Wilson P. Chiluiza Vásquez: Multiple Intelligences in the ESL Classroom

Multiple Intelligences in the ESL Classroom

By Kenneth Beare, About.com Guide

The theory of multiple intelligences was developed in 1983 by Dr. Howard Gardner, professor of education at Harvard University. Here is a discussion of the eight different intelligences Dr. Gardner proposes and their relationship to the ESL / EFL classroom. Each explanation is followed by lesson plans or exercises which can be used in class.

Verbal / Linguistic

Explanation and understanding through the use of words.

This is the most common means of teaching. In the most traditional sense, the teacher teaches and the students learn. However, this can also be turned around and students can help each other understand concepts. While teaching to other types of intelligences is extremely important, this type of teaching focuses on using language and will continue to play the primary role in learning English.

Example Lesson Plans

(re)Introducing Phrasal Verbs to ESL Students

Getting students to come to terms with phrasal verbs is a constant challenge. The fact of the matter is that phrasal verbs are just rather difficult to learn. Learning phrasal verbs out of the dictionary can help, but students really need to read and hear phrasal verbs in context for them to be able to truly understand the correct usage of phrasal verbs. This lesson takes a two pronged approach to helping student learn phrasal verbs. It begins with a reading comprehension which can also serve to introduce some interesting student stories for discussion. This comprehension is peppered with phrasal verbs which can then be discussed as a class. The second part of the lesson includes a brainstorming session for students to create lists of phrasal verbs to share with one another.

Aim: Improve phrasal verb vocabulary

Activity: Reading comprehension followed by brainstorming session and discussion

Level: Intermediate to upper intermediate

Outline:

· Have the students read the short story full of phrasal verbs.

· Ask them some general comprehension questions about the text. Once they have read the text, ask them to tell a story of their own from their youth.

· Now that you have discussed the text, ask the students to find the phrasal verbs from the list which occur in the reading selection. Once the students have found these phrasal verbs, ask the students to provide synonyms for the phrasal verbs.

· Tell the students a little bit about what you have done that teaching day:

Example: I got up at seven this morning. After I had breakfast, I put together tonight's lesson plan and came to school. I got into the bus at X square and got off at Y square....

· Ask students which of the verbs you used were phrasal verbs and ask them to repeat those verbs. At this point, you might want to ask them if they have ever taken a look under the heading 'get' in a dictionary. Ask them what they discovered.

· Explain that phrasal verbs are very important in English - especially for native speakers of the language. You can point out that it might not be important for them to be able to use a lot of phrasal verbs if they use their English with other non-native speakers. However, it is important that they have a passive knowledge of phrasal verbs, as they will need to understand more and more phrasal verbs as they become used to reading, listening, seeing and exploring authentic materials in English. Obviously, if they are going to use their English with native speakers, they will really need to buckle down and get used to using and understanding phrasal verbs.

· Write a list of common verbs that combine with prepositions to make phrasal verbs. I would suggest the following list:

· Take

· Get

· Make

· Put

· Bring

· Turn

· Be

· Carry

· Divide students into small groups of 3-4 each, ask students to choose three of the verbs from the list and then brainstorm to come up with as many phrasal verbs using each of the three verbs that they can. They should also write example sentences for each of the phrasal verbs.

· As a class, ask students to take notes while you write the phrasal verbs down that each group provides. You should then give a spoken example or two for each of the phrasal verbs so that students can understand the phrasal verbs from the context of what you are saying.

· Once you have provided the students with examples, ask the students to read their own examples and check to make sure that they have used the phrasal verbs correctly.

NOTE: Don't introduce the idea of separable and inseparable phrasal verbs at this point. The students will already be dealing with almost too much new information. Save that for a future lesson!

Adventures Growing Up

I was brought up in a small town in the countryside. Growing up in the countryside offered lots of advantages for young people. The only problem was that we often got into trouble as we made up stories that we acted out around town. I can remember one particular adventure in particular: One day as we were coming back from school, we came up with the brilliant idea to make out that we were pirates looking for treasure. My best friend Tom said that he made out an enemy ship in the distance. We all ran for cover and picked up a number of rocks to use for ammunition against the ship as we got ready to put together our plan of action. We we were ready to set off on our attack, we slowly went along the path until we were face to face with our enemy - the postman's truck! The postman was dropping off a package at Mrs. Brown's house, so we got into his truck. At that point, we really didn't have any idea about what we were going do next. The radio was playing so we turned down the volume to discuss what we would do next. Jack was all for switching on the motor and getting away with the stolen mail! Of course, we were just children, but the idea of actually making off with a truck was too much for us to believe. We all broke out in nervous laughter at the thought of us driving down the road in this stolen Postal Truck. Luckily for us, the postman came running towards us shouting, "What are you kids up to?!". Of course, we all got out of that truck as quickly as we could and took off down the road.

Phrasal Verbs

· to make out

· to make off with

· to drop off

· to set off

· to get out of

· to get into

· to get ready

· to be up to

· to take off

· to grow up

· to make up

· to set off

· to turn down

· to get into

· to bring up

· to break out

There are at least 7 other phrasal verbs in the text. Can you find them?

Comparative and Superlative Forms

The correct use of the comparative and superlative forms is a key ingredient when students are learning how to express their opinion or make comparative judgments. The following lesson focuses on first building understanding of the structure - and of the similarity between the two forms - inductively, as most students are at least passively familiar with the forms. The second phase of the lesson, focuses on using the comparative and superlative forms actively in small group conversation.

Aim: Learning the comparative and superlative

Activity: Inductive grammar learning exercise followed by small group discussion

Level: Pre-intermediate to intermediate

Outline:

· Activate students' awareness of the comparative and superlative by comparing three objects of your choice. For example, compare life in the US, the country where you are teaching and another country of your choice.

· Ask students questions based on what you have told them.

· Have students pair up and ask them to complete the first exercise on the work sheet.

· Based on their completion of the first task, ask students to give you the rules for the construction of the comparative form. You will probably have to point out that a three letter word following the CVC (consonant - vowel - consonant) form will double the final consonant. Example: big - bigger

· Have students complete the second exercise on the work sheet.

· Based on their completion of the second task, ask students to give you the rules for the construction of the superlative form. Make sure that students are aware of the similarities in construction between the two forms.

· Have students get into small groups of three to four and choose one of the topic headings for their group.

· Ask groups to then decide on three objects in the topic area to compare and contrast verbally.

· Have students write five to ten sentences based on their conversation using the comparative and superlative forms. It might be useful to ask them to write a specific amount of both comparative and superlative sentences.

Comparatives and Superlatives

Exercise 1: Read the sentences below and then give the comparative form for each of the adjectives listed.

· Tennis is a more difficult sport than Rugby.

· I think John is happier now than a year ago.

· Could you open the window, please? It's getting hotter in this room by the minute.

· interesting ___________

· weak ___________

· funny ___________

· important ___________

· careful ___________

· big ___________

· small ___________

· polluted ___________

· boring ___________

· angry ___________

Exercise 2: Read the sentences below and then give the superlative form for each of the adjectives listed.

· New York has got to be the most exciting city in the world.

· His biggest desire is to return home.

· She is probably the angriest person I know.

· interesting ___________

· weak ___________

· funny ___________

· important ___________

· careful ___________

· big ___________

· small ___________

· polluted ___________

· boring ___________

· angry ___________

Exercise three: Choose one of the topics below and think of three examples from that topic - for example: Sports - football, basketball and surfing. Compare the three objects.

· Cities

· Sports

· Writers

· Films

· Inventions

· Cars

Countable and Uncountable Nouns - Noun Quantifiers

The following lesson focuses on helping intermediate to upper-intermediate students solidify their knowledge of countable and uncountable nouns and their quantifiers. It also includes a number of overlooked or idiomatic expressions to help higher level students expand their knowledge of various quantifying terms used by mother tongue speakers.

Aim: Review and solidification of countable and uncountable noun and noun quantifiers

Activity: Review discussion followed by multiple choice dialogue fill in exercise

Level: Intermediate to upper-intermediate

Outline:

· Begin review by asking students to identify the worksheet list of objects as countable or uncountable.

· Activate quantifier vocabulary by asking which quantifiers can be used to modify countable and uncountable nouns. At this point it is a good idea to write the two categories on the board for students to copy.

· Discuss some of the more problematic quantifiers such as the difference between "a few" and "few", "a little" and "little". Discuss which quantifiers can be used in question, positive and negative forms.

· Have students complete the multiple choice fill in dialogue in pairs or small groups.

· Correct worksheet as a class.

· As a follow-up activity ask students to write a description of their room at home listing the various items that can be found in that room. Ask students to not use exact numbers, rather to use quantifiers.

Countable and Uncountable - Noun Quantifiers

Identify the following objects as countable or uncountable

information, rules, sheep, money, learning, rice, bottles of wine, equipment, traffic, stone, stones, talent, web sites, clothes, music, deserts, land, nations, peoples, fish, pollution, understanding, RAM, art works, orders, food

Choose the correct answers in the following dialogue

CHRIS: Hi! What are you up to?
PETE: Oh, I'm just looking for ( A) many ( B) some ( C) any antiques at this sale.
CHRIS: Have you found ( A) something ( B) anything ( C) nothing yet?
PETE: Well, there seems to be ( A) a few ( B) few ( C) little things of interest. It really is a shame.
CHRIS: I can't believe that. I'm sure you can find ( A) a thing ( B) something ( C) anythinginteresting if you look in ( A) all ( B) each ( C) some stall.
PETE: You're probably right. It's just that there are ( A) a few ( B) a lot ( C) a lot of collectors and they ( A) every ( B) each ( C) all seem to be set on finding ( A) a thing ( B) anything ( C) much of value. It's so stressful competing with them!
CHRIS: How ( A) many ( B) much ( C) few antique furniture do you think there is?
PETE: Oh, I'd say there must be ( A) many ( B) several ( C) much pieces. However, only ( A) a few ( B) few ( C) little are really worth ( A) the high ( B) a high ( C) high prices they are asking.
CHRIS: Why don't you take a break? Would you like to have ( A) any ( B) some ( C) littlecoffee?
PETE: Sure, I'd love to have ( A) any ( B) little ( C) one. I could use ( A) some ( B) a few ( C) a little minutes of downtime.
CHRIS: Great, Let's go over there. There're ( A) a few ( B) some ( C) little seats left.

Go to next page for answer key.

(Continued from Page 1)

Identify the following objects as countable or uncountable

information UNCOUNTABLE, rules COUNTABLE, sheep COUNTABLE, money UNCOUNTABLE, learning UNCOUNTABLE, rice UNCOUNTABLE, bottles of wine COUNTABLE, equipment UNCOUNTABLE, traffic UNCOUNTABLE, stone UNCOUNTABLE, stones COUNTABLE, talent UNCOUNTABLE, web sites COUNTABLE, clothes UNCOUNTABLE, music UNCOUNTABLE, deserts COUNTABLE, land UNCOUNTABLE, nations COUNTABLE, peoples COUNTABLE, fish COUNTABLE, pollution UNCOUNTABLE, understanding UNCOUNTABLE, RAM COUNTABLE, art works COUNTABLE, orders COUNTABLE, food UNCOUNTABLE

Choose the correct answers in the following dialogue

CHRIS: Hi! What are you up to?
PETE: Oh, I'm just looking for some antiques at this sale.
CHRIS: Have you found anything yet?
PETE: Well, there seems to be few things of interest. It really is a shame.
CHRIS: I can't believe that. I'm sure you can findsomething interesting if you look in each stall.
PETE: You're probably right. It's just that there are a lot of collectors and they all seem to be set on finding anything of value. It's so stressful competing with them!
CHRIS: How much antique furniture do you think there is?
PETE: Oh, I'd say there must be several pieces. However, only a few are really worth the highprices they are asking.
CHRIS: Why don't you take a break? Would you like to have some coffee?
PETE: Sure, I'd love to have one. I could use a few ( C) a minutes of downtime.
CHRIS: Great, Let's go over there. There're a few little seats left.

Reading - Using Context

The use of contextual clues can be one of the best ways to improve students' reading skills. Unfortunately, students often insist on understanding each word when reading. Realizing that a text can be understood in a general sense by using contextual clues can go a long way towards helping students cope with increasingly difficult texts. At the same time, the use of contextual clues can also provide a means by which students can rapidly increase their existing vocabulary base.

This lesson provides a number of pointers helping students identify and use context to their advantage. A worksheet is also included which helps students recognize and develop the skill of contextual understanding.

Aim: Increased awareness and usage of contextual reading clues

Activity: Awareness raising concerning the use of contextual clues, followed by worksheet practicing contextual reading

Level: Intermediate - upper intermediate

Outline:

· Write this example sentence on the board: "Tom decided that he desperately needed the glockum if he were to solve the problem"

· Ask students what they do if they are reading an English text and do not understand a specific word.

· Ask students what they do if they are reading a text in their native language and do not understand a specific word.

· Ask students what 'glockum' means.

· Once students have established that they don't know what a 'glockum' is, ask them to guess at what it might be.

· Ask students what part of speech a 'glockum' is (i.e. verb, noun, preposition etc.)

· Have students explain how they arrived at their guesses, which clues did they use?

· Explain the concept of reading in "chunks" i.e. looking at the text surrounding the unknown word for clues.

· Show them an article from an advanced level magazine (Wired, National Geographic, The Economist etc.)

· Ask students to identify the probable vocabulary areas that may be used in the example article.

· Explain the importance of activating vocabulary by first quickly glancing at the text to be read. This idea is very important as the brain will begin to focus on related concepts thus preparing the student for what is to be read.

· Point out that by using all of these clues (i.e. "chunking", part of speech, logical deduction, vocabulary activation), students can arrive at a much fuller understanding of difficult texts - even if they do not understand each word

· Have students divide into small groups and complete worksheet.

Reading Clues

Deduction - What does the sentence concern? Which words does the unknown word seem to relate to?

Part of Speech - Which part of speech is the unknown word? Is it a verb, noun, preposition, adjective, time expression or something else?

Chunking - What do the words around the unknown word(s) mean? How could the unknown word(s) relate to those words? - This is basically deduction on a more local level.

Vocabulary Activation - When quickly skimming through the text, what does the text seem to concern? Does the layout (design) of the text give any clues? Does the publication or type of book give any clues to what the text might be about? Which words can you think of that belong to this vocabulary category? Make logical guesses about the meaning of the unknown words in the following paragraph.

Jack quickly entered the didot and cleaned the various misturaes he had been using to repair the wuipit. He had often thought that this job was extremely yullning. However, he had to admit that this time things seemed to be a bit easier. When he finished, he put on his redick and went back to the study to relax. He took out his favourite pipe and settled into the beautiful new pogtry. What a fantastic schnappy he had made when he had bought the pogtry. Only 300 yagmas!

What could a 'didot' be?

What part of speech is 'misturaes'?

If Jack used the 'misturaes' to repair the 'wuipit' what do you think the 'mistraes' must be?

What could 'yulling' mean? - What part of speech is often used with an ending '-ing '?

Which synonym could be used for ' yulling '?

· fun

· difficult

· expensive

What type of things do you put on?

Based on the above question, what kind of thing must a 'redick' be?

Is a 'pogtry' used inside or outside?

Which words let you know that the 'pogtry' was cheap?

What must 'yagmas' be?

· Clothes

· Cigarette type

· Type of Money

Visual / Spatial

Explanation and comprehension through the use of pictures, graphs, maps, etc.

This type of learning gives students visual clues to help them remember language. In my opinion, the use of visual, spatial and situational clues is probably the reason learning a language in an English speaking country (Canada, USA, England, etc.) is the most effective way to learn English.

Example Lesson Plans

Business Lesson Describing Trends

Vocabulary describing economic growth and decline is one of the most important areas for students of Business English. This vocabulary is especially needed to accurately communicate the ups and downs of business when making a presentation using graphs and statistics. The following lesson employs a number of graphs as a means of practicing this area of vocabulary.

Aim: Improving vocabulary used to describe economic activity

Activity: Word charts and graph description

Level: Intermediate to upper-intermediate

Outline:

· Activate known vocabulary by asking students to describe general company/economic growth or decline over the past few years.

· Expand vocabulary by using the vocabulary tables focusing on growth and decline.

· Activate vocabulary usage by using the graphs below and asking students, in pairs, to describe the various growth or decline of the objects presented in the graphs.

· Ask students to plot a graph of their own concerning their business or national economy.

· As a class, have students describe the graphs they have developed.

· Encourage students to ask questions and explanations concerning the information presented.

· Follow-up by asking students to write a composition based on a graph of their own design.

Economic Trends

Exercise 1: Complete the following tables supplying the appropriate vocabulary.

VERB	NOUN
to rise
to increase
to improve
to fall
to decrease
to recover

ADJECTIVE	ADVERB	HOW MUCH CHANGE?
Slight	slightly	very small
Sharp		sudden, large
Dramatic		sudden, very large
Steady		Regular

Exercise 2:Use the following graphs and the vocabulary from the above tables to describe the movement of the various objects concerned.

1998 World Clothing Sales Graph 1

1998 World Clothing Sales Percentages Graph 2

Travel Expenses Graph 3

1997 Production and Distribution Costs Compared to Final Profit Graph 4

Using Colored Pens Drawing in the Classroom - Expressions

Drawing in the Classroom - Expressions

Sketching on the board in class is something that most teachers do. As the saying goes, "a picture paints a thousand words". This is especially true in a language learning situation - ESL EFL in this case - where a quick sketch can help students focus and generate language related to the sketches.

Of course, many of us are not artists. I'm sure you will have noticed that I am no Gaugin ;-) - I'm not even as good as my daughter Katherine! At any rate, I recently had the privilege of doing another workshop with Mark Fletcher from English Experience who is highly regarded for his quick sketches. At his workshop we picked up some handy techniques for making quick sketches that are useful in the classroom for making quick sketches that will help students - and not waste time while the teacher struggles to draw. Here are some great tips about expressing emotion quickly.

The key to drawing quickly is the fact that humans usually fill in the missing information. The difference between "happy" and "sad" is one simple stroke - the smile or frown. There are basically seven expressions which can be quickly expressed in a few strokes of the marker or piece of chalk and cover quite a wide range of situations.

Here are the other five:

Laughing

People usually tip their head to one side when laughing and open their mouths in a good chuckle.

Example: Why is he laughing? What Joke has he heard?

Anger

Slang the eyebrows down and raise the shoulders, open the mouth in a shout and you have one angry character!

Example: What happened to Tom? Why is he so angry?

Pain

Three crossed lines and a small open mouth - ouch.

Example: Have you ever bitten into a lemon? Can you describe the taste?

Embarrassment - or insecurity

Hunch those shoulders, slant the eyebrows up and you've got one perplexed individual.

Example: Do you think Jack has studied for the exam? What should he have done?

Sleep well

Put me into the horizontal and I'll close my eyes for some sweet dreams.

Example: Do you remember any dreams from last night?

As you can see, these figures convey a wealth of information with very little effort. You can liven up class discussions - or get them going - by quickly sketching a few of these on the board and asking how the person feels and why. Students fill in the information taking the sketches as cues.

The key to sketching quickly is adding just a few strokes which deliver the needed information.

For some great examples of how simple sketches can be used, take a look at some of the example lessons from Mark Fletcher's books at English Experience.

More "Whole Brain" Techniques and Activities

Music in the ESL Classroom

The use of music in the classroom can make the entire learning process more enjoyable and can stimulate "right" brain learning. Six years ago researchers reported that people scored better on a standard IQ test after listening to Mozart. Other tests soon followed: Rats raised on Mozart run through mazes faster and more accurately. People with Alzheimer's disease function more normally if they listen to Mozart and the music even reduces the severity of epileptic seizures.

Just think of all the times you have used music to help you study for tests, think clearly about something, relax from daily stress, etc. If you think about it, using music in the ESL EFL classroom is a pretty logical thing to do considering how helpful it can be to the learning process. Setting the scene Musically

Using music to introduce an exercise is a great way to activate vocabulary and get students thinking in the right direction. Take a piece of music or song which you associate with a certain activity or place ("New York, New York" sung by Frank Sinatra) and play the first 30 seconds of the piece. You will be surprised at how quickly associations come to students' minds - many more than if you introduced the lesson by saying, "Today we are going to talk about New York City".

A wonderful example of this can be found in any broadcast of "Morning Edition" by National Public Radio. Each story is ended with a selection of music which in some way relates to that story. This music is repeated after a commercial and before the next story. In this way, listeners are subtly encouraged to reflect on the story they have just heard.

"Headway Intermediate", a popular EFL student's book published by Oxford Press, gives another great example of setting the scene musically. Every extended listening is preceded and followed by a short snippet of related music - usually the beginning bars and the final tones of a given piece. These little touches do wonders to add atmosphere to an otherwise familiar classroom setting. Using Music Selectively To Enhance Concentration

The most important point to remember when using music to accompany learning is that it be an aid to learning and not a distraction. Let me give an example, if your class is doing a grammar exercise and you want to use some music in the background to help students concentrate, choose music which employs regular periods (repeated phrases and patterns) - something like Hayden or Mozart, maybe Bach. Choosing abrasive, disharmonic music will distract students while their brains try to make sense of the disharmony. Choosing something melodic which employs musical patterns will not distract. Not only will this type of music not distract, the regular patterns of the music also help to underline the repetetive nature of grammar.

Another example of using music selectively would be written descriptive exercises in which students need to use their imaginations. You can set the scene musically which will help stimulate their imagination. Let's say students need to describe their life as young children. Ravel's "Mother Goose Suite" playing softly in the background will help them return to those simpler times through its sweet harmonies and simple structures. Listening to Shostokovitch, on the other hand, would put them right off!

Here are some suggestions for appropriate music for different activities:

· Grammar - Mozart, Haydn, Bach, Handel, Vivaldi

· Imagination exercises (descriptive writing, speaking) - Ravel, Debussy, Satie

· Current Situation, News in the World - Rap (for inner cities and their problems), Ethnic Music from the discussed countries (you would be surprised at how many people quickly associate the type of music with a part of the world)

· Making Future Plans - Fun upbeat jazz ("Take Five" by Dave Brubeck)

· Discussing "Serious" issues - the "serious" Germans: Beethoven, Brahms - even Mahler if you are adventurous!

Use your imagination and you will quickly find that your students will be using their imaginations to improve their English - usually without being aware of it.

More "Whole Brain" Techniques and Activities

The Brain: An overview
A visual explanation of the different parts of the brain, how they work and an example ESL EFL exercise employing the specific area.

Helpful Drawing Hints
"A picture paints a thousand words" - Easy techniques to make quick sketches that will help any artistically challenged teacher - like myself! - use drawings on the board to encourage and stimulate class discussions.

Using Colored Pens
The use of colored pens to help the right brain remember patterns. Each time you use the pen it reinforces the learning process.

Brain Gym
The brain is an organ and can be physically stimulated to improve learning. Use these simple exercises to help your students concentrate better and improve their learning abilities.

Finish the Alphabet - Adjective Recognition

This worksheet is perfect for children (K-5) ESL classes as well as beginner classes. The object of these worksheets is to help students begin recognizing the differences between nouns, adjectives and verbs.

The first sheet focuses on nouns, the second on adjectives and the third on verbs.

Adjectives are words that are used to describe people, places and things.

Look at these words. Circle each word that is an adjective (a word which describes a person, place or thing).

You can see the answers on the following answer page.

Find the Adjectives

Bird	sing	woman	need	fruit
Quail	zealous	come	angry	long
Tree	zip	do	insect	knee
Old	ridiculous	weak	easy	happy
Inspect	know	Ohio	violate	zebra
Wear	grow	jolly	nice	understand
Quaint	York	Anna	ugly	dolphin
Great	Mary	tough	pretty	qualify
Railroad	appear	crazy	fun	Jack
Read	yummy	Vermont	city	difficult
Email	George	merry	pretend	London
Beautiful	interesting	lose	hear	be
Offer	knitted	feel	hospital	meet
Yearn	nut	sky	violent	pet
Ursula	super	think	evaluate	jump

Write the noun beginning with each of the following letters from the list.

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
Y
Z

angry
beautiful
crazy
difficult
easy
fun
great
happy
interesting
jolly
knitted
long
merry
nice
old
pretty
quaint
ridiculous
super
tough
ugly
violent
weak
yummy
zealous

More Finish the Alphabet Worksheets

Nouns
Adjectives

Vocabulary Charts

Vocabulary charts can be very useful in helping students widen their passive and active vocabulary based on related word group areas. Typically, students will often learn new vocabulary by simply writing lists of new vocabulary words and then memorize these words by rote. Unfortunately, this technique often provides few contextual clues. Rote learning helps "short term" learning for exams etc. Unfortunately, it doesn't really provide a "hook" with which to remember new vocabulary. Vocabulary charts, on the other hand, provide this "hook" by placing vocabulary in connected categories thus helping "long term" memorization. In this lesson, you will find a printable vocabulary chart and a lesson outline focusing on creating in-class vocabulary charts.

Aim:Creation of vocabulary charts to be shared around the class

Activity:Awareness raising of effective vocabulary learning techniques followed by vocabulary tree creation in groups

Level: Any level

Outline:

· Begin lesson by asking students to explain how they go about learning new vocabulary.

· Explain the concept of "short term" and "long term" learning and the importance of contextual clues for effective "long term" memorization.

· Present the idea of creating vocabulary charts to help students learn specific content related vocabulary.

· Distribute a copy of the example vocabulary chart.

· Divide students into small groups asking them to create vocabulary charts based on a particular subject area.Example: house, sports, the office, etc.

· Students create vocabulary charts in small groups.

· Copy student created vocabulary charts and distribute the copies to the other groups. In this way, the class generates a large amount of new vocabulary in a relatively short amount of time.

Example Vocabulary Chart

Body / Kinesthetic

Ability to use the body to express ideas, accomplish tasks, create moods, etc.

This type of learning combines physical actions with linguistic responses and are very helpful for tying language to actions. In other words, repeating "I'd like to pay by credit card." in a dialogue is much less effective than having a student act out a role-play in which he pulls out his wallet and says, "I'd like to pay by credit card."

Example Lesson Plans

Lego Building Blocks

This activity takes Lego building pieces as the point of departure to encourage student conversation and improve precision writing skills. Thanks to John Middlesworth for contributing this lesson plan! If you have any lesson plan favourites that you would like to contribute to the site for other teachers to use please visit this submission page.

Aim: Conversation and Writing Skills

Activity: Descriptive and instruction writing for constructions with the Lego building pieces

Level: Advanced

Outline:

· Form the class into groups of three. If possible, have each group sit where they're somewhat isolated from the other groups.

· Give each group a small bag with six assorted Lego building pieces in it (assorted in shape and color works best).

· Explain that the pieces can be combined to form an object that resembles something in a very abstract way (a person, a bridge, etc.).

· The groups are each to decide upon a design, give it a description (a name), and then write down step-by-step instructions for how another group could construct the same design from the six pieces. The actual name for the design (house, car, whatever) the group should keep secret and not make part of their instructions. For instance, they can't write "to form the walls of the house . . . " but they can write "place red green blocks around the edge of the flat green piece . . . ."

· Once the groups have finished writing their instructions, they take all the Lego blocks apart and return them to the bag, along with their instructions.

· The bag is then given to another group and they are to recreate the design based upon the instructions. That group then completes the exercise by correctly guessing what the initial group intended the design to represent.

· Allow 45 minutes to an hour for the entire sequence to be completed. This is a great exercise in writing with clarity and precision.

This activity promotes an enormous amount of discussion within the groups during the instruction-writing phase, and even though only six blocks are used, you should expect the instructions to take around 30 minutes to complete. What can be particular fun in this activity is to take a design that you know was completed incorrectly to the initial group to show them what their instructions produced.

Young Learner's Games for ESL Classes - Simon Says

A fun, classic young learner's game is "Simon Says". In this classic game, one student tells the other students what to do by beginning: "Simon says ... touch your nose / count to five , etc.". If the student says "touch your nose" and the students perform the command they are out. Of course, this game takes a lot of attention on the part of the teacher.

Aim: Fun and vocabulary learning focusing on various movements and commands

Activity: Simon says

Level: Young Learner's lower level classes

Outline:

· Have students write four or five commands they have learned in class down in a notebook (i.e. touch your nose, clap your hands, count to five, etc.).

· Once the students have finished, explain the rules of Simon Says make sure they understand that the student must say "Simon says..." and that they are not to perform the action if the student doesn't say this. You may want to play a trial game giving the commands by yourself until the students have understood.

· Students should use the commands they have written down. Students are eliminated if they do not perform the correct action, or if the perform an action when the student hasn't says "Simon Says..."

· The student who wins the game should be the next to go. If more than two students are left after the five commands, you can give a few extra to eliminate others.

Take a look at this fun variation on "Simon Says" using a board game.

A fun, classic young learner's game is "Simon Says". In this classic game, one student tells the other students what to do by beginning: "Simon says ... touch your nose / count to five , etc. ". If the student says "touch your nose" and the students perform the command they are out. Of course, this game takes a lot of attention on the part of the teacher.

In this variation on "Simon Says" students break up into small groups and play a board game following commands similar to those of "Simon Says". After the students have completed the game, they create their own board game using commands they have created on their own.

Laura Vranos

Many thanks to my niece, Laura Vranos, who was so kind as to draw these beautiful game boards!

Aim: Fun and vocabulary learning focusing on various movements and commands

Activity: Board Game

Level: Young Learner's lower level classes

Outline:

· Have students write four or five commands they have learned in class down in a notebook (i.e. touch your nose, clap your hands, count to five, etc.).

· Make photocopies of the board game with the commands. Break students up into groups of four and five and take turns.

· Moves are based on the toss of a coin: heads (the face side) move two spaces - tails (the number side) move one space.

· Circulate around the room making sure that the students are performing the commands correctly.

· Once students have played the ready version of the game, give them the empty copy - or have them draw their own - of the board game.

· Have students combine their various commands and write them out, dividing the board into 12 to 15 spaces.

· Get students to exchange their games, challenging other groups to complete the games they have designed on their own.

"Simon Says" Board Game

Teaching telephone English can be frustrating as students really need to practice their skill as often as possible in order to improve their comprehension skills. Once they have learned the basic phrases used in telephoning, the main difficulty lies in communicating without visual contact. This lesson plan suggests a few ways to get students to practice their telephoning skills.

Aim: Improving Telephoning Skills

Activity: Role playing using office telephone lines

Level: Intermediate to advanced

Outline:

· Review phrases used in telephoning. SeeTelephone English: Dialogue and Appropriate Vocabulary

· Ask each student to write out notes for a telephone conversation that they would typically have with a native speaker. Example: Order 500 Liters of Olive Oil - Delivery: Next Friday - Payment Method: Company Account - Address: Student's Company Address - Telephone/Fax: Student's Telephone/Fax, etc.

· Ask students to choose another student who should respond to the call for which he/she has written notes.

· This next step is the most important, and if possible goes a long way to improving students' skills. Use internal office phones at work - This is one of my favorites and great for business classes.

· Stress the fact that students need to understand and take note of everything crucial. If they do not understand they need to ask you to repeat, tell you to speak more slowly - anything that is needed to understand. For tips see: How to Telephone: Tips and Tricks to Make Sure a Native English Speaker Slows Down!

· Ask your students to go to a different office, make sure to get the extension for the office. Ask students to take notes on the call.

· Now, this is when your acting skills come in handy! Take the various notes, call the other extension and ask for the person suggested by the student who wrote the notes.

· You've made it to Hollywood now! Take a variety of roles and act them out on the phone. Really put your students through the paces. You can be angry, impatient, in a hurry, etc.

· Once you have repeated this exercise, get students to call each other in their own offices to repeat the exercise. Remember it is crucial to actually use the phone, as the difficulty lies in understanding English over the phone. If students need suggestions see: Role Plays: Role Play Dialogue Cues to Practice Telephoning with Friends

Finally, if you don't have the opportunity of using different telephone lines put students' chairs back to back and practice speaking on the phone, students will only hear the other person's voice which will approximate a telephone situation.

Telephone English

Aim: Improving Telephoning Skills

Activity: Role playing using office telephone lines

Level: Intermediate to advanced

Outline:

· Review phrases used in telephoning. SeeTelephone English: Dialogue and Appropriate Vocabulary

· Ask students to choose another student who should respond to the call for which he/she has written notes.

· Ask your students to go to a different office, make sure to get the extension for the office. Ask students to take notes on the call.

· Now, this is when your acting skills come in handy! Take the various notes, call the other extension and ask for the person suggested by the student who wrote the notes.

· You've made it to Hollywood now! Take a variety of roles and act them out on the phone. Really put your students through the paces. You can be angry, impatient, in a hurry, etc.

Interpersonal

Ability to get along with others, work with others to accomplish tasks.

Group learning is based on interpersonal skills. Not only do students learn while speaking to others in an "authentic" setting, they develop English speaking skills while reacting to others. Obviously, not all learners have excellent interpersonal skills. For this reason, group work needs to balanced with other activities.

Example Lesson Plans

Conversation Lesson: Multinationals - Help or Hindrance?

This lesson plan is based on the idea that having students support opinions that are not necessarily their own during debates can help improve students fluency. In this manner, students pragmatically focus on correct production skills in conversation rather than striving to "win" the argument. For more on this approach please see the following feature:

Teaching Conversational Skills: Tips and Strategies

When employing role-plays, debates, topic discussions, etc., I have noticed that some students are often timid in expressing their viewpoints. This seems due to a number of reasons:

· Students don't have an opinion on the subject

· Students have an opinion, but are worried about what the other students might say or think

· Students have an opinion, but don't feel they can say exactly what they mean

· Students begin giving their opinion, but want to state it in the same eloquent manner that they are capable of in their native language

· Other, more actively participating students, feel confident in their opinions and express them eloquently making the less confident students more timid

Pragmatically, conversation lessons and exercises are intended to improve conversational skills. For this reason, I find it helpful to first focus on building skills by eliminating some of the barriers that might be in the way of production. Having been assigned roles, opinions and points of view that they do not necessarily share, students are freed from having to express their own opinions. Therefore, they can focus on expressing themselves well in English. In this way, students tend to concentrate more on production skills, and less on factual content. They also are less likely to insist on literal translations from their mother tongue.

Implementing this approach can begin slowly by providing students with short role plays using cue cards. Once students become comfortable with target structures and representing differing points of view, classes can move onto more elaborated exercises such as debates and group decision making activities. This approach bears fruit especially when debating opposing points of view. By representing opposing points of view, students' imagination are activated by trying to focus on all the various points that an opposing stand on any given issue may take. As students inherently do not agree with the view they represent, they are freed from having to invest emotionally in the statements they make. More importantly, from a pragmatic point of view, students tend to focus more on correct function and structure when they do not become too emotionally involved in what they are saying.

Of course, this is not to say that students should not express their own opinions. After all, when students go out into the "real" world they will want to say what they mean. However, taking out the personal investment factor can help students first become more confident in using English. Once this confidence is gained, students - especially timid students - will be more self-assured when expressing their own points of view.

Aim: Improve conversational skills when supporting a point of view

Activity: Debate of pros and cons of multinational companies

Level: Upper-intermediate to advanced

Outline:

· Review language used when expressing opinions, disagreeing, making comments on other person's point of view, etc. (See work sheet)

· Write the name of some major multinational corporations on the board (i.e. Coca Cola, Nike, Nestle, etc.)

· Ask students what their opinions of the corporations are. Do they hurt local economies? Do they help local economies? Do they bring about homogenisation of local cultures? Do they help promote peace internationally? Etc.

· Based on students' responses, divide groups up into two groups. One group arguing for Multinationals, one group against Multinationals.Important: Make sure that groups are put into the group with the opposite opinion of what they seemed to believe in the warm-up conversation.

· Give students worksheets including ideas pro and con. Have students develop arguments using the ideas on the worksheet as a springboard for further ideas and discussion.

· Once students have prepared their opening arguments, begin with the debate. Each team has 5 minutes to present their principal ideas.

· Have students prepare notes and make rebuttal to the expressed opinions.

· While the debate is in progress, take notes on common errors made by the students.

· At the end of debate, take time for a short focus on common mistakes. This is important, as students should not be too involved emotionally and therefore will be quite capable of recognizing language problems - as opposed to problems in beliefs!

Multinationals: Help or Hindrance?

You are going to debate the pros and cons of international multi nation corporations. It is important to remember that you have been placed in your group based on what seems to be the opposite of what you really think. Use the clues and ideas below to help you create an arguement for your appointed point of view with your team members. Below you will find phrases and language helpful in expressing opinions, offering explanations and disagreeing.

Opinions, Preferences:

I think..., In my opinion..., I'd like to..., I'd rather..., I'd prefer..., The way I see it..., As far as I'm concerned..., If it were up to me..., I suppose..., I suspect that..., I'm pretty sure that..., It is fairly certain that..., I'm convinced that..., I honestly feel that, I strongly believe that..., Without a doubt,...

Creating a New Society

This classic conversation lesson is based on the idea of creating a new society. Students must decide which laws will be followed and how many freedoms will be allowed. This lesson works well for students of most levels - except beginners - as the subject brings out many opinions.

Aim: Building conversation skills, expressing opinions

Activity: Group activity deciding on the laws for a new society

Level: pre-intermediate to advanced

Outline:

· Help activate vocabulary by asking students which laws they admire most and least in their own country - and why.

· Divide students into groups of 4 - 6. Try to include as many different personalities as possible in each group (to provide for more stimulating discussion!)

· Explain the following situation to the class:

A large area of your country has been set aside by the current government for the development of a new nation. This area will include an invited international community of 20,000 men and women. Imagine that your group has to decide the laws of this new country.

· Distribute the worksheet and ask students to discuss the questions.

· Answer the worksheet as a class - ask the opinions of each group and leave ample time for discussion of differing opinions.

· As a follow-up activity, the class could discuss which laws and customs they would like to change in their own country.

Populate Ideal Land

Discuss the following questions.

1. Which political system will the country have?

2. What will the official language(s) be?

3. Will there be censorship?

4. What industries will your country try to develop?

5. Will citizens be allowed to carry a gun?

6. Will there be the death penalty?

7. Will there be a state religion?

8. What kind of immigration policy will there be?

9. What will the educational system be like? Will there be compulsory education to a certain age?

10. Who will be allowed to marry?

Guilty - Fun Classroom Conversation Game

"Guilty" is a fun classroom game which encourages students to communicate using past tenses. The game can be played by all levels and can be monitored for varying degrees of accuracy. The game gets students interested in detail which helps to refine students' questioning abilities. "Guilty" can be used as an integrated game during lessons focusing on past forms, or just to have fun while communicating.

Aim: Communicating with Past Forms

Activity: Question and Answer Game

Level: All Levels

Outline:

· Start by describing a crime which happened last night. Each student pair will be interrogated by the rest of the class and will create alibis to prove they are innocent.

· Have students get into pairs.

· Have the students develop their alibis for where they were when the crime was committed. Encourage them to go into as much detail as possible when discussing their alibis.

· Go around the classroom getting an alibi statement from each group (e.g. We were away for a weekend trip to the countryside).

· Write the individual alibis on the board.

· Once each group has developed their alibis, ask them to write down 3 questions about the other alibis on the board.

· To begin the game, ask one student from the beginning pair to leave the room. The other students ask the first student the questions.

· Ask the other student to return to the classroom and have the students ask the same questions. Take note of how many differences there were in the students' responses.

· Repeat the same with each student pair.

· The "guilty" pair is the pair with the most discrepancies in their story

Let's Do Tourism

Logical / Mathematical

Use of logic and mathematical models to represent and work with ideas.

Grammar analysis falls into this type of learning style. Many teachers feel that English teaching syllabi are too loaded towards grammar analysis which has little to do with communicative ability. Nonetheless, using a balanced approach, grammar analysis has it's place in the classroom. Unfortunately, because of certain standardized teaching practices, this type of teaching sometimes tends to dominate the classroom.

Example Lesson Plans

Match-up!

Match-Up! is a game that helps students review basic sentence structure and match these structures to grammar concepts / structures / forms they have studied throughout the year. This exercise can be used at the beginning, throughout and / or at the end of the course as a means of reviewing or extending materials and concepts covered in class. The lesson plan provided below gives an example of integrating this exercise into a hour's lesson. Of course, this exercise could easily be given for homework, or used as a competitive activity between groups to mix-up your lesson.

Aim: Review sentence structures

Activity: Match-up - matching sentence halves and grammar labels

Level: Upper Intermediate to Advanced

Outline:

· Start off the lesson by asking students to write the name of something they have studied during the year - or they think is going to be studied during the coming course - on a slip of paper. For example: conditional sentences, prepositional phrases, etc. Collect the slips of paper.

· Randomly choose a slip of paper and read. Call on students to give an example sentence of the concept.

· To extend the lesson, repeat the above, but ask students to not only provide an example sentence, but to also give a short explanation of the grammar / vocabulary point.

· Split students into groups and ask them to complete the Match-Up! exercise provided below.

· Give each group a name and write the name on the board.

· Once students have finished, go around the room calling on one group at a time. Award a point for each sentence / structure combination correctly matched.

· Once the game has finished, ask students to remain in their groups and use the grammar / structure section of each Match-Up! sentence to write another example of that structure.

· Circulate around the room, checking students' work and correcting / explaining when required.

· Ask students to repeat the exercise at home as homework.

Match-Up!

Instructions

Match the sentence halves to make correct sentences. Once you have matched-up the sentences find the correct grammar form and match it to the sentence.

Sentence Beginnings

Andy would have enjoyed coming
He's always getting
How about going to
I might be able to
I wish she had
If he were in charge
Peter will have
She'll be late
She can't have flown to New York because
That house is being
They're going to study
They were discussing the new account
We'll be giving the
We usually sleep
We would have brunch on Sundays

Sentence Endings

when he burst into the meeting to tell them the news.
unless she hurries up!
the concert next week?
she telephoned me from her home in Austin.
presentation this time tomorrow.
into trouble at school.
in on Sundays.
if he had been invited.
he would fire a few people.
finished the report by next Friday.
decided to stay longer.
computer sciences at university.
built by Anderson Inc.
attend the conference next week.
after going to church.

Grammar Reasons

First or real Conditional
Future continuous
Future intention
Future perfect
Future possibility
Interrupted past action
Passive voice in the continuous
Past habitual action
Past modal verb of probability
Past unreal conditional
Past wish
Present habitual annoying problem
Routine
Second or unreal conditional
Suggestion

Match-Up the Sentences

English Grammar Review

While old-fashioned, I still find what I call "grammar banging" (intensive grammar review sheets) useful at the end or beginning of the year. The end of year calls for exam preparation and the beginning calls for some review to raise awareness of what has already been learnt and where problems still lie. The sheets provided in these "grammar banging" reviews are very effective because each question focuses on one important, specific area. I have included the answers and a short note of the grammar focus after the exercise.

Aim: Grammar review of the most important lower level English tenses, structure and functions

Activity: Grammar banging multiple choice review lesson with each question focusing on a specific point

Level: Beginner to lower-intermediate

Outline:

· This is straight-forward stuff. Make the copies and give them to the students.

· Have each student do the sheet by him/herself.

· Ask students to compare answers and discuss differences, each student trying to explain his/her choice.

· Correct sheet as a class. Review each grammar point quickly - you should get a lot of "Oh, yeah....".

· Give the students an unmarked copy of the same exercise to repeat at home to solidify the review exercise.

"Grammar Banging" - Review your English - 1

Choose the correct word to fill in the gap

1. The children in that class ______ nine years old.

A) is B) have C) are D) has

2. How ______ you go to work?

A) do B) does C) are D) is

3. Do you like watching TV? Yes, I _______

A) like B) watch C) do D) does

4. __________ he coming to dinner tonight?

A) Are B) Is C) Will D) Shall

5. I like ______________ music.

A) listen B) listen to C) listening D) listening to

6. He can see something ___________ in the sky. Why don't we take a look!

A) flying B) to fly C) fly D) flies

7. __________ you like to come to dinner with us? (invitation)

A) Would B) Do C) Will D) Are

8. What film _________ we see? (asking for a suggestion)

A) do B) will C) are D) shall

9. Do you want ___________ to lunch tomorrow?

A) coming B) come C) to come D) to coming

10. He's got ________ interesting stories.

A) some B) any C) a lot D) much

11. I think the first painting was ________ than the others.

A) gooder B) better C) well D) good

12. I went to the butcher's ___________ some bread

A) buying B) buy C) to buy D) for buy

13. This book isn't ________.

A) he's B) him C) his D) of him

Choose the correct word to fill in the gap

1. The children in that class are nine years old.

We use the verb "to be" to express age in English. There are two possibilities: He is eight. OR He is eight years old.

2. How do you go to work?

Simple present question form. Do Subject + Verb (without to) - remember "does" for he, she, it.

3. Do you like watching TV? Yes, I do

When answering yes/no questions we use the auxilliary verb - "do" in this case - "I don't" for the negative.

4. Is he coming to dinner tonight?

This is a question in the present continuous used for the future (scheduled events)

5. I like listening to music.

The verb "like" usually takes the gerund (verb+ing) in the simple form.

6. He can see something flying in the sky. Why don't we take a look!

We use the gerund form of the verb (verb+ing) when we use the verb as a noun.

7. Would you like to come to dinner with us? (invitation)

We use the form "Would you like to do" when inviting someone to do something specific.

8. What film shall we see? (asking for a suggestion)

Use "shall" with we when asking for suggestions.

9. Do you want to come to lunch tomorrow?

The verb "to want" takes the infinitive when followed by a verb.

10. He's got some interesting stories.

We use "some" with positive sentences and "any" in questions and negatives.

11. I think the first painting was better than the others.

The comparative form for "good" is "better".

12. I went to the butcher's to buy some bread

When using a verb of purpose - I do something to do another thing. - use "to + verb".

13. This book isn't his.

The possessive pronoun form of he is "his" - both when followed by a noun and by itself - It is his book. The book is his.

"Grammar Banging" - Review your English - 1

Choose the correct word to fill in the gap

1. The children in that class ______ nine years old.

A) is B) have C) are D) has

2. How ______ you go to work?

A) do B) does C) are D) is

3. Do you like watching TV? Yes, I _______

A) like B) watch C) do D) does

4. __________ he coming to dinner tonight?

A) Are B) Is C) Will D) Shall

5. I like ______________ music.

A) listen B) listen to C) listening D) listening to

6. He can see something ___________ in the sky. Why don't we take a look!

A) flying B) to fly C) fly D) flies

7. __________ you like to come to dinner with us? (invitation)

A) Would B) Do C) Will D) Are

8. What film _________ we see? (asking for a suggestion)

A) do B) will C) are D) shall

9. Do you want ___________ to lunch tomorrow?

A) coming B) come C) to come D) to coming

10. He's got ________ interesting stories.

A) some B) any C) a lot D) much

11. I think the first painting was ________ than the others.

A) gooder B) better C) well D) good

12. I went to the butcher's ___________ some bread

A) buying B) buy C) to buy D) for buy

13. This book isn't ________.

A) he's B) him C) his D) of him

Different Uses of "Like"

The correct use of "like" is of fundamental importance in many basic questions. The fact that these questions use "like" as a verb or a preposition can further complicate the issue. This lesson focuses on helping students identify the principal uses of "like" in question forms and some of the problem areas concerning these questions.

Aim: Improving the understanding of the various uses of "like"

Activity: Matching activity followed by oral comprehension activity.

Level: Pre-intermediate to intermediate

Outline:

· Ask students the following questions quickly, make sure to alternate questions often: What would you like?, What do you like?, What are you like?, What do you look like?, How are you? - change subjects often, especially with the last question.

· Write the questions on the board and ask students what the function of "like" is in each - verb or preposition.

· Discuss the differences between the various questions.

· Have students complete the matching activity, matching questions with answers.

· Correct activity in class. Review any problem areas.

· Have students do the oral exercise (or read each answer from the oral comprehension section yourself). Ask students to ask an appropriate question (i.e., What does he look like?)

· Repeat the first activity. Make sure to alternate questions and subjects quickly.

Various Uses of "Like"

For each answer choose the correct question.

What does he look like?
Fantastic. They played for more than 3 hours.

What does she like?
He's doing well, thank you.

What would you like?
He's tall, dark and handsome.

How is he?
Playing golf, reading and going to the cinema.

What's she like?
A steak, please.

What was it like?
Very interesting, she has travelled all over the world.

Ask the right question with "like" Read the following sentences aloud and ask your partner to ask an appropriate question.

· Oh, she is very interesting. She is very involved in community activities and loves the outdoors.

· He's fine, thank you.

· Just awful, it hasn't stopped raining for the last three days.

· Reading science fiction, watching classic films on late night tv.

· Very pretty, she's got short blond hair, blue eyes and a usually wears jeans and a t-shirt.

· A beer, if that's no problem.

· He's quite the entertainer. He loves having people over for dinner.

· It can be spicy AND sweet. It's delicious.

· It's a painting of a countryside with lots of flowers in the foreground.

· He can be difficult at times.

Answers

· What's she like?

· How is he?

· What's the weather like?

· What does she like doing?

· What does she look like?

· What would you like?

· What's he like? OR What does he like doing?

· What's it like?

· What does it look like?

· What's he like?

Conditional Statements - Reviewing the First and Second Conditional

Making conditional statements are an important part of fluency. This lesson focuses on helping students improve their recognition of the structure and use it in conversation.

Aim: Improve recognition of the first and second conditional forms used in conditional statements, while inductively reviewing the structures.

Activity: Reading Short prepared text with first and second conditional forms included, Speaking Replying to student generated conditional questions, Writing Developing structurally correct questions using the first and second conditionals

Level: Intermediate

Outline:

· Ask students to imagine the following situation: You’ve arrived home late at night and you find that the door is open to your apartment. What would you do? - Refresh students awareness of the conditional in this relaxed introductory portion of the lesson.

· Have students read prepared extract using conditionals.

· Ask students to underline all conditional structures.

· In groups, students complete fill-in activity based on previous reading.

· Correct worksheets in small groups. Move about the room helping students with their corrections.

· Go over corrections as a class.

· Answer any questions they may have on first and second conditional structure at this point.

· In groups, have students prepare two “What if…” situations on a separate piece of paper. Ask students to employ first and second conditionals.

· Ask students to exchange their prepared situations with another group.

· Students in each group discuss the "what if..." situations. Move about the class and help students - especially concentrating on the correct production of the first and second conditional forms.

Exercise 1: Emergency Procedures

Directions: Underline all conditional structures with either 1 (first conditional) or 2 (second conditional)

If you take a look at the handout, you’ll find all the telephone numbers, addresses and other necessary information. If Tom were here, he'd help me with this presentation. Unfortunately, he couldn't make it today. OK, let's get started: Today’s subject is helping guests with emergency situations. We'd certainly have a worse reputation if we didn't handle these situations well. That's why we like to review these procedures every year.

If a guest looses his passport, call the consulate immediately. If the consulate isn’t nearby, you’ll have to help the guest get to the appropriate consulate. It would be great if we had some more consulates here. However, there are also a few in Boston. Next, if a guest has an accident which is not so serious, you’ll find the first-aid kit under the reception desk. If the accident is serious, call an ambulance.

Sometimes guests need to return home unexpectedly. If this happens, the guest might need your help making travel arrangements, re-scheduling appointments, etc. Do everything you can to make this situation as easy to cope with as possible. If there is a problem, the guest will expect us to be able to handle any situation. It’s our responsibility to make sure ahead of time that we can.

Exercise 2: Check Your Understanding

Directions: Fill in the blanks with the correct missing half of the sentence

you’ll have to help the guest get to the appropriate consulate
you’ll find all the telephone numbers, addresses and other necessary information
the guest will expect us to be able to handle any situation
if we didn't handle these situations well
If Tom were here
If this happens
If a guest looses his passport
call an ambulance

If you take a look at the handout, _____. _____, he'd help me with this presentation. Unfortunately, he couldn't make it today. OK, let's get started: Today’s subject is helping guests with emergency situations. We'd certainly have a worse reputation _____. That's why we like to review these procedures every year.

_____, call the consulate immediately. If the consulate isn’t nearby, _____. It would be great if we had some more consulates here. However, there are also a few in Boston. Next, if a guest has an accident which is not so serious, you’ll find the first-aid kit under the reception desk. If the accident is serious, _____.

Sometimes guests need to return home unexpectedly. ______, the guest might need your help making travel arrangements, re-scheduling appointments, etc. Do everything you can to make this situation as easy to cope with as possible. If there is a problem, _____. It’s our responsibility to make sure ahead of time that we can.

Musical

Ability to recognize and communicate using melody, rhythm, and harmony.

This type of learning is sometimes underestimated in ESL classrooms. If you keep in mind that English is a very rhythmic language because of its tendency to accent only certain words, you'll recognize that music plays a role in the classroom as well.

Example Lesson Plans

Grammar Chants

Grammar chants can be a lot of fun to use in classes. They are especially effective when used to help students learn problematic forms. Grammar chants use repetition to engage the right side of the brain's 'musical' intelligence. The use of multiple intelligences can go a long way to helping students speak English 'automatically'. Here are a number of chants for some of the most common beginning level problem areas. Many of these chants are simple. However, remember that through the use of repetition and having fun together (be as crazy as you like) students will improve their 'automatic' use of the language.

Using a chant is pretty straight-forward. The teacher (or leader) stands up in front of the class and 'chants' the lines. It's important to be as rhythmical as possible because these rhythms help the brain during its learning process.

Here they are: Have fun!

Prepositions of Time At and On

Teacher/Leader: At, on
Class/Group: At, on

Teacher/Leader: at - with time
Class/Group: at - with time

Teacher/Leader: on - with days
Class/Group: on - with days

Teacher/Leader: We eat at eight.
Class/Group: We eat at eight.

Teacher/Leader: We meet on Mondays.
Class/Group: We meet on Mondays.

Teacher/Leader: She leaves at five.
Class/Group: She leaves at five.

Teacher/Leader: They play on Saturdays.
Class/Group: They play on Saturdays.

Teacher/Leader: At, on
Class/Group: At, on

Teacher/Leader: at - with time
Class/Group: at - with time

Teacher/Leader: on - with days
Class/Group: on - with days

Grammar Chants - Numbers (American English)

Teacher/Leader: one, two, three
Class/Group: one, two, three

Teacher/Leader: four, five, six
Class/Group: four, five, six

Teacher/Leader: twenty-one, thirty-two, forty-three
Class/Group: twenty-one, thirty-two, forty-three

Teacher/Leader: fifty-four, sixty-five, seventy-six
Class/Group: fifty-four, sixty-five, seventy-six

Teacher/Leader: one hundred one
Class/Group: one hundred one

Teacher/Leader: one hundred twelve
Class/Group: one hundred twelve

Teacher/Leader: one hundred twenty seven
Class/Group: one hundred twenty seven

Teacher/Leader: two thousand
Class/Group: two thousand

Teacher/Leader: two thousand, three hundred fifty-two
Class/Group: two thousand, three hundred fifty-two

Teacher/Leader: thirty-six thousand, four hundred seventy-nine
Class/Group: thirty-six thousand, four hundred seventy-nine

Teacher/Leader: two hundred fifty-nine thousand
Class/Group: two hundred fifty-nine thousand

Teacher/Leader: two hundred fifty-nine thousand, six hundred seventy-two
Class/Group: two hundred fifty-nine thousand, six hundred seventy-two

Teacher/Leader: One million!
Class/Group: One million!

Teacher/Leader: Two billion!
Class/Group: Two billion!

Teacher/Leader: Six trillion!
Class/Group: Six trillion!

Teacher/Leader: Whew!!!
Class/Group: Whew!!!

Grammar Chants - Simple Present

Teacher/Leader: I
Class/Group: I

Teacher/Leader: I know you.
Class/Group: I know you.

Teacher/Leader: He
Class/Group: He

Teacher/Leader: He knows you.
Class/Group: He knows you.

Teacher/Leader: I
Class/Group: I

Teacher/Leader: I don't know.
Class/Group: I don't know.

Teacher/Leader: He
Class/Group: He

Teacher/Leader: He doesn't know.
Class/Group: He doesn't know.

Teacher/Leader: We
Class/Group: We

Teacher/Leader: We enjoy this class.
Class/Group: We enjoy this class.

Teacher/Leader: She
Class/Group: She

Teacher/Leader: She enjoys this class.
Class/Group: She enjoys this class.

Teacher/Leader: You
Class/Group: You

Teacher/Leader: You don't complain.
Class/Group: You don't complain.

Teacher/Leader: She
Class/Group: She

Teacher/Leader: She doesn't complain.
Class/Group: She doesn't complain.

Teacher/Leader: They
Class/Group: They

Teacher/Leader: Do they like it?
Class/Group: Do they like it?

Teacher/Leader: He
Class/Group: He

Teacher/Leader: Does he like it?
Class/Group: Does he like it?

Teacher/Leader: I, you, we, they
Class/Group: I, you, we, they

Teacher/Leader: no S, no S, no s
Class/Group: no S, no S, no S

Teacher/Leader: He, She, It
Class/Group: He, She, It

Teacher/Leader: yes s, yes s, yes s
Class/Group: yes s, yes s, yes s

Grammar Chants - Verb + Gerund

Teacher/Leader: ING
Class/Group: ING

Teacher/Leader: like doing
Class/Group: like doing

Teacher/Leader: I like reading.
Class/Group: I like reading.

Teacher/Leader: love doing
Class/Group: love doing

Teacher/Leader: I love dancing!
Class/Group: I love dancing!

Teacher/Leader: HATE doing
Class/Group: HATE doing

Teacher/Leader: I hate working!
Class/Group: I hate working!

Teacher/Leader: avoid doing
Class/Group: avoid doing

Teacher/Leader: He avoided answering.
Class/Group: He avoided answering.

Teacher/Leader: finish doing
Class/Group: finish doing

Teacher/Leader: He finished playing tennis.
Class/Group: He finished playing tennis.

Teacher/Leader: practice doing
Class/Group: practice doing

Teacher/Leader: He practiced playing the piano.
Class/Group: He practiced playing the piano.

Teacher/Leader: try doing
Class/Group: try doing

Teacher/Leader: We tried chanting!
Class/Group: We tried chanting!

Teacher/Leader: ING!
Class/Group: ING!

Grammar Chants - Verb + Infinitive

Teacher/Leader: INFINITIVE!
Class/Group: INFINITIVE!

Teacher/Leader: would like to do
Class/Group: would like to do

Teacher/Leader: I'd like to come.
Class/Group: I'd like to come.

Teacher/Leader: appear to do
Class/Group: appear to do

Teacher/Leader: He appears to like the show.
Class/Group: He appears to like the show.

Teacher/Leader: claim to do
Class/Group: claim to do

Teacher/Leader: They claim to work hard.
Class/Group: They claim to work hard.

Teacher/Leader: hope to do
Class/Group: hope to do

Teacher/Leader: Hope to see you soon!
Class/Group: Hope to see you soon!

Teacher/Leader: learn to do
Class/Group: learn to do

Teacher/Leader: He learned to play golf.
Class/Group: He learned to play golf.

Teacher/Leader: need to do
Class/Group: need to do

Teacher/Leader: I need to do some work.
Class/Group: I need to do some work.

Teacher/Leader: want to do
Class/Group: want to do

Teacher/Leader: He wants to come.
Class/Group: He wants to come.

Teacher/Leader: INFINITIVE!
Class/Group: INFINITIVE!

Grammar Chants - Pronouns

Teacher/Leader: I
Class/Group: I

Teacher/Leader: I, me
Class/Group: I, me

Teacher/Leader: My book.
Class/Group: My book.

Teacher/Leader: That's mine.
Class/Group: That's mine.

Teacher/Leader: You
Class/Group: You

Teacher/Leader: You, you
Class/Group: You, you

Teacher/Leader: Your book
Class/Group: Your book

Teacher/Leader: That's yours.
Class/Group: That's yours.

Teacher/Leader: He
Class/Group: He

Teacher/Leader: He, him
Class/Group: He, him

Teacher/Leader: His book
Class/Group: His book

Teacher/Leader: That's his.
Class/Group: That's his.

Teacher/Leader: She
Class/Group: She

Teacher/Leader: She, her
Class/Group: She, her

Teacher/Leader: Her book
Class/Group: Her book

Teacher/Leader: That's hers.
Class/Group: That's hers.

Teacher/Leader: We
Class/Group: We

Teacher/Leader: We, us
Class/Group: We, us

Teacher/Leader: Our book
Class/Group: Our book

Teacher/Leader: That's ours
Class/Group: That's ours

Teacher/Leader: They
Class/Group: They

Teacher/Leader: They, them
Class/Group: They, them

Teacher/Leader: Their book
Class/Group: Their book

Teacher/Leader: That's theirs.
Class/Group: That's theirs.

Grammar Chants - Past Forms

Teacher/Leader: Ed
Class/Group: Ed

Teacher/Leader: Our friend Ed.
Class/Group: Our friend Ed.

Teacher/Leader: doesn't speak
Class/Group: doesn't speak

Teacher/Leader: except after t!
Class/Group: except after t!

Teacher/Leader: started, wanted, planted
Class/Group: started, wanted, planted

Teacher/Leader: Ed
Class/Group: Ed

Teacher/Leader: Our friend Ed.
Class/Group: Our friend Ed.

Teacher/Leader: doesn't speak
Class/Group: doesn't speak

Teacher/Leader: except after T!
Class/Group: except after T!

Teacher/Leader: played, listened, watched
Class/Group: played, listened, watched

Teacher/Leader: Ed
Class/Group: Ed

Teacher/Leader: Our friend Ed
Class/Group: Our friend Ed

Teacher/Leader: has some friends
Class/Group: has some friends

Teacher/Leader: who don't fit in.
Class/Group: who don't fit in.

Teacher/Leader: go - went
Class/Group: go - went

Teacher/Leader: buy - bought
Class/Group: buy - bought

Teacher/Leader: put - put
Class/Group: put - put

Teacher/Leader: think - thought
Class/Group: think - thought

Teacher/Leader: What can we do?
Class/Group: What can we do?

Teacher/Leader: Learn those verbs!
Class/Group: Learn those verbs!

Music in the Classroom

Here are some suggestions for appropriate music for different activities:

· Grammar - Mozart, Haydn, Bach, Handel, Vivaldi

· Imagination exercises (descriptive writing, speaking) - Ravel, Debussy, Satie

· Making Future Plans - Fun upbeat jazz ("Take Five" by Dave Brubeck)

· Discussing "Serious" issues - the "serious" Germans: Beethoven, Brahms - even Mahler if you are adventurous!

Use your imagination and you will quickly find that your students will be using their imaginations to improve their English - usually without being aware of it.

More "Whole Brain" Techniques and Activities

Practicing Stress and Intonation

I am often surprised at how focusing on the "stress - timed" quality of English helps students improve their pronunciation skills. Students often focus on pronouncing each word correctly and therefore tend to pronounce in an unnatural manner. By focusing on the stress - timed factor in English - the fact that only principle words such as proper nouns, principle verbs, adjectives and adverbs receive the "stress" - students soon begin sounding much more "authentic" as the cadence of the language begins to ring true. The following lesson focuses on raising awareness of this issue and includes practice exercises.

Aim: Improving pronunciation by focusing on the stress - time nature of spoken English

Activity: Awareness raising followed by practical application exercises

Level: Pre - intermediate to upper intermediate depending on student needs and awareness

Outline:

· Begin awareness raising activities by reading an example sentence aloud to the students (for example: The boys didn't have time to finish their homework before the lesson began). Read the sentence the first time pronouncing each word carefully. Read the sentence a second time in natural speech.

· Ask students which reading seemed more natural and why it seemed more natural.

· Using the ideas students come up with, explain the idea of English being a "stress - timed" language. If the students speak a syllabic language (such as Italian or Spanish), point out the difference between their own native language and English (theirs being syllabic, English stress - timed). Just this awareness raising can make a dramatic difference in such students abilities.

· Talk about the differences between stressed words and non-stressed words (i.e. principle verbs are stressed, auxiliary verbs are not).

· Write the following two sentences on the board:

· The beautiful Mountain appeared transfixed in the distance.

· He can come on Sundays as long as he doesn't have to do any homework in the evening.

Teaching Techniques

· Guide to Teaching English for Non - Professionals

· Basic Lesson Plan Format

· Basic English Curriculum for Teaching

Teaching Specifics

· Teaching Grammar in an ESL / EFL Setting

· Improve Vocabulary Skills

· Conversation Tips

· Setting ESL Class Objectives - ESL Teaching Objectives Meeting Students Lea...

· Better Business English: A Proposal

· ESL / EFL Back to School Special for Teachers of English as a Second Langua...

· Kenneth Beare - Guide

· Telephone English - How to Telephone in English for Business English ESL EF...

Question 1 When do you use your English outside of class?

	A. Speaking with other non-native English speakers (i.e., not American, British, Australia, etc. but with people who have learned English as a second or foreign language)
	B. Speaking with native English speakers
	C. When I travel on holiday
	D. With colleagues on the telephone or by email

Wilson P. Chiluiza Vásquez

About Me

Wednesday, 26 January 2011

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