ESL/EFL and Web 2.0 tools

Below is a presentation that will get you started with using Web 2.0 tools in your English classroom.

web 2.0 tools for ESL/EFL teaching (how to become web literate)

View more presentations from Thiago Eduardo. (tags: eslteaching web2.0)

February 8, 2009 · Filed Under ESL and technology

Learn English at Columbia University!

The Community Language Program at Columbia University offers high quality language instruction to students of all ages and levels. If you want to learn English in America, the Ivy League is the best place to start. Here is a video about the CLP program at Columbia.

I happen to be teaching in the CLP this semester. Click here to visit a website I designed for my students.

February 7, 2009 · Filed Under Studying Abroad

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Business English Words

Teach your students business terminology through this video from Business English Pod. The words presented in this video are very basic, but there are many well-written definitions for each word which may aid in studying.

February 5, 2009 · Filed Under Business English

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Virtual ESL enviroment conference

The following is information about a conference on using virtual ESL environments to teach English. Mark your calenders for May 2009 because that is when this event will take place.

SLanguages 2009 Conference - 8&9 May 2009

View more presentations from slanguages. (tags: spanish ele)

February 3, 2009 · Filed Under ESL and technology

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ESL and Restaurant Menu Activities

Click here to get access to hundreds of restaurant reviews teeming with beautifully written, natural English words and phrases. Insiders (i.e. fellow ESL student-teachers at Columbia University) tell me that using YELP.com to teach authentic English is becoming increasingly more popular. Here’s some food for thought: Some of my best lessons have been when I used food as the teaching theme. I recall an activity I did in class where students were required to describe the most famous food in their home countries, find images on google, and instruct their fellow classmates on how to make it. The students truly enjoyed the activity.

January 30, 2009 · Filed Under ESL/EFL activities

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Writing a Resume

Click here to download this resume writing activity. The activity consists of two parts. In the first section, students will view a sample resume. Teachers should preview each part of the resume and ask students about their experiences and educational backgrounds in order to further familarize them with the content. After students become comfortable with the parts of the resume, teachers should have them work on the second part of the activity by completing the information in the sample resume. In order to expand this activity, teachers can have students rewrite their resume drafts using Microsoft word and engage in peer editing.

January 27, 2009 · Filed Under Business English, ESL/EFL activities, Teaching Writing

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Teaching Writing Resources

Here are some sources to help your students improve their English writing ability (academic, business, personal etc.).

January 25, 2009 · Filed Under Teaching Writing

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Business English Activity-Presenting Graphs

Click here to download a business English Activity. In this activity, students will view a graph of food sales at a fictitious company called Daily Food Company. The students will then take on the role of a company representative and discuss the results of the graph in a role-play. At the end of this activity are comprehension questions to access the students’ understanding of the role-play and the graph.

My advice for teachers is to have students also create graphs of their own company’s sales performance or print out the information from the web. Then the students will have the opportunity to present their company’s information while using the role-play as a prompt.

January 24, 2009 · Filed Under Business English, ESL/EFL activities

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Teach Obama’s inaugural address

Obama’s election as the 44th president of the United States was one of the most profound events in the history of the United States. I believe that it is imperative for educators to spread the word as to the significance of his victory and its impact upon modern society as well as future generations.

Click here to access Obama’s inaugural address in its entirety.

Here are some questions (based on the inaugural address) that you could ask your students about the speech to start up a great classroom discussion.

What is a crisis? Give some examples.
Who founded (started) your country? When did he or she found your country?
Where is Gettysburg? What happened there? Why did Obama talk about Gettysburg?
America uses a lot of oil currently. Is there a better, more environmentally friendly resource that Americans should use?
What does “toil” mean? Have you ever toiled at work before?
Is your society multicultural like America or is it homogeneous? Name some ethnic groups in your country. What foods do they eat? What drinks do they drink? What music do they like?
Which famous American city did levees break and cause a flood? What is famous in that city?
How will Obama change America?
Did you like Obama’s and Michelle’s clothing during the inauguration?

You can show your students a clip of the address here.

January 21, 2009 · Filed Under ESL/EFL activities

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