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!
On the lookout for some original art projects for your ESL class? You’ve come to the right place! In the fall, we have an abundance of fall leaves, seeds, sticks and twigs, all of which are ...
What is the quickest way to get from here to there? Well, it all depends on what those places are. Getting to the top of a mountain in a short amount of time would certainly require a different me ...
Are there young people who do not like ice cream? Probably, but for the most part ice cream is a favored treat among young people from all areas of the globe. You can use this natural affinity for ...
Almost everyone likes games. They are fun, energize the players and require their players to use imagination and brain power. What is there not to like when it comes to games? Games can provide an ...
Another year has rolled around and it is time once again for a unit on clothing. You have reviewed the vocabulary and practiced the typical role-plays. Your students know about the difference betw ...
If you could give your ESL students the key to understanding brand new vocabulary, what would you do to make it happen? Well, you do not have to do anything drastic. Simply try some of these activ ...
Almost every culture of the world includes fables in its literature bank. These short stories using animals, forces of nature or plants and other inanimate objects are meant to teach us lessons th ...
Learning a second language almost certainly includes having an ongoing relationship with unfamiliar grammar. Every ESL student needs practice with elements of grammar, and sometimes teachers want ...
Do you include poetry in your ESL classes? If you do, you know that working with verse is both a challenge and a joy for English language learners. If you do not, you may want to give it a try. Th ...
Have your students ever ridden a bicycle? Have they ridden in a hot air balloon? Have they ever taken a trip on the back of a mule or donkey? People all over the world use these means of travel on ...
Though young people may groan whenever they hear the word school, teachers love it. We would not be teachers if we did not love teaching and learning, and school is the place where that happens, b ...
Lions and tigers and bears, what do they mean? They mean tons of fun for your ESL class. With the following activities, your students can go on a safari, make predictions, or plan an unusual meal, ...
Whether you from Asia, Europe, the Americas, Africa or Australia, you eat food. It is an experience common to all people throughout the world. While we all eat, the things that we eat differ not o ...
Almost every teacher of English as a second language has taught a unit on anatomy at one point or another. Perhaps this is because it is one of the most tangible sets of vocabulary a nonnative spe ...
One advantage to teaching ESL in a school setting is, no matter what age your students are, you probably have a library at your school. A library is always convenient for research and reading mate ...
Whether you are a seasoned pro or new to the English as a second language scene, you face challenges in your classroom every day. You expect nothing less, right? After all, you are teaching a grou ...
Comics are not just for little kids anymore. In fact, today’s graphic novel can fill many useful roles in the modern ESL classroom. Their minimal text paired with interesting illustrations a ...
If there is one subject that all the students in your ESL class can relate to, it is the subject of names.
Everyone has at least one, often more, and although your students’ names will have ...
For students who have not had any exposure to homophones, they can be frustrating and confusing. For students who have studied the sound alike word pairs, they can be a source of linguistic challe ...
Most ESL classes do not spend a lot of time reading and discussing contemporary drama. Just because drama is not common in the ESL classroom, though, does not mean there is not value in that genre ...
No matter what level of ESL you are teaching, some topics seem to come up in class after class. One of these subjects that you will probably find yourself teaching at one point or another is cloth ...
Every ESL student needs practice with his or her verbs, but sometimes it can be difficult to move the practice off of the paper and into spoken English. The following activities can be used to giv ...
Nine out of ten ESL students will tell you the hardest English vocabulary to learn are phrasal verbs, those sneaky little verbs that mean one thing when paired with one preposition and a completel ...
Fall is a season of harvest, a time in which we reap the rewards of the seeds we’ve sown. There are lots of animals that gather food and seeds before they hunker down for the winter. But we ...
We all have hopes, dreams and desires. But during Thanksgiving, we don’t focus so much on what we hope to have, but rather what we already have, which we should be thankful for.
So, this Th ...
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