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 lies 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…
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, who you want to work with, the materials you use, the type of English you want to teach. You…
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…
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…
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….
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,…
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…
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 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…
Are you a native English speaker and/or educated in English? Do you feel lost in your current career? Are you a student or recent grad and not sure which direction to take? Think you might want to teach but not ready to commit? Do you want to experience a new language and culture for a…