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 donts 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
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The process of reading, being able to connect semanticc input with the letters on the page, does not mean much if language learners cannot understand what they have read.
The following exercises, ...
Most of the time passive voice is discouraged because, well it is so passive.
The preference most of the time is for active speaking with the focus being on someone doing something. Passive voice ...
Reported Speech is a very useful and substantive topic to approach for advanced level students. It is simply relaying or repeating what another person said. Sounds simple, right?
Unfortunately, i ...
One battle all teachers face is time management. Let’s face it; there is a lot to do in a day—from lesson planning to student management to paperwork and follow-ups.
In addition to th ...
Whether the kids in your ESL class enjoy reading or it is the class they most dread, you can inspire them and give them a love for reading, and it is easier than you think.
These few simple tips ...
Sometime colloquial language is just plain strange, and doesn’t contain much reason as to why we say the things we do. Teaching the difference between ‘used to’ and ‘to get ...
Younger learners can be both fun and frustrating depending on the time of day, the cycles of the moon, and the distractions that almost every new day can bring.
Students have a lot on their plate ...
Most ESL teachers at one point or another have covered a vocabulary unit on food.
Sometimes, beginning students cover food in early units. Other times, intermediate or advanced students have an o ...
Giving advice is one of those topical lessons that has a lot of substance to it. It combines the teaching of modal verbs with valuable discussion-generating subject matter.
There aren’t man ...
When reading class is just on the other side of the bell, it is not too late to incorporate the following activities into class. They take very little preparation (some take none at all) and can m ...
Everybody loves a vacation, and though your students may have travelled far to attend English classes, they are probably looking forward to some sightseeing between sessions.
To get them ready, t ...
If you get the chance to teach older language learners, you are in for a real treat.
Whether you have a whole class of seniors or a few elder students sprinkled into your classes, you will want t ...
There is no need to be tense about tenses. One of the best ways to ensure that students are progressing is to provide occasional review of several of the tenses the students have been learning.
I ...
Present Perfect tense is a big turning point in a student’s language learning.
Once they have gotten to this grammar point, they have mastered a lot and are moving into more and more complex ...
This tense is reserved for advanced learners for good reason. Students can pretty easily get around using the tense altogether by just using two past tense verbs with some time markers. It is stil ...
Weather is one of the standard thematic units that ESL classes include. It may appear most often in vocabulary class, but weather activities for ESL students can span the entire curriculum.
The n ...
Reading is paramount to language learning, yet, much to the disappointment of teachers, it can be a difficult skill to teach.
How do you teach students to become better readers, especially with a ...
The topic of gerunds vs. infinitives is a notoriously confusing one among students of all levels.
To native speakers it comes naturally, and we don’t really ever think about why we use one ...
Sometimes when reading a stack of student compositions, I’ll run across a section of writing that goes something like “My first car was unreliable. A car was ugly, too.” I’ ...
Teaching hopes and wishes to varied levels of ESL learners can be enjoyable and enlightening. This is something that can be introduced in a high beginner class and then expanded upon as their lang ...
The idea of your students who you have been grading all semester or all year giving their feedback on you and your teaching style can be intimidating to say the least. Will they retaliate for bad ...
One of the most basic lessons you will approach is telling time. It is such a key element for beginners who may just be learning numbers and learning how to navigate basic concepts in English.
I f ...
We use modal verbs in so many distinct ways in English, it is essential to spread out the lessons of various usages and realize that students may become overwhelmed.
Modals of regret aren’t ...
Teaching little kids can be fun. They have energy and a fascination with the world that only comes from the innocence of childhood. Adult students, on the other hand, have a higher cognitive abili ...
Often, when reading student papers, I’ll come across a statement that reads something like “the capitalist system is really the greatest economic system. Other systems eventually colla ...
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