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,…
How do you soldier on in this pandemic? The world still awaits the discovery of a vaccine against COVID-19. Many people are jobless, hopeless, and in despair. That’s the harsh reality that we currently live in. Unfortunately, the situation we’re in isn’t a nightmare we can wake up from all of a sudden. 2020 has…
Welcome to the year of virtual celebrations! With holidays such as Easter and Labor Day being celebrated within the confines of people’s bedrooms rather than the auditoriums of their local churches or their favorite shopping malls, we can safely assume that Halloween isn’t going to be much different than the other 2020 holidays. Thankfully, people…
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…
Being a teacher isn’t just about rolling out lectures and activities for your students; it’s also about developing rapport with them. That being said, establishing rapport with students is no easy business as some people might think. In order to be able to truly connect with your students, you must have a high degree of…
Millennials and Gen Z readers, bear with me, OK? I promise this is not about Tina Turner or that song with the same title. “Employees who felt they worked in a loving, caring culture reported higher levels of satisfaction and teamwork. They showed up to work more often.” That’s the result of Harvard Business Review’s…
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…