For students

Resources & tools

Vocabulary & pronunciation

• Here's a cool web site that gives you pronunciation by several different speakers: https://forvo.com/

• VOCABULARY practice. Try just 5-10 minutes a day, it’s fun! https://freerice.com/ 

• Youglish.com - type in a word or phrase, and see lots of examples of that phrase being said on TV, in lectures, in interviews, etc)

LIBRARY CARDS. If you don’t yet have library card, you can get one online from the county where you live. Every resident can get one (you don’t need papers) 

• Washington County: https://www.wccls.org/online-card. 

• Multnomah County: https://multcolib.org/get-a-library-card

MOVIES - free with a Washington County Library card! Click here: https://wccls.kanopy.com/

AUDIOBOOKS

It can be hard to choose, so just pick something and start listening. See if you can understand the reader - it’s free! I often listen to bits of 4-5 books before I choose one. 

• More free, always free: https://goldenaudiobooks.com/category/teen-young-adult/

• With a Washington County library card: https://www.wccls.org/ (if you live in a different county, all the libraries systems have audio books)

BOOKS

I recommend searching for Young Adult books, or Young Adult adaptations of books. “YA” (Young Adult) is a common term in the book world. At the libraries, you may need to look for “Juvenile Literature”.

Below are some links to help you get ideas. Powell’s is a Portland-area store - ordering from them helps local jobs (and they’re often the same price or less). You can go to the Amazon site to read excerpts (short sections) of the book to check the language level and see if it’s interesting.

• Powell’s Young Adult section: https://www.powells.com/category/young-adult

• Amazon’s Young Adult section: Teen & Young adult books / adaptations. 

• Another source for young adult e-books: http://novelfreereadonline.com/280419-young-adult

A few specific book ideas (the links are to the Young Adult versions):

• Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

• I am Malala. 

• Rad Women Worldwide: Artists and Athletes, Pirates and Punks, and Other Revolutionaries Who Shaped History. 

• Woodsong. 

• Omnivore’s Dilemma Young Readers Edition The Secrets Behind What You Eat