This is general guidance, not legal advice. Rules differ by country and by institution licence; check your school's policy and any licence it holds (for example, a copying licence for published books).
Common legal frameworks
| Country / region | Exception for teaching | Typical limits |
|---|---|---|
| UK | Fair dealing for illustration for instruction (CDPA s.32) and educational licences (CLA) | Must be fair (small amounts, non-commercial), acknowledged; CLA licence sets copying limits |
| US | Fair use (17 USC 107): purpose, nature, amount, market effect | Short extracts for non-profit teaching more likely fair; whole works rarely |
| EU | Digital and cross-border teaching exception (Directive 2019/790 Art. 5) | Illustration for teaching, under the school's responsibility, with source cited |
| Canada | Fair dealing for education | Short excerpts per institutional guidelines |
| Australia | Statutory education licence | Copying limits (for example, 10% or one chapter) |
Safer sources
| Source | Notes |
|---|---|
| Creative Commons (CC BY, CC BY-SA) | Free to use with attribution; SA requires the same licence for adaptations; NC means non-commercial only; ND means no adaptations |
| Public domain | Old literature (e.g. Project Gutenberg), US federal government works |
| Openly licensed news and images | Some public broadcasters and agencies publish learner resources; Wikimedia Commons; Unsplash/Pexels (own licences) |
| Your own material | Photos you took, texts you wrote, recordings you made with consent |
| Learner-produced texts | With consent; anonymise |
| Linking | Linking to a page is usually fine; copying its content is the risk |
Attribution format
"Title" by Author, Source, Date, licence (link). Adapted by [teacher] for classroom use.
Practical rules
- Use short extracts; cut to what the task needs.
- Do not redistribute coursebook pages, paid articles or song lyrics publicly (LMS shared beyond your class, public websites).
- Videos: play from the original platform rather than downloading where possible.
- Social media: remove names, usernames and faces of private individuals; use public accounts or invented posts.
- Keep a record of sources and licences in the lesson file.
academic-english-eap-course-planner
Plan English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses: pre-sessional, in-sessional, foundation, IELTS preparation and discipline-specific EAP, with syllabus strands (academic reading, lecture listening and note-taking, essay and report writing, paraphrase, summary and synthesis, referencing and plagiarism, seminars and presentations, academic vocabulary, critical thinking), a 10-week pre-sessional outline, exit assessment, IELTS-CEFR alignment and academic style (formality, hedging, cohesion, reporting verbs). Estimates study hours and weeks to close an IELTS gap from overall or per-skill scores (IELTS rounding, minimum per skill, priority skills, feasibility before a deadline), and checks learner texts for contractions, informal words with academic alternatives, unhedged claims, 'you', And/But/So starts, rhetorical questions and missing citations.
actfl-proficiency-curriculum-mapper
Map world language curricula to the ACTFL framework: proficiency levels (Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, Superior, Distinguished with sublevels), functions, contexts, text types and accuracy, proficiency vs performance, the three modes of communication (interpretive, interpersonal, presentational), the 5 Cs World-Readiness Standards, backward-designed thematic units with Integrated Performance Assessments, typical programme targets and FSI time estimates. Looks up approximate ACTFL-CEFR-ILR equivalences with what each level can do, and checks a unit map for missing modes, rehearsed skits mislabelled as interpersonal, translation or word lists as interpretive tasks, and units without an integrated performance assessment.
adult-literacy-esl-lesson-builder
Build lessons for adult ESL learners who are developing literacy (LESLLA learners: pre-literate, non-literate, semi-literate, literate in a non-Roman script): learner profiles and sensitive initial assessment, principles (oral language first, known to new, systematic phonics with adult-relevant text, repetition, classroom skills, respect for experience), a lesson routine (oral warm-up, review, new grapheme, blending, segmenting, decodable text, writing, functional literacy, Language Experience Approach), a phonics sequence for adults, sight words, functional literacy targets (forms, signs, medicine labels) and portfolio assessment. Checks whether a reading text is decodable with the letter-sound patterns and sight words taught so far, catching untaught digraphs, listing non-decodable words with the untaught part, and suggesting the most useful next patterns.
can-do-statement-writer
Write and review can-do statements for language courses, units, lessons and learner self-assessment, CEFR or NCSSFL-ACTFL style: action (observable verb) + text or situation + level-specific conditions, learner ('I can') and descriptor ('Can') versions, progressions of one activity from A1 to C1, and coverage of reception, production, interaction and mediation. Includes a verb bank by mode and level and condition and text-type banks. Lints statements for teacher-centred phrasing, knowledge instead of use (learn, know, understand the passive), missing context, two skills in one statement, vague quality words, grammar items as outcomes, overlong statements and missing modes in a set.
cefr-aligned-syllabus-builder
Build language course syllabuses aligned to the CEFR (A1-C2, plus levels, Companion Volume 2020): entry and exit levels, guided learning hours and course length (with an L1-distance adjustment), syllabus type (topic, functional-notional, task-based, skills-based, multi-strand), unit-by-unit can-do outcomes, grammar from a core inventory by level, vocabulary, functions, pronunciation, balance of reception, production, interaction and mediation, recycling and assessment points. Checks a syllabus for units without can-do statements, core grammar for the level not covered, items above the course level, skills missing from most units and units with no vocabulary or functions.
classroom-management-for-esl-coach
Coach ESL/EFL teachers in classroom management: the instruction sequence (attention, group first, graded imperatives, demonstration, ICQs, hand out, start, check), ICQ examples, online instructions, routines for the first weeks (class agreement, L1 use, phones, lateness, homework, seating), strategies for L1 use in tasks, dominant and quiet learners, mixed levels, large classes, fast finishers, low motivation, disruptive young learners and teens, cultural expectations, classroom language to teach early and teacher presence. Checks planned instructions for length, missing ICQs, useless ICQs like 'Do you understand?', no demonstration, long sentences, filler and missing grouping or timing, and builds seating plans that keep named learners apart, seat learners who need the front, mix first languages and alternate stronger and weaker learners.