Have you found yourself in a situation where you are homeschooling due to coronavirus? Are you looking for English student resources to help keep you or your child engaged during this time? If the answer is yes, read on…
As a freelancing English Tutor, I can really sympathise with the sudden situation, leaving pupils without school, and so I wanted to share a few English resources I often use when preparing sessions for my students. Many of these resources are free, although some may require a fee (usually minor). Some of these sites also include other subject resources too. So feel free to have a browse at each site linked in the subheadings.
BBC Bitesize
I’ve been using BBC Bitesize from when I was in secondary school. For English, it features quizzes, videos and detailed written information about different texts studied in schools and explores themes, characters, and other analysis aspects. Bitesize also offers other subject resources.
TES
I often visit TES for activity sheets for my students. They have a range for you to choose from, on a variety of school levels.
Quizlet
Quizlet is an interactive way of revising and learning. You can create your own flashcards with questions and answers, or choose from a range of flashcard packets already made on the app. It’s free and simple to download on Android and Apple devices
SparkNotes
SparkNotes is a good resource for English literature. It breaks down the literature text. For example, there’s a feature whereby you see the contemporary text alongside the original text. So, for example, Shakespeare’s Macbeth translated into contemporary modern-day English. This can be very helpful for students to digest meaning from the text.
E-notes
E-notes is similar to SparkNotes in that it also specialises in English literature. They also have study guides for different literature texts.
Udemy
Udemy has several video courses across a range of subjects and various levels- for both adults and kids.
Exam Board Resources
Although GCSE exams have been cancelled by the government, there are still some resources on exam board sites, like past papers that have questions and mark schemes, which may still be worth visiting to practice English skills and prepare students for college. AQA, Edexcel, IGCSE Cambridge all offer this on their sites. Simply browse through the categories for English Language or Literature past papers.
Crash Course
After reading John Green’s deeply moving book, The Fault In Our Stars (a fictional story of two characters with critical illnesses who meet and fall in love) when it first came out, I later found out that he had an educational youtube channel with his brother. Together, the Green brothers produce digestible video content across various subjects, which includes English. As the name suggests, Crash Course is a quick and fun way of learning through graphic illustrations used throughout the videos. Although they are American, you can still find some pretty relevant information on their channel, relevant to the British education system.
Teachit English
Teachit English is tailored specialises in English teaching resources from levels KS3-5. It offers a variety of downloadable activity sheets.
Twinkl
Twinkl is geared mainly for primary learning resources but also offer some subjects at a secondary level across various topics.
Remi Report English Student Resources
I currently offer two activity sheets which are digital downloads here. Even though GCSE’s have been canceled, if your child is studying English in college, it may still be a good idea to practice your English during this time. One of the documents available for download is a GCSE 7-page document with English Language tasks and advanced vocabulary lists. The other resource I currently offer is a Year 4 English Language activity sheet.
English Tuition
As homeschooling is a task that many parents will be taking on during this time, I’d advise being patient, encouraging, and find fun ways to help your child learn. The resources mentioned have a variety of techniques and approaches to learning. There are four different groups of learners: visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic. Aim to craft your sessions with your student to the type of learner they are. If you’re looking for a 1:1 Tutor during this time, feel free to get in touch with me. I’ll be taking online lessons during this period.
I hope this English student resources list proves useful to you. Happy learning/ teaching and stay safe!
