Resources

If you’re looking to practice more, you can use these resources to practice listening
to the kinds of materials that are similar to TOEFL iBT® Listening passages. The
links will take you outside of the course and the edX platform.

Podcasts about technology, space exploration and other topics:

·         http://www.npr.org/podcasts/510298/ted-radio-hour(opens new window)

·         http://www.npr.org/podcasts/470937634/are-we-there-yet(opens new window)

Recorded programs and podcasts about news and culture:

·         http://learningenglish.voanews.com/programindex.html(opens new window)

·         https://www.englishclub.com/efl/category/podcasts/(opens new window)

·         http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/news-report

(opens new window)

Educational videos on a variety of academic topics:

·         http://www.smithsonianmag.com/videos/
Here is a list of additional speaking resources. These resources offer information
about spoken English and ways for you to practice speaking in English. The links
will take you outside of the course and the edX platform.

Find a conversation partner for free, and chat using your preferred software (such
as Skype , WeChat  or Google  Hangouts):
® ® ®

·         http://www.conversationexchange.com/(opens new window)

Practice your English and receive feedback from a community of speakers:

·         https://www.reddit.com/r/JudgeMyAccent/(opens new window) 

Here you can post sound files of yourself speaking in English. Other users can
listen to the sound files and provide feedback on your pronunciation and
intonation. You can also comment on their speech.

Read about the features of spoken English:

·         http://www.uefap.com/speaking/feature/complex.htm(opens new window)

·         http://britishenglishcoach.com/5-things-you-should-know-about-spoken-
english/(opens new window)

Work on your pronunciation:

·         http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/pronunciation(opens
new window) 

·         http://www.dictionary.com/(opens new window) or translate.google.com(opens

new window)

Access an online dictionary or translator that gives you the option to hear a speaker
pronounce the words you look up. After you look up a word or phrase and listen to
the pronunciation, you can then try to pronounce it just like the speaker.  
Focus on the intonation patterns of native English speakers, as well as on
their pronunciation of words, by listening to conversations at normal or slow
speed:

·         http://esl.culips.com/(opens new window)

Work on building your speaking confidence:

·         https://www.reddit.com/r/PublicSpeaking/(opens new window) 

Here you can read tips for public speaking that are posted by users, including how
to build confidence for speaking in front of a group. You can also post questions
and receive answers, or comment on the questions of others.
Writing Resources

Here is a list of additional writing resources. These resources offer

information about written English and ways for you to practice writing in
English. 

Explore these online handbooks and other resources on academic writing

from universities in the USA, Canada, the UK and Australia. The links will
take you outside of the course and the edX platform.

         https://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/process.html(opens new window)

         http://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/pages/resources(opens new window)

         http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice(opens new window)

         http://writing2.richmond.edu/writing/wweb.html(opens new window)

         https://www.amherst.edu/academiclife/support/writingcenter/
resourcesforwriters(opens new window)

         http://www.ucalgary.ca/ssc/resources/writing-support/445(opens new
window)(opens new window)

         https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/679/01/(opens new window)

         https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/678/01/(opens new window)

(opens new window)

Read short essays, then look for the questions at the end of each essay.
Write responses to the questions. Try to incorporate some of the key words
that were used in the essays in your responses:

         http://blogs.voanews.com/confessions/(opens new window)

Read short lessons, then apply what you learned by writing responses to a
wide variety of tasks:
         https://www.englishclub.com/efl/category/writing-prompts/