Dictation activities help students practice their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills with words and content they have previously learned. Choose a written passage with vocabulary that the student has already studied. This could be words, sentences that you have written, or sentences from a text. The lower the student level, the fewer words you’ll want to use in your practice. Providing that the dictation content used is previously taught material that is meaningful and related to the instruction content, dictation is an excellent way to help students build confidence in their listening and writing skills and check their ability to transfer what they understand orally to writing. (TEACHING ADULTS: An ESL Resource Book, pgs 52-53).

What Is a Dictation Exercise?

A dictation exercise or giving and taking dictation is when the tutor first says words, phrases, or sentences. The student listens and then transcribes to paper what was heard word for word, later checking their text against the original and correcting errors made.    

Why do it?

• Development of all four language skills: Dictation can aid in the development of speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills.

• Attentive listening and sound discrimination: It ensures that the student listens attentively and trains them to distinguish different sounds.‍

• Reinforcement of spelling and sound correlations: It helps reinforce the correlation between spelling and sound.‍

• Improvement in listening skills: Over time, listening abilities can be improved.‍



• Error identification and language awareness: When students compare their dictation with the original text, they notice often-overlooked aspects of the language and identify common mistakes. Use the opportunity to discuss the language and ask questions about it. This practice can improve over time their ability to detect and correct errors in their own written work.‍

• Focus on accuracy and meaning: Dictation exercises help the student focus on both the form (accuracy of language) and the meaning of the text. This balance is essential in language learning, as it ensures that the student is correct in their use of language and comprehends what they are writing or speaking.

Sentence Dictation Sites:

ESL America

Daily Dictation

English Club Online Dictation

Here are a couple of easy-to-adapt dictation activities.

News for You Online: The subscription passcode for the News For You Online is: 959979.

News in Levels: News in three different levels of English.

Breaking News English: News in levels with mini lesson plans.

Easy English Newspaper-Paid subscription, may be available at your local library.

Attending learning workshops is essential for volunteer tutors in adult education as it provides valuable opportunities to enhance teaching skills, stay updated on effective instructional methods, and foster a supportive community for sharing experiences and best practices.



Report these and any additional workshop hours in the quarterly Tutor Hour Solicitation Report at the end of March.

ProLiteracy Webinars

Where do I start? Planning the First Month of Lessons with a Low-Level ELL Student

Developing Sentence Structure: Techniques for Beginning to Advanced English Level Learners

Minnesota Literacy Library of Resources

Literacy DuPage Tutor Resources

The Woodridge Public Library has eight study rooms in the Adult & Teen Services Department. These rooms are intended for use by individuals and small groups, including ESL students being tutored. All but one of the rooms will fit at least two people. Study rooms are available for up to three hours with time extended if no one else is waiting.

You do not need to be a Woodridge resident to use these rooms. Rooms may be booked up to a week in advance at the Computer Help Desk or by calling 630-487-2581. An ID is taken when an individual or group signs in at the Computer Help Desk.

The Library maintains a collection of ESL materials for both tutors and students. Knowledgeable staff are available to assist locating titles in a variety of formats, including print books, DVDs, CDs, ebooks, and downloadable audiobooks.

The Woodridge Public Library recognizes the important role that Literacy DuPage plays in assisting English language learners in our community and we are honored to be able to help support this service.

Laurie Hoffman

Program Manager

lhoffman@literacydupage.org