Stay up-to-date with ELT trends and ideas with articles from experts and teachers in the field.

Articles

<blockquote>&ldquo;We are born into a box of time and space. We use words and communication to break out of it and to reach out to others.&rdquo; &mdash; Roger Ebert</blockquote>

<p>Language learning involves community. Learners need to be able to take the vocabulary and skills they learn in the classroom and apply them in real world contexts. They need to be able to interact with other language learners and participate in real conversations. I&rsquo;ve been an English teacher for over a decade and have tried to find the best way to get my students to be able to practice language outside the classroom. One of the most effective ways is to get the students to use online tools that foster communication in English. As a language teacher, you can get your students to use these websites to participate in discussions or collaborate on projects. In this way, the students are applying what they learn in class to specific tasks. I hope the following tips and resources will help you plan these tasks.</p>

<h2>Collaborative Tools and Tasks</h2>

<p>These are some of the most effective and free collaboration tools I recommend and a few ideas on what your language learners can do with them.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.facebook.com/groups">Facebook Groups</a>&nbsp;- Facebook is the most popular social network so chances are your learners are already set up on there. This means they do not have to register so they are more likely to use this social network.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.edmodo.com/">Edmodo</a>&nbsp;- Learners can collaborate in a private, secure environment. They post discussions through the threaded feature that looks similar to Twitter and Facebook. They also can upload pictures, links, videos, and more.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.twiddla.com/">Twiddla</a>&nbsp;- This is an online collaborative whiteboard. Students can post documents, brainstorm, view a website, and so much more in real-time. Students don&rsquo;t have to register. They just click a button and are given a room link for others to join. The learners can even talk to each other while they work using the live audio feature.</p>

<p><a href="https://docs.google.com/">Google Docs</a>&nbsp;- Learners collaborate in real-time when&nbsp;editing a text document, spreadsheet, or slide presentation. There are chat and comment functions that make it easy for learners to communicate. Use this tool to have your learners brainstorm.</p>

<p>What other collaborative activities can you think of?</p>

Collaborative Tools and Tasks to Motivate Language Learners

https://esllibrary-staging.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/title_image/245/Shelly_Generic_Banner.png

<p>Music is the soul of language. &mdash;Max Heindel</p>

<p>I am very interested in what motivates students to learn English. In conversations outside my classroom, I often ask language learners how and why they learned English. No matter what the age, I have found music to be a very powerful motivational tool for learning a language. For example, a friend of mine from Korea told me she learned English by studying the lyrics to her favorite English songs. This sounds like a more interesting and engaging way to learn a language than from a textbook. Teaching with music is also a great idea because it:</p>

<ul>
	<li>helps students learn language and even grammar in chunks</li>
	<li>is all around us. I have traveled to 22 countries and all had English music playing in the shopping centers or the radio.</li>
	
	<li>shows the vernacular. If students listen to popular music they can pick up slang phrases and idioms that are difficult to teach.</li>
	<li>promotes movement, which is a healthy and effective way to learn a language.</li>
	<li>is an effective way to teach about various cultures. We can learn about dances, traditions, costumes, instruments and more!</li>
</ul>

<h2>Activity Ideas and Resources</h2>

<p>It&#39;s Music in Our Schools Month! I hope the following tips and resources will help you along your journey towards integrating music into your curriculum.</p>

<h3>Modernize the Lyrics</h3>

<p>Learners modernize the lyrics to a popular song from the past, then create a music video. Works best with old children&rsquo;s songs, holiday music, or classics.</p>

<h3>Teach Chunks of Grammar</h3>

<p>Specific songs are great for pinpointing difficult grammar. You can have students highlight a specific grammar point by delineating movements for specific words or phrases. For example, the student can wave every time a verb is used in the past tense. Highlighting through movement helps learners listen to the lyrics carefully and pay specific attention to the language structure.</p>

<h3>Create a Lip Dub</h3>

<p>In a lip dub, students learn the lyrics to a song then record a video in which they mouth the words to the lyrics as the music plays. The students lip sync in the video.</p>

<h3>Drop the Lyrics</h3>

<p>Getting your students to learn a song can often be difficult. You can make learning the lyrics into a game. Display the lyrics to the song on the board. Play the song once for students to get comfortable with the beat. Then play only the instrumental version of the song and together as a class sing the entire song. Round one begins where you instruct your students to sing the song but drop the last few words or lines of the song. Continue doing this as often as you like. Usually, teachers play this using the lyrics to Row, Row, Row Your Boat.</p>

<h3>Dissect the Lyrics to My Favorite Song</h3>

<p>Have your students bring in the lyrics and sound samples of their favorite songs. At the beginning of the class, give each student a different colored marker. Instruct each student to go to the board and write down one line of the song on the board. Then instruct the other students to each write down one idea that relates to that line under the lyric. The idea is not related to the song just that one lyric. When everyone finishes, the class can try to guess the song. Each student presents their song and discuss the meaning and whether the ideas under the lyric hint at the meaning.</p>

<h3>Soundtrack</h3>

<p>Have your students research the life of a famous person they admire. Then have them choose 3 to 5 songs that represent significant events in that person&rsquo;s life. These events could include birth, death, a marriage, something that signifies why the person is famous, and so forth. The student presents this person&rsquo;s autobiography by playing snippets of the song and explaining the song choice behind that event. Another idea is for students to create a short film about a book or short story they are reading. The students will just write a short summary. Along with this writing, they should include a soundtrack. Alternatively, your students could choose 3 to 5 songs that represent the soundtrack of their lives.</p>

<h3>A Personal Theme Song</h3>

<p>Ask your students what personal theme song they would choose and why. They can create their own music videos using <a href="http://animoto.com/">Animoto</a>, Windows Movie Maker, <a href="http://glogster.com/">Glogster</a>, or other tools. Read <a href="http://teacherbootcamp.edublogs.org/2009/12/11/my-favourite-tools-by-alexandra-francisco/">this post</a> and <a href="http://teacherbootcamp.edublogs.org/2009/12/05/my-favourite-cool-sites-by-eva-buyuksimkesyan/">this post</a> for more ideas of web 2.0 tools your students can use for this activity.</p>

<h3>Have a Karaoke Day</h3>

<p>Every Friday, my friend <a href="http://gret.wordpress.com/2010/10/25/itsoktohavefun/">Greta&rsquo;s 5th graders in Argentina</a> would get to learn a new English song of their choice and sing it together. Once a week or month, designate a special day for your students to learn the lyrics of a song through Karaoke. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/TheKARAOKEChannel">Youtube has many Karaoke videos</a> for most songs students would like to sing.</p>

<h3>Make a Game Out of It</h3>

<p>Several video games include learning the lyrics to a song. If you get access to a game consule, your students will love learning the lyrics to a song with a game like <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZ-he3-7KTs">Guitar Hero</a>. Click on the link to see how these games are used to teach kids in the classroom!</p>

<h2 dir="ltr">More Resources</h2>

<p>These websites have plenty of activities and videos for teaching English through songs.</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="http://lyricstraining.com/">Lyrics Training</a>&nbsp;- Learn English through lyrics!</li>
	<li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Qqlvg2LfOQ">Top 10 Songs for Teaching Conditionals</a>&nbsp;- Youtube video listing songs to teach conditionals</li>
	<li><a href="http://mondostoppops.blogspot.com/">Mondo&rsquo;s Song Lessons</a>&nbsp;- several lesson plans based on music videos</li>
	<li><a href="http://www.tuneintoenglish.com/">Tune Into English</a>&nbsp;- worksheets, Karoake, lesson plans, and more</li>
	<li><a href="http://www.musicalenglishlessons.com/index-ex.htm">Musical English Lessons</a>&nbsp;- categorizes by grammar taught</li>
	<li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/collolearn?feature=watch">Various ESL Rap Videos and Songs by Fluency MC</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.eslpartyland.com/teachers/music/musicimpressions.htm">Music Impressions</a>&nbsp;- interview and discussion activity based on listening to four samples of music</li>
	<li><a href="http://linguisticconsultancy.blogspot.com/2010/07/song-to-motivate-students-to-speak.html">A Song to Motivate Students to Speak</a> by Marisa Pavan</li>
	<li><a href="http://linguisticconsultancy.blogspot.com/2010/05/song-for-class.html">English Lesson Based on Enjoy the Silence</a> by Depeche Mode</li>
	<li><a href="http://civitaquana.blogspot.com/2010/05/eighteen.html">English Lesson Based on Marble Halls by Enya</a> by Janet Bianchini</li>
</ul>

<p>What activities do you do with music? You can also tweet your ideas, and follow the tag #MIOSM (Music in Our Schools Month).</p>

Activities and Resources for Teaching Language Through Song Lyrics

https://esllibrary-staging.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/title_image/244/Shelly_Activities-and-Resources-for-Teaching-Language-Through-Song-Lyrics_Banner.png

<p>Suggested Activities for Using Valentine&#39;s Day Flashcards:</p>

<p><strong>1. Design a Valentine&#39;s Greeting</strong> Print out a few sets of our <a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/21/flashcard_categories/107">Valentine&#39;s Day flashcards</a>. Allow students to choose a picture and create a Valentine&#39;s Day card for another student in the school. You could also have students choose blindly so that they don&#39;t know which image they are going to get. They could write appropriate words to go under the image to create a Valentine (not for someone specific). Have a class vote to decide which Valentine is the best! Work together to correct the writing.</p>

<p><strong>2. The Perfect Date </strong> Invite your students to invent an imaginary couple. (They could cut out a couple from a magazine.) Work together (as a class or in small groups) to gather flashcards as you plan the perfect date for the couple on Valentine&#39;s Day. You could also plan a &quot;Nightmare date.&quot;</p>

<ul>
	<li>What will they wear?</li>
	<li>What will they do?</li>
	<li>Where will they go?</li>
	<li>What gifts will they give each other?</li>
	<li>How will they feel?</li>
</ul>

<p><strong>3. Put the Love Story in Order </strong>Spread out the flashcards on a floor or table (in small groups or as a class). Work together to tell a love story line by line. Students take turns picking a flashcard and telling a related line of the story until all of the cards are gone. You could also place the cards face down so that students don&#39;t know which card they are going to get. After the story is told orally, you can invite students to write the story out. How many vocabulary words can they remember?</p>

<p><strong>4. Spell Your Heart Out</strong> Have a spelling bee with the Valentine&#39;s Flashcards. Students choose a card and try to spell the word. If they get it right, give them a heart (write a heart on the board or hand out candy or paper hearts). Who will collect the most hearts?</p>

<p><strong>5. Cupid Says </strong>This is a <em>Simon Says</em> variation. Have students take turns being &quot;Cupid.&quot; Cupid will have the stack of Valentine&#39;s flashcards. They will pick one and tell the other students to do an action related to the card.&nbsp;For example: &quot;<em>Cupid says put on an earring&quot;</em>&nbsp;or &quot;<em>Cupid says blow a kiss&quot;&nbsp;</em>or &quot;C<em>upid says act like you are heartbroken&quot;</em>. If&nbsp; &quot;Cupid&quot;&nbsp;says&nbsp; &quot;<em>go to a restaurant&quot;</em>&nbsp;without saying &quot;<em>Cupid says&quot;&nbsp;</em>all of the students who start to act out the flashcard have to sit down. (Cupid can sling an invisible arrow at these students.)</p>

<p><strong>6. Be My Valentine</strong> Choose one student to be the &quot;Prince&quot;&nbsp;or &quot;Princess.&quot; All of the other students want them to be their Valentine. Have the other students take turns picking a card from the set. Students look at their cards and make a special offer to the royal student related to the card. The &quot;Prince&quot;&nbsp;or &quot;Princess&quot;&nbsp;has to decide whose offer is the best. For example: Student A chooses the &quot;rose&quot;&nbsp;card: <em>I will buy you roses for Valentine&#39;s Day. Will you be my Valentine?</em> Student B chooses &quot;movie theatre&quot;: <em>I will take you to a movie theatre. Will you be mine?</em> Student C chooses &quot;chocolate cake&#39;&quot;&nbsp;<em>I will bake you a chocolate cake. Will you be my Valentine?</em> Princess: <em>I love flowers. Red roses are my favourite. You can be my Valentine, Student A.</em></p>

<p><strong>7. Find your Valentine</strong> Print out two sets of the Valentine&#39;s flashcards (use only enough for the amount of people in your class). If you have an uneven amount of students, the teacher should play too. Give each person a card. Students should not show each other the card they received. Students will go around the room trying to find a match. They can&#39;t say the word they are, but they can describe their word using other words. They can&#39;t ask the same question twice! For example: Student A has the &#39;ring&#39; flashcard. A: Hi, are you a piece of jewelry? B: No, sorry. A: Hi, can I put you on my finger? C: Ha! No, I don&#39;t think so. A: Are you made of gold? D: Yes! Can I buy you at a&nbsp;jewelry&nbsp;shop? A: Yes! Are you a ring? D: Yes! You are my Valentine. (The first partners to find each other come in 1st place. Put the 1st, 2nd, 3rd place partnerships on the board. Continue until all of the match ups are made.)<strong> </strong></p>

<h3>Create your own Valentine&#39;s Day Materials and Notices</h3>

<p>Will you be creating your own Valentine&#39;s Day worksheets and quizzes? Will you be sending home notices or newsletters? As a subscriber, you are licensed to use ESL Library Flashcards in your worksheets and quizzes (not for publishing online, sorry).</p>

<h3>Related Valentine&#39;s Day Lessons in the ESL Library</h3>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1959">Valentine&#39;s Day (Beginner)</a> &ndash; Holidays &amp; Events</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1863">Valentine&#39;s Day (Low-Intermediate)</a> &ndash; Holidays &amp; Events</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1862">Valentine&#39;s Day (High-Intermediate)</a> &ndash; Holidays &amp; Events</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons/1237">Soulmates</a> &ndash; Discussion Starters</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons/1217">Online Dating</a> &ndash; Discussion Starters</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/81/lessons/1423">The Love Canal</a> &ndash; Famous Places</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/76/lessons/1715">Going to a Movie</a> &ndash; Everyday Dialogues</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/76/lessons/1713">Ordering at a Restaurant</a> &ndash; Everyday Dialogues</li>
</ul>

Flashcards for Valentine's Day 

https://esllibrary-staging.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/title_image/1070/Tara_Flashcards-for-Valentines-Day_Banner.png

<p>Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare. &ndash;Japanese Proverb</p>

<p>Part of any language curriculum should involve students taking charge of their learning through goal-setting and reflecting. This process helps students find out how they learn best and what motivates them. It also helps them take control of their own learning.</p>

<p>January is a great time to get your students to reflect on their learning journey. When students actively reflect on where they were at the beginning of your class and what they have achieved, it gives them an idea of what they need to do to get to where they want to be at the end of the semester.</p>

<p>I&#39;ve tried many different approaches to get my students to ponder their language learning goals and create plans to achieve them. These are a few ideas that have been successful.</p>

<h3>Have them map out their goals</h3>

<p>Students should write out their learning goals on either a journal, blog, website, mobile device, or paper. They need to be able to keep a copy to refer to later. Concept maps are also useful.</p>

<p>Students can list English language goals as the main concept and then have branches listing specific goals.</p>

<h3>Goals should be specific and individualized</h3>


<p>Encourage your students to create personal goals that relate to their interests or needs. Also, encourage them to be specific.</p>

<p>For example, your student might write, &ldquo;I want to be able to read a novel in English or understand the lyrics to my favorite English song.&rdquo; Another student might need to learn English in order to pass a test.</p>

<h3>Create action plans</h3>

<p>After writing these statements, you can have your students pair up and come up with action plans to achieve these goals.</p>

<p>For example, students might decide the best way to read a novel in English is to read a certain number of pages each week and join an online discussion about the book. This type of activity spurs discussion among your students as they discover a little about each other. You can even pair them up according to those who have similar goals.</p>

<p>Encourage students to also determine problems they may have along the way to completing their goals and write out solutions.</p>

<h3>Goals should be posted and shared</h3>

<p>My students post their short goal statements on our class wiki page. This way, they are committed to accomplishing the goal and have a constant reminder of their goals each time they visit the wiki.</p>

<h3>Reflect on their goals</h3>

<p>Along the way, have your students go through previous assignments and tasks to see where they began and see how much they have progressed. Have them write down or discuss how they feel about their progress and think about what they need to do to achieve more.</p>

<h3>Motivating students to reach their goals</h3>

<p>Your students may need some motivation to accomplish their language learning goals. The following ideas may help:</p>

<ul>
	<li>A wall of inspiration - Put butcher paper over one wall and have students write out quotes, sayings, or thoughts that inspire them daily. They can also add pictures of them doing tasks to reach their goals. Students love writing on walls.</li>
	<li>A goal collage - Have students create collages with pictures that relate to their goals. Students can create multimedia collages online with this&nbsp;free webtool:&nbsp;<a href="http://glogster.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Glogster</a>.</li>
</ul>

<h3>More resources</h3>

<p>For more tips for achieving goals with language learners, visit these resources:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Slide presentation:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.slideshare.net/ShellTerrell/success-goals-language-tesol-images" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_bank">Showing Our Learners to Achieve Success with Resolutions</a></li>
	<li>Video archive:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4D7B60589206511D" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_bank">Goal-setting with English Language Learners</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://teacherbootcamp.edublogs.org/2009/11/18/goal-setting-with-english-language-learners/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_bank">Goal-Setting with Language Learners</a> post</li>
</ul>

<p>How do you motivate your students to accomplish their learning goals?</p>

Tips & Resources for Motivating Language Learners to Set and Achieve Goals

https://esllibrary-staging.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/title_image/242/Shelly_Generic_Banner.png

<p>Today&#39;s Flashcard Friday post is all about <strong>Christmas Flashcards</strong>!</p>

<p>This week we worked on reorganizing ESL Library&#39;s&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/21/flashcard_categories/20" target="_blank">Christmas Flashcard</a> set. If you already have the Christmas flashcard set printed, you may want to add some of the new images. While our old set was full of holiday nouns such as &quot;gift,&quot; &quot;bow,&quot; and &quot;mistletoe,&quot; the new set includes verbs such as &quot;buy,&quot; &quot;sing,&quot; and &quot;skate.&quot; You will also find places that people visit over the holidays, such as &quot;auditorium&quot; and &quot;shopping mall.&quot; And don&#39;t forget that you don&#39;t have to use our suggestions. You can build your own set. Visit <a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/63-how-to-create-flashcard-sets" target="_blank">the Help Docs page</a> post for instructions on customizing, saving, and printing your own personalized flashcard set using our library of images.</p>

<h4>Here are some fun games and activities to help review Christmas and holiday vocabulary using flashcards.</h4>

<h3>Tell me More</h3>

<p>Put all of the flashcards in a box. Have students take turns picking out a flashcard. If the student knows the word they chose, they can say it. If they don&#39;t know the word, they can ask others to help. Ask students what they know about this word. Is there anything else they want to know?</p>

<p>Have at least one student ask a question about each word. Students should pass the card to the person who is talking. No one should talk unless they are holding the card. (They can raise their hands to receive the card when they want to speak.)</p>

<p>For example, a student chooses the &#39;Rudolph&#39; card.</p>

<blockquote>
<p><strong>Student A:</strong> Um, it&#39;s a deer.</p>

<p><strong>Teacher: </strong>Yes, what kind of deer?</p>

<p><strong>Student B (raises hand and receives the card): </strong>A reindeer.</p>

<p><strong>Teacher: </strong>Right! Do you notice anything about this reindeer&#39;s nose. This is a special Christmas reindeer.</p>

<p><strong>Student C (raises hand and receives the card):</strong> It&#39;s Rudolph!</p>

<p><strong>Teacher: </strong>Yes. Does anyone have a question about Rudolph?</p>

<p><strong>Student A (raises hand and receives the card): </strong> Why does he have a red nose?</p>

<p><strong>Student C (raises hand and receives the card):</strong> Because he has to light the way for Santa&#39;s sleigh. Rudolph is a character from a children&#39;s story and movie.</p>
</blockquote>

<h3>Christmas Cookies</h3>

<p>Tell your students to pretend they are baking. The class is going to make Christmas cookies. Pass each student a flashcard. (Students should not show anyone.) Students get into pairs or groups and describe the cookie they are going to make. Partners guess the word. Tell students to describe the shape, colour of icing, size, and types of candies that they are using to decorate their holiday cookie. When a student guesses correctly, pass the &quot;baker&quot; another card.</p>

<h3>This is NOT a Christmas Ornament</h3>

<p>Draw a large Christmas tree (undecorated) on the board. (Or have an artistic student do this.) Hand out a flashcard from the set to each student. Students have to decide whether or not the flashcard they received could go<strong> on</strong>, <strong>under, or around</strong> a Christmas tree. Students take turns coming up to the front of the room to name their flashcard and tape it on or by the tree. If their flashcard does not go on, under, or around the tree, they must give it to you and explain what this card has to do with Christmas. Then they must draw an ornament of their choice and say what it is.</p>

<p>For example:</p>

<blockquote>
<p><strong>Student A</strong> (shopping mall card): I got the &#39;shopping mall&#39;. It does not go on, under, or around a Christmas tree. It&#39;s a place that you go to buy holiday gifts to place under the tree. (Student draws an angel. This is an angel. It belongs on a tree.)</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Here are the cards from our Christmas set that would go on, under, or around the tree. Some others (such as airplane) may qualify as well (we have beaded helicopters on our tree!):</p>

<ul>
<li>angel ornamenet</li>
<li>candy cane</li>
<li>star</li>
<li>Christmas bow</li>
<li>Christmas gift</li>
<li>holly</li>
<li>dancing elves</li>
<li>Rudolph</li>
<li>snowman ornament</li>
<li>stocking</li>
</ul>

<h3>Snowman</h3>

<p>Review Christmas vocabulary with a holiday game of Snowman! Invite a student to the front of the classroom. Have the student choose a flashcard from a hat, box, or gift bag. The student will count the letters from the word or phrase and place the same amount of lines on the board. Classmates will take turns shouting out letters to guess the word. Each time a letter is not in the word, the student at the front will draw part of the snowman. (Invite the student at the front to use as many details as they want, including snowballs, eyes, carrot nose, mouth, scarf, hat, or sticks for arms).</p>

<h3>Christmas Categories</h3>

<p>Place all of the cards on a rug or table and invite students to gather around. Tell students they need to work together to come up with a maximum of five categories (ex. decorations, traditions, activities) that all of the flashcards can fit under. After they organize the flashcards into categories, review their choices. Does everyone agree with the categories? Do some words fit in more than one place? You can also play Christmas Categories another way. Choose a flashcard and hold it up. Go around the room and have the students (one by one) say words that are related to it. When a student hesitates for too long or says a word that is not related, they&nbsp;are &quot;out&quot;&nbsp;of the game. Continue until only one student remains.</p>

<h3>Related Flashcard Sets for Talking about the Christmas Holidays</h3>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="flashcards"><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/5/flashcard_categories/36" target="_blank">Family</a></li>
	<li class="flashcards"><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/10/flashcard_categories/57" target="_blank">Dining Room</a></li>
	<li class="flashcards"><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/7/flashcard_categories/115" target="_blank">Winter Sports</a></li>
	<li class="flashcards"><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/13/flashcard_categories/41" target="_blank">Food Prep</a></li>
	<li class="flashcards"><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/17/flashcard_categories/99" target="_blank">Toys</a></li>
</ul>


Ideas for Using Christmas Flashcards 

https://esllibrary-staging.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/title_image/978/Tara_Ideas-for-using-Christmas-Flashcards_Banner.png

<p>Chances are you and your students will want to send a holiday greeting, so why not use web tools in class to create them?</p>

<p>Various web tools and apps allow your students to be creative while spreading holiday cheer. Also, multimedia greetings are a fun way to learn about various cultures and their holiday traditions, because often they provide backgrounds and sayings for <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1854">Christmas</a>, <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1856">Kwanzaa</a>, and <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1857">Hanukkah</a>.</p>

<p>Additionally, language learners can acquire new vocabulary and apply the vocabulary in a fun way while practicing writing, listening, reading, and speaking skills. Many of these web tools have the ability for users to share their productions via e-mail, Facebook, and Twitter!</p>

<p>These are the free tools I recommend. Some of them come as free mobile apps as well.</p>

<h2>Holiday Web Tools</h2>

<ol>
	<li><a href="http://animoto.com/" target="_blank">Animoto</a>&mdash;Upload images, choose a creative commons soundtrack from the library (many nice holiday tunes to choose from) and click a button to make a 30-second video. Sync your videos with your Animoto.com account, download videos for offline viewing, and make longer ones with an All-Access Pass. You can create your greeting online or use their free mobile app for the iPhone. Here is a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVEpiv9K4z0&amp;list=UUCC3RDxws3dOmIWWoMS9lrA&amp;index=1&amp;feature=plcp" target="_blank">holiday greeting to you from me and Rosco, my pug</a>!</li>
	<li><a href="http://goanimate.com/ecards-free?utm_source=newsletter" target="_blank">GoAnimate</a>&mdash;Create holiday videos that are funny. Use your own pictures or choose from their database. Narrate the characters. Upload your video to Youtube.</li>
	<li><a href="http://www.smilebox.com/" target="_blank">Smilebox</a>&mdash;Create a beautiful photo slideshow using their website or iPhone app. Upload your images and choose from various holiday themed backgrounds and music. Embed this in your blog.</li>
	<li><a href="http://www.fotobabble.com/s/mobile" target="_blank">Fotobabble</a>&mdash;Quickly create and easily share talking photos in 3 steps (Snap or select or a photo, speak into the microphone to record audio, share with friends via email, Facebook or Twitter). Fotobabble is really easy to use and free with various holiday themed backgrounds. You can create your greeting online or use their free mobile app for the iPhone.&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="http://storybird.com/books/" target="_blank">Storybird</a>&mdash;This is a free site for creating beautifully illustrated digital stories. Students write the stories and choose the characters and background. Furthermore, the site allows collaborative tools and ways to share the story in a blog. There are several holiday themes.</li>
	<li><a href="http://www.mixbook.com/edu" target="_blank">Mixbook</a>&mdash;Collaborate on a photobook with friends. Create stories, photo journals, and more with your uploaded images. You can zoom in on photos, add holiday backgrounds, and embed this in a blog.</li>
	<li><a href="http://www.northpole.com/" target="_blank">Northpole</a>&mdash;Students create holiday e-cards, stories starring themselves, chat with Santa and the elves, play games, write Santa a letter that he replies to, and so much more!</li>
	<li><a href="http://www.voki.com/" target="_blank">Vok</a>&mdash;This application lets students create personalized avatars to use on wikis, blogs or websites. You can also e-mail these wonderful characters and choose from a variety of holiday characters and backgrounds. Students record their audio messages on a microphone or through the telephone.</li>
</ol>

<p dir="ltr">What apps and web tools do you love using to send your friends holiday cheers? Leave a comment below so that we can give your favorite apps a try!</p>


8 Ways to Wish Someone a Happy Holiday

https://esllibrary-staging.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/title_image/241/Holiday-Default_Banner.png

<p>Does your school district allow you to cover the topic of Christmas? In some cities, regions, and states, teachers are restricted from doing Christmas&nbsp;activities and lessons.</p>

<p>Some teachers are allowed to cover the holiday, but not celebrate it. In other schools, teachers continue to celebrate a secular version of the holiday with songs and parties. Do you have to be careful whether or not you say Christmas&nbsp;or Holiday&nbsp;break, party, or&nbsp;play?</p>

<p>Does your school have a Christmas tree? There&#39;s&nbsp;a controversy in the US about whether or not state capitol trees should be called <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/13/us/wisconsin-christmas-holiday-tree.html" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank"> Christmas or Holiday trees</a>.&nbsp;Why not share this article with your students to see what they&nbsp;think?</p>

<p>English language classes are often made up of many students who do not celebrate Christmas. Many of these students may still celebrate the holidays in their own ways.</p>

<p>Open up the conversation by discussing some real-life controversies related to the &quot;Christmas&quot;&nbsp;vs. &quot;Holiday&quot;&nbsp;debate.</p>

<blockquote>
<p>&#39;The reality is, not everyone celebrates Christmas. If there were Christmas decorations everywhere, it would send a message to the non-Christmas children that the school is not equally theirs&mdash;that they belong there just a little less than the Christian children&nbsp;do.&#39;</p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;Evonne Lack, Momformation Blog</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Do you agree with this&nbsp;statement? Why or why&nbsp;not?</p>

<h2>Discussion questions</h2>

<ul>
	<li>Should students be allowed to sing traditional Christmas carols at&nbsp;school?</li>
	<li>Should a city or state&#39;s Christmas tree be called a holiday tree? What about the tree at the White House or in a shopping&nbsp;mall?</li>
	<li>Should we greet each other with &quot;Happy Holidays&quot;&nbsp;instead of &quot;Merry&nbsp;Christmas&quot;?</li>
	<li>Should all religious holidays be banned in&nbsp;schools?</li>
	<li>Is it possible to learn about Christmas at school without celebrating&nbsp;it?</li>
	<li>Should elementary teachers avoid anything to do with Santa&nbsp;Claus?</li>
	<li>Should parents who have special religious concerns homeschool their&nbsp;children?</li>
	<li>What about the workplace? How should the holiday season be celebrated at&nbsp;work?</li>
</ul>

<h2>More debates</h2>

<p>Do your students need to practice stating and backing up opinions? Our <a href="http://ellii.com/courses/73/lessons/" target="_blank">Mini-Debates</a> section features a number of full-length lessons to give your students practice debating issues from the news.&nbsp;Each lesson comes with a warm-up, a reading, comprehension questions, vocabulary review, and debate&nbsp;topics.</p>

<h2>Related holiday lessons and activities</h2>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons/2346" target="_blank">Discussion Starters: Family Feuds (Int)</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1946" target="_blank">Holidays &amp; Events: Christmas Lesson (Beg)</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1854" target="_blank">Holidays: Christmas Lesson (Low Int &ndash; Int)</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1853" target="_blank">Holidays: Christmas Lesson (High Int &ndash; Adv)</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1904" target="_blank">Holidays &amp; Events: Boxing Day</a></li>
	<li class="flashcards"><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/21/flashcard_categories/20" target="_blank">Flashcards: Christmas</a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/warm-ups-fillers/resources/2141-holiday-guest" target="_blank">Warm-Up: Holiday Guest</a></li>
</ul>


"Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays"? Let's Debate!

https://esllibrary-staging.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/title_image/1371/Tara_Merry-Christmas-or-Happy-Holidays-Lets-Debate_Banner.png

<p>Language learners often struggle with acquiring new vocabulary and teachers often use flashcards to help them learn long lists of words. However, just memorizing a word and its definition is one of the least effective ways to learn vocabulary. The learner will soon forget the word or often use the word incorrectly. We can support learners in using flashcards to visualize the meaning of words through games and activities. The following tips and resources will help you engage your students with flashcards.</p>

<h3>Flashcard Games</h3>

<p>Games are great ways to review the definitions of words or assess learners. You can use a deck of flashcards to play common games, such as Charades, Taboo, Bingo, and Win, Lose, or Draw. Below are a few more games using flashcards. Try these games instead of a quiz.</p>

<ul>
	<li><em><strong>Card Collector</strong></em> Have your students line up at one end of the room and at the other end of the room throw your flashcards in a pile. You will need a whistle. Tell your students you will name a category and when you blow the whistle they must run to the end of the room and search for the words that fit that category. Whoever collects the most cards at the end of the game wins. Your category choices depend on the vocabulary you are reviewing. For example, if you are reviewing clothing you might say, &#39;Find clothing you would wear during the winter.&#39;&nbsp;Make sure to have the students tell you the reasoning behind their choices or give specific examples so that they visualize the context.</li>
	<li><em><strong>Who am I?</strong></em> Put your flashcards in a deck. Have each student choose a card without looking at it. After choosing the card, the student places the card on his forehead. No one is allowed to tell the student the word or picture on the card. When you signal, the students walk around and ask a variety of questions to find out who or what is on the flashcard.</li>
	<li><em><strong>Chain Story</strong></em> Put your students in a circle. Give each of them 10 beans. The first student draws a card from the deck and must use this word to begin a story. The second student draws a card and continues the story with the chosen word and so on until all the vocabulary words are used. If a student uses the word incorrectly, that student looses a bean. Those who end up with the most beans at the end of the game win.</li>
	<li><em><strong>Let Me Tell You Your Fortune</strong></em> Divide students into pairs. Student A draws five&nbsp;cards from the deck and places them down in front of student B. Student B must invent student&#39;s A fortune using these five&nbsp;words. Then they switch. Try giving the teams play money. For every word correctly used in a fortune, the fortune-teller gets paid.</li>
	<li><em><strong>Noah&#39;s Ark</strong></em> This game is adapted from the&nbsp;original game by Jason Renshaw. You are Noah. You are asking your students for help in deciding how to categorize the animals in the ark so that they all survive. Divide students into pairs. Give each pair a poster board. Instruct them to draw Noah&#39;s Ark and divide the bottom of the boat into three&nbsp;areas. Each pair takes a deck of animal cards and decides which animals will go in each room for Noah to have a successful voyage. They will have to think about each animal&#39;s food preferences and habitats. They should write down the explanation for their choices.</li>
</ul>

<h3>Tips</h3>

<ul>
	<li>If your students journal or blog, have them draw a flashcard each day and incorporate that vocabulary word in their journal entries.</li>
	<li>Have students design flashcards on the computer and save them for future use.</li>
	<li>Have your students invent a card game for a unit&#39;s flashcards.</li>
	<li>Make it a class goal to learn a certain number of words per month. You can list new words on a word wall or place them in a blog or wiki.</li>
</ul>

<p>How do you use flashcards?</p>

Flashcard Fun! Ideas and Resources for Using Flashcards in the Language Classroom

https://esllibrary-staging.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/title_image/240/Shelly_Flashcard-Fun-Ideas-and-Resources-for-Using-Flashcards-in-the-Language-Classrooms_Banner.png

<h3>Some Americans are more interested in shopping than eating turkey.</h3>

<p><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/2547">Black Friday</a> is now being called <strong>Black Friday weekend</strong>. It refers to the weekend following American Thanksgiving when millions of people flock to the shopping malls and stores. Black Friday shoppers are looking for bargains and deals as they begin their Christmas shopping.</p>

<p>Did you know that some people skip Thanksgiving altogether and camp out in front of large box stores? Some stores are planning on opening on Thursday night to extend the long shopping weekend. In fact, according to some shoppers, Black Friday lineups have turned into a social event and a &quot;tradition.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Are you looking for something to talk about in class today? Check out this CNN article and video&nbsp;<a href="http://money.cnn.com/2011/11/22/pf/black_friday/index.htm?hpt=hp_t2">Black Friday: Stores could see record number of shoppers</a>.</p>

<p><strong>Here are a few questions to get your students talking after reading the article: </strong></p>

<ul>
	<li>Why do you think shopping on Black Friday is expected to rise by 10% from last year?</li>
	<li>Do you think stores should open on Thanksgiving night?</li>
	<li>What are &quot;box stores&quot;?</li>
	<li>Why does the article mention Occupy protestors?</li>
	<li>What does &quot;hard-core&quot;&nbsp;mean?</li>
	<li>What is Cyber Monday?</li>
	<li>Where do you think the term &quot;Black Friday&quot;&nbsp;came from? Take a guess!</li>
</ul>


<blockquote><strong>&quot;I&#39;ve been doing this with my friends for about 10 years,&quot; Casillas said. &quot;Black Friday has become more of a tradition than Thanksgiving.&quot;<br />
&mdash;</strong><span style="font-style: normal;"><a href="http://money.cnn.com/2011/11/22/pf/black_friday/index.htm?hpt=hp_t2">Joe Casillas to CNN</a></span></blockquote>

<p>Does this comment surprise you? What does it say about humanity?</p>

<h3>Related Materials</h3>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/3392">Black Friday (Low Int)&nbsp;</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/2547">Black Friday (Int)</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons/1245">Consumerism</a>&nbsp;</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1904">Boxing Day</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons/1223">Chain Store vs Mom and Pop</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/98/lessons/1250">The Occupy Movement</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/86/lessons/1683">Online Shopping</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1859">Thanksgiving (Low Int &ndash; Int)</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1858">Thanksgiving (High Int &ndash; Adv)</a></li>
	<li class="flashcards"><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/21/flashcard_categories/92">Thanksgiving Flashcards</a></li>
</ul>

Is Black Friday Taking over Thanksgiving?

https://esllibrary-staging.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/title_image/971/Tara_Is-Black-Friday-Taking-over-Thanksgiving_Banner.png

<p>Are you going to be talking about Halloween in your language classes this month? Regardless of the level you teach, your students probably need to learn or brush up on most of the vocabulary surrounding this holiday. Even if your students aren&#39;t living in a country that celebrates Halloween, this is a fun holiday to cover. Who doesn&#39;t like dressing up or eating candy?</p>

<p>We have a fun <a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/21/flashcard_categories/46" target="_blank">Halloween</a> flashcard set that you can pair with your lessons and activities. It includes&nbsp;words like zombie,&nbsp;graveyard, and haunted house.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Here are some activities you can do with our collection. You may want to print the cards out with <em>and</em> without the words on the bottom so that you can try some of the different suggestions. It will also be fun to have a flashlight and some spooky music on hand!</p>

<h2>What&#39;s the difference?</h2>


<p>Print out full-page versions of the following flashcards:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Trick or Treat /Trick or Treating</li>
	<li>Pumpkin / Jack &#39;O Lantern</li>
	<li>Ghost/ Skeleton</li>
	<li>Haunted House/ Graveyard</li>
	<li>Witch/Witch on a Broom</li>
</ul>

<p>Hold the cards up and have students shout out differences about them.&nbsp;For example: <em>The witch on the left is stirring her pot. The witch on the right is riding her broom.</em>&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Spooky Chain Story</h2>

<p>Gather in a circle and have students work together to tell a chain story. Each student must tell one line of the story. Each time a student takes a turn, hand out (or post on the board) one flashcard from the collection. The student must use that word in his/her sentence. When there are only two or three cards left, make sure the last few students know that they are going to have to wrap up the story.</p>

<p>After telling the story, analyze it. Did it have a beginning, middle, and an end? Did it have conflict? Did it have main characters? Where did the story fall apart (if it did)? If the story fell apart, try again! Remind students that a good story needs conflict. The situation must get worse for the main character!&nbsp;</p>

<blockquote>
<p>Tip: Play some spooky music and turn out the lights. Use a flashlight to light up the flashcards.</p>
</blockquote>

<h2>Correct the Flashcards</h2>

<p>The ESL-Library system allows you to change the default type that appears under the flashcards. You can make a set with all of the wrong words. Then have your students cut the words off (or cross the words out) and write the correct word. Or, have students practice making corrections out loud. For example: &quot;<em>This card says it is a witch, but it is actually a skeleton. A witch flashcard would show a lady in a black dress with a pointy hat.&quot;</em></p>

<p>If your students are practising certain tenses, write sentences under the flashcards with&nbsp;the wrong tense and have students correct them. Or, add blank lines that students have to fill in.</p>

<h2>The Haunted House</h2>

<p>Print out a large version of the Haunted House flashcard on your board or wall. Hide the other cards around the room. Decide which of your students will be&nbsp;&quot;brave&quot;&nbsp;and which of them will be &quot;scaredy cats.&quot; Whisper this word in their ears or write it out on small cards and hand it to them secretly.</p>

<p>Tell students to walk around the room pretending they are in a haunted house. Each time they find a card they have to scream or shriek. The other students will ask: &quot;<em>What&#39;s wrong? What did you see?&quot;&nbsp;</em>The person who found the card has to describe the card and exaggerate.</p>

<p>For example, &quot;<em>I&nbsp;saw a black cat! It walked past me and now I&#39;ll have bad luck forever.&quot; </em>or<em> &quot;I</em><em>&nbsp;saw a skeleton! It rattled its bones at me. I think it&#39;s my dead uncle!&quot;&nbsp;</em>The brave people will say things like, &quot;<em>Don&#39;t worry, it will be okay&quot;&nbsp;</em>or, <em>&quot;I&#39;m sure you just imagined it</em>.&quot; The scaredy cats will say things like, &quot;<em>Oh, no. I&#39;m scared. Don&#39;t leave me alone in here!&quot;</em></p>

<p>As you are playing, teach your students some new phrases to express bravery and fear:</p>

<ul>
	<li>I&#39;m afraid.</li>
	<li>I&#39;m scared.</li>
	<li>I&#39;m petrified.</li>
	<li>I&#39;m not worried.</li>
	<li>It&#39;s not a big deal.</li>
	<li>You don&#39;t scare me.</li>
	<li><em>That </em>scared you?</li>
	<li>That&#39;s nothing.</li>
	<li>Don&#39;t worry about it.</li>
	<li>You&#39;re exaggerating!</li>
</ul>

<blockquote>
<p>Tip: This game could get loud, so use it on a Friday afternoon or when there are no tests going on in classrooms nearby.</p>
</blockquote>

<h2>Missing Flashcards</h2>

<p>Work together as a class to brainstorm all of the types of costumes you typically see on Halloween. If your students aren&#39;t familiar with the holiday, allow them to do some research online. Witches, skeletons, zombies, monsters, and clowns are typical. What about princesses and bumblebees?</p>

<p>Which costumes are not in the ESL Library flashcard collection? Have each student create one flashcard to go with your collection. Share your ideas with us! You can add your list in the comments below and we&#39;ll consider adding these items to our collection for next year.</p>

<h2>Trick or Treat</h2>

<p>Give each student a turn to be a trick-or-treater. Tell the student to go outside the classroom door. Out in the hallway, give your student a flashcard of a costume. The student should close the door and yell <em>trick-or-treat</em>!</p>

<p>Allow one student to answer the door. The student who answers the door has to guess which flashcard the other person has. He can ask three yes/no questions before taking a guess. If he can&#39;t guess, another student can come to the door and ask three more questions.</p>

<p>Here are the ten costumes from our current collection. Feel free to add more of your own pictures from magazines etc. if you have more students.</p>

<ol>
	<li>ghost</li>
	<li>pumpkin</li>
	<li>witch</li>
	<li>zombie</li>
	<li>cowboy</li>
	<li>wizard</li>
	<li>pirate</li>
	<li>black cat</li>
	<li>monster</li>
	<li>skeleton</li>
</ol>

<h2>Flashcard Field Trip</h2>

<p>Do you live close to a store that sells Halloween costumes? Why not take a walk with the flashcards! Wait until Halloween Day or the Friday before. Give small groups of students a set of flashcards. They must try to find as many of the items that are on the cards. When they find something they can write information about it on the back of the appropriate flashcard. For example:<strong>&nbsp;</strong><em>&quot;We<em>&nbsp;</em>saw a sticker of a black cat in the store window.&quot;</em><br />
<br />
When you&#39;re back at school, have the groups compare what other groups found. If you&#39;re working with children, make sure each group has a parent volunteer or supervisor. If you don&#39;t have helpers, do the activity as a whole class. Were there any flashcards that they could not find real life versions of?</p>

Flashcards for Halloween Activities and Games

https://esllibrary-staging.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/title_image/1078/Haloween-Default_Banner.png

<p>Towards the end of October and the beginning of November, several countries celebrate by wearing costumes. In Mexico,&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_the_Dead" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dia de Los Muertos</a> is celebrated and in mostly North America, Halloween is celebrated!</p>

<p>In most countries there are celebrations with costumes, fun customs, and great treats. For this reason, I enjoy having Halloween lessons with my language learners even if that is not a holiday celebrated.</p>

<p>This holiday is a great way to compare the way fun festivals are celebrated in various countries. Moreover, we have a lot of fun while learning! I hope these ideas will be useful in having some fun this month with your students.</p>

<h2>Discussion Starters</h2>

<ul>
	<li>If you have students from several countries, have them survey or interview each other about similar festivals and celebrations. This tends to generate a lot of discussion.</li>
	<li>Have students use a Google form to survey others online or through email about festivals that are similar to Halloween and discuss the results in class.</li>
	<li>Have students bring in pictures of their families, pets, or themselves dressed up in costumes. Play a guessing game where the students have to guess which picture belongs to which student. Then have the student discuss the picture&#39;s location, event, and so forth.</li>
	<li>Show images of several costumes throughout history and have students guess what the occasion may have been. You can collect several costume pictures from various countries on the Internet to show on a projector. Some festivals in which people dress in costumes include <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mardi_Gras" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mardi Gras</a>,&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_Carnival" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Carnaval</a>, Dia de los Muertos, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnival_in_Germany,_Switzerland_and_Austria" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Fasching</a>,&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnival_of_Venice" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Carnevale di Venezia</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purim" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Purim</a>.</li>
	<li>Show a collection of pet costumes. This is sure to make your students laugh. You can even have a debate on whether it is ethical to dress pets.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Activities</h2>

<ul>
	<li>Host a Trick or Treat event between classes. Have the younger kids dress up in costumes while the older kids pass out healthy treats. Kids receive the treats if they say, &quot;Trick or Treat!&quot;</li>
	<li>Here is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trick-or-treating" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a bit of history about this custom</a>.</li>
	<li>Here are <a href="http://www.schooltube.com/video/70212d532fa14c57b0a6/TrickorTreat-Safety" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">safety tips</a>. This video could be a good way to start a discussion.</li>
	<li><a href="http://genkienglish.net/trickortreat.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Trick or Treat song and video</a> by Genki English.</li>
	<li>Students can send a <a href="http://sendables.jibjab.com/personalize/204158/monster_rap?jjchannel=halloween" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">funny e-card where there friends are dressed up</a> in costumes rapping!</li>
	<li>Students can host a Halloween party with different stations of activities. Have students get into groups. Each group can be in charge of determining an activity, setting up the station, and organizing it. Some suggested activities include creating jack-o-lanterns, bobbing for apples, or a bean bag toss.</li>
	<li>Break students into groups and host a haunted house for the rest of the classes and parents.</li>
	<li>Have students read ghost stories and create their own.</li>
	<li>R.L. Stine&#39;s Goosebumps series is specifically written for adolescents and is not too scary. Check out the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.scholastic.com/goosebumps/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">website with games, audio clips, and more</a>.</li>
	<li>Here are&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ego4u.com/en/teach-in/cultural-studies/halloween" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">some ghost stories with activities</a> specifically catered to English language learners.</li>
	<li>Have students Skype with another country and ask questions about their festivals or how they celebrate one of the festivals mentioned. You can find classes in these countries through&nbsp;<a href="http://www.epals.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">EPals</a>.</li>
</ul>

<h2>More Lesson Plans and Resources</h2>

<ul>
	<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Background history about Halloween</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://bogglesworldesl.com/halloween_worksheets.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Halloween activities, games, and worksheets</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/halloween/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tons of Halloween resources, activities and games</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons" target="_blank">Beginner and Intermediate Halloween Lesson Plans from ESL Library</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.eslkidstuff.com/HalloweenGames.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Halloween Games to Play in Class</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.ego4u.com/en/teach-in/cultural-studies/halloween" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Halloween stories, activities, and more</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.esolcourses.com/topics/halloween.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Online Halloween quizzes and lessons</a> by Sue Lyon-Jones</li>
	<li><a href="http://iteslj.org/questions/halloween.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Internet TESL Journal Halloween Questions</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.primarygames.com/holidays/halloween/games.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Halloween Online Games for Kids</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/21/flashcard_categories/46" target="_blank">Halloween Flashcards from ESL Library</a></li>
</ul>


Horror-fied! 20+ Ideas & Resources for Halloween

https://esllibrary-staging.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/title_image/239/Haloween-Default_Banner.png

<p>I remember in my first years of teaching English I often struggled with providing speaking opportunities for all my students. I had to overcome a few obstacles, which included getting all my 20+ students to speak in one class, motivating them to speak English versus their native language, and encouraging shy students to speak. Another problem was finding a way to assess the speaking in order to prepare my students to successfully complete the speaking portion of their tests. Throughout the years, I have collected resources that have helped me motivate my learners to speak English.</p>

<h3>Tips and Resources for In-Class Dialogue</h3>

<p>Set up your classroom to encourage dialogue.</p>

<ul>
	<li>Two desks or chairs facing each other is great for pair work.</li>
	<li>Chairs in a circle is great for whole class discussions.</li>
</ul>

<p>Divide students up in pairs or groups and walk around the class and take observation notes discreetly to be shared later when you provide feedback. Give feedback afterwards so you do not interrupt the flow of the conversation.</p>

<ul>
	<li>Provide these written notes to each student privately so the student isn&#39;t embarrassed in the class.</li>
	<li>You can also point out general errors during whole class feedback.</li>
</ul>

<p>Have students record themselves having the conversation with either their cellphones or provide them recorders.</p>

<p>Have students suggest topics they would like to discuss in order to ensure they have an interest in the topic.</p>

<p>Play games or use icebreakers to add some fun!</p>

<p>Have students provide the vocabulary and materials to spark the conversation! These are a few ideas:</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="http://teacherbootcamp.edublogs.org/2010/11/29/animating-your-lessons-with-some-drama-20-resources/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Animating Your Lessons</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://teacherbootcamp.edublogs.org/2010/10/23/teaching-unplugged-with-a-student-interaction-whiteboard/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Teaching Unplugged With A Student Interaction Whiteboard</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://teacherrebootcamp.com/2009/10/current-events-lesson-for-english-language-learners/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Current Events Lesson for English Language Learners</a></li>
</ul>

<h3>Suggested Tools</h3>

<p>These free tools helped my learners improve their speaking skills! Click on the links to discover ways learners used the tools!</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="http://www.skype.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Skype</a>&nbsp;- Check out <a href="http://teacherbootcamp.edublogs.org/2010/08/22/learning-beyond-walls-21-skype-resources/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">21 Skype Resources</a>. Skype in guest experts your students can interview, or Skype with other classes around the world!</li>
	<li><a href="http://blabberize.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Blabberize</a>&nbsp;- Free tool for students to add mouths and dialogue to images.</li>
</ul>

<h3>Chatbots</h3>

<p>There are several chatbot sites that are great for English language learners. The student simply types in the dialogue and the chatbot will respond.</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="http://www.innocentenglish.com/for-kids/chat-bot-introduction.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">BELL</a>&nbsp;- A female chatbot that responds to messages typed in by children and adults. Read Anne Hodgson&rsquo;s article on her experience talking with Bell, <a href="http://www.spotlight-online.de/language/grammar/the-chatbot-and-i-grammar-and-pragmatics" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Chatbot and I: Grammar and Pragmatics</a>. In this article,&nbsp;she has you examine if the conversation is human-like or robot-like.</li>
	<li><a href="http://www.eslfast.com/robot/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ESLFast</a>&nbsp;- Students can speak with Tutor Mike, a male bot, or the female shopping bot. There are many dialogue examples on the right side of the website. English language learners can listen and read the various dialogues for various situations.</li>
	<li><a href="http://www.elbot.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Elbot</a>&nbsp;- This is a robot that chats with students. Click on the red button on his stomach to chat with him.</li>
</ul>