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

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

Conferences

<p>In 2005, my husband and I embarked on our first adventure in Latin America. We started with a monthlong stay at a friend&rsquo;s in Ilhabela, Brazil. Our next stop was Montevideo. Needless to say, this city will always hold a special place in my heart.&nbsp;</p>

<p>If you&rsquo;d told me then that I would return 20 years later to speak at a conference, I probably wouldn&rsquo;t have believed you! But this year I returned and delivered a workshop on making learning accessible in the mixed-ability classroom.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The content of my session was in some ways a sneak peek at the pre-recorded input I created for Rachel Oner&rsquo;s<strong> Learning Differences and Inclusion course for Nile ELT</strong>.&nbsp;I discussed barriers to learning and made suggestions of simple ways to make lessons accessible for diverse abilities and learning needs.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Montevideo</h2>

<p>Montevideo in winter reminded me of Scotland. Walking along the seafront, I felt like I was in a Scottish coastal town. Even the architecture was reminiscent of Glasgow!&nbsp;</p>

<p>I didn&rsquo;t have a huge amount of time for sightseeing, but I knew that I wanted to eat chorip&aacute;n at the Mercado del Puerto. On our first visit 20 years ago, this was my first introduction to a chorizo roll. I have dreamed about it ever since.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>The sessions</h2>

<h3>Ben Goldstein</h3>

<p>Ben Goldstein&rsquo;s opening plenary asked &quot;Where do I fit in now?&quot; He explored post-pandemic teacher roles and how teachers fit in the age of AI. It focused on how teachers can offer their empathy, understanding, and human touch to connect with learners. The session was engaging, thought-provoking, and reassuring.&nbsp;</p>

<h3>Emily Bryson</h3>

<p>I got lucky and had the second slot. My workshop gave teachers the opportunity to explore simple ways they could make learning accessible. I was delighted that many teachers enthusiastically approached me at the end to say how helpful and inspiring it had been. Even Jeremy Harmer said it was &quot;absolutely brilliant.&quot; You can&rsquo;t beat a review like that from an ELT great!</p>

<h3>Susan Hillyard &amp; Claudia Rey</h3>

<p>Next up were Susan Hillyard and Claudia Rey, who share 90 years of collective teaching experience. They took us on an entertaining journey from the era of tapes and developmental psychology to the current era of social-emotional learning, inclusive practices, and AI. They also shared their top tips for how to stay enthusiastic, inspired, and resilient.&nbsp;</p>

<h3>Juan Maria Segura</h3>

<p>Juan Maria Segura then presented in Spanish. &quot;Que hacemos con el aula?&quot;&nbsp;or &quot;What can we do with the classroom?&quot; This pushed my Spanish to the limit, but I think I got the gist: We need to embrace technology to reach learners, especially from younger generations. The session was provocative and ensued in much animated discussion.&nbsp;</p>

<h3>Ines Stefani</h3>

<p>Ines Stefani&rsquo;s workshop on reading made some important points. The crucial takeaway was that reading comprehension activities can kill the creativity of reading books in class. She offered various alternatives to inspire learners and maintain the simple pleasures of reading in class.&nbsp;</p>

<h3>Lorena Estefanell</h3>

<p>The penultimate session was Lorena Estefanell on &quot;45 habitos mentales para bienestar&quot;&nbsp;or &quot;45 mental habits for well-being.&quot; The session was in Spanish again and I admit that I snuck out! I&rsquo;m not sure my brain cells had the energy for a session in English, let alone rapid Rioplatense. I took the opportunity to seek out coffee and cake, then felt the FOMO when everyone came out raving about how amazing it was!&nbsp;</p>

<h3>Jeremy Harmer</h3>

<p>The closing plenary was given by the legendary Jeremy Harmer. It was every bit as memorable as you&rsquo;d expect. He talked about the benefits of singing in class and as a means of developing social connections. To this end, he got us to all sing a wonderful song he&rsquo;d written. The song was a welcome to people resettling into a new community. It really resonated with me as the majority of my learners have been from refugee backgrounds.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Sketchnotes</h2>

<p>As usual, I created some sketchnotes of the sessions. These help me to focus during the session, and they serve as a visual reminder of the key takeaways.&nbsp;</p>

<p>You can view my <a href="https://www.emilybrysonelt.com/sketchnotes-from-congreso-anglo-2024/ " target="_blank">sketchnotes</a> here.<br />
&nbsp;</p>

<h2>How to get involved&nbsp;</h2>

<p>If you&rsquo;d like to attend next year, you can find more information at:&nbsp;<br />
<a href="https://www.anglo.edu.uy/" target="_blank">www.anglo.edu.uy</a>&nbsp;or follow them on socials @InstitutoAnglo. I certainly hope to be back!</p>

<p>You may like these conference-themed posts:&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/perutesol-2024-reflections-and-take-aways" target="_self">Peru TESOL 2024:&nbsp; Reflections &amp; Takeaways</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/how-to-get-the-most-out-of-an-elt-conference" target="_self">How to Get the Most Out of an ELT conference</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/speaking-at-an-elt-conference-demystifying-the-application-process" target="_self">Speaking at an ELT Conference: Demystifying the Application Process</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/speaking-at-an-elt-conference-demystifying-the-application-process" target="_self">Speaking at an ELT Conference: Top Tips for Successful Presentations</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/sketchnoting-101-supercharged-professional-development-with-visual-notes" target="_self">Sketchnoting 101: Supercharge Professional Development with Visual Notes</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/10-practical-ways-teachers-can-excel-with-ai" target="_self">10&nbsp;Practical Ways Teachers Can&nbsp;Excel with AI</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/developing-learner-autonomy-with-ai" target="_self">Developing Learner Autonomy with AI</a></li>
</ul>

<blockquote>
<p>Have you been to the Anglo Congress before? What were your experiences?</p>
</blockquote>


Anglo Congress 2024: Reflections & Takeaways

https://esllibrary-staging.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/title_image/2612/Tara_TESOL-reflection_Banner.png

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

Teaching with Ellii

<blockquote>
<p><strong>Q.</strong> What is Ellii (formerly ESL Library) best known for?<br />
<strong>A.</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/lessons" target="_blank">Ready-made lesson plans!</a></p>

<p><strong>Q.</strong> What has Ellii become known for in the past&nbsp;few years?<strong>&nbsp;</strong><br />
<strong>A.</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos" target="_blank">Ready-made videos!</a></p>

<p><strong>Q.</strong> What has&nbsp;Ellii been focusing on in 2024? &nbsp;<br />
<strong>A.</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/packs?page=1" target="_blank">Ready-made courses!</a></p>
</blockquote>

<p>Creating ready-made lesson plans for English language teachers&nbsp;continues to be a priority at Ellii as it has always been. However, each year, the Publishing team tries to add content that is new or innovative, whether its related to a <strong>trend/theme</strong> (<em>social-emotional learning</em>), <strong>skill</strong> (<em>speaking</em>), <strong>modality</strong> (<em>videos</em>), or <strong>need</strong>&nbsp;(<em>workplace English</em>).&nbsp;&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Throughout 2024, Ellii&#39;s&nbsp;Publishing team has been focusing heavily on developing full <strong>courses</strong> with a <strong>workplace</strong> theme. That does not mean we have stopped making individual lessons and videos! You can find all of our new content in our <a href="https://ellii.com/collections/new-content" target="_blank">What&#39;s New?</a>&nbsp;monthly collections, including new lessons that were released with the launch of&nbsp;our newest lesson section:&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/career-pathways" target="_blank">Career Pathways</a>.</p>

<h2>Career Pathways</h2>

<p>This new digital-only lesson section, available in our <strong>Academic &amp; Workplace English</strong> genre, is suitable for high-beginner to low-intermediate adult ELLs&nbsp;who are looking for work or considering job opportunities&nbsp;in an English-speaking country. These lessons are exploratory in nature and ideal for <strong>self-study</strong>. They feature real photos rather than illustrations, a common request from today&#39;s adult ed instructors.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Each career-specific lesson includes:&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li>a vocabulary preview task, featuring 10 keywords with&nbsp;real photos</li>
	<li>a short reading about a specific career (with audio)</li>
	<li>a reading comprehension task&nbsp;</li>
	<li>a gap-fill listening task</li>
	<li>a quiz</li>
</ul>

<h2>Lessons</h2>

<p>We launched this new section with popular career choices for newcomers:</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/5018-working-as-a-nursing-assistant" target="_blank">Working as a Nursing Assistant</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/5034-working-as-a-pharmacy-technician" target="_blank">Working as a Pharmacy Technician</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/5030-working-as-a-dental-assistant" target="_blank">Working as a Dental Assistant</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/5035-working-as-a-phlebotomist" target="_blank">Working as a Phlebotomist</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/5016-working-as-a-custodian" target="_blank">Working as a Custodian</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/5038-working-as-a-paraeducator" target="_blank">Working as a Paraeducator</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/5223-working-as-a-medical-assistant" target="_blank">Working as a Medical Assistant</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/5229-working-as-an-emergency-medical-technician" target="_blank">Working as an Emercency Medical Technician</a>&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<p>Watch for new lessons regularly&nbsp;and use the comments to let us know which career pathways your students are considering so we can add the lessons that would be most useful for you.</p>

<h2>Workplace Courses</h2>

<p>Our library of ready-made career-specific workplace courses is growing!</p>

<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/S2HAIBUNgKo?si=NhL0x5b7M_0So49a" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p>

<p>To find Ellii&#39;s related courses, go to our <a href="https://ellii.com/packs?page=1" target="_blank">Courses &amp; Study Packs</a><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/?page=1" target="_blank"> </a>page and filter to the <a href="https://ellii.com/packs/?category=6&amp;page=1" target="_blank">Workplace</a> category. Be sure to check back regularly.&nbsp;Here are some Workplace courses we have released (or are working on)&nbsp;in 2024:</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/phrasal-verbs-and-pre-employment/materials" target="_blank">Phrasal Verbs &amp; Pre-Employment</a> (video course)</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/phrasal-verbs-and-employment/materials" target="_blank">Phrasal Verbs &amp; Employment</a>&nbsp;(video course)</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/nursing-assistants/materials" target="_blank">English for Nursing Assistants</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/pharmacy-technicians/materials" target="_blank">English for Pharmacy Assistants</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/dental-assistants/materials" target="_blank">English for Dental Assistants</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/english-for-phlebotomists/materials" target="_blank">English for Phlebotomists</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/healthcare-vocabulary-1/materials" target="_blank">Healthcare Vocabulary 1</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/healthcare-vocabulary-2/materials">Healthcare Vocabulary 2</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/english-for-paraeducators/materials" target="_blank">English for Paraeducators</a>&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/english-for-custodians/materials" target="_blank">English for Custodians</a>&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/english-for-emergency-medical-technicians/materials" target="_blank">English for Emergency Medical Technicians</a>&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/english-for-medical-assistants/materials" target="_blank">English for Medical Assistants</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/english-for-home-health-aides/materials" target="_blank">English for Home Health Aides</a></li>
</ul>

<h2>Allied Health Focus</h2>

<p>You likely noticed that many of the workplace courses in our library are related to <strong>healthcare</strong>! At Ellii, we work hard to fill the immediate needs of schools and organizations that use our content. Allied Health&nbsp;is a growing industry with a shortage of skilled workers in both the US and Canada.&nbsp;</p>

<p>At Ellii, we are not healthcare experts, but we are language and teaching experts. We&nbsp;teamed up with professionals in the healthcare field to help us create these <strong>non-credit,</strong>&nbsp;<strong>exploratory</strong> courses made specifically for <strong>English newcomers</strong>&nbsp;who are considering&nbsp;different career pathways. These courses may also be useful for experienced healthcare workers who&nbsp;need to upskill to&nbsp;gain employment in an English-speaking country by improving their English proficiency.&nbsp;Our materials writers and editors worked with nurses, EMTs, dentistry professionals, and others to ensure that the scenarios and objectives were realistic, authentic, and functional. These <strong>dialogue-based</strong> courses are ideal for IET programs and&nbsp;focus on <strong>key vocabulary</strong>, <strong>phrases</strong>, and <strong>common workday scenarios </strong>for <strong>a variety</strong> of healthcare careers.&nbsp;</p>

<h3>Highlights of Ellii&#39;s Allied Health Materials</h3>

<blockquote>
<ul>
	<li>career exploration</li>
	<li>non-credit</li>
	<li>dialogue-based</li>
	<li>common scenarios</li>
	<li>WIOA compliant</li>
	<li>NRS aligned</li>
	<li>skill-building (vocabulary, phrases, grammar, soft skills)</li>
	<li>intermediate+</li>
	<li>communicative</li>
	<li>mobile-friendly</li>
	<li>ideal for self-study and pre-enrollment</li>
	<li>built-in assessments</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>

<p><br />
To learn more about <strong>Ellii&#39;s Allied Health&nbsp;content</strong>, watch the recording of this <strong>webinar</strong>!&nbsp;</p>

<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vMlFNOxnhwg?si=7oNAM-swuNBIUgmi" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p>

<h2><br />
Related Ellii Poll</h2>

<p>Get your students thinking about jobs with this interactive<strong> Career Pathways</strong> <a href="https://app.ellii.com/gather/ellii-polls/career-pathways" target="_blank">Ellii Poll</a>.</p>

<p>Did you know that unlike Ellii&#39;s lessons and courses (which require a subscription),&nbsp;Ellii Polls are free for anyone to use?&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/ellii-polls" target="_blank">Learn how to access Ellii Polls and invite students here.</a></p>

<h2>Related Media</h2>

<h3>Flashcards</h3>

<p>We also have<strong> Flashcard sets </strong>related to many of these Career Pathways. Find these sets in the <a href="https://ellii.com/media/flashcards/at-work-on-the-job" target="_blank">At Work &amp; On the Job</a> genre in the Flashcards area of our&nbsp;Media Gallery.&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/media/flashcards/at-work-on-the-job/jobs-occupations" target="_blank">Jobs &amp; Occupations</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/media/flashcards/at-work-on-the-job/job-actions" target="_blank">Job Actions</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/media/flashcards/at-work-on-the-job/at-the-office" target="_blank">At the Office</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/media/flashcards/at-work-on-the-job/community-helpers" target="_blank">Community Helpers</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/media/flashcards/at-work-on-the-job/nursing-assistants" target="_blank">Nursing Assistants</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/media/flashcards/at-work-on-the-job/pharmacy-technicians" target="_blank">Pharmacy Technicians</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/media/flashcards/at-work-on-the-job/dental-assistants" target="_blank">Dental Assistants</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/media/flashcards/at-work-on-the-job/phlebotomists" target="_blank">Phlebotomists</a></li>
</ul>

<p>If Allied Health is the focus for your students, this <a href="https://ellii.com/media/flashcards/body-health-medicine" target="_blank">Body, Health, &amp; Medicine</a>&nbsp;genre will have plenty of useful words for your students to learn.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
To make the best use of Ellii&#39;s supplementary visuals, check out&nbsp;these related Help Docs and videos:</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/63-how-to-create-flashcard-sets">How to Create and Save Flashcard Sets</a></li>
	<li>&nbsp;<a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/198-how-to-use-the-flashcard-player">How to Use the Flashcard Player</a></li>
	<li>&nbsp;<a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/246-how-to-share-flashcard-sets-with-students">How to Share Flashcards with Students</a></li>
</ul>

<h3>Silent Clips</h3>

<p>Do you use Ellii&#39;s&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos/silent-clips" target="_blank"><strong>Silent Clips</strong></a>?<strong>&nbsp;</strong>We have&nbsp;a new<strong>&nbsp;</strong>video<strong>&nbsp;</strong>category full of<strong> action verbs</strong> related to popular jobs.&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos/workplace" target="_blank">Nursing</a>&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos/workplace/pharmacy-vocabulary">Pharmacy</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos/workplace/dentistry-vocabulary" target="_blank">Dentistry</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos/workplace/phlebotomy-vocabulary" target="_blank">Phlebotomy</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos/workplace/manufacturing-vocabulary" target="_blank">Manufacturing</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos/workplace/restaurant-hospitality-vocabulary" target="_blank">Restaurant Hospitality</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos/workplace/hotel-hospitality-vocabulary" target="_blank">Hotel Hospitality</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos/workplace/education-vocabulary" target="_blank">Education Hospitality</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos/workplace/construction-vocabulary" target="_blank">Construction Hospitality</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos/workplace/custodian-vocabulary" target="_blank">Custodian Hospitality</a></li>
</ul>

<p>Here are <a href="http://4 Creative Ways to Use Silent Video Clips in English Class" target="_blank">4 Creative Ideas for How to Use Silent Clips in the Classroom</a>.&nbsp;</p>

<blockquote>
<p>Is there a job your ELLs are interested in that you would like to see added to&nbsp;Ellii&#39;s <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/career-pathways" target="_blank"><em><strong>Career Pathways</strong></em></a> section (or expanded into a full&nbsp;Ellii course)?&nbsp;Is there a task or activity you would like to see added to existing and future lessons in this section? Please leave a comment for our Publishing team.&nbsp;</p>
</blockquote>


Career Pathways for Newcomers

https://esllibrary-staging.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/title_image/2561/Tara_Career-Pathways-for-Newcomers_Banner.png

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

Grammar & Usage

<h3><em>Editor&#39;s Note:</em></h3>

<p>This blog post was originally written a decade ago, but there is still a heated debate between those who prefer adding <strong>only an apostrophe</strong>&nbsp;to a singular noun that ends in -s (e.g., <strong>Dickens&#39;</strong> book) and those who prefer &quot;<strong>apostrophe s</strong>&quot; (e.g., <strong>Dickens&#39;s</strong> book). Recently <em>The Associated Press</em>&nbsp;(AP) published an <a href="https://apnews.com/article/harris-walz-apostrophe-possessive-grammar-967c0bbefc09be6c804588daabed7ec9"><strong>article</strong></a> on this ongoing argument about how to style the possessive form of Vice President <strong><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3413-kamala-harris">Kamala Harris</a></strong>. While everyone agrees that the possessive form of her running mate, Governor <strong><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/5125-kamala-harris-selects-tim-walz-as-running-mate">Tim Walz</a></strong>, is&nbsp;<strong>Walz&#39;s</strong>, the argument for <strong>Harris&#39;</strong> vs. <strong>Harris&#39;s</strong> persists.</p>

<p>Which side do you agree with: AP (<strong>Harris&#39;</strong>) or others such as the <em>The Chicago Manual of Style</em>, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/10/us/harris-walz-apostrophe-possessive.html"><em>The New York Times</em></a>, and Ellii (<strong>Harris&#39;s</strong>)? You can watch the <strong><a href="https://ellii.com/video/an-apostrophe-battle-is-brewing">video</a></strong> below and/or read the following original post to see why Ellii chooses the latter. In fact, we update any AP articles in our <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/that-s-news-to-me"><strong>That&#39;s News to Me</strong></a> section into our own house style so that we don&#39;t confuse students any further. If only all style guides could agree!</p>

<div class="videoWrapper"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/998764071" width="640"></iframe></div>

<h2>Original Post</h2>

<p>(from April 17, 2014)</p>

<p>&ldquo;Apostrophe s&rdquo; (<strong>&rsquo;s</strong>) is used for several reasons in English, such as for the contracted form of <em>is</em> and <em>has</em>, and also for indicating <strong>possession</strong> (belonging to someone). In general, we add&nbsp;<em>&rsquo;s</em> to a singular noun and add <em>&rsquo;</em> to a plural noun ending in <em>‑s</em>.&nbsp;For example, we would say <em>the student&rsquo;s book</em> (for one student) and <em>the students&rsquo; classroom</em> (for many students).&nbsp;</p>

<p>But what happens when the singular noun ends in <em>‑s</em>? The rules for this have gone back and forth, which makes it difficult for both ELLs (English language learners) and&nbsp;speakers whose first language is English. As an editor, I have to keep up with the current guidelines as set out by popular style guides such as <em>The Chicago Manual of Style</em>. I thought I&rsquo;d share the most recent &ldquo;rules&rdquo; with you so you can pass them along to your students! If you disagree with any of these guidelines, please share your opinion in the comment section below&mdash;it&rsquo;s always interesting to learn what different teachers think around the&nbsp;world!</p>

<h2>General Rules</h2>

<h3>1. Add &rsquo;s (apostrophe + s) to a singular&nbsp;noun</h3>

<ul>
	<li>the student<strong>&rsquo;s</strong>&nbsp;book</li>
</ul>

<h3>2. Add &rsquo; (apostrophe only) to a plural noun ending in -s</h3>

<ul>
	<li>the students<strong>&rsquo;</strong>&nbsp;classroom</li>
</ul>

<div class="whiteBox">
<h5>Note</h5>

<p>If the plural noun doesn&rsquo;t end in ‑s, then simply add &rsquo;s to the&nbsp;word.</p>

<ul>
	<li>the children&rsquo;s&nbsp;classroom</li>
</ul>
</div>

<h2>Rule for Singular Words Ending in&nbsp;‑s</h2>

<h3>Add &rsquo;s (apostrophe + s) to a singular&nbsp;noun that ends in -s</h3>

<ul>
	<li>the class<strong>&rsquo;s</strong> door</li>
	<li>Kansas<strong>&rsquo;s</strong> laws</li>
	<li>Dickens<strong>&rsquo;s</strong> stories</li>
</ul>

<p>According to <em>The Chicago Manual of Style</em>, 17th edition, the general rule for forming possessives also applies to words ending in -s&nbsp;(sections 7.15&ndash;7.19). This rule applies to both common nouns and proper nouns (including names ending in -s, -x, and -z), as well as letters and numbers. Here are a few more examples from <em>The Chicago Manual of&nbsp;Style</em>:</p>

<ul>
	<li>a bass&rsquo;s stripes</li>
	<li>Marx&rsquo;s theories</li>
	<li>Borges&rsquo;s library</li>
	<li>Berlioz&rsquo;s works</li>
	<li>FDR&rsquo;s legacy</li>
	<li>1999&rsquo;s heaviest snowstorm</li>
	<li>the Lincolns&rsquo; marriage (plural of the last name &ldquo;Lincoln&rdquo;)</li>
	<li>the Williamses&rsquo; new house (plural of the&nbsp;last name &ldquo;Williams&rdquo;)</li>
</ul>

<p><em>The Chicago Manual of Style</em> also explains that nowadays, unlike in previous years, words ending in unpronounced <em class="inlineBlock">-s</em> and proper classical names of two or more syllables that end in an &quot;eeze&quot;&nbsp;sound also follow the same rules, as noted in the following&nbsp;examples:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Descartes&rsquo;s three dreams</li>
	<li>the Ganges&rsquo;s source</li>
</ul>

<p>Basically, this is great news for us all because the same rules apply to almost every situation and are therefore easier to remember. English learners are always relieved when there aren&rsquo;t a lot of exceptions to a&nbsp;rule!</p>


Forming the Possessive of Words Ending in -s

https://esllibrary-staging.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/title_image/1461/Tanya_Grammar_Banner.png

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

Articles

<p>Teachers are notoriously pushed for time. Somehow we have to plan and deliver classes, mark coursework, attend meetings, deal with emails, and make time for individual students and their parents.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The good news is that there are lots of ways that we can reduce our prep time to make our workload more manageable.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Exploit materials</h2>

<p>When I did my diploma in TESOL, one of my tutors told me that the certificate in English language teaching is where you learn to plan and deliver lessons, whereas the diploma is where you learn to exploit every aspect of the classroom and adapt your lessons to your students&rsquo; needs.</p>

<p>This ability to see opportunities to exploit classroom activities and adapt to learner needs comes with experience. It also comes with trialing new techniques and noticing what your students need to practice.&nbsp;</p>

<p>For example, a reading activity in class could be as simple as reading the text and answering comprehension questions. But you could extend and exploit it by having students do the following:&nbsp;</p>

<ol>
	<li>Look closely at the style and format&mdash;discuss whether the text is formal or informal (and find examples), underline linking words and phrases, summarize paragraphs, identify and re-write topic sentences, create or re-write the title or heading.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Identify new words&mdash;discuss their meaning, write definitions, create example sentences or questions, look for synonyms and antonyms.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Explore phonics&mdash;underline interesting spelling rules or sounds, find other words with the same sounds, create tongue twisters or poems with these words.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Look at parts of speech and gramma&mdash;blank out all the verbs, nouns, or adjectives and have students re-write the text with alternatives; draw attention to the usage of pronouns, prepositions determiners, or articles; discuss reasons for using certain grammar structures and look for alternatives. &nbsp;</li>
	<li>Perform or present&mdash;write a play and act it out, role-play a scene, write what happened before or after, do a presentation on a theme from the text.&nbsp;</li>
</ol>

<p>These are just some ideas. They are good to have on hand as extension&nbsp;options. They can also be used to give fast finishers a task as they wait for other learners to complete an activity.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Graphic facilitation</h2>

<p>As a graphic facilitation geek, I love having the ability to quickly draw an activity on the board at any point. Knowing a few simple visual tools can save a lot of preparation time. These can be used as a warmer, the main activity, or an extension task in a lesson.</p>

<p>For example, my <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/activity-to-boost-confidence-and-well-being" target="_blank">Inner Troll Vs. Inner Angel</a> activity involves drawing a devil and an angel on the board with a couple of thought bubbles. Students can then copy the depiction on a piece of paper and reflect on their negative and positive thought patterns. To end the activity, students rip up their common negative thoughts. This helps them consider how their brain plays a part in their confidence and can help or hinder them from completing their tasks or goals.</p>

<p>You can find more information about <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/graphic-facilitation-101 " target="_blank">Graphic Facilitation</a> here.</p>

<h2>Dogme</h2>

<p>A blog post about minimal preparation teaching wouldn&rsquo;t be complete without mentioning <a href="https://teflzoneracheltsateri.wordpress.com/2021/10/06/my-dogme-class-for-delta-module-2/" target="_blank">Dogme</a>. It is a communicative language teaching approach developed by Scott Thornbury and Luke Meddings. This method focuses on natural communication in the classroom rather than using published resources. It allows the teacher to find a topic that interests the students and create a lesson around that.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Going into class without resources or a lesson plan&nbsp;might sound scary, but the Dogme approach follows a structure:&nbsp;</p>

<ol>
	<li>Teachers and students decide on a topic.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Learners participate in discussion or complete a task (e.g., read, watch a video, do a role-play) based on that topic.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Students receive&nbsp;feedback on the task. Teacher draws attention to and provides practice of emergent language as well as feedback on language usage.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Students engage in further classwork or homework allowing practice or emergent language or topic-related tasks.&nbsp;</li>
</ol>

<h2>Language experience approach</h2>

<p>The language experience approach is attributed to the work of Ashton Warner and Paulo Freire. I personally like to think of it as Dogme for the literacy classroom, as its aim is focused on providing reading and writing practice based on learner needs and interests. The approach is intended to start with a shared experience, such as a class trip or group craft activity, but I find it works just as well with shared knowledge of a topic.</p>

<p>Here are the stages:</p>

<ol>
	<li>Class shares an experience (e.g., visit the local library, create a vocabulary notebook). OR Class chooses a shared topic of interest (e.g., sports, gardening, cooking, childcare).&nbsp;</li>
	<li>The students describe the experience or suggest sentences to create a collaborative text about their topic of interest. The teacher writes these on the board.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>The teacher reads the full text to the class, pointing at the words on the board.</li>
	<li>The class reads the text chorally&nbsp;as the teacher points at the words.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Students copy the text to their notebooks.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Students work in pairs to read the text aloud to each other.&nbsp;</li>
</ol>

<p>The text can then be exploited in many ways. For example, the teacher could:&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li>Print it and cut out individual sentences or words. Students then put it back in order.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Invite students to circle interesting spellings or phonics rules and then practice them. For example, think of words with similar spellings, create a picture dictionary, and make sentences and short texts.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Erase certain words on the board. Students have to add the words back&nbsp;or add alternative words.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Have students write a similar text about them.&nbsp;The text could also be exploited using some of the activities I mentioned in the previous section above.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<h2>Ellii resources</h2>

<p>One of the best ways to save time as a teacher is to subscribe to <a href="https://ellii.com/" target="_blank">Ellii</a>. There are over 2,000 lessons on pretty much every topic and language point imaginable. Most can be printed or used as interactive online tasks. Students can develop their speaking, listening, reading, writing, pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary. Many lessons are also focused on skills development such as employability, critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity.&nbsp;All you need to do is search for the perfect lesson, print it, and go to class! Here are some <a href="https://ellii.com/sample/lessons" target="_blank">Sample</a> lessons to get an idea of what you&#39;ll find on Ellii.</p>

<p>Here are a couple of blog posts with other ways to reduce your prep time:&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/10-zero-prep-fillers" target="_blank">10 Zero-Prep Fillers</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/how-one-image-can-develop-visual-literacy-and-critical-thinking" target="_blank">How One Image Can Develop Literacy &amp; Critical Thinking</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/how-to-use-videos-in-class">4 Ways to&nbsp;Use Videos Effectively in Class</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/bell-ringers" target="_blank">Engage Learners with Bell-Ringer Activities</a></li>
</ul>

<p><br />
These are just a few ideas that can reduce your preparation time. For more, you may want to check out the <strong>Teachers Talk Radio</strong> session I did with <strong>Graham Stanley </strong>on<strong> <a href="https://www.ttradio.org/listenback/episode/455b5481/minimal-preparation-teaching-the-twilight-show-with-graham-stanley">Minimal Preparation</a></strong>.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;</p>

<blockquote>
<p>How do you save time as a teacher? Have you tried any of these approaches? We&rsquo;d love to know.&nbsp;</p>
</blockquote>


Minimal Preparation Activities: Time-Saving Teaching Techniques

https://esllibrary-staging.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/title_image/2559/Emily_minimal-preparation-activities-time-saving-teaching-techniques_Banner.png

<p>I feel absolutely honored to have had the chance to attend the 2024 Peru TESOL conference. I am traveling around South America while working remotely at the moment. One of my online contacts noticed that I had arrived in Arequipa and mentioned that the conference was on. It sounded like a great opportunity, so I extended my stay and attended.&nbsp;</p>

<p>This year was the first face-to-face conference Peru TESOL has held since before the pandemic, so everyone was very excited to see each other. It was lovely watching so many ELT professionals re-connect and inspire each other after so long.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The importance of human connection was a theme that ran strongly throughout the event. Online conferences are brilliant, but you can&rsquo;t beat a warm hug and smile from a long lost friend or a new best pal!</p>

<h2>Arequipa</h2>

<p>Arequipa is now firmly one of my favorite cities. At 2,335 meters above sea level, the altitude can take a bit of getting used to, but it is absolutely worth it. Nicknamed the &quot;White City&quot;&nbsp;because many of its buildings are made of sillar (a white volcanic rock), it&rsquo;s lovely just wandering around the center and surrounding neighborhoods. The city has numerous miradors (viewpoints) where you can enjoy the scenery of three surrounding volcanoes:&nbsp;Chachani, Misti, and Pichu Pichu. Even the conference venue, Instituto del Sur, had this stunning vista from its fire escape (which we didn&rsquo;t have to use)!</p>

<h2><img alt="Peru TESOL conference 2024" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3880/content_Peru.jpg" /><br />
Sessions</h2>

<p>Over three days, the conference covered an eclectic range of topics. Every plenary was engaging and it was tricky to choose which workshop to attend.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Sandra Story, the director of the Regional English Language Office (RELO) at the US&nbsp;embassy&nbsp;in Lima, opened the conference with a super interactive plenary on the past, present, and future of ELT. Her delivery was truly exemplary. She had us all moving around, using actions, chatting, thinking, and laughing.&nbsp;</p>

<p>One key takeaway from her session was that &quot;English and English teachers change lives.&quot;&nbsp;I couldn&rsquo;t agree more.&nbsp;</p>

<p><img alt="build strong communities sketch" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3881/content_change-lives.png" /></p>

<p>As with many corners of English language teaching at the moment, artificial intelligence was a popular theme. It was a topic that came up in almost every session, even if the session&nbsp;wasn&rsquo;t specifically about AI.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Another exemplary session for me was Laura Holland&rsquo;s closing plenary on maintaining human connection in the age of AI. If anyone was born to be a teacher and teacher trainer, it was Laura. She has an extremely&nbsp;welcoming persona that just makes you want to smile and get involved. Her session was super interactive and full of innovative ideas.&nbsp;</p>

<p>I especially loved her recommendation to monitor students&rsquo; discussions by pretending not to listen. It&rsquo;s a simple technique to prevent students&rsquo; getting distracted by the teacher poking their head into their conversation!</p>

<p>Here&rsquo;s a sketchnote I created of her session. I hope you enjoy the image of the giant stealth ear!&nbsp;</p>

<p><img alt="build strong communities sketchnote" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3882/content_build-strong.jpg" /></p>

<h2>Sketchnotes</h2>

<p>The last few conferences I&rsquo;ve attended, I&rsquo;ve been commissioned to create digital sketchnotes. It was a delight to be able to get my pens out and sketchnote the analogue way, just for me! Of course, due to popular demand, I shared them on my socials and Whatsapp-ed them to my new Peru TESOL contacts.&nbsp;</p>

<p>You can view <a href="https://www.emilybrysonelt.com/sketchnotes-from-perutesol24/ " target="_blank">sketchnotes from the other sessions</a>&nbsp;here.</p>

<h2>Networking</h2>

<p>One of the best things about attending conferences is the human connection! It was wonderful making new contacts from the world of ELT.</p>

<p>On the first day, Peru TESOL arranged a dinner for participants. The food was delicious: corn and cheese salad, chicken with spicy chili sauce, and cheesecake for dessert. All washed down with the most delicious chicha (a corn-based soft drink) and a pisco sour (a cocktail with pisco, lime juice, sugar, and egg white). &nbsp;</p>

<p>This was the perfect chance to get to know everyone on a more personal level. We chatted about our experiences, Spanish learning, and pesky squirrels causing havoc at home!</p>

<p>Over the three days of the event, there were many opportunities to network. I looked forward to lunch and dinner, not only for the delicious Peruvian treats, but also for the chance to meet so many interesting and inspiring ELTers.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Here&rsquo;s a photo from the closing ceremony. Can you spot me?&nbsp;</p>

<p><img alt="Peru TESOL 2024 group picture" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3883/content_peru-ts.jpg" /></p>

<h2>How to get involved&nbsp;</h2>

<p>If you&rsquo;d like to speak at or attend Peru TESOL next year, you can find more information at:&nbsp;<br />
<a href="http://www.perutesol.org" target="_blank">www.perutesol.org</a> or follow the organization&nbsp;on socials:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/perutesoler/" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/perutesoler/</a></p>

<p>You may like these conference-themed posts:&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/how-to-get-the-most-out-of-an-elt-conference">How to Get the Most Out of&nbsp;an ELT Conference</a><br />
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/speaking-at-an-elt-conference-demystifying-the-application-process">Speaking at an ELT Conference: Demystifying the Application Process</a><br />
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/speaking-at-an-elt-conference-top-tips-for-successful-presentations">Speaking at an ELT Conference: Top Tips for Successful Presentations</a><br />
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/sketchnoting-101-supercharged-professional-development-with-visual-notes">Sketchnoting 101: Supercharge Professional Development with Visual Notes</a><br />
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/10-practical-ways-teachers-can-excel-with-ai">10 Practical Ways Teachers Can Excel with AI</a><br />
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/developing-learner-autonomy-with-ai">Developing Learner Autonomy with AI</a></li>
</ul>

<blockquote>
<p>Have you attended Peru TESOL before? What were your experiences? Do you agree that &quot;English and English teachers change lives&quot;?&nbsp;Have they changed yours or your students&#39;?</p>
</blockquote>


Peru TESOL 2024: Reflections & Takeaways

https://esllibrary-staging.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/title_image/2560/Emily_Speaking-at-an-ELT-Conference-Demystifying-the-Application-Process_Banner.png

<p>Each month, I&nbsp;closely review the feedback and requests that come in via Ellii&#39;s <strong>Teacher Survey</strong>.&nbsp;</p>

<p>We get such wonderful&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/tour/testimonials" target="_blank">testimonials</a> and helpful feedback from this survey! Here is one request that came in this week:</p>

<blockquote>
<p><em>&quot;Providing more robust training materials for teachers to maximize the use of Ellii&#39;s features and improvements would greatly enhance my ability to provide high-quality education to my students.&quot;</em></p>
</blockquote>

<p>Helping teachers maximize their use of Ellii&#39;s planning tools and other features&nbsp;is something we are focusing on heavily in 2024.&nbsp;From attending and hosting conferences&nbsp;to building out <strong><a href="https://help.ellii.com/" target="_blank">Help Docs</a> </strong>and <strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLP0N5nuiA3aM_OP18M7G9XSYjXigIuunA" target="_blank">explainer videos</a></strong>, we are always experimenting with how best to deliver training and offer&nbsp;support. This <strong><a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/212-how-to-use-ellii-teacher-training-module">Teacher Traning Module</a></strong> is a great place to start!<br />
<br />
Are you an Ellii subscriber? Here are five&nbsp;things to try if you want to maximize your use of the platform:</p>

<h2>1. Subscribe to Ellii&#39;s YouTube Channel</h2>

<p>The <strong>Ellii for Teachers</strong> YouTube channel&nbsp;&nbsp;(<a href="http://www.youtube.com/@elliiteachers" target="_blank">www.youtube.com/@elliiteachers</a>)&nbsp;is where we post all of our helpful videos for teachers, including short explainers and long-form demos&nbsp;of&nbsp;Ellii&#39;s new features and updates.</p>

<h2>2. Visit Ellii&#39;s&nbsp;Feature Release Blog Post</h2>

<p>Ellii&#39;s product team releases a series of <strong>new features</strong> and&nbsp;<strong>updates</strong> every six&nbsp;weeks! These updates are often based on customer requests. Visit this <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/feature-releases-platform-updates-2023" target="_blank">post</a> regularly to see what&#39;s new and updated throughout the year.</p>

<h2>3. Use Ellii&#39;s Help Docs</h2>

<p>When you are logged in, you will see a menu underneath your name in the top right corner. Click on the&nbsp;<a href="https://help.ellii.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Help</strong></a> section to find articles with step-by-step instructions and&nbsp;screencaps on how to use all of the features on Ellii. The Help&nbsp;area also has its own&nbsp;Search field for features.</p>

<h2>4. Contact Ellii</h2>

<p>We have a dedicated customer support team that is available to answer your emails. If you have questions or feedback that you want to give directly to a person at Ellii, you can use this <strong><a href="https://ellii.com/contact" target="_blank">Contact</a></strong> form. It is located in the footer of every page on Ellii.</p>

<h2>5. Get What&#39;s New? Content Notifications &amp;&nbsp;Newsletters&nbsp;</h2>

<p>Ellii&#39;s publishing team&nbsp;sends out a&nbsp;<strong>What to Teach This Week</strong> newsletter every Monday.&nbsp;You can also watch for new content in our <strong><a href="https://ellii.com/collections/new-content" target="_blank">What&#39;s New Collection</a></strong>. We also send out email updates about important features and updates. Go to your <strong>Account</strong> settings (in the menu underneath your name). Then choose <strong>Notifications</strong> and make sure you are getting the updates you want and need.&nbsp;</p>

<blockquote>
<p>Are you an Ellii subscriber? What feature or tool do you rely on for teaching English? Is there a feature or tool&nbsp;you want to learn more about?</p>
</blockquote>


5 Ways to Maximize Your Use of Ellii 

https://esllibrary-staging.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/title_image/2558/Ellii-Video-Survey-2_Banner.png

<p>In this blog post, I&rsquo;ll share the importance of literacy skills and the benefits of using a phonics approach to teach them.</p>

<h2>Why is literacy important?</h2>

<p>The ability to read and write is an essential skill. It allows us to access information, communicate with others, express ourselves, and advance our careers. Reading can help us relax, boost our imaginations, and learn about the world we live in. Writing gives us the opportunity to articulate our opinions, share our expertise, and advocate for ourselves and important causes.</p>

<p>From a language learning perspective, learners who are developing literacy skills may be at a disadvantage to their peers with stronger literacy skills. In my classes, there was a noticeable divide between learners whose first script was Roman and those who were learning to read and write in a new script.</p>

<p>Learners whose first script was Roman would take notes quickly, understand meaning while&nbsp;reading more easily, and be able to write well-structured texts confidently. Learners who were developing their literacy skills in English (and perhaps in their first language too) took more time and required more support.</p>

<h2>What are the challenges of teaching literacy?</h2>

<p>There are many reasons why literacy skills are challenging to develop. Students may need to learn how to identify and form a whole new alphabet. They also have to develop an understanding of punctuation, sentence structure, and paragraphing. Then there&rsquo;s rhetorical styles, formality, and a diverse range of text styles with which to become familiar.</p>

<p>Perhaps the most difficult aspect of literacy is spelling-pronunciation agreement. English is notoriously irregular when it comes to pronunciation rules. Think about the spelling of &quot;ough&quot; for example. It is pronounced differently in &quot;though,&quot; &quot;through,&quot; &quot;thought,&quot; and &quot;tough.&quot; And the word &quot;read&quot;&nbsp;is spelled the same way in both the simple present tense and&nbsp;the simple past tense, but sounds like the color &quot;red&quot;&nbsp;in its past form.</p>

<h2>What are the benefits of teaching phonics?</h2>

<p>In order to develop students&rsquo; reading and writing skills, we need to work on their ability to match sounds to spelling. Teaching phonics is a great way to do this. It provides an opportunity for students to become familiar with common sound-spelling agreements as well as their exceptions.</p>

<h2>How to teach phonics?</h2>

<p>There are many ways to teach phonics. I like to devote time in any reading lesson to identifying a few similar sounds and ways to spell them and then have students add them to their vocabulary notebooks. You could also have them make silly sentences or short texts using the target sound or spelling.</p>

<h2>Ellii&#39;s Phonics Stories</h2>

<p>A great way to teach sound-spelling agreement is to use Ellii&rsquo;s collection of <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/phonics-stories" target="_blank">Phonics Stories</a>. Each one cleverly introduces words that use the same target sound in context. Students can read, listen, and repeat the fun short stories. This raises awareness of new words, their pronunciations, and their spellings.</p>

<p>This collection of stories is perfect for learners of all ages and has been graded to different levels.&nbsp;</p>

<p><img alt="Ellii's Phonics Stories" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3872/content_Screen_Shot_2024-07-24_at_4.05.34_PM.png" /></p>

<p>Let&rsquo;s look more closely at <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3854-a-whale-with-a-veil" target="_blank"><strong>A Whale with a Veil</strong></a>. In this lesson, students read about a whale that wore a wedding veil in a gale. It focuses on the sounds and spellings for /w/, /v/, and /e/ (long a).</p>

<p><img alt="A Whale with a Veil by Tara Benwell for Ellii" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3873/content_Screen_Shot_2024-07-24_at_4.12.58_PM.png" /><br />
<br />
The digital version of the lesson also contains&nbsp;a video of the story with captions to follow along.</p>

<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vyIcDc-9LEc?si=BVjLr7Y3t713Tm3q" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p>

<p>There are lots of possibilities for teaching and adapting this lesson (or any of Ellli&#39;s&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/phonics-stories" target="_blank"><strong>Phonics Stories</strong></a>) in class. Here are some ideas:</p>

<p>1. Say the title aloud and have students predict the story.</p>

<p>2. Read and listen to the story.</p>

<p>3. Check comprehension by asking and answering questions.</p>

<p>4. Have students identify the sounds and spellings by circling the words in the text:</p>

<ul>
	<li>wh - whale, white, what</li>
	<li>w - west, wait&nbsp;</li>
	<li>silent w = (ow) - blown</li>
	<li>v - vest, veil</li>
	<li>a_e - tale, whale, gale</li>
	<li>ai - tail, wait, wail</li>
	<li>ei - veil</li>
	<li>ay - way</li>
	<li>est - best, vest, rest</li>
</ul>

<p>5. Practice pronouncing the sounds individually and the whole words.&nbsp;</p>

<p>6. Listen to the story again and complete a gap-fill text using the target words.&nbsp;</p>

<p>7. Have students read the text aloud.&nbsp;</p>

<p>8. Have students turn the story into a script and perform it.&nbsp;</p>

<p>9. Help them to find or think of other words that use this sound and spelling. Create a list on the board or in their notebooks.&nbsp;</p>

<p>10. Create a picture dictionary with the new words&mdash;either with drawings, digital images, or printing images to cut out and glue in the dictionary.&nbsp;</p>

<p><img alt="Emily Bryson's example picture dictionary drawings" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3874/content_Screen_Shot_2024-07-24_at_4.04.47_PM.png" /></p>

<p class="caption">Some examples of picture dictionaries from my adult ESOL Literacy class.</p>

<p>11. Write definitions and find synonyms or antonyms for each word.&nbsp;<br />
12. Make sentences, questions, tongue twisters, or short texts with the words.<br />
13. Set the individual tasks for homework.&nbsp;</p>

<blockquote>
<p>Do you teach phonics? What are your top tips? Do you have any favorite Phonics Stories?</p>
</blockquote>


How to Develop ESL Literacy with Phonics Stories

https://esllibrary-staging.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/title_image/2556/Emily_How-to-Develop-ESL-Literacy-with-Phonics-Stories_Banner.png

<p>Using Folders inside Ellii to organize your class content and curate your own teaching order, study packs, courses, or even curricula&nbsp;is a game-changer when it comes to having unique and engaging classes!</p>

<p>Introducing our new and improved Folders that are just as fun to make, simple to share, and now easy to move into any class.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Here&#39;s what&#39;s NEW with Folders!</h2>

<p>Take a look at the changes we&#39;ve recently made:</p>

<ol>
	<li>Entire Folders can now be easily <strong>pinned</strong> to any class for quick access.</li>
	<li>Ellii courses, study packs, videos, and flashcard categories can now be <strong>saved</strong> to Folders.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Pinned Folders can now be <strong>found</strong> in the Content Drawer of your class&#39;s Lesson Planner.</li>
	<li>Folders can be <strong>pinned</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>unpinned</strong> directly inside your class&#39;s Content Drawer.</li>
	<li>Multiple Folder items&nbsp;can be <strong>moved</strong> at the same time into the Saved, Prepping, or Teaching lane&nbsp;of your Lesson Planner.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Class content from inside your Lesson Planner can now be <strong>exported</strong> into a Folder to be used again in the future.&nbsp;</li>
</ol>

<h3>Can&#39;t wait to start using these new Folder features?</h3>

<p>Watch this video demo to learn all you need to know about these Folder updates and more!</p>

<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ABIX4RDl8Qs?si=C-AcPqhL6n7H1Mqt" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p>

<p>Happy teaching!</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Create & Pin Custom Folders to Your Classes

https://esllibrary-staging.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/title_image/2555/Create-and-Share-Your-Own-Course-Content-Using-Folders_Banner.png

<p>Task-based learning (TBL) is a communicative approach to language teaching. Similar to project-based learning (PBL), it allows students natural opportunities to practice their language skills.</p>

<p>In this post, I&rsquo;ll look more closely at what TBL is and how to use this approach in class.</p>

<h2>What is task-based learning?</h2>

<p>Essentially, TBL involves giving students a task to complete and supporting them with their English throughout. The task can be pretty much anything as long as it necessitates communication and has a clear goal.</p>

<p>For example:</p>

<ul>
	<li>creating a poster</li>
	<li>comparing two pictures</li>
	<li>producing a video</li>
	<li>writing a newsletter or blog</li>
	<li>finding a solution to a problem</li>
	<li>performing a play</li>
</ul>

<p>TBL can also be referred to as:</p>

<ul>
	<li>TBLT: task-based language teaching</li>
	<li>TBI: task-based instruction</li>
</ul>

<h2>What are the benefits of using a task-based learning approach?&nbsp;</h2>

<p>There are many benefits to using TBL in the classroom. Here are a few:&nbsp;</p>

<h3>1. Life skills</h3>

<p>Task-based learning supports the acquisition of life skills such as critical thinking, digital literacy, communication, teamwork, and creativity. These 21st-century skills are highly sought after by employers and will help learners succeed.</p>

<h3>2. Real-life tasks</h3>

<p>TBL gives students the chance to develop their life skills by providing real-world tasks. What better way to let students apply their learning than to give them a work- or life-related scenario or activity. For example, they could create a detailed itinerary for an upcoming trip or plan their own TV show.</p>

<h3>3. Student-centered</h3>

<p>Task-based learning is a learner-centered approach that allows lessons to be designed especially for student needs or interests. If learners are particularly interested in Harry Potter, you could have them create a mythical creature, design a magical classroom, or solve the problem of a broken broomstick.</p>

<h3>4. Communicative</h3>

<p>As TBL requires learners to collaborate on a task, it is naturally communicative. As students work together, they&rsquo;ll be using their language skills to share ideas, negotiate, make plans, and give opinions. As they do this, certain language features will emerge naturally, which you can note down and discuss later.</p>

<h2>What are the stages of a TBL lesson?</h2>

<p>As with all teaching methodologies, TBL can be used and adapted depending on teaching context and learner needs. It has a few distinct stages, but you don&rsquo;t need to be strict in following them.</p>

<h3>1. Pre-task</h3>

<p>As with most lesson introductions, this is a chance to introduce the topic, brainstorm ideas, and give instructions. It can also be helpful to pre-teach any useful vocabulary and let students ask any questions that they might have. You could also give them an example of a completed task or some ideas for inspiration.</p>

<h3>2. Task</h3>

<p>This is the part where students actually do the task. As tasks can be complex, there are three stages to this:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Task</li>
	<li>Planning</li>
	<li>Reporting</li>
</ul>

<p>The <strong>Task</strong> stage is when students work together in pairs or small groups. The teacher can monitor and take notes of examples of interesting communication. There is no need to correct students&rsquo; language at this point as the purpose is fluency, confidence building, and task completion.</p>

<p>The <strong>Planning</strong> stage is when students get ready to tell others about their task. Students make notes of what they&rsquo;d like to share (e.g., their findings, how they did the task, how they solved any problems that arose, etc.) and decide how they will present the information. They may wish to allocate speakers or scribes. At this stage, the teacher can be available to give advice on language or reporting skills.</p>

<p>The <strong>Reporting</strong> stage is when students present their work to the class. This could be through a presentation, a poster, a video, a report, or any other communicative method. Students can then give each other feedback, discuss each other&#39;s&nbsp;tasks, ask questions, and perhaps even vote for the best piece of work. The teacher can facilitate these discussions, provide language advice, and give feedback.</p>

<h3>3. Language focus</h3>

<p>The final stage of the lesson is an analysis and practice of the language. The teacher can share some interesting examples of emergent language that the students used throughout the lesson. Students can also make suggestions for other useful language. They can then add these words and phrases to their notebooks and practice them.</p>

<p>Here are some Ellii sections and lessons that you may want to use to try out TBL:</p>

<p><a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/group-projects" target="_blank">Group Projects</a>: These are similar to task-based learning, though generally carried out over a series of class sessions.</p>

<p><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2149-nelson-mandela-poster-part-1" target="_blank">Nelson Mandela Poster - Part 1</a> and <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2150-nelson-mandela-poster-part-2" target="_blank">Nelson Mandela Poster - Part 2</a>: Show students these posters as inspiration and then ask them to create their own. They could choose another person to feature in the poster or give them a theme to focus on (e.g., One day our planet will&hellip;).</p>

<p><a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos/current-events" target="_blank">Current Events</a>: Show students one of these videos (or ask them to choose one). Their task could then be to re-write the voiceover with a different new story, role-play the events, write a news article, or interview someone.</p>

<blockquote>
<p>Have you tried task-based learning in your classroom? What ideas and tips can you share with us? We&rsquo;d love to know.</p>
</blockquote>


Task-Based Learning: An Introductory Guide

https://esllibrary-staging.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/title_image/2554/Emily_Task-Based-Learning-An-Introductory-Guide_Banner.png

Feature Releases & Platform Updates

https://esllibrary-staging.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/title_image/2322/Product-Updates_08-August_Banner.png

Starter courses for each level with a suggested teaching order from the ESL Library publishing team.

Courses

<p>Introducing<strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/packs/phrasal-verbs-and-pre-employment/materials">Phrasal Verbs &amp; Pre-Employment</a></strong>,&nbsp;Ellii&#39;s first-ever video course!</p>

<p>In this series of video lessons, your students will learn vocabulary and phrases that they can&nbsp;use in typical interactions when they&#39;re searching for employment.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Each lesson&nbsp;contains a video with a dialogue and six&nbsp;phrasal verbs in various&nbsp;pre-employment contexts. They are all followed by&nbsp;several&nbsp;digital tasks to check comprehension, vocabulary, and grammar. The&nbsp;course also includes two assessments.</p>

<p>Watch the introductory video from this course to learn more:</p>

<div class="videoWrapper"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/949286954" width="640"></iframe></div>

<p>The&nbsp;course includes the following pre-employment lesson topics:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Networking at a Job Fair</li>
	<li>Reviewing a Resume with a Career Counselor</li>
	<li>Completing a Phone Screening</li>
	<li>Arriving for a Job Interview</li>
	<li>Interviewing for a Job</li>
</ul>

<p>Find&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/packs/phrasal-verbs-and-pre-employment/materials">Phrasal Verbs &amp; Pre-Employment</a>&nbsp;in the&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/packs?page=1">Courses &amp; Study Packs</a> area of Ellii under the <strong>Workplace</strong> category.</p>

<p>From that&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/packs/phrasal-verbs-and-pre-employment/materials">course page</a>, you can easily click on the &quot;<strong>Add to class</strong>&quot;&nbsp;button&nbsp;to assign it immediately or gradually from&nbsp;your <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/try-class-prepping-with-elliis-lesson-planner">Lesson Planner</a>.&nbsp;</p>

<p>On that page, you can also&nbsp;view the&nbsp;<strong>Materials</strong>,&nbsp;<strong>Overview</strong>,&nbsp;and <strong>Teachers&#39; Notes </strong>tabs for&nbsp;useful&nbsp;information and additional resources.</p>

<p>We&#39;re planning on making two more related courses on <strong>Phrasal Verbs &amp; Employment </strong>and <strong>Phrasal Verbs &amp; Post-Employment</strong>&nbsp;later this year, so we would greatly appreciate any feedback you have on this course.</p>

<p>Happy teaching!</p>


Try Ellii's First Video-Based Course

https://esllibrary-staging.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/title_image/2553/Tanya_Try-Elliis-First-Video-Based-Course_Banner.png

<p><strong>Social-emotional learning </strong>(SEL, also known as socio-emotional learning or social and emotional learning)&nbsp;is a common educational approach. It aims to provide students with the skills and opportunities to reflect on their learning and how to apply it to their own lives, manage emotions, be empathetic, and think critically.</p>

<p>In this post, I&rsquo;ll explore the approach in more detail and share some ways to incorporate it into the classroom.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>What exactly is social-emotional learning?&nbsp;</h2>

<p>SEL is an approach to learning that aims to help all learners succeed. It equips them with essential skills and provides a supportive learning environment and community to help them do this.</p>

<p>When we think about what helps us succeed, we might consider skills, confidence, motivation, support networks, and a positive mindset. SEL incorporates these into the classroom by allowing students to interact with new information in a variety of ways.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>What are the five main components of SEL?&nbsp;</h2>

<p>The <a href="https://casel.org/">Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)</a> aims to make SEL a key educational approach.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The <a href="https://casel.org/fundamentals-of-sel/what-is-the-casel-framework/">CASEL Framework</a> has five key competencies at its core. These are:&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/collections/academic-subjects/social-emotional-learning/self-awareness">self-awareness</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/collections/academic-subjects/social-emotional-learning/self-management">self-management</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/collections/academic-subjects/social-emotional-learning/social-awareness">social awareness</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/collections/academic-subjects/social-emotional-learning/relationship-skills" target="_blank">relationship skills</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/collections/academic-subjects/social-emotional-learning/decision-making" target="_blank">responsible decision-making</a></li>
</ul>

<p>Let&rsquo;s look at each one a little more closely.&nbsp;</p>

<h3>Self-awareness&nbsp;</h3>

<p>This competency relates to the ability to recognize and understand our emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. In terms of language teaching, this could be introducing&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/collections/academic-subjects/communication-skills/expressing-emotions" target="_blank">feelings</a><a href="https://ellii.com/collections/academic-subjects/communication-skills/expressing-emotions/feelings" target="_blank"> vocabulary</a>, doing a lesson on <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/practicing-mindfulness-in-the-classroom" target="_blank">mindfulness</a>, or exploring <a href="https://ellii.com/collections/everyday-topics/health-safety/mental-health" target="_blank">mental health</a> or <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3786-personality-types" target="_blank">personality types</a>.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Ellii has a collection of <a href="https://ellii.com/collections/academic-subjects/social-emotional-learning/self-awareness">Self-Awareness</a>&nbsp;content here.</p>

<h3>Self-management</h3>

<p>Self-management refers to the ability to control our emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. For example, having an awareness of how certain situations make us feel and how we can adapt and control our behaviors can help us&nbsp;succeed.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Some suitable topics for the language classroom might be:&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/4505-imposter-syndrome" target="_blank">imposter syndrome</a> and how to overcome it</li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/1836-stress" target="_blank">stress</a>, its triggers, and how to manage it</li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/1233-bad-habits" target="_blank">bad habits</a> and advice to stop them</li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3675-study-skills" target="_blank">study skills</a> and avoiding <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3715-procrastination" target="_blank">procrastination</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/1229-road-rage" target="_blank">road rage</a> and how to prevent it</li>
</ul>

<p>Check out these <a href="https://ellii.com/collections/academic-subjects/social-emotional-learning/self-management">Self-Management</a> resources on Ellii.&nbsp;</p>

<h3>Social awareness</h3>

<p>This strand focuses on having an awareness of the diverse beliefs, cultures, and backgrounds of people around the world. It also aims for a shared empathy, tolerance, and understanding of these differences. To do this, you can include topics about diversity, equity, and inclusion such as neurodiversity, LGBTQ+, age, gender, race, disability, and religion.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Here are some suggested <a href="https://ellii.com/collections/academic-subjects/social-emotional-learning/social-awareness">Social Awarness</a> materials compiled by Ellii.</p>

<h3>Relationship skills</h3>

<p>This fundamental aspect of SEL aims to support learners to initiate, build, and maintain trusting, strong, and positive relationships. These relationships can be from a range of diverse backgrounds and include friends, family, coworkers, community, and other social connections. Students can be supported to communicate confidently, listen actively, collaborate effectively with others, and solve problems and conflicts amicably.&nbsp;</p>

<p>This compilation of <a href="https://ellii.com/collections/academic-subjects/social-emotional-learning/relationship-skills">Relationship Skills</a> resources provides a variety of options for your classroom.</p>

<h3>Responsible decision-making&nbsp;</h3>

<p>Making responsible decisions is crucial to being a kind and respectful member of any community. In SEL, students can be given various scenarios and case studies to evaluate and consider the ethical implications and solve problems using critical thinking skills. To support learners to make responsible decisions, we can offer them information to analyze, facts to consider,&nbsp;and opinions to discuss. We can also encourage them to find creative, open-minded solutions to real-world problems.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In this <a href="https://ellii.com/collections/academic-subjects/social-emotional-learning/decision-making">Decision-Making</a> collection, you&rsquo;ll find news stories, projects, debates, and discussion starters covering a range of global issues including <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3764-pandemic-puppies" target="_blank">Pandemic Puppies</a>, <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3650-vaccine-skeptics-change-their-minds" target="_blank">Vaccine Skeptics</a>, <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3376-cancel-culture" target="_blank">Cancel Culture</a>, <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3356-tearing-down-statues" target="_blank">Tearing Down Statues</a>, <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/1269-surveillance" target="_blank">Surveillance</a>, and <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2743-taking-a-knee" target="_blank">Taking a Knee</a>.</p>

<h3>What are the benefits to SEL?</h3>

<p>Over the years, research has found many benefits to social-emotional learning for students of all ages. It has been found to increase academic attainment as well as student empathy, relationships, confidence, and the ability to manage mental health. It also encourages lifelong learning and participation in local community activities and causes. This in turn can build stronger communities and give individuals more fulfilled lives.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Overall, incorporating SEL into the curriculum is a simple and effective way to develop well-rounded individuals and support students to succeed academically and in life.&nbsp;</p>

<p>You may also be interested in this&nbsp;post&nbsp;about SEL:</p>

<p><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/warm-up-activity-for-social-emotional-learning">Rose, Bud, Thorn: A Warm-Up Activity That Promotes SEL</a></p>

<p>For more on SEL, check out&nbsp;<a href="https://casel.org/">CASEL</a>.</p>

<blockquote>
<p><b id="docs-internal-guid-89dd9688-7fff-ccdf-795a-0f5266c06b2d">How do you incorporate SEL into your classroom? Have you tried any of the resources recommended here? We&rsquo;d love to hear from you.</b></p>
</blockquote>


Recent Posts