Every semester for intermediate and advanced (listening/speaking or Integrated skills) classes I have the students create a powerpoint and present on how to do something. I created my example and plan to post a student example or two here on the website. I usually have students work on timing, volume, transitions, and presenting. This would be the second or third presentation of the class (I like to start with an introduction). >>>Glenn’s Example Presentation<<<
Since or For
I like to do refreshers in my grammar and writing courses. This short powerpoint presentation helps me to gauge if students need more time practicing a certain grammar point taught in a previous class. I saw this at CATESOL regional 2018 with a different grammar point. Check out this example and create your own for other grammar lessons. Directions: Teach when to use or for before a time word. At the beginning of the next […]
Food for Thought
When teaching the names of common foods I like to bring in the actual items. To make it a hands-on learning process I hand, for example, a carrot to a student as I pronounce the name. He or she hands the vegetable back to me and says the word “carrot” while doing so. After running through a dozen or so items / words I will check for understanding by holding up an item and having […]
Carve a Pumpkin
As Halloween approaches each autumn I often bring in a large pumpkin. After briefly describing the origins of this “holiday” I discuss the current manifestations that take place in American culture such as costumes and trick or treating. But what really gets their attention is when I give a narrated demonstration of how to carve a jack ‘o lantern. Necessary items: one (1) pumpkin, one carving knife, newspaper to put the seeds on, and a […]
INS Study Guide
Resource Posting PD.tifI find that students, especially at the lower levels, are curious about the history and politics of the United States. Over the years one of the handouts I have accumulated is the INS Standard 100 Questions for 312 Test at Legalization Offices. The document has questions such as, “What do we call a change to the U.S. Constitution?” Answer, “Amendment.” It serves as a nice break from grammar, writing, etc. and often engenders […]
Composition Self-Assessment
In ESL 282B, Composition I used Longman Academic Writing Series, Paragraphs to Essays by Alice Oshima and Ann Hogue. Pearson, 2014. This Fourth Edition had a new component compared to the Third Edition, 2007. Towards the end of each chapter there is a section entitled Self-Assessment. For example, in Chapter 9 (“Essay Organization”) students are asked to check off if they learned to identify and write the three parts of an essay, etc. This check […]
Intermediate Level Conversation
In ESL 244, Level Four Conversation in the Fall Semester of 2018 I used 21st Century Communication: Listening, Speaking, and Critical Thinking by Lida Baker and Laurie Blass. This is from National Geographic Learning, Cengage, 2017. Each chapter ends with a group or individual presentation format. The text has excellent pictures and is accompanied by an Audio / DVD format. The videos are excerpts from Ted Talks. The students and I found the films to […]
Genre Based Writing
At the CATESOL conference, there was a new technique for teaching writing that has spread to classrooms. Sometimes I feel like language teaching trends can be a lot like fashion or diet trends. Once one style is popular, just wait a decade until the opposite (bell- bottoms versus skinny jeans or low fat versus Keto) comes into play. Since I started teaching, about a decade ago, I’ve been vigorously implementing techniques for my students to […]
Pronunciation – Spanish specific problems
My students loved working on pronunciation this semester. They felt like this was one area that could improve in a concrete way. In the beginning, we went over the sounds in English, and over the concept that letters do not equal sounds. This idea needed repeating throughout the entire semester – English has a lot of blended letters and silent letters. Spanish speakers have lots of issues with their vowels! They tend to use short/long […]
Comparatives and Superlatives
This is a great lesson plan as a prelude to a compare/contrast project. I like teaching superlatives and comparatives because they are a somewhat “simple” grammar concept for students to grasp onto. There are only a few “exceptions” to the rule – like fun! I teach how to use fun as a comparative and tell students that if they listen, they will hear native speakers use funner all the time and this is their opportunity […]