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

https://esllibrary-staging.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/title_image/2724/Ben_Introducing-Individual-Student-Assignments_Banner.png

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

For Students

<h1>The Sound of Thunder</h1>

<p>While sitting on the tour bus traveling the 70-kilometer (43.5-mile) distance from El Calafate, the nearest town to Los Glaciares National Park, I was full of expectation, wonder, and anticipation. Leonardo, our amazing tour guide, did not help very much with those feelings since listening to him so lovingly describe the Perito Moreno Glacier made me want to get there even faster! Luckily, time flew by, thanks to the beautiful views streaming by my window and Leonardo&rsquo;s comforting and steady voice relating interesting information and fun&nbsp;facts.</p>

<p>The Perito Moreno Glacier stands in the glacial lake named Lago Argentino, and from the surface of these waters the glacier&#39;s walls can reach up to 70 meters (230 feet) high. Like me, you might not be able to grasp this scale while appreciating it from the walkways, which always happens when facing a panoramic view. But if you get closer on a boat cruise, you&rsquo;ll feel very much like an&nbsp;ant!</p>

<p><img alt="View of the Perito Moreno Glacier" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1599/content_Lucia_Sound-of-Thunder_01.jpg" /></p>

<p class="caption">View of the Perito Moreno Glacier, taken from the walkways. <em>Photo by Lucia Padilla, April 2021</em></p>

<p>Another fun fact about the glacier is that the water in Lago Argentino looks blue or turquoise from far away, but when you get close enough, you will be surprised to see that it actually has a milky color. This is due to the mineral particles that are so tiny they cannot settle on the bottom, and consequently they remain suspended in the&nbsp;water.</p>

<p>Also, if you like adventure, there are incredible trekking tours where you can walk on top of the glacier (which I highly recommend). And if you think this experience couldn&rsquo;t be any cooler, just wait! Did you know that you can bring along your empty bottle or canteen and fill it up with glacier water? Yep, it is completely safe to drink and is delicious&nbsp;too!</p>

<p><img alt="View of the Perito Moreno Glacier and Lago Argentino" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1600/content_Lucia_Sound-of-Thunder_02.jpg" /></p>

<p class="caption">Right side view of the Perito Moreno Glacier, when the sun reflects on Lago Argentino, making the water look turquoise. <em>Photo by Lucia Padilla, April 2021</em></p>

<p>There are a lot of things that I&rsquo;ll take away from this trip&mdash;one being how lucky we are to have such beauty in our world and how much more appreciative we should be. But maybe the most important thing is what Leonardo reminded us of before we got off the tour bus.</p>

<p>Right when we were about to see the glacier in all its glory for the first time, he told us of the importance of taking mental pictures before digital ones. And, funnily enough, while he was saying that, I was in the middle of taking my phone out of my pocket in preparation. I was about to see this wonder through the lens of my camera first without even thinking about it! And then the bizarreness of it hit me&mdash;that someone has to <em>remind</em> us to not just see nature, but experience&nbsp;it.</p>

<p><img alt="View of the Perito Moreno Glacier from the coast" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1601/content_Lucia_Sound-of-Thunder_03.jpg" /></p>

<p class="caption">Left side view of the Perito Moreno Glacier, taken from the coast. <em>Photo by Lucia Padilla, April 2021</em></p>

<p>So, when I stepped off that bus, I made a new resolution that I hope to keep from now on for all my trips: I will experience nature with my own eyes first before looking through a lens. And to tell you the truth, at least on this trip, it was so easy to do! Such powerful immensity in front of my eyes demanded that I be present and connect with my surroundings. It was at that time, in that moment, that I closed my eyes and heard the sound of&nbsp;thunder.</p>

<p><em>What does this sound mean? Was a storm coming?</em></p>

<p>This constant sound of thunder in the air is a friendly reminder of how this glacier is very much alive. There are always large chunks of ice breaking away from the glacier. This is called ice calving. If you are lucky enough to see ice calving, you will witness the most incredible show the glacier has to offer. So keep your ears open for this sound of thunder because it means ice calving is probably about to occur!</p>

<p><img alt="View of the Perito Moreno Glacier from a boat" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1602/content_Lucia_Sound-of-Thunder_04.jpg" /></p>

<p class="caption">Left side view of the Perito Moreno Glacier, taken from the boat cruise while crossing Lago Argentino. <em>Photo by Lucia Padilla, April 2021</em></p>

<p>This magical glacier is the only one in the world that keeps growing every day (approximately two meters, or 6.6 feet, per day). So regardless of how many ice chunks it loses, it will recuperate the same amount of mass&nbsp;lost.</p>

<p>As the Perito Moreno Glacier advances, every three&nbsp;to four&nbsp;years it will reach its maximum growth, and thousands of tourists will flood the walkways of the Los Glaciares National Park to witness the most incredible ice calving&nbsp;of all, known as la ruptura (the Rupture). I have never seen it in person, but there is always a lot of media coverage from Argentina&rsquo;s local news, and we can almost always watch it live from our homes. And I can tell you it&#39;s an amazing&nbsp;spectacle!</p>

<h2>Related</h2>

<div class="whiteBox"><span class="label newLabel hangingLabel">New</span>

<p class="circleThumb"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/117/lessons/3696"><img src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/emails/monthly-newsletter/thumbs/117_Glaciers.png" /></a></p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/117/lessons/3696">Glaciers</a></h2>

<p>We have a new <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/117/lessons/3696">Glaciers</a> lesson in our Discovery section!</p>
</div>

<h2>References</h2>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="external-link"><a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/perito-moreno-glacier-collapse-video-argentina-patagonia-spd" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">National Geographic &ndash; Why This Massive Glacial Arch Collapses Like Clockwork</a></li>
	<li class="external-link"><a href="https://www.patagonia.com.ar/El+Calafate/524_Glaciar+Perito+Moreno+datos+t%C3%A9cnicos.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Patagonia &ndash; Glaciar Perito Moreno, datos t&eacute;cnicos</a></li>
	<li class="external-link"><a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-argentina-glacier-idUSTRE51259Y20090203" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Reuters &ndash; Defiant Argentine glacier thrives despite warming</a></li>
	<li class="external-link"><a href="https://elpais.com/internacional/2018/03/12/solo_en_argentina/1520859059_206125.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">El Pa&iacute;s &ndash; La rotura del Perito Moreno, uno de los mayores espect&aacute;culos del mundo, fue de noche y sin p&uacute;blico</a></li>
</ul>


A Trip to the Perito Moreno Glacier

https://esllibrary-staging.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/title_image/1970/Lucia_Sound-of-Thunder_Banner.png

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

Conferences

<p>Did you watch <a href="http://www.teflonline.net/" target="_blank">TEFL International</a>&rsquo;s webinar on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROftFQ_ZW0I&amp;ab_channel=TEFL%26TESOLCourses-ITTTTEFL%26TESOLCourses-ITTT" target="_blank">the best ice breaker games every English language teacher should know</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>

<h1>What are ice breakers?</h1>

<p>Simply put, ice breaker games break the ice! Often used at the beginning of a new school year, ice breakers can help you and your students get to know each other. They are a great warm-up exercise to get your students to start speaking in English and will help you gauge their language level. Playing a game will also create a relaxing and enjoyable environment!</p>

<h2>Ice breaker games</h2>

<p>Here are three ice breaker games from the webinar that you can play with your students!</p>

<h3>Two Truths and a Lie</h3>

<p>This game is perfect with a brand new set of students. First, ask your students to write down two true statements and one false statement about themselves. Next, have your students take turns reading their statements out loud to the class. After they&rsquo;ve read out their statements, everyone else has to guess which statement was the lie. This game will help you get to know your class and will help your students get to know you!</p>

<h3>ABC Word Chain</h3>

<p>This game can be used to break the ice with a new class or it can be used anytime as a fun exercise for practicing vocabulary. First, choose a category and a word within that category. Then, have your students take turns creating a word chain by picking a word that starts with the last letter of the previous word. For example, if the category was &quot;furniture&quot;&nbsp;and the first word was &quot;bed,&quot; the next word could be &quot;dresser,&quot;&nbsp;and the word after that could be &quot;recliner,&quot; and so on.</p>

<h3>Finish the Sentence</h3>

<p>Similar to the ABC Word Chain game, this game can be used as an ice breaker or it can be used anytime as a fun exercise for building sentences. First, write the beginning of a sentence. Next, ask your students to complete the sentence in their own words. Finally, have your students take turns reading their answers out loud to the class.</p>

<p>Teachers, do you play ice breaker games with your students? What games do you play? If not, how do you break the ice and get to know your students? Let us know in the comments below!</p>


Key Takeaways from TEFL International Webinar on Icebreaker Games

https://esllibrary-staging.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/title_image/1964/Melissa_Key-Takeaways-from-TEFL-International-Webinar-on-Ice-Breaker-Games_Banner.png

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>It&rsquo;s no secret that the coronavirus pandemic has left people feeling lonely and disconnected. Lockdowns and quarantine measures around the world have made interaction more difficult than it used to be, and students and teachers alike are feeling the lack of personal human contact. What&rsquo;s more, it&#39;s easy to become burnt out after an entire day of relying on video calls for school or work. With so many people longing for connection, snail mail has seen a major resurgence!</p>

<h1>What Is Snail Mail?</h1>

<p>&ldquo;Snail mail&rdquo; is the modern nickname for the practice of writing letters by hand, something that people have been doing since writing itself was invented. This nickname for letter writing comes from the idea that traditional mail is slow, like a snail! And it&#39;s true.&nbsp;If you want to get into letter writing, one thing you&#39;ll need is patience, especially if you&#39;re writing to people in other countries. But when you recieve a really great letter, it&#39;s worth the wait!</p>

<h1>Snail Mail for Students (Or Teachers!)</h1>

<p>Language teachers have&nbsp;been setting up pen pal relationships for their classes for years. It&rsquo;s the ultimate learning tool because it allows students to practice their reading and writing skills while also letting them explore topics that interest them and make friends at the same time.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Ironically, if you search for the hashtags #snailmailrevolution or #penpalswanted on social media, you&rsquo;ll be able to connect with plenty of other people who wish to step back into the age of written letters. Facebook also has a variety of groups dedicated to this purpose. Writing letters to a pen pal can be a great way for students (and teachers!) to fill the void of social interaction, especially if they are shy, lack confidence in their oral communication skills, or have social anxiety. Creative students can also enjoy the optional tasks of decorating their letters and envelopes.</p>

<h1>Resources</h1>

<p>If you&rsquo;re thinking of finding pen pals for your students, ESL&nbsp;Library has a number of resources in our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/74/lessons">Writing in English</a> section, including <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/74/lessons/2365">How to Write a Note</a>&nbsp;and <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/74/lessons/1829">How to Write an Email</a>, which could easily be translated to the handwritten equivalent. We also have a resource on <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/107/resources/2356">How to Format an Envelope</a>. Also, if you like the idea of having your students write letters but don&rsquo;t want them to have to commit to a lengthy relationship, there are organizations like <a href="https://www.frommetoyouletters.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">From Me to You</a>, which distributes donated letters to patients in cancer wards in the UK&nbsp;with the purpose of bringing the patients cheerful distractions.&nbsp;</p>


Learning with Letter Writing

https://esllibrary-staging.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/title_image/1966/Lara_Snail-Mail-Pen-Pals_Banner.png

Learn tips on how to teach grammar and usage from our editors and grammar experts. 

Grammar & Usage

<p>What is black and white and red all over?</p>

<p>If you said &ldquo;a sunburned zebra,&rdquo; you would be correct! But if you said &ldquo;zee-brah&rdquo; instead of &ldquo;zeb-rah,&rdquo;&nbsp;would you still be right? That depends on where in the world you are.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Zebra&rdquo; can be pronounced both ways, just like the letter &ldquo;Z&rdquo; can be pronounced as either &ldquo;Zed&rdquo; or &ldquo;Zee.&rdquo; Let&rsquo;s explore how and why.</p>

<h2>Zed</h2>

<p>Of the two different pronunciations, <strong>zed</strong> is the eldest. It comes from the Greek and Latin&nbsp;&ldquo;zeta,&rdquo; meaning &ldquo;z,&rdquo; and the French word for the same letter, &ldquo;z&egrave;de.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Zed was <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zed" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first used</a> to refer to the last letter of the English alphabet in the 12th century. It appeared in print for the first time in the early 1400s in a Middle English manuscript.</p>

<p>In the United Kingdom and countries where Commonwealth English is used, like Australia, India, New Zealand, Singapore, and South Africa, zed is the pronunciation for the letter &ldquo;z.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Although Canada is also a commonwealth nation, Canadian English is influenced by both British and American English. Here, both zee and zed<em> </em>are considered acceptable pronunciations, although the latter is far more common.</p>

<div class="whiteBox"><span class="label hangingLabel">Related Lesson</span>

<p class="circleThumb"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/118/lessons/3479"><img alt="" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/emails/monthly-newsletter/thumbs/118_Alphabet-Song_Capital.png" /></a></p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/118/lessons/3479">The Alphabet Song with Zed: Capital Letters</a></h2>

<p>In this <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/118/lessons">Phonics</a> video, students learn and practice the capital letters of the English alphabet, ending in <strong>zed</strong>. They&#39;ll listen to &quot;The Alphabet Song&quot; and try singing along. This video is also available with lowercase letters.</p>
</div>

<h2>Zee</h2>

<p><strong>Zee</strong>, on the other hand, entered English as a 17th century variant of zed. Its first known appearance is in the 1677 textbook, <em>A New Spelling Book</em> by British Nonconformist minister and teacher, Thomas Lye. The book eventually made its way to the British colonies in America.</p>

<p>A variety of pronunciations continued to be used in the US up until 1828, when famed lexicographer Noah Webster confirmed that&nbsp;&ldquo;it is pronounced zee&rdquo; in <em>An American Dictionary of the English Language</em>.</p>

<p>This pronunciation was <a href="https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/62639/why-it-zed-britain-and-zee-america" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">thought to be</a> influenced by the <em>bee, cee, dee, eee</em> pattern of the rest of the alphabet. When the &ldquo;Alphabet Song&rdquo; was copyrighted in Boston in 1835, &quot;zee&quot; was used to rhyme with &quot;me.&quot; Since then, zee has became the American standard.</p>

<blockquote>
<p>&hellip;W, X, Y, and <strong>Z(ee)</strong><br />
Now I know my ABCs<br />
Next time, won&#39;t you sing with <strong>me</strong></p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;The Alphabet Song</p>
</blockquote>

<div class="whiteBox"><span class="label hangingLabel">Related Lesson</span>

<p class="circleThumb"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/118/lessons/3465"><img alt="" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/emails/monthly-newsletter/thumbs/118_Alphabet-Song_Capital.png" /></a></p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/118/lessons/3465">The Alphabet Song: Capital Letters</a></h2>

<p>In this <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/118/lessons">Phonics</a> video, students learn and practice the capital letters of the English alphabet, ending in <strong>zee</strong>. They&#39;ll listen to &quot;The Alphabet Song&quot; and try singing along. This video is also available for lowercase letters.</p>
</div>


Zed Vs. Zee

https://esllibrary-staging.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/title_image/1965/Simone_Zee-Vs-Zed_Banner.png

<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>After teaching math, science, and academic English for over 20 years in high schools, Emmalyn received her TESL certification in 2019. Then, she began working at the <a href="http://www.folk-arts.ca/" target="_blank">Niagara Folk Arts Multicultural Centre</a> (NFAMC) in Ontario, Canada as a LINC/ESL teaching assistant.</p>

<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always enjoyed teaching. It doesn&rsquo;t matter if it&rsquo;s piano, math, science, or English. I&rsquo;ve always considered one of my strengths to be understanding a concept&nbsp;and then breaking it down in such a way as to make it understandable to the student.&rdquo;</p>

<p><img alt="A woman (Emmalyn) smiling and standing next to a presentation board" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1595/content_Melissa_Teacher-Feature_Emmalyn_TESL-Certification-Presentation.jpg" /></p>

<p class="caption">Here, Emmalyn is pictured with a presentation she did for her TESL certification.</p>

<p>The NFAMC provides settlement services, including ESL classes ranging from literacy to CLB 6, for newcomers to Canada. The students are anywhere from 18 years old to seniors, and Emmalyn teaches a different class every day.</p>

<p>&ldquo;It is amazing being in a class with such cultural diversity. Hearing about students&rsquo; experiences is not only a learning experience for me, but also a wake-up call, in terms of how much we take living in Canada for granted.&rdquo;</p>

<p><img alt="A woman (Emmalyn) standing in front of a sign reading LINC English Classes for Immigrants" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1555/content_The_first_photo_is_me_at_the_centre.jpg" /></p>

<p class="caption">Here, Emmalyn is pictured at the Niagara Folk Arts Multicultural Centre.</p>

<p>Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, classes took place in person Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm. Currently, they are teaching online. As a result, a typical day for Emmalyn includes finding resources, converting them into online assignments, posting the assignments, marking, and providing the class teachers with feedback.</p>

<p>A typical day also involves planning a lesson that corresponds with the centre&rsquo;s monthly theme. For example, in May, the monthly theme was employment. In June, the monthly theme is Canadian culture. Each lesson is adjusted to the level of the class and the students, and includes listening, speaking, reading and writing.</p>

<p>&ldquo;This is where ESL Library comes in handy. There are countless topics, all differentiated according to various levels. Flashcards, videos, listening, vocabulary, crosswords. It&rsquo;s all there. The Taskplayer feature is especially useful for the lower-level classes. They love the Picture Dictionary. This resource has saved me so much time.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Check out Emmalyn&rsquo;s text response below to learn more about why she loves ESL Library and how she uses it with her students.</p>

<blockquote>
<p>💬 Hello ESL Library Staff,</p>

<p>First of all, can I just say thank you for these awesome resources! So many topics, so many levels, and so many opportunities to address different skills in class. Thank you, thank you, thank you!</p>

<p>Let me tell you a bit about myself. My name is Emmalyn and I am an assistant teacher at a multicultural centre offering the LINC program to adult newcomers. I alternate between different levels of ESL classes ranging from Literacy to Level 5/6. Your resource allows me to pick and choose both topics and level-appropriate material.</p>

<p>How do I use the resources? Before the virus, I would print out the PDFs for the topics I wanted and use them in class. When we were first online, our centre upgraded our membership and teachers sent interactive lessons to students via Google Classroom. At the start of the school year, I saw the interactive view available. This worked especially well with the Literacy students. I would project the vocab and flashcards and they would name them. I would also project their handouts and use the annotation features to correct our work. This minimized touching paper, chalk, etc. and maximized space as students were able to remain at their desks. I also print out the flashcards and put them on the board. The clear visuals allow me and the students to participate in many different sorts of activities like identification, spelling, sentence construction, etc. Your website has been a valuable resource. I can&#39;t stress enough how thankful I am!</p>

<p class="attribution">Emmalyn Sumodobila</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Want to share why you love ESL Library and how you use it in your classroom? <a href="http://www.videoask.com/fw0f8td5x" target="_blank">Tell us here</a>.</p>


Teacher Feature: Emmalyn

https://esllibrary-staging.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/title_image/1962/Melissa_Teacher-Feature_Emmalyn_Banner.png

Posts describing lessons or activities for the ESL classroom.

Activities

<p>You&rsquo;re probably already familiar with Australia&rsquo;s national animal, but have you ever heard of &ldquo;kangaroo words&rdquo;? The word game&nbsp;by writer Ben O&rsquo;Dell&nbsp;gained popularity in the 1950s when it was first published in <em>The American Magazine</em>, then later reprinted in <em>Reader&rsquo;s Digest</em>.</p>

<p>In this post, we&#39;ll explore different types of kangaroo words and how they can be useful in the ESL Classroom. Scroll to the end for a fun activity idea!</p>

<div class="whiteBox"><span class="label hangingLabel">Related Lesson</span>

<p class="circleThumb"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/117/lessons/2601"><img src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/emails/monthly-newsletter/thumbs/117_Kangaroos.png" /></a></p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/117/lessons/2601">Kangaroos</a></h2>

<p>Students learn all about kangaroos through reading, speaking, listening, and vocabulary tasks in this <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/117/lessons">Discovery</a> lesson for young learners.</p>
</div>

<h2>Kangaroo Words</h2>

<p>In logology, or recreational linguistics, a kangaroo word is an English word that contains the letters of a synonymous word that appear&nbsp;in the correct order within it.</p>

<p>The synonymous word is known as a &ldquo;joey word,&rdquo; in reference to how kangaroos carry their offspring in their pouches.</p>

<p>Take the word &ldquo;chicken,&rdquo; for example. Can you spot the synonym hiding in this kangaroo word?</p>

<blockquote>
<p>C<strong>H</strong>ICK<strong>EN</strong></p>
</blockquote>

<p>That&rsquo;s right! The joey word is &quot;hen.&quot;</p>

<p>Here are some more examples of kangaroo words:</p>

<ul>
	<li>astound (stun)</li>
	<li>capsule (case)</li>
	<li>catacomb (tomb)</li>
	<li>charisma (charm)</li>
	<li>destruction (ruin)</li>
	<li>fragile (frail)</li>
	<li>encourage (urge)</li>
	<li>instructor (tutor)</li>
	<li>observe (see)</li>
	<li>precipitation (rain)</li>
</ul>

<h2>Twin Kangaroo Words</h2>

<p>Some kangaroo words contain more than one joey word. These are known as &quot;twin kangaroo&quot; words.</p>

<p>For example, the word &quot;community&quot; contains both the synonyms &quot;county&quot; and &quot;city.&quot;</p>

<blockquote>
<p><strong>CO</strong>MM<strong>UN</strong>I<strong>TY</strong></p>

<p><strong>C</strong>OMMUN<strong>ITY</strong></p>
</blockquote>

<p>Here are some more examples of twin kangaroo words:</p>

<ul>
	<li>complaisant (compliant; pliant)</li>
	<li>container (tin; can)</li>
	<li>chariot (car; cart)</li>
	<li>deteriorate (die; rot)</li>
	<li>diminutive (minute; mini)</li>
	<li>feasted (fed; ate)</li>
	<li>frangible (fragile; frail)</li>
	<li>loneliness (loss; oneness)</li>
	<li>perambulate (ramble; amble)</li>
</ul>

<h2>Grand Kangaroo Words</h2>

<p>When a kangaroo word contains a joey word that has another joey word inside it, it is known as a &quot;grand kangaroo&quot; word.</p>

<p>For example, in the kangaroo word &quot;alone,&quot;&nbsp;the joey word is &quot;lone.&quot;&nbsp;Within &quot;alone,&quot; there is the&nbsp;synonymous word &quot;one&quot;.</p>

<blockquote>
<p>A<strong>LONE</strong>&rarr; L<strong>ONE</strong></p>
</blockquote>

<p>Here are some more examples of grand kangaroo words:</p>

<ul>
	<li>amicability (amiability&rarr;amity)</li>
	<li>complaisant (compliant&rarr;pliant)</li>
	<li>expurgate (purge&rarr;pure)</li>
	<li>frangible (fragile&rarr;frail)</li>
</ul>

<h2>Anti-Kangaroo Words</h2>

<p>Some kangaroo words contain an antonym instead of a synonym. These are known as &quot;anti-kangaroo&quot; words.</p>

<p>The word&nbsp;&quot;friend,&quot; for example, contains its opposite, &quot;fiend.&quot;</p>

<blockquote>
<p><strong>F</strong>R<strong>IEND</strong></p>
</blockquote>

<p>Here are some more examples of anti-kangaroo words:</p>

<ul>
	<li>courteous (curt)</li>
	<li>covert (overt)</li>
	<li>fabrication (fact)</li>
	<li>feast (fast)</li>
	<li>she (he)</li>
	<li>threaten (treat)</li>
	<li>there (here)</li>
	<li>veto (vet)</li>
	<li>wonderful (woeful)</li>
</ul>

<h2>Activity Idea</h2>

<p>Using kangaroo words in the ESL classroom is a great way to introduce new vocabulary to students and/or revise synonyms and antonyms.</p>

<p>It can also make for a&nbsp;fun, supplemental activity to a lesson&nbsp;on Australia or&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2430" target="_blank">Australian Animals</a>.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Here is a fun activity to try that&#39;s&nbsp;based on a popular Japanese card game.</p>

<h3>Kangaroo Karuta</h3>

<p>Prepare some cards with kangaroo words written on them and divide students into pairs or groups. Each pair or group should be given their own set of cards.</p>

<p>For each round, read out a joey word and set a timer. The goal is for students to correctly identify which kangaroo word the joey belongs to and grab that card.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The first student to grab the correct&nbsp;card within the given time frame&nbsp;wins the round and gets to keep the card. At the end of the game, the student with the most cards wins.</p>

<p>This game can be easily adapted to include twin, grand, and anti-kangaroo words too. Try it out and let us know how it goes!</p>

<div class="whiteBox"><span class="label hangingLabel">Related Lesson</span>

<p class="circleThumb"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/90/lessons/1646"><img src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/emails/monthly-newsletter/thumbs/90_Synonym-and-Antonym-Stories.png" /></a></p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/90/lessons/1646">Synonym &amp; Antonym Stories</a></h2>

<p>In this intermediate <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/90/lessons">Grammar Stories</a> lesson, students read three stories that use synonyms and antonyms in context and match the words that they&#39;ve learned.</p>
</div>


Fun with Kangaroo Words

https://esllibrary-staging.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/title_image/1963/Simone_Kangaroo-Words_Banner.png

<p>Did you watch <a href="http://www.tesol.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">TESOL International Association&rsquo;s</a> coffee chat, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYI5M2CMcZE&amp;ab_channel=TESOLInternationalAssociation" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">A Cup of Coffee with TESOL Experts: Giving Feedback</a>? If you missed it, don&rsquo;t worry&mdash;we&rsquo;ve got you covered. Here are some key takeaways.</p>

<h2>Providing effective feedback in online learning environments</h2>

<p>In this webinar, the expert panelists discussed the following question: how can we provide effective feedback in online learning environments? According to the panel of experts, effective online feedback needs to be timely, positive, constructive, specific, and clear.</p>

<h3>Effective online feedback needs to be timely</h3>

<p>Students need to know when they can expect feedback and it should be provided to them on a regular basis. Make time for giving your students feedback and build it into your schedule so it becomes part of your routine. For oral assignments, it&rsquo;s important to give corrective feedback in the moment. For written assignments, feedback doesn&rsquo;t have to be given right away, but it&rsquo;s not effective if it&rsquo;s given weeks after an assignment was due. Plus, if your lessons and assignments build on each other, it&rsquo;s important to give feedback before the next task.</p>

<blockquote>
<p>&quot;A safe environment helps students become better learners.&quot;</p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;Carla Pastrana</p>
</blockquote>

<h3>Effective online feedback needs to be positive and constructive</h3>

<p>It&rsquo;s important for students to receive both positive and constructive feedback. First, highlight the positive. Let them know when they&rsquo;ve done something well and that you appreciate the effort they&rsquo;ve made. After you&rsquo;ve provided them with a positive comment, then you can offer them constructive feedback.</p>

<blockquote>
<p>&quot;If you exhibit self correction, that&#39;s only going to encourage them to do the same.&quot;</p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;Elizabeth Adler</p>
</blockquote>

<h3>Effective online feedback needs to be specific and clear</h3>

<p>Lastly, effective online feedback should be specific and clear. There are a variety of ways that you can provide helpful feedback: you can offer an explicit correction; you can pinpoint an error and encourage the student to self-correct; or you can make suggestions and provide multiple options for correction. In an online environment especially, a student might find a quick recorded video with your feedback meaningful. If you teach a group of students, you can also provide collective feedback to the entire class through a video or a post with a list of common mistakes. You don&rsquo;t have to be the only one who gives feedback either&mdash;you can have your students provide feedback for each other too!</p>

<p>Teachers, when and how do you provide effective online feedback? Let us know in the comments below!</p>


Key Takeaways from A Cup of Coffee with TESOL Experts: Giving Feedback

https://esllibrary-staging.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/title_image/1961/Melissa_Key-Takeaways-from-a-Cup-of-Coffee_Banner.png

<p>Every month, our writers, editors, and illustrators work to produce new printable and digital content. We determine what to create based on teacher requests, trends in the industry, and what&rsquo;s going on in the world. We absolutely love the process of creating enriching materials for language teachers. Here&rsquo;s a list of what&rsquo;s new so far this&nbsp;year.</p>

<h1>New for August&ndash;Dec 2021</h1>

<p>We have a NEW collection category called <a href="https://ellii.com/collections/new-for-2021">What&#39;s New?</a>&nbsp;All new releases will be categorized in this collection. Be sure to visit weekly for new releases!</p>

<h1>New June&ndash;July</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/3697">Amazon Destroys Unsold Items</a>: English with The Washington Post (3 Levels)</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/81/lessons/3695">Badlands National Park</a>: Famous Places</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/117/lessons/3696">Glaciers</a>: Discovery</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/3694">International Day of Friendship</a>: Holidays &amp; Events</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/3691">Back to the Office</a>: English with The Washington Post (2 Levels)</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/123/lessons/3692">Object Pronouns</a>: Super Simple Grammar</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/3688">A Close Call with a Whale</a>: English with The Washington Post&nbsp;</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/134/lessons/3685">Lena&#39;s Big, Happy Family</a>: Word Bank Readers</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/3684">Pride Month (Low Int)</a>: Holidays &amp; Events</li>
	<li class="video"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/131/lessons/2774">A Fab Cab</a>: Phonics Stories (New Video)</li>
	<li class="video"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/76/lessons/1709">Making an Appointment</a>: Everyday Dialogues (New Video)</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/3683">Texas Bakery Supports Pride</a>: English with The Washington Post</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/3682">Father&#39;s Day</a>: Word Bank</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/134/lessons/3681">Father&#39;s Day Fun</a>: Word Bank Reader</li>
	<li class="video"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/92/lessons/1737">Saying Hello</a>: Functional English (Assessment B: New Video Task)</li>
	<li class="video"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/2256">Gerunds &amp; Infinitives</a>: Grammar Practice Worksheets (New Video)</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/3676">The Heroic Rats of Cambodia</a>: English with The Washington Post (2 Levels)</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/3674">UFOs and the US Government</a>: English with The Washington Post (2 Levels)</li>
</ul>

<h1>New May&ndash;June&nbsp;</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/128/resources/3675">Study Skills</a>: Real-World Reading</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/81/lessons/3612">Mount Rushmore</a>: Famous Places</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/95/lessons/3669">Autism</a>: Health Matters</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/3671">Remains of 215 Indigenous Children Found at Residential School</a>: English with The Washington Post (2 Levels)</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/3668">Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day</a>: Holidays &amp; Events</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/3670">100th Anniversary of Tulsa Race Massacre</a>: English with The Washington Post</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/3664">The Immigrant Who Became a Senator</a>: English with The Washington Post (3 Levels)</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/130/lessons/3667">/ŋ/</a>: Pronunciation</li>
	<li class="video"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/92/lessons/1743">Talking about the Weather</a>: Assessment A: Listening (Video)</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/123/lessons/3663">Subject Pronouns</a>: Super Simple Grammar</li>
	<li class="video"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/92/lessons/1749">Making Small Talk</a>: Assessment A: Listen &amp; Answer (Video)</li>
	<li class="collection"><a href="https://ellii.com/folders/published/80591">Reading for Business Course (B2-C2)</a>: ESL Library Folders</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/3661">Different Weather &amp; Seasons</a>: Word Bank Readers</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/3660">A Trip to the Bank</a>: Word Bank Readers</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/76/lessons/3658">Going Shopping (Beg)</a>: Everyday Dialogues</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/3657">Multigenerational Living</a>: English with The Washington Post (2 Levels)</li>
	<li class="collection"><a href="https://ellii.com/folders/published/82132">Digital Literacy (Int &ndash; Adv)</a>: ESL Library Folder</li>
	<li class="collection"><a href="https://ellii.com/folders/published/82130">Digital Literacy (Beg &ndash; Low Int)</a>: ESL Library Folder</li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/104/resources/3651">Digital Literacy Needs Assessment</a>: Assessment Tools</li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/104/resources/3652">Digital Literacy Needs Assessment (Pictorial)</a>: Assessment Tools</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/3656">Hiro&#39;s Apartment</a>: Word Bank Readers</li>
	<li class="video"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/92/lessons/1738">Giving Personal Information</a>: Functional English (new assessments with video)</li>
	<li class="flashcards"><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/5/flashcard_categories/226">Countries</a>&nbsp;</li>
	<li class="video"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/131/lessons/3305">Jeff &amp; Steve</a>: Phonics Stories (new video)</li>
	<li class="video"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1607">Superlative Adjectives</a>: Grammar Practice Worksheets (new video)</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/3645">Vaccine Skeptics Change Their Minds</a>: English with The Washington Post (3 Levels)</li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/107/resources/3649">Ocean Story</a>: Visual Learning (3 Levels)</li>
</ul>

<h1>New April&ndash;May&nbsp;</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/3662">Happy Earth Day</a>: Word Bank Readers</li>
	<li class="video"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1607">Comparative Adjectives</a>: Grammar Practice Worksheets</li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/104/resources/3584">Teacher Evaluation Forms</a>: Assessment Tools</li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/105/resources/3611">Speak Up (High Int &ndash; Adv)</a>: Warm-Ups &amp; Fillers</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/80/lessons/3582">George Lucas</a>: Famous People</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/74/lessons/3569">How to Take Notes</a>: Writing in English</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/3610">Mother&#39;s Day Gifts</a>: Word Bank Readers</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/3606">Ali&#39;s House</a>: Word Bank Readers</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/76/lessons/3598">Asking for Directions (Beg)</a>: Everyday Dialogues (with video)</li>
	<li class="video"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/76/lessons/1720">Asking for Directions (Int)</a>: Everyday Dialogues (with video)</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/105/resources/3608">Speak Up (Beg &ndash; Low Int)</a>: Warm-Ups &amp; Fillers</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/130/lessons/3609">/n/</a>: Pronunciation</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/3583">Mother&#39;s Day</a>: Word Bank</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/3580">Victoria Day (Low Int)</a>: Holidays &amp; Events</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/3607">Soccer&#39;s Short-Lived Super League</a>: English with The Washington Post (3 Levels)</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/130/lessons/3601">/m/</a>: Pronunciation</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/3581">Children&#39;s Day</a>: Holidays &amp; Events</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/3600">George Floyd Guilty Verdict</a>: English with The Washington Post</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/131/lessons/3599">The Moon at Noon</a>: Phonics Stories (with video)</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/3595">Ramadan Under COVID</a>: English with The Washington Post (3 Levels)</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/82/lessons/3591">The English Language</a>: Famous Things (with video)</li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/107/resources/3586">Space Story (Beg)</a>: Visual Learning (YL)</li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/107/resources/3593">Space Story (Low Int)</a>: Visual Learning&nbsp;(YL)</li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/107/resources/3585">Space Story (Int)</a>: Visual Learning&nbsp;(YL)</li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/105/resources/3594">Speak Up (Low Int &ndash; Int)</a>: Warm-Ups &amp; Fillers</li>
	<li class="collection"><a href="https://ellii.com/folders/published/76093">Financial Literacy (CLB 5&ndash;12)</a>: ESL Library Folders</li>
	<li class="collection"><a href="https://ellii.com/folders/published/76851">Financial Literacy (CLB 1&ndash;4)</a>: ESL Library Folders</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/3588">Egypt&#39;s Lost Golden City</a>: English with the Washington Post (3 Levels)</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/132/lessons/3587">Spring:</a> Picture Stories</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/3577">Setbacks in Women&#39;s Equality:</a> English with the Washington Post (3 Levels)</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/3572">Prince Harry&ndash;Tech Exec</a>: English with the Washington Post (3 Levels)</li>
</ul>

<h1>New March&ndash;April&nbsp;</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/3574">Ship Freed from Suez Canal</a>: English with The Washington Post</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/117/lessons/3575">The 5 Senses:</a> Discovery</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/3552">Ramadan (Beg):</a> Holidays &amp; Events</li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/107/resources/3576">Linear Relations</a>: Visual Learning</li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/107/resources/3570">Introduction to Graphing</a>: Visual Learning</li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/107/resources/3555">Following the Doctor&#39;s Instructions</a>: Visual Learning</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/82/lessons/3565">Tea</a>: Famous Things</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/76/lessons/3551">Going to the Doctor</a> (Beg): Everyday Dialogues</li>
	<li class="video"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/76/lessons/1708">Going to the Doctor </a>(Low Int): Everyday Dialogues</li>
	<li class="video"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/3567">Chimps on Zoom</a>: English with The Washington Post</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/130/lessons/3553">/t/:</a> Pronunciation</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/130/lessons/3554">/d/</a>: Pronunciation</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/3556">The Last Game Hockey Game</a>: English with The Washington Post</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/3547">Racism in Dr. Seuss Books</a>: English with The Washington Post</li>
	<li class="video"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/131/lessons/2751">These or Those Clothes?</a>: Phonics Stories</li>
	<li class="video"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/3545">Countdown to Easter</a>: Holidays &amp; Events</li>
	<li class="video"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1626">Adverbs of Manner</a>: Grammar Practice Worksheets (Video)</li>
</ul>

<h1>New Feb&ndash;March&nbsp;</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/81/lessons/3527">The United Kingdom</a>: Famous Places</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/3540">Mars Landing</a>: English with the Washington Post</li>
	<li class="video"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/2241">Adverbs of Frequency</a>: Grammar Practice Worksheets (Video)</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/76/lessons/3542">Making a Grocery List (Beg</a>): Everyday Dialogues</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/123/lessons/3532">Adverbs of Frequency</a>: Super Simple Grammar</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/80/lessons/3531">Jane Goodall</a>: Famous People</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/3526">International Women&#39;s Day</a> (Beg &ndash; Low Int): Holidays &amp; Events</li>
	<li class="flashcards"><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/25/flashcard_categories/308">Math Vocabulary</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/129/lessons/3533">Trailblazers</a>: True Grammar Stories</li>
	<li class="video"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/76/lessons/1719">Making a Grocery List</a>: Everyday Dialogues</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/3536">Period Poverty in New Zealand</a>: English with The Washington Post</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/3528">Dinosaurs</a>: Word Bank</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/3535">Power Grid Failure</a>: English with The Washington Post</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/3529">Zoom Cat Filter</a>: English with The Washington Post (2 levels avail.)</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/3523">Protesting&nbsp;with Pots &amp; Pans</a>: English with the Washington Post (3 levels avail.)</li>
	<li class="flashcards"><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/14/flashcard_categories/317">Dinosaurs</a></li>
</ul>

<h1>New Jan&ndash;Feb&nbsp;</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="video"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/3486">What&#39;s She Like? A Valentine&#39;s Story</a>: Holidays &amp; Events</li>
	<li class="video"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/2093">Adjectives</a>: Grammar Practice Worksheets</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/3487">Privacy Labels on Apps</a>: English with the Washington Post</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/82/lessons/3482">Black Lives Matter (Beg &ndash; Low Int)</a>: Famous Things</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/82/lessons/3483">Black Lives Matter (Int &ndash; High Int)</a>: Famous Things</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/121/lessons/3478">Weather (Adjectives)</a>: English Basics</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/80/lessons/3473">Frederick Douglass</a>: Famous People</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons/3485">Classrooms of the Future (Low Int)</a>: Discussion Starters</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/3476">Clothes</a>: Word Bank</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/3477">Lunar New Year (Low Int)</a>: Holidays &amp; Events</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/3484">&quot;The Hill We Climb&quot;</a>: English with the Washington Post</li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/125/resources/3481">At the Hospital</a>: Language Scenes (Build-a-Task)</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/3472">Team Lioness</a>: English with the Washington Post</li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/105/resources/3471">Valentine&#39;s Day Interview</a>: Warm-Ups &amp; Fillers</li>
	<li class="video"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/118/lessons">The Alphabet Song</a>: Phonics Videos</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/3469">Queen Gets Vaccine</a>: English with the Washington Post</li>
	<li class="video"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/76/lessons/1717">Making Introductions</a>: Everyday Dialogues (Video)</li>
</ul>

<h1>New Dec &#39;20&ndash;Jan &#39;21</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/3463">Siege at US Capitol</a>: English with the Washington Post</li>
	<li class="video"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/131/lessons/2744">The Fat Rat</a>: Phonics Stories (Video)</li>
	<li class="video"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/131/lessons/2767">Chad&#39;s Dad</a>: Phonics Stories (Video)</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/121/lessons/3459">Weather (Nouns)</a>: English Basics</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/123/lessons/3460">Prepositions of Time</a>: Super Simple Grammar</li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/125/resources/3458">At the Hospital</a>: Language Scenes (Spot the Differences)</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/3457">Health-Care Workers</a>: Word Bank</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/3451">Woman Tracks Down First Grade English Tutor</a>: English with The Washington Post</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/3454">YouTube Prepares for Global Growth</a>: English with The Washington Post</li>
	<li class="video"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1624">Object Pronouns</a>: Video</li>
	<li class="video"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1624">Subject Pronouns</a>: Video</li>
	<li class="collection"><a href="https://ellii.com/folders/published/72701">Family &amp; Relationships (Beg &ndash; Low Int / CLB 1&ndash;3)</a>: ESL Library Folder&nbsp;</li>
	<li class="collection"><a href="https://ellii.com/folders/published/72702">Family &amp; Relationships (Low Int &ndash; Int / CLB 4&ndash;5)</a>: ESL Library Folder</li>
</ul>

<p>For new materials added last year, view <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/new-2020">What Was New in 2020?</a></p>


What's New in 2021?

https://esllibrary-staging.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/title_image/1895/What-is-New_2021_Banner.png

<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>Out of necessity and due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Liat began teaching English classes online in Santiago&mdash;both the capital and largest city in Chile.</p>

<p>&ldquo;I am very new to teaching. Now I have realized that I actually enjoy teaching and I want to get better at it every day.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Liat teaches teenagers and adults at the basic to upper-intermediate levels. Since her students&#39; goals, interests, and needs vary, each day is different and each class is dynamic.</p>

<blockquote>
<p>&ldquo;Not every day is the same, which makes it even more exciting! I try to make my classes as engaging as possible.&rdquo;</p>
</blockquote>

<p>For Liat, the most challenging part about being a teacher is when students aren&rsquo;t motivated to learn.</p>

<p>&ldquo;That can make you feel a bit frustrated, but you try your best to connect with your students and help them as much as possible.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Despite this challenge, and even though she has only been teaching English for around a year, Liat is always looking for ways to improve her teaching and has enjoyed the experience so far.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Definitely one of the most rewarding parts of being a teacher are those moments when you see a smile on your student&#39;s face and when they let you know that they are starting to feel a lot better and confident thanks to your help and guidance.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Liat is fairly new to ESL Library but she&rsquo;s a big fan. Watch the video below to see why she loves ESL Library and how she uses it with her students.</p>

<div class="videoWrapper"><iframe allow="camera *; microphone *; encrypted-media *; fullscreen *; display-capture *;" height="600px" src="https://www.videoask.com/ak3cgxrxf1ocip3tnqki6t45y4aqfxmkyxiktobq" style="border: none; border-radius: 24px" width="100%"></iframe></div>

<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: Liat

https://esllibrary-staging.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/title_image/1957/Melissa_Teacher-Feature_Liat_Banner.png

<p>The word <em>miss</em>,<em>&nbsp;</em>meaning<em>&nbsp;&quot;</em>to feel sadness about the absence or loss of something or someone,&quot;&nbsp;has been commonly used during the pandemic. Most of us miss our pre-pandemic lifestyle. We all missed a lot of people, things, and events in order to have a better future.&nbsp;Many of us feel like we (or the people we loved) <em>missed out on</em>&nbsp;something important.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The verb <em>miss</em>&nbsp;can be used before a noun:&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li>I <strong>miss</strong> concerts.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>I <strong>miss</strong> my grandparents.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>I <strong>miss</strong> restaurant food.</li>
</ul>

<p>The verb <em>miss</em>&nbsp;can also be used before an <em>-ing</em> verb (gerund).&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li>I <strong>miss</strong> seeing my friends.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>I <strong>miss</strong> going to the movies.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>I <strong>miss</strong> swimming.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<p>In some areas, life is starting to get back to normal (or at least&nbsp;<em>a new normal</em>). For the rest of our lives, we will use the verb <em>miss</em>&nbsp;to reflect on this historic&nbsp;period using the past form.</p>

<ul>
	<li>I <strong>missed</strong> ninth grade.</li>
	<li>I <strong>missed</strong> going to hockey.</li>
	<li>I <strong>missed</strong> traveling.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<p>Many people feel they <em>missed&nbsp;out on</em> something important during the pandemic. <em>To miss out </em>on something means &quot;to not have the experience one expected or deserved.&quot; This multiword verb can be interchanged with <em>missed</em>,&nbsp;but it has a stronger meaning. The experience may never come along again.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li>My son <strong>missed out on</strong> eighth grade graduation.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Her parents <strong>missed out on</strong> the birth of their grandchild.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>She <strong>missed out on</strong> her first year of college.</li>
</ul>

<p>Note: The acronymn <em>FOMO</em> stands for &quot;fear of missing out&quot; and is commonly used in social media posts.</p>

<p>We can also use <em>miss</em> in a negative form:&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li>I <strong>don&#39;t miss </strong>crowds.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>I <strong>don&#39;t miss</strong> in-person meetings.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>I <strong>don&#39;t miss</strong> commuting.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<h2>Leave a Comment</h2>

<ul>
	<li>What do you <strong>miss</strong> about pre-pandemic life?&nbsp;</li>
	<li>What did you <strong>miss out on </strong>during the pandemic?</li>
	<li>What do you <strong>NOT miss</strong> about pre-pandemic life?</li>
</ul>


What Do You Miss about Pre-Pandemic Life?

https://esllibrary-staging.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/title_image/1960/Tara_What-do-you-miss_Banner.png

<p>Have you ever gone AWOL? The acronym, which stands for Absent Without Leave, denotes being absent from a job or event without having given notice or gotten permission.</p>

<p>The abbreviation comes from the military; AWOL is the status given to soldiers who are not where they are supposed to be. If a soldier remains AWOL for more than 30 days, it&rsquo;s considered a desertion.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Going AWOL&rdquo; is just one example of the many words and phrases in common use in English that originate from wartime. In this post, we&rsquo;ll explore a few more.</p>

<h2>To Bite the Bullet</h2>

<blockquote>
<p>Fauci: Not ready for sports, leagues must &#39;bite bullet,&#39; cancel</p>
<p class="attribution">&mdash;Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sports-fauci-coronavirus-sports/fauci-not-ready-for-sports-leagues-must-bite-bullet-cancel-idUSKBN22B30N" target="_blank">headline</a>, April 29, 2020</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Before anesthetics, soldiers endured the agony of medical procedures by biting down on a bullet to distract themselves from the pain.</p>

<p>The phrase&nbsp;&ldquo;bite the bullet&rdquo;&nbsp;now denotes forcing&nbsp;yourself to do something difficult or unpleasant, or to be brave in a difficult situation. It was first recorded in Rudyard Kipling&#39;s&nbsp;<em>The Light That Failed.</em></p>

<p>&quot;Bite the bullet&quot; is similar to the phrase&nbsp;&ldquo;dodge the bullet,&rdquo; which means to avoid a difficult or unpleasant situation.</p>

<h2>Blockbuster</h2>

<blockquote>
<p>&#39;F9&#39; could be the blockbuster Hollywood needs to kick-start moviegoing</p>
<p class="attribution">&mdash;New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/24/business/f9-fast-furious.html" target="_blank">headline</a>, May 24, 2021</p>
</blockquote>

<p>The term&nbsp;&ldquo;blockbuster&rdquo; is often used today to describe a movie, book, or other form of entertainment media that&nbsp;is widely popular and financially successful.</p>

<p>The term was first used in 1942, however, to describe a new, large, highly explosive bomb&mdash;big enough to destroy an entire city block.</p>

<h2>To Catch&nbsp;Flak</h2>

<blockquote>
<p>LILLEY: Ford catches flak for doing what so many begged him to do</p>
<p class="attribution">&mdash;Toronto Sun <a href="https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/lilley-ford-catches-flack-for-doing-what-so-many-begged-him-to-do" target="_blank">headline</a>, April 22, 2021</p>
</blockquote>

<p>In modern times, &quot;to catch flak&quot; is to receive criticism&nbsp;for something you say or do. This meaning was popularized in the 1960s.</p>

<p>During World War II, &quot;flak&quot; was an abbreviation for the German, &quot;fliegerabwehrkanonen,&quot; or&nbsp;&quot;flyer defense cannons.&quot; If a soldier &quot;caught flak,&quot; it meant that they were wounded by gunshots.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Cup of Joe</h2>

<blockquote>
<p>Coffee without beans? Seattle startup brews a new cup of joe</p>
<p class="attribution">&mdash;Seattle Times <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/business/coffee-without-beans-seattle-startup-brews-a-new-cup-of-joe/" target="_blank">headline</a>, May 14, 2021</p>
</blockquote>

<p>When someone asks for a &ldquo;cup of Joe,&rdquo; they are asking for a cup of <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/82/lessons/1452" target="_blank">coffee</a>, but where did this phrase come from?&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rd.com/article/reason-coffee-called-cup-of-joe/" target="_blank">One theory</a> is that the phrase originated when Josephus Daniels became Secretary of the US Navy in 1913 under <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/84/lessons/1531" target="_blank">Woodrow Wilson</a> and abolished the serving of alcohol aboard ships.</p>

<p>From then on, coffee was the strongest drink available to the disgruntled sailors, who began calling the drink&nbsp;&ldquo;a cup of Joe&quot; out of spite.</p>

<h2>Loose Cannon</h2>

<blockquote>
<p>Clinton calls Trump a &#39;loose cannon,&#39; risky choice for president</p>
<p class="attribution">&mdash;Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-clinton/clinton-calls-trump-a-loose-cannon-risky-choice-for-president-idUSKCN0XV2CT" target="_blank">headline</a>, May 4, 2016</p>
</blockquote>

<p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/origin-of-the-phrase-loose-cannon" target="_blank">According to Merriam-Webster</a>, we have <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/84/lessons/1529" target="_blank">Teddy Roosevelt</a> to thank for the phrase&nbsp;&quot;loose cannon&quot; entering the zeitgeist. The phrase describes someone (or something) that is dangerously uncontrollable.</p>

<p>Before war ships had fixed-turret guns, cannons on wheels were rolled back and forth between the gunports. A cannon not properly secured could break loose and present a real hazard to sailors.</p>

<p>Roosevelt used this image when describing his legacy to journalist William Allan White, saying, &quot;I don&#39;t want to be the old cannon loose on the deck in the storm.&quot;</p>

<h2>More Examples</h2>

<ul>
	<li>
	<p>&quot;Deadline&quot; &ndash; a date or time when something must be finished&nbsp;<br />
	(From the lines drawn around war prisoners that were not allowed to be passed)</p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p>&quot;Flying colors&quot; &ndash; complete success<br />
	(From the tradition of victorious navy ships returning home with their&nbsp;flags&nbsp;flying)</p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p>&quot;No man&#39;s land&quot; &ndash; an ambiguous or uncertain situation<br />
	(From the WWII term used to describe land between the German trenches and the allied troops)</p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p>&quot;On the double&rdquo; &ndash; quickly, as fast as possible<br />
	(From the quickened marching pace for troops)</p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p>&quot;Roger&quot; &ndash; an acknowledgement,&nbsp;yes<br />
	(From the old NATO phonetic alphabet, where &quot;R&quot; was pronounced &quot;Roger&quot; on the radio)</p>
	</li>
</ul>


Military Language in Everyday Use

https://esllibrary-staging.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/title_image/1958/Simone_Military-Language-in-Everyday-Use_Banner.png

<p>Did you watch&nbsp;<a href="http://www.teflonline.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">TEFL International</a>&rsquo;s webinar on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkkH2IVLzYs&amp;ab_channel=TEFL%26TESOLCourses-ITTT" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ways to keep ESL students engaged after the lesson</a>? If you missed it, don&#39;t worry &ndash; we&rsquo;ve got you covered. Here are some key takeaways from the webinar.</p>

<h1>Customer Retention</h1>

<p>Even though customer retention is a marketing notion, the same concept can be applied to retain students. According to <a href="https://www.shopify.ca/blog/customer-retention-strategies#:~:text=Customer%20retention%20is%20the%20collection,from%20your%20existing%20customer%20base" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Shopify</a>, &ldquo;customer retention is the collection of activities a business uses to increase the number of repeat customers and to increase the profitability of each existing customer.&rdquo; In other words, if we apply this same idea to the classroom, student retention is the collection of activities a teacher uses to increase the number of repeat students.</p>

<h1>Tips for Student Retention</h1>

<p>How can an ESL teacher retain students and get them to come back? A combination of personal qualities, teaching techniques, and lesson dynamics can influence student retention. Keeping this in mind, here are some tips for retaining students:</p>

<h2>Give clear instructions.</h2>
<p>Repeat, rephrase, and confirm that your students understand the task.</p>

<h2>Give positive feedback and praise often.</h2>
<p>When providing a critique, be sensitive and encouraging. Try not to over-correct; use a range of correction techniques and ask concept-checking questions.</p>

<h2>Select topics and tasks that are interesting to your students.</h2>
<p>Make sure the activities and materials are both engaging and challenging but not overwhelming.</p>

<h2>Give students a manageable amount of homework.</h2>
<p>Choose homework tasks that they&rsquo;ll find interesting and relevant. Be careful not to assign too much homework. An overwhelming amount of homework can cause a student to quickly lose their motivation for learning.</li>
</ol>

<h1>In Summary</h1>

<p>Students will be eager to learn more from you if they understand the instructions, enjoy the classroom activities and homework tasks, and get appropriate and helpful feedback.</p>

<p>Teachers, what student retention strategies do you use to engage your students and get them to come back for another lesson? Let us know in the comments below!</p>


Recent Posts