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

Grammar & Usage

<h1>The semicolon is not often used; most people aren&#39;t even sure how to use it.</h1>

<p>What is this silly little punctuation mark good for anyway? Is it just some antiquated notion? Should we even bother teaching it to our students? My view is that if it&rsquo;s in the English language, it should be brought to students&rsquo; attention because they&rsquo;re bound to come across it at some point. But it&rsquo;s also our job as teachers to point out which conventions are no longer commonly used, which is indeed the case with the semicolon. </p>

<h3>1. What is the semicolon used for?</h3>

<p>The semicolon is used to join two sentences together, so it is useful for connecting ideas and making sentences more complex. It can take the place of a period or a conjunction such as &ldquo;and.&rdquo; The semicolon should connect two sentences with similar or related ideas. Let&rsquo;s look at some examples:</p>

<ul>
	<li>He was tired. He was up all night studying.</li>
	<li>He was tired; he was up all night studying.</li>
	<li>BUT NOT: He was tired; it was raining. (unrelated ideas)</li>
</ul>

<ul>
	<li>She was a great student, and she got a prestigious scholarship.</li>
	<li>She was a great student; she got a prestigious scholarship.</li>
</ul>

<p>Don&rsquo;t forget to point out the punctuation of transition words to your higher-level students. With transition words, a period or a semicolon must be used. Here are some examples:</p>

<ul>
	<li dir="ltr">I forgot to study for the test. In addition, I forgot to bring a pencil.</li>
	<li dir="ltr">I forgot to study for the test; in addition, I forgot to bring a pencil.</li>
</ul>

<ul>
	<li dir="ltr">The professor didn&rsquo;t make us write the test. However, he gave us a lot of homework.</li>
	<li dir="ltr">The professor didn&rsquo;t make us write the test; however, he gave us a lot of homework.</li>
</ul>

<h3>2. Should we teach and/or use the semicolon?</h3>

<p>In formal writing (academic, scientific, etc.), the semicolon may be used. If you have formal essay writing in class, you could get your students to try using the semicolon. If your students are in university or taking a university prep class, it&rsquo;s a good idea to teach and use it, especially if they&rsquo;re using transition words in their writing. But make sure you also tell students when NOT to use it: in emails, text messages, instant messaging, etc. I think it would even look out of place in business letters or job applications. So bring it up, yes, but remind students that the semicolon is very formal, and a little out of fashion. One of these days, I&rsquo;ll write a blog post about my favourite punctuation mark, the interrobang. Now THAT&rsquo;S useful?!<br />
<br />
&mdash;Tanya</p>

How Useful Is the Semicolon?

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<h1>How romantic&hellip;</h1>

<p>Champagne, roses, and&hellip;a discussion of capitalization and punctuation rules? Maybe it&rsquo;s not the most romantic of topics, but you&rsquo;ll soon be discussing this holiday in class, and you&rsquo;ll want to have the rules&nbsp;straight!</p>

<h2>1. Capitalization</h2>

<p>When we write the holiday, we have to use capital&nbsp;letters.</p>

<ul>
	<li>My favorite holiday is Valentine&rsquo;s&nbsp;Day.</li>
</ul>

<p>This could be shortened in casual speech, when it&rsquo;s clear we&rsquo;re referring to the&nbsp;day.</p>

<ul>
	<li>What are you doing for Valentine&rsquo;s&nbsp;(Day)?</li>
</ul>

<p>When we&rsquo;re referring to a gift, greeting, or person, we don&rsquo;t use capital&nbsp;letters.</p>

<ul>
	<li>I bought her a valentine present; I hope she&rsquo;ll like&nbsp;it.</li>
	<li>I got a valentine card from him&nbsp;today.</li>
	<li>Be my valentine.</li>
</ul>

<div class="whiteBox">
<h5>Note</h5>

<p>It is common to hear &ldquo;valentine&rsquo;s&rdquo; used in place of &ldquo;valentine&rdquo; (e.g., <em>I got a valentine&rsquo;s card from him today</em>). I think this is because people are using the holiday name, either on purpose or by accident. If you&rsquo;re using the holiday name, write it as &ldquo;Valentine&rsquo;s,&rdquo; with or without the word &ldquo;Day&rdquo; (e.g., <em>I got a Valentine&rsquo;s [Day] card from him today</em>). Personally, I would stick to &ldquo;valentine card.&rdquo;</p>
</div>

<h2>2. Punctuation</h2>

<p>When we write the holiday, we must use &ldquo;apostrophe&nbsp;s.&rdquo;</p>

<ul>
	<li>Happy Valentine&rsquo;s&nbsp;Day!</li>
</ul>

<p>Is there a case where there is an &ldquo;s&rdquo; with no apostrophe? Yes, but only if we&rsquo;re referring to a plural noun, usually &nbsp;&ldquo;cards.&rdquo;</p>

<ul>
	<li>How many valentines did you get? (refers to valentine&nbsp;cards)</li>
	<li><strong>Never</strong> use &ldquo;Happy Valentines Day&rdquo; or &ldquo;valentines&nbsp;cards.&rdquo;</li>
</ul>

<p>Now you&rsquo;re ready for all the fun Valentine&rsquo;s Day activities that you can do with your students! <a href="https://www.ellii.com/" target="_blank">E</a><a href="http://ellii.com" target="_blank">llii</a> has got some amazing resources, including this&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/107/resources/2145" target="_blank">Valentine&rsquo;s Day poster of love idioms</a>. You should also check out our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/" target="_blank">Valentine&rsquo;s Day lessons</a>&nbsp;and guest blogger Shelly Terrell&rsquo;s <a href="http://ellii.com/blog/14-activities-resources-for-celebrating-valentines-day/" target="_blank">14+ Activities &amp; Resources for Celebrating Valentine&rsquo;s&nbsp;Day</a>.<br />
<br />
And here is a sneak peek of a&nbsp;video lesson that is fun for Valentine&#39;s Day.</p>

<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/McJHPK8srvo" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br />
An ad-free version of this video is available for <a href="https://ellii.com/pricing" target="_blank">Ellii subscribers</a> in our <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3486-what-s-she-like-a-valentine-s-story" target="_blank">digital lesson</a>&nbsp;and in our <a href="https://ellii.com/video/what-s-she-like" target="_blank">Media Gallery</a>.</p>

<p>Happy Valentine&rsquo;s Day to&nbsp;all,<br />
Tanya</p>

<p>Sources: Merriam‑Webster&rsquo;s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th&nbsp;ed., and Oxford Canadian dictionary of Current&nbsp;English.</p>


Valentine's Day Capitalization & Punctuation Rules

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

Articles

<p>Valentine&rsquo;s Day is celebrated worldwide. The holiday is named after the martyr, St. Valentinus, who often performed secret weddings for soldiers for which he was imprisoned.</p>

<p>Lovers worldwide celebrate the holiday by giving each other gifts to show how much they care about each other. It is a time when children eat candy hearts and send heartfelt messages to each other.</p>

<p>It is the holiday of romance, but in the classroom we can teach various themes including relationships, kindness, and various kinds of love, such as love of a pet, family, one&rsquo;s self, or hobby.</p>

<p>Be sure to check out our&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/collections/holidays-events/love-relationships">Valentine&#39;s Day &amp; Love</a> collection for lessons and resources on&nbsp;love, dating, marriage, and relationships. Below are a few more activities with these themes in mind.</p>

<blockquote>
<p>&quot;Life&#39;s greatest happiness is to be convinced we are&nbsp;loved.&quot;<br />
&mdash;Victor Hugo</p>
</blockquote>

<h2>Heart, Love, and Romance Idioms</h2>

<p>Valentine&rsquo;s Day is a perfect excuse to teach idioms. Your students will enjoy learning about various idioms related to love, such as, &ldquo;falling in love,&rdquo; or &ldquo;head over heels.&quot; Try this <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/107/resources/2145">Love Idioms Poster</a> from our Visual Learning section.</p>

<p>Here are some more ideas:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Use this <a href="http://grammar.net/loveidioms">Love Around the Clock</a>&nbsp;infographic from Grammar.net to teach various idioms like, &ldquo;Pop the question,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Get back together.&rdquo;</li>
</ul>

<ul>
	<li>After learning some idioms, have students choose a few to explain in a comic, with tools like&nbsp;<a href="http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/">Make Beliefs Comix</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href="http://www.creaza.com/">Creaza</a>.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<h2>Heart Candy Activities</h2>

<p>Ever receive a box of candy hearts with their short but lovely messages? Try any of these activities:</p>

<h3>Charades</h3>

<p>Each student picks a candy heart and has to act out the message for their classmates. When someone guesses the message the actor gets to eat the candy heart. This could help motivate shy students to play.</p>

<h3>Guess the Drawing</h3>

<p>Each student picks a candy heart and has to draw&nbsp;out the message for their classmates to guess. Have students pick out three to five of the messages and create written or digital stories using these messages. They can use tools like <a href="http://storybird.com/">Storybird</a>&nbsp;or <a href="http://animoto.com/">Animoto</a>.</p>

<h3>Video Dialogues</h3>

<p>Students pick out four&nbsp;to six of the messages and create a video dialogue between two or more fictitious characters using a digital storytelling tool,&nbsp;like&nbsp;<a href="http://www.xtranormal.com/">Xtranormal</a>.</p>

<p>If you want them to use their mobile devices, then try the free dialogue apps,&nbsp;<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/puppet-pals-pocket/id395844666?mt=8">PuppetPals</a>&nbsp;and <a href="http://outfit7.com/apps/talking-news/">Talking Ben and Tom News Reporter</a>.</p>

<h3>Create a Comic</h3>

<p>Students pick out four to six of the messages and create a digital comic of the conversation.</p>

<h2>Explore Love in Art</h2>

<p>Take a famous piece of art like <a href="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3338/3311447615_7bf0850881_z.jpg">Marc Chagall&rsquo;s Dream Village</a>. This painting represents Chagall courting his wife. Break students into pairs and have them write down at least three scenes or visual symbols they observe in the painting. Have them guess what each of these scenes or visual symbols represents, then share their ideas with the rest of the class.</p>

<h2>Explore Love in Poetry</h2>

<p>Valentine&rsquo;s Day is a perfect time for students to explore the language of love in sonnets, haikus, limericks, etc. Try these ideas:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Break students into pairs and give them a few poems to explore then have them create a comic or multimedia presentation where they recite the poem and add visuals that highlight the meaning. Use tools like <a href="http://animoto.com/">Animoto</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href="http://photopeach.com/">Photopeach</a>.</li>
	<li>With <a href="http://photopeach.com/">Photopeach</a> they can create a multimedia, interactive quiz about the poem that their classmates have to answer.</li>
	<li>Have students create their own love poetry with this <a href="http://play.magneticpoetry.com/poem/original/kit/">cool online magnetic poetry tool</a>. The words are there. They just put them together to create a poem, then can take a screenshot and post in a blog or wiki.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Analyze Love Quotes</h2>

<p>Collect a list of love quotes like Einstein&rsquo;s, &quot;Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love,&rdquo; and cut them into strips. Have the quote in one strip and on another strip list the author and a few clues.</p>

<p>Give each student a strip. Instruct students to walk around the room to find their partners. Then give them 5 minutes to discuss the meaning of the quotes, whether they agree with the author, and name an example to support their stance.</p>

<p>They will present their quotes and ideas to the rest of their peers when you regroup as a class.</p>

<h2>Analyze Pick Up Lines</h2>

<p>Take famous <a href="http://www.librarything.com/topic/53846">pick up lines</a> and have students create dialogues in which they have to create clever comebacks like <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cMr1QVpdBzw/T_XGK2_qLvI/AAAAAAAAAzo/lA6hHw8DUN8/s1600/anti-pickup-lines.png">in this funny post</a>. They can use the previously named dialogue tools and comic strip tools.</p>

<h2>Create Valentine&rsquo;s Day Messages &amp; Send to Friends &amp; Family</h2>

<p>Have your students create handmade crafts, cards, or origami where they insert kind messages for their family members or classmates. When sending these creations to their classmates, make sure they send nice messages to everyone so no one is singled out. You may want to check the messages for any grammar errors before they send these out.</p>

<ul>
	<li>Find out how to make <a href="http://www.en.origami-club.com/valentine/index.html">origami hearts, boxes, and more</a>!</li>
	<li>Use mobile apps, such as <a href="http://www.fotobabble.com/s/mobile">Fotobabble</a>&nbsp;or <a href="http://animoto.com/features">Animoto</a>, to send Valentine&rsquo;s Day messages. These are free and have templates related to the holiday.</li>
</ul>

<h2>More Great Websites and Resources</h2>

<ul>
	<li><a href="http://cybraryman.com/valentine.html">Valentine&rsquo;s Day Sites and Activities</a> by Cybraryman</li>
	<li><a href="http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2009/01/08/the-best-sites-to-learn-about-valentines-day">Best Sites to Learn About Valentine&rsquo;s Day</a> by Larry Ferlazzo</li>
	<li><a href="http://www.esolcourses.com/topics/valentines-day.html">Valentine&rsquo;s Day Resources</a> by ESOL Courses</li>
</ul>


14+ Activities & Resources for Celebrating Valentine’s Day

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Posts describing lessons or activities for the ESL classroom.

Activities

<h1>Adjectives with a twist&hellip;</h1>

<p>This activity involves using adjectives to describe animals. There&rsquo;s a twist, though: you will later reveal that the students are actually describing themselves! Use this warm‑up activity when you&rsquo;re doing a unit on adjectives or descriptions. It&rsquo;s also a good way for students to teach each other new vocabulary. You could also use it when you have a class of new students to break the ice. Students always end up laughing, so it&rsquo;s a great way to start a&nbsp;class.</p>

<h2>Step #1</h2>

<h4>Get students to think of three animals they&nbsp;like.</h4>

<p>Have them write the animal names on a piece of paper. For example, a student might choose <em>tiger</em>, <em>bear</em>, and&nbsp;<em>rabbit</em>.</p>

<h2>Step #2</h2>

<h4>Have students write three adjectives to describe each&nbsp;animal.</h4>

<p>Give some examples:</p>

<table>
	<thead>
		<tr>
			<th>Animal</th>
			<th>Adjectives</th>
		</tr>
	</thead>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<th>tiger</th>
			<td>aggressive, strong, fast</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>bear</th>
			<td>big, furry, hungry</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>rabbit</th>
			<td>shy, cute, cuddly</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<p>After writing some examples on the board, I prefer to let students come up with adjectives on their own so that they don&rsquo;t all end up with the same ones. If they&rsquo;re looking a little lost, you could have a brainstorming session as a class before they write their&nbsp;words.</p>

<p>For lower‑level classes, these adjectives can be basic, such as <em>cute</em>, <em>strong</em>, <em>big</em>, <em>little</em>, <em>furry</em>, <em>lovable</em>,&nbsp;etc.</p>

<p>For higher‑level classes, challenge students to find adjectives that their classmates may not know, such as <em>ferocious</em>, <em>majestic</em>, etc. (allow dictionary use if you&rsquo;d&nbsp;like).</p>

<p>Circulate to make sure students are not writing nouns by mistake (this often&nbsp;happens).</p>

<p>Get faster students to help slower students come up with their last few&nbsp;adjectives.</p>

<h2>Step #3</h2>

<h4>Have them read out their adjective&nbsp;lists.</h4>

<p>Put students in groups of four or five and have them read out their adjectives. But instead of saying the animal names, they must use the phrases &ldquo;<em>I think I am</em>&rdquo; + 3 adjectives, &ldquo;<em>My friends think I am</em>&rdquo; + 3 adjectives, &ldquo;<em>I am really</em>&rdquo; + 3 adjectives. Explain that the adjectives represent how you see yourself, how your friends see you, and how you really&nbsp;are.</p>

<p>Use your example to model this before they begin. For&nbsp;example:</p>

<blockquote>
<p>I think I am aggressive, strong, and&nbsp;fast.</p>

<p>My friends think I am big, furry, and&nbsp;hungry.</p>

<p>I am really shy, cute, and&nbsp;cuddly.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>See what everyone has come up with! Share a few of the funnier answers with the whole&nbsp;class.</p>

<p>Have fun,</p>

<p>Tanya</p>


My Favorite Warm-Up Activity

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<h1>It&rsquo;s confusing for students and teachers alike when textbooks use different grammar terms!</h1>

<p>It&rsquo;s not only a difference between countries. Sometimes, in the same country, grammarians choose different terms to represent the same grammatical function. It could be a matter of preference, or maybe it&rsquo;s what they learned when they were studying grammar. As a teacher, it can be quite frustrating to see a grammatical term referred to in two different ways (e.g., &ldquo;progressive&rdquo; in one textbook and &ldquo;continuous&rdquo; in another). Our poor students, who already have so much to take in, now have to remember more than one term for the same function!</p>

<p>Let&rsquo;s look at the list below to get some of the more common mix-ups straightened out.</p>

<h2>Progressive Vs. Continuous</h2>

<p>These words are used for many tenses to refer to a continuing action (the -ing form), such as the present progressive or the present continuous, the past progressive or the past continuous, etc. <em>Progressive&nbsp;</em>seems to be the preferred choice in the US and <em>continuous</em> seems to be preferred in the UK. In Canada, I have seen many textbooks that use <em>progressive</em> and many that use <em>continuous</em>. I learned it as <em>progressive</em>, but I have had many Canadian co-workers also call it <em>continuous</em>. Telling students right off the bat that there are two terms for this grammatical function may help them avoid confusion down the road.</p>

<h2>Word Forms Vs. Parts of Speech</h2>

<p>This was the one that inspired this blog post. A teacher wrote us to say that she wasn&rsquo;t sure what we meant by <em>word form</em>. Both terms refer to the grammatical function of a word in a sentence, such as <em>noun</em>, <em>verb</em>, <em>adjective</em>, <em>adverb</em>, etc.</p>

<h2>Subject-Predicate Vs. S-V-O</h2>

<p>Both cases refer to the subject and the <em>verb</em>, <em>verb</em> + <em>object</em>, or <em>verb</em> + other type of <em>clause</em> or <em>phrase</em>. Both are ways to describe the basic sentence patterns of English. I always teach using S-V-O. Which do you prefer?</p>

<h2>Restrictive/Non-Restrictive Vs. Identifying/Non-Identifying Adjective Clauses</h2>

<p><em>Restrictive</em>, or <em>identifying</em>, adjective clauses don&rsquo;t use commas because the adjective clause is necessary to identify the noun. (Example: <em>The man who sat next to me on the bus was friendly.</em> There is no way to identify this man from any other man unless we include the info that he sat next to me. Now it is one specific man that I&rsquo;m referring to.) <em>Non-restrictive</em>, or <em>non-identifying</em>, adjective clauses need commas because the adjective clause is simply extra information that is not required in order to identify the noun. (Example: <em>Mr. Green, who was wearing a funny hat today, seemed tired when he was teaching us about grammar.</em> The teacher, Mr. Green, is already one specific man, and there&rsquo;s no need to identify him further. The fact that he was wearing a funny hat is just extra information.) Both terms make sense: <em>restrictive</em> means that the clause cannot be omitted from the sentence without affecting the meaning, and <em>identifying</em> means that the clause is necessary in order to identify the noun.</p>

<h2>Reported Vs. Indirect Speech</h2>

<p>Both terms refer to saying what someone else said. (Example: <em>He told me he was coming to the party tonight.</em>) The term <em>indirect</em> is used in contrast to direct speech. (Example: <em>He told me, &ldquo;I&rsquo;m coming to the party tonight.&rdquo;</em>) But it&rsquo;s easy to guess where the term <em>reported</em> came from, because that is the purpose it serves, to report someone else&rsquo;s speech.</p>

<h2>Non-Count Vs. Uncountable Nouns</h2>

<p>Referring to nouns that are too small or too shapeless to count, such as sand or milk, these terms both use a negative prefix with the word count. You won&rsquo;t find <em>non-count</em> in the dictionary (whereas <em>uncountable</em> is listed), but in grammar terms, <em>non-count</em> seems to be used much more often.</p>

<p>If you have any other commonly confused grammatical terms to add to the list, please let us know in the comments section below. Here&rsquo;s to progress(ive)!</p>

<p>&mdash;Tanya</p>


Progressive Vs. Continuous and Other Synonymous Grammatical Terms

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Teaching with Ellii

<p>ESL Library&rsquo;s teaching theme for January is&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/collections/8/lessons">Innovation</a>.</p>

<blockquote>
<p>&ldquo;Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing that it is&nbsp;stupid.&rdquo;</p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;Albert Einstein</p>
</blockquote>

<p>There are those lessons in which our learners come out feeling empowered, as if they have the ability and skills to make a positive impact in the world. These are the lessons in which you leave with an extra jump in your step and it feels great to be a teacher. These are the kind of lessons I live for, the ones in which I feel my students have left with more than knowledge. They have left my class feeling passionate and excited about learning. They have left wanting to create with their&nbsp;knowledge.</p>

<p>This semester try one of the lesson ideas below to get your students feeling innovative&mdash;creating and exploring while they are learning. Then revisit us and let us know how your students responded and&nbsp;reacted.</p>

<h1>Idea #1</h1>

<h4>Advertising This Tool</h4>

<p>Break students into pairs or small groups. Begin this lesson by giving the groups an everyday object like a pen, water bottle, or paperclip. Tell the groups that each object does so much more than what we see. For example, the pen might write secret messages that self destruct. The students can imagine all kinds of possibilities. Then the groups have to create short advertisements to market these new inventions. Here&rsquo;s <a href="http://innovativeproductandmarketingcompetition2011.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">a lesson plan for this project</a> by a language teacher in India. Here are the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/ipm201112?feature=watch" target="_blank">commercials her students came up with that also showcase their inventions</a>. I liked this one where they <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XH6LFbfNv70&amp;list=UUz0pKncdmZXq2vVL2HWKM0A&amp;index=6" target="_blank">invented a new kind of&nbsp;chalkduster</a>.</p>

<h1>Idea #2</h1>

<h4>An Innovation Day</h4>

<p>Have a day in which students are able to create an invention with the help of a mentor. Then give students a chance to showcase their inventions for the community. This idea was inspired by this article, <a href="http://www.good.is/posts/why-every-school-needs-an-innovation-day/" target="_blank">Why Every School Needs an Innovation&nbsp;Day</a>.</p>

<h1>Idea #3</h1>

<h4>Recycled Invention</h4>

<p>Have families, businesses, and the community donate recycled machine parts from cell phones, computers, appliances, and so forth. Spread out these parts on a table, and supply students with glue guns, duct tape, and other supplies to help them create robots or inventions with the recycled materials. Then have students take a photo of their invention and use an app like <a href="http://voicethread.com/" target="_blank">Voicethread</a> to describe their invention. When I worked at a museum, this was an ongoing free project for kids and they loved working with their hands to build with the recycled machinery. They were very creative and loved describing their&nbsp;invention.</p>

<h1>Idea #4</h1>

<h4>Create an App</h4>

<p>Various online tools make it easy for students to create free apps on Google Play. Have students work in pairs or small groups to design an app or you can have your class work with an app developer to create an app. You can try any of these following free app developers: <a href="http://www.webmobi.com/" target="_blank">WebMobi</a>, <a href="http://appshed.com/" target="_blank">AppShed</a>, or&nbsp;<a href="http://mobile.conduit.com/" target="_blank">Conduit</a>.</p>

<h1>Idea #5</h1>

<h4>Solve a Real-World Problem</h4>

<p>Have students brainstorm problems within their community or facing the world. Then students can work in small groups to come up with ideas to solve that problem. You can find a list of <a href="http://prezi.com/z1vfhc7q5xuz/dare-to-believe-problem-based-learning-with-icts/" target="_blank">problem based lesson plans here</a> and discover kids that are coming up with solutions to fix problems worldwide&nbsp;<a href="http://prezi.com/z1vfhc7q5xuz/dare-to-believe-problem-based-learning-with-icts/" target="_blank">in this presentation</a>. <a href="http://www.randomkid.org/" target="_blank">RandomKid</a> is a database dedicated to getting kids to solve world&nbsp;problems.</p>

<h1>Idea #6</h1>

<h4>Life Would Be Easier if&hellip;</h4>

<p>Have a roundtable discussion in which each student talks about what they wish someone would invent to make life&nbsp;easier.</p>

<ul>
	<li>Before the discussion, have students brainstorm problems they deal with daily or what irks them. They can work in pairs and create a mindmap of these problems or jot them in a chart. Try <a href="http://popplet.com/" target="_blank">Popplet</a>, <a href="http://www.twiddla.com/home.aspx" target="_blank">Twiddla</a>, and <a href="https://www.lucidchart.com/" target="_blank">LucidChart</a> to get your students brainstorming with graphic&nbsp;organizers.</li>
	<li>After they come up with problems, it&rsquo;ll be easier for them to jot down possible&nbsp;solutions.</li>
	<li>After they come up with solutions, they will be ready to come up with inventions that will solve these problems. Have them draw a model of this invention and describe&nbsp;it.</li>
</ul>

<h1>Idea #7</h1>

<h4>Interview an Inventor</h4>

<p>Students enjoy learning from creative types. Try finding an inventor in your community who will visit your students live. Have your learners prepare questions for this inventor. You might try Skyping or having a Google HangOut with an inventor you see&nbsp;online.</p>

<h1>Idea #8</h1>

<h4>Develop a Game</h4>

<p>Free <a href="http://scratch.mit.edu/" target="_blank">online tools like Scratch</a> allow students to create their own interactive games and stories that others can play. Have your students develop a game then have others play the game. You can give them a checklist of requirements for the game and assess them with a rubric. Your students can also map and image games with <a href="http://www.purposegames.com/" target="_blank">Purpose Games</a> and various <a href="http://www.classtools.net/" target="_blank">arcade games and QR games with&nbsp;ClassTools</a>.</p>

<h1>Idea #9</h1>

<h4>Discover an Animal, Insect, Species, or&nbsp;Planet</h4>

<p>Many sites and apps inspire kids to describe a creature from their imagination. Below are a list of great webtools and apps to get your students creating their own animals, monsters, bugs, and&nbsp;more.</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="http://www.nightzookeeper.com/" target="_blank">Night Zookeeper</a> &ndash; Students listen to stories from the Night Zookeeper, play creative games, then create animals for the Zookeeper to take care of. You can find several <a href="http://www.nightzookeeper.com/teachers/" target="_blank">lesson plans for teachers on the website</a>. There is a <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/night-zookeeper-drawing-torch/id573502313?mt=8" target="_blank">free app for the iPad</a> where the students can draw their animal and describe&nbsp;it.</li>
	<li><a href="http://www.moshimonsters.com/" target="_blank">MoshiMonsters</a> &ndash; This is a game where students invent a monster, create its home, and then take care of the&nbsp;monster.</li>
	<li><a href="http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/make-your-own/make-your-monster" target="_blank">Make a Monster</a> &ndash; Students create a monster with various physical feature options. Then the monster comes to life, dances, and sings a funny song. I have used this activity for students to create a monster then they have to describe the planet their monster comes from. We usually end the lesson <a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/Oobleck/" target="_blank">making Oobleck</a> in different colors and the students pretending the Oobleck is their planet. You can also have students use Playdoh instead to create their planets. The students also write stories featuring their monsters and the planets they live on. You might try <a href="http://littlebirdtales.com/" target="_blank">Little Bird Tales</a> or <a href="http://zooburst.com/" target="_blank">Zooburst</a> to create these stories&nbsp;online.</li>
	<li><a href="http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/make-your-own/make-dangerous-animal" target="_blank">Make a dangerous animal</a> &ndash; Students create a dangerous animal by choosing from various body part options. Have them create a story featuring their dangerous animals. You might try <a href="http://littlebirdtales.com/" target="_blank">Little Bird Tales</a> or <a href="http://zooburst.com/" target="_blank">Zooburst</a> to create these stories&nbsp;online.</li>
</ul>

<h1>More Great Websites &amp;&nbsp;Resources</h1>

<p>Find more ideas of how to effectively teach about innovation by visiting the resources&nbsp;below:</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="http://www.inventivekids.com/" target="_blank">Inventive Kids</a> &ndash; Great way to discover the latest inventions by kids and find tips to inspire kids to be&nbsp;inventors</li>
	<li><a href="http://inventorspot.com/" target="_blank">Inventor Spot</a> &ndash; Resources for inventors including a database of recent&nbsp;inventions</li>
	<li><a href="http://www.kidinventorsday.com/teachers_guides.htm" target="_blank">Kid Inventors Lesson Plan&nbsp;Ideas</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.ellentv.com/categories/kid-inventors/" target="_blank">Kid Inventors: Video Interviews by Ellen&nbsp;Degeneres</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.kidzworld.com/article/1010-kid-inventors-in-history#" target="_blank">Kid Inventors in&nbsp;History</a></li>
</ul>

<p>What other ideas do you&nbsp;have?</p>

<p>To see more of Shelly&rsquo;s tips for online resources for teaching English, <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/authors/shelly-terrell">check out her&nbsp;feed</a>!</p>


9 Activities to Get Your Learners Thinking Like Inventors

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<h1>Listen up! Transcripts can add a variety of activities to your repertoire.</h1>

<p>Listening is one of the most challenging skills of learning a second language. No matter how well a student may understand the written word or be able to speak in another language, when he or she hears it spoken naturally (i.e., quickly), it can be daunting. You can make it easier on your students by making use of the listening transcripts (for students who are visual learners, transcripts are a godsend). Whether the listening exercise is written out within the lesson (as is the case with ESL Library&rsquo;s lessons) or at the end of the textbook in transcript form, you can now present the listening exercise in many different ways. Why not mix it up from class to class? Variety is the spice of life, after all!</p>

<h3>Method 1: Listen only first, listen with transcript second</h3>

<ol>
	<li>It&rsquo;s a good idea to go over some vocabulary before you listen. You can pick out some tough words from the transcript to cover with your students.</li>
	<li>Present the listening first (without giving students the transcripts). For longer listening tasks, you may want to allow your students to take notes. You could also play the recording a second time before handing out the transcripts (especially for low level students, or difficult, long passages).</li>
	<li>Now give students the transcripts and play the recording again, letting the students listen and read at the same time. Ask students if they have any additional vocabulary questions. This is a great time to go over any slang or idioms that come up.</li>
	<li>For any related comprehension questions that follow, mix it up! You can have them answer the questions after the listening-with-transcript task, or have them answer questions before you do the final listening with the transcript so that they can catch anything they might have missed. If there aren&rsquo;t any comprehension questions available, ask some yourself. Students are a lot more engaged when they know they will be asked questions afterwards.</li>
</ol>

<h3>Method 2: Listen with transcript first, listen only second</h3>

<ol>
	<li>Start with vocabulary. You can pick out some tough words to teach the students, or have students skim the transcript and ask you words they are unfamiliar with.</li>
	<li>Present the first listening while they are reading the transcript. If the material isn&rsquo;t too difficult, you could have them do different things while they listen and read, such as focus on intonation or pronunciation, or underline words they don&rsquo;t know.</li>
	<li>Have them turn over the transcripts and listen to the recording for a second time. Now that they&rsquo;ve heard and read it once, it should be easier to follow this time around. This method is often less frustrating for students, but there should be occasions when you also try method #1, to challenge them. Whether or not to listen for a third time is up to you. I usually go by what the majority of the students want. It&rsquo;s a fine balance between helping out the slower students and not letting the faster students get bored. You could also make the recording available after school or during lunch for any students who want to practice the listening again. This is also part of the beauty of transcripts...slower students can study the written-out recordings later at home.</li>
	<li>Present the comprehension questions and go over any other difficult vocabulary.</li>
</ol>

<h3>Method 3: Fill in the blanks while listening</h3>

<ol>
	<li>This is a fun, different way to use transcripts and vary the listening exercises you give to your students. First, make one copy of the transcript and white out a word or phrase from each speaker&rsquo;s comment, or from every two sentences or so. The amount of blanks will depend on the level of your students. Just make sure not to have too many back to back, as students may get frustrated if they can&rsquo;t keep up.</li>
	<li>Play the recording and let students try to fill in the blanks as they listen. This method ensures engagement during the listening and really makes them aware of each word.</li>
	<li>Play the recording a second time so that students can fill in any blanks they missed during the first go.</li>
	<li>Check the answers together. Make sure you have them check their spelling.</li>
	<li>Now that the blanks are filled in, play the recording a third time and have students concentrate on the overall meaning of the passage.</li>
	<li>Do any comprehension questions and go over any difficult vocabulary.</li>
</ol>

<h3>Method 4: Cut up and put in order</h3>

<ol>
	<li>This is another way of using transcripts creatively. There are two ways to present this method (I prefer the first way). One way is to listen to the recording first, then give the cut-up transcript pieces and have students put them in order second. The second way is to give the cut-up transcript pieces first and have students put them in order, and listen to the passage second. Try both ways for variety and see what your students respond to best.</li>
	<li>To do this method, cut up the transcript into speakers&rsquo; sections (if it&rsquo;s a dialogue) or paragraphs (if it&rsquo;s one long passage). The idea behind presenting the transcript this way is that it forces the students to really think about the meaning of what they&rsquo;re reading and hearing. You can&rsquo;t put something back in order if you don&rsquo;t understand it well. If the transcripts aren&rsquo;t available in the textbook, I always copy them out for students who want to study the dialogue, vocabulary, etc. later at home. In the interest of saving trees, I usually ask how many students actually want a copy, since undoubtedly some of the students will just throw them out. On average, I would say about half the class wants a copy. If you have another way of using transcripts, I&rsquo;d love to hear it! Drop me a line in the comments section below. I hope these tips help your students become great listeners!</li>
</ol>

<p>&mdash;Tanya</p>

<h3>&nbsp;</h3>


Using Listening Transcripts in Class

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<blockquote>
<p>Sort out these pain-in-the-butt adjective rules once and for&nbsp;all!</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Hyphens. Such a tiny punctuation mark, yet hyphens can confound ESL students and L1 speakers alike. Don&rsquo;t let these little dashes scare you&mdash;the rules for their use within multiple‑word adjectives are actually quite simple. It&rsquo;s just a matter of placement within a sentence. Follow the rules below to achieve hyphenated-adjective&nbsp;perfection!</p>

<h1>Rule #1</h1>

<h4>Use Hyphens Before Nouns</h4>

<p>If the multiple‑word adjective comes before a noun, use hyphens.&nbsp;Examples:</p>

<ul>
	<li>She gave me an <strong>up-to-date</strong>&nbsp;report.</li>
	<li>We used <strong>computer-generated</strong> images in our&nbsp;presentation.</li>
	<li>After the reading exercise, answer these <strong>follow-up</strong> questions.</li>
</ul>

<p>This rule is especially common with TIME, MONEY, and DISTANCE. Note that adjectives never take an &ldquo;<em>s</em>.&rdquo;&nbsp;Examples:</p>

<ul>
	<li>We have a <strong>five‑minute</strong> break in our morning class. (NOT five‑minute<strong>s</strong>&nbsp;break)</li>
	<li>The clerk handed me a <strong>100‑dollar</strong>&nbsp;bill.</li>
	<li>I went for a <strong>20‑kilometer</strong> run this&nbsp;morning.</li>
</ul>

<p>What about using adverbs and adjectives together? Be careful here. Most adverb/adjective combinations will NOT be hyphenated. One common exception is with the adverb <em>well</em>.&nbsp;Examples:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Lady Gaga is a <strong>very famous</strong> singer. (NOT very‑famous singer)</li>
	<li>It&rsquo;s an&nbsp;<strong>environmentally friendly</strong>&nbsp;product. (NOT environmentally‑friendly)</li>
	<li>J.R.R. Tolkien is a <strong>well‑known</strong> author. (This is the&nbsp;exception.)</li>
</ul>

<h1>Rule #2</h1>

<h4>Don&rsquo;t Use Hyphens After Verbs</h4>

<p>When the multiple‑word adjective (or phrase involving a quantifier or adjective + noun) comes after the main verb (or <em>is</em> the main verb), do NOT use hyphens. Let&rsquo;s take a look at the previous&nbsp;examples:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Her report was <strong>up to&nbsp;date</strong>.</li>
	<li>The images in our presentation were <strong>computer&nbsp;generated</strong>.</li>
	<li>We <strong>followed up</strong> the reading exercise with comprehension&nbsp;questions.</li>
	<li>Our morning class break is <strong>five minutes</strong>. (Note: Now that we don&rsquo;t need a hyphen, we must follow the normal rules for forming the plural, so we need to use an&nbsp;&ldquo;<em>s</em>.&rdquo;)</li>
	<li>The clerk handed me <strong>100&nbsp;dollars</strong>.</li>
	<li>I ran for <strong>20 kilometers</strong> this&nbsp;morning.</li>
	<li>J.R.R. Tolkien is <strong>well&nbsp;known</strong>.</li>
</ul>

<h1>Conclusion</h1>

<p><strong>Use hyphens if the multiple‑word adjective comes before a noun, otherwise don&rsquo;t use hyphens.</strong> Are there exceptions? Unfortunately, there are always exceptions. For example, the adjective <em>good-looking&nbsp;</em>is always hyphenated, no matter the position in the sentence. (A <em>good-looking</em> guy waved at me this morning. / He is <em>good-looking</em>.) However, I&rsquo;d say that this rule works more than 90% of the&nbsp;time.</p>

<p>I hope this blog post helped clarify this well‑known problem!</p>

<p>Tanya</p>


When to Use Hyphens: Rules for Multiple-Word Adjectives

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<h3>This is interesting&nbsp;news!</h3>

<p>Almost all English grammar rules have exceptions that can cause our students endless confusion. That&rsquo;s why, whenever an exception pops up during class, I like to point it out to refresh my students&rsquo; memories. A common source of confusion is subject&ndash;verb agreement, particularly when it pertains to non‑count nouns that end in ‑s. Some of these nouns are common in speaking and writing, and you can bet they often appear on tests such as the TOEIC. Here are some of the worst&nbsp;offenders:</p>

<h1>1. News</h1>

<p>I often remind my students that <em>news</em> is non‑count&mdash;we can&rsquo;t say &ldquo;one new, two news.&rdquo; Think of <em>news</em> as information or a collection of stories. <em>News</em> always takes a <strong>singular</strong> verb, like any non‑count noun&nbsp;would.</p>

<ul>
	<li>The news <strong>was</strong> really interesting last&nbsp;night.</li>
	<li>No news <strong>is</strong> good&nbsp;news.</li>
</ul>

<h1>2. Customs</h1>

<p>The non‑count noun <em>customs</em> is defined as &quot;the agency that collects duties or tolls on imports or exports.&quot; (Going through customs at the airport is a common example.) <em>Customs</em> always takes a <strong>singular</strong> verb in this case. Note that this word is not to be confused with the count noun <em>custom</em>, which is defined as &quot;a tradition or common practice.&quot; (Taking off your shoes when you enter someone&rsquo;s house is a good example of a Canadian custom.) In this case, <em>custom</em> takes a <strong>singular</strong> verb, while <em>customs</em> takes a <strong>plural</strong>&nbsp;verb.</p>

<table>
	<thead>
		<tr>
			<th>Meaning</th>
			<th>Example</th>
		</tr>
	</thead>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<th>#1 (Non‑Count Noun)</th>
			<td>Customs <strong>is</strong> intimidating. I always get nervous when I have to talk to the customs agent at the&nbsp;airport.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>#2 (Count Noun)</th>
			<td>Japanese customs <strong>fascinate</strong> me. For example, the Japanese tea ceremony custom <strong>is</strong> intricate and&nbsp;beautiful.</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<h1>3. School Subjects</h1>

<p>School subjects are also non-count nouns since they represent a collective field of study. They take a singular verb. Some subjects don&rsquo;t end in ‑s (and therefore aren&rsquo;t confusing), such as <em>psychology</em>, <em>chemistry</em>, or <em>English</em>. But some end in ‑s even though they take a <strong>singular</strong> verb, such as <em>physics</em>, <em>mathematics</em>,&nbsp;etc.</p>

<ul>
	<li>Physics <strong>is</strong> difficult for me. I&rsquo;m failing that&nbsp;class.</li>
	<li>Statistics <strong>was</strong> a fun course. I enjoyed learning how to analyze survey&nbsp;results.</li>
</ul>

<p>Can you think of any more examples of nouns like these? If so, please share them with us in the comments section&nbsp;below.</p>


Subject–Verb Agreement: Non-Count Nouns That End in -s

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<h3>&rsquo;Tis the season...</h3>

<p>In the last few weeks leading up to the holidays, students usually get restless. Even if they don&rsquo;t celebrate Christmas in their own cultures, most are looking forward to having some time off. Throwing in some fun-filled activities that are different from your normal class routine will be well received! Also, students will appreciate learning about the holiday traditions of different cultures.&nbsp;These tried-and-tested Christmas and New Year&#39;s activities will make this time of year special for everyone.</p>

<h3>1. Secret Santa</h3>

<p>This can be done within one class or as a school-wide event. Find out who wants to participate (as students may have to spend their own money, it should be voluntary) and have them write their names on a slip of paper. Mix the slips up and pass them out to the students. Tell your students that they are responsible for purchasing or making a gift for the person whose name is on the slip. Set a dollar limit ($5.00 for example) and remind students not to tell each other who they are buying for. On the last day of school before Christmas break, students can present their wrapped gifts to each other. As a fun variation, the gifts can be hidden around the school or classroom and students can hunt for their presents. Who doesn&rsquo;t love presents?</p>

<h3>2. Holiday Lessons</h3>

<p>Turn the holiday season into an opportunity to learn! At <a href="https://ellii.com">ESL Library</a>, we&rsquo;ve got lower level and intermediate lessons on <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1857">Chanukah</a>, <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1946">Christmas,</a> <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/2096" s="" title="New Year">New Year&rsquo;s</a>, and <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1856">Kwanzaa</a>. The lessons each contain reading, vocabulary, speaking, and writing exercises, as well as other fun activities like songs and &ldquo;find someone who.&rdquo; There&rsquo;s lots of fascinating information about the history and culture of these holidays for you and your students to discover.</p>

<h3>3. Christmas Party</h3>

<p>Let&rsquo;s face it, on the last day before the Christmas break, your students won&rsquo;t be in the mood for any heavy learning. Make this day fun and special by having a class party. Students can decorate by cutting out snowflakes out of paper to put up on the windows or the walls of their classroom. A pot-luck lunch usually works well, with each student bringing in food to share. Encourage students to prepare a dish from their native country, if they can. Have the students briefly explain their dish before everyone digs in. Students usually love this opportunity to learn about the food in other cultures, especially when they get to experience it firsthand! In addition to (or instead of) the food, you can prepare fun Christmas activities, songs, or even a movie about Christmas (there are tons of choices out there). See the rest of this blog post for ideas!</p>

<h3>4. Holiday Flashcards</h3>

<p><a href="https://ellii.com">ESL Library</a>&nbsp;has a bunch of holiday flashcards you can use. Check out our <a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/21/flashcard_categories/20">Christmas Flashcards&nbsp;</a>and <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/ideas-for-using-christmas-flashcards">ideas on how to use them</a>. There are lots of fun activities you can do with your class, such as memory games, hot seat (or cold seat, depending where you live), making your own cartoons, and more.&nbsp;</p>

<h3>5. Christmas Field Trip</h3>

<p>Most cities usually have lots of places with Christmas displays. For example, there is a hotel in Vancouver, BC, Canada that has a huge Christmas tree display. You might also check out a local event such as a choir performing Christmas carols outdoors. You can incorporate an activity into the outing, such as learning the carols beforehand, marking off a checklist, or writing a paragraph about what they saw. It&rsquo;s a good way to get into the Christmas spirit!</p>

<h3>6. Christmas Discussions</h3>

<p>Use this opportunity to get some lively conversations going. You can write discussion questions on the board and have students discuss in pairs, groups, or as a class. Beginner students can talk about simple things such as what kinds of presents they buy and like to receive, or what they want for Christmas this year. They could also discuss the different Christmas traditions they follow within their family or culture, including food and activities. If you have students who don&rsquo;t celebrate Christmas, have them discuss another holiday that takes place in December or January. More advanced students can discuss topics such as the commercialism of Christmas and their cultural traditions in depth. Students usually love finding out about other cultures! If your class contains students who are all from the same country, have them tell you about their traditions and tell them about yours, or focus on variations between families.</p>

<h3>7. New Year&rsquo;s Resolutions</h3>

<p>Find out which students usually make New Year&rsquo;s resolutions and have them explain the concept to the rest of the class. Brainstorm some examples together, and then have students make their own lists. You could assign a limit such as five or ten resolutions. Afterwards, have the students share their lists with their partners or in small groups. This also makes a great homework activity. Have students write their lists for homework, and discuss them the next day.&nbsp;</p>


7 Christmas and New Year's Classroom Activities

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<p>One of the best topics to teach as a language teacher is food. Language learners will use vocabulary and phrases related to food during their travels or while hosting guests from other countries.</p>

<p>Moreover, teachers can teach math, instructions, health, poverty, culture, etiquette, and more while teaching about food.</p>

<p>The activity ideas and resources below will help you have a successful food unit.&nbsp;Be sure to also check out ESL Library&#39;s&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/collections/everyday-topics/food-dining">Food &amp; Dining</a>&nbsp;collection.</p>

<blockquote>
<p>&quot;One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.&quot;</p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;Virginia Woolf</p>
</blockquote>

<h2>Activities and Ideas</h2>

<h3>Food Vocabulary</h3>

<ul>
	<li>Group students and have them design a restaurant menu using a multimedia tool like <a href="http://edu.glogster.com/" target="_blank">Glogster</a>. They will pick the restaurant theme and design the menu with images of the food and prices. Show them a variety of menus collected from restaurants or have them look at online examples.</li>
	<li><a href="http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/cooking-descriptive-language-designing-842.html" target="_blank">Read, Write, Web </a>has created a free tool for students to learn about restaurants and design menus.</li>
	<li>Check out these <a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/13/flashcard_categories">Food &amp; Drink</a>&nbsp;flashcards.</li>
</ul>

<h3>Food and Culture</h3>

<p>Students can learn about various cultures and traditions by studying various cuisines and the food within an area. Here are a few lesson ideas:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Have students teach the class a food tradition or custom. This can be one they are familiar with, like making tea, or it can be one they research.</li>
	<li>Pair or group students and have them research the food manners or etiquette in a country. The students then role play in front of the class what they learned. You can have them use a multimedia tool like <a href="http://voicethread.com/" target="_blank">Voicethread</a> to share these etiquette rules through images, audio, and doodling.</li>
	<li>Pair or group students and have them plan a trip to a different country. They must come up with a list of restaurants they would like to visit and detail what they would order. Students then role play being at the restaurant and ordering the menu items.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Recipes</h2>

<p>Recipes offer students a way to learn vocabulary in chunks through performing tasks and following instructions. Students learn about portion sizes, cooking tasks, ingredients, and cookware. Moreover, students are rewarded for their efforts by being able to taste what they cooked. Here are a few lesson ideas:</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://education.skype.com/">Skype</a> a local or famous chef, a student from a cooking school, a cookbook writer, or other food expert and have them teach the class how to prepare something simple</li>
	<li>Assign a project where students work in pairs or groups to teach the class how to cook a chosen recipe</li>
	<li>Have students create a short how-to video in which they teach others how to cook a meal or perform a cooking task like boiling an egg or chopping onions. They can upload these to Youtube. You can find several examples of these videos to show your students by doing a search on Youtube.</li>
	<li>Have students use a multimedia scrapbooking tool like <a href="http://www.mixbook.com/edu">Mixbook</a> to share a few of their favorite recipes accompanied by pictures and memories.</li>
	<li>Create a class recipe ebook on Google Docs or <a href="http://www.boomwriter.com/#SchoolParentsInfo">BoomWriter</a> in which each student submits a recipe and shows step by step instructions through pictures.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Digital Dialogues About Food</h2>

<p>Students can create a video dialogue between 2 or more fictitious characters using digital storytelling tools like <a href="http://goanimate4schools.com/public_animations/history">GoAnimate</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href="http://www.xtranormal.com/">Xtranormal</a>. Students can also create a digital comic of a conversation involving food with tools like <a href="http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/">Make Beliefs Comix</a>&nbsp;and <a href="http://www.creaza.com/">Creaza</a>.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Here are a few ideas of dialogues students can create:</p>

<ul>
	<li>A conversation between a waiter and customer</li>
	<li>A customer complaining about the food</li>
	<li>A conversation between a couple on a date at a restaurant</li>
	<li>Parents with noisy children</li>
	<li>Students ordering food in a school cafeteria</li>
	<li>A conversation between two food critics who disagree</li>
	<li>A food fight</li>
	<li>People critiquing the food at a party or event</li>
	<li>Friends ordering at a food court</li>
	<li>A vegetarian and a non-vegetarian ordering food</li>
	<li>Friends shopping at the grocery store</li>
	<li>Friends shopping at a farmer&rsquo;s market</li>
</ul>

<h2>More Great Websites and Resources</h2>

<ul>
	<li><a href="http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/teaching-kids/food">Games, lesson ideas, and resources for teaching children about food</a> by Teaching English</li>
	<li><a href="http://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/teaching-the-food-system/">Food Curriculum for Teens and Adults</a> by Johns Hopkins</li>
	<li><a href="http://www.foodtimeline.org/food2.html">Food History Lesson Plans</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.teachervision.fen.com/foods/teacher-resources/6621.html">100s of Food Lesson Plans for K-12</a></li>
</ul>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


15+ Yummy Activities and Resources for Teaching About Food

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<h2>Preparation is Key</h2>

<p>Most ESL teachers know what it&rsquo;s like to spend hours writing extensive lesson plans that map out every minute of the class. The reality is that things never go exactly according to schedule, and who has that kind of time, anyways? It&rsquo;s not so difficult to come up with a more basic lesson plan that you can adapt to many different classes. I&rsquo;m talking about a useful lesson plan that doesn&rsquo;t take more than a few minutes to come up with.</p>

<p>It&rsquo;s true that some teachers are quite comfortable winging it&mdash;not using a lesson plan and thinking up ideas on the spot that go along with the textbook&mdash;but this surely leads to some days where no ideas readily come to mind and you&rsquo;re stuck doing dry textbook material for the entire class. On the other hand, some teachers like to be prepared, and the idea of walking into class without a lesson plan is akin to that dream where you&rsquo;re in high school with no clothes on!</p>

<p>Lesson planning also helps when you have lower level students, or students who aren&rsquo;t very talkative. Having a good lesson plan to fall back on helps your class run smoothly with fewer awkward pauses or bored faces.</p>

<h2>To Write or Not to Write?</h2>

<p>Should you write out your lesson plan? I usually did, but you don&rsquo;t have to. I kept a notebook with a few notes about which activities or textbook pages I&rsquo;d be doing, and in what order. It usually only took me about five minutes to plan out (unless I had to search for a certain activity). I know plenty of teachers who didn&rsquo;t actually write out their lesson plans, but instead kept their photocopies in the order they would be used, and a post-it to mark where they left off in the textbook.</p>

<h2>Lesson Plan Structure</h2>

<h3>1. Warm-Up</h3>

<p>I always try to have something that&rsquo;s related to the main lesson of the day to get the students talking and/or having fun. It&rsquo;s nice to ease students into the class instead of abruptly launching into the day&rsquo;s lesson. After about a year of teaching, I had a drawer full of file folders organized by topic or grammar point with short activities to use as warm-ups, such as <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/105/resources/3089" target="_blank">conversation&nbsp;questions</a>, <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/125/resources" target="_blank">pictures to describe</a>, vocabulary to match up, etc. I strongly advise you to save the <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/105/resources" target="_blank">warm-ups</a> you like and reuse them with different classes&mdash;it saves time in the long run.</p>

<p>If you&rsquo;re just starting out as a teacher, or you have a topic you&rsquo;ve never come across before, you can simply come up with <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/105/resources/3087" target="_blank">five conversation questions</a> to write on the board for students to discuss in pairs, small groups, or as a class. Or, better yet, have students write their own questions about the topic, mix them up, hand them out, and discuss (see <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/my-favourite-fun-student-generated-speaking-activity/" target="_blank">My Favourite Fun, Student-Generated Speaking Activity</a> for more information). You could also check out&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/105/resources" target="_blank">Warm-Ups &amp; Fillers</a>&nbsp;for more warm-up activities.</p>

<h3>2. Main Lesson</h3>

<p>This is where you teach the meat of your lesson, whether it&rsquo;s through a textbook or something you&rsquo;ve created yourself. Introduce the grammar point or teach the vocabulary, then get into the practice exercises, reading, etc. Depending on how long your class is, don&rsquo;t let this part go on for too long. If you have a three-hour class, for example, I always try to have something &ldquo;fun&rdquo; planned in between long exercises that&rsquo;s still related to the lesson, such as a grammar game, speaking activity, vocabulary activity, etc. (see<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/4-activities-for-reviewing-vocabulary" target="_blank"> 4 Activities for Reviewing Vocabulary </a>for more suggestions). The goal is to prevent students from getting bored, tired, or burned out. Anything that gets the students talking, or even up and moving around, is great in between challenging textbook exercises.</p>

<h3>3. Wrap-Up</h3>

<p>I try to do a short <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/104/resources/3085" target="_blank">wrap-up</a> at the end of each exercise, or especially at the end of the class. Often, it&rsquo;s just a matter of having a few students share their thoughts or opinions with the class, especially if it was a pair or group activity that you&#39;ve just completed. Correcting the exercise as a class, or asking the students if they have any questions, could also serve as a wrap-up. You could also do a quick review or summary on the points you just taught. The goal here is to avoid dismissing students after a long period of working silently, which gives a &ldquo;Class is over, now get out!&rdquo; impression (even if that is what you&rsquo;re thinking at times!). Try these <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/104/resources/2228" target="_blank">Exit Slips</a>&nbsp;or a <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/104/resources/2557" target="_blank">3-2-1 Reflection</a>.</p>

<h3>4. Extra Activity</h3>

<p>Students never work at the same pace. There are always students who are faster or slower than the rest, or sometimes you have a multi-level class. This can be a big problem, as the faster students get bored and feel like they&rsquo;re wasting their time waiting around, and the slower students get frustrated if they don&rsquo;t have enough time to finish an activity.</p>

<p>I found that having an extra activity or two prepared helped to eliminate this problem. If the class exercise is individual, have something that fast students can work on silently, such as a writing task. If the class exercise involves pairs or groups who are speaking, have an extra speaking task ready for those faster pairs/groups, such as a few extra related speaking questions.</p>

<p>You could also allow free conversation practice (just make sure they&rsquo;re not sitting there silently&mdash;some students love the chance to practice natural conversation, but some shyer students may find it awkward). This may seem like a lot of extra planning, but actually, I found I didn&rsquo;t often need the extra activity and could carry it over to the next class or two.</p>

<p>Another way to avoid planning an extra activity is to allow fast students to start their homework during class.</p>

<p>Finally, don&rsquo;t worry if some of your extra activities aren&rsquo;t related to the main lesson. I often had a stack of unrelated activities ready to use, such as word searches, grammar quizzes, or discussion topics ready in case some students were finished early (or, heaven forbid, <em>all</em> the students finished more quickly than I&rsquo;d expected!). Check out our&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/categories/activities" target="_blank">Activities</a>&nbsp;category&nbsp;for more ideas.</p>

<h3>5. Homework</h3>

<p>Most students appreciate having the chance to practice and reinforce what they&rsquo;ve learned in class (especially with adult learners). Also, many schools insist on having daily or weekly homework practice. Textbooks often have workbooks that are perfect to use as homework. Also, ESL Library has many lessons that could be used as reading, writing, or grammar homework. For example, check out <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons" target="_blank">Grammar Practice Worksheets</a><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons" target="_blank">,</a> which has many pages that can be used as grammar homework.</p>

<h2>Ready-Made Lesson Plans</h2>

<p>I remember when I started editing lessons at <a href="http://ellii.com" target="_blank">ESL Library</a> almost a year ago, I told Tara, the head writer, how well laid out the lessons were and how much I wished I had heard about ESL Library when I was a full-time teacher. If you&rsquo;ve checked out our website&nbsp;you&rsquo;ll notice that ESL Library&rsquo;s lessons are already in a &ldquo;lesson plan&rdquo; type of format. Most of our lessons include discussion questions as a warm-up (that you can do as a class or in pairs), a reading, comprehension questions, a vocabulary review, and more discussion questions or other types of activities (see this lesson on <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/80/lessons/1324" target="_blank">Martin Luther King, Jr.</a>, for example).</p>

<p>You don&rsquo;t really have to plan anything else&hellip;you have complete lessons at your fingertips. I can see, after working here for a while, that one of ESL Library&rsquo;s main goals is to reduce the teacher&rsquo;s workload. Sounds good to me!</p>

<p>Happy planning!</p>

<p>Tanya</p>


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