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

Young Learners

<p>How are you feeling today? Let&rsquo;s take a selfie!</p>

<p>In ESL&nbsp;Library&rsquo;s <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/120/lessons">Artistic Activities</a> section, you&rsquo;ll find a <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/120/lessons/2653">Photography project</a> all about feelings. You can try this project after you use our Word Bank lesson on&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2414">Feelings</a>.</p>

<p>Your young learners will take or find photos of themselves expressing nine different emotions. Here are the nine feeling adjectives your learners will explore as they complete this&nbsp;project.</p>

<h1>Feeling Adjectives</h1>

<ul>
	<li>happy</li>
	<li>sad</li>
	<li>mad</li>
	<li>surprised</li>
	<li>bored</li>
	<li>jealous</li>
	<li>tired</li>
	<li>scared</li>
	<li>nervous</li>
</ul>

<h1>Learning New Vocabulary with Emojipedia</h1>

<p>One fun way to expand your students&rsquo; vocabulary is through emoji.* ESL&nbsp;Library&rsquo;s guest blogger <a href="http://www.techlearning.com/blogentry/9651">Shelly Terrell</a> recently introduced us to&nbsp;<a href="http://emojipedia.org/" title="Emojipedia">Emojipedia</a>.</p>

<p>Try this follow‑up activity after students complete their photography projects on&nbsp;feelings.</p>

<ol>
	<li>Challenge your students to go to <a href="http://emojipedia.org/">Emojipedia</a> and look up the feeling adjectives they learned in the Photography Project (list above). This can be done in pairs or small&nbsp;groups.</li>
	<li>Tell your students to write down nine new words that they learn during their search (e.g., <em>mad</em> &ndash; <em>pout</em>; <em>surprised</em> &ndash; <em>shocked</em>). This could be a synonym to a word they learned in the list above or a new word found in the&nbsp;definition.</li>
	<li>Ask students to draw a poster of a new emoji that describes one of the new words they learned on Emojipedia. Under the picture, they should write the new word they learned. Try to encourage your students to choose different words from each other. A few duplicates are&nbsp;okay.</li>
	<li>Post your students&rsquo; new emoji around the class or use them as flashcards. For example, during a thunderstorm, test, or year‑end celebration you could ask your students how they are feeling and hold up their cards as&nbsp;prompts.</li>
</ol>

<div class="whiteBox">
<h5>*Note</h5>

<p>The plural of &ldquo;emoji&rdquo; is <em>emoji</em> or <em>emojis</em>. Here is an interesting article about <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/01/whats-the-plural-of-emoji-emojis/422763/">pluralizing Japanese loan&nbsp;words</a>.</p>
</div>

<p><img alt="winking emoji" height="60" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/210/content_winking-emoji.png" width="60" /></p>

<p>Happy Teaching!<br />
Tara</p>

<p>PS. Did you know that the <a href="http://emojipedia.org/twitter/">Twitter Emoji</a> (Twemoji) come with a free license? Thank you to our creative director Robyn for sharing this tip! For ideas on <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/12-ways-to-use-twitter-with-language-learners">how to use Twitter in the classroom</a>, check out another great post by Shelly. And speaking of Twitter and Shelly and emoji, check out <a href="https://twitter.com/ShellTerrell/status/736172491832332288">@ShellTerrell&rsquo;s tweet about an emoji writing activity</a> that you can use with more advanced&nbsp;learners.</p>

<h1>Related</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2414">Feelings</a>: Word Bank</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/120/lessons/2653">Feelings</a>: Artistic Activities</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2496">Adjectives</a>: Fun Grammar Lessons</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/91/lessons/1819">Feelings</a>: Simple Sentences</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons/2381">Emoji</a>: Discussion Starters</li>
	<li class="flashcards"><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/4/flashcard_categories/39">Feelings &amp; Conditions</a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/assessment-tools/resources/2228-exit-slips">Exit Slips</a></li>
</ul>


Using Emoji to Review Feeling Adjectives

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

Conferences

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p class="caption"><img alt="2018 TESOL " src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/2200/content_tesol-2018_team-1024x768.jpeg" /></p>

<p class="caption">From left to right: Kyle (developer), Michael (developer), Taylor (accounts manager), Ben (CEO), Tanya (lead editor), Eduardo (head coder), Tara (head writer), Dan (product manager). Bottom center: Robyn &amp; Wally (creative director and her anxious&nbsp;cat)</p>

<h1>TESOL in Chicago</h1>

<p>The ESL&nbsp;Library team has just returned from our annual meet-up at the international TESOL convention. This year the conference was held in the windy city of&nbsp;Chicago! We&#39;ve come a long way since the first TESOL I attended with ESL&nbsp;Library back in 2010 when we used luggage racks as side tables. This year, ESL Library was the official sponsor of the international convention. We sponsored the prize booth and registration area. Throughout the week, we gave away three Apple Watches and several Amazon gift cards. It was a blast seeing so many TESOLers with their fingers crossed at our booth each&nbsp;afternoon. Congratulations to all of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Job81gJZxy0">lucky prize&nbsp;winners</a>!</p>

<p><img alt="2018 TESOL " src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/2201/content_IMG_0527-1024x768.jpeg" /></p>

<p>Thank you also to our creative director Robyn and accounts manager Taylor for coordinating and designing the ESL Library booth this year. This was by far the most stylish exhibit we&#39;ve ever had, though building it involved numerous competencies from &#39;Following Instructions&#39; to &#39;Interacting with Others&#39; and &#39;Getting Things Done.&#39; Ben, Taylor, and I can forever think of the trying day before TESOL 18 as TESOL Tuesday! Robyn had her own last-minute disaster when Wally, her anxious cat, mistook her as prey just before the trip. Sadly she was unable to join us in Chicago, but she was with us in&nbsp;spirit!</p>

<p><img alt="" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/2202/content_IMG_0505.jpg" /></p>

<h1>Sessions &amp; Demos</h1>

<p>Our team presented four back-to-back sessions on the first day of TESOL. It was a whirlwind of a day with live demos of our site and digital platform taking place back at the booth and in the session room. (Watch for a free digital lesson trial coming soon to all&nbsp;subscribers!)</p>

<p><img alt="2018 TESOL " src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/2203/content_IMG_0514-e1522777952934-768x1024.jpeg" /></p>

<p>In one session, Ben used Japanese to show teachers how to use <a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres">images</a> to elicit and reinforce language structures and vocabulary. In another session, Tanya and I officially launched ESL&nbsp;Library&#39;s NEW <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/tesol-18-yl/">YL &amp; Literacy</a> section. Thanks to all TESOL attendees who joined us for our sessions and&nbsp;demos!</p>

<h1>Professional Development</h1>

<p>In addition to presenting, Tanya and I also attended sessions about pronunciation, literacy, and the English Language Proficiency Standards. Just as we&#39;ve done with PBLA for our Canadian subscribers, we&#39;re now working on aligning our materials to the ELP Standards. It&#39;s amazing how much you can learn in a few well-planned TESOL&nbsp;sessions. Thank you to all of the presenters!</p>

<h1>Lodging &amp; Sightseeing</h1>

<p>Half of our team had a wonderful stay at W Chicago&nbsp;Hotel, which looks over the Navy Pier, while the other half stayed at the Sofitel on Chicago&#39;s Magnificent Mile. Together we enjoyed a wide variety of good food, from vegetarian and gluten-free to greasy, deep-dish pizza. We also took in some fun attractions and even hit a few dance floors! Through it all, we debated the past tense of&nbsp;&#39;<a href="https://twitter.com/ESLlibrary/status/979711152547606528">sightsee</a>.&#39;</p>

<h2>Restaurants</h2>

<p>Here are some of the restaurants we enjoyed in&nbsp;Chicago:</p>

<ul>
	<li>True Food Kitchen (delicious veggie&nbsp;fare)</li>
	<li>The Little Beet Table (100% gluten-free)</li>
	<li>Sushi Dokku (amazing food, excellent&nbsp;atmosphere)</li>
	<li>Giordano&#39;s (deep-dish pizza)</li>
	<li>The W Chicago Hotel (early morning breakfast&nbsp;smoothies)</li>
	<li>Timothy O&#39;Toole&#39;s Pub (traditional&nbsp;pub)</li>
</ul>

<h2>Attractions</h2>

<p>Sadly we didn&#39;t make it to the Winnipeg Jets game as planned, but we did take in some other attractions,&nbsp;including:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Navy Pier</li>
	<li>Redhead Piano Bar</li>
	<li>Millennium Park (to see Cloud Gate, aka &#39;the bean&#39;)</li>
	<li>Chicago Riverwalk</li>
	<li>United Center (for a Chicago Bulls game)</li>
</ul>

<p><img alt="2018 TESOL " src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/2204/content_IMG_0634-1024x768.jpeg" /></p>

<h1>Takeaways</h1>

<p>One of our top priorities at this year&#39;s TESOL conference was to launch our new app and show off our digital lessons. It was great to see so many teachers excited about our digital&nbsp;content. As always, we enjoyed meeting many long-term subscribers at TESOL. In past years, subscribers have come to our booth prepared with lists of new lessons and sections they&#39;d like to see. This year, however, many were stumped when we asked them what content they have trouble finding on ESL&nbsp;Library. Some said they would have to think about it and get back to us, while others asked us for more of their favorites, including more Grammar Stories, more Phonics worksheets, and more lessons on Historic Events and Science. Several attendees expressed relief to hear that we are working on aligning our materials with the English Language Proficiency&nbsp;Standards. The highlight of TESOL this year was on Friday afternoon when the second half of our family (our hardworking coders) flew in from Winnipeg and were able to get a taste of TESOL (and an epic team picture)! As remote workers, it was a thrill for Tanya and I to welcome them at the booth (and even to meet Michael, Dan, and Kyle face-to-face for the first time). The boys helped us with the takedown of the exhibit (our quickest TESOL exit to date) before we spent a fantastic evening together exploring the great city of&nbsp;Chicago. See you in Atlanta for #TESOL19!</p>

<p><img alt="2018 TESOL " src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/2205/content_IMG_0510-e1522777503706-1024x768.jpeg" /></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


ESL Library Sponsors TESOL 18 in Chicago

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

Teaching with Ellii

<table>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<th>Date:</th>
			<td>Wednesday, March 28, 2018</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Location:</th>
			<td>McCormick Place, Lakeside Center East, Chicago</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Room:</th>
			<td>E264</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Presenters:</th>
			<td>Tara&nbsp;Benwell&nbsp;(head&nbsp;writer) &amp; Tanya&nbsp;Trusler&nbsp;(lead&nbsp;editor)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Session Description:</th>
			<td>Join ESL&nbsp;Library&rsquo;s publishing team as we debut our new section for teaching young learners. Our writers will unveil our new YL content and look for feedback and suggestions from you. Come out and share your ideas and be part of ESL&nbsp;Library&rsquo;s exciting&nbsp;expansion!</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<p><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="541" src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vRZ_T5udxjDnmSifaSJgFYvyzrXf57Fwb8qMW_vlsKO_n7gTydSZNQ2dbzWKYuGlW8WFO7MXMhfRN24/embed?start=false&amp;loop=false&amp;delayms=3000" width="683"></iframe></p>

<h1>YL Materials on ESL&nbsp;Library</h1>

<p>The presenters officially launched ESL&nbsp;Library&rsquo;s <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/#young-learners-adult-literacy">Young Learners &amp; Literacy</a> section at TESOL&nbsp;18. As of March&nbsp;2018, this includes the following six&nbsp;sections:</p>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="collection"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/118/lessons">Phonics</a></li>
	<li class="collection"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons">Word Bank</a></li>
	<li class="collection"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons">Fun Grammar Lessons</a></li>
	<li class="collection"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/117/lessons">Discovery </a></li>
	<li class="collection"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/119/lessons">Guided Writing</a></li>
	<li class="collection"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/120/lessons">Artistic Activities</a></li>
</ul>

<p>Teachers of young learners will also be interested in the&nbsp;following:</p>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="flashcards"><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres">Flashcard Library</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/categories/young-learners">ESL Library Blog: Young&nbsp;Learners</a></li>
	<li class="collection"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/90/lessons">Grammar Stories</a></li>
	<li class="collection"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/89/lessons">Basic Grammar Sentences</a></li>
	<li class="collection"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/91/lessons">Simple Sentences</a></li>
</ul>

<h1>YL Samples Shown</h1>

<p>The following samples were&nbsp;shown:</p>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="flashcards">Flashcards: <a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/13/flashcard_categories/42">Fruit</a>, <a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/14/flashcard_categories/6">Animals</a>, <a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/10/flashcard_categories/59">Living Room</a></li>
	<li class="lesson">Phonics: <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/118/lessons/2593">The Letter T</a></li>
	<li class="lesson">Word Bank: <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2394">Easter</a></li>
	<li class="lesson">Fun Grammar Lessons: <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2515">Prepositions of Place</a></li>
	<li class="lesson">Discovery: <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/117/lessons/2554">Elephants </a></li>
	<li class="lesson">Guided Writing: <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/119/lessons/2674">My First Winter</a></li>
	<li class="lesson">Artistic Activities: <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/120/lessons/2641">Castle</a></li>
	<li class="lesson">Phonics Stories: <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/miscellaneous/resources/2683-phonics-stories-the-fat-rat-sample">The Fat Rat</a> (Coming&nbsp;soon!)</li>
</ul>

<h1>Handouts</h1>

<p>The presenters offered a few giveaways:</p>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/visual-learning/resources/2147-spring-easter-idioms-poster">Spring Idioms Poster</a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/visual-learning/resources/2215-following-the-teacher-s-instructions">Following the Teacher&rsquo;s Instructions</a></li>
</ul>

<p>Thank you to all attendees! Please <a href="https://ellii.com/contact/new">contact us</a> with any&nbsp;questions.</p>

<p>Tara &amp; Tanya</p>


(TESOL 18) NEW on ESL Library: Materials for Young Learners

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

Articles

Posts describing lessons or activities for the ESL classroom.

Activities

<p>Will you be talking about Easter in class this week? Hop to it and try our&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2394" target="_blank">Easter</a> vocabulary lesson&nbsp;with brand-new illustrations that kids will love! This nine-page <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons" target="_blank">Word Bank</a> lesson&nbsp;includes a colorful picture dictionary with images related to Easter. Activities such as a matchup, word choice, word search, word scramble, and spelling bee help make this lesson engaging and fun. Discussion questions at the end allow your students to use the new vocabulary in context. This lesson also has a listening activity. Our Word Bank lessons all come with a set of printable flashcards at the end. Hang them around your classroom for ready-made Easter decorations, or use them to elicit the vocabulary before the lesson or to quiz your students after the lesson. Find this lesson in the <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons" target="_blank">Word Bank</a> section.</p>

<h1>Related</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/visual-learning/resources/2147-spring-easter-idioms-poster" target="_blank">Spring &amp; Easter Idioms</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/english-skit-for-ells-spring-fever" target="_blank">English Skit for ELLs: Spring Fever</a></li>
	<li class="collection"><a href="https://ellii.com/collections/7/lessons" target="_blank">Spring &amp; Easter Collection</a> (includes Easter lessons for all levels)</li>
</ul>

Easter Vocabulary Lesson

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

Grammar & Usage

<p>Low-level English learners are taught to add ‑s to form a plural noun fairly early on. Fortunately, most English nouns follow this rule. Unfortunately, but perhaps not unexpectedly, there are&nbsp;exceptions!</p>

<p>Luckily these irregular plural forms can be mapped out into several recognizable patterns for the most part. Some plural nouns, such as <em>people</em>, <em>men</em>, <em>women</em>, <em>children</em>, <em>teeth</em>, and <em>feet</em> are so commonly used that they end up being pretty easy to remember. Other less common plurals, like <em>alumni</em>, <em>crises</em>, <em>lice</em>, or <em>sheep</em>, take a bit more exposure and&nbsp;practice.</p>

<p>Introduce the following chart to your English language learners, and then give some of the suggested practice activities a try. Your students will be comfortable with irregular plural nouns in no&nbsp;time!</p>

<h1>Chart</h1>

<p><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/103/resources/2680" target="_blank"><img alt="Irregular Plural Nouns resource" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/238/content_103_Irregular-Plural-Nouns_US.png" /></a></p>

<p class="caption">Grammar &amp; Usage Resources &ndash; <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/103/resources/2680" target="_blank">Irregular Plural Nouns</a></p>

<h1>Practice Activities</h1>

<h2>Eliciting</h2>

<p>Before handing out the chart, write ten or more of the words from the chart randomly on the board. Challenge students to find common patterns among the&nbsp;words.</p>

<h2>Ball Toss</h2>

<p>Bring in a soft ball (or use a small eraser or other small, soft object). Say a singular noun from the chart and toss the ball to a student. That student must give the plural form. Then that student will choose another singular noun and toss the ball to another student. Continue until all students have had a turn. You can choose to let them consult the chart or&nbsp;not.</p>

<h2>Additions</h2>

<p>Put your students in pairs and challenge them to add to the chart. Allow them to use their mobile devices or classroom computers to look up more irregular plurals. Make it more interesting by giving a time limit (the pair who has the most new words wins) or by insisting on five new words per category (or five new words in three categories of their&nbsp;choosing).</p>

<h2>Dialogues</h2>

<p>Put students into pairs and have them write their own dialogue using five (or ten) plural forms. Then have the pairs perform their dialogues for the class. Make it more interesting by having pairs use one&nbsp;<em>incorrect</em> plural form in their dialogue to see if the rest of the class can catch it during each&nbsp;performance.</p>

<h1>Related</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1621" target="_blank">Singular &amp; Plural Nouns</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2493" target="_blank">Regular &amp; Irregular Plural Nouns</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1613" target="_blank">Count Vs. Non-Count Nouns</a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/103/resources/2184" target="_blank">Non-Count Nouns Chart</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/plural-endings-s-or-es" target="_blank">Plural Endings: -s or -es?</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/count-non-count-nouns/" target="_blank">Count &amp; Non-Count Nouns</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/confusing-possessive-plurals" target="_blank">Confusing Possessive Plurals</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/subject-verb-agreement-non-count-nouns-that-end-in-s/" target="_blank">Subject&ndash;Verb Agreement: Non-Count Nouns That End in -s</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/there-is-there-are" target="_blank">There Is/There Are + Nouns in a Series</a></li>
</ul>


Irregular Plural Nouns

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<p>Has spring sprung in your neck of the woods? Have you taught your learners some <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/107/resources/2147">spring idioms</a>? <em>Spring Fever</em> is an easy skit to celebrate the beginning of spring. This skit has five main parts (one narrator and four neighbors). There are also a few lines for the chorus (other neighbors). You can change the names to your students&rsquo; names. Happy&nbsp;Spring!</p>

<h1>Characters</h1>

<ul>
	<li>Narrator</li>
	<li>Ella</li>
	<li>Lucille</li>
	<li>Juan</li>
	<li>Ralph</li>
	<li>Neighbors (who will say everything in bold)</li>
</ul>

<h1>Props</h1>

<ul>
	<li>sunglasses or Easter bonnet for Ella</li>
	<li>cane or gray wig for Lucille</li>
	<li>briefcase or file folder for Juan</li>
	<li>garden tools for Ralph</li>
	<li>rakes or brooms for the neighbors</li>
</ul>

<h1>Script</h1>

<h2>Spring Fever</h2>

<p>The energetic, joyful narrator stands in the center of the stage. Each character walks toward the narrator (or performs an appropriate action) when it is his/her turn to speak. The other neighbors (the chorus) can busy themselves raking or sweeping in various corners of the stage. The chorus joins in for all of the idiomatic language and expressions in&nbsp;<strong>bold</strong>.</p>

<table class="horizontal">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<th>Narrator:</th>
			<td>It&rsquo;s the first day of spring and I am <strong>full of the joys of spring</strong>. Let&rsquo;s see how my neighbors are doing. Here comes Ella. She&rsquo;s <strong>a ray of sunshine</strong>. Well hello there. Happy spring! How are you&nbsp;today?</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Ella:</th>
			<td>I couldn&rsquo;t be better! I have <strong>spring fever</strong>. Don&rsquo;t&nbsp;you?</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Narrator:</th>
			<td>I sure do! Oh, look. Here comes Lucille. Hi, neighbor. Long time no see. How is your&nbsp;back?</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Lucille:</th>
			<td>Well, I may be <strong>no spring chicken</strong>, but even I have <strong>a spring in my&nbsp;step</strong>&nbsp;today!</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Narrator:</th>
			<td>That&rsquo;s great to hear. Oh look. Here&rsquo;s my friend, Juan. He seems to be <strong>walking on eggshells</strong>. Is everything okay,&nbsp;<strong>bud</strong>?</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Juan:</th>
			<td>I sure hope so. I have a job interview&nbsp;today.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Narrator:</th>
			<td>Didn&rsquo;t you just get a new&nbsp;job?</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Juan:</th>
			<td>You know me! <strong>The grass is always greener on the other&nbsp;side</strong>.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Narrator:</th>
			<td><strong>Don&rsquo;t put all your eggs in one basket!</strong> Hey, have a look at Ralph. He seems ready to <strong>spring into&nbsp;action</strong>!</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Narrator:</th>
			<td><em>[shouting to neighbor who is kneeling in garden]</em> Happy spring, Ralph! You aren&rsquo;t planting flowers already, are&nbsp;you?</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Ralph:</th>
			<td>You bet I am! <strong>Everything is coming up&nbsp;roses!</strong></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Narrator:</th>
			<td><em>[aside to the audience, skeptical that winter won&rsquo;t return]</em> <strong>Don&rsquo;t count your chickens before they&nbsp;hatch!</strong></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Narrator:</th>
			<td><em>[to Ralph]</em> I think I&rsquo;ll <strong>spring for</strong> some tulips&nbsp;myself!</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Narrator:</th>
			<td><em>[back to audience]</em> Well, there you have it, folks! Spring has sprung! How are things looking <strong>in your neck of the&nbsp;woods</strong>?</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<h1>Vocabulary</h1>

<table class="horizontal has-borders">
	<thead>
		<tr>
			<th>Vocabulary</th>
			<th>Meaning</th>
		</tr>
	</thead>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<th>full of the joys of spring</th>
			<td>very joyful</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>a ray of sunshine</th>
			<td>a person who is very positive</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>spring fever</th>
			<td>a feeling of happiness when balmy weather&nbsp;returns</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>no spring chicken</th>
			<td>not a young person&nbsp;anymore</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>have a spring in one&rsquo;s step</th>
			<td>to feel alive and&nbsp;energetic</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>walking on eggshells</th>
			<td>feeling nervous</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>bud</th>
			<td>a friend (short for &ldquo;buddy&rdquo;)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>the grass is always greener on the other side</th>
			<td>one always thinks the alternative will bring more&nbsp;happiness</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Don&rsquo;t put all your eggs in one&nbsp;basket.</th>
			<td>Don&rsquo;t rely on one thing to make you happy or achieve&nbsp;success.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Everything is coming up&nbsp;roses.</th>
			<td>Life is wonderful.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Don&rsquo;t count your chickens before they&nbsp;hatch.</th>
			<td>Don&rsquo;t get too excited until you know that something is really going to&nbsp;happen.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>spring for</th>
			<td>to spend a bit more money on&nbsp;something</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>your neck of the&nbsp;woods</th>
			<td>your neighborhood/community</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<h1>Related</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/visual-learning/resources/2147-spring-easter-idioms-poster">Spring &amp; Easter Idioms (with or without vocabulary)</a></li>
	<li class="collection"><a href="https://ellii.com/collections/7/lessons">Spring &amp; Easter Collection</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/english-skit-for-young-learners-so-long-polar-bear">English Skit for Young Learners: So Long, Polar Bear</a></li>
</ul>


English Skit for ELLs: Spring Fever

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<p>Are you looking for some fun St. Patrick&rsquo;s Day activities to do at your green party this week? You are having a green party, aren&rsquo;t&nbsp;you?</p>

<p>At a green party, the students dress in green, eat green food, and drink green beverages. You can serve green milk and cookies, or green cupcakes and juice. You&rsquo;ll also need some fun St. Patrick&rsquo;s Day&nbsp;activities!</p>

<h1>3 Activities for St. Patrick&rsquo;s&nbsp;Day</h1>

<p>Print out this <a href="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/2153/content_Tara_St-Patricks-Day-Party-Activities.pdf" target="_blank">handout</a> to eliminate prep work. This is a party after all! Photocopy as many copies as you need. You&rsquo;ll also need string, scissors, clothes pegs (or paperclips), and coloring utensils (lots of&nbsp;green).</p>

<p><a href="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/2153/content_Tara_St-Patricks-Day-Party-Activities.pdf" target="_blank"><img alt="Preview of activity sheet" height="411" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/2154/content_Tara_St-Patricks-Day-Party-Activities_Preview.png" width="1024" /></a></p>

<h2>1. A String of Good&nbsp;Luck</h2>

<p>Put students in small groups or do this activity as one big class. Cut a long piece of string (as long as your classroom or hallway). Brainstorm all of the occasions when people wish each other &ldquo;good luck.&rdquo; Challenge your students to come up with 100! Or ask each student/group to come up with 7 (for good luck). You can print and cut out the clovers (page 1 of the PDF) or have students draw their own. Then have students write their &ldquo;good luck&rdquo; statements in the blanks before they hang their clovers on the string. You may need to help your students with prepositions (with/on/in). In some cases, more than one preposition may be&nbsp;possible.</p>

<p>You could do a few examples on the board. Teach them that they can use <strong>Good luck</strong> <strong>+ -ing verb</strong>. (<em>Good luck winning the drawing contest.</em>) OR <strong>Good luck + preposition + noun</strong>. (<em>Good luck in the drawing&nbsp;contest.</em>)</p>

<blockquote>
<p>Good luck on your speech. Good luck delivering your speech. Good luck in your soccer game. Good luck playing soccer. Good luck winning the lottery. Good luck in the&nbsp;lottery.</p>
</blockquote>

<h2>2. Thank Your Lucky&nbsp;Stars</h2>

<p>Designate an area of your classroom or hallway as a place of <strong>gratitude</strong>! Invite every student and teacher in the school to fill out at least one star. Decorate the hall with things the people in your school are thankful for. Drawing stars is tricky! You can print these stars (page 2 of the PDF) and have students cut them out. Invite some artistic students to make a sign that says &ldquo;Thank Your Lucky&nbsp;Stars.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Here are some examples you could put on the board: <strong>I&rsquo;m thankful for +&nbsp;noun</strong></p>

<blockquote>
<p>I&rsquo;m thankful for sunshine. I&rsquo;m thankful for my teacher. I&rsquo;m thankful for my sister. I&rsquo;m thankful for books. I&rsquo;m thankful for music. I&rsquo;m thankful for peace. I&rsquo;m thankful for printable lesson plans and&nbsp;activities.</p>
</blockquote>

<h2>3. The Luck of the&nbsp;Draw</h2>

<p>Hold a drawing contest on St. Patrick&rsquo;s Day (page 3 of the PDF). Here are some possible things students can&nbsp;draw:</p>

<ul>
	<li>a leprechaun</li>
	<li>a rainbow with a pot of gold at the end of&nbsp;it</li>
	<li>a green scene<strong>*</strong></li>
	<li>their favorite character holding a four‑leaf&nbsp;clover</li>
</ul>

<p>Check out our <a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/21/flashcard_categories/89" target="_blank">St. Patrick&rsquo;s Day Flashcards</a> for other&nbsp;ideas.</p>

<p>Be sure to choose the winner randomly so that your students learn the idiom &ldquo;luck of the draw.&rdquo; For the prize you could pick up some chocolate coins or give away something green. Better yet, allow the winning student to be your <strong>&ldquo;Lucky Leader&rdquo;</strong> for the week. You can let your Lucky Leader line up first or choose first for any activities you do this&nbsp;week.</p>

<p><strong>*</strong>This would be a fun time to introduce some different shades of green: forest green, mint green, turquoise, teal, olive, army green, and of course Kelly green, after the Irish name&nbsp;Kelly!</p>

<h1>Related</h1>

<p>For all of our related lessons and materials, check out our <a href="https://ellii.com/collections/5/lessons" target="_blank">Lesson Collection on&nbsp;Luck</a>!</p>


St. Patrick's Day Party Activities

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<blockquote>
<p>&ldquo;Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it&rsquo;s the only thing that ever&nbsp;has.&rdquo;</p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;Margaret Mead</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Social media and the Internet has made it easier for people to congregate to advocate over issues or causes. Many of these causes gain support through hashtags on Twitter (#) or by creating Facebook groups. This makes it easier to organize events and share resources. English Language Teachers are passionate about their learners and field; therefore, it should be no surprise that many have gathered to advocate for equality for their learners and colleagues. Below are some of the causes, which are ensuring all English language teachers and their students are treated fairly no matter their gender, culture, economic status, or native&nbsp;language.</p>

<h1>Gender Balance Advocacy</h1>

<p><a href="http://efltalks.com/">EFL Talks</a>, founded by Rob Howard, is hosting an incredible free online event highlighting <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/215123952374408/">Inspiring Women in ELT</a> on March 10 and 11th. Join the online web platform during the time to see 24 women in ELT delivering inspirational messages in 10 minutes with only 10 slides! ESL&nbsp;Library blogger, <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/authors/shelly-terrell/">Shelly Sanchez Terrell</a>, will be one of the keynotes along with past IATEFL president, <a href="https://twitter.com/marjorierosenbe?lang=en">Marjorie&nbsp;Rosenberg</a>.</p>

<p><a href="http://thefairlist.org/">The Fair List</a> was founded by <a href="https://www.nile-elt.com/ourpeople/profiles/tessawoodward/602">Tessa Woodward</a>. The website describes the Fair List as &ldquo;an annual award that celebrates excellence of gender balance in plenary speakers, presenters and speaker panels at ELT events in the UK.&rdquo; The goal is to promote &ldquo;wider coverage of relevant topics and a more balanced perspective on the issues affecting both women and men&rdquo; in ELT.</p>

<p>The <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1321867864514301/">Women in ELT Facebook group</a> was founded by Nicola Prentis and has over 1,000 members. The description encourages the women who join to &ldquo;network, share resources, discuss anything that relates to being a woman in ELT, disagree, agree, agree to disagree and get stuff done.&rdquo;</p>

<p>The <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/tesolwomen/">Women in TESOL Facebook group</a> is moderated by Joy Fujii and Hershey Wier-Global. Females who join the group exchange ideas and resources related to these themes: institutionalized discrimination in education, the hidden agenda of mainstream media, the unequal hiring of ELT females at universities, harassment, and progress towards a more egalitarian educational&nbsp;system.</p>

<h1>Equal Opportunities to&nbsp;Shine</h1>

<p><a href="https://evecalendar.wordpress.com/">EVE</a>: Equal Voices in ELT is an idea conceived by <a href="https://twitter.com/fionamau">Fiona Mauchline</a> and <a href="http://www.eltteacher2writer.co.uk/sue-leather">Sue Leather</a> that recognizes through badges ELT conferences and events with gender and highly proficient speaker parity. These events are listed in the EVE calendar and awarded one of three badges (purple, green, or platinum). Follow the cause on Twitter,&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/eve_elt">@EVE_elt</a>.</p>

<p><a href="http://teflequityadvocates.com/">TEFL Equity Advocates and Academy</a> was founded by <a href="https://teflreflections.wordpress.com/">Marek Kiczkowiak</a> in April 2014 to advocate for equal professional opportunities for &lsquo;native&rsquo; and &lsquo;non-native&rsquo; English speaking teachers. TEFL Equity encourages schools and learning institutions to establish egalitarian employment policies and have listed those who do in their Hall of Fame. TEFL Equity also features a job board and the TEFL Equity Academy to train teachers. Follow the cause on Twitter,&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/teflequity?lang=en">@TEFLEquity</a>.</p>

<h1>Advocacy for English Language&nbsp;Learners</h1>

<p>Heart ELT is a movement to help provide funding and resources for refugee children in Iraq to have a safe learning place to play and sing. The Heart School began with crowdsourced funds and now the organizers publish books with activities donated by leading international ELT authors and teachers. Support the cause by donating an activity, purchasing one of the books, or offering services as an editor, proofreader, designer, or illustrator. ESL&nbsp;Library blogger, <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/authors/shelly-terrell/">Shelly Sanchez Terrell</a>, is one of the ELT authors who has donated an&nbsp;activity.</p>

<p><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TESOLAdvocacy?src=hash">#TESOLAdvocacy</a> is a Twitter hashtag started by <a href="http://www.tesol.org/">TESOL International</a> to promote their TESOL Advocacy &amp; Policy Summit. However, the hashtag is also used to share news about policies impacting immigrants and refugees. TESOL lists several <a href="http://www.tesol.org/advance-the-field/advocacy-resources">resources and support</a> for teachers who are concerned about policies impacting their English Language&nbsp;Learners.</p>

<p>The <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DisabledAccessFriendly/">Disabled Access Friendly Campaign</a> organized by Katie Quartano and Paul Shaw, was a 2014 ELTons winner. Unfortunately, the movement seems to be on pause, but <a href="https://marisaconstantinides.edublogs.org/2011/05/14/blog-challenge-a-disabled-access-friendly-world-lessons-for-the-elt-classroom">Marisa Constantinides</a> has collected blog posts by various ELT teachers, which explore disability issues and develop students&rsquo; social awareness and empathy of these&nbsp;issues.</p>

<p>Which causes are you passionate about in ELT? What organizations or resources help you&nbsp;advocate?</p>

<p>If you want to receive more of Shelly&rsquo;s tips for online resources for teaching English, then check out her <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/authors/shelly-terrell">ESL&nbsp;Library&nbsp;feed</a>!</p>


Congregate for Change! 9 Advocacy Groups & Events Enhancing ELT

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<p>Are your students learning about animals? Do they like to perform and show off what they&rsquo;ve learned? Here is an easy skit for your young learners to&nbsp;try. This skit has seven main characters with a few lines each. There are also a few lines for the rest of the class. Have&nbsp;fun!</p>

<h1>Characters</h1>

<ul>
	<li>Narrator</li>
	<li>Elephant</li>
	<li>Parrot</li>
	<li>Peacock</li>
	<li>Lion</li>
	<li>Polar bear</li>
	<li>Zookeeper</li>
	<li>Zoo visitors (everyone else)</li>
</ul>

<h1>Props</h1>

<ul>
	<li>Pictures of the 5 animal characters taped to sticks (scroll to end of <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2427">Zoo Animals</a> lesson for full-page flashcards)</li>
	<li>Many signs that say <em>Send the polar bear home!</em> and <em> The polar bear needs to roam!</em> and one sign that says <em>THE END</em> (print these <a href="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/211/content_Tara_So-Long-Polar-Bear_Signs.pdf">ready-made&nbsp;signs</a>)</li>
	<li>A name tag that says <em>Zookeeper</em></li>
</ul>

<h1>Script</h1>

<h2>So Long, Polar Bear</h2>

<p>Animal characters stand in the center of the stage holding the picture of their animal out for the audience to see. The animals can step forward when it&rsquo;s their turn to speak. The signs about the polar bear can be placed at their feet. The narrator stands at the side or front of the stage. The visitors (extras) stand on the other side of the stage with their polar bear signs behind their&nbsp;backs.</p>

<table class="horizontal">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<th>Narrator:</th>
			<td>Once upon a time there was a big zoo. The biggest animal at the zoo was the&nbsp;elephant!</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Elephant:</th>
			<td>This zoo is too small.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Parrot:</th>
			<td><em>[parrot voice, repeating]</em> This zoo is too small.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Narrator:</th>
			<td>The prettiest animal was the peacock.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Peacock:</th>
			<td>I&rsquo;m the prettiest animal of all.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Parrot:</th>
			<td>I&rsquo;m the prettiest animal of all.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Narrator:</th>
			<td>The loudest animal was the lion.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Lion:</th>
			<td><em>[loudly]</em> I&rsquo;m the loudest animal. Hear me roar!</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Parrot:</th>
			<td>I&rsquo;m the loudest animal. Hear me&hellip;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Lion:</th>
			<td><em>[looks at parrot]</em> Roar!</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<p><em>The parrot flies offstage.</em></p>

<table class="horizontal">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<th>Narrator:</th>
			<td>The lion was the loudest, but the noisiest animal was the parrot.</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<p><em>The parrot flies back onstage.</em></p>

<table class="horizontal">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<th>Parrot:</th>
			<td>The noisiest animal was the&hellip;hey!</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Everyone (except parrot):</th>
			<td><em>[Laughter]</em></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Narrator:</th>
			<td>The saddest animal at the zoo was the polar bear.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Polar Bear:</th>
			<td><em>[sadly]</em> This zoo is too warm.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Everyone:</th>
			<td><em>[sadly]</em> Aww!</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Parrot:</th>
			<td><em>[in a more serious voice]</em> It&rsquo;s true. This zoo is too warm for the polar bear.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Everyone:</th>
			<td>You can say that again.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Parrot:</th>
			<td>This zoo is too warm for the polar bear.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Narrator:</th>
			<td>One day, the zoo animals had a meeting.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Elephant:</th>
			<td>It&rsquo;s too warm for the polar bear at this zoo. What are we going to do?</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Lion:</th>
			<td>The polar bear needs to go home.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Peacock:</th>
			<td>The polar bear needs to roam.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Parrot:</th>
			<td><em>[excitedly]</em> The polar bear needs to go home. The polar bear needs to roam.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Everyone:</th>
			<td>The polar bear needs to go home. The polar bear needs to roam.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Narrator:</th>
			<td>The zoo animals made some signs.</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<p><em>Animals hold up signs that say:</em> The polar bear needs to roam. Send the polar bear&nbsp;home.</p>

<table class="horizontal">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<th>Narrator:</th>
			<td>The zoo visitors made signs&nbsp;too.</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<p><em>Zoo visitors walk across the stage showing their signs:</em> Send the polar bear home. The polar bear needs to&nbsp;roam.</p>

<table class="horizontal">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<th>Narrator:</th>
			<td>One day, visitors stopped coming into the&nbsp;zoo.</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<p><em>Visitors walk offstage.</em></p>

<table class="horizontal">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<th>Narrator:</th>
			<td>All of the animals were sad. The saddest animal was still the polar&nbsp;bear.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Lion:</th>
			<td>This zoo feels too quiet.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Elephant:</th>
			<td>This zoo feels too big.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Peacock:</th>
			<td>I don&rsquo;t feel pretty.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Polar Bear:</th>
			<td>I feel too hot.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Parrot:</th>
			<td>Too quiet. Too big. Too hot. Not&nbsp;pretty!</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Narrator:</th>
			<td>One day, the zookeeper made a big&nbsp;announcement.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Zookeeper:</th>
			<td>We are sending the polar bear home! The polar bear needs to&nbsp;roam!</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<p><em>Zoo visitors walk onstage and tear up their&nbsp;signs.</em></p>

<table class="horizontal">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<th>Narrator:</th>
			<td>All of the animals cheered! All of the people cheered too.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Everyone:</th>
			<td>So long, Polar Bear!</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<p><em>Everyone waves. The polar bear runs happily off the stage. The parrot flies across the stage with a sign that says THE&nbsp;END.</em></p>

<h1>Vocabulary</h1>

<table class="horizontal has-borders">
	<thead>
		<tr>
			<th>Vocabulary</th>
			<th>Meaning</th>
		</tr>
	</thead>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<th>you can say that again</th>
			<td>I agree strongly</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>roam</th>
			<td>to move about freely</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>cheer</th>
			<td>to express happiness/success loudly</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>so long</th>
			<td>goodbye</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<h1>Related</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2427">Word Bank: Zoo Animals</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons">Fun Grammar Lessons: Adjectives</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2532">Fun Grammar Lessons: Superlatives</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons/1263">Discussion Starters: Climate Change</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons/1220">Discussion Starters: Zoos</a></li>
	<li class="flashcards"><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/14/flashcard_categories/6">Flashcards: Animals</a></li>
</ul>

<p>Find ESL Library&rsquo;s lesson on <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2427">Zoo Animals</a> in the <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/">Word Bank</a>&nbsp;section.</p>


English Skit for Young Learners: So Long, Polar Bear

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<p>When students learn how to form the plural of countable English nouns, they realize they have to memorize a lot of <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2493" target="_blank">irregular plural nouns</a>. At least if the word is regular, they only have to add <span class="inlineBlock">-s</span>. Or do they? Some English words ending in certain letters take <span class="inlineBlock">-es</span> instead of <span class="inlineBlock">-s.</span> Are there any rules we can teach our students to make English plurals a little easier to&nbsp;learn?</p>

<h1>Adding <span class="inlineBlock">-s</span></h1>

<p>Most regular count nouns take the <span class="inlineBlock">-s</span> ending to form the plural. Students learn this at an early level, and while it&rsquo;s a fairly straightforward rule, there are some tricky exceptions such as irregular plural forms (but that&rsquo;s a post for another&nbsp;day).</p>

<ul>
	<li>book &rarr; books</li>
	<li>dog &rarr; dogs</li>
	<li>movie &rarr; movies</li>
</ul>

<p>Do we add <span class="inlineBlock">-s</span> or <span class="inlineBlock">-es</span> to words ending in the vowel ‑o? Most of these words follow the normal pattern and take the <span class="inlineBlock">-s</span> plural&nbsp;ending.</p>

<ul>
	<li>radio &rarr; radios</li>
	<li>photo &rarr; photos</li>
	<li>kangaroo &rarr; kangaroos</li>
</ul>

<h1>Adding -es</h1>

<p>When do we add <span class="inlineBlock">-es</span> to form the plural? We usually write <span class="inlineBlock">-es</span> to demonstrate a change in pronunciation. It would be too difficult to pronounce an <span class="inlineBlock">-s</span> ending after certain similar-sounding consonants (<span class="inlineBlock">-s,</span> <span class="inlineBlock">-z,</span>, ‑x, ‑sh, and ‑ch), which is why we need to add an extra syllable. This syllable is written as <span class="inlineBlock">-es</span> and pronounced as&nbsp;<span class="inlineBlock">/əz/.</span></p>

<ul>
	<li>kiss &rarr; kisses /ˈkɪs əz/</li>
	<li>quiz &rarr; quizzes&nbsp;/ˈkwɪz əz/</li>
	<li>box &rarr; boxes&nbsp;/ˈbɑks əz/</li>
	<li>dish &rarr; dishes /ˈdɪ ʃəz/</li>
	<li>watch &rarr; watches /ˈw&aelig; tʃəz/</li>
</ul>

<p>What about a word like &ldquo;potatoes&rdquo;? Some words ending in <span class="inlineBlock">-o</span> must take <span class="inlineBlock">-es</span>. There aren&rsquo;t too many of these types of words, but some common ones&nbsp;include:</p>

<ul>
	<li>potato &rarr; potatoes</li>
	<li>tomato &rarr; tomatoes</li>
	<li>hero &rarr; heroes</li>
</ul>

<h1>Adding <span class="inlineBlock">-s</span> or ‑es</h1>

<p>What about words that can take either <span class="inlineBlock">-s</span> or <span class="inlineBlock">-es</span>? Many words ending in the vowel <span class="inlineBlock">-o</span> fall into this category, where either plural ending is acceptable and correct. In almost all of these cases, dictionaries list the <span class="inlineBlock">-es</span> form as the slightly more common&nbsp;form.</p>

<ul>
	<li>mango &rarr; mangoes/mangos</li>
	<li>mosquito &rarr; mosquitoes/mosquitos</li>
	<li>zero &rarr; zeroes/zeros</li>
	<li>volcano &rarr; volcanoes/volcanos</li>
	<li>tornado &rarr; tornadoes/tornados</li>
</ul>

<p>For these cases, should we teach our students one rule (i.e., to always add <span class="inlineBlock">-s</span> or always add <span class="inlineBlock">-es</span>) or to use the most common dictionary form? This question came up while we were developing our new Famous Things lesson on <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/82/lessons/2669" target="_blank">Volcanoes</a>&mdash;we had to decide if we should use <em>volcanos</em> or <em>volcanoes</em> in the&nbsp;lesson.</p>

<p>Both <em>volcanoes</em> and <em>volcanos</em> are acceptable, correct spellings. We chose to use <em>volcanoes</em> since most dictionaries, such as&nbsp;<em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/volcano" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Merriam-Webster</a></em> and <a href="https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/volcano" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Oxford</em></a>, list <em>volcanoes</em> as the main entry and&nbsp;<em>volcanos</em> as the variant. Though <span class="inlineBlock">-s</span> may be the &ldquo;easier&rdquo; rule, we felt it was important to teach the most common plural form to&nbsp;students.</p>

<h1>Conclusion &amp; Other Rules</h1>

<p>There is good news for students! The list of words ending in ‑o that take only <span class="inlineBlock">-es</span> is very short, with <em>potatoes</em>&nbsp;and <em>tomatoes&nbsp;</em>being the most common words. This means that if students can&rsquo;t remember if a word takes <span class="inlineBlock">-s</span> or <span class="inlineBlock">-es</span> more often (such as <em>mosquitos/mosquitoes</em>), they can add only <span class="inlineBlock">-s</span> and there&rsquo;s a high chance it will be an acceptable, correct spelling. Remind students, though, that it&rsquo;s best to use the more common spelling and to look it up when they&nbsp;can.</p>

<p>Some other rules that might be helpful for your students&nbsp;include:</p>

<ol>
	<li>If a word ends in <span class="inlineBlock">-oe</span>, add <span class="inlineBlock">-s</span> (e.g.,&nbsp;<em>toe &rarr; toes, shoe &rarr; shoes</em>).</li>
	<li>If the letter before the final <span class="inlineBlock">-o</span> is a vowel, add <span class="inlineBlock">-s</span> (e.g.,&nbsp;<em>patio &rarr; patios, video &rarr; videos</em>).</li>
	<li>If the word ending in <span class="inlineBlock">-o</span> is short for a longer word (e.g.,&nbsp;<em>photograph &rarr; photo,&nbsp;</em><em>automobile &rarr; auto</em>), add <span class="inlineBlock">-s</span> (e.g., <em>photos,&nbsp;autos</em>).</li>
</ol>

<h1>Related</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1621" target="_blank">Singluar &amp; Plural Nouns</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2493" target="_blank">Regular &amp; Irregular Plural Nouns</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/82/lessons/2669" target="_blank">Volcanoes</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/82/lessons/2736" target="_blank">Tornadoes</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/confusing-possessive-plurals" target="_blank">Confusing Possessive Plurals</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/forming-the-possessive-of-words-ending-in-s" target="_blank">Forming the Possessive of Words Ending in -s</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/count-non-count-nouns/" target="_blank">Count &amp; Non-Count Nouns</a></li>
</ul>


Plural Endings: -s or -es?

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<p>Love stories are a lot of fun when they involve people you know. This month, ask your students to interview a couple that they know. They should interview one person at a time using the same four questions (provided below). After the interview, they can practice using the simple past tense to retell the love story to their classmates. Which couple had the best love&nbsp;story?</p>

<h1>1. Choose a&nbsp;Couple</h1>

<p>Tell your students to choose a couple that they know. Here are some&nbsp;ideas:</p>

<ul>
	<li>mom &amp; dad</li>
	<li>grandma &amp; grandpa</li>
	<li>cousin &amp; boyfriend/girlfriend</li>
	<li>a married couple next door or at church/soccer</li>
	<li>teacher &amp; husband/wife</li>
</ul>

<h1>2. Interview the&nbsp;Couple</h1>

<p>Print two copies of&nbsp;the <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/105/resources/3471">Love Interview</a> for each student. Each student needs two pages so that students can interview the two people separately. They should ask each person the following four&nbsp;questions.</p>

<ol>
	<li>How did you meet (<em>sweetheart&#39;s name</em>)?</li>
	<li>Why did you like (<em>sweetheart)</em>?</li>
	<li>What&rsquo;s the best gift (<em>sweetheart</em>) ever gave&nbsp;you?</li>
	<li>Describe (<em>sweetheart</em>) in one&nbsp;word.</li>
</ol>

<p><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/105/resources/3471"><img alt="" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1180/content_Tara_A-Love-Story.jpg" /></a></p>

<h1>3. Share the Love&nbsp;Story</h1>

<p>Have your students report their findings to a classmate or the whole class as a Valentine&rsquo;s Day&nbsp;activity.</p>

<h2>Example</h2>

<ul>
	<li>My grandparents met at a grocery&nbsp;store.</li>
	<li>My grandpa liked my grandma&rsquo;s long&nbsp;hair.</li>
	<li>My grandma liked my grandpa&rsquo;s sense of&nbsp;humor.</li>
	<li>The best gift my grandma received was an engagement&nbsp;ring.</li>
	<li>The best gift my grandpa received was a subscription to a car&nbsp;magazine.</li>
	<li>The word my grandpa used to describe my grandma was&nbsp;<em>genius</em>.</li>
	<li>The word my grandma used to describe my grandpa was&nbsp;<em>joker</em>.</li>
</ul>

<h1>Optional Activity: Fact or&nbsp;Fiction?</h1>

<p>Older or more advanced learners might have fun mixing this activity up a little. During the sharing time, tell your students they can change the answers if they want to. Some of the answers can be true, and some can be made up. My students love fooling their friends&mdash;don&rsquo;t&nbsp;yours?</p>

<table class="has-borders horizontal">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<th>Student&nbsp;A:</th>
			<td>My grandparents met at the Olympic&nbsp;Games.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Student&nbsp;B:</th>
			<td>I don&rsquo;t believe you!</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Student&nbsp;A:</th>
			<td>It&rsquo;s true!</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Student&nbsp;B:</th>
			<td>Really? Why did your grandpa like your&nbsp;grandma?</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Student&nbsp;A:</th>
			<td>My grandpa liked my grandma because she was a good&nbsp;cook.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Student&nbsp;B:</th>
			<td>I believe that.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Student&nbsp;A:</th>
			<td>You do? I fooled you. My grandma is a terrible cook! My grandpa liked my grandma because she wore a pretty&nbsp;dress.</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<p>The interview couple might also like to see each other&rsquo;s answers. Encourage your students to share the answers out loud with the couple&nbsp;too.</p>

<blockquote>
<p>Grandpa said you met at a grocery store. Grandma said she liked your sense of&nbsp;humor.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Happy Valentine&rsquo;s Day!<br />
Tara</p>

<p>PS. I hope you&rsquo;ll come back and share a love story with us in the&nbsp;comments!</p>

<h1>Related</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2504">Simple Past Lesson</a></li>
	<li class="collection"><a href="https://ellii.com/collections/4/lessons">Love &amp; Relationships</a></li>
	<li class="flashcards"><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/21/flashcard_categories/107">Valentine&rsquo;s Day Flashcards</a></li>
</ul>


Valentine's Day Interview: A Love Story

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<p>Many countries will celebrate Valentine&#39;s Day on February 14. In some schools, it&#39;s common to participate in Valentine&#39;s Day activities like giving out cards and candy in class. Your students will also love our colorful&nbsp;<strong><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2616" target="_blank">Valentine&#39;s Day</a></strong> vocabulary lesson! This lesson is suitable for young learners and literacy students. Our nine-page <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons" target="_blank">Word Bank</a> lesson includes a colorful picture dictionary with 12 Valentine&#39;s Day words. Activities such as a matchup, word choice, word search, word scramble, spelling bee, and listening activity help make this lesson engaging and fun. Finish up with the discussion questions so that your students can try using the new vocabulary in context!</p>

<p>Check out our <a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/21/flashcard_categories/107" target="_blank">Valentine&#39;s Day Flashcards</a> for even more theme-based vocabulary.</p>

<h1>Related</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="collection"><a href="https://ellii.com/collections/4/lessons" target="_blank">Love &amp; Relationships Lesson Collection</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1959" target="_blank">Valentine&#39;s Day &ndash; Beg </a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1863" target="_blank">Valentine&#39;s Day &ndash; Low Int </a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1862" target="_blank">Valentine&#39;s Day &ndash; High Int </a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/107/resources/2145" target="_blank">Love Idioms Poster</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/valentines-day-interview-a-love-story" target="_blank">Valentine&#39;s Day Interview: A Love Story</a></li>
</ul>


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