We have found that the mention of the simple past tense scares students. The classroom loses its relaxed atmosphere with stressed and anxious students. It seems that in many cultures there is a belief that the simple past tense is very difficult. This article will offer some suggestions that may help to overcome this fear. [...]
May 10, 2011 | 4 comments | View Post
Drama! The life of the average teen no matter where they are from or what language they speak is full of it! Why not tap into this as part of a learning experience for ESL students? Talk to students about some of the issues that they face as teenagers, make a list of these topics [...]
Apr 25, 2011 | 2 comments | View Post
Claudia started a small school in rural Mexico with the gift of curriculum from LEWL
Apr 12, 2011 | 0 comments | View Post
The Adventure College of English, in Cap-Haitien, Haiti, started out in Jan. 2011 with a reduced priced purchase of LEWL Adult Curriculum. Visit their Facebook Page
Apr 12, 2011 | 0 comments | View Post
Many of the English grammar tenses are not too difficult but others give students a lot of trouble deciding when to use them. Since we can’t think through a grammar rule as we speak, the best way is to participate in activities with other students, speaking orally and using the tenses. This blog will provide [...]
In teaching ESL classes in different countries, we found that students enjoyed working in small groups. Usually, they needed something to spark their imaginations, so that they could try out their English skills. We found that picture activities are good for this.
Students are studying English in most countries of the world. It has been our experience while teaching in Central Europe, Brazil and Hong Kong, that students have difficulty with the past tense. If some members of your classes need help, have them try these practice questions.
Times are difficult and the future of the world’s economies is unknown. Everyone is affected by this ongoing job uncertainty. It doesn’t matter whether someone is running a big business, working at a low paying job or living on a pension. The changes that are occurring in most countries of the world will affect all [...]
The progressive tenses are fun to teach as they follow an easy rule. When your students have studied the simple present and past tenses they will be ready to learn and use the present and past progressive tenses. This article outlines the basic grammar and provides several talking activities. The progressive tenses show that something [...]
When beginning students enroll in an ESL class, they are likely to come in with quite a bit of anxiety. They want to learn English, but many of them will be worried that it will be too difficult, or that they will appear stupid in class. If the teacher can recognize this, and show the [...]
Students from many different cultures find prepositions difficult because their meaning is expressed in a very different way in their own language. The preposition word doesn’t always express its meaning clearly. This is particularly true when referring to dates. This article will discuss some areas that cause confusion and provide some activities that will make [...]
When you are teaching an ESL class, have you ever stopped and looked at the students’ faces? What do you see? Are the students sitting up, eager to see what comes next, or are they all slouched down with a glazed look in their eyes?
The informal language we use when we meet our friends or family is often idiomatic. ESL beginners can find it very confusing unless they are introduced to the short greetings that we all use. Students need to participate in many activities that provide opportunities for them to practice with their classmates. This article will suggest [...]
Let’s give learning the English language some pizzazz. It can be frustrating, so it’s important that we do all we can to simplify it and most important of all, LET’S MAKE IT FUN! Everyone learns when they laugh. This article attempts to provide material and references that will make your ESL Activities about using the [...]