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ESL Essentials – Important Teaching Tips

In this section there are 608 articles that cover essential ESL topics such as how to teach grammar, use realia, and teach young learners. There are also a lot of lesson ideas and fun activities included in the articles. This ESL article, for example, is about teaching grammar and describes five great activities. It has been given five stars by other busy teachers so it obviously has useful content. Check it out for yourself or take a look at other articles that relate better to your questions or teaching situation.

There are a lot of dos and don’ts and tips and tricks that many teachers learn through teaching.

Our ESL Essentials section will help you master the basics of teaching English and will help you start teaching like a 'pro'. Every ESL Essentials article provides clear, to-the-point instructions that can be used with the students right away.
At the moment we have 608 ESL Essentials.
Sometimes that is the best way to learn but the experiences of others can also help you develop your teaching skills without having to make the same mistakes. If you have a great story or activity, feel free to submit your own article so that you can share your knowledge with others. We would love to hear from you!
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10 Essential English Skills Your Students Need for College 10 Essential English Skills Your Students Need for CollegeESL students study English for a purpose, and for many that purpose is higher education. Men and women, young and old travel great distances to attend colleges and universities. Many of them, tho ...
 
As Easy as OneTwoThree: 10 Ways to Practice Numbers in the ESL Classroom As Easy as OneTwoThree: 10 Ways to Practice Numbers in the ESL ClassroomUsing numbers in a foreign language is difficult for most second language speakers. Because numbers are such an abstract concept, most people tend to revert to their first language when using the ...
 
Past, Present, Future: Teaching the Verb Tense System Past, Present, Future: Teaching the Verb Tense SystemVerb tenses receive a lot of attention in English instruction—in fact, they receive perhaps more attention than any other aspect of grammar. And with good cause: there are thirteen verb ten ...
 
Do This! Don’t Do That! 8 Interactive Classroom Activities for Using the Imperative Do This! Don’t Do That! 8 Interactive Classroom Activities for Using the ImperativeDo this! Don’t do that! Eat this, not that. Stand up. Sit down. Fight! Fight! Fight! The imperative is all around us, and as native speakers we may not even realize we are hearing or using t ...
 
No, It’s Not Arbitrary and Does Make Sense: Teaching the English Punctuation System No, It’s Not Arbitrary and Does Make Sense: Teaching the English Punctuation SystemDid you know that you put in a comma in your writing whenever you take a breath? (I assume that means while reading aloud.) How about a period? Well, I guess that’s a deeper breath. You mig ...
 
Excuse Me, Teacher, Can I Go to the Bathroom: Managing Interruptions Excuse Me, Teacher, Can I Go to the Bathroom: Managing InterruptionsYou are probably familiar with the scenario: you at the front of the room, in the middle of lecturing on some important grammar point, when someone raises his hand. “Excuse me, Teacher?&rdq ...
 
Beyond Opinions: 3 Ways to Facilitate Stimulating Discussion Beyond Opinions: 3 Ways to Facilitate Stimulating DiscussionOne of the most beneficial ways to practice language naturally is through spontaneous discussion. At lower levels this is difficult to accomplish, but once students are at an intermediate level o ...
 
More Than a Game: 6 Great Uses for Scrabble in the ESL Classroom More Than a Game: 6 Great Uses for Scrabble in the ESL ClassroomWhat game is produced in twenty-nine different languages, has sold over 150 million copies worldwide and four thousand clubs all its own? It is Scrabble. This word game was created by Alfred Butt ...
 
Freeze Frame! How to Use Pictures in Your ESL Classroom Freeze Frame! How to Use Pictures in Your ESL ClassroomIf a picture is worth a thousand words, why use them in the ESL classroom? After all, aren’t we language teachers trying to get our students to communicate and use the language they know rat ...
 
Creative Compositions for Children: 3 Great Ways to Inspire Young Learners to Write Creative Compositions for Children: 3 Great Ways to Inspire Young Learners to WriteChildren in ESL classes are notoriously shy about writing in general. It is really critical for their language development that they receive early and constant exposure to writing opportunities. ...
 
Help Yourself to Seconds: More Ideas for Teaching a Cross-Curricular ESL Unit on Food Help Yourself to Seconds: More Ideas for Teaching a Cross-Curricular ESL Unit on FoodFood is a recurring topic in the ESL classroom. Perhaps that is true because food can be used in connection with many topics – personal preference, giving choices, culture, and memories to n ...
 
America is THE Free Country? Teaching the Article System America is THE Free Country? Teaching the Article SystemSometimes about mid-semester I realize I’m really tired reading sentences like “America is the free country.” (Actually, they usually read “America is the freedom country,& ...
 
Brilliant Brainstorms: How to Use Mind Maps to Jump-Start Writing Brilliant Brainstorms: How to Use Mind Maps to Jump-Start WritingWriting is intimidating enough for second language learners, so why not simplify the process for them. Using mind maps to organize thoughts, brainstorm ideas, and synthesize information will sure ...
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