Student Resources
Attending high school in the U.S. as an international student can present a number of difficulties. Prominent among these is learning English. Self-motivation, interesting and useful materials, and consistent effort are key to language learning. In addition to language learning, students may also have difficulty coordinating and preparing for the standardized testing required for both domestic and international students specifically. Below are some resources that students might find useful while studying in the U.S.
English Learning Resources
ESL Listening and Reading
Becoming proficient at a second language requires studying the language independently, outside of class, and using a variety of interesting materials can help students stay focused. Of course, everyone’s interests are different, but it is important use multiple sources of materials when learning a second language. Below are some links to websites that offer a wide variety of content that can be used for English listening practice.
Some Authentic English Listening Materials
Ted Talks offers short speeches on a wide variety of topics given by people who have reason to know what they are talking about, and are considered experts on their topics.
Marketplace is a popular radio program on National Public Radio that covers business and economic news. In addition to the main radio show there are a variety of podcasts available for free on the program’s website.
Watch-Listen-Read.com has a lot of videos with subtitles and transcripts in multiple languages. Be sure to choose videos in English. Some of the videos may contain topics that are not of interest to you, so choose something you find interesting. Watch and listen to the video of your choice once, then read the transcript and look up words you don’t know. Memorize the words and review by watching and listening to the video until you are comfortable with the language.
English Reading & Listening Materials for students learning English
Eslyes.com and Rong-Chang.com have a huge number of English listening and reading materials for students who find authentic English materials too difficult to use.
Some Useful APPs & Websites
Duolingo is a great free app for students interested in learning a language.
Quizlet is a useful tool to help students memorize information with flashcards and memory games.
Khan Academy offers a wide range of excellent math and science classes for free. Great for students who are not strong in these subjects or students who would like to get ahead.
Dictionaries and Translation
It takes time to look up unfamiliar words and phrases but studying one word and one phrase at time is key to learning any language.
NOTE: Sometimes the Dictionary is wrong! Online translators and dictionaries are not always reliable; some are really quite bad. Use the best sources you can, check the meanings of words in context, try to understand the results you get, and use your own judgement. If you are still unsure, ask a native speaker you trust.
English-Chinese & Chinese-English online Dictionaries
金山词霸 icba.com provides definitions from several dictionaries at once, with both English-Chinese and English-English definitions and bilingual example sentences.
海词词典 dict.com is a quick, easy way to get a translation of almost anything, but it is not always accurate, so if you suspect the translation may be wrong double check it somewhere else.
有道词典 youdao.com, like dict.com is a quick, easy way to get a translation for almost anything, but it is not always accurate so if you suspect the translation may be incorrect double check it somewhere else.
Other useful resources
有道划词 Youdao Popup Dictionary is an extremely useful Chrome browser plugin for students reading English articles online. Just hover the mouse over an English word and it shows several possible Chinese translations.
句酷 jukuu.com is a database of sample sentences. When you want to see how a word is used in English this website offers a quick, easy and free way to get lots of good sample sentences quickly.
Dictionary.com is one of the most popular online English-English dictionaries. It’s definitions are good and reliable, but it will usually provide more than one definition, so look carefully and find the one that makes sense in context.
Where To Find eBooks
When reading a book for class it can help to have an electronic version so you can look up words quickly and easily with tools like 有道划词 Youdao Popup Dictionary. It can also be helpful to have a Chinese translation handy to check your understanding of the English text.
努努书坊 has a huge number of free ebooks in Chinese, including a large selection of the kind of classic English books that you might need to read in your American high school English class.
Project Gutenberg has tens of thousands of English books that are out of copyright protection in the U.S., and they are available for free. If you are reading a book that was written more than 97 years ago, you can probably find a free electronic copy at Project Gutenberg.
At many private schools in the U.S. religion classes are required for all students. When studying the bible there are a lot of resources online and many bilingual English-Chinese bible apps to choose from. Biblegateway.com allows you to read and search all major translations of the bible (including Chinese translations), making it a potentially useful tool for students taking religion classes.
Testing Resources
TOEFL Resources
The TOEFL is an important test that international students take to identify their level of academic English. It is used to determine their readiness for college level courses. Universities also use TOEFL scores for acceptance, placement of incoming students and to determine if students need additional English courses before they begin regular classes.
Chinese APPs 中文APP
- 小站托福
- 不背单词
- 托福听力
- 托福单词
English Apps 英文APP
- TOEFL Prep & Practice from Magoosh
- Practice for TOEFL® Test Pro 2020
SAT & ACT Resources
SAT and ACT are standardized tests that help to identify where a student stands in terms of comprehension and academic readiness within core curriculum areas.
Colleges and universities across the U.S. use scores from either test to determine whether or not a student is ready for acceptance into their programs.
Apps for SAT & SAT Prep
- Khan Academy
- Magoosh ACT & SAT Flashcards
- The Grading Game (Writing)
- Math Brain Booster (Math)
Apps for Building vocabulary
- MindSnacks
- IntelliVocab
Other SAT & ACT Links
Additional Resources
Additional Resources
