In this section there are 2,124 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 2,124 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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ESL Articles
View our latest knowledgebase articles that will help you become a better English teacher. Learn from
professional teachers and put a bit of your own creativity into it!
It’s time for your students to write something.
They sit at their desks, a blank page in front of them, the pencil twirling between their fingers, they eyes searching the room for some kind ...
Why should our students make notes?
My students seem to regard note-taking as a chore, and frequently make fragmented notes which are of little use. They rely too often on memory, which might be ...
“I’ve noticed lots of my students use Instagram. I would love to use it in my ESL classroom, as it’s something they seem to be genuinely interested in. Can you recommend any ESL ...
A great deal of value has been placed on “openness” in communication in U.S. culture over the past years, perhaps in response to political scandals of several leaders hiding critical i ...
The myth of being “blocked” is one of the most enduring of writer’s lore, summoning images of the reporter sitting at his manual typewriter, sleeves rolled up, taking gulps from ...
Whether it’s fire fighters, grouches, or zombies, October offers plenty of inspiration for your ESL students to practice and perfect their English in creative ways.
Here are some activities ...
Have you ever considered why open lessons are necessary?
As we all know, teachers definitely have a lot of stuff to juggle. Considering most of us hold regular meetings with parents to keep them ...
cut “My students love to play games in class and always ask for more, but what they actually need is to improve their speaking. Can you recommend any games for speaking practice?”
...
Descriptive words are a great way to communicate detail in a sentence, but how does an ESL student decide if an adjective or an adverb is the right choice?
How does he know which one he is lookin ...
I love including cooking in my classroom.
My students have fun sharing their food and culture, and eating what I and their classmates prepare, and it creates a relaxing atmosphere in class. When ...
Think of any truly boring experience you’ve had. How do we describe those moments?
A long wait at the airport: “We just had to sit there for three hours while they tried to fix the pl ...
When your reading students are ready to put aside the ESL text book and tackle a novel, whether it’s full length or abridged, reading gets a little more challenging.
Texts created specifica ...
If your students are struggling to write or they just lack inspiration, maybe it’s time to inject your writing lessons with a little fun. These activities are great for getting students exci ...
The passive voice may be something native speakers are told to avoid in their writing, but it’s an area of grammar ESL students need to study and practice.
Here are some exercises that you ...
Are you teaching beginning level students how to speak with style, that is, how to include adjectives and adverbs in their speech and writing?
Here are some fun and sometimes fanciful activities ...
If your students have turned the last page in their book, they are bound to have a great sense of accomplishment.
After all, learning a second language well enough to read fifty or more pages rea ...
Boundaries can be defined as where I leave off and others begin.
A boundary is where I can claim some personal item, space or mental process as mine. Boundaries have long been a problem in the hi ...
He, she, it, you, we, they…for good or ill, pronouns in English are far more complicated than these basics.
Pronouns change depending on person, number, and function in a sentence. We use ...
We’ve all encountered at least one: the “drama queen” (or “king”), capable of taking the most minor of annoyance—e.g., the full wastepaper basket—and turn ...
As teachers, we frequently think about professional development and ongoing education, but how often do we look to the room next door?
While conferences and classes are great, and you should go t ...
“I often find students checking their phones during class or simply staring out into space. I can tell when their minds wander. How can I get students to really pay attention?” *
As t ...
Teachers are routinely pushed past their limits—that line that separates what individuals can and will do from what they can’t and won’t.
In fact, pushing teachers to the line h ...
Are your students successful in their adjective and adverb use?
These little words that describe the objects around us and say how, why, how often, and in what way something happens can add so mu ...
Imagine a pyramid.
At the bottom are all the students who kind of get it, who remember some information from class. At the top of the pyramid are those few students who seem to retain almost ever ...
Are your students familiar with the difference between gradable and nongradable adjectives?
If you haven’t tackled that subject with your ESL class, here is a step by step explanation of th ...
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