How to Get Started

Ellii is a subscription-based library full of ready-made lessons, resources, and flashcards. The library currently has 2,000+ lessons and resources, and we add new materials each month. Most material is available in print or digital formats.

If you teach a certain level, you can filter by that level to find materials that you need. If you need a lesson on a particular target or topic, you can find all relevant materials using the search tool. 

Some of our sections also have a Recommended Teaching Order. You can also use our placement test or placement quiz to help determine what level of lessons is appropriate for your students. Grammar Tests 1–4 may also be useful. One of the best ways to search for content is by using our curated collections, which filter content by theme, subject, and other useful categories.

Many new subscribers find that Ellii has so much content that they don't know where to begin. Our ready-made Ellii Folders are a great place to start. They include materials in a suggested teaching order for specific levels, ages, themes, or targets. The ready-made folders include lessons, resources, and flashcard sets from a variety of sections in the library. Teachers can copy the Ellii Folders to their own My Folders area, which allows them to edit the curriculum and make it their own. Teachers can also take inspiration from Ellii Folders to create their own program from scratch. Watch for new folders throughout the year!

Here are some recommended sections to look at based on the type of class or learner(s) you teach. Where applicable, the suggested sections are listed from lower to higher levels. To find the levels available in each section, click on the link. Visit Ellii's Scope & Sequence: FAQ for more information on suggested curriculum and teaching order. 

I Teach Absolute Beginners

I Teach Adult Newcomers (CLB)

Tip: You can view materials by CASAS Competency or CLB Competency in our Collections area. If you are a Canadian teacher, make sure your level preference is set to CLB & Ellii.

I Teach Grammar

Tip: All of our grammar sections offer a suggested teaching order. We also have a resource organized by suggested teaching order: 50 Grammar Targets. 

Note that many of our reading and discussion lessons also have mini-grammar lessons integrated into them. You can also search by grammar target to find all of our available lessons on a target.


Filter to Grammar category in Courses & Study Packs.

I Teach Reading & Writing

For reading and writing strategies:



For reading and writing practice:

For assessment tools: 


Tip: Search ELD 2

I Teach Speaking & Listening

Note: Most of our reading lessons have audio files that can be downloaded or streamed in class to go with the reading. All of our dialogue lessons have audio files that can be played with the dialogues. Many of our lessons also have listening tasks, such as gap-fills, comprehension questions, listen and repeat tasks, and more. Many of our digital lessons also have listening tasks that you can assign for homework or class work. Learn about Listen & Type here. A digital Speaking task is available in most 4-skill lessons.

Tip: Search ELD 1

I Teach Conversation English

I Teach Pronunciation

Filter to Pronunciation Category in Courses & Study Packs.

I Teach Young Learners & Middle Schoolers

Though we consult US and Canadian curriculums to create our materials, we do not currently filter our Young Learners lessons by grade level or band. Teachers all over the world use Ellii. Please preview the lesson for level appropriateness. 

*Please preview any content that is not in our Young Learners category to confirm that it is appropriate for your learners.

I Teach Business English

Filter to Workplace category in Courses & Study Packs.

I Teach Advanced Adults


Set the Level filter to High Intermediate or Advanced (or equivalent) in the following Ellii lesson sections. For examples of lessons at this level, click on the links.


Tip: Leave the main Search field blank and filter by High Int OR Advanced to see all of the 600+ lessons and resources available for adult learners at this proficiency level.

I Teach Multi-Level Classes 

These sections offer some of the same topical lessons at different levels. We are gradually adding more beginner and low-intermediate lessons to these sections.

Tip: For grammar targets, we offer lessons at different levels of ability or age. For example, you will find very basic lessons on a particular target in our Super Simple Grammar section as well as more comprehensive lessons on the same target in our Grammar Practice Worksheets (for teens to adults) and Fun Grammar Lessons (for young learners) categories.

I Teach Survival English


Filter to Life Skills category in Courses & Study Packs.

I Teach Literacy

I Teach By Theme

Visit our Lesson Collections. To search by suggested teaching date, view our Lesson Plan Calendar.

For LINC Themes:

For US Themes:

CASAS Competencies

EL Civics

I Teach One-To-One

Teachers all over the world use our lessons for online and face-to-face tutoring. Some of the group activities in our lessons will not be suitable for one-on-one teaching or may need to be adapted or skipped. You can also assign digital tasks to your online students. Here are some sections that teachers often use when tutoring:

Tip: Check out our blog post for One-to-One Vocabulary Review Activities and other ideas for teaching with ESL Library.

I Teach Idioms & Everyday Expressions

Note: Our serials follow a specific order and can be taught as a course over a number of weeks.

Here are some other places to find materials for teaching idioms and everyday expressions:

I Teach Science

See our Science Matters Collection and The Environment Collection.

Tip: Search ELD 4

Filter to Academic category in Courses & Study Packs.

I Teach Social Studies

See our Social Studies Collection.

Tip: Search ELD 5

I Teach Math

See our Numeracy Collection and Math Collection.

Tip: Search ELD 3

I Teach Test Prep (IELTS, TOEIC, TOEFL, CELPIPS, etc.)

We do not currently have materials for specific tests. We recommend the following sections:

I Teach Extra Practice and Short Activities

If you are a substitute teacher, a tutor, or a teacher looking for supplementary materials or quick activities, here are some places to look:

Please don't hesitate to reach out if you need further assistance.

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