Top ESL Curricula Round-Up: Side By Side, Burlington English, and Ellii

As an ESL teacher, these three materials alone have constituted the bulk of my instructions, with each completing aspects of English that the others have. At Maxine Waters Employment Preparation Center, the official curricula is Side By Side. Therefore, I will start by speaking on Side By Side, and only mentioning our other District Approved Curricula in regards to what they have that Side By Side lacks.

1. Side By Side

Side by Side includes both the textbook and workbook that students will use every day. Although the lessons might be out-of-order with the LAREAC course outline, they are all still there once you get familiar with it. Teachers and students have access of both a physical and a digital copy of the book. This is important, as research shows that there are cognitive benefits to still doing work on pencil and paper, and an even greater effectiveness in instruction when using a mix of media.

Additionally, I find Side By Side TV to be a fun and engaging way for students to practice what they learn in each chapter. Each chapter has a video. You can find the links in your eCopy, although I prefer to watch the YouTube uploads because then I can share the links with students so they can review. 

Here is a playlist with all of the videos: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBckn1zfkG_rQAaSqJn5amb7y-s-imCMc&feature=shared

2. Burlington English

This is another fully featured ESL Curricula that features digital features that set it apart from Side-By-Side, including Vocabulary Practice, a Pronunciation Coach, EL Civics (English in America), Workplace English, Digital Literacy, and Preparing for CASAS.

Burlington English makes it easy for teachers to teach using the in-class lessons, and students can practice the student lessons on their own using a computer or the Burlington English app. The curricula is also self-grading, which makes it easy for teachers to check students’ progress.

3. Ellii (ESL Library)

Since Burlington English and Side-By-Side are already full curricula, I would recommend Ellii more for anything it offers that the others don’t, such as fun speaking lessons, idioms, current events and biographies, and holiday lessons. You can make a classroom in Ellii to keep track of all the worksheets you have, or you can use it as a learning platform and have students log on and do work. I have already made an article and video explaining Ellii if you are interested. 

Conclusion

It’s easy to get overwhelmed and use too many tools that will confuse students. Hopefully this round-up helped you get an overview of what each one has and what the best uses for it are. If there is something in particular that your students are struggling with, please reach out to me and ask. Chances are, I’ve come up with a similar problem before, and I can share tools that have worked.