Discover what's new or coming soon, including upcoming lessons and resources and product feature updates. 

Announcements

<h1>Introducing Individual Student Assignments</h1>

<p>Great news, teachers!</p>

<p>As of today, you can now select which individual students receive specific assignments within any class.&nbsp;</p>

<h3><strong>Here&#39;s how it works:</strong></h3>

<ul>
	<li>Click on a lesson, video, or flashcard set in your Prepping or Teaching lane within any of your classes</li>
	<li>A modal will open with your assignment preferences for that lesson&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Click the &quot;Students&quot; tab in the top navigation of the modal</li>
	<li>Switch the setting from &quot;All students&quot; to &quot;Some students&quot;</li>
	<li>Select the students you want to assign the lesson to&nbsp;and remember to hit &quot;Save&quot; inside the modal before closing it</li>
</ul>

<p>Only the selected students will see the assignment inside their class dashboard.</p>

<div class="videoWrapper"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/C5BgjG7wtaI?si=I4waw7z14JkLaeer" width="640"></iframe></div>

<p>We know that a lot of you have been asking for this feature for a while now. So thanks for your patience, and we hope it&#39;s a big help!</p>

<p>All the best,<br />
Ben :)</p>

<p>Founder, CEO at Ellii</p>


Introducing Individual Student Assignments

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<h2>Archiving</h2>

<p><strong>November 10, 2021:&nbsp;</strong>Teachers can now archive students instead of deleting them from their account. Archiving a student will clear up a space for a new student to be added to the class. <a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/248-how-to-archive-or-disconnect-students">Learn More...</a></p>

<hr />
<h2>My Classes Page</h2>

<p><strong>November 3, 2021:&nbsp;</strong>Creating a class is now easier and customizable! Teachers can use the edit filters to indicate their class level, skill, and age. When a class page is empty, teachers will be directed to create a new class.&nbsp;</p>

<hr />
<h2>Flashcard Sharing</h2>

<p><strong>September 22, 2021:&nbsp;</strong>Teachers are now able to share <a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_sets">Flashcards Sets</a> with students! Find this new option in the More Options menu (&middot;&middot;&middot;) next to each set you create. Teachers can select an entire class or just a few students within a class to share with. They can also add notes to their sets.</p>

<p>Students will find a new <b>Flashcards</b> section in their dashboard, which will display all of the flashcard sets that have been shared with them. Students will need to head to this new section to see any shared sets. <a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/246-how-to-share-flashcard-sets-with-students">Learn more...</a></p>

<hr />
<h2>Participation Tool</h2>

<p><strong>August 24, 2021:&nbsp;</strong>We&#39;ve released a new tool for <b>Participation</b>! Find it on every Class Page under <b>Tools </b>(on the left). Teachers can use it&nbsp;to see the total time spent by each student on a class within a specific date range and export this information as a .csv file.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
As a bonus, teachers are now able to view each student&#39;s email address or username.&nbsp;This information will appear directly below each&nbsp;name on the&nbsp;<b>Students</b> list.</p>

<hr />
<h2>Discover Page</h2>

<p><strong>August 17, 2021:&nbsp;</strong>Our homepage has a brand new look! Find fresh inspiration for your classes&nbsp;and discover all of our latest and featured resources&nbsp;in one place.&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/discover">View page...</a></p>

<hr />
<h2>Export&nbsp;Tool Update</h2>

<p><strong>August 9, 2021:&nbsp;</strong>Our new exporting&nbsp;option allows teachers to export a single&nbsp;assignment and all of their students&#39; results for that assignment as one file.</p>

<p>You can find this new feature on the <b>Assignments</b> page or via the <b>More Options</b> menu on each individual assignment in a class.</p>

<hr />
<h2>Batch Actions: Delete</h2>

<p><strong>August 3, 2021:&nbsp;</strong>It&#39;s now possible for teachers to delete multiple students at once. If both active and pending students are selected at the same time, the active students will be deleted and the pending students will have their invitations rescinded automatically.</p>

<hr />
<h2>Student Dashboard Tab</h2>

<p><strong>July 12, 2021:&nbsp;</strong>We&#39;ve added a new <b>Late</b> tab to the Student Dashboard where learners can view all of their overdue&nbsp;assignments in one place.</p>

<hr />
<h2>Flashcard Sets Redesign</h2>

<p><strong>July 7, 2021:&nbsp;</strong>The <a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_sets">My Flashcard Sets</a> page has a fresh,&nbsp;more user-friendly&nbsp;interface!</p>

<p>We&#39;ve also added a <strong>Launch Category</strong> button to&nbsp;every <a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres">Flashcards</a> category page; teachers can now launch a&nbsp;full category&nbsp;in the Flashcard Player without having to make their own set first.&nbsp;</p>

<hr />
<h2>Collections</h2>

<p><strong>June 17, 2021:&nbsp;</strong>We&#39;ve completely revamped our <a href="https://ellii.com/collections">Collections</a>! These ready-made, grouped lesson collections are curated in-house and organized by theme or function.</p>

<p>Within each collection, you can apply a variety of filters to narrow down your materials selection. Access them directly from any page on the <strong>Materials</strong> drop down in the main menu.</p>

<hr />
<h2>My Classes Update</h2>

<p><strong>May 13, 2021:&nbsp;</strong>We&rsquo;ve added a new icon in your classes under Assignments to help you find which of your students&rsquo; homework needs feedback from you.</p>

<p>This icon will also be available in Students and My Classes soon.</p>

<hr />
<h2>Discretion Labels for Lessons</h2>

<p><strong>April 21, 2021:&nbsp;</strong>We&#39;re adding new discretion labels to lessons with sensitive content that may not be initially obvious or suitable for all audiences.</p>

<p>We hope this will help teachers determine what content is most appropriate for their students. <a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/226-teacher-discretion-label">Learn more...</a></p>

<hr />
<h2>Speaking Task</h2>

<p><strong>April 19, 2021:&nbsp;</strong>Teachers can now assign speaking tasks to students for homework or to help with placement. Choose a theme from our new <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/105/resources/3594">Speak Up</a> resource to try it out!</p>

<p>Each theme has three questions and students have up to two minutes to record a response for each. Students will see the task on their student dashboard and teachers can leave digital written feedback.</p>

<p>For teachers on iOS devices, we recommend using this feature with Safari only. <a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/241-speaking" target="_blank">Learn more...</a></p>

<hr />
<h2>Grid View For Search Results</h2>

<p><strong>April 14, 2021:&nbsp;</strong>Teachers are now able to view search results in a grid format! After you enter a search term, click on the new grid icon (⊞) on the top right of the page. You can toggle back to the old list view by clicking on the list icon.</p>

<hr />
<h2>Search Tool</h2>

<p><strong>March 25, 2021:&nbsp;</strong>Teachers are now able to view search results from all the materials on our site at once&nbsp;or as individual categories, such as lessons, flashcards, or blog posts.</p>

<p>The new search tool includes two filters: <b>Level</b> (which can be managed in <a href="https://ellii.com/my_account">My Account&rarr;Settings</a>) and <b>Audience</b>.</p>

<p>Teachers can sort results in one of three ways: by order of <b>relevance</b> to your search term, <b>alphabetically</b> by the title of the material, or by the most <b>recently updated</b> content.</p>

<hr />
<h2>Classes Redesign &amp;&nbsp;Activity Feed</h2>

<p><strong>March 19, 2021:&nbsp;</strong>Classes have a brand new look! Teachers can now edit and manage their classes and students from the new class <b>Home</b> page, accessible as usual from <a href="https://ellii.com/yumi/classes?activeTab=students&amp;order=asc&amp;page=1">My Classes</a>.</p>

<p>Here, you&#39;ll also find the new <b>Activity Feed</b>, which provides updates about assignments and class members.</p>

<hr />
<h2>Site&nbsp;Notifications</h2>

<p><strong>March 12, 2021:&nbsp;</strong>Teachers are now able to receive <b>Notifications</b> about assignment due dates and newly published lessons, resources, and folders. You can enable or disable this new feature on your <a href="https://ellii.com/my_account/">My Account</a> page under <a href="https://ellii.com/my_account/notifications">Site Notifications</a>.</p>

<hr />
<h2>Reading Task Image Zoom</h2>

<p><strong>February 11, 2021:&nbsp;</strong>Teachers are now able to click on images in a reading task to focus on them in full screen. The full screen overlay includes zoom controls.</p>

<hr />
<h2>&quot;My Classes&quot; Update</h2>

<p><strong>February 11, 2021:&nbsp;</strong>Teachers will now find the number of students next to the <strong>Students</strong> label in <a href="https://ellii.com/yumi/classes?activeTab=assignments&amp;order=asc&amp;page=1">My Assignments</a>.&nbsp;The <strong>Filter by Class</strong>&nbsp;option within <a href="https://ellii.com/yumi/classes?activeTab=students&amp;order=asc&amp;page=1">My Students</a> now identifies students without a class as <strong>None</strong> instead of <strong>Unsorted</strong>.</p>

<hr />
<h2>Student Password Recovery</h2>

<p><strong>January 28, 2021:&nbsp;</strong>We have released a password recovery feature for students with email accounts, which you&rsquo;ll now find on the <a href="https://ellii.com/students">student login</a> screen.</p>

<hr />
<h2>Student Page Updates</h2>

<p><strong>January 28, 2021:&nbsp;</strong>The new <strong>My Assignments</strong> tab next to <strong>My Students</strong> in <a href="https://ellii.com/yumi/classes?activeTab=students&amp;order=asc&amp;page=1">My Classes</a> allows teachers to view types of assignments, student progress, and their results all in one place.</p>

<p><strong>All Assignments</strong> are now automatically sorted by <strong>Last Updated</strong>. This will be the default order, but teachers can still use whichever filters they like to organize or search the list.</p>

<hr />
<h2>Share Folders within a Group Account</h2>

<p><strong>December 11, 2020:&nbsp;</strong>Teachers and administrators that are part of a group account can now share custom folders with other users within the same group. This makes it easier for administrators and teachers to develop a curriculum or unit plan using the Folders system and share them with other members within the same school or district. To share a folder, click on the three dots and select the Share With... option. <a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/217-how-to-use-folders">Learn more...</a></p>


Feature Releases & Platform Updates 2021

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Find fun games and activities for teaching English to young learners and middle schoolers. 

Young Learners

Tour around the ELT conference circuit as our team shares conference highlights and session reviews.

Conferences

<p>Did you watch <a href="https://www.teflonline.net/" target="_blank">TEFL International</a>&rsquo;s webinar on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CngJcsVT7FE&amp;ab_channel=TEFL%26TESOLCourses-ITTT" target="_blank">useful tips for teaching ESL to children</a>? If you missed it, don&rsquo;t worry&mdash;we&rsquo;ve got you covered. Here are some key takeaways from the webinar.</p>

<h3>Incorporate hands-on activities into lessons</h3>

<p>When teaching online, it can be difficult for children to focus. Keep their attention by incorporating hands-on activities into your lessons. When possible, sing songs, play games, and use flashcards. Get your students moving. Encourage them to get up and stretch, walk around, or dance if they&rsquo;re feeling up for it!</p>

<h3>Try not to talk for long periods of time</h3>

<p>When teaching children, be mindful of how long you talk for. Avoid losing the attention of your young learners by not talking for long periods of time. Instead, break up your lesson with different activities and always have a few extra activities planned in case your students need a break.</p>

<h3>Interact with your students and have your students interact with each other</h3>

<p>Get your students talking. Involve them in your lessons by interacting with them. Make it a goal to speak individually with each child once per class. Have your young learners work in groups and in pairs whenever possible too.</p>

<h3>Review the material with your students</h3>

<p>Young learners typically need more review than adults. Review the material with your students each class to make sure they understand the content. Make connections between new material learned and past material learned. Create meaning and show how the information relates to one other. Try to create connections between the material and your student&#39;s&nbsp;lives.</p>

<h3>Praise your students</h3>

<p>Students learn better when they are motivated and feel at ease. Encourage your students and build them up at every opportunity!</p>

<p>Teachers, do you have tips for teaching young learners? Let us know in the comments below!</p>


Key Takeaways from TEFL International Webinar on Tips for Teaching ESL to Children

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These posts are written for learners of English themselves. Find learning tips and ideas for learning English.

For Students

<p>October 14 was World Sight Day. <strong>Coincidentally</strong>, I went in for an eye exam that day. You can probably guess my <strong>optometrist&#39;s</strong> first question.&nbsp;</p>

<blockquote>
<p>On average, how many hours do you spend looking at a screen?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>As someone who has worked from home for about 20 years, you can probably guess what my answer was.</p>

<p>&quot;Too long!&quot;</p>

<p>With so many students and&nbsp;teachers&nbsp;participating in&nbsp;online or <strong>hybrid</strong> learning, screen time is really <strong>taking its toll </strong>on our eyes.</p>

<p>My eye doctor shared a useful tip for anyone who works or studies in front of a screen for several hours a day. She called it the 20-20-20 rule.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>What is the 20-20-20 rule?&nbsp;</h2>

<p>Unlike so many other health tips and tricks, this one is so simple.&nbsp;</p>

<blockquote>
<p>Every 20 minutes, look about 20 feet away from your screen for 20 seconds.&nbsp;</p>
</blockquote>

<p>That&#39;s it! Sometimes the smallest changes make the biggest difference. If you spend a lot of time staring at screens, I hope you&#39;ll give this trick a try.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Eye Break Activity</h2>

<p>After your 20-second break, come back together and describe what you saw. You can do this orally or in writing.&nbsp;Try looking a different way each time you take a break.</p>

<blockquote>
<p>I looked out the window. I saw a lonely basketball hoop standing firm while the trees around it were blowing in the wind.&nbsp;</p>
</blockquote>

<p>You could also tell each other what you did NOT&nbsp;see.&nbsp;Or you could describe what colors, shapes, or movements you noticed.&nbsp;Alternatively, since you are giving your eyes a break, you&nbsp;could also focus on the sounds you heard in that 20-second break.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Glossary</h2>

<ul>
	<li>coincidentally: <em>by chance, not planned</em></li>
	<li>optometrist<em>: eye doctor</em></li>
	<li>hybrid<em>: a mix of two elements</em></li>
	<li>take its toll:<em>&nbsp;to cause damage or suffering over time</em></li>
</ul>

<h2>Leave a Comment</h2>

<p>What is one small change you have made recently to improve your health?&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Related</h2>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/107/resources/2148">Eye Idioms</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/95/lessons/1844">Eye Health</a></li>
</ul>


Eye Break for Online Learning 

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Learn how to make the most of your Ellii subscription with tips from our publishing team.

Teaching with Ellii

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

Articles

<p><em>This article is part of a series of posts highlighting our community of teachers around the world. We hope you find their stories interesting and inspiring!</em></p>

<p>Teaching English started out as just a hobby for Augusto. When he lived in Florida, United States, he taught English to Brazilian newcomers who were struggling to learn the language. He found he enjoyed helping people. That&rsquo;s when teaching became so much more.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Doing that, I found myself and where I belonged. From the hobby, it became my life, my love, and my mission from that moment on.&rdquo;</p>

<p><img alt="" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1828/content_content_2.jpg" /></p>

<p class="caption">Augusto is pictured here teaching one of his students online.</p>

<p>Augusto has been teaching for 16 years now. Currently, he teaches students at the A1 to C2 level in Esp&iacute;rito Santo, Brazil.</p>

<p>&ldquo;When I transform my student&rsquo;s life for a better one, it&rsquo;s the most rewarding prize for me.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Prior to COVID-19, Augusto taught small sized classes in person four times per week. When the pandemic hit, he had to pivot and learn how to teach online. Check out Augusto&rsquo;s video response below to learn why he loves ESL Library and how he uses it in his classroom with his students.</p>

<div class="videoWrapper"><iframe encrypted-media="" src="https://www.videoask.com/advu51tb4bubp4a7qi72zklmt8a9bsbqmx80dvwc"></iframe></div>

<p>Augusto says it&rsquo;s important for teachers to believe in themselves and to never give up.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Being a teacher can be hard sometimes, but the reward is for life. We change people&#39;s lives. We are the ones who change the world and prepare the next leaders.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Want to share why you love ESL Library and how you use it in your classroom? <a href="https://www.videoask.com/fw0f8td5x" target="_blank">Tell us here.</a></p>


Teacher Feature: Augusto

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Posts describing lessons or activities for the ESL classroom.

Activities

<p>In the US, October 28 is National Chocolate Day. Like World Chocolate Day in July, it is an annual celebration of one of the world&#39;s most beloved sweet treats. Chocolate, however, also has its dark side. The use of slave labor for production is one example of the issues that plague the industry. Whether exploring the good or bad side of chocolate, students will find plenty to learn.&nbsp;Here are some activity ideas to try in class.</p>

<h2>1. How Many in the Jar?</h2>

<p>This is a great warm-up activity to start and end the class with. Fill a large mason jar with button-shaped candy, like M&amp;M&#39;s or&nbsp;Cadbury Smarties, or chocolate coins. Be sure to count them!</p>

<p>Put&nbsp;students into pairs and hand each pair a strip of paper. Ask them&nbsp;to write down their names and their guess for how many candies are in the jar and collect the strips. At the end of the lesson, read out the guesses and reveal the correct answer. The team with the closest guess wins the jar!</p>

<h2>2. A-choc-stic Poems</h2>

<p>Acrostic poems are a fun and easy way to get young learners and beginners writing! Review how to create an acrostic poem with students and show them some examples. Then have them write their own using the word&nbsp;&ldquo;chocolate.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>

<div class="whiteBox"><span class="label hangingLabel">Related Lesson</span>

<p class="circleThumb"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/74/lessons/2026"><img src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1823/content_74_Poem.png" /></a></p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/74/lessons/2026">How to Write a Poem</a></h2>

<p>This <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/74/lessons">Writing in English</a> lesson includes a section on acrostic poems. Students will learn how to write one and then practice writing their own.</p>
</div>

<h2>3. Chocolate Quest</h2>

<p>This is a fun, adaptable activity for in-person or online classes. Prepare a set of questions ahead of time related to chocolate, like &quot;Where does chocolate originate from?&quot; and &quot;Which country has the most cocoa farms?&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Put the class into pairs or groups and give each team a copy of the questions. To get students up and moving,&nbsp;teachers can&nbsp;display the questions around the class (on the board or using posters).</p>

<p>Each team must work to find the answers to the questions using materials found in the classroom (textbooks, handouts, posters, etc.) or&nbsp;on the internet, or both!&nbsp;</p>

<h2>4. Recipe Scramble</h2>

<p>Choose several chocolate-based recipes to print or make copies of. Cut each recipe&nbsp;up so that every step of the instructions is on its own strip of paper. Have students work in pairs and give each team their own set of paper strips. Have them sort through the steps and decide on the correct order.</p>

<p>Give each team a different cut-up recipe so they can&nbsp;swap with each other between rounds, or turn it into a race by giving each team the same cut-up recipe.</p>

<p>Our&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/courses/127/lessons/3300">Following a Recipe</a> lesson&nbsp;is a handy resource for reviewing how to identify parts of a recipe with learners.</p>

<h2>5. News Report</h2>

<p>This is a great activity for advanced levels and Business English students. Choose some newsworthy topics related to chocolate, like the use of <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons/1254">child slavery in cocoa fields</a>&nbsp;or the effect of climate change on cocoa&nbsp;production. Organize the class into groups, and assign each group one of the topics.</p>

<p>Each group will research their topic, prepare a short report on it, and then present&nbsp;their report&nbsp;to the rest of the class.&nbsp;When the class &quot;news report&quot; is complete, have students discuss the different news items.</p>

<h2>6. Video Discussion</h2>

<p>Choose a chocolate-themed movie or documentary to watch and discuss as a class. Teachers can also have students write a review. Here are some examples.</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/willy_wonka_and_the_chocolate_factory">Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory</a> (1971)</li>
	<li><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/chocolat">Chocolat</a> (2000)</li>
	<li><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/charlie_and_the_chocolate_factory">Charlie and the Chocolate Factory</a> (2005)</li>
	<li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1773722/">The Dark Side of Chocolate</a> (2010)</li>
	<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibjUpk9Iagk">The History of Chocolate&mdash;Deanna Pucciarelli</a>&nbsp;by TED-Ed&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPe1jMuX32s">How Chocolate is Made</a> by Tasty&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<h2>7. Design a Candy Bar</h2>

<p>Inspire your students&#39; creativity with this fun challenge. Bring in different candy bars&nbsp; to show and discuss with students in class. Get them talking with questions such as &quot;Which has the best name?,&quot;&nbsp;&quot;Which has the best flavor concept?,&quot;&nbsp;and&nbsp;&quot;Which wrapper has the best design?&quot;<br />
<br />
Put students into pairs or groups and have them design their own candy bar. Have them describe their creation and its main ingredients&mdash;either in writing or as an oral presentation.</p>

<h2>Related Lessons:</h2>

<ul>
	<li>
	<p><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/95/lessons/1846">Health Matters: Chocolate</a></p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/117/lessons/2568">Discovery: Chocolate</a></p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/82/lessons/1440">Famous Things: Cocoa</a></p>
	</li>
</ul>


7 Activities for Chocolate Day

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<ul>
	<li>What did you use&nbsp;to do on weekends?</li>
	<li>What changed?</li>
	<li>Was it a difficult change to get used to?</li>
	<li>Are you used to your new routine now?</li>
</ul>

<p>If these questions are confusing, don&#39;t worry! It&#39;s perfectly normal to have trouble understanding the differences between &quot;used to,&quot;&nbsp;&quot;get used to,&quot; and &quot;be used to.&quot;</p>

<p>Here&#39;s a handy cheat sheet to help you see the differences:</p>

<p><img alt="" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1822/content_Lara_Getting-Used-To_01.jpg" /></p>

<h2>My Sentences</h2>

<p>Here are a few examples from my own life:</p>

<ol>
	<li>I used to live in San Francisco, but now I live in Phoenix.</li>
	<li>When I moved to Arizona, I had to get used to the hot weather.</li>
	<li>I am not used to driving everywhere.</li>
	<li>In my old neighborhood, I used to walk to my favorite cafe every weekend.</li>
	<li>I used to live with roommates. I am still getting used to living with my boyfriend.</li>
	<li>We are hoping to move again! Soon, we&#39;ll have to get used to a new city!</li>
</ol>

<h2>What Do You Think?</h2>

<p>Have another look at my sentences, and then answer the following questions for each one:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Is the sentence about the past, present, or future?</li>
	<li>Is each sentence about the past referring to something that happened once or many times?</li>
</ul>

<h2>Leave a Comment</h2>

<ul>
	<li>What is something you used to do regularly in the past, but don&#39;t do anymore?</li>
	<li>What is something you didn&#39;t use&nbsp;to do&nbsp;before, but have gotten used to doing recently?</li>
	<li>What is something familiar that you are used to doing&nbsp;because you&#39;ve been doing it for a long time?</li>
</ul>


Getting Used To New Beginnings 

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<p>Since introducing our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons">English with The Washington Post</a> section late last year, we have received a lot of positive feedback. Newspapers are, after all, a great way to bridge the gap between the classroom and the &quot;real&quot; world.</p>

<p>Teachers who use&nbsp;the advanced version of the lessons have told us that their students benefit from exposure to authentic language, while teachers of lower levels say that they enjoy using the modified articles to generate discussion about current events and topical issues.</p>

<p>Some teachers, however, have asked for tips and tricks to make the lessons more engaging. Here are a few activities you can try to get the most out of this section.</p>

<h2>Pre-Reading Activities</h2>

<ul>
	<li>Choose 8&ndash;10 keywords from the article that will be familiar to students. Tell students that they will be using these words to predict the story. Put students into groups of three or four and have them work together to come up with a story. After all the groups have finished, ask a volunteer from each group to share their story with the class. Finally, read the actual article together as a class and vote on which group&#39;s prediction was the most accurate.</li>
	<li>Read out the article&#39;s headline. Then give students a list of words in which half of the words are in the article and the other half are not. Using the headline, students decide which words will be in the article.</li>
	<li>Write the headline on the board and give a brief summary of the article. Have students work together to brainstorm vocabulary related to the topic.</li>
	<li>If the lesson contains photos, have students look at them before they read the article. Put students in pairs and have them come up with a headline to go with the photos.</li>
	<li>Before students read the article, have them practice their <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/127/lessons/3179">scanning skills</a> by giving them a few specific questions with answers that are in the form of numbers, dates, or proper names.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Active Reading/Listening Activities</h2>

<ul>
	<li>
	<p>Read each paragraph of the article out loud. Pause after each one and see if students can tell you its gist. They can also write a sentence <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/74/lessons/2718">summarizing</a> each paragraph.</p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p>As students read the article, encourage them to write down their own comprehension questions. For lower-level learners, they can write down questions that can be answered with a few words or yes/no. More advanced learners can ask factual questions as well as more probing questions that don&#39;t have a right answer, such as ones related to predicting outcomes. (See our blog post on&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/thin-thick-questions">Thin &amp; Thick Questions</a>.)</p>
	</li>
</ul>

<h2>Video Activities</h2>

<ul>
	<li>Before you read the article or go over the vocabulary, play a short clip of the video and have learners guess what the lesson will be about.</li>
	<li>Show a short clip with the sound off. If the clip is about&nbsp;an event, ask students to write a narration of the event. If the clip shows a&nbsp;person talking, have students describe the speaker&#39;s appearance and then speculate about their personality, job, family, etc.</li>
	<li>After watching the video, have students create a mind map based on what they saw. (See our&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/courses/74/lessons/1826/print">How to Brainstorm</a> lesson&nbsp;for tips on mind mapping.) Then put students in pairs and have them take turns telling each other as much as they can about the video using their mind map.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Post-Reading Activities</h2>

<ul>
	<li>
	<p>Ask students to summarize the article in their own words. They can write their summaries down or they can present them orally.</p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p>Challenge students to <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/learning-with-letter-writing">write a letter</a> to someone who is mentioned or quoted&nbsp;in the article. Encourage them to share their opinion about the topic, even if they don&#39;t agree with the person they are writing to. If they disagree with the addressee, make sure they support their argument with facts and details.&nbsp;</p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p>Have students look online for articles from other sources on the same topic or event. Have them make a list of any factual differences they find between the new sources and The Washington Post article.</p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p>Organize a jigsaw activity&nbsp;by dividing students into groups of three&nbsp;or four. Assign each group&nbsp;a particular aspect of the topic from&nbsp;The Washington Post lesson.&nbsp;For example, if your class is working on the lesson <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/3847">Ecotherapy for Kids</a>, you could break the topic down into the four&nbsp;popular types of ecotherapy: nature meditation, horticultural therapy, animal-assisted therapy, and conservation-related activities. You would then ask the groups to become &quot;experts&quot; on their given topic by&nbsp;doing additional online research about the topic&nbsp;and reporting back to the class with their findings.&nbsp;This activity works best if you give the groups a list of questions about their topic before they start their research. If time permits, all the groups can collaborate to create a poster or fill in a chart or table using their research.</p>
	</li>
</ul>

<p>We would love to hear what other activities you have done&nbsp;with your students. Please post your ideas in the Comments section below.</p>


Tips for Using English with The Washington Post

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<p>Halloween is a great time&nbsp;to help students unlock&nbsp;their creativity. This fun class activity, based on the popular Unconventional Materials Challenge episodes&nbsp;on the hit reality&nbsp;show&nbsp;<em><a href="https://www.bravotv.com/project-runway" nofollow="" noreferrer="" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Project Runway</a>,</em>&nbsp;will increase students&#39; motivation and get them in the Halloween spirit.</p>

<p>These particular episodes take place at least once each season. The contestants, who are all aspiring fashion designers,&nbsp;must create a garment out of&nbsp;materials from a source not typically associated with fashion.&nbsp;Past sources have included pet shops, hardware stores, and garbage heaps.</p>

<p>If you aren&#39;t already familiar with the show and the concept behind it, take a look at this YouTube clip from Lifetime.</p>

<div class="video-wrapper"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JxptPZWgBC0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div>
<p class="caption">YouTube</p>

<h2>Preparation</h2>

<p>The classroom version of this challenge requires a bit of preparation, but the results are well worth it!&nbsp;First, decide on a set number of groups and then prepare a bag for each group. Fill each bag with an assortment of crafting materials, such as colored paper, string, and glitter.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Recyclables work especially well for this! Think newspapers, magazines, toilet paper tubes, and cardboard boxes. If your budget allows, you can also throw in a few dollar or thrift store finds, such as wigs, masks, and other basic accessories.&nbsp;</p>

<p>You will also need to provide a few tools, like scissors, glue, and tape, for students to use during the activity (if they don&#39;t have their own).&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Instructions</h2>

<h3>1. Discuss</h3>

<p>Prepare some pictures or videos of Halloween costumes to show students. Then ask students a few questions to get the conversation going. Why do people dress up for Halloween? What are the most popular costumes every year? How do they differ from country to country? Let them discuss.</p>

<h3>2. Organize</h3>

<p>Once students are comfortable talking about the topic, divide them into their groups, explain the activity, and hand out the bags. Teachers can play a clip from <em>Project Runway</em> to help students understand the concept better and to get them excited about the challenge.</p>

<h3>3. Create</h3>

<p>Now for the fun part! Each group must create a costume for one of its members to model using the given materials&nbsp;within a specified time frame. This can be anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes, depending on the class. Teachers could also opt to have&nbsp;multiple rounds with students switching bags in between.</p>

<h3>4. Present</h3>

<p>When the time is up, each group will have the chance to present their costume to the rest of the class. Students should be prepared to say a few sentences about their costume. They may need extra time to write out and/or practice their sentences first. If you think your students would be comfortable, the presentation can be done in the form of a fashion show.</p>

<h3>5. Vote</h3>

<p>After the presentations are complete, have students <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/104/resources/2312" target="_blank">vote</a> on which costumes they liked&nbsp;best.<strong>&nbsp;</strong>This is a great chance to practice <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2532" target="_blank">superlatives</a>!&nbsp;Teachers can open up the voting to other classes in the grade&nbsp;or even the entire school.</p>


Costume Challenge: A Halloween Activity

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<p><em>This article is part of a series of posts highlighting our community of teachers around the world. We hope you find their stories interesting and inspiring!</em></p>

<p>Twenty-one&nbsp;years ago, Ralph&rsquo;s church heard about a community in Ružomberok, Slovakia that wished for their children to learn English. Ralph&rsquo;s church wanted to help. That summer, they taught 30 children at their first of many English Camps.</p>

<p>&ldquo;We had no idea what we were doing, but through trial and error we began learning how to improve our English classes.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Since then, they&rsquo;ve grown quite a bit. They now have about 125 students from ages seven to 15 each summer, and they have added an adult class.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Since 2000, we have had over 200 American volunteers teach English in&nbsp;Slovakia.&rdquo;</p>

<p>In 2009, Ralph took his English-teaching experience and went to China for two weeks. He taught both baseball and English to university students in&nbsp;Nanjing.</p>

<p>&ldquo;I brought over 50 baseball gloves&nbsp;and some baseballs and bats with me. We had fun learning new words and phrases in baseball language. It was great fun just being with them!&rdquo;</p>

<p><img alt="Ralph with university baseball team in Nanjing China" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1800/content_Melissa_Teacher-Feature_Ralph_teaching-english-basebal-uni-Nanjing-China-future-school-teachers.jpg" /></p>

<p class="caption">Here, Ralph is pictured with his class in Nanjing.</p>

<p>In 2015, Ralph&rsquo;s teaching expanded even more when his church began providing conversational English classes to international students attending Virginia Commonwealth University.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Providing English classes for these international students has become my great joy! The opportunity to meet students from all over the world and to help them build a community with Americans and other international students is so rewarding!&rdquo;</p>

<p><img alt="Ralph with class of doctors and scientists wanting to improve their conversational english" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1801/content_Melissa_Teacher-Feature_Ralph_english-class-medical-doctors-scientists-improve-conversational-english.jpg" /></p>

<p class="caption">Here, Ralph is pictured with his Sunday morning English class.</p>

<p>Over the past few years, Ralph has relied heavily on ESL Library when teaching his international students.</p>

<p>&ldquo;The lessons are well organized and offer a variety of current issues and topics. I feel like I learn much from the lesson topics as I teach the lessons to international students. ESL Library offers lessons that are adaptable to almost any situation and are applicable for students at different English levels. They are fun to use!&rdquo;</p>

<p><img alt="Ralph at a meal with students " src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1802/content_Melissa_Teacher-Feature_Ralph_students.jpg" /></p>

<p class="caption">Here, two of Ralph&rsquo;s students are pictured holding ESL Library materials.</p>

<p>Check out Ralph&rsquo;s video response below to learn more about why he loves ESL Library and how he uses it with his students.</p>

<div class="videoWrapper"><iframe encrypted-media="" src="https://www.videoask.com/aqful5cl372xf08k929lmutx9b6lkc7bl9okwlpl"></iframe></div>

<p>In the future, Ralph hopes to teach in Slovakia again. He&rsquo;s also exploring the possibility of teaching English in a refugee camp.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Many people in our world live in hopeless conditions. Doing something as simple as helping them learn English can give them a sense of hope!&rdquo;</p>

<p>Want to share why you love ESL Library and how you use it in your classroom? <a href="https://www.videoask.com/fw0f8td5x" target="_blank">Tell us here.</a></p>


Teacher Feature: Ralph

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<p><em>This article is part of a series of posts highlighting our community of teachers around the world. We hope you find their stories interesting and inspiring!</em></p>

<p>Meet Rachel. Rachel became an ESL teacher because she wanted to empower people.</p>

<p>&ldquo;For better or worse, language has power. In the US, knowing English provides people with more opportunities. More opportunities give individuals the power to make their own choices.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Rachel teaches at the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.chinesemutualaid.org/" target="_blank">Chinese Mutual Aid Association</a> in Chicago&nbsp;and has been a teacher for four years. Her students are all adults and read between a grade two and&nbsp;a grade 12 reading level.</p>

<p><img alt="" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1790/content_Melissa_Teacher-Feature_Rachel_Greenwood.jpg" /></p>

<p>For Rachel, a typical day of teaching in the virtual world involves two hours of teaching on Zoom, grading homework, and planning lessons.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Before COVID-19, I was teaching about 20 hours a week in-person so the synchronous teaching time has shrunk dramatically. We do much more asynchronous work now, so I spend more time grading homework assignments. The asynchronous work has created more opportunity for students to improve their reading and writing skills, but less time for speaking.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Check out Rachel&rsquo;s text response below to learn why she loves ESL Library and how she uses it with her students.<br />
<br />
<iframe allow="autoplay *; encrypted-media *; fullscreen *;" height="300px" src="https://www.videoask.com/af7z3s6zd9ck35kwi7aj3i17s5jaszeqbkpl1ce8" style="border: none; border-radius: 24px" width="100%"></iframe></p>

<p>For Rachel, &ldquo;The most rewarding part of being a teacher is seeing a learner reach a goal they were working toward. It&rsquo;s really special when you get to be part of their journey.&rdquo;</p>

<p>She also loves that she gets the chance to learn too.</p>

<p>&ldquo;My favorite part of teaching is the mutual learning that happens between everyone in the classroom, including the teacher. I think ESL provides a unique opportunity to share cultures.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Her advice for aspiring teachers?</p>

<p>&ldquo;I am learning that you can rarely break things down too much. When you spend the time to scaffold and break the material down to smaller pieces, the lesson usually goes better.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Want to share why you love ESL Library and how you use it in your classroom? <a href="https://www.videoask.com/fw0f8td5x" target="_blank">Tell us here.</a></p>


Teacher Feature: Rachel

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<p>Do you ever have&nbsp;<strong>negative</strong> thoughts?</p>

<ul>
	<li>I will never learn this language.</li>
	<li>Nobody understands me.</li>
	<li>I don&#39;t belong here.</li>
</ul>

<p><strong>Affirmations</strong>&nbsp;are the opposite of negative thoughts. They&nbsp;are statements of truth&nbsp;that are <strong>positive</strong> in nature.<em>&nbsp;</em></p>

<ul>
	<li>I believe in myself.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>I have friends and family who love me.</li>
	<li>I am a hard worker.</li>
</ul>

<p>Daily affirmations are a form of mental exercise that can&nbsp;<strong>transform</strong> your mind just like physical exercise transforms your body.</p>

<h2>What Can Affirmations Do?</h2>

<ul>
	<li>
	<p>Change your mood</p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p>Relieve stress</p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p>Improve&nbsp;your sense of self-worth</p>
	</li>
	<li>Boost your confidence</li>
</ul>

<h2>20 Affirmations for English Learners</h2>

<div class="ckeditor-html5-audio" style="text-align: center;">
<audio controls="controls" controlslist="nodownload" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/attachments/1797/20-affirmations.mp3">&nbsp;</audio>
</div>

<p>Listen and repeat these affirmations.</p>

<ol>
	<li>I learn a little bit every day.</li>
	<li>I am doing my best.</li>
	<li>I know more today than I knew yesterday.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>I am ready to learn something new today.</li>
	<li>I can ask for help.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>I can help others who need me.</li>
	<li>I can achieve my goals.</li>
	<li>I can do difficult things.</li>
	<li>I can learn from my mistakes.</li>
	<li>I can use more than one language to communicate.</li>
	<li>I play an important role in my&nbsp;community.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>I accept all of my emotions.</li>
	<li>I am ready for a new challenge.</li>
	<li>I am different&nbsp;and unique.</li>
	<li>I treat others with kindness and respect.</li>
	<li>I am grateful for my friends and family.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>I am thankful for my teacher.</li>
	<li>I take care of my body and mind.</li>
	<li>I focus on things that matter to me.</li>
	<li>I feel wonderful.</li>
</ol>

<h2>5 Ways to Use Affirmations</h2>

<p>Here are five things to try:</p>

<ol>
	<li>
	<p>Write down one affirmation before bed every evening.</p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p>Write down one affirmation whenever you&#39;re experiencing a negative emotion (sadness, depression, fear).</p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p>Say (or sing) a daily&nbsp;affirmation in the shower!</p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p>Recite an affirmation silently before a test, exam, or other challenge.</p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p>Focus on your&nbsp;affirmations whenever you notice&nbsp;negative thoughts running through your mind.</p>
	</li>
</ol>

<h2>Sentence Starters for Affirmations...</h2>

<ul>
	<li>I am&nbsp;+<em> positive adjective </em>|<em>&nbsp;</em><strong>I am strong.</strong></li>
	<li>I am a(n)&nbsp;+<em> noun </em>| <strong>I am a survivor.</strong></li>
	<li>I&nbsp;+<em>&nbsp;simple present verb</em>&nbsp;| <strong>I work hard.</strong></li>
	<li>I can / will&nbsp;+ <em>base verb </em>|&nbsp;<strong>I can get a job. I will succeed.</strong></li>
	<li>I am thankful&nbsp;for&nbsp;+<em> noun&nbsp;</em>| <strong>I am thankful for my family.&nbsp;</strong></li>
	<li>I am proud of myself for&nbsp;+&nbsp;<em>-ing verb</em>&nbsp;| <strong>I am proud of myself for participating in class.&nbsp;</strong></li>
</ul>

<h2>Leave a Comment</h2>

<p>Write your own affirmation in the Comments section below. Your affirmation should be a positive, true statement about yourself.</p>

<h2>Related</h2>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/105/resources/3842">Affirmations (Slideshows)</a></li>
</ul>


20 Affirmations for English Learners

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<p>On the second day of our ESL Library Virtual Conference, we were fortunate to have <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/meet-the-esl-library-virtual-conference-speakers-robyn" target="_blank">Robyn Brinks Lockwood</a> join us for a panel discussion on elevating teachers&rsquo; voices and the future of English language education technology. If you missed it, you can watch a <a href="https://ellii.com/conference/2021" target="_blank">recording of the session</a>.</p>

<p>The session began with a discussion on trends in the English language education, publishing, and technology spaces. Some of the trends discussed were blended learning, the importance of critical thinking, 21st century skills, and teamwork. We also discussed the differences between project-based learning and design thinking.</p>

<p>Project-based learning is teacher driven. It usually explores a narrow area and seeks to answer a specific question. The end product is the same for every student. For example, every student might be instructed to make a poster or write&nbsp;a&nbsp;report.</p>

<p>Design thinking (empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test) on the other hand is more broad. Students don&rsquo;t have to focus on just one question; they have the opportunity to explore more areas and the end goal could be different for each student or group of students.</p>

<p>Whether you&rsquo;re implementing project-based learning or design thinking, Robyn emphasized implementing these techniques in small steps and stressed that they don&rsquo;t have to be implemented all at once.</p>

<p>Another trend we discussed was flipped learning. A teacher asked Robyn if she had any strategies for students who don&rsquo;t do the assigned pre-class work. Luckily, Robyn had plenty of helpful ideas for addressing this issue:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Homework shouldn&rsquo;t be long or difficult</li>
	<li>Homework should be short and accessible</li>
	<li>Homework doesn&rsquo;t have to be more than 10 minutes</li>
</ul>

<p>Robyn stressed that students tend to do the pre-class work if it&rsquo;s short and accessible. She also emphasized that flipped learning is versatile and that there&rsquo;s more than one way to flip a classroom. Similar to project-based learning and design thinking, flipped learning can also be implemented in small steps.</p>

<p>Teachers, are you familiar with any of the trends that we discussed? Which ones have you implemented in your classroom? Which ones do you want to try? Let us know in the comments below.</p>

<p>For more highlights and takeaways from our first-ever conference, check out <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/esl-library-virtual-conference-2021-highlights-takeaways" target="_blank">this blog post</a>.</p>


ESL Library Virtual Conference: Panel Discussion with Robyn Brinks Lockwood

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