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Author: Sarah Tew

Hello! I'm Sarah, and I'm an English teacher living in Burgos, Spain. I've been a language assistant in public high schools in France and Spain for three years. In Spain, I work in bilingual programs and teach biology, chemistry, geology, and, of course, English. I received my CELTA in 2017 at York St. John University. Before moving to Europe, I taught adults and children in Florida and Virginia. My favorite part of teaching English is connecting with learners and allowing them to achieve their personal and professional goals. I speak French and Spanish (and am currently learning Italian, thanks to my Italian fiancé) and have a bachelor’s degree in classical languages. When I'm not teaching, I'm busy exploring Spain or working on my languages.

Teaching Kids in Their Homes

Posted on June 23, 2021July 26, 2021 by Sarah Tew

Private tutoring is a great way to make extra money teaching English, even without an official certification. During my time as a language assistant, I taught private lessons every day after work to kids and adults. Parents understandably prefer home tutoring, where the teacher travels and gives lessons at home to the child. Teaching from…

Free Catfish ESL Lesson Plan

Posted on June 7, 2021July 26, 2021 by Sarah Tew

Television is an excellent source of authentic and engaging content for your classroom. It’s easy enough to find educational films for your classroom, but the real fun and the real challenge lie in reality TV. Today I’m sharing one of my most popular lesson plans based on the reality TV show Catfish. MTV’s Catfish is…

How to Be a Freelance English Teacher

Posted on February 21, 2021July 26, 2021 by Sarah Tew

Being a freelance English teacher comes with a lot of freedom. As a freelancer, you are in control of your own schedule, how much or how little to want to work, where you want to work, whom you want to work with, the materials you use, and the type of English you want to teach….

Fine Art and ESL

Posted on January 23, 2021July 26, 2021 by Sarah Tew

I first started teaching English as a volunteer tutor while studying art history at New College of Florida. Since then, teaching ESL and art history have been intertwined in my life and in my classroom. For me, I can share two passions simultaneously; for the students, fine art helps encourage creativity and critical thinking while…

12 Tasks of Christmas Digital Scavenger Hunt

Posted on December 8, 2020December 8, 2020 by Sarah Tew

December is here and so are all the winter holidays!  Holidays and traditions are a great way to engage your students and bring some variety and fun to your ESL students.  This year, I’ve made a completely digital Christmas scavenger hunt. This activity builds English skills as well as digital literacy and research skills. It…

Thankful Hand Turkeys: Free Beginner Kids Thanksgiving ESL Lesson

Posted on November 7, 2020November 7, 2020 by Sarah Tew

Thanksgiving is a popular topic for ESL learners of all ages. The holiday combines so many things learners love talking about: food, family, and the universal feeling of gratitude. This Thanksgiving lesson was made especially for ESL beginners aged 6-11. It is 100% socially distanced and one of the best lessons I have ever taught….

ESL listening resources

Teaching Listening: Challenges and Resources

Posted on November 2, 2020November 2, 2020 by Sarah Tew

Listening makes up 45% of the time adults spend communicating, so it’s no wonder that it’s ranked as the most sought after skill by English language learners. What is surprising is how little ESL teachers spend on listenings, especially considering learners often rank it as the most difficult skill to master.  ESL textbooks provide listenings,…

2 Free Halloween Lesson Plans: Michael Jackson’s Thriller

Posted on October 25, 2020October 26, 2020 by Sarah Tew

It’s Thriller night! Here are two lessons for your intermediate and advanced ESL classroom based on the music video for Michael Jackson’s Thriller (1983). Both lessons contain variations for in-person instruction with and without group work as well as online classes. Intermediate lesson: extended listening and making predictions with a Thriller lyric gap fill  Advanced lesson: speaking about horror tropes then using them to create short…

Free Halloween Live Listening Lesson: Stingy Jack

Posted on October 14, 2020October 26, 2020 by Sarah Tew

Have you ever wondered where jack-o’-lanterns come from? You and your students will find out together with The English Blog’s fun and festive Halloween Live Listening: Stingy Jack. This free 50 minute lesson plan contains everything you need to do a live listening about the origin of jack-o’-lanterns and then tell student ghost stories in your socially distanced or online classroom. Stay spooky! 🎃👻

The New (Para)Normal: Halloween games and crafts for the socially distanced classroom

Posted on October 1, 2020October 26, 2020 by Sarah Tew

The kids are back in school this autumn but the specter of COVID brings a host of new restrictions to the classroom. Schools around the world have eliminated pair work, group projects, teacher and student circulation, sharing supplies, break times with large groups, and even giving students handouts. To help teachers everywhere this October, I’m…

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Our Mission:
To support ESL teachers in the Philippines and around the world by providing top-notch ESL educational services.

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