English

how to express sympathy and condolences in English

how to give permission, authorization in English

how to inform somebody about some news in English

how to interpret what was said in English

how to keep a conversation going in English

how to make guesses about something in English

how to make, accept and refuse offers in English

how to order or make a booking in English

how to persuade, convince people in English

how to praise people and express appreciation in English

how to reassure somebody of something in English

how to refuse and object to something in English

how to remind people of something in English

how to rephrase, paraphrase what was said in English

how to say thank you, express gratitude in English

Nouns: Collective nouns (team, class, family, committee)

Nouns: Proper nouns (names of people, cities, companies)

Oxymorons (phrases with words of contradictory meaning, e.g. living dead)

Participles: Past participle (e.g. HAVING DONE)

Participles: Present participle (e.g. DOING)

Parts of Speech (aka word classes, e.g. nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs)

Past perfect continuous (progressive) tense

Phonetics (pronunciation, IPA, phonetic symbols)

Plural nouns: regular plurals with S ending

Prefixes (e.g. A, UN, IM, DIS, MIS, EN, etc. )

Prepositions vs adverbs (e.g. before me, saw him before.)

Prepositions: Double prepositions (e.g. out of)

Prepositions: Participle prepositions (e.g. pending, concerning)

Prepositions: Phrase prepositions (e.g. by means of)

Present perfect continuous (progressive) tense

Present perfect simple or present continuous tense

Present simple tense: S for third person singular verbs

Present simple vs continuous (progressive) tense

Pronouns: EACH OTHER, ONE ANOTHER (reciprocal pronouns)

Pronouns: Possessive pronouns (e.g. my, mine)

Pronouns: Reflexive pronouns (e.g. myself, yourself))

Pronouns: SOMEBODY, ANYBODY, EVERYBODY, NO ONE, NOTHING, etc.

Pronouns: THIS, THAT, THESE, THOSE (demonstratives)

Pronouns: YOU and THEY to talk about people in general

Quantifiers (e.g. some, many, much, any, few, little)

Questions: WH questions (open-ended questions)

Reported speech: reported questions (indirect questions)

There is / there are / there was / there were / there will be, etc.

Verbs: Transitive or intransitive verbs (words that can or cannot stand with objects)

Working with Paragraphs: ordering, titling

Role play, miming, drama activity or improv game

Pictionary (picture dictionary) or picture matching

Writing an opinion essay (persuasive essay)

Learners who are Pre-A1 have just begun learning English and will first learn how to:<ul><li>Say the letters in the alphabet and numbers</li><li>Say hello, talk about names and age</li><li>Name the colors and dates, express likes and dislikes</li></ul>

Absolute beginners who have begun to learn the letters and numbers

Learners taking the A1 Elementary exam should be able to:<ul><li>Introduce themselves and ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, things he/she has, people he/she knows.</li><li>Communicate using very basic phrases as long as the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: common adjectives & adverbs of frequency, going to, how much/how many, imperatives, I'd like, 's – possessive, common prepositions of place and time, present simple & continuous, there is/are</li></ul>

A very basic tourist level, which is enough for buying food and a bus ticket

Learners taking the A2 Pre-intermediate exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand sentences and frequently used expressions (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment).</li><li>Complete tasks that are routine and exchange information about familiar matters.</li><li>Describe matters of immediate need in simple terms.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: countable/uncountable nouns, adverbs of frequency, future will/going to, much/many, present perfect, past simple, past continuous, common phrasal verbs, common modals: can/should</li></ul>

A tourist who can do basic conversations about the past, present and future

Learners taking the B1 Intermediate exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand points regarding family, work, school or leisure-related topics.</li><li>Deal with most travel situations in areas where the language is spoken.</li><li>Create simple texts on topics of personal interest.</li><li>Describe experiences, events, dreams, and ambitions, as well as opinions or plans in brief.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: question tags, intensifiers: too/enough, future tenses, past tenses, modals, conditionals, wh-questions in the past</li></ul>

Learners who can deal with both familiar and routine situations, in friendly and work contexts

Learners taking the B2 Upper-intermediate exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialization.</li><li>Interact with fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without difficulty for either party.</li><li>Produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain an opinion on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: perfect tenses, mixed conditionals, modals in the present, phrasal verbs, reported speech, wish, relative clauses</li></ul>

The level where you can be a tour guide for your foreign friends and talk about a lot of topics, even abstract ones, with ease and fluency

Learners taking the C1 Advanced exam should be able to: Express ideas fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts. Produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, using linking phrases (=words that connect ideas between sentences). Main grammar points to know: inversion, mixed conditionals, modals in the past, all passive forms, phrasal verbs (all patterns), wish/if only for regrets

Learners who can smoothly communicate in every walk of life, read long texts and write well

Learners taking the C2 Proficient exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand almost everything read or heard with ease.</li><li>Summarize information from a variety of sources into a coherent presentation.</li><li>Express themselves using precise meaning in complex scenarios.</li><li>Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in the most complex situations</li></ul>

Get here and you are ready to study in English at university

6 Encyclopedia English ESL worksheets pdf & doc