Welcome to Learn English with the Bible! My name is Sharon, and I am here to help you learn English as you study God’s Word.
I’m a CELTA-certified ESL teacher for adults who need to learn this language for work, travel, and any other reason I speak American English with a standard accent, so I will teach you the grammar and vocabulary that we use in the United States.
Why Do I Use the Bible for Lessons?
Sometimes, when I make lessons for my students, it is difficult to find good stories or articles to study. Many times I write my own! One day, I thought, “Why not use Bible stories for my lessons? Then my students can learn the Bible and study English at the same time!” So I created Learn English with the Bible.
I have chosen to use the Contemporary English Version (CEV) Bible, and you can read more in this post.
Are You a Student?
If you are learning English, welcome! We have many resources for you, including:
- Blog posts on grammar, pronunciation, and more
- Articles on grammar
- Self-study lessons on different Bible stories, with example sentences and vocabulary from Bible stories and texts
- Easy English listening, for quick listening practice
- Pronunciation guides with videos, so you can improve your English pronunciation
- Individual exercises in listening, reading, speaking, writing, vocabulary, and grammar
Our website has grown exponentially during 2022, our first year, and we hope to add much more content for you in 2023.
Are You a Teacher?
If you are a teacher, you are my reason for starting Learn English with the Bible. I believe you are here because you have a heart for God and others. The world has become a very small place, and English is the lingua franca. Whether you are reaching out to English learners in your community, through your church, or if you are living abroad and want to make ESL a part of your mission, I want to provide you with lesson plans and other information that will make your job easier.
Please click this link and download the free sample lesson plans ebook. My goal is to take you step-by-step through each lesson and provide you with structure and activities to keep your students engaged. You can also use anything you find at Learn English with the Bible as you teach. And feel free to send me a message! Let me know what I can provide to help you, or tell me how you use the lessons and ebooks to teach. And of course, let me know your thoughts and suggestions.
Welcome to Learn English with the Bible!
Learn English with the Bible is independently funded and its growth is made possible by contributions and sales of ebooks (coming soon). You can be sure that any donations you make go directly toward creating new materials and keeping the website active and growing. Thank you for your support!with
Hi Cesar! I love your idea of teaching students online in Mexico, and I’m blessed that you want to use Bible-based lessons. For sure, you could use these lessons for two 1-hour classes, four days a week. Are your students adults?
You can definitely live stream your classes and take questions in the chat box, like a webinar. However, I think some kind of an interactive platform like Zoom would be better. I think speaking is the most important skill you can learn, and many adults try their best to avoid it because they are afraid to “do it wrong.” A platform like Zoom allows you to not only take questions in the chat, but to ask and answer questions in real time with your students. They can “raise their hand” and ask their question out loud. It can be hard to get them to talk, especially if they do not know each other. Online platforms help users stay more anonymous, while Zoom classes are by nature more interactive.
Zoom also has “breakout rooms” where you can assign small groups of students to interact together. This way they will get more speaking practice. You can pop in and out of each room to monitor what they are talking about. Since your students share a common first language, you will want to listen carefully and make sure they are only speaking English when they are in class. Unless they ask you a direct question while you are in their small group, I think you should just make notes about what you hear, then address them when you get back together in your large group. This way nobody feels dumb, and they know it is a mistake others made, too.
I can make suggestions, but you know your students and understand what they need and want. I would take as much time with each lesson as your students need. Some lessons might be finished quickly, if your students already know a little bit about the material. Other lessons can be expanded if the material is new. I don’t think you should strictly do 1 lesson each week. Be flexible and work at your students’ pace. Add activities you like that will get them to talk with each other. I have found that adults also do not like to write. One good activity that might inspire speaking and writing is to write a sentence that is incorrect on a marker board, then ask them to tell you what is wrong with it. They can also type the correct version into the chat box.
Those are just a few suggestions! I love that you want to be interactive with your students; they will love your class and want to return. They are also blessed that you speak their first language. If they are beginners, you can explain grammar topics in Spanish, using “comparative linguistics.”
I hope this helps…please let me know how your classes are going! Make the lessons your own – add things your own students need and don’t be afraid to skip things that are not as useful for them. Don’t be discouraged if some students stop coming, especially if you are offering the class for free. Keep plugging away and I know God will bless you for reaching out with His Word. It will not return empty. (Isaiah 55:11) You are in my prayers, Cesar!
(I have to tell you that for three years, I had a very faithful and enthusiastic student in my ESL class…his name was Cesar. 🙂 )
Cesar Rubio
(209)496-0026
I wanted to share the Bible to a small community in the state of Sonora Mexico. If I could teach two , 1 hrs classes a day Monday through Thursday. Would I be able to do so following your curriculum? I want to live stream to know more than 20 students at a time to be able to interact as much as possible with my students.