Black History Month

 
February is Black History month  in Canada, the U.S., and the United Kingdom. Be sure to get your ESL students learning more about the activities, events, and the important figures in black history.

See recommended links on Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement here.

February Topics and Themes for ESL Students

February is a busy month providing ESL teachers with lots of planning topics. Be sure to check out February Topics and Themes and follow ESL Made Easy for weekly posts on some of them. One fun topic is Valentine's Day coming up on February 14th. The days leading up to it can be a good time to talk about other topics such symbols and customs, love and relationships and special gifts such as chocolate and roses. February is also Black History month which is observed not only in Canada, but in the U.S. and the United Kingdom. It is a special month to honour the experiences and legacies of those who became an important part of black history.

Other mentionables are the Chinese New Year, Canada Flag Day, President's Day, and Levi Strauss's Birthday, so stay tuned for some recommended ESL links to worksheets and activities that will be posted!

Celebrating Puzzles!

 

Get your ESL students to honour puzzles of all shapes and forms by having them do one on Puzzle Day (January 29th)! While the reason behind this day may be a bit unclear, it does mean something for the millions of puzzle fanatics around the world.

The mighty CROSSWORD puzzle and the latest craze of SUDOKU are just a few popular ones that continue to entertain, challenge and sharpen minds. For many, puzzles have been a creative and entertaining way to pass the time and relief boredom. 

In the ESL world, using puzzles can add some fun and liven up any classroom. Puzzles can also be a great way to reinforce vocabulary words, build on certain grammar points or review teaching topics.

See links to puzzles for the ESL classroom here!

Conversation Plus: Debt and Stress

Get your students Talking About Debt
and how it can Cause Stress!

*Download QMI Agency Dept. Graphic: Stressed By Debt?

*Download Conversation worksheet by ESL  Made Easy


(see related ESL links for suggestions on using the worksheet with multi-level students)

January Topic: Civil Rights Day

January 19th is Civil Rights Day in the United States. It is a day to celebrate and honor all those who took part in the American Civil Rights Movement (video) in the 1960's. It also celebrates the contributions of activist Martin Luther King, Jr., who was well-known for his campaigns to end racial segregation and to promote black equality in the United States and globally.

Your ESL students may find this topic interesting as it will give them an insight into America's history of human rights.

Listen to Martin Luther King's Famous Speech "I Have a Dream" - Have your students take notes and then discuss as a class.

January Topic: Thesaurus Day!

January 18th is THESAURUS DAY! It's a day that commemorates the birthday of Peter Roget (Jan 18th, 1779), the author of  Roget's Thesaurus.

The thesaurus has been an invaluable reference resource for millions of students and other writers around the world who use it to spice up their language with synonyms (different words that have the same or similar meaning). For ESL students, using synonyms not only helps develop and strengthen English skills, it increases confidence and motivation while learning this "tricky" language.

 

 

Thesaurus.com, Merriam Webster.com and Synonyms.com are just a few online sites that are both easy to find and use. So why not challenge your ESL students to explore and practice new and interesting words daily!

 

Conversation in the Classroom

Making Room for Conversation (here) is one of my reflections from the field posted on TESL Ontario's new blog! It's an informative blog for any of those looking to keep updated in the ESL teaching field. Please feel free to add your comments and any ideas you have with getting your ESL students sharing experiences and exchanging ideas on current and relevant topics and themes in the classroom!

Find links to ESL conversation/speaking activities recommended 
by ESL Made Easy  here.

January Topic: Extreme Weather

Many regions of the world experience temperatures that are considered to be extreme and dangerous. It can get very hot and humid or very cold and windy during certain periods of the year.

Talking about Extreme Weather and how it can wreak havoc on the lives of people and on the overall economy can make for a great ESL topic for all learners.

Read and look at photos that captured some of the bizarre weather events in 2014 (and the start of 2015) around the world. Your students will be sure to pick up some new weather related vocabulary and expressions!

Find  links to ESL activities on weather for beginner and intermediate ESL students here!