• Read something in English for at least 15 minutes every day.

• Read advertisements and flyers in the newspaper.

• Read a short article in a newspaper and write a short summary of the story.

• Find news stories on the internet.

• Try to learn at least one new word a day.

• Keep a vocabulary notebook of words you don’t know. Look at the book every day to review the words. An address book works well because it has the letters of the alphabet.

• Practice using the new words in sentences.

• Review the words every day.

• Write common sentences or questions on flashcards. Practice them whenever you have a chance, e.g.

• Use a picture dictionary to help you label things you use every day.

• Put the labels on things, e.g. fridge, mirror, pen.

• Read signs on the street and the bus, streetcar or subway.

• Borrow books and magazines from the library.

• Borrow a bilingual book from the library. Read the story in both languages.

• Read a map and learn the names of the streets in your neighbourhood.

• After you read something, ask the questions, “Who, What, Where, When, Why”, for each story you read. Who is it about? What happened? Why did it happen? When did it happen? Where did it happen?

• Review your class notes at home after every class.

• Read books about Canada.

Source: Practice English on Your Own, Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia

• Write something every day, e.g., write three things that happened that day, write a note to your family members in English.

• Write a message in a card in English and give it to someone. You could write in a birthday card or a “thinking of you” card.

• Write sentences about an interesting family activity, your family, life experiences.

• Send emails to your friends, family members, classmates, or your teacher in English.

• Write a shopping list or grocery list in English.

• Practice filling out forms, like bank forms or government forms with your name, address and other personal information.

• Keep a daily or weekly journal. Write about whatever you want in it. If possible, ask an English speaker to read it and give you feedback on your writing.

• Make a list of words or sentences to practice your spelling. Record the words and give yourself a spelling or dictation test.

• Practice copying things like instructions, newspaper stories, or recipes.

• Make a recipe book of your favourite recipes with your friends or classmates.

• Write reviews of products on company websites.

• Write emails to the customer service departments or businesses. You can write about what you like or don’t like about products.

Source: Practice English on Your Own, Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia