March Topic: Earth Hour!

It's Earth Hour around the world this Saturday, March 25th (8:30 p.m. local time). This environmental movement, which initially started in 2005 in Sydney, Australia, has encouraged individuals and businesses around the world to show their support for climate change initiatives and an awareness of their own carbon footprint. Be sure to set some time aside to talk about this global climate campaign with your ESL students and see if they're going to turn out their lights for one hour!

Watch the official EARTH HOUR video here.

 

 

FIND RECOMMENDED LINKS FOR YOUR ESL STUDENTS HERE!

March Topic: The Spring Equinox!

The Spring Equinox has arrived (March 20/21st) to those living in the Northern Hemisphere and with it comes the joys of warmer weather (we hope!), chirping birds and colorful spring flowers! Make this a time to teach or review spring season vocabulary words and phrases with your ESL students!

WARM-UP CONVERSATION QUESTIONS AROUND THE TOPIC OF SEASONS BY ESL MADE EASY:
1. Does your home country recognize the spring/autumn equinox at this time of the year? Describe the changes.
2. What is your favourite season? Why? Has your preference changed over the years?
3. Do you think people are affected emotionally, mentally, or physically with the early signs of spring? Explain. What about the other seasons?

4. What are some things in people's lives that change       

according to seasons?

 

Find recommended links for your ESL students here!

March Topic: St. Patrick's Day!

March 17th is St. Patrick's Day so get ready to get your green on! For those with an Irish background, it can be both a religious and cultural celebration full of festive parties, parades and food. So get your ESL students to learn more about the history, customs and traditions of St. Patrick's Day as it marks the feast day of the Apostle of Ireland, St. Patrick and the rich Irish culture too.

FIND RECOMMENDED LINKS FOR YOUR ESL STUDENTS HERE!

March Topic: International Women's Day!

International Women's Day  is March 8th! This year's theme, Be Bold for Change, encourages pledging towards women and girls worldwide to help them achieve their ambitions and to lessen the gap between gender inequality. 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 2017 and Happy international Women's Day!

Find recommended links for your ESL students here!

February Topic: Blue Jeans!

On February 26th, say Happy Birthday to Levi Strauss, the co-inventor of blue jeans! Get your students to learn about the history of these popular causal pants.

Read more about the history and invention of blue jeans here.

FIND RECOMMENDED LINKS AND CONVERSATION QUESTIONS FOR YOUR ESL STUDENTS HERE!

February Topic: 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.

RECOMMENDED LINKS FOR TOPICS AROUND BLACK HISTORY MONTH:

Worksheet Library: Black History word search 
The Holiday Zone: Black History discussion topics 
The Library of Congress: Lessons and activities for teaching Black History
Learning English VOA News: America Observes Black History Month - read and listen 
ESL-Library: Activities and worksheets for Black History Month membership site
EL Civics: Black History Month lessons 
ADL: 10 ideas for teaching Black History month
ESL Library: Podcast - Black History Month
ESOL Courses: Biographies, quizzes, activities and worksheets 
Sites 4 Teachers: Lessons in Courage - Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, and Ruby Bridges 
History: Black History month - videos and quizzes 
Henry4School: A Story of Ruby Bridges - reading and questions 
Black History Canada: Black History in Canada - an Education Guide 
Black History Canada: Black History in Canada Quiz

Please send us any of your suggested topics, links or ideas around Black History Month!

Recommended Sites for Valentine's Day!

History: The History of Valentine's Day (video)
International TELF Academy: Learn about 10 different ways Valentine's Day is celebrated around the world
ESL PDF: Valentine's Day picture vocabulary worksheet 
The Holiday Zone: What is Valentine's Day?- Reading with questions (beginner) 
The Holiday Zone: The Story of St. Valentine with comprehension questions (beginner) 
The Holiday Zone: The Story St. Valentine with vocabulary and questions (intermediate) 
The Holiday Zone: Crossword puzzle challenge (beg/intermediate) 
The Holiday Zone: Crossword word puzzle challenge (advanced) 
5 Minute English: Easy reading with comprehension questions on Valentine's Day 
ESL Holiday Lessons: Reading with follow up activities on Valentine's Day
English Exercises: Valentine's Day worksheets and activities 
Teaching English British Council: Valentine's Day PDF worksheet
EL Civics: a picture vocabulary lesson (with activities) on Valentine's Day
ESL Flow: All about friendship, love and relationships
BogglesWorld ESL: Valentine's Day worksheets 
ITESLJ: Valentine's Day discussion questions
ESOL Courses: Valentine's Day online quizzes 
ESOL Courses: Listening activity on the history of Valentine's Day
ITESLJ: Conversation questions about Valentine's Day
Topics Mag: How Valentine's Day is celebrated around the world
Canada-ESL: Valentine's Day ESL lessons
ESL Video: St. Valentine's listening with quiz
Film English: ESL lesson plans around short films (Love)
ESL Library: Valentine's Day lessons  membership site
ISL Collective: 4 worksheets for Valentine's Day  donation site
The Eventier: Valentine's Images, Poems and Quotes

January Topic: The Chinese New Year!

The Lunar New Year, beginning January 28th, is best known as the Chinese New Year and is celebrated by many cultures around the globe. Its origin has to do with harvest and since this special time follows the lunar calendar, it falls on a different day every year. There are many festivities, traditions and customs which can make this an interesting and lively topic. Have your ESL students not only learn about the festivities that vary from culture to culture, but also the symbols and beliefs of the Chinese zodiac and what that means for the year ahead!

FIND RECOMMENDED LINKS FOR YOUR ESL STUDENTS HERE!

New Resource - Financial Literacy!

 

Here's a great site for teaching your ESL students of all levels the importance of budgeting and keeping track of their money. There are plenty of free resources and lesson plans to download here.



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.

FIND RECOMMENDED LINKS FOR YOUR ESL STUDENTS HERE!

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!

Find recommended links for your ESL students here!

Happy New Year!

NEW YEAR'S customs, traditions and celebrations can help generate some lively classroom discussions with your ESL students. It's also great for working on past & future tenses by discussing key personal or global events from 2016 as well as plans and possibilities for 2017!

Find recommended links for your ESL students here!

Check out some suggested topics and themes here for January curriculum planning or if you need a quick idea!