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!

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! 
 

Find recommended links for your ESL students here!

December Teaching Topics and Themes

Be sure to take a peek at some of the suggested Topics and Themes for December here! The main theme of course will be the holiday season - decked out in colorful lights and cheery decorations! However, you may also want to discuss a bit about the history of December 25th and focus less on the commercial side of it. Depending on where you are, your students will most likely be surrounded by an abundance of holiday festivities, holiday carols and red and green symbols in their community......so don't be afraid to get them all into the holiday spirit too!

November Topic: Shopping!

With the holiday season fast approaching, many of us are getting in the spirit of shopping! It's a good time to get your ESL students talking about shopping and how it relates to CONSUMERISM. There is no shortage of vocabulary, expressions and phrases when it comes to teaching around the theme of SHOPPING (see recommended links) and all the linking topics including sales and discounts, types of stores, online shopping, as well as the countless number of products that society needs and of course wants.

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Shopping to our American neighbours! (see links to Thanksgiving worksheets and activities).

Have your students talk about the culture of shopping in their country and see if it compares to days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday (kick offs to the official start of the holiday shopping madness this Friday, November 24th and Monday, November 28 th).

FIND LINKS TO RECOMMENDED SITES ON THE TOPIC OF CONSUMERISM FOR YOUR ESL STUDENTS HERE!

November Topic: World Television Day!

 

Get set for World Television Day on November 21day was officially identified by the United Nations General Assembly in 1996 to acknowledge and commemorate the role that television has played in providing the world with ongoing information and communication.  Television has not only provided the world with universal links to social, economic and political developments, but has also been one of the most important drivers of technological developments in entertainment and communication.

 

 

Find recommended links for your ESL students here!

Start Your Own 1:1 Tutoring Business!

Watch "How to Enhance Your ESL Skills with Private Tutoring" YouTube video!

Download Your Guide and Editable Templates at the ESL Made Easy Store by clicking here  for only $15.99!

A Fun Find for your ESL students!

Thank you Ana  Perez for the discovery of a great worksheet generator that looks professional!

Use your own vocabulary words you've been doing in the classroom and then create over 10 different activity sheets that are easy to use and printable!

Check it out here!

November Topic: Remembrance Day

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.
 

FIND RECOMMENDED LINKS TO ACTIVITIES AND WORKSHEETS HERE!