My favourite day 1

Jo Bertrand — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 10:10:19 +0100

This is the first in a two part series. Here you have a few ideas on how to review days of the week, months of the year and dates while allowing children to personalise the lesson and allowing you to give them some invaluable cultural input. The second will focus on special days and birthdays in particular.

Realia

admin — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 06:20:34 +0100

‘Realia’ in EFL terms refers to any real objects we use in the classroom to bring the class to life. In this tip I’d like to offer a few suggestions for activities using realia and to consider why we may want to bring things into the class.

Dating game

admin — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 03:59:17 +0100

This is a great activity for getting students talking.

London Olympics 2012

admin — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 10:29:18 +0100

This lesson is based around the Olympics games and gives students the opportunity to broaden their sports vocabulary.

Winter

admin — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:20:07 +0100

This tip is in response to postings this year and in previous years: Christmas and how to integrate it into your lessons. I have decided to write

Horse race dictation

admin — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:19:13 +0100

This is an activity in which students try to predict the order of words in a jumbled sentence before listening for the answer. It is enjoyable because students are asked to predict the first word, in the same way people try to

Using poetry

admin — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:17:37 +0100

The reasons for using poetry are similar to those for using songs and many activities that you do with songs can be adapted to poetry. Any authentic material exposes students to some ‘real English’ and can be

And the Romans came

admin — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:16:49 +0100

The overall teaching aim of this lesson is to give students some idea of how important museums are in the UK as their economic impact on tourism is somewhere near two billion pounds a year.

St Patrick's Day

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:05:46 +0100

St Patrick’s Day is now celebrated throughout the world, not just in Ireland, with the largest parade taking place in New York City. There are several elements of this Irish festival that children love to

The Seasons

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:05:24 +0100

‘The Four Seasons’ is a great topic for the beginning of the year as it marks the start of a fresh cycle.

Easter

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:05:16 +0100

Children love learning about festivals and the way other people celebrate them. It’s also fascinating for them to

Halloween

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:05:10 +0100

This lesson has some fun activities and language learning tasks based around the theme of Halloween. The activities include singing songs and making Halloween decorations.

Calendar Based Activities

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:05:04 +0100

This lesson is based around the calendar and helping students to use dates.

A Christmas Lesson

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:04:59 +0100

This lesson uses the theme of Christmas to develop students vocabulary. It includes a song and some fun colouring and drawing activities.

Chinese New Year

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:04:28 +0100

The story of the Chinese New Year:

The Chinese New Year is one of the many colourful events celebrated in our multicultural calendar and

Valentine's Day

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:04:21 +0100

Aims:

To revise dates
read more

The Last Lesson

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:04:13 +0100

Introduction
After teaching your pupils for a year you will probably have forgotten how much you’ve taught them and

At the beach

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:02:00 +0100

Introduction
Once it starts to get warm you can easily start to talk about holidays and possible destinations. The beach is

Fruit and Vegetables

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:01:55 +0100

Introduction
This is a popular topic in any primary course and has a lot of potential for cross-curricular work.

Farm animals

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:01:50 +0100

Introduction
Children love units connected with animals and farm animals can provide lots of fun opportunities to practise

Transport

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:01:43 +0100

Introduction
This tip is a selection of vocabulary building activities based on the subject of transport. I have included several

Machines

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:01:37 +0100

Introduction
Children are often fascinated by machines; the way they work, inventing their own. We are not going to go into

People who help us

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:01:31 +0100

Introduction
This is a topic which could be easily spread over several lessons by taking a different person i.e. fireman,

Where are you?: Prepositions of place

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:01:23 +0100

Introduction
Although this is a grammar point and you’d be advised to limit grammar input for primary learners,

The Alphabet

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:01:14 +0100

Introduction
The alphabet can be an easy way of collating new vocabulary and lends itself well to fun activities that will help

Word building

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:01:08 +0100

Introduction
Recently in the discussion forum the question was raised of how to present vocabulary and how to vary the

Zoo Animals

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:01:01 +0100

Introduction
Children love learning about animals, especially ones which are big, scary, colourful, wild, and potentially

Sports and hobbies

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:00:55 +0100

Introduction
This is a good topic for practising different ways of how to collect and store data. You can make mini

Objects around the classroom

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:00:49 +0100

The aims of this lesson are:

to develop students' understanding and ability to use some vocabulary related to classroom objects
read more

Food I like/don't like

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:00:43 +0100

The sequence suggested here is based on ideas from worksheet 12 at ciep.fr You may also like to look at www.primlangues.education.fr (Click on Ressources, Séquences Pédagogiques, La nourriture et les repas.)

Parts of the body

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:00:23 +0100

A Vocabulary lesson with Speaking and Listening for Very Young learners

Using Opposites

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:00:13 +0100

Introduction:

This is a lesson designed to help learners understand and remember opposite adjectives. Many of the

Clothes

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:00:03 +0100

Introduction:

This lesson looks at ways to develop students 'clothes vocabulary' it could be spread over two lessons as the

Routines and habits

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 04:59:57 +0100

Aims:

To revise telling the time (7 o'clock, half past seven, quarter past seven)
read more

Lesson plans

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 04:56:35 +0100

Why should I write a plan?
You may find that during your time as an assistant you are called upon to not only assist the teacher but to actually teach the English lesson yourself. If this is the case the best option is to be prepared.

All about me

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 04:56:28 +0100

Introduction
With very young learners much of what they do in the classroom revolves around them. Before school they are often the centre of ‘their’ universe so starting school can sometimes be a bit of a shock.

Using the Internet with Younger Learners

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 04:56:18 +0100

Introduction

Maintaining concentration with young learners

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 04:56:13 +0100

Introduction
Following on from discussions on the forum, this primary tip is designed to help you with keeping children interested in your class. There are so many reasons why their minds could wander and you find that you

TEACHING SPEAKING AND LISTENING SKILLS

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 04:56:07 +0100

Introduction
In this article you will find a few tips to get you started with teaching speaking and listening skills to young learners. The aims are:

My favourite book

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 04:56:00 +0100

Introduction
I decided to write a tip about using storybooks as in the forum I frequently refer to storybooks as being a way to approach topics and introduce vocabulary with young learners. I’ve detailed a few general tips to

Using Songs

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 04:55:52 +0100

Introduction
Children all over the world love listening to songs and most of them love singing too! Using songs to introduce language and revise vocabulary is a great way to help children remember. Having a rhyme, music and

The Senses

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 04:55:47 +0100

Introduction
Every child is unique and approaches learning differently. You should always vary your teaching techniques to avoid alienating the students who learn differently to the way you teach. Young learners tend to respond

Zero Materials

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 04:55:41 +0100

Introduction
Do you find yourself spending hours preparing your lessons? Are you getting very little support from colleagues? Is it difficult to know what to teach your children without a syllabus? Would you like some tips on

Working in pairs and groups

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 04:55:34 +0100

Introduction
The tendency with primary learners is to treat the class as a whole group and underestimate their ability to work in pairs or in small groups. Even very young learners can become independent in their learning and

Homework

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 04:55:28 +0100

Introduction
Homework is fundamental for learners to make effective progress. Learning a language takes time and time is

Managing very young learners

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 04:55:19 +0100

Introduction
It can be very daunting going into a class of 20 or 30 five-year-olds when you have little teaching experience.

My English classroom

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 04:55:11 +0100

Introduction

Throughout the year you’ll be using classroom language and it’s important for children to be introduced to it very early on so that they can understand what you want them to do. Giving clear, simple instructions is not always easy. Here are some tips to help you make yours effective;

First Lessons

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 04:55:04 +0100

Before you begin to teach:

Teaching children takes a great deal of skill, patience and preparation, so this first tip is all about getting prepared and how to cope in your first few lessons.

Evaluating Progress

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 04:54:58 +0100

Why should we test our students?

On the CIEP website, the 'mallette pédagogique' advises you to evaluate your students in areas such as word recognition, memory skills, as well as oral and written comprehension and expresion.

Grammar auction

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 03:01:37 +0000

This is a teacher led auction. It can be played with mixed language points which are causing difficulty or on a specific area, as in the example.

Hot seat

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 03:01:03 +0000

This is a good activity for getting your students going in the morning. It is also excellent for revising vocabulary.

The Coffeepot game

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 03:00:37 +0000

This game is good for practising and reviewing action verbs and adverbs.

A Dark and stormy night

Nik Peachey — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 03:00:02 +0000

The main focus of the activity is on developing writing skills, but it's also good for developing listening speaking and reading skills and also for practising past tenses, descriptive vocabulary and generally having fun.

Story telling grid

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:58:47 +0000

Introduction
This is a low preparation but high output activity which I have used successfully with teens and adults.

Christmas games

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:57:33 +0000

Introduction
Here are some games which we associate with parties and Christmas celebrations in UK schools. These games can be adapted for language learners of all ages and levels.

Two word games

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:56:51 +0000

Introduction
The following games can be played throughout the school year but are also very useful as a round up at the end of term.

Games for question practice

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:56:15 +0000

Introduction
An essential skill in communicating and keeping up a conversation is the ability to ask questions.

Ruckzuck

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:55:39 +0000

This is a brilliant game for intermediate level students. The original idea came from a German TV show.

Chain drawings

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:55:10 +0000

This is a fun activity which can be used with all groups, just select a follow-up activity that is appropriate for the age and level of the class but the basic procedure is the same for everyone.

Stop the Bus

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:54:39 +0000

This is a great game to revise vocabulary and you can use it with any age group and any level by changing the category headings.

Concentration

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:54:05 +0000

This is a good game for high-energy groups when you need to get them all sitting down and on task.

Change places…

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:53:24 +0000

This is a great activity to get students moving about and practice some vocabulary or sentence structures.

Telephone Wires

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:52:52 +0000

This is the classic children’s party game sometimes known as ‘Chinese whispers’.

Writing consequences

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:52:22 +0000

This is a fun activity to create a group story.

One word stories

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:51:43 +0000

This activity is extremely simple. Each student adds a word to create a group story.

Scrabble letters

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:51:11 +0000

Introduction
This game requires a bit of preparation to prepare the scrabble letters but they can be used with all ages and levels so it may well be a good investment of your time.

Lost your voice

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:50:46 +0000

This is like a role-play activity with no dialogue!

In the Teacher’s Shoes

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:50:07 +0000

This is great for the first class with a new group or when you come back to class after a holiday or even after a weekend.

Gap Fill Gamble

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:49:29 +0000

This is a game to make any gap-fill task or cloze texts (reading tasks with gaps) more exciting.

Mastermind

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:48:55 +0000

This is great for those logical-mathematical thinkers.

Word Snakes

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:48:24 +0000

This is a simple word game to start of finish a lesson.

TABOO

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:47:51 +0000

To play a class version of the popular word game, Taboo, prepare your taboo cards by writing the target word at the top and three words that your students aren’t allowed to use in their definition below.

TALKING TOPICS

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:47:14 +0000

Download game board

LISTENING RACE

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:46:43 +0000

This is a game I have been using with my students aged 10 and 11.

I WENT TO THE SHOPS...

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:46:08 +0000

This is a classic memory game where each person adds a new item to the list in alphabetical order.

CONDITIONAL CHAIN GAME

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:45:28 +0000

This game is good to revise and practise structures in the first conditional. The teacher begins with a sentence, for example “If I go out tonight, I’ll go to the cinema.”

THE CHAT ROOM

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:44:28 +0000

This activity was presented to me by a teacher I met a couple of years ago on a training course, so thanks go to Carme for this one.

THE PRESS CONFERENCE

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:43:53 +0000

This is a longer activity that needs some preparation. It’s great for practising question forms in a fun way and gives structured speaking practice to lower levels.

The Yes and No game

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:43:16 +0000

Nominate one student to be in the hot seat, slightly apart from the rest of the circle.

Battleships

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:42:38 +0000

Download battleships board

Happy Graph

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:42:01 +0000

Although not really a ‘game’ this is a valuable warmer activity for any teenage class.

Gobbledygook

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:41:03 +0000

Put students in pairs and give them a scene to act out.

Stand up sequences

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:39:53 +0000

This is a good game to practise any standard sequence such as numbers 1 – 30, days of the week, months of the year, the alphabet etc.

Innovation nation

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:35:53 +0000

Theme: Inventions and the impact of technology on our lives
Lexical area: inventions, definitions, comparatives and superlatives.
Cross curricular links: Science and technology, Social Science, Personal and Social Education

Spring into science

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:35:13 +0000

Theme: National Science week, Spring and climate change in the UK
Lexical area: The seasons and vocabulary for talking about the weather. Words associated with Spring and nature.
Cross curricular links: Science, Geography, Cultural studies.

About a novelist

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:34:33 +0000

Theme: The author Nick Hornby and tastes in books and films.
Lexical area: Adjectives to describe books or films, types of story and the language to describe future ambitions.
Cross curricular links: Literature.

Sporting traditions

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:33:55 +0000

Theme: Sporting traditions in the UK, sports linked to regional customs. Attitudes towards good sportsmanship.
Lexical area: Sports, rules.
Cross curricular links: Sports Education, History, Social Science.

Spirit of adventure

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:32:43 +0000

Theme: Taking a gap year and the types of placements and opportunities on offer. Attitudes towards adventure and exploration.
Lexical area: Expeditions, adventurous pursuits and job related vocabulary: CV, skills, placement, qualifications. Countries of the world and continents.
Cross curricular links: Personal and Social Education, Geography.

Driving

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:32:06 +0000

Theme: Driving and cars. Focus is on attitudes towards cars in city centres.
Lexical area: Driving vocabulary (license, test etc) and street vocab (traffic lights, roundabout etc)
Cross curricular links: Social science, environmental studies.

Chocolate

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:30:57 +0000

Theme: Chocolate
Lexical area: Food

News

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:30:12 +0000

Theme: News
Lexical area: News and the media – internet, radio, reporter, presenter, headlines etc.
Cross curricular links: Media studies

Natural Disasters

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:29:38 +0000

Theme: Natural disasters
Lexical area: Disasters and emergencies

Volunteering

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:28:22 +0000

Theme: Voluntary work
Lexical area: Jobs

Green Energy

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:27:41 +0000

Theme: Renewable energy
Lexical area: Environmental issues and energy sources
Cross curricular links: Science and environmental studies.

Dress Code

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:27:04 +0000

Theme: Restrictions and rules regarding dress.
Lexical area: Clothes and describing people

Animation

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:26:12 +0000

Theme: British Animation
Lexical area: Describing characters and expressing opinions

Destination UK: Wales

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:25:03 +0000

Theme: Wales
Lexical area: Describing places

Destination UK: England

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:24:01 +0000

Theme: England
Lexical area: Describing places

Destination UK: Scotland

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:21:04 +0000

Theme: Scotland
Lexical area: Describing places

Destination UK – Northern Ireland

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:18:34 +0000

Theme: Northern Ireland
Lexical area: Describing places

Photography

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:17:47 +0000

Age range: 12 - adult
Theme: Photography
Lexical area: Describing photos

TRANSPORT

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:17:13 +0000

Age range: 12 - adult
Theme: Transport
Lexical area: Travel and transport
Cross curricular links: Environmental studies

Reading

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 02:15:50 +0000

Age range: 12-adult
Theme: Reading habits
Lexical area: Books and reading

Show Racism the Red Card By Clare Lavery

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:13:59 +0000

Theme: Football in the UK and campaigns against racism in sport
Lexical area: Sport, football and racism

Freedom and youBy Clare Lavery

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:13:16 +0000

Theme: personal safety and parental control
Lexical area: permission and obligation

Young rootsBy Clare Lavery

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:12:42 +0000

Theme: Talking about cultural heritage and community. Youth work in the UK.
Lexical areas: adjectives to describe geographical areas, talking about family

Fundraising UK styleBy Clare Lavery

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:12:04 +0000

Theme: Fundraising by charity appeals in the UK . The types of charitable cause in the UK today.
Lexical area: Money and related vocabulary: raise, donate, earn, sell, spend, and fundraising : sponsorship

Getting teenagers to talkBy Clare Lavery

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:11:32 +0000

Getting teenagers to use English in class and practise their speaking can be a challenging task, but there are some tips and hints which can make the task easier to achieve.

FaithBy Clare Lavery

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:11:02 +0000

Theme: Religious diversity in the UK and the faith schools debate
Lexical area: Religions
Cross curricular links: Religion, Personal and Social Education

Too young to voteBy Clare Lavery

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:10:20 +0000

Theme: Lowering the voting age, young people's rights and responsibilities
Lexical area: Politics, Voting, Elections, Policies

FriendsBy Clare Lavery

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:09:46 +0000

Theme: Friendship, using text messages and types of relationship
Lexical area: Adjectives to describe personality, methods of communicating, SMS messages

Young drinkersBy Clare Lavery

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:08:45 +0000

Theme: Drinking habits in the UK and binge drinking problems. Rites of passage.
Lexical area: Alcohol and adverbs of frequency. Language used to describe quantity:

Smoking and smoking bans

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:08:09 +0000

Age range: 13 - adult
Theme: Smoking and smoking bans.
Lexical area: Smoking, health.
Cross curricular links: Health awareness.

Gambling and the national lottery.

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:07:28 +0000

Theme: Gambling and the national lottery
Lexical area: Language of gambling (to bet, to win, take risks, play it safe, the odds etc.)

Parents and Parenting

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:06:45 +0000

Theme: Parents and parenting
Lexical area: Family and relationships

TV - Cops and Docs

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:06:10 +0000

Theme: Television viewing habits and types of programmes
Lexical area: Programme types, drama, soap operas, cartoons, comedy etc.

Charity Wristbands

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:05:35 +0000

Theme: Charity wristband trend
Lexical area: Colours and charities

Consumer Power

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:05:04 +0000

Theme: Consumerism and fair trade
Lexical area: Shopping

Languages

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:04:31 +0000

Theme: Lanuages
Lexical area: Learning languages

Women in a Man’s World

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:04:01 +0000

Theme: The changing role of women in the work place
Lexical area: Professions

Immigration

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:03:33 +0000

Age range: 12 - adult
Theme: Immigration

Political System

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:03:02 +0000

Age range: 14 - adult
Theme: UK political system
Lexical area: Politics

Getting Old

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:02:26 +0000

Age range: 12 - adult
Theme: Getting older
Lexical area: Age and growing up

Overweight BritainBy Clare LaveryNew Year’s resolutions

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:01:52 +0000

Age range: 12 - adult
Theme: Overweight Britain
Lexical area: Food and exercise

The Brit awards 2008

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:01:07 +0000

Theme: The British music industry awards
Lexical area: Music and prizes

Instructions for language assistants in Italics

New Year’s resolutionsBy Clare LaveryNew Year’s resolutions

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:00:37 +0000

Theme: New Year traditions and New Year resolutions. Reviewing the year, talking about past events, talking about intentions.

Music: The Christmas number one

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 09:59:56 +0000

Theme: Record charts, the Christmas singles chart, the taste in music at Christmas.
Lexical area: Types of music, types of song

Halloween

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 09:59:18 +0000

Theme: Halloween
Lexical area: Superstition
Cross curricular links: Personal and social education

Introduction

Christmas

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 09:57:43 +0000

Theme: Christmas
Lexical area: Christmas vocabulary

Instructions for language assistants in Italics

Valentine’s DayFour seasons

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 09:57:00 +0000

Theme: Valentine’s Day
Lexical area: Love, dating and romance

Instructions for language assistants in Italics