Esl Speech Activities

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas When teaching reported speech the potential for mistakes, errors, and the general difficulty is enormous due to the number of changes that are made with verb tenses, patterns, pronouns, questions, time expressions etc.. It’s important to cover the subject slowly with lots of verbal practice at every opportunity. There are plenty of standard ‘change the direct speech to reported speech’ activities, but your students will soon tire of these if you overuse them. Here are some ideas which have worked well in the EFL classroom and will give your students a good amount of talk time in a variety of ways. This is a fun dispute roleplay that is ideal when students are split up into groups of 3, although 4 can work too....  [Read more]

  The third conditional is used when speaking about regrets and excuses. This video is specifically aimed at teaching the third conditional in an ESL setting. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. Unit 16 is a grammar unit, it's about reported speech and conditionals. We got a brief introduction to zero, first, second, third and mixed conditional. Clear examples and how to teach is shown. Direct and reported speech come together whit time...  [Read more]

Hoàng Minh Huy TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) is a challenging yet rewarding task that requires a set of essential skills. Pronunciation, grammar knowledge, and teaching method are three crucial elements that every teacher needs to possess in order to be effective in their role. From developing a neutral pronunciation to understanding grammatical rules and exploring different teaching methodologies, these skills are necessary for both native and non-native English teachers. In this blog post, we'll delve into each of these skills, highlighting their importance and providing practical tips for improvement. Whether you're a seasoned teacher or just starting out, this guide will...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas ESL students face the rules for the degrees of comparison early on in their English learning path. However, this topic may become daunting and lead to constant mistakes later on due to problems like confusing different degrees, doubling up, formulating unbalanced comparisons, etc. In this blog post, you will learn five easy steps you should take to teach this grammar point in your ESL classroom. Before you start digging deep, elicit some ideas of what adjectives are from your students. When you see they understand what adjectives are and don't confuse adjectives with other parts of speech, you can continue further. You need your ESL classroom to know two main functions of...  [Read more]

  The second conditional is used when speaking about dreams, fantasies and hypothetical situations. This video is specifically aimed at teaching the second conditional in an ESL setting. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. This unit was a great reminder about conditionals. I really liked the activity ideas in the unit, there were some great examples of activities that would be fun for students and help them learn conditionals and reported speech....  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Are you new to teaching English abroad? Don't fear! These 5 keywords will help you increase your confidence in the classroom as a teacher and help you to lead effective English lessons! Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas Are you not sure what to do this winter with your EFL students? Don't worry we've got you covered! Try these 7 amazing winter and Christmas ESL activities your students will absolutely love! Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas Check out these 7 activities for teaching reported speech in the ESL classroom that will help your students learn this tricky...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas In this blog post, we will look at an actual example of an ESA straight arrow lesson plan. We will include examples of the activities used and their purpose. You can adapt this plan to a variety of other uses and levels. Mudita Yajnik TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Setting up the classroom is often overlooked by teachers - but it's oh-so important! In this blog post, we take a look at the importance of the ESL classroom setup. Shirin Sophy Destinations Alumni Experiences Are you...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas In this blog post, we will look at an actual example of an ESA straight arrow lesson plan. We will include examples of the activities used and their purpose. You can adapt this plan to a variety of other uses and levels. Mudita Yajnik TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Setting up the classroom is often overlooked by teachers - but it's oh-so important! In this blog post, we take a look at the importance of the ESL classroom setup. Shirin Sophy Destinations Alumni Experiences Are you...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas Schools are starting again and students and teachers flock back to the classroom. Check out these simple and powerful back-to-school ideas and your students will surely remember this first lesson of yours for a long time! Have your students write a short report (or let them do it verbally) about something newsworthy that happened in their neighborhood or town during the school break. Introduce a weekly journal to your students. The focus of this should be on fluency practice and less on correctness. Have your students write in the journal every day based on a topic that came up in class. Divide your class into groups and hand out one paragraph of a reading topic to every group. Then, have them share the information...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas When it comes to teaching a lot of teachers are set in their ways, especially if this has been their career for a while, but over the years we have learned that teachers need to be flexible with their methods because there is a wide range of learning abilities in every classroom. Each child has their own learning styles and the way we approach a lesson should be tailored too, hopefully, to meet the needs of every child in the room. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Alexandra M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Teaching children with varying learning abilities means adapting and providing curriculum and course activities that...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Nowadays being a teacher means more than just executing lesson plans while standing up at the front of the class giving explanations; we were used to this type of teacher when the traditional schools were “teacher-centered” so the students assumed a passive and quiet way to access the knowledge. It seemed not worked out well regarding English as a second language learning, and for this reason, most schools adopted a more “student-centered” approach in the classroom. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Aline S. The “student-centered” approach occurs when the teacher gives students choice and voice and finds ways to provide a learning environment where the interests of students...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Every English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher desires to successfully teach their students how to proficiently speak, understand, and use the English language. English is a very complex language, and teaching it presents many challenges. Because of this, an ESL teacher must be willing and able to take on various roles throughout the teaching of a lesson. During a typical ESL lesson, a teacher will have some, or all, of the following roles: a manager or controller, an organizer, an observer, an assessor, a prompter, a participant, and a resource or facilitator. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Jennifer N. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or...  [Read more]

  And now we'll take a look at a few teaching ideas for the present continuous tense. The present continuous tense is quite a visual tense. We use it to describe actions that are happening at the present moment. So, we could give our students a picture, such as the one seen here. It is important that in the picture there are many activities going on. The teacher can give a time limit to pairs or small groups. In that time limit, the pairs or small groups will make various sentences based upon what they see in the picture. These sentences may include 'He is taking a picture,' 'He is throwing a boomerang,' 'They are playing with the ball,' 'He is digging a hole.' At the end of the time limit, the teacher will ask for some feedback and get feedback from the pairs and the groupings to...  [Read more]

Sahil Gazi TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Anyone who has studied linguistics or is a linguist has often been faced with the question, “so how many languages do you speak?” A point of short-lived frustration in these scenarios, linguists are often mistaken for being polyglots. Although sometimes they will focus on a particular language and even become fluent in it, their goal is not to translate documents or conversations for the sole purpose of doing so. Linguistics, therefore, is the study of human languages, the brain processes that allow us to communicate with each other. With some of the big questions tackled being, how does the brain put together sentences, learn new languages,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences The concept of multiple intelligences was brought to the education field by Howard Gardner in his book ‘Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences.’ It is one of my favorite theories that I learned about while in university and I was fortunate to attend a speech for teachers by Gardner regarding multiple intelligences. It is a theory that I applied to lesson plans, most notably for my preschool and kindergarten students to reach all of the students in some meaningful way. Teachers can employ activities and assessments that are multi-faceted and address the needs and skills of the various students. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Melissa G. Please note that this blog post...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences The theory of Multiple Intelligences was developed by Howard Gardner. The theory postulates that there are many different types of intelligence, which involve different skills and ways of thinking. Gardner (1989) relied on that intelligence was divided into the following categories: linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal and intrapersonal. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Gina F. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. It relates to an individual's ability to use language. This involves the comprehension and production of verbal and written language. Students with linguistic...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Stories are sometimes excellent resources in the ESL classroom. They can get the students talking and thinking in English about favorite fairytales or other stories they know or create themselves. With this, they can be creative while developing their own stories in class. This can lead to excitement and motivation. There is an endless supply of stories suitable for all ages and levels that could be used to develop English Language skills. And, hopefully, no shortage of imagination in the students to create unique stories. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Leigh K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The website Storyarts,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Teachers teach children to much more. They use games, videos, computers, and other tools to teach children different subjects. Teachers show students skills. They also explain the information. Teachers plan their lessons before they teach. Planning takes a lot of time. Teachers try to make their lessons easy to understand. Teachers might use a chalkboard, a projector, or a computer. They make posters or worksheets before class starts. Teachers plan the schedule for the day. Most teachers have to teach what the principal tells them. Teachers also assign homework and class projects. They often have students work together to do projects. When students are not doing as well as they should, teachers help them....  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas Teaching speaking skills is an important part of an ESL class. Sometimes, entire conversation classes are established that focus solely on speaking. Here are 7 great games for your ESL conversation class. Write down the names and key points about five celebrities and assign them to the same amount of students in your classroom. One by one, a student enters a “party” with another student playing the host. The host must then find out the identity of each guest by having a conversation with everyone. Have your students stand in a circle. Choose a specific grammar point and have the first person asks a question using the grammar structure. The student then throws a ball to another student who answers the question...  [Read more]

Mark Crocker Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Kinesthetic learners are learners that learn through objects that they can touch and explore. They also learn best by discovering and experiencing and particularly enjoy physical activities that involve getting out of their seat and moving around. Unlike visual and auditory learners, kinesthetic learners can be tough to accommodate in the classroom because of their need to be physically active. Since they need to be active in their learning, they may get bored very quickly if you allow them to simply listen and look at your visual aids or video presentation. As teachers, we must always be versatile and understand how to incorporate different types of learners. Luckily, there are...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information Teaching Ideas With the advent of online teaching making such a large part of the ESL market, we need to be aware of some teaching skills for that area. The first skill to consider which is absolutely important for ESL teachers, both native and non-native is that of pronunciation. This is a problem for most students coming from non-native English-speaking countries. They suffer by not understanding the teacher’s speech, which can be most stressful. The first skill relates to the teacher developing neutral pronunciation. There are a lot of self-study training courses that help ESL teachers to practice pronunciation skills and these are strongly recommended. Some native ESL teachers have really...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas Teaching new tenses to students of a foreign language is often not as easy as you might anticipate, especially when the tense you are trying to teach them does not exist in their native language. The following 7 activities for teaching the present perfect for the ESL classroom will help your students pick up the tense in no time! This is a great warm-up activity to make your students understand what the present perfect is all about. After teaching the structure of the tense, have your students write down 2-3 things they have accomplished in their lives. When they are finished, have your students share their statements with the class, for example, “I have won a speech contest,” “I have traveled to America,” or...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Just as important as knowing the grammatical rules of a language is knowing how the language is spoken within its native cultural contexts. Every language will have a wide range of cultural contexts for its use, each with its own set of stylistic rules. For example, academic papers, business cover letters, and text messages adhere to very different sets of stylistic rules and are evaluated accordingly. Broadly speaking, these styles of use will fall on a scale between formal and informal language. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Zephaniah Y. Formal language is usually used in occasions that carry a great deal of social significance, such as the giving of...  [Read more]

  Our next consideration is going to be how we actually group our students. There are perhaps three types of grouping arrangements that we can consider and within those we'll have a look at the potential positive and negatives of those particular arrangements. So firstly, what arrangements can we use? We could arrange our group as a whole class so all of their activities will be done as a whole class. They could be working as individuals and the final grouping arrangement we'll consider is that of small groups or indeed the use of pair work. So for each of these types of arrangements what are the potential positive and negatives with that type of arrangement? For the whole class certainly one of the main positive features is that it gives that class a sense of belonging. Secondly...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Teaching new words should be organized as a vivid way for better understanding and a higher level of remembering. These activities are easy to implement with any group of students. They are also very adaptable to online teaching format. The easiest way to introduce new vocabulary is to show students colorful pictures. You can use flashcards, magazine images, digital pictures, picture dictionaries, or photographs when helping your students to visualize new words. Also Read: Roles a Teacher has to Possess to Help Students Love English Students will remember new vocabulary better if you use real objects in the introduction. It’s also a great method of teaching kinesthetic-style learners as they’ll form stronger...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Put simply, children think and learn differently than adults. Jean Piaget, as one of the leading psychologists to explore these differences, puts forth the four stages of cognitive development, unified by an overarching idea called constructivism. He specifically focuses on children rather than all learners and, further still, focuses on development rather than learning. His constructivism theory posits that children form an understanding of the world around them and modify that representation based on their experiences and shifting environments that either contradict or confirm what they have built. (1) Therefore, in working with young learners, teachers should be mindful of this as they promote the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Who doesn’t love a story? Stories are universal. Stories connect us all. Stories also transcend caste, creed, color, and age. From the beginning of time, to-date the medium may have changed but stories engage us with others because it is easy to see ourselves reflected in them and understand the message conveyed easily. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Shaimuna C. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Teaching English using stories can be very effective in class. As an English teacher, I have used stories for classroom activities from Year 1 to 6 at the primary school level. The different age groups need diverse styles. Below are...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences I have been teaching English in Japan for 8 months now, acquiring the job solely with the qualifications of being a native speaker and having a bachelor’s degree. After 6 months of teaching with these credentials and the two weeks of initial training provided by my employers, I felt I owed it to myself and my students to complete a TEFL and receive a sounder understanding of EFL/ESL pedagogy. In this essay, I will elaborate on the benefits of the TEFL course as they apply to my own teaching experience and professional development by first providing background on my experience before the course, the practical applications of the course in my current position, and finally by addressing how the course will be...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas Check out these 7 activities for teaching reported speech in the ESL classroom that will help your students learn this tricky English topic in no time! Linda Dunsmore TEFL Information Are you traveling and don't know how to find the time to get TEFL certified? Worry no more! Here are 4 tips for getting your TEFL certificate on the road and for staying motivated to study! Linda Dunsmore Destinations Teaching Ideas Are you interested in teaching English in Japan? Our TEFL alumni Kaavya shares three differences in Japanese schools that every teacher needs to be aware of before heading...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas One may be keen to know what grammar is. Why do we need to learn grammar in our lives? How can I learn grammar? This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Mbalenhle S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Grammar is the set of rules that we follow when we speak to express our thoughts and to have a sound and meaningful conversation. It serves as an umbrella that comprises several things including part of speech, phrases, clauses and sentence diagrams which we normally use on our daily talks to be grammatically correct concise. Part of speech refers to a noun, pronoun, verbs, adjective, adverb, conjunction, preposition, and interjection, they...  [Read more]