First Lesson Magic:

How to Introduce Yourself

have already learned. If you plan to volunteer can answer that question.
First lessons are the perfect do an activity later based on the intro- Encourage all students to participate.
opportunity to tell students duction, you may have to repeat the

6
a little bit about yourself and material a couple times. Review
get to know something about

them as well.
This may be your first chance to deter-
mine your students English level so it
is important to encourage them to
speak as much as possible.
How to Proceed
3
Practice
Now that your class has learned
a bit about you, have them fill in the
correct answers on the worksheet you
gave them earlier or ask them ques-
tions based on your presentation and
see if they can answer them. This will
Use the last three to five minutes
of class to have students ask you any
questions they might have. This can
be intimidating so you could expand
it into a larger activity where students
work in groups to think of a question
to ask. The benefit of being the first
group to ask a question is that no one

1 Warm up
Most teachers find one or two
great warm up activities and use them
often in their classes. If you have an
activity that you like to start classes
with, the first lesson may be the per-
give you time to evaluate your stu-
dents level and also see what they
understood from your presentation. If
else has asked the question already.
Tell students that questions cannot be
repeated so if another group asks the
your presentation was too easy or dif- question first, they will have to think of
ficult, you can adjust it before present- a different one.
ing to other classes.

fect time to introduce it to your new
students.
If you are not attached to any particu-
lar warm up activities, you can use the
first five to ten minutes of this lesson
to generate an interest in the topic,
in this case, yourself. One way to do
this is to have students guess things
about you such as where you are
from. You can use a handout of about
fifteen questions for this activity and
leave enough space for students to
write their guesses as well as space
to write the correct answer which they
will learn later on in the lesson.
4
Icebreaker
At this point an activity would be
important. You can use an ice breaker
to get everyone moving and more re-
laxed. This also shifts the focus of the
lesson from you to the students.
Starting the activity yourself will give
students an example of what they are
being asked for. A very simple exer-
cise would be to say your name and
favorite color and have students
take turns doing this.
If your class has been together for
years and years and the students are
The first lesson is very impor-
tant. You have to strike a
balance between having fun
and maintaining order in the
classroom. Students need to
respect you in order for you
to have control of the class-
room environment so use
the first lesson to introduce
yourself, learn something
about your students, have fun,
and establish your authority.
See BusyTeachers Back to School

2 Introduce
Especially if you are from an-
other country, students will be very
interested in hearing about where
you are from and specific cultural as-
pects of your country. Using pictures
or flashcards will help students grasp
the meaning of your self introduction
very familiar with each other, you may
even ask the student whose turn it is
to say all the students names that
worksheets here: busyteacher.org/
classroom_activities-vocabulary/
holidays_and_celebrations/backtos-
have been said already before saying chool-worksheets/
his own. This will give you more time
to learn the names and you can end
the activity by attempting to say all the
names in order. How do YOU teach your first lessons?
Please share with us online!

without understanding every single
word or sentence.
The best approach is to use the
simplest possible language during
this section of the lesson. If students
seem to understand the material very
well you can prompt them to complete
sentences based on the materials you
are showing them to give them an op-
portunity to demonstrate things they
5
Produce
Now you can ask students to vol-
unteer to give self introductions. This
activity can be structured a number of
ways. If giving a full self introduction
is too challenging, ask students to just
say one thing about themselves or to
use the worksheet as a guide so that
if the first question on the worksheet
was Where are you from? the first

3
Your First Lesson: 5 Essential Ice-
Breakers That Guarantee Success
Starting a class with an entire group
of new students can be a stress-
ful experience for both teacher and
student.
Teachers may feel awkward speaking in
front of a group of new faces who ap-
pear to be watching in a quite judge-
mental manner. Students also feel the
nerves during a first class, as they may
not have spoken English for a very long
time. Their last experience with an Eng-
lish teacher may have been in a strict,
grammar-focused classroom environ-
ment many years ago. This often cre-
ates a series of confidence issues with
the student, having not used the lan-
guage for an extended period and fear-
ing making a mistake. The first class
should be to promote a positive learning
environment, where usage of the target
language, whether right or wrong, will be
viewed as being beneficial for the stu-
dents.
Additionally, the first lesson is also a
prime opportunity to build a rapport
with the students. By developing a
strong connection with students, teach-
ers set a cooperative learning environ-
ment that is easy for you and comfort-
able for the students. You should also
use the first class as a time to evaluate
the level, needs and wants of the stu-
dents, and this can be done through a
number of activities that are fun, enter-
taining and sure to develop on all of the
important qualities that set the mark for
what will be a successful course.
Fun First-Lesson Ice-Breakers
1
? ductions are vital, as the teacher can
When you walk into a class for the
first time, instead of introducing yourself,
draw a big question mark on the board.
You could tell them that you would nor-
mally introduce yourself, but youre feel-
ing a little tired and that they must do the
hard work. For more advanced students,
the teacher could walk in the class and
have students ask whatever comes
into their mind with little preparation,
while lower levels could work in pairs or
groups and write down some questions
they could ask. Error correction is very
important, the teacher should write the
question on the board, and if a ques-
tion is asked in a structurally incorrect
4
way, the teacher can elicit the answer
from other students in the class. This
is good way to build the confidence of
students and show them that incorrect
answers are still beneficial to the class.
2
Lie Detector
Lie detector is a great way to build
rapport and trust with students. This ac-
tivity involves the teacher writing three
sentences on the board about him: 2
are true, and 1 will be a lie. Teachers
should embellish the details slightly and
write some sentences that the students
wouldnt be likely to guess. Depending
on the level of the students, the students
can then ask questions about the topics
of the three statements of the teacher
to determine the lie. BUT, the hook to
this game is that YOU, the teacher, may
lie verbally to the students in your re-
sponse, and the students must play the
role of a lie detector and figure out which
sentence is a porky pie. You can then
set it up as a fun game, while analysing
the level of the students by getting them
to write three sentences about them,
with one of the sentences being a lie. A
good way to do this is the class versus
the teacher, if the student can success-
fully deceive the teacher, the class will
get the point.
3
Talk about your
partner
In some classes, especially basic lev-
els, the students may not possess the
necessary knowledge of structure or vo-
cabulary for the above exercises. Intro-
peats a word, they must sit down. The
learn a lot about the interests, along with
wants and needs of a student. You may
find out something rather unique, like
the softly spoken middle-aged woman
who drives rally cars as a hobby on the
weekend! This would make quite a fan-
tastic talking point when it comes to
asking the student about her weekend.
To avoid being predictable and to chal-
lenge the students, introductions can
be done with a twist by finding out the
information from their partner and com-
pleting presenting the information to the
class. This takes a traditionally quiet,
individual task and transforms it into a
fun, social activity that incorporates the
additional skills of forming questions
provided the student uses English and
not their native language!
4 Expectations, wants and
needs
When dealing with children, the expec-
tations of the teacher play a significant
role in contributing to a productive flow
of the course, especially for dealing
with classroom management. However,
when it comes to dealing with adults,
focusing on the expectations of the stu-
dents is vital when providing extracur-
ricular activities. All adult students would
have an expectation of an English class,
and when you fulfil the expectations of
the student, you succeed as an ESL
teacher. By finding out the expectations
of the students, you can tailor the course
around their wants and needs, which at
the end of the day gives you positive
feedback and provides you with a great
reputation that can lead to more oppor-
tunities in the future.
5
End the class on a fun
note
After completing a successful first
class, leave on a high note and play a
game. A great little quicky vocab game
is to come up with a topic, e.g., The
Beach, and have the students stand
up and form a circle in the middle of the
room. The student must say an original
word associated with the topic, e.g.,
sand, sea, etc. If the student gives an
answer that is not associated with the
topic, takes too long to answer or re-
game continues until one person is left
standing, who is the winner.
As the saying goes: first impres-
sions last, especially walking
into a class full of new faces.
All you need to do is arm them with the
confidence to succeed, find out what
they expect from the class, while taking
a fun and light-hearted approach. By fol-
lowing the above steps, your students
will love you, and have the confidence
to express themselves and walk away
from the class having learned something
new in constructive and enjoyable atmo-
sphere.
Fabulous Ideas for
the First Day of Class
On the first day of class, the
halls buzz with excitement.
Teachers get ready to greet their stu-
dents, anxious to get started, and our
young, or not-so-young, learners are
nervous, wondering what their teachers
like. Of course, first impressions count,
and its essential to have a first day of
class that will set the tone for what the
rest of the school year or course will be
like. And it will be fun!
Getting to know your new
students
The first day of class is a great oppor-
tunity to get to know your new students
and find out a little more about them.
1 This Is Me:
(busyteacher.org/2897-this-is-me.
html) This is a very simple worksheet
for very young learners who may not
be able to write. They draw a picture of
themselves and several of their favor-
ite things. After theyve completed their
worksheets ask them to stand up and
show their pictures to the class. If pos-
sible, you may ask them to describe or
name some of the things in English.
2 This Is Me (for older stu-
dents):
(busyteacher.org/2899-this-is-me-older-
students.html) This one is similar to the
above worksheet but for students who
are already able to read and write in
English. You may also ask them to share
the information theyve written down with
the class. The last part of the worksheet
is particularly useful for teachers.
It asks students basically how much they
like certain activities like singing, color-
ing, playing games, etc. and it will give
you an idea as to what type of learner
each may be.
Icebreakers
Never underestimate the importance
of activities to break the ice on the first
day of class. No matter how old or how
young your students are, there is always
a little anxiety about having to speak a
language that is not their own.
1 Introduce me:
This activity is a great way to start
a class of adult learners who are not
complete beginners. Split them up into
pairs and have them take turns ask-
ing each other questions. You should
have some prompts written down on the
board or on a handout, and they should
be suitable to their level. For example,
beginner-intermediate students should
have a list of questions, like:
Where do you live?
What do you do?
Where do you work? Etc.
More advanced students, may be simply
given areas to investigate, like:
Education
Family
Work
Leisure activities and hobbies, Etc.
They should be encouraged to take
notes, and try to remember as much
as they can about their partner. Once
theyre done interviewing each other,
each student has to introduce his or her
partner and tell the class what theyve
learned about that person.
Very young learners or beginners can
simply be taught to ask simple questions
like, Whats your name? and How
old are you?, then introduce their new
friend to the class: This is Sandra.
Shes 7 years old.
2 My goals:
Unlike most school courses, learn-
ing English as a second language is
quite often something that is chosen by
the students themselves. Adult students,
at the very least, will be able to tell you
why theyve enrolled in an ESL course.
But little ones may also have great rea-
sons to want to learn English. You may
ask them to write this down on the first
page of their notebooks, so they can al-
ways have that to look back to.
A word book
Create a personalized dictionary that
each student will keep for the duration of
the course. Hand out a few blank sheets
of paper to each of your students, as
well as a piece of poster board of the
same size. The poster board will be the
front cover of their dictionary, which they
can decorate as they please. The blank
sheets of paper will be the pages of their
dictionary. They should write down new
words in their dictionaries, with a short
definition, example, or drawing.
Looking to the future - Buried
Treasure
Heres another great activity for the first
day of school that will blow your stu-
dents away on the very last day of class.
Create a Treasure Chest. Ask your stu-
dents to draw pictures of themselves and
write something on the back: a descrip-
tion of themselves, their favorite things,
what they hope to learn and do in class,
etc. Measure each of their heights with
a piece of string or yarn and label each
one with a childs name. If possible, re-
cord each of them speaking, briefly stat-
ing their names and a little something
about themselves. Get a cardboard box
that will hold all of the drawings, pieces
of string, and the cassette or disc, seal it
with tape, and hide it somewhere in the
classroom, or take it home with you.
On the last day of class, you can play
a Treasure Hunt game, complete with
treasure map, or simply re-open the
box in a grand ceremony. Students will
have a blast looking at their earlier work,
and theyll be amazed to see how much
theyve learned and grown.
You can do something similar with adult
learners. Ask them to write a paragraph
about themselves, with no corrections
from you, just a spontaneous sample of
writing. Keep all of your students writ-
ings, and on the last day of class show
these to them, so they can see how
far theyve progressed in their writing
skills. You can also record them speak-
ing. Whatever you do on the first day of
class, take the time to get to know your
students and let them get to know you.
Set forth the classroom rules with
the little ones, discuss your stu-
dents goals for the course.
But the most important thing
is to lay a solid foundation for
what will be a year of coopera-
tion and learning.
5
Back to School Tech Tips for ESL
Teachers: Use Online Resources
Not exactly tech-savvy are you? But
you have to admit that starting a
new school year can be overwhelm-
ing, particularly for new teachers.
Luckily for us, the World Wide
Web offers ways in which we
can share the load and support
each other, tools that can cer-
tainly make things easier.
There is also an astounding amount
of information and resources for ESL
teachers, and not just in the form of
worksheets and printables for download.
Even the ESL teachers who are most
reluctant to use the newest online tools
should take advantage of the vast
amount of resources available to them,
and here are but a few of the things
you can do online to start the new
school year off on the right foot:
Back to School Tech Tips for
Smart ESL Teachers
1 Use Twitter
Twitter can be an invaluable tool
for those interested in building a network
of like-minded professionals. For ESL
teachers, in particular, it provides an ex-
cellent way to trade secrets, exchange
tips, or simply share the trials and joys
of teaching.
Once you have your account set up, all
you have to do is start following other ESL
teachers or ESL publications, organiza-
tions and websites. Its as easy as typing
ESL in the Who To Follow search box.
Youll have thousands of suggestions to
choose from. And dont forget to add twit-
ter.com/#!/busyteacher_org to follow us
on Twitter!
Also, TwitterforTeachers.com has an ex-
cellent database of ESL teachers you
can follow remember to add your name
to the list so that others can find you.
2 Create your own website
Creating a website used to be a
monumental task, but not anymore! There
are sites like wix.com and weebly.com
6
that allow you to create your own free
websites and guide you every step of the
way no need to know anything about
programming, no need to hire expensive
web designers. But why create your own
website? Your custom made website can
be an invaluable link between the class-
room and home. In your class website
you can:
- Post schedules and calendars
- Share pictures of your special projects
- Keep parents informed on what youre
doing in class
- Give your students extra homework or
reading materials
- Post videos or songs for extra, fun
practice
- And the list goes on...
If you think a class website will only give
you more work to do, that may not neces-
sarily be the case. Once you have your
website up and running, you may only
have to update it once or twice a week.
You can always choose how much of
your time youll dedicate to it, but chanc-
es are youll get hooked!
This is a great way to get parents in-
terested in what their kids are learn-
ing, but it also shows them exactly what
they have been doing in class. Remem-
ber that before you post photos of your
students on the Internet, its best to get a
signed authorization from their parents.
3
Download ready-made
materials
Creating your own worksheets, flash-
cards and posters can be time consum-
ing and exhausting. Why create yet an-
other worksheet on the present perfect
when hundreds of ESL teachers have
done so before you? Make use of the
online resources available to you and
download the materials you need. Here
at BusyTeacher.org, weve got work-
sheets, flashcards, puzzle creators and
more!
But dont just stop at downloads. Use
all of the tools available to you that can
help you get things done easier and fast-
er. Scholastic Book Wizard (bookwizard.
scholastic.com/tbw/homePage.do) helps
you choose the right book for you class.
Scholastics Classroom Setup Tool
(teacher.scholastic.com/tools/class_set-
up) takes the guesswork out of organiz-
ing your class for more effective lessons.
4 Read ESL blogs
ESL blogs may offer worksheets
to download or just simple, good advice.
There are different types of ESL blogs,
but most have one thing in common: any
ESL teacher will find something useful
in them, perhaps a pearl of wisdom, or
a really great video to watch. Blogs are
also great places to leave comments
and connect with the blogger, who is this
case, is an ESL teacher, just like you!
OnlineDegrees.org has published a great
list of Top 25 ESL Blogs for Teachers and
Students (onlinedegrees.org/top-25-esl-
blogs-for-teachers-and-students).
5
Invest in your profes-
sional development
You may have already gotten your de-
gree, but this does not mean you have
nothing left to learn. There are plenty of
ways in which you can further your edu-
cation, from a Masters degree to tech-
nology courses.
Walden University (waldenu.edu) of-
fers online degrees like the Master of
Science in Education and the Bach-
elors degree in Instructional Design
and Technology.
Want to finally get your TE-
SOL certification? TESOL.
org (tesol.org/s_tesol/seccss.
asp?CID=1770&DID=9326) offers
a directory of degree and certificate
programs, while tesolonline.com
offers classroom-based or online
courses in 20 international locations.
So, dont be tech-shy and try
some of these resources and
tools. Remember that the newest
information and communication
technologies can only make our
lives easier.
Back To School: How to
Establish Classroom Rules
with Your Students
We all know what our class-
room would be like with no
rules. Complete chaos. Utter
mayhem. An environment that
is not conducive to learning.
It is obvious that there should be
classroom rules. However, these
should not be set forth entirely by the
teacher. Theres no better way to es-
tablish classroom rules than to do it
with your students collaboration. This
way they will have to obey rules that
theyve come up with, and youve
agreed to.
Still, establishing class rules requires
a contract between teacher and stu-
dents, and reaching this agreement is
a process all on its own.
Lets take it step
by step:
1 Review their goals
Ask students why theyve en-
rolled in the course, or if they were
enrolled by parents, why they want to
learn English. Adults will most likely
tell you they need English for better
job opportunities. Lots of teens think
about their future studies or employ-
ment opportunities as well. And dont
be surprised if you hear very young
learners say they want to learn Eng-
lish simply because they want to learn
it.
Review their goals. Do they want to
be able to read a book in English by
the end of the year? Understand na-
tive speakers better? Write job ap-
plication letters? Chat with friends in
other countries? Whatever their rea-
son is for wanting to learn English,
and no matter what their goals are,
tell them that it is essential that all of
you as a group establish a contract
together, to create the best learning
environment, one that will help them
reach their learning goals.
2 Brainstorm possible
disruptive behavior
Ask your students to come up with
things that might disrupt the class,
anything that will make the class stray
from its goals. For example, if stu-
dents want to improve their listening
comprehension or learn to think in
English, it will be highly disruptive to
hear students speaking their native
language. Little ones might say that
they dont want any shouting, yell-
ing, or hitting in class. Some students
may say that they shouldnt interrupt
someone when he or shes speaking.
Here are some more classic examples
of disruptive behavior. If your stu-
dents forget any of these, you may
want to mention them yourself:
Name calling, insults or put
downs
Bullying
No respect for other students and
their personal belongings
No respect for the teacher
Reluctance to share
Unwillingness to participate in an
activity
Not following directions
Cheating
Not completing tasks, assign-
ments, homework
Untidiness, littering
Never underestimate your stu-
dents. They know full well the types
of behavior that are disruptive in a
classroom. As they come up with
these ideas, make a list on the board.
3 How to avoid
disruptive behavior
Tackle each of the point mentioned
one at a time, and ask your students
what the rule should be so that this
does not happen in class. For speak-
ing their native language, theyll say
that it is forbidden in class - they
should try to speak English at all
times. And to avoid interruptions and
make sure everyone has a chance to
speak, your students will suggest that
they have to raise their hands.
Try to phrase each of the rules in
an affirmative way, for example,
in a way that tells them what they
should do and not what they shouldnt
do. Having your walls filled with No
shouting, No eating in class, in oth-
er words, no, no, no everywhere does
not contribute to creating a very posi-
tive learning environment either.
Here are some more examples of oth-
er possible classroom rules:
Treat your classmates with
respect
Treat the teacher with respect
Respect others personal belong-
ings
Participate actively
Complete your assignments and
tasks
Follow the directions and rules
for each game or activity
Keep the classroom neat and tidy
4
The consequences
Now, what happens when a stu-
dent breaks one of the rules? They
can also come up with ideas, but they
may need more guidance or sugges-
tions from you.
7
 It is recommended that you implement a system of rewards as well, not just consequences of not following the rules.
Some consequences may be logical: if a student throws paper or garbage on the floor instead of in the garbage can, he
or she will be responsible for making sure the classroom is tidy before going home.

You may choose to give them a warning first: the first time someone insults or disrespects a classmate their name goes
on the board. The second time, they lose a privilege, like going outside to play. The third time, a call is made to his or
her parents.

However, rather than coming up with punishment, why not think of a positive reinforcement of the rules? Like a star
chart with stickers, prizes for collecting the most good behavior stickers, etc...

5 The written contract

Now you have to put it all in writing, after all, verbal contracts wont hold water in a classroom. Young learners can
make a poster illustrating the rules, and then put it up some place where its clearly visible. Older students may write
it themselves as a group activity, and you may also put it up on the wall, or make copies for each to paste onto their
notebooks.

Keep in mind that classroom rules are important for students of all ages, even adults. Dont think that adult learners
dont need rules. They may not resort to name calling, yelling, or other forms of immature behavior, but they may unwit-
tingly disrupt the class by interrupting, speaking in their native language, answering their cell phones, etc.

You dont have to treat them like children to teach them the importance of following certain rules.

So, to sum up, make sure each and every student is clear on the rules, the consequences for
breaking them, or the rewards for following them, and that your contract is visible to all.
Once you have accomplished this, everyone will be ready to get to work.

8
Back to School: How to
Organize Your ESL Classroom
ESL books? Check!
Flashcards and illustrations?
Check!
Back to school supplies? Check!
Classroom setup? Uh-oh...
You may have spent months
gathering materials, planning
lessons, and getting ready to
start the new school year, but
have you given any thought to
how you will set up your ESL
classroom?
Your classroom is the physical space
where your students learning will take
place, and there are ways in which
you can maximize this space for more
effective lessons. Heres how:
1 Arrange desks
or tables
Most of your space will be occupied
by your students desks or tables.
Your layout will depend on how many
students youll have, but in any case
try to avoid lining them up in rows.
Your students will have lots of pair
and teamwork activities. Your basic
options are:
A classic horseshoe or semicir-
cle with all of the students facing
the board and a large open space
in the center,
A full circle,
Desks arranged in pairs or
groups of four,
Pairs may sit side by side or fac-
ing each other, the same goes
for groups.
Whichever arrangement you decide
on, make sure it suits the types of
activities youll do. For example, the
horseshoe is great for young learners
because you can have the large area
in the center to sit in or play games.
Teens will love sitting in groups of
four, while adults sitting in pairs will
have partners for role plays and pair
work. Keep in mind that studies show
that students who sit facing each
other tend to speak more.
You may also choose to abandon your
desk at the front of the class and sit
with your students. You can try any-
thing you want, as long as it helps
them participate and feel comfortable.
2
Organize special
designated areas
Your students will be doing different
things in the classroom from playing
games to participating in fun art proj-
ects. Set up different corners in the
classroom. Here are some sugges-
tions for special areas:
A reading corner: Make sure
you have at least one shelf with
several books students may
browse. Even if they cant read
some of them, they will spark
curiosity and interest in your
students. Here, you can keep
the books you may choose
to read out loud to the class.
You may also choose to add a
couple of chairs of cushions next
to the bookcase so students can
make themselves comfortable af-
ter they grab a book.
An art shelf: Art and crafts sup-
plies should be accessible to your
students. They can help you hand
out crayons, scissors or paper,
but more importantly, they can
help you put everything away
once youre done. Designate a
special bookcase or cabinet for
art supplies, and keep everything
tidy and organized, for example,
in labeled boxes or containers.
Center stage: This should be the
area designated to play games,
act out role plays, sing and
dance, etc. Many students are
self-conscious about being in the
spotlight, but the more they use
this center stage area, the more
comfortable they will feel.
You can add as many areas as you
like, or are able to add, within the con-
fines of your classroom. Young learn-
ers love dressing up and a trunk filled
with costumes is a great addition to an
ESL classroom.
3 Arrange any other
extra furniture
With the space you have left, see
where you can place the remaining
furniture so that it is accessible to ei-
ther you or your students. Low book-
cases should be easy for students
to reach, while you may choose to
have the cabinet where you store
your personal belongings and private
things behind your desk or in an iso-
lated corner. Place accessories like
coat racks and umbrella stands near
the door.
4 Decorate your
classroom!
Make the most of your bulletin board.
Use it to make your students feel wel-
come. If you have foreign students
who know little about the American or
English culture, put up posters or il-
lustrations to give them a feel for what
they will be talking about, try photos of
major American cities, typical English
locations, foods, festivals, celebra-
tions, etc.
Moreover, hang plenty of charts, post-
ers and illustrations throughout the
classroom, but dont do this simply to
add color or fill up empty walls. Put
up materials you know you will use
later in class, like maps you will point
to, or charts with numbers, the alpha-
bet or the past form of irregular verbs.
Whatever you do, the key is
to make your classroom stu-
dent-centered rather than
teacher-centered. Dont think
about what would look pretty
to you or would make you the
most comfortable. Think about
a set up that will encourage
participation and give them
plenty of space to grow.
9
 Back To School: Great Ideas
for Activities to Kick off
the School Year
Anxious to get back to class?

Well, your students are probably anxious too. Since most dont know you or their fellow classmates, youve probably
got some great icebreakers and first day activities in store for them. If not, check out some of our latest Back to School
worksheets. But the best way to eliminate all of this anxiety is to prepare some awesome activities for the entire first
week of class to serve as a transition into the real work ahead. Also, bear in mind that in the first week you should take
the time to get to know your students and their learning styles, but also review any essential grammar, structures, and
vocabulary before you start teaching new things.

V ocabulary review A game of Jeopardy

If youve never played a game of Jeopardy with your ESL students, you have no idea what youre missing! Its
an incredibly flexible game, adaptable to any content, whether it is grammar or vocabulary that you wish to review or
practice. In this case, well see an example of how to create a game of Jeopardy to review basic vocabulary.

Setup:
Divide the chalkboard or whiteboard into 5 columns with 6 rows. On the first row choose a category for each column,
for example: Fruits, Vegetables, Animals, Clothes, Colors, - for the remaining rows give each box a certain number of
points. It should look like this:

Fruits Vegetables Animals Clothes Colors

10 pts 10 pts 10 pts 10 pts 10 pts
20 pts 20 pts 20 pts 20 pts 20 pts
30 pts 30 pts 30 pts 30 pts 30 pts
40 pts 40 pts 40 pts 40 pts 40 pts
50 pts 50 pts 50 pts 50 pts 50 pts

Prepare 5 questions for each category. You may choose to do so in the Jeopardy format: I am red and I grow on trees.
Answer: What is an apple? Or you may simply show them a flashcard and the student is required to name the item. As
mentioned earlier this game is very flexible and may be adapted to all types of questions and answers.

Rules:
Students are divided into teams. Each team chooses a category and number of points theyd like to play for. If their
answer is correct they get the number of points they are playing for, but if they are wrong the points are subtracted. So,
the higher the points, the higher the stakes.

You may also choose to have the game in PowerPoint format, or on a piece of poster board, which you can laminate and
reuse as many times as you want simply by sticking the names of different categories in the first row.

G rammar Review - Songs

Songs are a great, fun way to review specific verb tenses or structures, and something you can do with students
of any age or level. Here are some wonderful worksheets that are ready to use:

We are the champions by Queen - students review the present perfect tense

Have you ever by Brandy another great song for present perfect review

Hey, Jude by The Beatles to review imperatives

Lucky by Britney Spears to review the simple present tense

10
There are countless songs you may use to review structures, grammar, or vocabulary. Classic exercises are gap-filling,
but you may also use them to spark a discussion or speaking activity. If you dont have any of the songs in an audio file,
you can easily find the videos on YouTube.

S peaking activities - What can you say about me?

Ask students to bring 5 or 6 things to class, including: a piece of identification (if possible, passport or drivers
license), a family photo, a favorite book or magazine, a toy or collectible, etc... Bring some items of yours as well. Each
student displays his or her items on the teachers desk, and fellow classmates say whatever they can about the persons
family, hobbies, likes and dislikes, etc...

G uess who I am?

Put an assortment of celebrity pics in a bag or just their names - make sure that they are celebrities they all know.
Each student draws one name or picture and the others have to ask questions to guess who it is. Questions must be
yes or no, and the goal would be to review simple present questions: Do you live in the US? Do you sing? Do you
dance? Etc...

W riting activities - Future predictions

To review simple future with will, future continuous, or any type of future tense, ask students to make some
predictions for the end of the school year or course: By the time school ends, I will be taller. I will speak English
better. I will have lots of great friends. Etc. Collect their writings and save till the last day of class. Students read their
predictions and say whether they came true or not.

B oard game - Conditionals

Make your own board game, laminate with contact paper, and use every time you wish to review a particular
grammar point. On a large piece of poster board, draw a snaking path, divide the path into rectangular boxes, mark
some special ones as Go forward 2 steps or Move back two steps. Once you have finished decorating, apply some
contact paper over it. All you have to do is design a set of cards for each thing you want to review. Heres a suggestion
to practice conditionals:

Make a set of cards that begin with the if clause: If I had a million dollars... If I were a famous star... If I lived in a foreign
country..., etc. Students have to complete the sentence correctly to be able to roll the dice and advance in the game.

If you have any ideas for the first week of school, post them online. Wed love to hear them!

11
 How To Break The Ice:
5 Creative Ways To Get
Your Class Talking
Icebreakers are important
when you are trying to get to
know your students.
They are even more important if your
students do not know one another
well either. Depending on how your
school organizes its classes, you may
use these types of activities primarily
at the beginning of the school year.
You can also adapt icebreakers into
activities to use when starting new
topics. It is sometimes easier for stu-
dents to share their ideas if they know
the rest of the class will have to share
theirs too.
Try These
Ice-Breakers:
1 Learn The Names
In order to learn students
names, you can conduct an activ-
ity where students take turns saying
their name. You can make this more
challenging by having students say
the name of the last student to speak
or even the names of all the students
who have already said their name be-
fore saying their own name. To make
it more interesting and to learn a little
more about your class, ask students
to include something specific such as
their favorite cereal, color, sport, or
movie. By the end of the activity you
should try your best to say every stu-
dents name.
If students are learning the names
of their classmates for the first time,
conduct some other name activities
for practice. For one activity, have
students stand in a circle, on a stu-
dents turn he should say a word or
sentence related to whatever prompt
or topic you choose, and then call out
the name of a classmate to go next.
2
Find Someone Who...
If students know one anoth-
ers names, get them talking about
some other topics by having them
12
play Find Someone Who ~ where
students ask and answer questions
based on pictures or phrases to find
someone for each question who can
answer Yes. The model question for
this activity could be Do you like ~.
or Do you have ~.
After five to ten minutes, depending
on the number of questions students
have to ask, have everyone sit down
and call on students to read some of
the answers, for example Ben likes
soccer. This way the class can learn
more about individual students. Try to
encourage students to give sentences
about people who have not yet been
mentioned. This gives everyone the
opportunity to share something.
3 Talk and Remember
Another activity gets students
talking with the people seated around
them. Have students talk to the per-
son to their right about hobbies for
instance. After a minute or two have
students turn to the person to their
left and talk about another topic. You
could also do this as a mingling ex-
ercise where students have a limited
amount of time to exchange infor-
mation before moving on to the next
person and conversation topic. Be
sure to ask some students things they
learned about their peers at the end of
the activity so that they try their best
to remember the conversations they
had.
4
Whats Important
If your class is quite small you
may also consider having students
think about the three things they
would take with them to a deserted
island and then share why they chose
one or all of those things. This is an
excellent way of getting to hear about
what is important to your students
and how they are able to organize
their thoughts. If your class is larger,
you can conduct the same activity in
groups which is good for getting stu-
dents talking with one another but will
exclude you for most of the activity. An-
other similar group activity is to have
students write down the first word that
pops into their head when they hear
you say a certain color. Students can
then discuss why they chose certain
words in their groups or just have the
student with the most unusual choice
explain his choice. After a few minutes
give them another color to think about
and discuss. Groups should present
the class with a brief summary of their
discussions towards the end of the
lesson.
5 Three Adjectives That
Describe You
For introductions, you could also have
students choose three adjectives to
describe themselves. Perhaps a the
end of the year have students fill in
adjectives for all their classmates,
nothing mean spirited, and give stu-
dents a summary of what their class-
mates said about them in the last les-
son. This should give students some
positive reinforcement and point out
their personality strengths. It may be
interesting to compare these with the
adjectives students chose to describe
themselves too.
Icebreakers are excellent
because they give students
the opportunit y to share
things about themselves
and learn about their peers.
These activities often get students
moving or thinking creatively. They
can be lots of fun and dissolve any
tension or nervousness there might
be in your classroom. It is important
that students be able to interact with
one another easily because learning
English is all about communication.
Students will need to be comfortable
sharing ideas with the class and talk-
ing with other students in groups or in
pairs on a regular basis.
Essential Back to School
Supplies for the ESL Classroom
The success of your ESL class
depends on a great, lit tle
recipe: generous scoops of
experience, a pinch of creativ-
ity, and a few handfuls of sup-
plies and resources. Combine
these ingredients and youll
have engaging ESL lessons
every time.
While the experience and creativ-
ity are entirely up to you, we can
help you out by compiling a very
useful list of supplies that will en-
sure you have everything you need
to get the year off on the right foot.
O n-the-go Essential
Back To School
Supplies
Here are our recommendations for
things you can easily keep in a pencil
case or box. We recommend a plastic
see-through pencil case - youll find
things much faster, and make sure its
big enough to hold all of these teach-
ing essentials, but small enough to
carry with you everywhere you go.
A mechanical pencil: For constant
clear, fine writing, with no sharp-
ening required.
A black or blue ballpoint pen:
Keep in mind that black is better
when you make copies.
A green pen: Did you know that
corrections made in green are a
lot friendlier and more encour-
aging to students than those in
red? Moreover, papers that are
covered in red corrections may
have a negative effect on stu-
dents self-confidence.
A couple of colored markers: For
labeling, posters, index cards,
etc...
A permanent marker: To write
your name or initials on all of your
personal items.
A small stapler: In case the one
in your classroom runs out of sta-
ples or is missing.
An eraser or two
A few paper clips in different sizes
Correction fluid or pen
A couple of rubber bands
A highlighter (in any color)
A pad of small Post-its
A box cutter: This is a tremen-
dously useful item for cutting thick
cardboard (keep this away from
kids!)
A ruler
A pair of scissors
M ust-have Teaching
Supplies
These are the items you should
keep somewhere in your classroom
or in a box or locker if you happen
to share rooms with other teachers.
Although some of these should be
supplied by the school, you should
have your own just in case: you
dont want the great lesson youve
planned to be ruined just because an
essential item has gone missing, or
worse yet, waste precious class time
searching the school to track it down.
A box or colored chalk (if you
have a chalkboard)
An assortment of whiteboard
markers (if you have a white-
board)
A chalkboard or whiteboard eras-
er
A pack of 3x5 index cards
Adhesive labels in different sizes
A rag, dishtowel, sponge, or roll
of paper towels: For spills and
cleanups.
Clorox or Lysol wipes: To disin-
fect items, toys, or desktops. Use
baby wipes to cleanup sticky fin-
gers.
An assortment of cardboard: Big
and small pieces, thick or thin,
you always need some to make
cards, games, posters, etc.
Poster board in different colors
Clear contact paper: A great, in-
expensive way to laminate cards
or game boards.
An assignment book: Or calen-
dar, whatever you prefer to use to
keep track of tasks, assignments,
and tests.
Paper bags
Ziploc bags
A bell: For classroom manage-
ment or games.
An egg timer: Great for games
and activities.
Envelopes: To send out notes
to parents, invitations to events,
etc...
Dice: Try to have more than one
set, and in different sizes (the
younger your students are, the
bigger the dice).
An assortment of paper items:
Paper cups and plates, sheets of
paper, and scrap paper in a vari-
ety of colors and sizes.
Craft items: As many as you
like or you think youll need, like
sticks, pipe cleaners, Styrofoam
balls, playdough, or watercolors.
Although yours is not an art class,
an art project every now and then
is always fun for students, partic-
ularly little ones.
13
 Play money: A great item for
games and to teach numbers in
English.
Rubber stamps
Yarn or string
An assortment of flashcards
Storybooks in English
CDs : Childrens songs, stories,
etc...
S tudent Supplies
These are things students
should have in their own pencil box-
es, but may not have for any par-
ticular reason: some items get lost,
they may run out, they may even for-
get their entire pencil case at home.
Make sure you have these items safe-
ly stored in the classroom for these
cases.
An assortment of colored cray-
ons, markers, and pencils
A few number 2 pencils
A few black or blue ballpoint pens
Loose-leaf paper
14
Glue
A couple of extra scissors
S uggested Realia for
the Classroom
Never underestimate the power of
teaching English through real objects,
particularly for kinesthetic learners,
but any type of learner will have fun
learning if you stock up on these items:
A real or toy clock with movable
hands: To teach time, of course.
A play tea set or assortment of
plastic dishes, cups, glasses, ta-
bleware, etc.: To practice offering,
ordering, serving food and drinks.
A variety of balls and bean bags
in different sizes
An assortment of small toys:
Planes, cars, trucks, trains, ani-
mals, dolls, etc.
Real city maps: To practice asking
for and giving directions.
Items of clothing
Toy phones or cell phones: For
telephone conversations
Holiday items: Halloween Jack
OLantern or pumpkin, Thanks-
giving items, Christmas decora-
tions
Plastic foods, fruits, and vegeta-
bles
Keep in mind that realia may be
used for both children and adult
learners. For adults, there are tons
of real life items you may use in
class, from bus tickets to checks,
job applications to airline tickets, etc.
Naturally, some of the items above
may be purchased and sup-
plied by the school, but make sure
you have everything you need.
Also, remember that if you
need to buy some of these sup-
plies yourself, you can get a
group of teachers together
and buy teacher supplies in
bulk for important discounts.
The variety of items largely de-
pends on your students ages and
the types of activities youll have.
Have we missed any essential sup-
plies? Let us know!
Teacher Supplies: Getting Ready
for School on a Tight Budget
Dont let the economic downturn
rain on your back to school pa-
rade! Cmon! We all know just
how resourceful teachers can be!
S trategy # 1 - Make a List
If you hit the stores with no list,
youll most likely buy teacher sup-
plies you dont need, and thus spend
more than you should. Before you
make your shopping list, however, set
a realistic budget for yourself. Dont
think about how much youd like
to spend on teaching supplies, but
how much you honestly think you
could afford to spend on them.
Next, draw three columns on a sheet
of paper, and name each: abso-
lute essentials, things youd like to
buy, things you could do without.
Place each of the educational sup-
plies on your list in one of the three
columns. Now, youll clearly see what
your priorities are, and you should be
able to purchase your essential teach-
ing items for sure and at least some of
those youd like to have, if not all. Re-
member that there will most likely be
some last minute or unexpected ex-
penses you did not factor into your list.
S trategy # 2 Reuse Ex-
isting Teacher Supplies
Seriously and objectively consider
your current inventory of teacher sup-
plies. Which school supplies can be
reused, recycled, or which need not be
replaced just now? We all love to start
school with a shiny new set of fresh
color markers, but if last years set is
still in working order, maybe you can
wait till mid-year to buy a fresh pack.
Dont throw away anything that can be
reused for other purposes:
Last years folders or notebooks
could be used for art this year.
Broken crayons may have multiple
uses: sharpen them and use the
shavings for art or as a replacement
for glitter, invest in a crayon maker
and make patchwork crayons, melt
them and cut them into shapes
with cookie cutters for great gifts.
Sharpen scissors, never throw
them away!
S trategy # 3 Buy Teach-
er Supplies in Bulk
Most school supplies can be bought
in bulk from office or special discount
teaching supplies stores, as well as on
the Internet. To obtain the best bulk dis-
counts, get together with several of the
other teachers from your school and try
to put together a group shopping list and
get cheap teacher supplies. Look for
back to school deals while they still last!
DollarDays offers hundreds of
products at wholesale prices.
Besides the basic school supplies, Dol-
larTree also offers great supplies for
teachers like flashcards, activity books,
and teaching aids. Buy a case with an
assortment of Fisher Price Flash Cards
for $ 27 and pay just $1 for each!
S
trategy # 4 Use Free
Internet Resources
The Internet is just packed with free re-
sources for teachers - all you have to do
is find them. Download printable stick-
ers and print them on Avery label paper.
Dont invest in classroom manage-
ment software, organizers, etc.,
if you can download some free of
charge. Teachers Desk offers several.
Why buy activity books, work-
books, templates, worksheets, and
even posters when you can down-
load them from BusyTeacher.org?
S trategy # 5 - Do
Your Research and
Compare Prices on Educa-
tional Supplies
At Pricewatch.com youll find hundreds
on teacher supplies on sale, and the
site tells you exactly where to buy them.
Pricegrabber.com also has a great
Back-to-School Shopping Guide that
allows you to compare prices from dif-
ferent sellers, thus guaranteeing youll
get the lowest price and find back to
school deals. NexTag.com allows you
to create alerts for specific teacher
classroom supplies, and its a very use-
ful site if youre on the lookout for more
expensive things like laptops, overhead
projectors, or other electronic devices.
S trategy # 6
Shop at discount
or specialty stores
Your local supermarket or shops
may be just around the corner, but
if you have to make a longer trip to
reach one of the shops listed be-
low, itll definitely be worth your effort:
Staples has the widest selec-
tion and most of the educational
supplies needed by teachers.
In addition to their great bargains
in school supplies, Office Depot
offers a Go Back Smarter pro-
gram: sign up to become a Star
Teacher and get more discounts
on already cheap teacher supplies!
Walmart has by far the best deals
and lowest prices, but you may not
find some of the things you need.
Dont feel compelled to buy every-
thing in one single store. You could
go to Walmart for basic back to school
supplies and then head on down to
Staples for more teacher supplies.
Dont forget that several stores, like
Walmart, offer price matching. When
the store with the lowest price is out
of stock, take the ad for this store to
another one that will match this price.
You could also wait till the clearance
sales hit the shops some time af-
ter back to school sales - youll have
to wait a bit, but the savings on back
to school stuff are huge at that time.
Apply any of these strategies, or sev-
eral combined for greater savings. But
whatever you do, dont just blindly shop
at any round the corner store. Not when
you can buy more with your hard-earned
cash. Yes, it does take time and planning,
but the savings will definitely be worth it.
15
 15 Little Tricks to Get Your
Classs Attention (and Hold It)
Beginnings are always the
hardest. Ask any teacher who
walks in at the beginning of
the class session and finds
Casy text-messaging someone,
Katie and Sam chatting, and
Tom snoozing.
This behavior isnt limited to children,
either: inattention is endemic in our
fast-paced culture with so much
competing media and information dis-
tracting us. However, it is necessary
to get the classs attention at the be-
ginning of the session to establish
order, the plan for the day, and begin
instruction. But its not always so easy.
What can you do to get the classs at-
tention riveted on you?
Starting off Strong
Often students goof off because
they just dont know what else to do.
You can start strong every day by
establishing a clear routine and ex-
pectations for starting off: that they
come to attention, be in their seats,
and ready to work. Hold to this rou-
tine to establish order in the class.
Having a clear plan for the day
also gets students attention.
5 Tips to Get
the Classs
Attention
1 Change the level and
tone of your voice
Often just changing the level and tone
of your voice, lowering it or raising it,
will signal to the students its time to
pay attention.
2
Use props like a bell
or whistle
Better for lower level or younger
learners, props like these clear-
ly mark beginnings, endings, and
other transitions within the class.
16
3 Use a visual related to
the instruction
Holding up a striking picture related
to the session, such as environmen-
tal debris if the class topic is related
to the environment, is sure to get all
eyes on you. Dont comment on it, al-
low students to start the dialogue.
4 3
Make a startling state-
ment or give a quote
Writing a surprising statement or
quote related to the content on the
board has a similar effect: for exam-
ple More than half of children in
California speak some language
other than English at home if the
topic is language acquisition.
5
Write a pop quiz
question on the board
Write a basic comprehension ques-
tion related to the reading on the
board. Students have to answer it on
slips of paper and turn them in. This
gets students focused right away on
course material. The question can
then lead to discussion after the quiz.
10 Tips for
Holding
Attention
Now you have your students atten-
tion. Holding it is another story.
1
Relevant tasks
Know your students and relate
content to them, and relate the con-
tent to the course objectives. For ex-
ample, if the content is the Vietnam
War, finding out what they already
know about the Vietnam War and how
it relates to their lives is important.
2 Teach at appropriate
level of difficulty
Material too hard or too difficult can
result in student inattention. Check for
understanding or boredom at the be-
ginning. Then tailor the material to the
class: for example, if you are teaching
the past tense and find students al-
ready have control over the simple past
and past progressive, find out what
they know about the past perfect. Or if
youve given all three tenses at them,
assuming its just review, but they ap-
pear lost, focus on just one tense.
Use choral chants of
material
Better for lower-level students, having
students chant together key phrases
or sentences from the material gets
them focused on the material. This
also provides practice in the rhythm
and intonation of English.
4
Make presentations
clear
Use of clear charts and visuals hold
students attention and make the con-
tent clear.
5
Involve students in
lecture
Dont just lecture on the past tense
with charts and board work - this will
surely put everyone to sleep. Dur-
ing the lecture, stop to ask students
about last weekend, summer, etc., to
keep them involved in the content and
practicing the material.
6 Use humor
Use of humor related to the con-
tent is another attention-getter: stu-
dents appreciate teachers who know
how to use humor appropriately related
to the material. For example, relating a
brief humorous anecdote about what
a bad day you had yesterday to dem-
onstrate past tense verbs will get stu-
dents attention and lighten the mood.
7 Establish the routine,
task, and time limit
If students are to work in groups, for
example, they should know which
group they belong in, what they will be
doing, and for how long.

8 Plan carefully and fully; make the plan apparent to students

Students will lose focus if the objectives and plan for the lesson are not clear to them. Writing what the class will
be doing on the board helps keep focus.

9 Divide tasks into manageable subskills

If students are going to be participating in a class debate, telling them to Debate the issue may result in a lot
of students wandering around confused. Outline what is involved in a debate on the board and break it down: today
decide the issue and our sides, tomorrow establish the roles within our teams, the next day research, and so forth.

10 Establish clear roles

In doing the debate, to continue the example, everyone within the group should have a task: either pre-
paring some research for the debate, outlining the debate, preparing a counterargument, etc. If everyones role is clear,
and everyone has a job to do, this results in less web-surfing and updating Facebook profiles during class. (Yes, adults
and ESL students do it, too.)

Following these guidelines of starting strong and planning for holding the classs attention
will result in a lesson that all students will participate in fully.

17
 5 Sure-Fire Ways to Bond
with Your Class
Bonding with your students
is essential not only to the
success of your class, but also
to your students learning.
When you effectively bond with them,
you create a unique connection be-
tween you and your students, and
this connection pretty much guaran-
tees theyll be more motivated, more
willing to participate, and more recep-
tive to the activities you propose.
Here are some sure-fire ways to bond
with your ESL class:
3 Get personal
Throughout the course, dont
forget to share with your students little
tidbits about your life, particularly if
they are things they can relate to. Are
they excited about the upcoming Bon
Jovi concert? Hey, you bought tickets
weeks ago! Is there a movie theyre
dying to see? Tell them you saw it and
what you thought about it.
If you start the class by asking them
what they did over the weekend, tell
them what you did, too. Teachers of-
ten ask students about their families,
member, tell him or her how sorry you
are for their loss. If one of them seems
to be having a hard time, if you sense
theres something going on, dont be
afraid to talk to the student in question
to find out whats wrong. Its not your
job to offer solutions or any type of
counseling, but you can at least show
your concern and point them in the
right direction.
No matter what strategy you
use to bond with your stu-
dents, above all else, keep it
real and keep it genuine.

How To Proceed activities, and interests, but some ne-

glect to share their own things, for fear
of it being too personal. Stick to topics If you care enough to want to bond

1 Break the ice

To start the school year off on
the right foot, it is imperative that you
try to bond with them from the start.
On the first day of class, adult ESL
students in particular, are often self-
conscious or insecure about their
English level, so the best way to bond
with them is to break the ice in ways
that anyone can talk about and show
them youre a real person, who has a
life outside of school.
Once they become familiar with your
cat and the antics he pulls, hell be
more popular than Garfield with you
class! And dont forget to show pic-
tures!
with them, then you care enough to
want to genuinely get to know them,
and let them get to know you. And this
is the best, most effective way to bond
with them: showing genuine inter-
est and the desire to form a bond that
will help you work together towards
achieving all of your ESL goals.

4
that will help them relax.
Take some time
Try this for a very original icebreaker. to celebrate!
Tell students that youll begin with a
Learning is not only about serious
pop quiz (and ignore their panic-strick-
study time and targeted activities. To
en faces). Give each of them a sheet
avoid falling into the all work and no
with quiz questions about you: what
your favorite color is, favorite movie,
play mindset, one that will not help
you bond with your students, schedule
favorite music, how long youve been
some special days for celebrations,
a teacher, even your age. Of course,
like Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving,
they wont know the right answers -
and Christmas, and make these days
tell them to guess! Afterwards, they
all about the fun!
share their guesses, and you can see
who was right. Its a fun, non-conven-
Of course, theres still plenty they
tional way to tell them a little bit about
can learn about American customs
yourself.
and traditions, but theyll be too busy

2
having fun to realize theyre actually
Show interest in them learning too. Dont forget to include
If you really want to bond with birthday celebrations.
your students you must show them
you are genuinely interested in them.
Ask them about their hobbies, after-
school activities, and families. Talk
5 Show them you care
Bad things happen - thats a part
of life, and your students are not ex-
to them before class, after class, or
empt from heartbreak, sadness, or
during lunch hour, but make sure you
worries. If one of your students has
know a little bit about each of your stu-
just lost a grandparent, or other family
dents.

18
Little Things That Make
Your Lesson a Success
When we think about teaching
a new class, the first things that
come to mind are all of the curricu-
lar aspects: the grammar, struc-
tures and vocabulary well cover
throughout the course.
Our teaching goals are most often
aligned with these things we wish our
students to master upon completion
of the course. However, consider this:
most teachers are able to teach the
grammar... but how can you make a
difference? What can you do to truly
make your lesson a complete and ut-
ter success? These little things will
work wonders... be sure to try them!
Little Things That Make Your
Lesson A Success
1 Teaching in Context
and with Real-Life
Examples
We all have to use a course book,
thats true. But the problem with
course books is that they are filled
with fictional characters students may
have a hard time relating to. Why
would they care about a fictional Mr.
Thompson and how he did in his job
interview? Or worse yet - why would
they be interested in reading about
a town that doesnt exist, when they
can read about a real one, one they
could possibly even visit some time?
Say youd like to read about two cit-
ies and practice comparatives and
superlatives. Use real maps and ac-
curate information you can easily find
on the Internet. Use your students
resumes to practice interview ques-
tions, not Mr. Thompsons. With
the huge royal wedding that made
the news of year 2011, wouldnt your
students love to know more about
Prince William and Kate Middleton?
Whenever possible skip the fictional
characters and use real people, real
places - and dont forget to include
some realia!
2 Catering to Your
Students Needs
Sometimes the course book sets
out activities that are not really ap-
propriate to the group youre teach-
ing. This is frequently the case with
teenagers, when some of the mate-
rial may be either too childish, or too
adult. Dont be afraid to make some
minor adjustments to make the ma-
terial work for your students needs.
This is also particularly useful to re-
member with students who have really
specific needs, for example a group
who wishes to improve their Busi-
ness English writing skills. Imagine
youve just covered a chapter where
the topic was Hotel English. Ask your
students to write an email to inquire
about a hotels conference facilities
for homework, and youll have them
practicing their email writing skills.
3 Boosting
Their Self-Esteem
Students, particularly adult learners,
are often self-conscious, insecure
and feel frustrated with their efforts.
Corrections are an essential part of
the lesson, but dont forget to praise
their efforts, as well, no matter how
small their achievements may seem.
One great way to give them instant
boosts of self-esteem is to end each
lesson with a What have you learned
today? This simple question is a great
way for them to review the days ac-
tivities and see just how much theyve
accomplished. Even if their answer is
We learned the alphabet today, this
is something they should be proud of.
4
Taking Advantage
of Learning Styles
or Special Abilities
How many times have you met stu-
dents with amazing talent and unusual
abilities? Whether it is incredible musi-
cal or artistic talent, exceptional writing
or speaking skills, another wonderful
way to make a lesson a huge success
is by incorporating some of this talent.
Why play a CD when you have a stu-
dent who can play the song on his
guitar? If you have a group of very
artistic youngsters, give them crafts
to engage them in their learning.
5 Using Their Likes
and Preferences
Related to the above, but only slightly
different, is to use their interests to in-
crease motivation and participation. If
most of the class has read the Twilight
books, use the characters to practice
physical descriptions, talk about the
weather in the small town of Forks,
practice conditionals would you be-
come a vampire if you had the choice?,
compare different types of supernatu-
ral beings, etc. Besides, just know-
ing who Bella and Edward are will
definitely give you some street cred!
6 Teaching Culture
Learning English as a second
language is not all about the gram-
mar, structures and vocabulary. Its
also about why, how and where its
spoken. What is Thanksgiving and
how did it originate? This is something
that will surely interest your students.
Compare the way things are done
in different cultures. Students who
are accustomed to having dinner at
8 p.m. might be surprised to find out
that Americans usually dine at 6 p.m.
It will take a little bit more of your time
to prepare, and you might be tempted
to go with the course book materials.
But any extra time spent will be well
worth it once you see your students
fully engaged in the lesson and putting
to practice everything theyve learned.
Were not saying you should throw the
course book out the window! Just make
these little adjustments here and
there and youll see big differences.
Dont forget that BusyTeacher.org
has hundreds of ready-made work-
sheets available for you to down-
load and use with your class.
Which will you use today?
19
7 Best Ways
to End a Lesson
Who among ESL teachers does not un-
derstand the purpose behind a warm up
activity? We all agree that its important
to get students focused, to introduce a
task or topic, to break the ice, or simply
place your students in English mode.
But what about cool
Many teachers are not aware of
the importance of a cool down.
downs?
Many teachers just play a game or let
students work on an activity till the bell
rings. When you do this you neglect to
give your students closure on what they
have learned for the day. Youre not capi-
talizing on your unique opportunity to ef-
fectively wrap things up in a way that
will benefit your students learning.
The warm up and the cool down
are like the introduction and
the conclusion of an essay.
An essay with no conclusion has a
very abrupt ending. If you just let stu-
dents work on an activity till its time
to go home, you are not only giv-
ing them a sudden and abrupt end-
ing to the lesson, you may also come
across as disorganized and impro-
vised. The cool down, however, clearly
shows students that this is the way you
planned for the lesson to end and that
youre ending it like this for a reason.
7 effective ways to end a les-
son because those last min-
utes matter!
W hat have you learned
today?
It goes without saying that you should
never end a lesson by introducing some-
thing new, just to leave your students
hanging till the next class. The best way
to end a lesson is to give students some
kind of review activity, so that they
may see the progress theyve made in
just one lesson. One of the most com-
mon and easiest to implement is simply
taking the last 5 minutes of class to ask
your students, What have you learned
today? Notice, here, that youre
not the one telling them what theyve
learned. They may give you a list of new
words, or say they learned to speak
about what they did in the past or what
20
they will do in the future, etc... Also, its
important to speak in functional ways,
for example not say they learned to
use the simple present but rather that
they learned to speak about their hab-
its, schedules, and everyday activities.
P erformance
correction & feedback
Right before the last 5 minutes of class
you can have some sort of performance
activity, for instance a role play. Usu-
ally we dont correct students during
the role play so we dont interrupt the
flow, but when theyre done you can
end the class with corrections of words
or expressions they used incorrectly,
things they forgot to say, etc., and your
students will go home with these cor-
rections fresh on their minds. Students
may also give their opinion or feed-
back on their classmates performance.
60
seconds
Choose a few students and
give each 60 seconds to speak about
something youve covered that day:
what they did yesterday if you worked
on simple past, talk about Halloween,
professions, or animals, older learn-
ers may even give a how to lesson,
they may also summarize a story
they heard, or place themselves in
another persons shoes, like a celeb-
rity, profession, or even animal. But
they must speak for a full minute. To
motivate students to speak, you may
choose to reward the student who
says the most, or includes the most
information, with a reward sticker.
W
rite an email
Ask students to imagine they
have to write an email to a friend or fam-
ily member and tell them what they did
today in their ESL class. Students have
a chance to summarize what theyve
learned in written form. This writing ac-
tivity may be tailored to any topic. If you
talked about farm animals, ask students
to write about their favorite animal and
why its their favorite. And the same
goes for foods, sports, celebrities. Adult
learners may write a business email with
the new vocabulary theyve learned.
S ay goodbye
For very young ESL learners
the best way to wrap up a lesson is
with a goodbye song or saying good-
bye to a puppet. The puppet may ask
them questions about something they
learned, and even give them a short
review by asking, Whats this? or
Whats that? or any other question or
expression they may have learned. You
may set aside this special time with the
puppet every day at the end of the class,
so children know what to expect, and
even though they may be very young,
they will still have this sense of closure.
T
idying up
After a special holiday class, or
right after a lesson packed with arts
and crafts, ask students to help you tidy
up the classroom. Make sure you fac-
tor in this tidy up time when you plan
crafts. Letting students run off with their
art work just to leave you in a class-
room littered with papers and art sup-
plies gives them the wrong message.
S haring with the class
Another great way to end your
class is by asking your students to
share whatever it is that you worked
on that day: a fall collage, a paint-
ing, they may read something theyve
written. The important thing here is
to give them a space to share some-
thing theyve produced with the lan-
guage elements theyve learned.
You can do anything you want
to wrap up your lesson and be
as creative as you want to be.
However, it is essential that you provide
these three things:
a time for students to cool down af-
ter an activity-filled class
some sort of review of what theyve
learned
the proper closure to the days tasks
Keep these three essential points in mind,
and youll come up with great, effective
ways to end your lessons every time!
Fabulous Fall Activities for the
ESL Class
For those in the northern
hemisphere, the return to
classes is accompanied by the
arrival of fall.
As students and teachers get into the
full swing of classes and busy sched-
ules, we also start looking forward to
apple picking, bonfires, and backyard
fun with leaves.
Why not bring some fall fun into
the ESL classroom? Here are some
suggestions for fabulous fall activi-
ties.
Fabulous Fall Activities For
Young Learners
F amily Tree
This is a great way to either
teach or review family vocabulary.
Have your students draw a tree trunk
with bare branches, or draw your own
template to photocopy. Hand out small
brown leaves youve previously cut
out from brown construction paper, of
approximately 2 inches in length, and
have students write the names of their
family members and who they are, for
example, Karen sister. Students
paste the leaves onto the branches,
with grandparents at the bottom clos-
est to the trunk, and younger mem-
bers of the family on the outer branch-
es. You can then have a show and
tell session and ask students to show
their family trees to the class and talk
about their families.
A pple Prints
Youll need to gather these
items: red apples (one for every two
students), foam trays, red tempera
paint, and white construction paper.
Cut cross section of the apples and
give each student one apple half.
Make sure they understand these are
not for eating. Students place one ap-
ple half on red tempera, then stamp
it onto a sheet of construction paper.
You may choose to use them as fall
decorations for the classroom, make
pretty fall cards, etc...
O utdoor fun
Why not have a lesson out-
doors and enjoy the fall foliage? There
are lots of things you can do outside
before it gets too cold and learning
opportunities abound in a simple ex-
ploration of the school yard.
Tree vocabulary: roots, trunk,
bark, branches, leaves, twigs,
seeds, pine cones, etc.
Tree bark rubbings: head out-
side armed with some sheets of
thin drawing paper and crayons.
Students choose trees with rough
bark, and stick their sheets of pa-
per onto to trunk (use adhesive
tape or thumbtacks) for some in-
vigorating rubbing!
Fun with leaves: there are count-
less crafts you can do with leaves:
leaf rubbings are great fun, stu-
dents may also collect leaves
for a collage, or simply have a
competition to see who grabs the
most and have them practice their
counting in English.
Fabulous Fall Activities For
Older Learners
F all preparations and
resolutions
Discuss all of the things students and
teachers did to prepare for the return
to classes. Remind students that just
as they took the time to prepare to go
back to school, there are lots of ani-
mals that are now making their prepa-
rations for the winter. Discuss with
students what some of these prepa-
rations are, introduce and practice
key vocabulary (geese, moose, deer,
squirrel s, etc.) and what they do in
the fall (migrate, gather acorns, hiber-
nate, etc).
Nows a great time to discuss with
them, if you havent already, what
they hope to accomplish in the com-
ing year. Have them make a list of
resolutions for the new school year,
something like:
make new friends
learn lots of new words in English
read more difficult texts in English
understand a movie without hav-
ing to read subtitles
Etc.
I
nterview Mother Nature
Briefly discuss with students the
figure of Mother Nature, and what
her role is in the change of seasons.
Have each student write a series of in-
terview questions for Mother Nature:
they can get as creative as they like,
and ask things like:
What is your favorite season?
Is your job difficult or easy?
Do you ever have a vacation?
Why do leaves fall from trees in
autumn?
Why do birds fly south?
Whats your favorite animal and
why?
Whats your favorite tree and
why?
Each student then swaps questions
with a classmate and answers the
questions. Remind them that in most
cases there may not be a correct an-
swer - they may be creative with their
answers as well.
R
ecommended
vocabulary
Use this vocabulary list to make your
own crossword puzzles, word search-
es, fill in the blanks exercises, and
more. With VocabMaker (vocabmak-
er.com/) you have the chance to make
21
 all types of worksheets. Try BingoCar- Hibernate but there are plenty of others avail-
dPrinter (hub.webring.org/hub/teach- Lay able at Amazon.
ersonlinere) to make fun bingo cards Mate
with fall vocabulary. You can ask stu- Migrate Its Fall (Celebrate the Seasons) (am-
dents to match pictures to words, or Rake azon.com/gp/product/0761313427?i
animals to actions, etc. e=UTF8&tag=busyteacheror-20&link
Miscellaneous: Code=as2&camp=1789&creative=3
This is the recommended list of fall Brown 90957&creativeASIN=0761313427)
vocabulary, but you may use or add Orange by Linda Glaser, for ages 4 to 8, is a
as many words as you like depending Red great choice for reading aloud.
on your students level: Yellow
Chilly Autumn Orange (Know Your Colors)
Animals: Cold (amazon.com/gp/product/140483108
Goose/geese Colors 8?ie=UTF8&tag=busyteacheror-20&li
Moose Country nkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=
Deer Crops 390957&creativeASIN=1404831088)
Squirrel Grain by Christianne C. Jones, for ages 4 to
Bird Hay 8, allows children to explore the main
Bear Leaf/leaves color of the fall season.
Crow Maple
Turkey Scarecrow
Fall is a truly magical season.
Sweater
We can feel how the air turns
Foods: Vegetables
cooler and see how the land-
Apple Farmer
scape changes before our very
Corn Fur
eyes. Sooner than we think,
Pear
well have to hide indoors,
Pumpkin

Actions:
R ecommended reading
A great way to complement
and in some places everything
will be covered by a blanket
of snow. Take advantage of
Bury any of these activities is with some
reading. These are just a couple of
the opportunities the season
Gather
recommended books for fall reading,
offers and fall into some fall
Harvest
fun!

22
How to Write a Lesson Plan: 5 Se-
crets of Writing Great Lesson Plans
Writing a lesson plan will
ensure that you are prepared
for your class and will make it
run more smoothly.
It is important to break the mate-
rial up into several sections and
be about ten minutes and have students
working individually or in pairs. Practic-
ing model dialogues, completing work-
sheets, and doing short activities would
be appropriate. This may take about ten
minutes including going over the an-
swers or having some demonstrations.
each group because two to four stu-
dents is a lot different than five to ten.
Writing out your lesson plan can
also help you figure out what mate-
rial you must prepare for a lesson
because if your production activity will
only take about ten minutes, then you

choose activities suitable for each.
Knowing approximately how much time
an activity will take is important, but after
the first lesson you may need to adjust
things accordingly. It is best to be flexible
seeing as different classes will respond
to material differently. If at any point
students struggle, you will have to dedi-
cate more time to instruction or drilling
before moving on to practice activities.
For the purposes of this exam-
ple lets assume that an English
4
Production
In the production activity stu-
dents should have to produce mate-
rial on their own. Rather than read-
ing sentences, perhaps they have to
answer questions or make their own
sentences. Longer activities such as
board games, which can be played
in groups, or activities for the whole
class, where students work in teams,
would be best. The remaining class
time can be devoted to this activity.
playing the board game without actually
are obviously going to need an ad-
ditional activity to end the class with.
Not all lessons will be conducted the
same. In some instances, the introduc-
tion of new material may take an entire
lesson or the production activity may be
an entire lesson. It is always good to
have familiar activities to fall back on
in case something doesnt work quite
the way you had planned. If students are

5
class is forty-five minutes long. Review
How To Proceed It is a good idea to plan another
five minute activity that can be done
speaking, in other words just moving
their pieces around the board, they are
not getting the necessary practice so you
may have to either join the group having

1 Warm up
A warm up activity can be used in
at the end of class as a review or used
as the warm up in the following les-
son. If the production activity does not
difficulties or change activities altogether.

a number of ways. It can get your stu-
dents thinking about material that will be
used later on in the class, review ma-
terial from a previous class, or simply
get your students thinking in English,
moving around, or awake. This activ-
ity should only take up a small portion
of your lesson, perhaps five minutes.
take up the remaining portion of the
class period, you have a backup plan.
Important
When writing lesson plans, be sure to
include what part of the textbook you
are covering in the lesson, the target
At any rate, lesson plans are
enormously helpful and if the
following year you find your-
self teaching the same material,
preparation will be a breeze.
Do you have any advice on how to
write lesson plans? Please share

2 Introduction
A good introduction will create a
structure, new vocabulary, directions for
all the activities you intend to use, and
the approximate time each section of
your best practices with us online!

need for students to learn the material
you are going to present and get them
interested in the days topic. This is the
part of the lesson where the teacher
does the most talking, so, try to get stu-
dents involved and use choral repeti-
tion to keep students talking about half
the time. Depending on how complex
the topic is or how much new vocabu-
lary there is, the introduction could take
some time but in most cases, about
ten minutes should be sufficient.
your lesson will take. The idea behind
a lesson plan is that another teacher
could pick it up and successfully teach
your class without further instructions.
If there is an activity where you plan
to ask the students questions so that
they use the past tense in their re-
sponses, write down the questions you
plan to ask. It is more difficult to think
of appropriate questions on the spot
and you are more likely to ask them
a question using vocabulary they are

3 Practice
The practice activity would normally
unfamiliar with as well. If there is a
group activity in the lesson, write down
about how many students should be in

23
 7 Ways to Turn the Boring
Coursebook into Engaging
Speaking Tasks
Most ESL teachers need a
coursebook to follow. It gives
us a structure. It gives students
a structure.
But it does not give us fun, engaging
speaking tasks. At least, most course-
books dont, which is unfortunate since
most students sign up for ESL classes
to learn to speak English. However,
because we are resourceful teachers,
we can always supply the engaging
speaking tasks that coursebooks seem
to be missing.
7 Things You Can Do with the
Coursebook
1 You got the job!
Most ESL coursebooks include
a unit on jobs or professions. Activi-
ties usually involve describing what
each profession does or involves. To
make these tasks a little more engag-
ing, have your class conduct job in-
terviews instead. Divide students into
pairs: one student is the interviewer
and the other is the interviewee. Go
around the class and give each pair a
different profession or job to interview
for.
2 Shopping information
gap
An information gap exercise is a great
way to engage students in speaking
tasks. In this Shopping Information
Gap, students are divided into pairs,
and each is supplied with a worksheet
with some information missing from
it. Students ask each other questions
to find the missing pieces. Use this
worksheet, or try this one for Personal
Information, but you may create your
own information gap exercise on any
coursebook topic.
3
Find someone who
This is another classic activ-
ity, one that is quite popular among
ESL teachers. Students are given
24
a worksheet, and their task is to ask
the questions that are modeled in the
worksheet, or come up with the right
questions to find out who among their
classmates has done something in
particular. A great way to practice pres-
ent perfect questions with ever. Try
using a famous fictional character, like
James Bond and ask your students
to find someone who has driven a
sports car, been to India, used a or udder. Award one point for each
spy gadget, etc.
4 Meet My Friend!
This is the ideal speaking task for
beginners. In the worksheet, youll find
cards with personal information on one
side, and blanks to be filled in on the
other. Students are divided into pairs,
and they interview each other. They
must supply the information given on
their card, and take notes on their part-
ners. Then, each must report what
they have found out about their new
friend.
5 Rock n Role Play
Role plays are another classic
speaking activity. And most course-
books include role plays. But not all
students enjoy them or take advantage
of their opportunity to speak. The prob-
lem is not acting out the role play but
how well the roles have been set up.
To ensure successful role plays, you
must go beyond the typical, Stu-
dent A is the client, student B is
the customer. When preparing role
play cards or instructions include a
lot of details and complications.
For example, divide students into
groups and tell them they play in a
Rock n Roll band. Give each of them a
different weekly schedule of activities.
They must check their schedules and
set up at least two practice sessions
for the week. The more filled up their
schedules are the harder it will be for
them to schedule their rehearsals.
6 Taboo
This popular board game can be
adapted to suit any vocabulary. Some
course materials even come with their
own Taboo cards. But its not too hard
to make your own. Each card should
have a word to be described, as well
as a few others words that cant be
used in the description. For example, if
the word is cow, the other words that
cant be used might be milk, dairy,
word guessed correctly, and the team
with the most points wins.
7 Lets debate!
Class debates are amazing op-
portunities for extended speaking
practice. As in the role plays, the ef-
fectiveness of the debates lies in how
successful you are at engaging stu-
dents. Some great topics for debate
are:
Pros and cons (of social media,
email, the Internet, etc.)
Solutions to a problem (global
warming, energy crisis, etc.)
Planning meetings (city planners
deciding which problems need to
be addressed, for example, and
encourage students to use modals
to say what should, could, or must
be done)
Feel like throwing the boring
coursebook out the window? No
need to!
If you cant beat em, join em,
right? Instead of working
against it, work with it. Take
what you need from it and
create your own engaging
speaking tasks. Or try any of
these ideas and you will not
only get your students to
speak, you may have a hard time
getting them to stop!
If you have any speaking tasks that
work for you, dont hesitate to share
them with us!
5 Best Ways to Introduce
New Vocabulary
New vocabulary is one of the
basic building blocks in your
students learning.
But have you ever put much thought
into how you introduce new words?
Learning long laundry lists of words
can be very tedious for students. On
the other hand, introducing words in
students native language and then
translating them into English or vice
versa is not very effective, either. You
have to start training them to think in
English right from the start. Needless
to say, the language you are teaching
should be spoken at all times, even if
students are absolute beginners.
How to
Introduce New
Words
1
Pointing
Pointing is probably the tech-
nique of choice when teaching real
beginners. The teacher shows stu-
dents illustrations or flashcards and
points to the items they wish to teach.
You can also use posters, Power Point
presentations, or different types of
computer software where illustrations
are presented in electronic format.
Google Images is a real life-saver!
Pointing works best with nouns
which include food, clothes, animals,
professions, sports, classroom ob-
jects, office supplies, etc... but also
colors, actions, and any adjective
that can be clearly illustrated (like
facial expressions, for example to
teach feelings). The main advantage
of pointing is that words may be intro-
duced in blocks, and you may easily
and effectively introduce several in
one lesson. Works well with visual
students.
2 Substitution
This technique can be used with
students of all levels and works best
with concepts and ideas that cant be
easily seen or touched, like abstracts,
or anything that is not a real object.
There are different ways to use sub-
stitution:
Synonyms You substitute one
word students are familiar with
for another new one.
When you call someone, do
you sometimes have to wait?
You have to hold.
Do trains usually run on time?
They are on schedule.
Antonyms You substitute one
word they are familiar with for its
opposite.
Is a Ferrari a cheap car?(No)
Its an expensive car.
Substitution works very well with
phrasal verbs, which usually have a
one-word equivalent: Do you put off
going to the dentist? You postpone
seeing your dentist.
However, you should be careful when
using words that are not exact syn-
onyms or antonyms. Remember to
imply that the connotation may be dif-
ferent in some cases.
3 Naming
This technique is similar to sub-
stitution, but in this case, you set a
scene or situation and then substitute
it with a new word or phrase, thus
effectively naming the scene.
Do you usually eat pancakes,
eggs, and bacon for breakfast?
(No) So, you have a light break-
fast.
The hotel accepted too many
reservations. The hotel is over-
booked.
The steak I ordered last night was
not cooked enough. It was under-
cooked/rare/bloody.
4 Miming and Total Phys-
ical Response
This technique works great with kin-
esthetic learners, namely those who
learn best by moving their bodies.
Most teachers believe that mining
works best with children, particu-
larly when it comes to exaggerating
emotions and facial expressions, but
adults may also enjoy miming.
Most teachers are also aware of the
advantages of Total Physical Re-
sponse in the ESL classroom. TPR
works well with parts of the body (Im
touching my nose! Touch your
nose!), actions (Im walking to the
door), and the imperative mood or
commands (Sit down! Stand up!)
The main advantage in miming and
TPR is that you can get students
physically engaged in the lesson.
It gets them out of their seats and
shakes things up.
5
Realia
The use of realia, or real-life ob-
jects in the ESL classroom can make
a huge difference in student learn-
ing. It engages them and motivates
them to learn. Its fun and sets a
more natural learning environment.
Some realia you may use to introduce
new vocabulary includes:
Maps
Tea sets, dishes, and utensils
Clothes
Toy planes, trains, cars, animals,
furniture, etc.
Family photos
Holiday items (pumpkin, Easter
eggs, Halloween or Christmas
decorations)
Plastic fruits and vegetables
There are lots of ways in which
you can effectively introduce
new vocabulary and not have
to resort to translation.
Make sure you introduce new words
in context and give students plenty
of chances to practice. Whatever re-
sources you many need, rest assured
that BusyTeacher.org will provide
more than enough.
Which techniques do you use to
introduce new vocabulary? Feel
free to share them with us online!
25
 How to Get Everyone Speaking
in a Multilevel Class
You can try role plays, and that works
to some degree, but shy students and
those with less fluency wont partici-
pate at the level teachers would like.
Group discussions can be hit or miss.
One solution for the multilevel class
is the Strategic Interaction Method.
This method combines group discus-
sion with role play and class discus-
sion to encourage stress free partici-
pation from students at all levels.
How to Get Everyone Involved
1 The Scenario
Strategic Interaction begins with
a scenario. This scenario is a real life
situation in which your students will be
required to use language to solve a
problem. Though a group of students
will receive each scenarios informa-
tion, only one person will perform
the assigned role during the per-
formance stage. Each groups infor-
mation about the scenario is differ-
ent. They do have shared information
about the situation, but each group
also receives information specific to
the role assigned to that group, that
is the personal agenda of the role that
group will be fulfilling. This situation
and conflicting agendas will create
tension between the roles and a con-
flict which needs to be resolved.
2 Rehearsal
Students are given time in group
discussion to determine the strate-
gies they will use in the performance
stage. Though only one student will
actually be performing the interaction,
all students can participate in the
rehearsal phase and give advice to
the performer. By discussing strate-
gies in groups, students who are not
confident enough to perform a role
play in front of the class can partici-
pate in a less intimidating environment
offering valuable input to the group
and learning from others the language
needed to accomplish their goal.
3 Performance
One student from each group will
26
participate in the performance stage.
Remember that at this point neither
group knows the agenda of the oth-
er, and each participant has his own
agenda to accomplish. The goal of
the different roles will be at odds with
each other, so students must decide
if and when to compromise on their
goals. At any point during the interac-
tion, the person playing the role can
pause the interaction and consult with
his or her group for advice and input.
This gives strategic interaction an ad-
vantage over the simple role play. Stu-
dents playing the roles are freed from
the need to know all the answers and
students at all fluency levels can par-
ticipate in giving advice.
4 Debriefing
After the performance, conduct
a debriefing. Debriefing is the only
part of the activity that happens
with the entire class. In the debrief-
ing stage, the teacher should lead a
discussion about the interaction. You
can encourage students to offer opin-
ions about successful communication
strategies or unsuccessful ones, and
provide an opportunity for students to
ask questions about any part of the in-
teraction. In addition, during debriefing
students can share alternative resolu-
tions to the situations and share how
they could have been achieved.
5 Possible Scenarios
In any scenario you use, each
role should have an agenda in conflict
with the agenda of the other role. Here
are two possible scenarios you can
use with your students. You can also
easily write your own as long as each
the two agendas create tension in the
situation.
Scenario One: This scenario between
two friends puts the participants in a
tense situation, each reticent to tell the
other the full truth of what has hap-
pened.
Role A: You borrowed your friends car
to pick your significant other from the
airport. Because you parked the car il-
legally, it was towed. You do not have
money to get the car back from the
towing agency. You are about to meet
with the friend who leant you the car.
Role B: Although you know your friend
can be irresponsible at times, his/her
significant other was flying into town
and you were unavailable to pick that
person up. Instead you loaned your
car to your friend. Thankfully, your
friend did not have any accidents. Be-
cause you have some unpaid parking
tickets, the police would impound your
car if anything had happened. You do
not have money to get your car back if
something like that happens. You are
about to meet your friend and get your
car back.
Scenario Two: In this situation, each
of the participants has pressure to
achieve an outcome in opposition to
the other participant.
Role A: You are a teacher who has
gotten much criticism for giving too
many students As. You are on a pro-
gram this semester to only give As to
the top five students in your class. If
you fail to be more restrictive in giving
high grades, you may lose your job.
Role B: You are a senior in college
and have achieved a 4.0 up until this
semester. Every other semester when
you have failed to get an A, your pro-
fessor has allowed you to do makeup
work or retake tests to improve your
grade to an A. You are about to gradu-
ate and do not want your perfect re-
cord spoiled. You are about to meet
with the only teacher who did not give
you an A this semester. Try and get
him/her to change your grade.
As you can see, strategic inter-
action is one of the easiest
ways to get everyone in your
multilevel class speaking.
By taking away pressure and embar-
rassment and giving students the
support of their group, you can get
everyone in your class speaking
today.
How to Turn a Disaster
ESL Lesson into a Triumph
It happens to even the best
teachers: a well thought out,
carefully planned lesson
goes horribly wrong and you
are stuck in the middle of class
with confused, frustrated,
rences especially for new teachers
who assume that students clear-
ly understand material after just a
short introduction and are still learn-
ing about student behavior, les-
son plans, and time management.
they walk out your door for the day.
Students will forgive failed ac-
tivities from time to time if you do
not force them to suffer through
them for long and come back
strong after realizing your mistake.

and disengaged learners.
Students can react to material in dif-
ferent ways than you anticipated and
new activities may take less time,
be more challenging, or not work
out quite the way you expected.
Never continue following a lesson
plan that is failing.
This will only waste everyones time
and students will not get the most out
of their lesson with you. It is hard to
think of new ideas and come up with
an alternate plan during a lesson
but this is the best course of action.
How To Turn A Disaster Lesson
Into A Well-Deserved Victory
2
Change course
You are going to have to fin-
ish the class and maximize the class
time you have with your learners,
so, decide how to proceed. Often it
takes only about five minutes to re-
alize something is wrong, decide to
change course, and transition into an-
other activity. The longer you have
been teaching, the more backup
activities you will have stored in
your memory, so, draw on your
past experiences for inspiration.
Thinking on your feet in front of an
audience, regardless of its size, is
stressful but remain calm and remem-
ber that whatever you choose also has
to require no real preparation and only
the materials you have in your class-
room. By keeping this in mind you will
By turning a disaster lesson
a r o u n d, yo u a r e s av i n g
yourself and helping your
students.
This is a skill and as such requires a
lot of time and experience to improve.
One way to help you prepare for this
unfortunate yet inevitable situation is
to plan an extra activity for each les-
son (this is where BusyTeacher.org is
your best friend). This can be some-
thing short and should function as a
review. It will be easier to transition if
you already have a back up plan and
you can simply expand on it or repeat
it several times if you have more time
that you expected. If you do not use the
activity at the end of your class period,

W hat went wrong?

Identify what went wrong
automatically focus on simpler exer-
cises. Once you have thought of an-
other activity you can relate to the top-
you can use it as a review in the next
lesson. It is just that easy. Good luck!

so that you will not repeat the mis-
take with another class. This will also
help you determine if it is the les-
son or activity itself or the particular
students you are working with that
led to this issue in the first place.
If students do not understand the
material you are covering, rephrase
your introduction with mini com-
prehension checks throughout.
Ask students to explain to you what
you are teaching and even trans-
late it if necessary to ensure that
everyone has a more thorough un-
derstanding of the lesson material.
ic you have been talking about, segue
into it as if it were a planned part of the
lesson. You can say something like
OK, I think we have had
enough of the board game for
today, now Id like you to ~.
An activity that was finished too
soon or was uninteresting to stu-
dents has effectively been pushed
aside with this brief sentence
and the class can move forward.

If an activity did not work out the

way you planned or finished ear-
lier than expected, you can stall a
little by asking students to demon-
strate their knowledge of the mate-
rial while you decide what to do next.
These are two very common occur-
3 End on a high note
Finish the class with a short,
fun activity that you know students
enjoy. This can be a familiar warm
up activity like ESL Shiritori or an
exercise like Crisscross which can
be adapted to any topic. Your lesson
can then end on a positive note and
this will be the most recent memory
students have of your class when

27
 9 Five-Minute Activities That Will
Save Your Lesson One Day
Teachers always need to
have an activity or two on
hand in case a lesson takes
a lit tle bit less time than
expected or does not work
ou t exac t ly as plan ned.
Some activities that work well in one
class totally flop in another so you will
have to be flexible with your lesson
plan and able to adapt when necessary.
How to Proceed
1 Short
Reading Activities
With a reading passage, you can con-
duct this short reading race to give
students some more pronunciation,
speaking, and even listening prac-
tice. Have students stand up and tell
them that each column of students is
a team. For this activity the first stu-
dent should read the first sentence,
the second student should read the
next one, and students should con-
tinue reading sentences until the en-
tire passage is complete and then sit
down. The first team to read all the
sentences and sit down wins. You can
play again using the same passage
starting with the student in the back
or make each row a team instead.
To help students make their reading
sound more natural, introduce slash
reading. To do slash reading, simply
read the passage aloud to the class
pausing when it is natural to do so
while students repeat after you and
make slashes or breaks in their text.
2 Short
Writing Activities
Shiritori is a Japanese game that has
been adapted for ESL classrooms. For
this game make each column of stu-
dents a team and give them space on
the board to write. You should write one
word on the board and a member from
each team should rush to the board to
write a word that starts with the last let-
ter of your word. The next team mem-
ber then has to think of a word that
28
starts with the last letter of the word
his team member wrote. Students
continue taking turns writing words on
the board until you stop the game. It
should be very fast paced. You can
stop when groups start running out of
space to write and decide the winner
based on number of words or points.
One point for 1-4 letter words and two
points for 5 letters or more seems to
work well but words with spelling er-
rors and duplicates do not count.
Boggle is another activity students
can do in groups. Give each group a
piece of scrap paper, draw a boggle
letter grid on the board, and have
students find as many words as they
can within the time limit. You can cre-
ate your own grids but be sure that
there are enough word possibilities
for your students to find. Give stu-
dents a scoring system, ask them to
score their papers and hand them in.
In the next class you can announce
the winning team and the best word.
Another popular favorite is Hang-
man, but it is best to avoid the hang-
ing imagery in the classroom so
a scoring system would be better.
You can choose the sentences and
have students work in groups, tak-
ing turns, to figure out the answer.
3 Short
Speaking Activities
Crisscross is a great warm up game.
Ask students to stand up and start by
asking a question, the student who
answers correctly can choose his row
or column to sit down, continue by
asking another question. The game
ends when everyone is sitting down.
You can add a twist if there are a lot
of questions you want to review with
the class. Have just the first row of
students stand up and when a student
gives the correct answer, have him sit
down and ask his team member, the
student sitting directly behind him, to
stand up. For this activity teams should
be even or you will have to work in a
way of making them even and you
can draw this activity out by keeping
the teams neck and neck. Fruit Bas-
ket is another speaking game where
students sit in a circle with one less
chair than participant. One student
stands in the middle of the circle and
makes a sentence. After the sentence
has been said everyone that the sen-
tence applies to must switch seats
leaving another student in the center.
Sentences such as I am a student.
are sure to get everyone moving.
Chinese Whispers is another speak-
ing activity that can be done in the
classroom. Think of some sentences
to use, form teams, and ask the first
student in each column to come to
the front of the classroom or into the
hallway to be given the sentence.
The first team who writes a sen-
tence on the board should receive
points but the most points should
go to the team that has the sen-
tence most similar to the original.
4 Short
Listening Activities
Bingo is a classic game that you can
use not only in numbers lessons but
also when talking about letters or even
words and phrases. If you have noticed
that students struggle with the pronun-
ciation of numbers such as thirteen
and thirty, you can have a short Bingo
session using only these numbers.
Rather than make Bingo cards, have
students fill in the grids themselves.
Karuta is another Japanese game.
Have students sit in groups and
spread vocabulary cards face up
on the desks. When you say a word
aloud, the student who grabs the cor-
rect card first gets to read it aloud and
keep it. The student with the most
cards at the end of the game wins.
This can help students with spell-
ing, listening, and pronunciation.
These are just some of the many
excellent five to ten minute
activities you can use as warm
ups or when things do not go
exactly as planned. See more
of BusyTeachers Warmers, Ice-
Breakers and Fillers online.
Becoming A Super ESL High
School Teacher: 8 Secrets
Any teacher who has spent some time
teaching in schools (especially in Asia)
soon realises that small class sizes
are somewhat of a distant mirage - a
myth that only a fortunate few who
work at international schools have
the opportunity to experience. Many
government schools often have class
sizes that regularly exceed 50 students!
Imagine teaching 50 fifteen year-olds
who have no interest in English. What
would you do to capture their attention
and get them interested in English?
Teachers should draw on their own
experience as a learner and recall the
teachers who had an impact on them
when they were the age of their stu-
dents. The boring French teacher, who
droned on and on about masculine
and feminine words, was not really
awe inspiring and generally sent stu-
dents to sleep quicker than you could
say bonjour. It is the teacher who is
a little eccentric, unpredictable and,
ultimately, inspiring who manages to
capture the attention of the students.
Heres How You Can Become A Pro
High School ESL Teacher:
1 in the favour of the teacher, as most
Give them
what they want
If you want the best result from stubborn
high school students, the most effective
technique is to give them exactly what
they want. If they want games, then
give them games! The great part about
giving students what they want is that
this can be used as a bargaining tool in
order for you to get them to complete
work. Senior high school students can
be difficult to enforce discipline, so one
fantastic way is to negotiate with them.
If they complete the required exercises,
then they can play a game at the end
of class! When it comes to exercises
that can be a little dry, edit them so
they can talk about things that your stu-
dents are interested in. Find out about
some of their favourite pop stars, movie
stars and base the exercises on that.
2
If possible, stay away
from the grammar!
In many cases, it is the task of a local Eng-
lish teacher to teach the grammar. Your
task as a native speaker should be en-
couraging students to use the language.
Dont focus on grammar, keep the em-
phasis on communication. Of course,
if a student makes a grammatical er-
ror on a regular basis, do correct them.
However, provide usable examples of
the grammar within context that the stu-
dent could use, not out of a textbook.
3 Dont be predictable
Predictable teaching means that
students very quickly switch off and con-
tinue with their own thing. Keep them fo-
cused on what is happening in the class-
room by being a little unpredictable. Try
asking trick questions or saying Good
Afternoon in the morning. This tests
their English and checks that they are
tuned in. Speak loudly, speak softly,
just dont be boring and monotonous.
4 Have a laugh!
Be prepared to laugh at them
and laugh at yourself. Students gen-
erally respect a teacher who they can
have a joke with. Generally, this works
ESL/EFL teachers cannot speak the L1
of the student. If the student can joke
to the teacher using English, well hey!
They are using English! When you have
a laugh and a joke with them (in Eng-
lish), then you are providing them with
English, albeit in the form of a joke.
5
Make it real
One thing that we find works re-
ally well is to throw away the gram-
mar books and get the students to
work on a skill that they could use
later in life or with their further educa-
tion at university. Some projects that
help build on real life English include:
Work as a group to plan a company,
then present.
Research and report on whats
happening in another country.
Devise an advertising campaign for
a produce.
Work as a group and plan a
travel itinerary around the world
decide as a group where you
would go and what you would do.
6 The psychology
of a fun class
Starting off with a game and ending
with a game is what we refer to as a
Sandwich of Fun. By starting with an
activity and ending with an activity, stu-
dents generally forget about the boring
grammar exercises or reading activities.
7
Set fair rules
with their input
When you set the rules with the students,
you create a fair environment where the
students can voice their expectations of
the teacher. If all of the students agree to
the rules of both teacher and students,
cooperation should be easy to main-
tain. Also set some fun rules as well, for
example, make it a rule that students
should answer the question How are
you? with anything other than Im Fine.
8
Focus on students
who want to learn
Often when faced with classes where 46
out of 54 students dont want to learn,
its a good idea to put the activity on the
board and then focus on assisting those
students who want to learn. Without
totally neglecting the needs of all stu-
dents in the class, simply assist those
students who really want it. Focusing on
a student who doesnt want your help
takes valuable teaching time away that
could be used on providing assistance
to a student who truly appreciates and
wants to further their English skills.
Practically any teacher has the abil-
ity to become an inspiring teacher to
senior high school students. It is sim-
ply a matter of walking into the class-
room with the right attitude and by
following the above tips and tricks.
Even with more difficult classes,
teachers can still be an inspiration
to their students and provide them
with a set of useful language skills
that will stay with them forever.
29
Back to School Dilemma:
Technological Gadgets in the ESL
Classroom?
If you teach a student over 10,
chances are they have a cell phone.
At the very least. Some may show
up to class with an assortment of
gadgets, including iPods, PSPs, or
Blackberries just to name a few. So,
how should you handle this? Issue a
complete ban on any gadget or use
them to your advantage?
First comes acceptance. Like it or not,
iPhones, iPods, iPads and the like,
are here to stay. And if they dont stay,
they will be easily replaced by other i
products. Backpacks and bags even
come with special compartments that
are specifically designed for such de-
vices. It wouldnt be unheard of for an
adult learner to bring a laptop to class.
Schools are wired with WiFi. Its so easy
to take these gadgets everywhere we
go why not bring them into the ESL
classroom?
Next, comes the question: should you
completely ban them from your ESL
classroom? Some schools have a pol-
icy regarding the use of technological
devices within school grounds. If they
are not allowed, communicate this to
your students. They must understand
that it is school policy and that if they in-
sist on bringing technological devices to
school, they may be confiscated. In this
case, the responsibility lies with your
students.
But what if your ESL school has no such
policy? You may choose to ban electron-
ic devices from your classroom anyway,
and if you do, this is a rule you must be
prepared to enforce. But you might be
more successful with your students if,
instead of banning electronic devic-
es, you teach them some good gad-
get etiquette.
How to Teach Students Gadget
Etiquette
1 Ask your students what could possibly
be the most annoying thing about any
electronic gadget. Most would agree
its the ringing, the interruption that may
cause you to lose your train of thought
during class, whether its your phone or
30
anothers that is ringing. Its safe to say
that most students would agree to turn
off their phones during class. Remind
adult learners who for some particular
reason may need to be reached urgently,
like doctors or parents, that they may put
their phones on vibrate instead.
2 Remind students of their language
learning goals and how important it is
for them to immerse themselves in an
English-speaking environment. How
could they possibly listen to you in one
language and respond to text messages
in another? Kindly ask them if it would be
too hard to hold the text messaging until
class is over.
3 Remind students that the school
cant be held accountable for electronic
devices that may disappear from the
premises. Ask younger students if they
are willing to take the risk of losing their
brand new PSP or Nintendo DS. With a
little nudging, they might agree that the
risk is not worth it.
4 Determine if you will allow some
electronic devices and not others - for
example, cell phones will be allowed but
not gaming devices. Also, you may limit to
what capacity they may use each device,
for example, they may use them to take
notes, record role plays, or videotape a
skit, but not to play games, text friends
or chat. This may depend on the size of
the class: smaller classes are easier to
monitor, while for larger groups this may
be too hard to control.
5 Teach by example. If they see you
checking your messages while they are
busy completing a worksheet or reading
task, you wont get your point across.
See? Youre hooked too! Teach them,
instead how much fun you can have with
very low tech like a ball, a blindfold, or a
box of odds and ends.
If you cant beat em join em you choose to exploit it.
Now, what if you were to use these
very same devices in the classroom
to aid your students in achieving
their learning goals? What if you could
turn these gadgets into tools instead
of distractions? Many teachers argue
that by using electronic gadgets in the
classroom they have better chances of
reaching students, particularly teens,
who tend to be self-conscious, shy and
uncommunicative.
Here are some ways in which you can
make your students electronic gad-
gets your allies instead of adversar-
ies:
Business e-mail
Why have students write email with pa-
per and pen? They send email in elec-
tronic format. Why not do it in English?
Have your business English students or
adult learners send each other e-mails
during class.
Paper-free activities
Remember that the less paper we use,
the better it is for the environment. Dic-
tate some questions for homework, but
tell them they can use their electronic
notepads. Encourage the use of iPads
or laptops for note-taking or writing
tasks, if possible and if you have small
groups of teens or adult learners.
Record it!
Cell phones with cameras are great
tools for an ESL classroom. Film a role
play between two students, and have
a critiquing session afterwards. Do you
or your students remember everything
they said during a role play? Record it
in audio and play it back. Have students
record an audio file of you reading a
short text, and give them comprehen-
sion questions to answer for homework.
Should you ban elec tronic
devices from the classroom
or use them to your advan-
tage? That depends on school
policy, student ages, and class
size. Sometimes, the decision is
yours. The potential is there if
What is your take on this hot topic? Do
you allow or use gadgets in the class-
room? Share with us online!
7 Back to School Games And
Activities To Help Students Bond
Whether you have a class full
of antsy five-year-olds, shy
teens, or busy adults learn-
ers, they all have one thing in
common: they will be together
for the duration of the ESL
course, and they will work
toge ther to achieve their
English-learning goals.
What better way to start classes than
to help them get to know each other?
Here are some games and activities.
These are more than simple icebreak-
ers: they will help your students really
bond as a group:
Back To School: How To Help
Your Students Bond
1 A Blank Canvas to Fill
Once youve greeted all of your
students and gotten all of the introduc-
tions out of the way, present them with
a completely blank bulletin board. Tell
them that their first task as a group will
be to decide what they want to do with
it:
Fill it with drawings of what they did
over the summer?
Put up family photos?
Choose a theme and decorate ac-
cordingly (fall, summer movies,
pop stars?)
What they hope to learn?
When they have chosen their theme,
they must decide how they will deco-
rate the bulletin board and which mate-
rials they will use (you may have a box
of odds and ends they can recycle).
2 Right on or Dead
Wrong?
Hand out slips of paper and ask each
student to write two things about them-
selves that are true and one thing that
is untrue. Shuffle the papers and give
one to each student. Students must
guess which statement is untrue about
their classmate.
3 Show Your Stuff
Tell your class that they will have
the chance to show off their best tal-
ent. Have students divide themselves
into groups according to different abili-
ties. Form groups of students who
have musical talent, artistic skills,
or are really creative writers. Each
group has to work as a team to pre-
pare something to show to the class.
Dancers may choreograph one of their
favorite songs. Artists may create a
poster. Writers may write a short story.
Give them enough time to prepare and
choose a day for your talent competi-
tion. Each team has to vote for another
team they consider the best. The win-
ning team wins a special prize.
4 Things in Common
Create a questionnaire with 5 to
10 questions like:
Whats your favorite American/
English food?
Whats your favorite American/
English TV show?
Whats your favorite international
pop star?
Whats your favorite color?
What month were you born in? Etc.
Students must first complete this ques-
tionnaire and then walk around the
classroom to find other students they
share some of these things with. They
must write the names down. When ev-
eryones done, each student counts
how many people they share things
with. The student with the biggest num-
ber wins!
5 What a Cute Baby!
Ask students to bring in baby pic-
tures of themselves and put them up on
the bulletin board. Students take turns
matching a student to a baby pic. The
student who guesses the most correct-
ly wins. For obvious reasons, this game
works best with teens or adult learners.
6 Bag It!
Give each of your students a pa-
per bag and instruct them on what to
do with it:
First, they must decorate it in a way
that represents them. Students
may draw a guitar on it because
playing the guitar is their favorite
thing to do. Or perhaps they can
draw something connected to a
sport they play. Or their country of
origin.
Secondly, they must place three
things that represent them inside
the bag. Obviously, they must be
small enough to fit inside.
Finally, they must bring the bag and
its contents to school, and share it
with the class.
7 Choose a Class Name
and Create a Flag
You may have a class with students
from different backgrounds and nation-
alities. While you may encourage them
to share information about their coun-
tries of origin, it would be nice for them
to also form their own little nation. Ask
students to come up with a name for
their class: English Ninjas, Grammar
Warriors, or the like. Then, they may
create their own class flag or banner,
something that will represent them as
a group. If you decide to create a class
website, you can tell parents what your
English Ninjas have been up to and
proudly display their work.
Try any of these activities, and
youll see. What was at first
a group of complete strang-
ers will become a group of
students who share a great
many things and are ready to
embark on this adventure that
is learning English as a second
language.
And if you have any suggestions of
your own, please feel free to share
them with us online!
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