Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon Portland Community College

Links for self-study

American immigration

  • Ellis Island Foundation, Inc.: Check out the link called “The Immigrant Experience.” It has personal histories, timelines and general information about immigration between the late 1880s until the time Ellis Island closed. By the way, Ellis Island is where the Statue of Liberty is.

Biographies

  • Biography.com: The place for biographies about any and every famous person. Do you want to do a biography speech about Malcolm X? You can find the information here! Just click on “Biography Search” on the left-hand side of the page.

Books

Dictionary

  • Dictionary.com: A simple-to-use dictionary and thesaurus.
  • Merriam-Webster online dictionary and thesaurus: You can use the collegiate dictionary and thesaurus free. What’s great about this site is that if you have a sound card and speakers, you can hear how words are pronounced. However, the unabridged section of the website costs money.

Grammar

Idioms and slang
Phrasal verbs
  • Phrasal verbs: Exercises and a phrasal verb dictionary.
  • Phrasal verb dispenser: A wacky little thing that looks like a soda pop machine. Choose a topic, then click on arrows to match the verb, particle (preposition), and meaning. Click on “check” to see if you are correct. If you are correct, a can of soda will appear. Bizarre, but fun!

Holidays and special events

Listening journals

  • NPR: Many instructors have Level 7 and 8 students listen to NPR on the radio. Here’s the website.

Magazines

Movies

Newspapers

  • Newspapers.com: Business publications, college newspapers, newspapers from around the U.S. and the world!
  • Today’s Front Pages: Read the front page of newspapers from around the world!

Pronunciation

Reading skills

Study and test-taking tips

  • How to study: A site that offers free study skills, study strategies, and study tips
  • Study guides and strategies: A site that offers information on studying. The information is available in many other languages, too. Cool!!

Time

  • World Time Server: Going on a vacation to another country, or just want to know what time is it “back home”? World Time Server provides the most accurate current local times of any world clock on the Internet. No matter what time zone a country or city is located in, this site is your best resource for determining any time, anywhere. Fun!

Vocabulary

Word games

  • Internet Anagram Server: Did you know that you can make your name or anyone else’s name (or any word, for that matter) into an interesting phrase? Have fun!

Writing

Writing about literature

Attention Level 7 and 8 Reading Students!! Is your instructor making you write a paper on that novel you just finished? Still not sure how to write this kind of paper? Check out these links: