ESL Made Easy: 2023

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Happy Holidays!

Christmas is in the air! Your ESL students should be busy for the next week or so with the various activities, worksheets and lessons related to this festive holiday season found below!

Make sure to spend time talking about the origin and meaning of Christmas as well as the festivities, symbols, songs and stories that make it one of the most joyous times of the year for Christians and non-Christians alike throughout the world!

RELATED ACTIVITIES:

SOON: What is Christmas like around the world?
Merry-Christmas: Christmas trivia on traditions, food and music
ESOL Courses: Popular Christmas songs with lyrics, videos and follow up activities
Many Things: Learning video with words - The Origins of Christmas
Huffington Post: Ho-Ho-Ho That Holiday Spending - article
The Digeratilife: Holiday Spending Infographic - and Christmas Budgeting

Friday, November 10, 2023

World Kindness Day!

November 13th is World Kindness Day (watch video). Created in 1997, this special day was developed by a group of humanitarians in Japan who felt that we needed a day to help us all focus on making the world a better place. The idea is that by performing local "random acts of kindness" such as holding the door open for a stranger, paying someone a compliment or donating items to a local charity, we can actually help make the world a better and kinder place.

WORLD KINDNESS DAY makes for an excellent discussion topic and also represents a great opportunity to become part of the solution. After discussing the topic, why not challenge your ESL students to perform their own "random acts of kindness" on November 13th? The next day have a follow up discussion about their experiences!

CONVERSATION QUESTIONS ON THE TOPIC OF WORLD KINDNESS DAY BY ESL MADE EASY:

1. When was the last time you went out of your way to be really kind to someone? What did you do and how did it make you and the other person feel?
2. When was the last time you felt someone went out of their way to be kind to you? What did they do?
3. What might cause some people to "pretend" to be a kind person?
4. Can being kind really make a difference in life? Explain.
5. What could be some negatives associated with being too kind a person?
6. What are some things that could affect someone's ability to be kind? (i.e. weather, money, health...etc)

Tuesday, November 7, 2023

Remembrance Day: Peace

November 11th, known as Remembrance Day, Veterans Day and even Poppy Day in some parts of the world, is a time to recognize and remember those courageous soldiers, airmen and sailors who died during times of armed conflict. Originally associated with WW1, the scope of this day has since been expanded to acknowledge those who served in other wars as well as those currently serving.

There are a number of key symbols associated with November 11th including the famous war poem from WW1 Flanders Fields Poem (video lesson), the Last Post call, and the Two Minutes of Silence.

CONVERSATION QUESTIONS THAT FOCUS ON PEACE BY ESL MADE EASY:

1. What do the words 'peace' and 'freedom' stand for? Which is more important to you?

2. In what ways do countries try to achieve and maintain peace? What are some of the laws surrounding the concept of peace in your country?

3. What is your ideal vision of peace in the world? Do you think it is, or will ever be, achievable? Why or why not?

4. What are some characteristics of peaceful people? How can we teach our children to live peaceful lives? If the world was full of just peaceful people, what do you think it would be like?

CONVERSATION QUESTIONS ON THE TOPIC OF REMEMBRANCE/VETERANS DAY:

Activity Village: Activity worksheets on Remembrance Day
DLKT-Holidays: Remembrance/Veterans Day worksheets for beginners
Bogglesworld ESL: Remembrance/Veterans Day activity worksheets
Bridge Ontario: Flanders Field - poem - beginners - picture vocabulary
MrDonn.Org: What is Remembrance Day PowerPoint
Canadian Reader: A Poppy is for Remembering - full lesson
ISL Collective: 6 Remembrance Day worksheets and activities - donation site
Government of Canada: PDF version of Canada Remembers Times - articles
VA U.S. Government: The History of Veterans Day
Teachnology: Veteran's Day worksheets
Education World: Lesson ideas and activities for Veterans Day
Homeschooling: Printable Veterans Day activity worksheets
Little Red Poppy: Reading and follow up activities
ESLVideo: A Remembrance Day tribute by Bryan Adam with follow up questions
English Gateway: A short fill in the blank exercise on Remembrance Day collocations
ESL-Library: A free listening podcast - Remembrance Day
War Poetry: Remembrance and Peace Event Poems
Altius Directory: Remembrance Day activities (poems and quotes)

Tuesday, October 3, 2023

Celebrating Thanksgiving!

It's that special time of the year again when many Canadians celebrate THANKSGIVING - a time for giving thanks for the bountiful harvest and for all the other blessings in life. Even as Canadians take part in roasting turkeys and baking pumpkin pies, people in America are celebrating COLUMBUS DAY - a day for commemorating one of the first European travelers, Christopher Columbus, and his arrival to the New World in 1492. In other parts of the world, countries have been busy with their own HARVEST FESTIVALS to celebrate all the successful harvests on their land. No matter what part of the world you're in, this time of the year provides ESL students with a bit of history and a lot of vocabulary!

October Themes and Teaching Topics

There's a lot to talk about in the month of October! It's Vegetarian Day on Oct 1st and a busy week with World Animal Day on Oct 4th, World Habitat Day on the 5th and World Egg Day on the 9th. But, the big topics this month will be Thanksgiving celebrated here in Canada and the U.K. on Monday, Oct 9th as well as Halloween on Oct 31st. Be sure to check out October ESL Planning Themes and

Topics here and follow ESL Made Easy for updated posts on recommended links to free ESL activities!

Wednesday, September 13, 2023

September Teaching Themes and Topics

Your ESL students whether returning or new, online or in class will be feeling the September butterflies of "Back to School". Make it easier for yourself and for your students by introducing a few ice breaker games and activities on the first day of class in order to create a comfortable and warm classroom environment.

Note: You may want to begin by having students ask YOU questions instead of volunteering information. It's a great time to also review question making too!

See this month's suggested themes and topics here!

Here's a list of some sites offering first few day ideas (you might need to modify if online) and worksheets!

ESL Activities for the First Day

First Day Worksheets

The First Day of Class Ideas

8 ESL Warm Up Activities

Getting to Know Your Students - Icebreakers and Activities

Whether you're teaching online or in class, all the best for an exciting, successful and most importantly, a rewarding school year!

Thursday, June 1, 2023

June Topic: World Oceans Day

June 8th is WORLD OCEANS DAY! Officially declared by the U.N. in 1992, this day was intended to help us recognize the importance of oceans as part of our overall ecosystem. Given that they cover 71% of the Earth's surface and represent 99% of the living space, why not get your ESL students talking about the importance of oceans as sources of food, oxygen, and medicine around the world!

Read more about World Oceans Day here!

WARM-UP QUESTIONS ON THE TOPIC OF OCEANS

1. Name the world's five oceans. Which one(s) are closest to your home country?

2. What are some things people do in oceans? Which ones have you done? Explain.

3. Why are oceans considered to be one of the world's most important resources?
4. What are some differences between an ocean, a sea, a lake, a river and a pond? (i.e. resources, animal and plant life, commercial & recreational uses...etc).

Monday, May 1, 2023

ESL Topic: Sleep

May 12th is International Fatigue Syndrome Day. This day is set aside to recognize the fact that sometimes life can make us feel tired and worn-out. It is also a day to create an awareness on how sleeping problems and disorders can lead to serious health issues. Your ESL students might find this to be a familiar and interesting topic to discuss as they can talk about their own sleeping problems, habits and routines!

Tuesday, April 4, 2023

Happy Easter!

There's plenty of Easter vocabulary and traditions for your ESL students to learn about this week - starting with Good Friday on Friday, April 2th and Easter Sunday on April 4th. Have your students learn more about this religious celebration as well as the commercial side of Easter including the Easter bunny, chocolate goodies and the joys of Easter egg hunting!

Find recommended links for your ESL students here!

April Themes and Topics

It's April and for many of those living in the North, it means warmer temperatures, spring birds and blooming flowers! Get your students starting the month off with a joke or two on April 1st as it's April Fool's Day across the globe followed by EASTER! There's plenty of other spring topics to keep your students busy starting with spring cleaning, spring allergies, spring flowers and spring weather. Get them busy learning more about International Pink Day on April 13th and World Earth Day on April 22nd, too!

Find more ideas on teaching topics this month here!

Tuesday, February 28, 2023

International Women's Day

International Women's Day is March 8th! This year's theme, Embrace Equality, challenges stereotypes, fight bias, broaden perceptions, improve situations and celebrate women's achievements. Various events and traditions will be taking place to honour and celebrate women's rights and achievements worldwide. Take the time to explore this global event with your ESL students and get them talking about the progress made, as well as the struggles that many women still face today.

See YouTube video - International Women's Day 2023

What is International Women's Day? Watch here!

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