This was a good idea I came across Bucksmore summer school. A review for various tenses/structures. Give students a piece of paper. Get them to split it into 4 squares. In each of the squares they draw one of the… Read More ›
grammar
Disappearing dialogues, colour-coded support
On the CELTA YL course I did a story retelling task. The students had watched a Shaun the Sheep video, and I’d pre-taught some of the tough vocab. After the video I wanted them to retell the story, but they… Read More ›
Comparatives and superlatives – Top Trumps
This is a classic. I find Top Trumps are a fun way to practise comparatives (mainly) and superlatives with young learners. Here’s something I did recently… The topic was ‘Wild World’, but talk of animals like polar bears feels a… Read More ›
Lesson idea: must, mustn’t, don’t have to…
I remembered a great activity for practising ‘must/mustn’t/don’t have to…’ that was modelled on my CELTA a few years back. I used it last week and it worked well. Give the students a table like this…
Lesson idea: quick conditionals review
Here’s a quick idea for revising some conditionals. I used this the other day and it worked well: Ask students the following: What would you do if you were the last person on earth? Encourage creativity: If I were the… Read More ›
Lesson idea: using sports commentaries in class
Have you ever heard of the ‘instantaneous present simple’? I hadn’t until a recent diploma module. Apparently it’s used to describe events or occurrences with some level of immediacy. You find it in newspaper headlines (like ‘Brad marries Angelina’), verbs… Read More ›
writing task on Henry VIII using gradual approximation
Teaching writing is something I’ve hardly ever done. I mostly work with groups that visit England for a week or so, and want intense listening and speaking practice. During my DipTESOL I really had to think about what teaching skills… Read More ›
ELT Planning 