CONTENTS

HOW TO TEACH YOUNG LEARNERS 14 VIDEO: The Best Shows/ 24 BASIC TOPICS: How to
Movies for a Children’s Teach Numbers
3 MUST READ: Teaching ESL Video Lesson
English to Children
Under 5: Fallow Land or 25 BASIC TOPICS: How to
Fertile (Kinder)garden? 15 CLASSROOM Teach Shapes
MANAGEMENT: From
Chaos to Order – How
4 MUST READ: How to to Deal with Large 26 BASIC TOPICS: Kids
Teach Preschoolers: Preschool Classes and Money: How to
Preschool Games and Teach Money Skills
Activities
16 CLASSROOM
MANAGEMENT: 5 27 BASIC TOPICS: Amazing
5 MUST READ: Teens and Effective Ways to Calm Animals: A Super-
Tweens: 4 Most Effective Your Students Down Engaging Elementary
Ways to Reach Younger Lesson on Adjectives
Learners
17 CLASSROOM
MANAGEMENT: 28 BASIC TOPICS: How to
6 MUST READ: How To Stickers for the Little Teach the Verb “To Be”
Teach Young Learners: Ones: Motivation to Beginners
One Step At A Time Booster or Evil?

7-8 MUST READ: Teaching 18 CLASSROOM

Kids English: 10 Things MANAGEMENT: 5 Non-
to Consider Verbal Ways to Do Error
Correction

9 MUST READ: Adults

And Children: The 19 CRAFTS: How to Add
Differences Every Language Points to Your
Teacher Should Know ESL Crafts

10 CHANTS & DRILLS: 20 WRITING: The

Adults And Children: Challenge of Spelling
The Differences Every Made Easy: 10 Creative
Teacher Should Know Spelling Teaching Ideas

11 CHANTS & DRILLS: 21 WRITING: Getting Kids

Phonology in the Ready to Write: 4 Easy
Classroom: It’s Time to Strategies for ESL
Teach Rhyme Teachers

12 CHANTS & DRILLS: How 22 WRITING: Creative

to Drill: Drilling Activities Compositions for
for Your English Children: 3 Great
Classroom Ways to Inspire Young
Learners to Write

13 GAMES: How To Teach 23 BASIC TOPICS: What

Basic English Using Do You See? 8 Steps
Games: The Original to Teaching Basic
Hangman Vocabulary
Teaching English
to Children Under 5
ALTHOUGH TREMENDOUSLY ence between past and future, al- • Act out role plays with puppets.
REWARDING, TEACHING ENGLISH though they can’t grasp the con- Children enjoy them, and it’s a very
TO CHILDREN AGES 3 TO 5 CAN BE A cept of time expressed in days, effective way to teach ways to an-
DAUNTING TASK. weeks, months, years swer a question or replies to greet-
These little learners are full of energy ings.
and enthusiasm, which you may put to The biggest development for children at
good use, but to keep them interested this stage is language, accompanied by • Music and singing are highly effec-
and motivated, classes have to be fun. a great deal of sensorimotor activity. tive, but especially if they are ac-
You must also keep in mind that there companied by movement. Songs
are language learning goals that need So, what does all of this mean to you like “Head, Shoulders, Knees and
to be met – after all, they’re not enrolled as an ESL teacher? Toes”, or “This Is the Way We...”
in classes to merely have fun. They accompanied by actions are great
need to start learning English. It is obvious that since children at this ways to teach vocabulary or verbs.
stage can’t read or write, most of the
So, to better target English classes English language learning will have to • Keep it fast paced and engaging.
to children under 5, the first thing you be imparted through sensorimotor ac- Switch from one activity to another
should consider is your young learners’ tivities, games, stories, and videos just and use fillers if needed.
characteristics. According to Piaget’s to name a few. Children under 5 also
theory of cognitive development, chil- have a very short attention span, which • Arts and crafts and mini-projects
dren 3 to 5 would still be in the pre-op- means you may have to switch activi- are wonderful ways to teach vo-
erational cognitive stage. ties every 5 minutes or so. cabulary, seasonal activities and
holidays.
As an ESL teacher you need to under- So, in the ESL classroom for very young
stand that children at this stage essen- learners, you should keep in mind the • Don’t worry about what they can’t
tially: following essentials: do (read or write). Focus on what
they CAN DO and make use of their
• Present an egocentric intuitive in- • You need to have tons of toys and abilities. Most under 5s can count
telligence– it’s hard for them to see realia to use in games and ac- to ten, so board games with dice
the viewpoint of others - and there tivities. This includes, cars, planes are great for the ESL classroom.
is no logical thought and all types of transport, animals,
tea sets and cooking utensils, plas- KEEP IN MIND THAT CHILDREN AT
• Are capable of symbolic thought, tic fruits and vegetables, as well as THIS STAGE UNDERSTAND MORE
which means they can mentally flashcards of varying sizes. THAN THEY ARE ABLE TO PRODUCE
represent the world around them VERBALLY.
through words, images, and sym- • Repetition is key. Greet them every They may not say a whole lot in Eng-
bols, i.e., “cat” can be any cat and day with the same song, or greet- lish, particularly 3-year olds, but that
not just theirs ing till they naturally say it back. doesn’t mean they are not learning.
It doesn’t matter if you spend an Their flexible little brains are taking it all
• Attribute life and thinking to inani- entire class hour only asking ques- in, and soon enough they’ll be spouting
mate objects, i.e., clouds cry be- tions with “Do you like...?”, as long off some greetings and short answers
cause they are sad as they spontaneously answer, right back at you.
“Yes, I do”, or “No, I don’t”.
• Are able to classify objects, i.e., all Above all, give them a chance to be
the blue blocks, all the animals, all • It will get VERY physical. You’ll fully immersed in the English lan-
of the large toys vs. the small ones, need to jump, hop, move your guage. Speak to them in English all the
etc. arms, and clap your hands, which time, and illustrate what you wish them
means you’ll end up exhausted, but to do if they don’t understand. Those of
• Cannot grasp abstract concepts, oh, so exhilarated. us who have taught little ones will readi-
but only concrete objects or physi- ly attest to the fact that they are blessed
cal situations • Make sure videos are short. Re- with a unique ability to accept the new
member they have short attention language with nothing but natural cu-
• Are able to engage in make believe spans. Make the viewing short, but riosity and openness. If they watch a
to the point, making it thus more video in English or listen to a song, they
• Have memory skills effective. Ask them to count how won’t very likely demand a translation,
many birds, children, or fruits they unlike their adult counterparts. Which
• Use imagination see in the video. Ask them to raise makes them more often than not an ab-
their hands as soon as they see a solute pleasure to teach.
• Are able to understand the differ- zebra, lion or any other animal.

3
 How to Teach Preschoolers:
Preschool Games and Activities
PRESCHOOL IS SO MUCH FUN. IT
2 SONGS/GESTURES

4
CAN BE DIFFICULT TO TEACH A Students at this age do well with STORIES
SECOND LANGUAGE TO CHILDREN songs and gestures. You can have
STILL TRYING TO GRASP THEIR OWN songs for each part of the day to help While your students will not be
AND WHO CANNOT YET READ. them learn and remember certain vo- reading much in your class, they may
cabulary for instance, a morning song enjoy hearing some stories especially
IT CAN ALSO BE REALLY ENJOYABLE might include getting up, brushing if the lesson is during a quieter part
BECAUSE THESE STUDENTS HAVE teeth, and eating breakfast. You can of their day. The best stories for this
THE FLEXIBILITY TO LEARN LAN- also use songs in your lessons for age group, regardless of the activity
GUAGES MORE QUICKLY AND ARE speaking practice since it is less in- you have in mind, are repetitive. This
USUALLY VERY ENTHUSIASTIC. timidating to sing-a-long with the class ensures that students catch the main
than to speak individually. points. Stories such as Goldilocks and
the Three Bears and One Fish, Two
HOW TO TEACH You should create gestures for differ- Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish might be
PRESCHOOLERS ent words because this will make it appropriate for your students at this
easier for students to remember new level. If students have heard the story

1 ACTIVITIES
Keep everything as simple and
vocabulary.

Choose gestures that you are comfort-

more than once, you can ask them to
tell you the story based on the illustra-
tions.
short as possible. These students do able with and that are simple enough
not have long attention spans and are for you to do repeatedly throughout Students often enjoy this type of activ-
easily distracted so you should try to the course. Teaching preschoolers ity in their native language so you may
be the most interesting thing in the requires a high energy level and you as well include it in your lessons. Start
room at all times. may feel silly at first but these stu- with the most basic story you can find
dents can be a real pleasure to work to see if your class enjoys having sto-
Students may also have a hard time with and they will certainly appreciate ry time.
sitting still during class so plan activi- your efforts.
ties that let them move around. Simon
Says is excellent for preschoolers. OVERALL WHAT YOU TEACH AT THE
PRESCHOOL LEVEL WILL BE QUITE
LIMITED.
3
You can also have them make groups
with the same number of people as the WORKSHEETS You can usually cover topics such as
number you say aloud so if you say Worksheets for this age group body parts, colors, numbers, weather,
“Four” students have to make groups are less common. Unlike worksheets emotions, appearance, and routines.
of four. This is another very fun, fast used for older students, preschool You will have to introduce new vo-
moving, and active game. With decks worksheets do not need to have any cabulary slowly and do lots of practice
of vocabulary cards that have pictures words on them. In most cases work- activities each day.
instead of words, students can play sheets for this age level should not
simple games in small groups. have words on them at all however Every lesson should be focused on
it will depend on your school. Either speaking, listening, and having fun.
A very basic game is to spread the way, you can still use worksheets to
cards face up and the first student to practice material and test compre-
slap the correct card when you call hension, for example, you can ask
out a word gets to keep it. students to draw a picture while you
tell a story. The story would be have
The student with the most cards at the to be very short and simple but if you
end of the game wins. You can also tell a story about a tree and a student
conduct some team based activities draws a house then it might be time to
such as Chinese Whispers, which get those flashcards out again.
encourages students to be quiet and
patient. You can also use coloring pages and
do matching activities where you ask
students to match the pictures of two
words you say aloud. This also serves
as a simple comprehension test.

4
Teens and Tweens: 4 Effective
Ways to Reach Young Learners
solving puzzles, competing, and trial topical lesson that you want. Focus
YOUNGER LEARNERS CAN BE BOTH and error. The graphics and topics are on what the teens and tweens are in-
FUN AND FRUSTRATING DEPENDING often what pulls them in, and the chal- terested in and engaged by. You can
ON THE TIME OF DAY, THE CYCLES OF lenge of completing levels can keep gain a lot of interest if you are discuss-
THE MOON, AND THE DISTRACTIONS them hooked. The best part is often ing things that are relevant to your
THAT ALMOST EVERY NEW DAY CAN the programs focus on developing two learners. If you are overseas you can
BRING. to three skills at a time. Be an inno- let them educate you. Find out who
Students have a lot on their plate vator for your students, and they will the popular singers are and do some
these days from pressures at school to not only be much more receptive, their translations with their songs. If you
extracurricular activities to hormones language skills will increase. You can have a class that is obsessed with the
and social awkwardness. Follow these find free sites focused on vocabulary, World Cup, incorporate it into your les-
tips and you will find yourself in the hip listening activities, critical thinking, sons. Have them make presentations
and cool category with your teen and pronunciation, just to name a few. on topics that interest them like their
tween learners. hobbies, favorite musicians or mov-

TRY THESE 4 MOST

EFFECTIVE WAYS TO
REACH YOUNGER
2 HUMOR WORKS WONDERS
Like I said earlier, teens and
ies, and give them a venue to share
their knowledge. Teens love showing
off what they know, and they will give
tweens tend to be under a lot of pres- you ideas on how to do this if you just
LEARNERS sure and they are going through a listen to them. Be culturally aware and
lot. You want your classroom to be don’t just bring your culture to them, let

1 USE TECHNOLOGY a place where they don’t feel those

same pressures. It is important to
them share what is important to them.

4
It’s inevitable. No matter what
country you are teaching in, teens’
have firm guidelines and meaningful ALTER YOUR ACTIVITIES
expectations with younger learners,
primary distraction is technology and but it is also really important to have Teens and tweens definitely
social networking. From Facebook to a good rapport with them. One way to need a lot of variety in lessons, and dif-
Angry Birds to texting to online gam- do this is to make learning fun, enter- fering their practice will help increase
ing, we teachers are up against a lot taining, and even at times, goofy and their language retention rate. Lessons
of outside factors. The best way to get silly. Asian students can be notoriously that are focused on hands-on and in-
your younger learners to turn off cell serious and focused, but that doesn’t teractive activities without being over-
phones and tune in to your lessons is mean that they don’t have a funny bearing or intimidating work best for
to provide what they want. Don’t fight bone. If you can incorporate activities this age group. It’s important to give
it. Students crave new and distinctive that stress fun and competition without them the opportunity to put into prac-
ways to study and practice language. too much forced language practice, tice what they are learning and to in-
If it can incorporate some cool graph- you will have found one key to suc- corporate different types of activities in
ics, provide some involved simulations cess. one lesson. Varying what the students
and allows for independently-paced are doing on any given day can lead
activities, your students will be mes- Also, if there are particularly dry top- to more fluid lesson. Integrate games,
merized. There are so many websites ics that you’ll be covering, find ways presentations, question rounds, and
out there dedicated to enhancing Eng- to have fun with it. Instead of going any other form of interactive activity on
lish proficiency, you really have your through dry drill for an upcoming test, a daily basis. Getting them out of their
choice of online games, quizzes, and create a Jeopardy game complete chairs, allowing an acceptable amount
collaborative activities! You can utilize with teams and scorecards. You could of noise (within reason) and providing
these by presenting them in front of even dress up if your students know structure within a fun atmosphere all
the class and incorporating them into who Alex Trebeck is. If you can be work wonders for younger learners!
a classroom activity. Depending on natural with teens and tweens, and
where you are, many students have show them your sense of humor and
computers at home and believe me, sarcasm, you will gain their trust. You TEACHING YOUNGER LEARNERS LIKE
if they are introduced to something may even get them to loosen up and TEENS AND TWEENS DOESN’T HAVE
on the internet that sparks their in- stop being so cool all the time! TO BE STRESSFUL OR FRUSTRATING.
terest, they will play with it at home. You can make a big difference in the

3
If you are lucky enough to have a amount students’ will learn and re-
RELATE TOPICS TO THEM
computer lab at your disposal, by all tain if you apply these strategies.
means use it! There are suitable col- One mistake a lot of teachers Don’t forget to come to your young-
laborative activities that are specifi- make is forgetting about student rel- er learners with an open mind, pa-
cally designed to engage teens and evance. Language learning is flexible tience, and a supportive attitude!
tweens that might involve things like in that you can incorporate almost any

5
 How To Teach Young Learners:
One Step At A Time
them to be quiet while you are talk- cises that are entertaining. Help stu-
YOUNG LEARNERS, THOSE ATTEND- ing and raise their hands if they have dents learn how to interact with one
ING PRESCHOOL AND KINDERGAR- questions or want to answer a ques- another as well as how to speak Eng-
TEN, WILL NOT HAVE ANY PER- tion. This may not be directly related lish. Students will also feel more com-
SONAL REASON FOR STUDYING to ESL but it is important that students fortable if you stick to a regular sched-
ENGLISH. learn good behavior early on - it will ule so if you decide to make changes,
It is simply another subject that they make their transition to primary school implement them over a period of time
have to study at school or that their easier. rather than all at once.
parents have told them they need to
learn. At this point in their lives, they Teach them to respond to basic Constantly review and avoid intro-
may not know or comprehend how classroom English phrases such as ducing too much new vocabulary at
important these classes can be. They “Please sit down.” because these are a time. Students may not remember
might view your classes as simply an- expressions that they will hear repeat- material from one day to the next so
other fun daily activity and that is just edly throughout their study of English. repetition is important. The more stu-
fine. Even at this early age, you can For students at this age, you are re- dents are exposed to certain mate-
encourage them to develop an inter- sponsible not only for starting to teach rial, the faster they will learn it. This is
est in learning English which will stay them English, but also for preparing how native speakers learn English, by
with them long after they have fin- them for their next level of education. listening to people around them and
ished your classes. Students will perform better in their expanding their range of vocabulary
classes if they behave well and have gradually.
HOW TO a good understanding of basic prin-
UNDERSTAND AND ciples.
TEACH YOUNG
LEARNERS BETTER
3 WHAT TO FOCUS ON
THESE LEARNERS CAN BE A REAL

1 WHAT
YOUNG LEARNERS WANT
The primary focus of these les-
sons will be on communication and
laying a solid foundation for further
PLEASURE TO TEACH BECAUSE
THEY DO NOT FEEL STRESSED BY
THEIR STUDIES AND APPROACH
Students at this level are just start- English coursework. Students should EVERYTHING WITH YOUTHFUL
ing their academic careers. School practice the different sounds of the INNOCENCE.
may be intimidating for some of the English language and learn material
students in your class so, in order to such as the alphabet, numbers, col-
encourage everyone to participate, ors and shapes. You will introduce You play an important role in helping
it is important to make your lessons vocabulary words gradually and may them develop into lifelong learners.
relaxed and fun. YL Students will be choose to study some simple struc-
learning very basic material but you tures that relate to everyday life too. Foster a love of learning by cre-
can design creative lessons that get ating lesson plans that appeal to
students moving around and speak- It could be that reading and writing them, suit their maturity level, and
ing with one another. Young learners never enter into your classes but a fo- focus on what will help them excel
are generally very enthusiastic about cus on speaking and listening will help in future English courses.
songs, especially if they can sing students become more comfortable
along, and active games. Be sure to and confident with English.
provide lots of encouragement and
positive feedback. You want to create
a safe, stress-free environment that
everyone can enjoy learning in.
4 MORE YL TIPS
There are many other things
you can do to ensure that students

2 HOW
YOUNG LEARNERS BEHAVE
succeed in class. There is no need
to assign homework at this stage but
be sure to track individual and class
Keep exercises fun and short because progress so that students can visually
these students have short attention see what they have learned and how
spans and are easily distracted. Over- they are doing. Encourage students to
acting and projection will help keep try their best and create a constructive
the focus on you. Teach students how learning environment where students
to behave in a classroom by asking do not need to worry about making
mistakes. Create activities and exer-

6
Teaching Kids English:
10 Things to Consider
to their learning styles or multiples in- ESL lessons combine the right mix of
TEACHING CHILDREN CAN BE telligences, namely Visual – Spatial, teaching strategies. You may begin
IMMENSELY REWARDING, ANYONE Logical – Mathematical, Bodily – Kin- class with a short song, then move on
WHO HAS TAUGHT CHILDREN CAN esthetic, Musical – Rhythmic, Intra- to a reading exercise. The best rule of
TELL YOU THAT. Personal, Inter-Personal, Naturalist, thumb is to switch between quiet, in-
But it’s not fun and games all the time, and Spiritual. How can we accomplish dependent tasks to those that require
and sometimes it’s just not that easy. this? action and movement.
English teachers who wish to teach

6
children must be aware of the chal- Let’s see some examples: BE PREPARED TO DEAL
lenges and difficulties they may en- • For musical – rhythmic intelli-
counter, and prepare accordingly. WITH PARENTS
gence learners, teach an ESL
element with a song, like Rock Unlike teaching adult students, when
Here are the top 10 things to consider Around the Clock for telling time. you teach the little ones you have to
if you’re serious about teaching kids interact with their parents as well.
• For bodily – kinesthetic intelli-
English:
gence learners, teach body parts
These must be informed about:

1
with a game of Simon Says, or
ARE YOU REALLY sing Head, Shoulders, Knees, • Your goals, i.e., what you hope to
UP FOR IT? and Toes. accomplish throughout the year
• For visual – spatial intelligence • The children’s learning goals, i.e.,
If you want to teach kids English be-
learners, use maps, charts, and the syllabus for the school year
cause you think it’s easy, then this is
all types of visual aids. Teach • Their children’s progress, i.e., if
not the job for you. Teaching children
them the different types of stores they have achieved their learning
demands a great deal of creativity and
and locations they may find goals satisfactorily
energy. Kids will always keep you on
around town with a big map-like
your toes! They will amaze you and
board game, and have them “vis- It is also recommended to encourage
surprise you, but don’t think that just
it” the different locations by throw- parents’ active participation in their
because you’ll be teaching colors and
ing the dice. children’s English learning. Even if
animals, it’ll be a breeze. You’ll most
they don’t speak English themselves,

4
likely feel exhausted after every class,
but oh, so happy! DON’T LET THEM they should be encouraged to ask
GET BORED the kids what they’ve learned, share

2
songs, etc.
A LITTLE PREPARATION If children are bored they won’t pay

7
GOES A LONG WAY attention, and they won’t learn. You GATHER AN ARSENAL
don’t have to clown around all the OF MATERIALS
Never make the mistake of showing
time, either, - they’re in class to learn,
up for class with little or no ideas, and
not to be entertained by you. Your job When you teach children English it is
thinking that you’ll figure it out as you
is to make learning engaging and fun. essential to have a box of materials
go along. Preparation is essential,
mostly because you’ll need to gather that can be adaptable to any game or
Here are some ways to do this: activity. Must-have items are:
lots of teaching materials. Seasoned
• Once they’ve been sitting and fo- • a pair of dice
teachers may be able to improvise an
cused on a task for a while, get • flashcards
entire lesson with only a whiteboard
them out of their seats for a more • blank bingo sheets (that can be
and some markers, but why risk hav-
active game. They should never filled in by students with either
ing a class that turns out to be a hell-
remain seated for the duration of words or pictures)
ish nightmare? You can plan an entire
the class, unless they’re teens.
week of lessons or a full month, but • small toys – balls in several sizes,
make sure you have a lesson plan for • Use realia, or real life objects in toy vehicles, animals, etc...
every class. class. No matter how colorful or
• bean bags
big, students sometimes get tired
• puppets

3
of learning everything through
TRY TO CATER TO flashcards.
MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES
Young ESL students have strengths
and weaknesses and the best way to 5 MIX IT UP 8 REMEMBER IT’S NOT
ALL ABOUT THE GAMES
ESL classes may include sing- Each game or activity you propose
take advantage of their strengths and should target a specific learning goal
ing, dancing, and jumping, as well as
help them learn effectively is to cater or ESL element. It’s not about coming
writing, reading, or listening. The best

7
 to class to play. ESL games are highly
effective teaching strategies as long
as you know how to fully utilize their
potential.

9 TEACH IN CONTEXT
Lessons should be planned in
accordance with learning goals. And
vocabulary, grammar, and language
should be taught in context. For ex-
ample, when teaching children foods
in English, it should be within a meal
context like breakfast, lunch or dinner,
and should never be a list of items
they must study or memorize.

10 KEEP THEM
MOTIVATED
As kids get older and reach their pre-
teen years, some ESL games and ac-
tivities may not interest them as much
as they did in the past. Find out what
does interest them. What kind of mu-
sic do they like? What do they enj oy
reading? What sports do they play?
Which sports stars do they admire?
Writing interview questions for their
favorite NBA player will be a lot more
interesting than just a list of questions
in simple present.

THE MOMENTS SHARED WITH YOUR

YOUNG LEARNERS WILL FAR OUT-
WEIGH ANY OF THE DIFFICUL-
TIES OR DISADVANTAGES COM-
MONLY ASSOCIATED TO TEACHING
CHILDREN. JUST MAKE SURE THAT
LEARNING ENGLISH IS NOT A CHORE
FOR THEM, BUT RATHER A POSITIVE
LEARNING EXPERIENCE, ONE THAT
THEY WILL REMEMBER FOR YEARS
TO COME. MAKE SURE THEY HAVE
FUN LEARNING, AND YOU’LL HAVE
FUN TEACHING THEM TOO!

8
Adults And Children: The Differ-
ences Every Teacher Should Know
TEACHING ENGLISH AS A SECOND
LANGUAGE CAN OFTEN BE AN EXCIT-
ING CAREER FOR MANY.
propriate materials in your classes. For
example, children are not going to be
interested in reading articles about the
state of the economy, or even the fash-
4 TOPICS OF INTEREST,
HUMOUR AND ACTIVITIES
Keeping adults engaged is just as im-
Whether you are choosing to do it on a ion industry. In fact, most kids generally portant as doing so with children! You
gap year, or as a full time career, you are won’t like reading articles at all! Other might find that there are some students
likely to come across a wide range of techniques need to be employed. who are intent on learning, and will do
different people. Sometimes we may be their best to concentrate. This may not
required to teach children, even though GAMES: Both adults and children love always be the case, therefore it is im-
we do not have experience in the area. games. Therefore it is important to in- portant to keep the class as interesting
Some language schools will give a mix clude these as much as possible in the as possible.
of students. There will be those there class. In doing this, the teacher will be
who are looking to improve their Eng- able to let words sink in easier. Often ACTIVITIES: Games are possible option
lish for general use. There will be those they can include games such as Hang for adults as well. A lot of the time, they
who are looking specifically for business Man, Pictionary, Simon Says and much might have be tailored to suit adults.
English whilst others simply want to more. More “grown up” type games and ac-
progress. It is important to garner, in the tivities will be useful in this regard. De-
first class, what the actual intentions of STORY TELLING: This is another ef- bates are often a great way to get adults
the student are before going ahead with fective technique. All children love story talking. Often, the students will end up
the plan. This way, you will find it easier time. Find a simple fairy tale to tell the speaking more and arguments can
to tailor a class to the specific needs of children, or make one up yourself! Af- break out. As long as it does not get out
that student. terwards, ask questions by putting the of hand, this can be incredibly positive.
characters in different situations (“Sal- The less you have to do, the more of a
Before going ahead, however, you need ly’s grandmother is ill, what should Sally success the class is!
to remember that adults, children and do?”). This way, kids can come up with
indeed teenagers are all different. Chil- their own answers. Effectively, you will HUMOUR: It is also a good idea to have
dren learn in different ways to their older be able to get the children to write their a sense of humour. Just be aware how
counterparts. As a result, you need to be own stories. This can be incredibly ben- humour translates in different cultures.
able to make sure what to include in cer- eficial in terms of their production skills. In Germany, for example, the people
tain classes and what to leave out. are notorious for being humourless. This
ATTENTION SPANS: Children also isn’t necessarily the case, as it can differ
THE DIFFERENCES tend to have short attention spans, so from one region to the next.
BETWEEN ADULTS it is important for you to realize this.
& CHILDREN YOU Long, drawn-out exercises which in- TOPICS OF INTEREST: If you are
SHOULD KNOW volve a lot of silence will not work. The teaching business people, then topics
kids will become agitated, start fidgeting related to what they are doing (for exam-

1 CHILDREN AND LEARNING

One of the first things you should
and lose interest. Keep them engaged
at all times. Posing questions, getting
everyone involved in the exercise, and
ple, someone who works with pressured
air) will probably spark up the students’
interests a bit more. The Internet is a
remember about kids is that their brains generally keeping them on their toes is wonderful resource in this sense, and
have more elasticity than those of always a good idea and can prove very you can find information on almost any-
adults. You could say that their brains effective. thing with the click of a mouse. Remem-
are not “formed” yet, so to speak. As a ber, most adults will also like to take a
result, it is easier for children to learn a
new language. Try to remember your
own personal experience, if you know
a foreign language. If you learned it at
3 ADULTS AND LEARNING
For older people, learning a lan-
logical approach, but overall with both
children and older students, using the
language in a practical way is the most
guage can be a challenge. There are beneficial method.
the age of 7-10, learning new words some who do this professionally for
most likely came easier to you, and you translator jobs, and will generally have a
probably found yourself understanding gift for this. But for many adult learners,
simple phrases quite easily. However, this is going to be new territory. Specifi-
as we become older, taking on a new cally when it comes to learning English,
language becomes a lot more difficult. many might have had previous instruc-
tion in school as children. This is particu-

2 GAMES, STORY-TELLING
AND MORE
larly true of those who live in Western
European countries.

It is also important to include age ap-

9
Ants in the Pants? Enchant Your ESL
Students with These Great Chants
Where did Humpty Dumpty sit? Who pdf) – Practice simple past forms of I like to oot, oot, oot oo-ples and boo-noo-
helped put him back together after his verbs like laugh, run, and jump. noos
tragic fall? If you know the answers to • Humpty Dumpty (teachchildrenesl. I like to oot, oot, oot oo-ples and boo-noo-
these questions, it is because you’ve re- com/filez8932/songs/humpty_dump- noos
peated the famous nursery rhyme count- ty.pdf) – Also features verbs in simple

7
less times. And THAT is the power of past.
chants.
ONE, TWO, BUCKLE MY SHOE

Chants are fun and easy to learn, mainly

because they usually rhyme and can be
easily repeated. But they are more than
4 COUNTING BUBBLE GUM
This chant/game will help your
Another great way to review num-
bers one to ten.
One, two,
young learners practice their counting Buckle my shoe.
pure fun. Most are great sources of vo- skills and have fun while they do it. Have Three, four,
cabulary and help improve pronunciation. your students sit in a circle on the floor. Knock at the door.
Plus, they help restless students focus. Go around the circle and tap each head Five, six,
as you say: Bubble gum, bubble gum, in a Pick up sticks.
HOW TO USE CHANTS IN dish, how many pieces do you wish? (stu- Seven, eight,
YOUR ESL CLASS dent says a number). Count the number Lay them straight:
of heads indicated and the last student Nine, ten,

1 CLASSROOM RULES CHANT

Download this simple chant at http://
is eliminated from the circle. This student
must stand up and eliminate another in
the same way. The last student left stand-
A big fat hen.

8
busyteacher.org/7162-classroom-rules- ing wins!
chant.html. You may even print it and GRAMMAR CHANTS
make it into a poster. It’s a great, easy way
to teach and review classroom rules with
your students. Repeat it several times,
and they won’t soon forget the rules.
5 HOW MANY DAYS?
This is the chant everyone learns
Now, here’s your chance to get cre-
ative and make your own chant! Remem-
ber that rhyming is not absolutely nec-
to remember how many days are in each essary, very often it’s the repetition that
month – and a great way to practice them works best. Here’s an example of a chant

2 MY HOUSE
This is a fun way to teach the rooms
in English:
Thirty days has September, April June
and November.
you can say to practise simple present in
both affirmative and negative forms:
Teacher: I
in a house and some of the things you All the rest have 31, excepting February
find in them. Class: I
alone.
Bedroom, bathroom, living room, kitchen. Teacher: I see you.
And it had 28 days time,
Bedroom, bathroom, living room, kitchen. Class: I see you.
But in leap years February has 29.
This is my family’s house. Teacher: He
Sink in the bathroom. Sink in the kitchen. Class: He

6
Sink in the bathroom. Sink in the kitchen. Teacher: He sees you.
APPLES AND BANANAS Class: He sees you.
This is my family’s house.
TV and sofa are in the living room. Here’s a fun, but also challenging Teacher: I
TV and sofa are in the living room. chant. Students review vowel sounds. Class: I
This is my family’s house. Teacher: I don’t see.
I like to eat, eat, eat apples and bananas Class: I don’t see.
And you can easily expand the chant to
other rooms in the house. As you can see, I like to eat, eat, eat apples and bananas Teacher: He
it doesn’t matter if the words don’t rhyme: I like to ate, ate, ate ay-ples and ba-nay- Class: He
the essential element in the chant is rep- nays Teacher: He doesn’t see.
etition. I like to ate, ate, ate ay-ples and ba-nay- Class: He doesn’t see.
nays
Teacher: We

3 NURSERY RHYMES
Nursery rhymes are timeless clas-
I like to eat, eat, eat ee-ples and bee-nee-
nees
I like to eat, eat, eat ee-ples and bee-nee-
Class: We
Teacher/Leader: We speak English.
Class/Group: We speak English.
sics that most people remember because nees
they are repeated so often. TeachChil- I like to ite, ite, ite i-ples and by-ny-nys NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER
drenESL has nursery rhymes in PDF files I like to ite, ite, ite i-ples and by-ny-nys OF SIMPLE REPETITION!Students learn
that you can download and print for your words, structures, and pronunciation. And
I like to ote, ote, ote oh-ples and bo-no-
class. Of particular use in the ESL class- don’t be surprised if you hear them chant-
nos
room are: ing as they walk down the hall. They may
I like to ote, ote, ote oh-ples and bo-no-
• Hey Diddle Diddle (teachchildrenesl. not be able to get your chants out their
nos
com/filez8932/songs/diddle_diddle. heads!
10
Phonology in the Classroom:
It’s Time to Teach Rhyme
Then white out one word of each Then, continue your day by calling
FOR THE ESL STUDENT, RHYME rhyming pair. Challenge your students students by rhyming names, and en-
HAS GREAT VALUE. LEARNING to see if they can fill in words that will courage your students to do the same.
ABOUT RHYME WILL INCREASE complete the rhyme. Following Dr.
THE AWARENESS YOUR STUDENTS Seuss’ example, allow students to Another easy rhyme game you
HAVE OF ENGLISH PHONOLOGY, make up their own words to complete can play is a rhythm-based circle.
WHICH IS ESSENTIAL FOR PRONUN- a rhyme even if it becomes nonsensi- Have your class sit on the floor with
CIATION AND PHONICS. cal. You can then read the actual text legs crossed and start a percussive
out loud to your class and have your rhythm. With a four beat pattern, slap
Speakers of languages with different students see how many words they the legs twice, clap once and then do
phonetic make up than English will chose the same as the doctor. nothing on the fourth beat. This fourth
find it especially important to learn beat is when you will say a word that
the appropriate and complete set of This is also a good time to mention your students will have to rhyme. For
sounds in English. rhythm and rhyme when it comes to example, (slap, slap, clap) “Boy!” The
English sentences. group would continue (slap, slap,
Not only that, understanding rhyme clap) and the next person would say,
and the sounds that make it possible In a similar vein, nursery rhymes can “Toy!” You can continue with the same
are necessary before a student can be employed in the same manner. rhyme pattern until no one else can
become a fluent reader. These childhood classics use rhythm think of another rhyme. Then change
and rhyme to tell short stories that the word and play again. Either work
HOW TO TEACH kids love. Try reading one aloud and your way around the circle, point to
RHYME IN YOUR pausing whenever a rhyming word the people who should answer, or just
CLASSROOM is needed, and see if your students let your students call out their ideas.
can supply the missing word. For ex-

1 RHYMING WITH TPR

TPR, or total physical response,
ample, you may start, “Hey diddle,
diddle, the cat and the...” encouraging
your students to shout out any words
They will have fun with the game and
learn more about rhyming in the pro-
cess.
is an ESL teaching method which that might complete the rhyme. Use
teaches by associating physical move- the classics “Twinkle, Twinkle Little
ment with foreign language learning. Star”, “Jack Sprat Could Eat No Fat” WHENEVER YOU ARE TEACH-
You can use TPR techniques with and any others that come to mind. ING RHYME IN AN ESL CLASS,
your students when practicing rhyme. IT IS IMPORTANT TO POINT OUT
Walk around your classroom reading You may even want to copy and dis- THAT RHYMING WORDS ARE NOT
two words at a time, some rhyming tribute copies to your students allow- ALWAYS SPELLED THE SAME.
pairs and others not rhyming. When ing them to illustrate their own class-
your students hear a pair that rhymes, room nursery rhyme book that you This is a perfect lead in to phonics
they should jump up from their seats. can later compile. and spelling, topics that are always
good to review with nonnative English

3
Have your class take their seats speakers. Ultimately, have fun with
again and listen for the next rhyming
RHYMING WITH GAMES
your class. Speakers and writers use
pair. This activity can be a fun game Rhyming just might give you the rhyme for fun and creative expres-
for your students as they listen and excuse to bring some silliness into the sion, and you should encourage that
physically respond at the appropriate classroom. You can declare a rhyme in your students as well.
times. day in your classroom when you start
the rhyming fun off by calling your stu- When your students are having fun

2 RHYMING
WITH LITERATURE
dents by rhyming names rather than
their actual names. As you call atten-
dance, call out a name that rhymes
in the classroom, they will be moti-
vated to learn and remember more
of what you teach.
Dr. Seuss is one of the most beloved with each of your students’ names,
authors of our time as well as a mas- and challenge them to respond. If
ter of rhyme. You can do several activ- you cannot think of a rhyming name
ities with his work that challenge your for your students, simply make one
students understanding of rhyme. up. Your students will still understand
One simple option is to photocopy a the concept even if you have to make
few pages from his books, pages that things up to meet the rule.
have several rhymes on them.

11
 How to Drill: Drilling Activities
for Your English Classroom
show them the image. This will help fifteen to twenty vocabulary words. It
AFTER INTRODUCING NEW VOCAB- check their comprehension of the ma- may still be necessary to practice
ULARY WORDS, GRAMMAR POINTS, terial. With flashcards, you can also using choral repetition before per-
OR SENTENCE STRUCTURES, YOU challenge your students when they forming pair activities so that students
HAVE TO DRILL THEM WITH YOUR become more familiar with certain vo- are reminded of the proper pronuncia-
CLASS. cabulary by flipping through the cards tion of the vocabulary.
There are many ways to drill new ma- at a faster rate.

5
terial. Using a variety of drilling meth-
GAMES

3
ods in your classes will help make this
COMPREHENSION
portion of the lesson more interesting Breaking your classroom up into
and keep students focused. Asking for volunteers or calling sections where each section says
on students to give you a synonym, one portion of a new structure is an-
HOW TO PROCEED antonym, or translation of a new vo- other way of drilling material. In small
cabulary word will check individual classes you can conduct some drilling

1 CHORAL REPETITION
Choral repetition is a commonly
comprehension. It is always nice
to ask for volunteers as opposed
to calling on students individually
activities in a circle.

The more variation there is to an activ-

used method of drilling. Students sim- but generally a volunteer will be more ity, the more students have to pay at-
ply have to repeat words or phrases confident in his answer so this will tention but it is best to start off with the
after you. This is a good method be- not properly show whether or not the simplest, easiest variation of a game
cause it means that students are class understands the material. and build on it as opposed to trying
given excellent model pronunciation to explain a complex activity from the
immediately before they are asked to When you find it necessary to single very beginning.
respond. out particular students who are not
participating in drill activities, calling Challenging students but not over-
Going through vocabulary this way on them for answers is an easy meth- whelming them is important in main-
many times in a single lesson will be od of focusing their attention on the taining their attention and participa-
boring for your students and they will lesson. Doing comprehension checks tion.
be less inclined to perform well. is also a good way to break up the drill
activities a bit.
Break up the monotony by changing DRILLING IS GENERALLY NOT THE

4
the speed or volume you use and
DRILLING IN PAIRS MOST FUN PART OF TEACHING OR
have students change their respons- LEARNING ENGLISH BUT IT IS AN
es accordingly. Using this method, As material becomes more fa- ESSENTIAL STEP WHEN LEARNING
students are not called on individually miliar, you may want to conduct short NEW MATERIAL. VARYING YOUR
to pronounce words therefore you will pair activities where a student’s com- APPROACH CAN MAKE IT MORE
need to check individual pronuncia- prehension is tested by his partner. ENJOYABLE AND ENCOURAGE
tion and comprehension separately. To do this with a vocabulary list for in- STUDENTS TO PARTICIPATE MORE
Integrating these checks into your drill stance, have student A read the trans- FULLY.
activities will keep students alert be- lation of each word in random order
cause they will never know when you while the student B says the word in
may call on them. English. Student A can then place a
checkmark next to all the words stu-

2 DRILLING
WITH FLASHCARDS
dent B got correct and then the stu-
dents can switch roles.

Drilling using flashcards can be useful With this method students can check
as well. In the introduction, show stu- each other and have visual proof of
dents both the image and word sides how well they performed afterwards
of each flashcard. When you start which they can refer to when practic-
drilling words for the first time, show ing material on their own or preparing
students the word side of the flash- for exams.
card so they can practice reading and
pronouncing it. Conducting an activity such as this on
a regular basis will help students re-
Later on, rather than show students view vocabulary often and should not
the word you want them to pronounce, take more than five minutes even with

12
How To Teach English Using
Games: The Original Hangman
THIS ALL-TIME FAVORITE IS FOR
COMPLETE BEGINNERS OR ELE-
MENTARY STUDENTS. IT IS USEFUL
2 DEMONSTRATE
This is a group game for every-
4 PLAY HANGMAN!
Initially the game may be played
one. Begin with a demonstration on as a group activity and dictionaries
FOR SPELLING, DICTIONARY WORK, the board so that students can clearly are permitted as this encourages fu-
STUDENT INTERACTION AND visualize how to play. ture usage, when relevant. The stu-
EMPOWERMENT, FAMILIARIZA- dents can guess the full word at any
TION WITH PREFIXES AND SUF- Then a simple description. The stu- time, but you should impose a penalty
FIXES, TEACHING NUMBERS AND dents have to guess your mystery if wrong. This is to prevent random
LETTERS TOGETHER AND SIMPLE word. “This word has a certain num- and careless guesses and keep con-
EDUCATIONAL FUN. IT IS DESIGNED ber of letters” and they have to elicit trol of the students and the game.
SIMPLY TO REMIND US OF THE them one by one. Ensure the rules are
TEACHING APPLICATIONS OF THIS understood by concept checking. To encourage student empowerment
WORD GAME IN ITS BASIC FORM the person who correctly guesses the
WITHOUT THE FRILLS. As they call out a letter of the alphabet word can then come to the board and
the teacher will cross it out from A-Z chose a secret word himself/herself
This game has a very simple format, written on the board for reference and for the next game.
but can be built upon to practice not put that letter in the mystery word, or
only simple vocabulary, but also the draw a body feature on the Hangman Do not distribute any handouts with
use of vowels and consonants in word as appropriate. It is important to show instructions. The game and its rules
creation. Common letters can be elu- visually that for each letter missed, can be explained verbally and visu-
cidated as well as many language one body part is drawn on the Hang- ally.
structures such as prefixes and typi- man.
cal word endings. The students can sit in a horseshoe
The object of the game is to guess configuration using seats only as this
the word before being hanged. The activity does not require pens, papers
students normally have 9 attempts or desks. This will also enable moving
HOW TO PROCEED (Head, neck, body, arms, legs and people around easily if smaller groups
feet), but optional features can be are utilized later in the game.

1 INTRODUCE THE RULES

Introduce the rules by initially
added if the word is too difficult to
guess (eyes, ears, nose, mouth, hair).
IT MAY BE USED AS A WARMER/
demonstrating a word on the board CLOSER OR FILLER DEPENDING ON
without the gallows or the noose. Per- THE TIME AVAILABLE.

3
sonalizing the word adds reality and
therefore it is a good idea to choose PRACTICE
the name of one of the students. They Practice vocabulary already in-
will probably be surprised to find their troduced, if appropriate e.g. popular
name contains some of the ‘English hobbies. As the game focuses largely
vowels’ i.e. A,E,I,O,U. Make a line for on letters and spelling practice, also
each letter of the word and count out incorporate pronunciation of the tar-
the number of letters and write the ap- geted words and by numbering the
propriate number underneath. letters teach the practical usage of
cardinal and ordinal counting.
Draw their attention to the name e.g..
“It is a five letter word. It has 2 vowels. Once the unknown word has been
The first letter of the word is ...” ascertained, speaking should be en-
couraged to use the vocabulary in
Get your students to check the spell- context and thus add to the language
ing of their own names and their part- content.
ners to their left and right and delight
in their discovery of this striking simi-
larity with the English Language.

13
 The Best Shows/Movies for a
Children’s ESL Video Lesson
IF YOU WANT TO HELP YOUR STU- you can discuss with you class. You it. There is a large variety to choose
DENTS IMPROVE THEIR LISTEN- can also watch The Lorax with your from, but for the purposes of your ESL
ING COMPREHENSION, NOTHING class and discuss the effects of pollu- class, please remember the following.
WORKS BETTER THAN VIDEOS. tion and the importance of preserving It’s essential that you choose a movie,
But this begs the question: which our trees. Or watch a short excerpt not only for the entertainment value,
movies/TV shows should we show about the Sneetches: it presents a but one that is a good fit for your stu-
them in class? Clearly this is not a very relevant discussion point regard- dent’s ages and levels. As these mov-
case of “anything goes”, particularly ing prejudice and discrimination. ies are longer, you may opt to show
with young learners who often lack just one scene or a few, and not the
enough vocabulary to understand a
full-length feature film in English. So,
to eliminate the guesswork on your
3 CHARLIE BROWN
Charlie Brown is a boy that most
entire film. If you choose any of the
classics you may have the added ad-
vantage that your students will prob-
part, here is a list of the best videos children can easily relate to. He has ably have already seen them in their
to show your young learners - movies a group of friends he likes to play native language, thus giving them
and shows that will not only entertain baseball with, and has a dog – a very better chances of following the plot
them, they will also help them hone special one. Snoopy is not your typi- and dialogue.
those listening skills! cal canine buddy, but we would love
to have a dog like him. This is why Some of the classics we recom-
TRY THESE SHOWS & the Peanuts cartoons have fascinat- mend are:
MOVIES FOR YOUR ed children of all ages for decades. • Charlie and the Chocolate Fac-
NEXT CHILDREN’S ESL Several movies and TV specials have tory – BusyTeacher.org has this
VIDEO LESSON been made based on the Peanuts great worksheet for you to use.
gang, the most popular and the best • Toy Story 1, 2 or 3

1
ones to watch with your ESL class
SESAME STREET • Puss in Boots
being the holiday specials like It’s the
• Finding Nemo
The American children’s TV se- Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown, It’s the
ries has produced solid, educational Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, or A
content for over 40 years. The series Charlie Brown Christmas. TIPS FOR SHOWING
features short segments, videos, and VIDEOS TO YOUR
songs targeted to very young chil-
dren, content that is highly appropri-
ate for young English learners of ages
4 YOUTUBE GEMS
YouTube has come a long way
CLASS:
Always have a lesson plan for a video
3-5. The best part about the Sesame from being simply the video sharing lesson, or make sure the video fits
Street videos is that teachers can site where we could watch people’s into one. Never show a video “just
access them in multiple ways. Sesa- home videos, jokes and silly gags. because” - even if it is a 2-minute
meStreet.org has a Video page where Thousands of videos with educational filler, it should still serve a purpose
you can access very short video seg- content are uploaded on a daily ba- within your lesson goal, like review
ments that help children polish their sis by ESL teachers and schools. A something they’ve been practicing,
counting skills, for example, or say the quick search should give you dozens like the alphabet, for example. If you
alphabet in English, among many oth- of options to watch with your class. want to take an entire class hour for
ers. Most of the videos are less than One noteworthy YouTube channel is a video lesson, that’s fine, just makes
a minute long and are great fillers or DJCKidsMedia. The children’s book sure you allow plenty of time for your
ways to complete an activity. and DVD publisher has a YouTube students to complete a warm up (pre-
channel filled with short, engaging vid- viewing activities), as well as viewing
You can also watch the videos on eos that can teach your young learn- and post viewing activities.
Sesame Street’s YouTube Channel, ers to tell time, count to 10, or phonics
or order the videos from Amazon. for the letters of the alphabet. Be sure ALWAYS REMEMBER: THIS IS NOT
to check out this YouTube channel ABOUT YOU SIMPLY SHOWING A

2
and others, but before you show your VIDEO TO YOUR CLASS.
DR. SEUSS
class any video on YouTube, make
Dr. Seuss’ books and silly sure you see it first to check for any This is about maximizing their learn-
rhymes have entertained children for inappropriate content. ing opportunities and helping them
decades. His work is also available on hone their listening skills. If you man-
video, and though most of it is fantas-
tical and features characters that are
out of this world, the rhymes are great
5 ANIMATED CLASSICS
AND FEATURE FILMS
age to give them a special treat with a
fun movie at the same time – so much
the better!
for pronunciation practice. Also, most As far as animated or feature-length
stories have an important message children’s films go, the sky’s the lim-
14
 From Chaos to Order – How to
Deal with Large Preschool Classes
If there is one word that defines pre- from the front of the classroom to see and teachers, and recycle them – make
schoolers, it’s energy. A far cry from the what you’re showing them. This leads to new ones! There are lots of activities you
shy teens that try to hide in a corner of complaining (“I can’t seeeee!”), wailing or can do with your class by recycling ma-
the class, or the adult learners that are at- even students standing and walking up to terials they can bring from home – just
tentive and intent on learning, preschool- get a better look. ask each student to contribute, and soon
ers just want to have fun! Most don’t have Solution: enough, you’ll have more than enough!
goals for learning – they learn English The best solution involves having large-
because they’re told to. But they soon
discover (and with our help) that learning
English is fun, and they meet our sugges-
sized flashcards, the bigger the better!
It’s not hard to find big posters and illus-
trations that everyone can see. You may
5 PROBLEM # 5:
ZERO TO MINIMUM
INDIVIDUAL INTERACTION
tions for activities with great enthusiasm. also want to consider blowing up copies
of some illustrations or pages in your And this is one of the biggest hurdles to
The problem arises when you have a book. Finally, if all else fails, simply walk overcome if you want your students to
large group of young learners. The usual around the classroom and let everyone learn. The more students you have in
complications of teaching a large class have a good look up close, particularly if your class, the fewer opportunities they
are compounded by the fact that pre- you’re reading a story. will have to speak individually, and the
schoolers can’t read or write, least of all fewer chances you’ll have of interacting

3
in English. Most activities will be games,
PROBLEM # 3: with each one.
TPR or crafts. They often get a little too
enthusiastic, noise levels rise, smaller CLASS IS TOO LOUD Solution:
children get pushed, objects get thrown, This will take a lot of attention on your
Of course, you’ll want everyone to partici- part, but you have to make sure you hear
and general mayhem ensues. pate, but the more children you have, the from each of your students at least once
louder it gets. They may be singing quite in each class. Try to spread out your in-
HOW TO DEAL WITH nicely, but the teacher next door will find teractions with the children so you’re not
LARGE PRESCHOOL it disturbing to her class. left only speaking to those who are the
CLASSES Solution: most enthusiastic. If you have a couple
Establish clear rules regarding when to of eager beavers competing to answer all

1 PROBLEM # 1: YOU DON’T

HAVE ENOUGH SPACE
speak (i.e, they must raise their hands
first, not interrupt you or a classmate
when they’re speaking, not shout, etc.)
of your questions, praise them for their
enthusiasm, but tell them that you’d also
like to hear from someone who hasn’t
spoken yet.
Unless you have a huge classroom, you Regarding songs, chants or other loud
won’t have enough room for TPR and ac- activities, try to keep these to a minimum
tivities that require racing, running, hop- and make them last a few minutes. Intro- Another great way to maximize interac-
ping or dancing. duce different “volume” levels, for exam- tion is the “divide and conquer” tech-
Solution: ple, start singing a song very softly and nique. Split the class into two groups. Say
raise your volume as you repeat, till you you’re reading a story about Christmas.
While we can’t control the size of our
finally sing it loudly. Tell Group A to draw something related
classroom, we can make the most of the
to the holiday, for example how they cel-
space we do have. Instead of sacrificing
these activities and keeping students at
their desks, have them do versions of
these activities while they stand on the
4 PROBLEM # 4:
LIMITED MATERIALS
ebrate it with their family. Read the story
to Group B, followed by a Q&A session,
while Group A completes their drawings.
Then ask Group B to draw something re-
same spot. Instead of racing to the board, This may be one of the biggest hurdles to
overcome. The larger the class, the more lated to the story, while you read to Group
they can raise their hand first. They can
copies, the more flashcards, the more A. This strategy works great, provided
still spin around or touch their nose,
glue, scissors, markers, etc. you need. you have enough space to set a group
head, etc. See if you have enough room
Your school should be able to help you aside and not have them distract the oth-
to have them sit in a circle (or two con-
with some of these resources, but they er group. But the effort is well worth it, as
centric circles!) on the floor. They can still
will probably not buy more toy animals, you’ll have more students participate in
pass objects around, clap their hands,
plastic vegetables and fruits, or even answering questions.
etc. but they won’t bump into each other
or the furniture! more expensive supplies.
Solution: TEACHING PRESCHOOLERS TAKES
LOADS OF PATIENCE AND EVEN MORE
2 PROBLEM # 2: STUDENTS
CAN’T SEE FLASHCARDS, IL-
LUSTRATIONS OR THE BOOK
Here’s where you’ll have to get creative –
and crafty! Don’t have enough flashcards
for a game? Have your students make
CREATIVITY.
You may not have enough space, time or
materials, but make use of the resources
some first! Do you run out of crayons
faster than you can buy them? Gather you do have. And your little ones’ enthu-
When you have a large class, there will siasm is one of the best resources there
inevitably be students who will be too far broken crayons from other classrooms
is!
15
 5 Effective Ways
to Calm Your Students Down
If your young learners cannot sit still quiet is Chinese Whispers where stu-
IT IS ALWAYS GREAT TO SEE YOUR at the beginning of class, give them dents work in teams to see who can
STUDENTS ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT the chance to use that energy during correctly pass a sentence from team
LEARNING AND THE ACTIVITIES the warm up and then continue with member to team member the fastest.
YOU SO CAREFULLY PREPARED your lesson.

5
FOR THEM BUT ONCE THEY HAVE TOPICS
GOTTEN ALL RILED UP, IT IS TIME TO Some simple TPR games like Head
BRING THEM BACK DOWN SO THAT and Shoulders or Simon Says would A topic that interests your stu-
YOU CAN SEND THEM TO THEIR be perfect for reviewing body parts, dents will also make them more atten-
PARENTS OR OTHER TEACHERS writing relays would be good for tive. Keep your learners in mind when
WITHOUT UPSETTING ANYONE. slightly older students and even just deciding what to talk about in class.
Additionally if students are very loud simple exercises like jumping jacks or Students who are focused will not
and energetic at the very beginning of running in place should help learners have the inclination to move around a
class, you will have to curb their ex- settle down. lot nor will they be easily distracted.
citement a little in order to complete These are both likely to happen if stu-
the rest of the activities for your les- For some students these types of dents are overly excited or energized.
son. exercises will actually energize them
more so experiment to see what If you are not sure what your students
Here are some strategies for dealing works best with your classes. Differ- are interested in, simply ask them or
with students who are bouncing off ent groups of students may require take a poll of various topics to see
the walls of your classroom. different tactics. what they are most eager to learn
about.
HOW TO CALM YOUR
ESL STUDENTS DOWN 3 QUIET TIME
Active exercises can be a lot of

1 SIT DOWN
Students who are seated are
fun, especially with young learners,
but after students have gotten out
of their seats and moved around a
AS YOU CAN SEE THESE
APPROACHES ARE VERY DIFFER-
more restrained and subdued. If stu- bit, bring their heart rates down with ENT BUT THEY CAN ALL BE EFFEC-
dents are running around the class- a quiet activity such as reading or TIVE WHEN USED PROPERLY. THE
room or having a heated discussion, writing. Students can take their time METHOD YOU CHOOSE DEPENDS ON
ask everyone to go back to their silently reading through an article or YOUR STUDENTS AND HOW THEY
desks and sit down. The physical begin writing their individual answers REACT TO ACTIVITIES.
state of sitting in their chairs will help to short answer or essay questions
them relax. Standing is a great stance before you turn these activities into
for action while sitting is more a state class activities to check pronuncia- Be sure to use the one that will be
of rest. Some students may fidget at tion, comprehension, and grammar most efficient for the type of students
their desks but sitting is already a big points. you have in your classroom. Luckily
improvement and this is less likely to this becomes less of a problem as
distract other students. These types of activities are good for students get older and in adult class-
calming a class down but should be es you will rarely have similar issues.
Once learners have taken their seats, avoided if students lack energy as you If you struggle with this, change your
shift their focus immediately to an risk them falling asleep. approach to classes in order to re-
activity so that they do not become solve it and look on the bright side, at

4
bored or lose interest in the lesson. It least no one is sleeping.
FOCUS
is important for students to focus their
energy on learning English so help Get students to really focus by
them put it to good use by effectively conducting an activity such as a circle
managing your classroom. exercise or something similar that is
fast paced. This will take advantage of

2 EXERCISE
An activity requiring lots of en-
their energy but because they never
know whose turn it will be next, they
have to be quiet and pay attention in
ergy that will tire students out could order to perform their part well.
make them a little more calm during
the rest of your lesson. Another game that is exciting but re-
quires that students remain calm and

16
Stickers for the Little Ones:
Motivation Booster or Evil?
NOTHING MAKES A CHILD PROUDER provide some encouragement, the course. You can make them yourself,
THAN SHOWING OFF A NEWLY others may question the decision or and they can be as simple or as elabo-
ACQUIRED STICKER. even say it’s undeserved. So, you’re rate as you wish. As you reward each
It gives them a sense of pride and ac- leaving the field wide open for disap- child with a sticker, they stick it in their
complishment. It’s proof and evidence of pointment, resentment, mistrust and albums, and for every 5 they collect, they
a job well done. Children connect to real a host of other negative feelings. get a special, larger one or a “limited edi-
objects more than abstracts, and reward • Students who typically do well in tion” sticker. The best thing about this re-
stickers are the one tangible item they class will move jump through hoops ward system is that the kids get to keep
need to feel encouraged to keep work- to get more stickers, and the more their albums, plus it’s a lot more private
ing in class. Words like, “Good job!” are they get the more they want. This than the wall chart in plain sight. Stu-
simply not enough if they don’t come with sometimes makes it difficult for dents choose whether they wish to show
the visible “seal of approval”. It’s good to teachers to encourage shy students. the amount of stickers they’ve collected,
teach children about things like responsi- or keep it to themselves.
bility and the importance of learning, but PUBLIC REWARD VS.
it just doesn’t sink in if they don’t have PRIVATE REWARD: STICKER EXCHANGE
something tangible to hold on to. Still,
the use of reward stickers in the ESL The reward chart hanging on the wall will This can work with either the public
classroom should not be taken lightly. show exactly how many stars each stu- wall chart or private sticker album. Have
Teachers must be aware of the fact that dent has, and is visible to all students, a number of prizes of varying value on
a highly visible sticker chart will be very which encourages healthy competition. display somewhere in the classroom.
well received by some students, but not After all, we live in a highly competitive The system works like this: once a child
all of the children will be happy with the world, right? However, there are times has collected a certain number of stick-
arrangement. when the reward chart makes students ers, say 5, he or she has the opportunity
feel less than good about themselves, to trade them in for a prize of lower value,
PROS AND CONS OF particularly those who have very few say a candy bar. Or they may choose to
SCHOOL STICKERS: stickers in comparison to others who wait till get collect some more for a big-
have many. Privately rewarded stickers ger, more expensive prize, say 20 stick-
ers for a book. The teacher circles or
PROS: will still boost their confidence and mo-
tivate them to keep working. Moreover, checks the stickers they have traded in:
• Of all of the things you may use to a teacher may choose to reward a shy there’s no need to actually remove them
reward your students for their ef- student with a sticker, and if this is done from the chart or album. This is a great
forts, school stickers are the least privately, there is a little more leeway. So, way to teach children to save, plus a
questioned by parents. Unlike candy we must all be aware of the risks posed thing or two about patience and planning.
or small toys, stickers are the most by public rewards if we choose to employ
harmless: all other “gifts” may be them, whereas with private rewards there CUSTOM STICKERS
construed as a form of bribery. are none. Here are some great ways to
• Teacher stickers (those that are reward children with kids stickers: For more targeted rewards use stick-
designed for school use) are much ers that have been designed with specif-
ic messages, like stickers for playground
more affordable, in fact, as they can CLASSIC STAR CHART
easily be bought in bulk. You can behavior, collaboration, spelling, etc...
even find printable stickers online Make a chart with the children’s This way, you have the chance to reward
and print them on some full size la- names listed on the left side. Give each students for particular skills or behaviors,
bel paper. a star sticker for good behavior, complet- and they’ll have more chances to earn
ing a task first, picking up the most toys, stickers.
• They are highly effective in class-
room management, whether you etc. You can reward countless types of
wish to deal with behavior problems, behavior, but if you use this type of public THE REAL KEY TO EFFECTIVELY MOTI-
or simply get a little more coopera- reward make sure you reward different VATING YOUNG LEARNERS THROUGH
tion from your young students. types of things, not only class perfor- REWARD STICKERS IS FINDING WAYS
• It gives children something to look
mance. For example, a child who seems TO MOTIVATE THEM ALL, ESPECIALLY
forward to: it gives them an achiev-
to have a hard time learning won’t get THOSE WHO HAVE DIFFICULTIES
able goal (young children simply do
any stars for winning games, but he or LEARNING ENGLISH. In these cases, you
she may get plenty for helping you tidy may choose to reward them for the best
not relate to learning goals).
up. Give them a prize from a grab bag drawing or the neatest handwriting. But
after they collect 10 stars. They will cer- remember that all students deserve praise
CONS: tainly work hard to earn that prize! for one thing or another. If you keep this
• Students who don’t do as well will one thing in mind, all of your young learn-
not get as many stickers - they may STICKER ALBUMS ers will receive the boost of confidence
in fact get none. If the teacher wish- they need. The possibilities are almost
Give each student a sticker album limitless!
es to reward a student with one to
they will keep for the duration of the
17
 5 Non-Verbal Ways
to Do Error Correction
EFFECTIVE ERROR CORRECTION IS
ONE OF THE THINGS ESL TEACHERS
STRUGGLE WITH THE MOST.
Give them an open-mouthed, wide-
eyed stare. Or arch an eyebrow.
The more “theatrical” the facial ex-
pression is, the funnier it’ll be. You’ll
5 USE FINGER COUNTING
How can you correct mistakes in
word order in a non-verbal way? Fin-
If you correct them too much, you be effectively signalling that a mistake ger counting is simply perfect for this!
might make them feel discouraged has been made, but students won’t Say a student used the wrong word
and compromise their fluency for the take it so seriously. order to ask a question: “You are a
sake of accuracy. If you correct them teacher?” Ask the student to repeat
too little, they’ll continue making the the question and then show him or
same mistakes. Achieving the right her how you count the words on your

3
balance is a daunting task, although
USE GESTURES fingers.
not an impossible one. And when do-
ing on the spot correcting, do you sim- Another very effective way to Show the student how the first two fin-
ply supply the right answer? Although show students they’ve made a mis- gers are in the wrong order, so that
it is certainly an option, you should take is through gestures, some of the student understands the question
sometimes give your students the which may be specific to the kind of should start with “Are you...”
chance to correct themselves. mistake. Teachers typically gesture
backwards with their hands or point
There are several verbal strategies to the back to show students they
you may use, like asking them to re- haven’t used the verb in the past. Stu-
peat what they’ve just said, or re- dents often use the wrong pronouns: YOU CAN GET AS CREATIVE AS
peating the sentence yourself but it’s quite common to hear a student YOU LIKE WITH YOUR FACIAL
pausing to let the student fill in the say, “She went to the movies with EXPRESSIONS, GESTURES, AND
“blank” correctly. your boyfriend.” To which you sim- VISUAL REMINDERS. REMEMBER
ply reply by pointing to yourself with a HERE THAT THE ULTIMATE GOAL
However, here are the 5 best non- look of shock or surprise. IS TO HELP STUDENTS LEARN
verbal ways to do error correction. FROM THEIR MISTAKES, AND IF
You may also implement a gesture to YOU SIMPLY SUPPLY THE RIGHT
HOW TO PROCEED indicate that students should repeat ANSWER, THEY MAY NOT FULLY
something, or say it again, and if they INTERNALIZE IT.

1 USE A GRAMMAR FLAG

Once you have your students
repeat the mistake, you can raise
a finger to show them where in the
sentence the mistake is, though they
Some teachers have even been
known to hum well-known songs to
actively engaged in some drilling ex- have to figure out what they are doing trigger the correct response, like De-
ercises, use a little red flag to “flag” wrong. peche Mode’s “People are People”
their mistakes. The flag goes up if when students make the classic mis-
they make a mistake and students take, “people is”!
instantly know they should go back

4
and say it again. You may also use
USE VISUAL REMINDERS
the flag in others types of activities,
or whenever you wish to work on ac- Very often students forget the
curacy. final “-s” in the simple present, third
person singular. You may have a big S
stuck on a wall that you can point to on
such occasions, or point to something

2 USE FACIAL EXPRESSIONS

Students are sometimes self-
that will trigger the right response, like
the picture of an S-shaped snake.

conscious enough without having to Visual reminders are also great for
endure constant corrections. So, how vocabulary-related mistakes. A stu-
can you effectively correct them and dent may say “childs” instead of
not stomp on their confidence in the “children”. You point to a picture of
process? When a student makes a a group of children to indicate that
mistake, like saying a verb in the past something is wrong, while the student
tense incorrectly, use an exagger- has to figure out he or she used the
ated facial expression to signal the wrong plural.
mistake.

18
How to Add Language Points
to Your ESL Crafts
ARTS AND CRAFTS PROJECTS ARE A
GREAT FIT IN THE ESL CLASSROOM.
THESE TYPES OF ACTIVITIES CATER
1 WHAT TO ADD
TO MAKE AN ART PROJECT
MORE LANGUAGE-ORIENTED:
strip, thus combining their draw-
ing with writing. You may also
have them illustrate a story, or
create a book as a group.
TO ARTISTICALLY-TALENTED CHIL-
• Vocabulary – Introduce a set of
DREN, PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH You can introduce language points in
new words they will learn and
SOME TIME TO WORK QUIETLY, three distinct moments: before , dur-
practice through this exercise.
AND GIVE THEM THE POSSIBILITY ing or after the art or craft project.
This is a particularly useful strate-
TO PRODUCE SOMETHING THEY CAN Let’s look at some examples.
gy when you’re teaching students
PROUDLY TAKE HOME.
about a particular holiday like

2
Crafts are great ways for them to show
Cinco de Mayo, Valentine’s Day, BEFORE THE ART PROJECT
off what they’ve learned! However, as
Thanksgiving, etc. and you want
language learning is our primary con- Language points that are ideally
to do it through a craft project.
cern, we need to make sure we take introduced before the project typically
advantage of crafts time to teach a involve new vocabulary. Introduce the
• Reading – Have students read a
relevant language point. new words in groups of four to five,
short story and ask them a ques-
check for comprehension by asking
WHEN CHOOSING tion at the end. Have them sup-
questions or asking students for ex-
THE CRAFT ACTIVITY: ply their answers in a picture, clay
model, or collage of magazine amples, and finally they will be ready
cutouts. to start their art project. This works
1. Choose a craft for its potential for great for vocabulary related to holi-
language teaching (how much days or special celebrations. For ex-
language you will be able to teach • Listening/Viewing – same as
above, except this time you read ample, introduce Christmas vocabu-
with this particular activity) rather lary and then have students make
than its artistic appeal. In other the story or play an audio track. Or
show your students a video. Ask tree decorations based on the items
words, it is important to consider they learned.
first what you want to teach, and students to watch to the video for
the London 2012 Olympics song,

3
only then find a craft that will help
Survival by Muse. Students pay DURING THE ART PROJECT
you meet your language goals.
close attention and write down
the sports they see. See who can If you make your students chant
2. Consider that your best choice or sing while they complete their proj-
may be something less “artistic” name the most! Students then
draw/paint a picture of their favor- ect, they can very easily practice a
or which involves less sophisti- specific grammar or language point.
cated tools, like a simple paint- ite Olympic sport. Make it class
project! Students work together Also, try teaching them a step by step
ing with watercolors or a drawing process as they work on their project.
activity like a cartoon. Sometimes on a large poster board, each one
drawing one sport. Say you want to teach them verbs like
we are fascinated by the wide cut, glue, put, stick, etc. you can teach
range of materials we can use, these new verbs as you instruct them
and we forget what it is we want • Speaking – Speaking tasks typi-
cally involve role plays. Why not step by step.
to teach. Remember that we are
ask students to make their props?

4
ESL teachers, not art teachers.
For a shopping role play, they AFTER THE ART PROJECT
Don’t let yourself be swayed by a
“cool” art project. can model the items that will be
This is very simple and easy to
on sale out of clay, or draw them
do if you ask them to draw or paint a
3. Don’t be afraid to adapt a craft or cut them out from magazines.
scene, and then give them instruc-
project to suit your language Or say you want to have your stu-
tions to write a story based on their
teaching needs. A Springtime Mo- dents practice making polite re-
picture. You can specifically instruct
bile Project may be easily turned quests. Ask them to draw different
them to set the story in the past, pres-
into a fall, summer or winter mo- fruits, vegetables or food items on
ent or future.
bile project with the proper adjust- cardboard and have them paint
ments in the vocabulary list. their foods. When they’re dry, stu-
dents set a table with their items
ESL CRAFTS ARE TREMENDOUS FUN
HOW TO MAKE YOUR and ask each other to “Pass the
FOR ESL STUDENTS.
ART PROJECT MORE salt, please” or “Could you please
But they are also wonderful language
LANGUAGE-ORIENTED pass me an apple?”
teaching tools. Don’t let these oppor-
tunities go to waste and give your stu-
• Writing – Students create a comic
dents a valuable lesson instead.

19
10 Creative Spelling Teaching Ideas
Spelling can often come across as a the word. If it is correct, then the letter will I found difficult to be incredibly helpful.
challenge to many people, both adults be put in one of the gaps. If not, then the Now as a teacher, I find it to be just as
and children. With the English language, man slowed gets “hanged”, first with the useful for students.
it is can be doubly excruciating to learn. drawing of the noose, the head and all

Teachers of English need to be sure that

their spelling is immaculate, as it can of-
the limbs. This can be incredibly effective
for students to see how a certain word
is spelled out as it is slowly revealed to
7 REGULAR SPELLING TESTS
Most people who attended school
ten reflect badly on you if your spelling is them! in an English speaking country has been
not up to scratch. Even if you have dif- subjected to the painful thought of spell-
ficulty (a lot of people suffer with mild to
severe forms of dyslexia), a good idea
would be to have a dictionary close by.
3 PERSONAL DICTIONARIES
Whether you have a class of chil-
ing tests. Usually they are held on a cer-
tain day of the week. The students are
given a list of words to learn for the week,
This will allow you to be sure, especially if dren or adults, a good idea is to use a and then tested on them usually at the
a student asks a question. Techniques of personal dictionary. Have them divide it end of class. Offer rewards for those who
spelling are taught differently, depending into different sections for each letter at get everything right! This will further mo-
on the age of the students and of course the beginning of the course. Any word tivate the students to learn.
their current level of language. It can be the students are unfamiliar with or have
something of a challenge if you’re teach-
ing the Roman alphabet to individuals
who come from places like the Far East,
difficulty spelling can be put into this dic-
tionary. It is a great way of building up a
quick reference, especially for words that
8 WORD OF THE DAY
Having a specific word, particularly
Russia or the Middle East. Often their constantly crop up. one that has difficult or unusual spelling,
own languages will use a different alpha- during every class will expose the stu-
bet such as Arabic or Cyrillic. Before you
decide to set about teaching spelling, it
is important to realize just where each of
4 USING SCRABBLE SQUARES
This isn’t so much Scrabble - it is
dents to new spelling structures. Not only
will this allow for much more familiarity
with strange words, but a discussion can
your students is coming from. But rote using the scrabble squares. A variety of be brought up from it. Often it will work as
learning isn’t the only thing that is going different games can be made from this. a great filler if you happen to have some
to help. You need to be creative in your An idea would be to get an article and jot time left at the end of class!
style in order to grab and keep the stu- down the unfamiliar vocabulary. As an ac-
dents’ attention.

HOW TO TEACH
tivity for afterwards, play a game involv-
ing these. Get the students to spell out a
word with their cubes and go around and
9 “BOWLING”
As a quick test of the student’s
check them. Write up the words as they spelling ability, have everyone stand up.
SPELLING originally appear on the board, and with Throw various words at random students
those that are spelled incorrectly, ask the and see if they are able to spell them.

1 THE ABC SONG

Everyone has learned this in
students what is wrong with them and
why they are incorrect. This will allow the
student to correct their own mistakes,
If not, they have to remain standing. Of-
ten this will motivate them to learn the
words correctly, as nobody wants to be
school. It is probably one of the most which can help them to be more cautious left standing on their own.
simple and effective ways of teaching in in the future.

10
rhyme. This is particularly effective with SPELLING BEE

5
children. When it comes to languages
SPELLING RULES
where the Roman alphabet is used, they In certain countries, Spell-
will have their own versions of this song. English is notoriously difficult when ing Bees are quite popular with younger
Sometimes they are similar, sometimes it comes to spelling. Therefore, there is people. Often they can be a great incen-
the letters are pronounced completely a variety of different rules which are as- tive for people to learn. Hosting a mini
differently. It is important for you as the sociated with it. Here in an example:“I” spelling bee in the class is often a great
teacher to give the English pronunciation before “e” except after “c”. An example way of motivating younger learners, es-
and make sure that the students apply can be seen in the words “receive” and pecially if there is a reward involved. It
it correctly. This activity is generally for “conceive”. However, due to the nature can be a lot of fun. Get your students to
beginners, and afterwards it will serve of English, there are exceptions , such try and organize the competition them-
as a practical basis for learning to spell as in “science”. To help students get selves, organizing who will be the judg-
words, both simple and complex. their heads around this, write down all es, the participants etc.
the rules and get them to write it down in

2 HANG MAN their personal dictionaries.

ALL OF THESE METHODS COME WITH

6 THE PURPOSE OF HELPING STUDENTS

Most of us have played Hang Man
FOCUS ON EXCEPTIONS
at some point in our lives. The teacher TO BECOME FAMILIAR WITH NEW
will usually start with a blank board, and This ties in with the last point. It is WORDS. We cannot stress the impor-
draw out “gaps” for where the letters of a a good idea to focus on the exceptions, tance of building up a personal diction-
specific word go. Get one of the students such as words like “science”. Have the ary enough. Having a quick reference is
to stand at the top of the class and ask students write these down in their dic- often a life saver and, over time, the stu-
them to think of a word. The students will tionaries. As a language learner myself, dents are gradually going to need it less
then ask the student what letters are in I found compiling my own list of words and less.
20
Getting Kids Ready to Write: 4
Easy Strategies for ESL Teachers
this activity is designed for nonfiction then go through the process of writing
PUTTING A BLANK PIECE OF PAPER writing, not fiction. Therefore, rather it.
BEFORE SOMEONE AND ASKING than labeling the columns as sections

4
HER TO WRITE CAN BE INTIMIDAT- of a story, your students should label STAR POWER
ING, AND THE CLEAN WHITE PAGE the sections what I know, what I want
CAN ACTUALLY HINDER THE WORDS to know, and what I learned. They can Your students can generate
FROM COMING. then spend a few minutes filling out ideas for a nonfiction paragraph with a
No one is more susceptible to this fear the first column with facts and infor- simple star organizer. Have your stu-
of the blank page than kids. That is mation they already know about the dents draw a large, five pointed star
why stressing writing as a process is subject they are researching. Then on one side of a piece of paper. If you
so important with young students. A have your students ask themselves have already talked about topic sen-
big part of the writing process is get- some questions about the topic they tences, ask each person to write the
ting kids thinking about what they will are going to research. What do they topic sentence for their paragraph in
write, or prewriting, before we ask want to know? Have them make some the center of the star. If you have not
them to put words on the blank page. notes in the second column. Now it is talked about topic sentences, this is
Following are some ideas you can time to do the research. As your kids the time to do it. You could also have
use to get your kids’ heads in the right read, have them take notes in the your students simply write the topic of
place before they set their pencils to third column, writing down information the paragraph in the middle of the star.
that empty page. as they discover it. When it is time to Each of the arms of the star is for the
write the report, have your students details that will support the main idea.
GETTING KIDS READY use the information on the paper as Challenge your students to write one
TO WRITE: TRY THESE an outline for what they will say about sentence in each of the arms. Once
4 EASY STRATEGIES their research. those sentences are written, the para-
graphs are practically finished. Show

1 THE RULE OF THREE

Something as simple as folding 3 THE DAILY REPORT
Whether your students are get-
your students how to start a para-
graph by indenting and then copying
the six sentences that are inside the
a piece of paper into three columns ting ready to write a fiction or nonfiction star. Finish the paragraph with a con-
can be enough to motivate your kids piece, you can use the daily report to cluding sentence and the writing as-
to get their ideas on the paper. Ask help them generate ideas before they signment is complete.
each person to divide his paper into tackle writing the entire piece. Start
three sections, either by folding or by with a review of the question words
drawing lines down the page and then in English: who, what, where, when, THESE ARE ONLY SOME OF THE
label those columns beginning, mid- why and how. Then, ask questions STRATEGIES WITH WHICH YOU CAN
dle and end. Then, as your students or have your students ask questions GET KIDS READY TO WRITE. USE
are thinking about a story that they that begin with each of these words. THESE IN YOUR NEXT WRITING
might write, have them make notes on For example, for a fictional piece you CLASS, OR CREATE SOME OF YOUR
something that could happen at the might ask, “Who appears in the sto- OWN. THE MAIN POINT IS TO GET
beginning of the story, in the middle of ry?” For a nonfiction piece ask, “Who KIDS THINKING ABOUT AND TAKING
the story, and at the end of the story. was on the scene of the event?” After NOTES ON A SUBJECT BEFORE THEY
By getting some possibilities down on everyone has some answers to who HAVE TO WRITE A COMPOSED AND
paper before writing the story, your question, move on to what questions. COMPLETE PIECE.
students will have an easier time mov- Working through the question words During these activities, make sure
ing the story forward and will ensure one at a time is similar to how a re- your class does not fret over grammar
a solid plot which clearly has a begin- porter writes an article. You may want or spelling mistakes as these notes
ning, middle and end, an achievement to put your students into small groups are purely for their own use. The final
that does not always come easy for or do this activity as a class, but make draft is when they should be careful
children. sure each person is writing about their about spelling and grammar. Getting
own topic on their own sheet even if your kids ready before they write does

2 THE KWL CHART

Before setting your students to
the whole class is coming up with the
questions together. Once everyone
has answered at least one question
more than take away the fear of the
blank page. It improves the quality
of their writing and makes the words
some research and then a report on beginning with each word, ask stu- come more easily. If you have fun with
any given subject, have them start with dents to go back and read what they these writing readiness ideas, your
a KWL chart. Like the previous activity, have written. They can use these ba- students will, too, and that is some-
your students should begin by dividing sic facts to outline the final piece and thing every teacher should want!
their papers into three sections, but

21
3 Great Ways to Inspire
Young Learners to Write
Children in ESL classes are notoriously limit, and collect all of the pictures when
- Tell about your day today...
shy about writing in general. It is really - describe your last birthday... they are done. Then redistribute the pic-
critical for their language development - what will you bring to class for show tures making sure that no one gets their
that they receive early and constant ex- and tell. own. You can then have students write
posure to writing opportunities. The topics can be as low level or as ad- on any number of topics. They could de-
vanced as the students’ abilities and you scribe the picture that they see or create
TRY THESE 3 GREAT can connect them to the lesson’s theme a story around it. The purpose is again
WAYS TO INSPIRE for relevance or use them to review past to be creative and to make writing a
YOUNG LEARNERS TO topics or lessons. Obviously you want to pleasurable activity that students want
WRITE choose topics that the students would to engage in.
enjoy writing about (see our Creative

1 FREE FLOW
AND CREATIVITY
Writing Prompts Parts 1-5!), have some
knowledge base, and have some lan-
guage to express themselves. Follow-
3 CREATE A STORY AS
A GROUP (STORYBOARD)
Perhaps one of the reasons children can up activities to free flow writing could Often in higher levels, an inventive writ-
be reluctant to write creatively is they be numerous. You could have students ing activity is organizing a collaborative
are insecure about their spelling, gram- read each other’s compositions and use effort among students to write a story.
matical or structural skills. It is a good it as an opportunity for peer correction. You can adapt this for younger audienc-
idea to remove these anxieties by sup- You could also have the students read es by also including drawings. This could
plying ample opportunities for creative what they wrote and have their class- be an entire week long lesson where
processing that doesn’t pick apart struc- mates ask them questions about what each day students engage in a different
ture and syntax. The focus should be on they wrote. A third option would be to part of the writing or drawing piece. It is
the expression. For some children, de- collect the writing and go over it indi- also a wonderful way to remind them of
vising a complete sentence may be re- vidually with the students. You want to all that they have been learning regard-
ally intimidating. There are several ways make sure that free flow writing is just ing writing, structure, and syntax. Start
you can navigate around their fears, and that, and that students don’t feel inhib- by introducing the concept of writing and
provide creative options. First off just ited by what their writing may be lacking. illustrating a story together. Review the
try thinking about writing in a different The focus is on creativity. There are lots elements of a story and brainstorm with
way. Give them an opportunity to string of other options to focus on grammar, the class all the things the story will need
words together in poetic ways that don’t punctuation, and syntax. to be complete (characters, setting, plot,
necessarily rely on punctuation or tradi- conflict, etc.). Then it will come time to
tional meanings. Supply them with some
jumping off points, like some familiar
vocabulary that they need to include in
2 ILLUSTRATE WRITING
AND SHARE
determine what the story topic is going
to be. Decide ahead of time how you will
present this—by dictating it, brainstorm-
their writing. Choose different types of Combining drawing with writing is a ing about it, or choosing randomly out
words, and provide an explanation or wonderful way to engage students, es- of a hat. Then put students into groups.
discussion of those words after the writ- pecially really young learners. There are This is up to the teacher’s preference.
ing. An example could be: write six lines numerous ways to do this to facilitate a Assign the students their daily task per
and include these three words in your feeling of freedom and to allow students group and be sure to give them dead-
poem: Mother, happy, blue. They could to express themselves in two modali- lines. The students among different
then share their writing with a partner or ties. One possibility would be to have groups will have to work together so that
simply turn it into you. the students do something like a scaled the story has some flow. Sometimes do-
down graphic novel. Depending on ing the illustrating or storyboarding first
Free flow writing is another way to ac- the country you are teaching in, these will provide the students with a guide to
complish a similar writing exercise and may be hugely popular. Tell students to follow when they write. Think it through
could be a bit longer. This is almost like choose a hero and a villain (great vo- and determine what will work best for
journal writing, and can be done to vary- cab lesson), and then write one scene your particular group. The end product
ing degrees with many different levels or frame of a story. Once they have a could be copied and bound so that all
and ages. You can devise it however few frames written, they can accompany students have a book that they wrote.
you would like as long as the end prod- that with as simple or as involved draw-
uct of writing is not judged on grammar, ings as you would like them to get into.
punctuation or spelling. You can give They can then share their creations with WRITING IS NOT JUST ABOUT STRUC-
students a topic and tell them to write one another, and you can easily make TURE AND PRACTICAL ELEMENTS.
for five or ten minutes. Be sure to tell this an ongoing project making sure that It is also about self-expression and cre-
the students not to get hung up on the the language objectives are clearly de- ativity. Opening students up to the world
writing itself, but just to write whatever fined. Another way to incorporate illus- of the written word doesn’t have to be
comes to mind. trations is to have each student draw painful or frustrating. With a little creativ-
a picture. You could give them a topic ity and spirit, even your youngest learn-
Example topics could be things like: or leave it wide open. Give them a time ers will pick up the pen and surprise you!

22
What Do You See? 8 Steps
to Teaching Basic Vocabulary
Picture books are a useful tool for their masks, read the book again speaking.
the ESL teacher, especially when and have each person stand when
she is teaching younger students.

Picture books can be a great help in

his animal is speaking. Have your
students sit down again when the next
animal speaks. After you read the
7 WHAT DO YOU SEE?
Tell your students that now
reading and writing lessons and can entire book, say each animal again you are going to play a game. You
even be the basis of a conversation and have your students stand for their will say their name and ask them what
class. For vocabulary lessons, simple animal. they see. They should respond by
books with repeating phrases are naming an object in the room as well
particularly useful. One such book
is Bill Martin’s Brown Bear, Brown
Bear, What do You See? (http://
4 REVIEW THE ROLES
On the following day, repeat the
as its color. For example:

“Hyun, Hyun, what do you see?”

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_ activity. Then have student exchange “I see a brown desk looking at
Bear,_Brown_Bear,_What_Do_ masks and read the story again. They me.”
You_See%3F) which teaches basic should stand when the animal on their
colors and animal vocabulary. mask is speaking. If any of your stu- Give each of your students at least one
dents have learned the chant, encour- turn.
If you have beginning students who age them to say it along with you.
need a lesson or a review on colors
and animals, here are some activities
you can try. Your kids will have fun, 5 LOOK AND SEE 8 A CLASS COLLAGE
Then, make available to your
and they will learn as they play with Then rearrange your students students some old magazines. Tell
Martin’s prose. so they are sitting in the same order each person that she should find one
as the animals in the book. Starting picture among the magazines for
HOW TO TEACH at the beginning of the line, ask each each of the animals, and the color of
BASIC VOCABULARY student what he sees. “Sam, what do the object should match the color of
you see?” for example. The student the animal. When a student finds an

1 GET READY
Start by reading the book to
should answer with the name of the
animal next to him. He can say either
the animal’s name (e.g. red bird) or
appropriate picture, have her come
to the front of the room and point out
the poster where her picture belongs.
your class. It is best if you can intro- the entire phrase (I see a red bird She should also tell you the color of her
duce the book before you plan to do looking at me). object. Then have her glue her picture
the rest of the activities so your stu- to the correct poster.
dents have some familiarity with it. To make sure everyone has prac-
tice with more than one animal, have Give your class enough time so every-

2 MAKE MASKS
On the day you plan to start
your students exchange masks and
repeat the activity. Continue until every
student has had the opportunity to be
one can find one picture for each of the
animals. When you finish, you should
have a collage of magazine pictures for
the activities, read the book to your each of the animals in the book. each color in the book. You should also
class again. After you read, give each have a good read on how well your stu-
student a picture of one of the animals
in the book, and ask them to color the
animal like the one in the book.
6 REVIEW
On the third day, prepare for
dents have learned their colors.

THESE ARE SIMPLE ACTIVITIES THAT

Make sure you have at least one of your color and animal lesson by TEACH SIMPLE VOCABULARY, BUT
each animal represented in your class, hanging poster paper in the front IF YOU ARE TEACHING YOUNG ESL
and having multiples of the animals is of your room, one page for each of STUDENTS, YOUR CLASS WILL LOVE
okay, too. Have each student cut out the animals, and glue a picture of IT.
his or her picture and glue it to a paper each animal to a poster. Once your students know their colors
plate. Then, have them glue or tape a and animals, there are many follow up
tongue depressor to the plate. Distribute the masks again before activities you can do to reinforce their
Each person now has a mask which reading the book one more time, and new vocabulary.
shows one of the animals in the book. encourage your class to chant along
with you. Many of them will be good

3 ROLL CALL
With your students holding
at it by now.
Like the previous two days, have
each person stand when his animal is

23
 How to Teach Numbers
NUMBERS ARE TYPICALLY TAUGHT
EARLY ON IN ESL COURSES.
This means that students generally
4 CHECK
With beginners, it is important
is the student with the most cards at
the end of the game. If your students
are struggling with certain numbers,
feel free to also write the numeral on
to check comprehension frequently.
have very limited English abilities so it Students may be confused or hesitant the board but be sure to say it first.
is best to proceed slowly, taking sev- due to lack of understanding but will You can use this same deck later on
eral classes if necessary to cover the often be unwilling or unable to ask for to practice reading and the difference
material. The first time numbers are help. A group activity will get your stu- between -teens and multiples of ten.
introduced, limit them to numbers one dents on their feet. One activity is to

7
through ten and then build up to one make groups with the same number PRODUCE
hundred. Larger numbers can be in- of people as you call out. For exam-
troduced at another time. ple if you say “Four” students should Since you recently used bingo
make groups of four and when you in your warm up, students should be
HOW TO PROCEED call out the next number they should familiar with the game. Ask them to
run around trying to get into appro- fill out new grids with numbers zero

1 WARM UP
Your students are, at this stage,
priately sized groups. Another activ-
ity is to split the class into two to four
teams. Each group should determine
through one hundred and play mul-
tiple times. You can also play another
group activity where students stand
probably beginners so try to review in what order students take turns and in a circle and take turns saying num-
material that was covered in the pre- be given a portion of the board to write bers in order from zero to one hun-
vious lesson and keep lessons enjoy- on. When you say a word aloud, the dred. Perhaps students say a number
able so that students will not develop student whose turn it is should run to and then the name of the classmate
an aversion to your classes. Lessons the board and write the numeral. If who will say the next one or some oth-
prior to this may include letters so you your students do very well, tell them er variation to keep things interesting.
can play letter bingo. Each student they have to spell out the word and When they have mastered that, you
should have a five by five grid. Have maybe later on, as a review activity, can ask them to skip numbers with
them fill in the grid with letters and students have to spell out the word of threes and sevens, including thirteen
then say letters at random until one or the number that comes after the one and seventy for example, to make it
more students have gotten bingo. you say aloud. At the end of the game, more challenging.
the group with the most points wins.

2 INTRODUCE NUMBERS
Use flashcards to introduce
5 INTRODUCE
MORE NUMBERS
8 REVIEW
Worksheets may be an appropri-
numbers one through ten. Flashcards ate review activity but any activity you
should have both the numeral and the played during your numbers classes,
word for each number. This will proba- When your students are confident us-
ing numbers one through ten, intro- could be conducted again as a review.
bly also include introducing some new
vocabulary so choose words that will duce numbers zero to one hundred.
be used often in your classroom and Focus primarily on the numerals and
words where the plural form is made pronunciation. It is a lot of new ma-
terial to take in but there is a pattern
by simply adding -s. Words like teach-
so stressing one through ten as well
NUMBERS ARE USED OFTEN DURING
er, student, book, pencil, and desk
as multiples of ten will be really im-
ESL COURSES. ESPECIALLY BEFORE
would all be appropriate. Use choral
portant. The difficult part for most stu-
LESSONS ON TIME OR SOMETHING
repetition for pronunciation practice
dents will be eleven to nineteen and
SIMILAR, A REVIEW IS GOING TO
and then drill using the flashcards.
confusing numbers like thirteen with
BE NECESSARY. STUDENTS WILL
MOST LIKELY CONTINUE TO BE

3
thirty. Keeping this in mind, practice
PRACTICE NUMBERS difficult areas more often than others.
CONFUSED BY THE PRONUNCIA-
TION OF CERTAIN NUMBERS SO
If your students are not famil- SPECIAL SHORT CHALLENGE ACTIV-
iar with the Latin alphabet, they have
probably been using worksheets to
practice forming letters of the alpha-
6 PRACTICE
Make decks of cards for num-
ITIES MAY BE A NICE BREAK FROM
OTHER TOPICS AS THEY ADVANCE
THROUGH THEIR ENGLISH STUDIES.
bet. You can use a similar worksheet bers zero to one hundred with nu-
to help them practice writing out num- merals on one side and words on the
bers like one, two, three, etc. This is other. For the purposes of this activity
a good opportunity for them to prac- have students spread out the cards
tice letter and word spacing. If your numeral side up. Students should
students are familiar with the Latin play in groups of three to six. When
alphabet, matching or fill in the blank you call out a number, the first stu-
exercises may be more appropriate. dent to say and smack the appropri-
ate card gets to keep it. The winner

24
How to Teach Shapes
tion practice and drill by pointing to students were listening carefully.
STUDENTS MAY NOT OFTEN USE the drawings on the board or using

5
SHAPES IN THEIR EVERYDAY CON- flashcards. If you are only using ba- REVIEW
VERSATION OR ENGLISH LESSONS sic shapes and working with young
BUT IT IS STILL WORTH TEACHING learners, have them make the shapes If possible, it may be fun to get
YOUR STUDENTS CERTAIN BASIC using specific hand gestures as they the class moving and working togeth-
SHAPES ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE practice the words. This will help rein- er. In the last minutes of class have
GOING TO TELL THEM TO “CIRCLE force what the new words mean. students position themselves to cre-
THE CORRECT ANSWER.” ON THEIR ate the shape you call out. For ex-

3
WORKSHEETS OR EXAMS. PRACTICE SHAPES ample, if you say “Triangle.” students
should try to organize themselves into
After practicing the vocabulary a triangle.
Knowing basic shapes can also be as a class, have students practice
useful when students try to explain writing the words by labeling images It may be a bit of a challenge but de-
objects that they do not know the on a worksheet or making sentences pending on the class, may be quite
word for because if they can describe for each image. For example, if there enjoyable as well. It is good to con-
something accurately enough, you is a picture of a circular clock, stu- duct activities, such as this one, which
will be able to give them the correct dents can write “It’s a circle.” while require cooperation among your stu-
vocabulary word. This article provides if there is an image of a photograph, dents.
some ideas and activities on teaching students can write “It’s a rectangle.”
shapes to preschool and kindergarten
kids and teenagers. You can also continue practicing as
a class by naming familiar objects or
HOW TO PROCEED objects in the classroom and having SHAPES MAY NOT BE THE MOST
students tell you what shape they are. IMPORTANT SECTION OF MATERIAL

1 WARM UP
Shapes are another topic for
Students should be encouraged to
use full sentences when responding
to these questions.
THAT STUDENTS STUDY AND THIS
VOCABULARY IS UNLIKELY TO COME
UP REPEATEDLY IN THE COURSE
very beginners so it is worth spending BUT TEACHING BASIC SHAPES IS

4
time reviewing the previous lesson. If
PRODUCE STILL NECESSARY.
you choose to do the production activ-
ity suggested in this lesson, you may At this stage in the lesson stu- LATER ON WHEN STUDENTS ARE
want to devote some time to review- dents should be able to produce their TAUGHT THE ADJECTIVE FORM OF
ing numbers, description words and own material. You could have them THESE WORDS, SUCH AS CIRCULAR
body parts as well. You can simply write as many objects as they can AND TRIANGULAR, AT LEAST THEY
ask students to name the body part think of for each shape, for instance. WILL BE BUILDING UPON PREVI-
or number you are pointing to as a You could also conduct an activity OUSLY LEARNED MATERIAL.
class or by volunteering. You can also which combines students’ knowledge
review all this vocabulary using flash- of shapes, numbers, descriptions and
cards or by eliciting vocabulary from body parts.
your students to see what they can
remember. Assuming you have covered all of
these topics, you can do this activity
Warm up activities for beginning stu- called Monsters. Have students work
dents may take up to ten minutes of in pairs sitting back to back. First give
your class time depending on how students time to draw a monster on
much material you feel the need to in- the top half of their worksheets. Stu-
clude. When it comes to vocabulary, dent A will then describe his monster
repetition is the key. to his partner while Student B listens
to the description and draws a mon-

2 INTRODUCE SHAPES
Drawings on the board or flash-
ster based on the description he is
given. Students will say sentences
such as “He/She/It has one small
cards will be the easiest way to intro- nose. It’s a circle.” When Student A is
duce shapes. You may choose to only finished describing his monster, stu-
teach square, rectangle, circle, and dents should switch roles.
triangle but feel free to include other
vocabulary such as star and diamond When both partners have described
if appropriate. and drawn a monster, have students
compare their drawings. It is amusing
Use choral repetition for pronuncia- to see how different they are even if

25
 Kids and Money:
How to Teach Money Skills
or “a dollar twenty-five.” Be sure to location or scenario to build their role
HOW OLD WERE YOU WHEN YOU settle on one structure to use so that play around. Each student should
LEARNED TO DEAL WITH MONEY? your students will not be confused. have a minimum of two or three lines.
Depending on the age of your stu-

3
dents, they may or may not have
AMOUNTS As a class you can come up with
learned how to do this in their own some extra phases before handing
language and with their own currency Ask students to think of items out the scenarios. This way, students
so it is important when talking about that cost certain amounts of money have material on the board to draw
money in English classes not to focus for example $1.50, $5, $10, $20.75, from when creating their dialogues.
on math. Luckily money is an easy $50 and $100. The cent amount is ob- Perhaps this first class period can be
prop to make and is involved in lots viously not that important but it gives for writing and practice.
of real life situations so talking about students more practice saying these
money is an excellent chance to do a amounts correctly. Y You can encourage students to bring
role play activity. in props for the presentation lesson. It
ou can list the items in columns on the is up to you whether or not students
HOW TO TEACH board for students to use later on in have to memorize their lines. If not,
MONEY SKILLS class. This is usually very interesting you could provide props and students
because young students sometimes could complete the whole activity in

1 WARM UP have a very odd perception of cost

and their suggestions may be totally
one class period.

6
As if numbers were not hard
enough, talking about money just
off. REVIEW

4
complicates things. Use the warm up
PRACTICE If you are teaching in another
to practice numbers by playing Bingo country, conclude the section on mon-
or another number game. Then you Have students write down an ey by showing students the currency
can generate interest in the topic by item and its cost. It can be any item from your country. You can compare
asking how much things cost. and any cost they choose. Once ev- the appearance of your currency with
eryone has written something down, the currency students are most famil-
Having props on the desk that you have students walk around the class iar with. Students usually find this type
know the cost of and students should asking “How much does it cost?” and of activity quite interesting.
know the cost of will have them in- writing the answers down on a work-
trigued from the moment they walk sheet. Students should respond like
through the door. Waiting to talk about this “The *insert item name* costs
the items on the desk until after the *insert cost.*” based on what they ini-
warm up will engage them further. tially wrote on their worksheets. MONEY CAN BE A CONFUSING TOPIC
FOR STUDENTS.

2 INTRODUCE
Now that you have already intro-
Students should get ten answers and
ten signatures to complete the activ-
ity.
A common error is saying “dollar” for
instance, at the wrong point in the
duced the question “How much does sentence and dealing with cents or

5
this cost?” or “How much is this?” large numbers can also be frustrating.
PRODUCTION
you can model the response when
students tell you their answers. If a Now you can introduce a model After some practice, your students will
student says “500 yen!” you can say dialogue or a role play activity. Stu- get the hang of it.
“It costs 500 yen. Very good!” or, to dents already have lots of practice
elicit another response, “It costs 500 asking and answering the target struc-
yen! Really?” Use whatever the local ture so expand this to include more
currency is in these lessons. For ad- phrases and create something similar
vanced or business students, it is im- to a real life conversation. For a short
portant to learn about different curren- activity simply write the model dia-
cies but for primary school students, logue on the board with some blanks
dealing with just one is sufficient. where students can fill in an item and
cost using the lists you made on the
Certain currencies will be more chal- board. For a longer activity have stu-
lenging to teach because for instance dents work in groups of 3-4.
with $1.25 you could teach students to
say “one dollar and twenty-five cents” You can give each group a different

26
A Super-Engaging Elementary
Lesson on Adjectives
out that words which describe things mals. Each student should make a list
YOU HAVE COVERED NOUNS AND or people are adjectives. of these adjectives that describe the
VERBS, AND THE GRAMMAR CUR- animal he chose.

4
RICULUM HAS YOU MOVING ON LIST ADJECTIVES

7
TO ADJECTIVES WITH YOUR ESL DESCRIBE YOUR ANIMAL
STUDENTS. Close the book and ask your
Still, you want them to have fun and students which animals crowded Now that your students have
make a personal connection with the into the mitten. Write each animal on thought about their animals and
material you teach even when you are the board as they say it. Then, taking made a list of the adjectives to de-
teaching grammar. Here is an activity one animal at a time, ask what words scribe it, have your students write
you can do with your elementary level they can use to describe that animal. a paragraph describing the animal
ESL students that will get them think- You should allow your students to use they chose. In their paragraph, they
ing creatively and using adjectives their dictionaries as they offer adjec- should use several adjectives to de-
appropriately, and they will have fun, tives that can be used to describe scribe their animal.
too! each animal. Make a list of adjectives

HOW TO TEACH A
SUPER-ENGAGING
ELEMENTARY LESSON
under each animal on the board. You
will want to include words like fuzzy,
soft, prickly, sharp, warm, little,
big, lumpy and others on your list.
8 MAKE A CLASS BOOK
Once each student is finished
with their paragraph, give them
ON ADJECTIVES time with your classroom comput-

1 WHAT IS WINTER?
Start by asking your class
5 AN ACTIVE ADJECTIVE
GAME
er or take them to the computer lab
to type out their paragraphs. Using
the paint program on the computer,
You can review some of these ad- they can draw a picture of their ani-
to describe the weather in winter. jectives by playing a game with mal. Have students spell check their
What clothes do people typically wear your students. On her website, Jan paragraphs and print them out.
in the winter? Why do they wear these Brett has pictures of the animals in
clothes? If your students are willing, her book, which are designed to be You can then compile the paragraphs
allow some of them to share a person- used as masks. Print enough of these and pictures into a classroom book.
al story of when they were outside in so each student has a mask to use Make this book available to your stu-
winter weather and how it felt. during the game. Allow students to dents during independent reading
cut out their masks and then attach a time.
If they do not have a story to share, tongue depressor to the bottom.
you might want to share a story of
your own, perhaps the first time you Now ask your students questions us-
saw snow or an experience sledding ing the adjectives you listed on the
or skiing. board. “Who is fuzzy?” If their ani- WHETHER YOUR STUDENTS ARE
mal is fuzzy, the student should stand. STUDYING ESL OVERSEAS AND

2 READ THE MITTEN

After your discussion, read
Repeat with a different adjective. Your
students should notice that some ad-
jectives can be used to describe more
ARE NEW TO THE IDEA OF WINTER
OR YOU ARE TEACHING ABROAD
AND HAVE NEVER SEEN SNOW
your class The Mitten by Jan Brett. than one of the animals from the book. YOURSELF, YOUR STUDENTS WILL
This charming story tells the tale of LOVE THIS CHARMING TALE OF

6
how a mitten left behind became a
CHOOSE AN ANIMAL HOW WINTER BRINGS ANIMALS
cozy place for several animals to hide TOGETHER!
from the winter cold. After playing the game, ask
your students to think about their Not only that, they will learn how to

3 RETELL AND IMAGINE

Ask your students to retell
favorite animal. This can be an ani-
mal from the story one that was not
in the book. Ask your students, “What
use adjectives to describe these win-
ter animals and their own favorites,
too. The end result will be a book that
the story of the mitten as you show words on the board can be used your class will treasure for the entire
them the pictures. As they retell the to describe that animal?” Put your year.
story, ask what it might have felt like students into groups of three and ask
when each animal crowded into the them to describe their animal to the
mitten. As you do, your students will group. Encourage students to think
naturally offer descriptive words for of other adjectives that can describe
each of the animals. You should point their animals and their friends’ ani-

27
 How to Teach the Verb “To Be”
to Beginners
Without introducing the question form from America?” The really great
THE VERB “TO BE” IS THE FIRST “Is she happy?” you can use such thing about this activity is that stu-
VERB STUDENTS LEARN IN THEIR questions to test comprehension and dents essentially have to speak in or-
ENGLISH STUDIES. students should understand what you der to play whereas with board games
It is used extensively in the English are asking. Have them answer by students may be tempted to simply
language and will allow students to saying “Yes, she is happy.” so that roll the dice and move their pieces
create simple sentences with the vo- they continue to practice saying the around the board without really prac-
cabulary they have learned to date. target structure. ticing English.

HOW TO PROCEED
4 PRACTICE SIMPLE
6 REVIEW

1 WARM UP
For this first lesson, it is best to
You can use worksheets for
practice. Have students complete a fill
in the blank exercise where they must
As a general review activity you
can divide students into groups and
play Hangman with sentences or
focus on only the I, You, He/She/It choose am, is, or are to complete sen- words from their textbook. It is per-
structures which you can build upon tences to ensure that they understand haps not appropriate to play the origi-
in later classes. If students have not which form of the verb agrees with nal game in your classroom so you
really done a lot of activities with the certain subjects. You can also have can just adapt it so that no one actu-
words he, she, and it, you may want students match sentences with im- ally hangs. One adaptation is to sim-
to consider simply using names in the ages or with translations for practice ply have a very large fish where when
practice activities. Once you have de- and to test comprehension. As a class students guess incorrectly, a little fish
termined what you would like to cover check the answers before continuing gets closer and closer to being eaten.
in the first lesson, use the warm up on. This is not very accurate as you can
activity to review the vocabulary stu- either draw the game out or end it

5
dents will need later on in the lesson.
PRACTICE COMPLEX whenever you choose.
A short simple drill activity would be
ideal. Students can then complete Another method of playing is to as-
an activity such as Battleship for sign a point value to certain things.

2 INTRODUCE VOCABULARY
During the introduction section
further practice. You can adapt this
classic game for use in the class-
room. While it can be time consum-
For example, if a group guesses the
letter a and there are three in the
sentence, the group would get three
of your lesson, introduce any new vo- ing to explain, especially to beginners, points. A correct guess of the entire
cabulary you plan to use in this lesson. your students will enjoy playing and it sentence would be five points while
Some emotions and adjectives would can be used to practice a wide vari- there should be a penalty for guess-
be good because students will then ety of topics. To play Battleship stu- ing the entire phrase incorrectly but
be able to form complete meaningful dents should work in pairs using a no penalty for guessing a letter that
sentences. Introduce words such as worksheet. For this class, the grids on is not used. You can alter the scor-
happy and sad if students have not the worksheet might have I, You, He, ing anyway you would like to make it
yet learned them. Use flashcards to She, Jenny, Ms. Smith in the first more appropriate for your class.
drill vocabulary and have students column and happy, fun, from Korea,
complete some simple worksheet ac- sad, silly, from America in the first
tivities for further practice. row. Students then practice sentenc- ONCE YOUR STUDENTS ARE QUITE
es such as “I am silly.” to try to locate CONFIDENT WITH MAKING THE

3 INTRODUCE “TO BE”

Show students how to make
and sink all of their opponents ships
first.
SENTENCES PRACTICED IN THIS
LESSON, YOU SHOULD INCLUDE THE
PLURAL WE, YOU, THEY AS WELL.
sentences such as “I am happy. You There may not be enough time in the AS THE FIRST VERB THEY STUDY,
are happy. Jenny is happy.” En- first lesson to begin this activity but “TO BE” IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR
sure that students understand how devoting the second lesson entirely YOUR STUDENTS AND IT IS ESSEN-
the subject and forms of the verb are to Battleship would give your students TIAL TO GET THEM TO UNDERSTAND
paired. You can practice this before lots of speaking practice. THAT THE FORM OF THE VERB IS
introducing the full sentence struc- AFFECTED BY THE SUBJECT OF THE
ture you would like students to learn. For a third class, introduce the ques- SENTENCE.
Call on students to make sentences tion that goes along with this target
choosing a subject, verb, and adjec- structure and have students play us-
tive from columns on the board. ing the same worksheet but by mak-
ing questions such as “Is Ms. Smith

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