ESL Lessons

by www.elcivics.com

These ESL lessons cover a variety of subjects that are taught in ESL classrooms. They include bold images with simple vocabulary words and can be shown on interactive whiteboards. Each lesson includes at least one PowerPoint slideshow to reinforce learning. At the bottom of the pages, you'll find free worksheets and crossword puzzles. I'll be adding new material to this section several times each week, so check back often. Teachers are welcome to send requests for new lessons.

Airports - Pilots fly airplanes and flight attendants greet passengers as they board the plane.

Alphabet Lesson - Students need to master the 26 letters of the alphabet before they learn to read and write in English. Beginning level students should practice spelling their first and last names.

Apartments - This ESL lesson teaches students vocabulary words related to finding, renting, and living in an apartment. It includes a PowerPoint presentation.

April Fool's Day - Lesson about tricks students can play on April 1.

Art and Art Museums - Artists are creative people who create art. Art museums display artwork.

Babies - ESL Lesson about babies and supplies for newborn infants.

Banks - Banks are a safe place to keep money.

Beaches - People go to the beach in the summer to swim, build sandcastles, and get a tan.

Bicycles - Bicycles are also called bikes. Riding a bike is good exercise.

Birthday Party - We eat birthday cake at birthday parties.

Buildings in the Community - Communities have libraries, schools, post offices, police stations, pizzerias, and motels.

Calendars - Calendars help us organize our time. They show the months of the year and the days of the week. They also show holidays. Using a calendar is an important lifeskill.

Charts and Graphs - Charts and graphs contain information. This lesson covers: pie charts, picture charts, tables, graphs.

Cinco de Mayo - Cinco de May means May 5th in English. It is a day to celebrate Mexican culture and history. On Cinco de Mayo, people eat Mexican food, listen to Mexican music, and learn about Mexico's history.

Classroom Items - Beginning level ESL students need to learn basic vocabulary words about items in the classroom. This is a great lesson for the first or second day of class.

Clocks and Watches - Clocks and watches are called timepieces. This lesson identifies various types of timepieces.

Clothes - Clothes come in different colors and sizes. This ESL lesson includes a downloadable PowerPoint presentation with basic vocabulary words. The ppt link is at the bottom of the webpages.

Clothes - Sewing Vocabulary - Some people make their clothes at home. Others have their clothes altered or repair by a tailor or seamstress.

Clothes - Uniforms - Some workers wear uniforms to work. Uniforms help people identify the type of job someone has.

Clothes from Around the World - Pictures of native outfits from various countries. International unit.

Colors - Colors are used to describe things. In English, we usually say the color before we name the item. For example: the red apple. This lesson uses basic vocabulary words to teach colors. It includes a PowerPoint.

Common Activities - Common activities are things people do often. For example: cook, sing, listen to music, watch television, etc.

Computers - Most ESL schools have a computer lab for students who are learning English.

Containers - Containers hold things. Jars, bottles, boxes, etc.

Count by Tens - It's easy to count by tens. This basic ESL lesson teaches ESL students how to count by 10's.

Coupons - Learn how to read coupon expiration dates and discounts.

Days of the Week - There are seven days in a week. Saturday and Sunday are called the weekend. The other days are weekdays.

Dentists - Dentists check your teeth for cavities and gum disease.

Dogs - Dogs are good pets, but you need to walk them, feed them, and give them a bath.

Easter - Easter egg hunt, basket, Easter bunny, new clothes, etc.

Employment - Types of Jobs - Jobs have titles. This ESL lesson teaches students to identify various types of jobs.

Envelopes and Addresses - How to write mailing addresses and return addresses on envelopes.

Envelopes - Writing Addresses - Review on how to format and write addresses.

Environment - Smog, air pollution, water pollution, global warming, and other environmental problems.

Exercise - Exercise is good for our health. It helps us maintain a healthy weight and a healthy heart.

Fast Food - Fast food includes hamburgers, hot dogs, tacos, pizza, and more. Fast food is usually high in fat and high in calories.

Father's Day - Children give their father a card and a gift on Father's Day.

Food - Grocery Stores - Shoppers go to the grocery store to buy food.

Flowers - Flowers have blooms, stems, leaves, and roots.

Fractions - Fractions are part of a whole. This ESL lesson on fractions shows fourths of a circle.

Fruits - Fruits have vitamins, minerals, and fiber. This lesson reviews the names of common fruits.

Funerals - Funerals honor the lives of people who have passed away.

Furniture - Furniture includes couches, armchairs, cabinets, beds, dressers, and TVs.

Garages - Garages can be attached or unattached. Some garages are large enough for two cars.

Gardening - Put the seeds in the soil and water them. Plants need soil, sunlight, and water to grow.

Geography - Mountains, hills, lakes, rivers, forests, etc.

Grandparents - Lesson and images about grandmothers and grandfathers.

Greetings - There are many ways to say "hello" in English: hi, howdy, what's up, how are ya, good morning, good afternoon.

Healthy Habits - Eating vegetables and exercising help us live longer.

Hobbies - Hobbies are fun. Fishing, dollmaking, sewing, and playing video games are popular hobbies.

Houses - Houses have a roof, doors, windows, and yards.

House Repairs - Plumbers, construction workers, electricians, bricklayers, and repairmen fix houses.

Household Chores - Household chores are tasks we do to keep our homes clean.

Jewelry - Jewelry is worn by both men and women. Gold jewelry is popular.

Kitchens - We prepare meals in kitchens. Kitchens have refrigerators, stoves, cabinets, and counters.

Kitchenware - Kitchenware includes silverware, plates, cups and saucers, pots, pans, and measuring cups.

Literacy for Work - These workplace lessons will help students gain the vocabulary needed to get, hold onto, and advance in a career.

Makeup - Makeup includes foundation, eye shadow, and mascara.

Meats and Fish - Meat and fish are sold in the meat section of supermarkets. They are sold by the pound.

Morning Routines - Most people follow a regular morning schedule on weekdays. They wake up, eat breakfast, leave the house, drive to work, and arrive at work.

Mother's Day - Lesson on ways to celebrate Mother's Day.

Names -Most people have a first and last name. Some people also have one or more middle names. Names can be long or short, easy to pronounce or difficult.

Numbers - We use numbers to count things and to solve math problems. It's important to memorize your phone number.

Office Work - Office managers and workers need to have good computer skills and good language skills.

Opposites - A fun way to improve your English is to learn opposites, with this ESL lesson.

People - ESL lesson about people and their ages.

Pets - Dogs, cats, brids, and fish are popular pets.

Proms - Proms are high school dances. Students wear gowns and tuxedos to the prom.

Restaurants - Restaurants prepare food and beverages for customers.

Rooms in a House - Houses have many rooms like the kitchen, living room, dining room, bathroom, etc.

Season - Autumn or Fall - Fall is the season after summer and before winter. It starts in September and ends in December.

Season - Spring - Spring is the season after winter and before summer. It starts in March and ends in June.

Season - Summer - Summer is the hottest season of the year. It starts in June and ends in September. People swim, hike, and spend time outside during the summer.

Summer School Lessons for ESL - Fun summer themed lessons for ESL classrooms.

Season - Winter - Winter is the coldest season of the year. It comes after fall and before spring.

Shapes and Colors - Shapes include circles, squares, rectangles, stars, diamonds, and more.

Sign Language - American Sign Language uses finger movements and positions to spell out words. It's easy to learn finger spelling.

Stores and Shops - Shoppers have many types of stores to pick from.

Shapes and Colors - Shapes and colors help us describe things. Circles, ovals, squares, and rectangles are some of the most common shapes.

Shoes, Slippers, Sandals - Shoes are worn on the feet. They protect a wearer's feet and keep them warm.

Supermarkets - Supermarkets sell food and other items like laundry detergent, magazines, and shampoo.

Taxes - File your taxes by April 15. Employees pay both federal and state taxes.

Telling Time - What time is it? What time do you wake up? When do you go to work?

Tools - Tools are used to build and fix things.

Toys - Balls, jumprope, hula hoop, dolls, race cars, games, and more toys.

Traffic Signs and Road Signs - Drivers need to understand traffic and road signs. Signs vary from country to country.

Transportation and Vehicles - People drive cars, take the bus, or walk to work and the supermarket. This ESL lesson reviews types of transportation.

TV Shows - Types of television shows such as the news, cartoons, educational shows, cooking shows, etc.

Vegetables - People should eat three or more servings of vegetables daily. Vegetables are sold in grocery stores.

Washing Clothes - We use washing machines and dryers to wash and dry our clothes. Some people go to the laundromat.

Weather - Weather changes every day. It can be hot, warm, cool, cold, or freezing. We plan different activities for various types of weather.

Weddings - Four-page ESL lesson about weddings and marriage ceremonies.

World Flags - This ESL lesson includes colorful images and short descriptions of flags from around the world.

Yards - Houses have front yards and backyards. This lesson shows a dog house, wading pool, fence with a gate, and a BBQ grill.

Simple and Classic ESL Games

Simple and Classic ESL Games

The games on this page are excruciatingly simple, time-tested ways of injecting fun into a class with young learners.

Words in Words -This is a good time killer, when you have 10 minutes left at the end of the class and need to do something fun. Break the kids into teams and write a vocabulary word (the longer the better) on the board. Then give the kids 2 or three minutes to write as many words as they can, using only the letters in the word on the board. After the time is up, review their words. I usually give one point for each word. (The first time, they will inevitably miss words such as "a" or "I", and make sure to point this out and hear their groans.)

Word Chain (known as "the dragon's tail" in Chinese) - This is an excruciatingly simple game that can be played in classes that are very young or quite advanced. To play, the teacher first says a word (such as "apple").  The next student must then say a word that begins with the last letter of apple, such as egg.  The last letter in egg is G, so the next student must say a word that begins with G, and so on, and so on, and so on. A typical string of words looks something like this:

apple - egg - ghost - table - eat - take - eleven - night - two

You can simply take turns, going around the room, or have them stand in a circle and sit down if they are wrong. Also, I sometimes have them play in two teams: I write 1 - 10 on the board for each team, and they make a line at the back of the room and take turns, one at a time for each team, running to the front to write ONE WORD.  The first team to finish wins, and gets a frilly super stamp or whatever floats their boat.

It's important to stress, however, that they cannot repeat the same word twice.  Otherwise they may end up in one of these ESL Cartesian loops: elephant - table - elephant - table - elephant - table - elephant - table - elephant - table...

To make this game more interesting and challenging for more advanced students: limit words to a certain category, to force them to think and be more creative.  Examples of useful (and tested) categories include: nouns, verbs, adjectives, English names, animals, foods, drinks, something big, something small, something noisy, something ugly, etc.

The Alphabet Game / The A-Z Game - This is very similar to the Word Chain game, above, but with a slight change, if you've worn out the Word Chain game (as I tend to do). In this game, students take turn saying words beginning with the successive letters in the alphabet. So the first student says a word that begins with A, and the second student says a word that begins with B, the third student C, then D, E, F, and so on.  A normal string of words looks something like this:

apple - banana - cat - dog - elephant - find - go - house...etc.

To make this game more interesting and challenging for more advanced students: make them say only nouns, or verbs, or adjectives, or plural nouns, things you can eat, or some other category that you come up with (as with the Word Chain game). Also, to really make them moan and whine, you can require that, in order to get a point, they must both say a word with the correct letter AND identify the part of speech (noun, verb, or adjective). To make them truly explode with exasperation, demand that they say a noun AND a verb AND an adjective for each letter, and give them a point for each one they can say successfully.

Typhoon - This is a stickyball game that younger kids tend to enjoy a lot. First, separate the class into two teams. Then draw a big grid on the board (4x4 should be fine). Ask each student a question (spell a word, say a sentence, answer a question, or whatever). If they answer correctly, they can choose a square on the board and draw a boat for their team (assign each team a certain color boat to draw). Then do the same for the next team, and keep going until every square on the board has a boat in it.  Then...

It's time for the typhoon.  Each team gets a certain number of chances to throw the stickyball - this is the "typhoon."  If the stickyball hits a boat, that boat is "sunk," and you erase it from the board.  (When the student - Vicky, for example - comes up to throw, yell, 'Oh no! Typhoon Vicky! No school; everyone go home!' and the kids go nuts.) So team A tries to hit all of team B's boats, and vice versa.  You can let everyone throw if you want. When the throwing is done, count the boats; the team with the most wins. It's not the most educational of games, but it's a nice break from the tediousness of class, and elementary kids like it a lot.

20 Questions - This is a standard kid's game, and you can tweak the rules however you like. You are a person, or perhaps a place or a thing, and the students must ask you questions to find out who or what you are. But you can only say the words "yes" or "no" (So the question, "What are you?" is unacceptable, because you can not answer it with a simple "yes" or "no"). As I usually already have my teams divided into two teams, I simply let them take turns and I award two points for a "yes" answer, one point for a "no" answer, and 5 points for a correct guess.

I Spy - I often play this with the younger kids, although I change the name to "I See Something..."  You start by standing in the front, choosing something in the room, and saying, "I See Something...Red (or blue or small or round or whatever)." The kids then take turns asking, "Is it the ____?" When one kid guesses right, he or she can come to the front and say, "I See Something..."

Tic Tac Toe - An obvious game that can be used to reinforce anything and everything.  Oddly, the kids don't get too sick of it.

Hangman - Another obvious game that kids seem to have a high tolerance for.  I mean, "for which kids seem to have a high tolerance."

Back to School Ideas

Ideas for the all-important first day of class:

Getting to know your new students

The first day of class is a great opportunity to get to know your new students and find out a little more about them.

1. This Is Me:
This is a very simple worksheet for very young learners who may not be able to write. They draw a picture of themselves and several of their favorite things. After they’ve completed their worksheets ask them to stand up and show their pictures to the class.
If possible, you may ask them to describe or name some of the things in English.

2. This Is Me (for older students):
This one is similar to the above worksheet but for students who are already able to read and write in English. You may also ask them to share the information they’ve written down with the class. The last part of the worksheet is particularly useful for teachers.
It asks students basically how much they like certain activities like singing, coloring, playing games, etc. and it will give you an idea as to what type of learner each may be.

Icebreakers

Never underestimate the importance of activities to break the ice on the first day of class (you have already checked our new ‘Warmers and Ice-Breakers’ category, haven’t you?). No matter how old or how young your students are, there is always a little anxiety about having to speak a language that is not their own. To get the year off to a great start, try either of these icebreakers, and you'll see your students will be more relaxed and less anxious about learning English.

1. Introduce me: This activity is a great way to start a class of adult learners who are not complete beginners. Split them up into pairs and have them take turns asking each other questions. You should have some prompts written down on the board or on a handout, and they should be suitable to their level. For example, beginner-intermediate students should have a list of questions, like: 

• Where do you live?
• What do you do?
• Where do you work?
• Etc.

More advanced students, may be simply given areas to investigate, like:

• Education
• Family
• Work
• Leisure activities and hobbies
• Etc.

They should be encouraged to take notes, and try to remember as much as they can about their partner. Once they’re done interviewing each other, each student has to introduce his or her partner and tell the class what they've learned about that person.
Very young learners or beginners can simply be taught to ask simple questions like, “What’s your name?” and “How old are you?”, then introduce their new friend to the class: “This is Sandra. She’s 7 years old.”

2. My goals: Unlike most school courses, learning English as a second language is quite often something that is chosen by the students themselves. Adult students, at the very least, will be able to tell you why they’ve enrolled in an ESL course. But little ones may also have great reasons to want to learn English. So, ask each of them to share their reasons for signing up for the course, and what they hope to accomplish. You may ask them to write this down on the first page of their notebooks, so they can always have that to look back to.

A word book

Create a personalized dictionary that each student will keep for the duration of the course. Hand out a few blank sheets of paper to each of your students, as well as a piece of poster board of the same size. The poster board will be the front cover of their dictionary, which they can decorate as they please. The blank sheets of paper will be the pages of their dictionary. They should write down new words in their dictionaries, with a short definition, example, or drawing.  

Looking to the future - Buried Treasure

Here’s another great activity for the first day of school that will blow your students away on the very last day of class. Create a Treasure Chest. Ask your students to draw pictures of themselves and write something on the back: a description of themselves, their favorite things, what they hope to learn and do in class, etc… Measure each of their heights with a piece of string or yarn and label each one with a child's name. If possible, record each of them speaking, briefly stating their names and a little something about themselves. Get a cardboard box that will hold all of the drawings, pieces of string, and the cassette or disc, seal it with tape, and hide it somewhere in the classroom, or take it home with you.
On the last day of class, you can play a Treasure Hunt game, complete with treasure map, or simply re-open the box in a grand ceremony. Students will have a blast looking at their earlier work, and they’ll be amazed to see how much they've learned and grown.  

You can do something similar with adult learners. Ask them to write a paragraph about themselves, with no corrections from you, just a spontaneous sample of writing. Keep all of your students’ writings, and on the last day of class show these to them, so they can see how far they've progressed in their writing skills. You can also record them speaking. This activity is a lot of fun, but it also presents very tangible evidence of how far they've come, something that any ESL learner will appreciate.

Whatever you do on the first day of class, take the time to get to know your students and let them get to know you.

Set forth the classroom rules with the little ones; discuss your students’ goals for the course. But the most important thing is to lay a solid foundation for what will be a year of cooperation and learning.

Source: http://busyteacher.org