Gaining Comfort with Levels of Formality
In a recent YouTube video, I challenged upper level students to find more formal or less formal variations of ten statements. Watch the lesson. Such tasks are open-ended because there isn’t one right...
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Learning about the U.S. Government
It seems that election years prompt me to test my own knowledge of how things work within the U.S. government, and the result is a new YouTube video. About four years ago, I decided explain our...
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33 Engaging Discussion Questions
I often have the need for new discussion questions. Do you? If you feel you’ve exhausted many possibilities and you’re looking for new topics, checkout my list of 33 engaging questions on a range of...
View Article80 Debate Topics for ESL Students
Have you ever organized debates? Maybe you don’t wish to get into hard-core debates, especially on controversial issues such as the death penalty or gambling. Let me help ease the burden of finding...
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Building a Framework for Explaining Things
Big tasks are always less daunting when we break them down into manageable steps. Asking students to give short presentations can be anxiety-inducing, but with enough support, they’ll find the courage...
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Teaching Students How to Argue a Point
In an earlier post, I shared my ideas for building a framework that students could use to explain a wide range of topics, including simple and complex processes. Over the past month, I’ve heard my own...
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Reaping the Benefits from Role Play
In an earlier post, I described how I engaged in role play with an advanced learner to explore article usage. (See post.) I took on the role of a news anchor, and she played the reporter on the scene...
View ArticleTeaching Advanced Rhythm and Intonation
Many of my private students list accent reduction among their language goals. Three current learners have made pronunciation their top priority as their work involves public speaking (e.g, classroom...
View ArticleGreat Ideas for Using Great Speeches
We use the well-known pangram to practice typing: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. We use well-known tongue twisters to practice tricky sounds:She sells seashells by the seashore. Why not...
View ArticleWhat We Say but Don’t Write
I recently shared a lesson on common uses of “again.” (Watch video.) They include the question “Come again?” and the humorous or cantankerous observation “Here we go again!” I noted that all the...
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