Short-Term Programs ESL Guide for Teachers

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Short-Term Programs ESL Guide for Teachers

Teaching English as a Second Language to Greenheart Exchange’s Group Homestay Students I. Who is Greenheart Exchange? 4 II. Who are the students 4 1. Objectives of the ESL class 5

2. Teaching English to native speakers of: French, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Japanese 5 III. Culture in the classroom 9 IV. The Multi-level Classroom 9 1a. Advantages and Disadvantages of Multi-level classrooms 2b. Teaching Methods for Multi-level classes V. Classroom management 10

1. Seating arrangements 10 2. The Teacher’s Language 11

3. Correction Techniques 12 4. 10 helpful reminders for 10 common classroom problems 12 5. Teaching tips to eliminate incorrect habits 14 6. Homework 15 VI. The Communicative Approach 15 1. Types of Communicative Activities 15 A. Role plays 15

B. Interviews 15 C. Information Gap 15 D. Surveys 15 E. Pair Work 16 F. Debates 16

G. Icebreakers 16 VII: Lesson planning 16 VIII: Lesson Plans 18 1. Food 18

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2. Giving Advice 3. Conjunctions, Prepositions and Directions 21 4. Asking Questions 24 5. Asking for Permission 26 6. Then and Now, Past and Present 28 7. Making Plans and the future tense 34 8. Volunteering in the U.S. -Greenheart Project 37 9. Slang words and Idioms 39 10. Nouns 42 11. Debates 46 12. Cultural Comparisons 47

IX: ESL Games 49 X: Resources 49 1. Grammar websites 2. General ESL Websites 3. Books 4. Other Class Topics

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Teaching English as a Second Language Dear English Teacher, Thank you choosing to become a member of the Greenheart Exchange community as an English Teacher for a Group Homestay Program. Your position is both challenging and rewarding and plays a very important role in the success of our program. You likely have accepted this position because you enjoy working with teenagers, learning about other countries, and sharing your native language—English. Some of the key benefits of English classes for our participants include:

• Preparation for college and career • Deeper insight into American culture • Better ability to communicate with host family • Increased confidence when traveling, studying, or working in English-speaking countries • Ability to make new friends in their new language

This guide is written for you and discusses who the students are and where they are from, the “Communicative Approach” to teaching English, sample lesson plans and resources. The guide also provides sample lesson plans that we think would work well for the group. However, you are ultimately responsible for the curriculum and we encourage you to use your own resources and creativity, and to adapt lessons to the level and interests of the students in your particular program. Good luck and have fun! Sincerely, Greenheart Exchange’s Short-Term Program Department

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I: Who is Greenheart Exchange? Established in 1985, Greenheart Exchange is a non-profit international exchange organization dedicated to the promotion of cultural understanding, environmental consciousness and world peace. Greenheart Exchange organizes high school exchange, short-term homestays, ESL camps, intern and trainee, summer work travel programs in the U.S. and through our Greenheart Travel division, study, teach, work, volunteer, and language programs in over 35 countries around the world. Recognized as a leader in the exchange industry, Greenheart Exchange maintains the individual attention to participants, families, partners and schools vital to successful cultural exchange. Greenheart Exchange has a highly experienced National Office staff, several Regional Offices, and a large network of Local Coordinators throughout the United States.’ Greenheart Exchange is designated by the United States Department of State as a J-1 Exchange Visitor Program sponsor for the Secondary School, Intern and Trainee, and Summer Work Travel programs. Greenheart Exchange is currently granted full listing by the Council on Standards for International Educational Travel (CSIET). Greenheart Exchange is also a member of the World Youth Student and Educational Travel Confederation (WYSTC), WYSE: Work Abroad Association, and The Alliance for International Educational and Cultural Exchange. Individuals in our organization are also members of NAFSA: Association of International Educators. Greenheart Exchange has been endorsed by the Mayor of Chicago and the City Council for the promotion of international education, environmental awareness and citizen diplomacy. What is Greenheart? Greenheart is Greenheart Exchange’s environmental and social initiative that connects people and planet through environmentalism, fair trade, social transformation and cross cultural understanding. All of Greenheart Exchange’s group participants are required to contribute to a Greenheart service project. Past projects have included park clean ups, tree plantings, trail restorations, and volunteering at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter. You will see this activity listed on the Group’s calendar provided to you by the Local Coordinator. II: Who are the students? Greenheart Exchange participants are students who are recruited from Greenheart Exchange partner offices abroad. The students are generally between the ages of 13 and 18 years old and must have studied English for at least two years. (Occasionally we have college age groups as well.) Greenheart Exchange works with many partners around the world and in many cases Greenheart Exchange has a long-standing relationship with the overseas office. Typically these offices are international student travel organizations. Each of them has been screened by Greenheart Exchange and upholds ethical business practices and industry standards. The students have chosen to participate in a Greenheart Exchange Short-Term Program ESL/Activity Program which usually includes a welcome and farewell party, English classes weekday mornings, activities in the afternoon, including one Greenheart activity and one full day excursion per week; leaving one or two free afternoons per week. Evenings and weekends are also left free for students to do things with host families.

http://j1visa.state.gov/

http://j1visa.state.gov/

http://j1visa.state.gov/programs/secondary-school-student

http://j1visa.state.gov/programs/intern/

http://j1visa.state.gov/programs/trainee/

http://j1visa.state.gov/programs/summer-work-travel/

http://www.csiet.org/

http://www.csiet.org/

http://www.wystc.org/

http://www.wystc.org/

http://www.wyseworkabroad.org/

http://www.alliance-exchange.org/

http://www.alliance-exchange.org/

http://www.nafsa.org/

http://www.nafsa.org/

http://www.cci-exchange.com/uploadedFiles/About_Us/CCI-GH_ChicagoCityResolution.pdf

http://www.cci-exchange.com/aboutgreenheart.aspx?location=270

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Some groups include students who know each other before traveling (such as a group from one school) and some are comprised of students recruited from various cities who do not necessarily know each other—every group differs in this respect. The participants typically travel during their summer break and view the program as a fun, adventurous opportunity to travel to the U.S., learn about American culture, visit tourist sites and volunteer on a Greenheart Program. While improving their English is a strong contributing factor to choosing our programs, not all students are looking for rigorous summer English classes. With this in mind, Greenheart Exchange strives to offer high caliber English classes and tutors while also keeping the students engaged. 1. Objectives of the Class: The primary objective of the English classes is to get the students talking! The students are in the U.S. to experience as much of U.S. culture as they can which goes hand-in-hand with being able to hold conversations with Americans. For this reason, we would like the teacher to teach the class using the “Communicative Approach” to teaching a language. Information on this approach is expanded upon in its own section of this handbook. Overall, each group will likely not be accustomed to learning a language through such a student-centered and hands-on approach and some nationalities will open up to the idea more readily or easily than others. (We expand on these thoughts in the following sections about culture.) The overall goal of the English classes is to create a fun learning environment where the students learn practical skills to put their English skills into use during their short stay in the U.S. and take home with them the confidence to communicate with native English speakers and a positive idea of life in the U.S. and U.S. citizens. 2. Teaching English to Non-native Speakers Greenheart Exchange receives students from many parts of the world; however the majority of our group homestay participants come from a handful of countries. To help you better understand the educational and language background of each nationality, you will find below information on teaching English to specific nationalities. While the information has been generalized and we recognize each learner is different, it may be useful to glance at the information to understand certain common issues learning a new language poses to each group. French: In France, the French language itself is taught with a grammar based focus; as such, foreign languages are subsequently taught with a heavy grammar focus. As a result, the French have a hard time writing English correctly as a result of trying to memorize too many grammar rules. On top of this, the French study most topics in a very theoretical way and therefore have a hard time using the language and learning new vocabulary since it is often taught out of context. In order to teach the French the most effectively, you may consider following these three techniques. 1. Create a relaxed environment: The French do not like to get stressed. Creating a stress-free learning environment is important in helping them pay attention and retain information. 2. Understand the phonetic problems they face: Unlike people who speak another language who hear/understand or comprehend seven (or more) different sounds, French speakers only comprehend up to two sounds of a language; mostly because most French sounds are "dumb sounds" or silent; i.e. "an", "in",

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"un", "on", "eu", "au", "ai", etc. In addition, they do not pronounce all letters of a word and most ending consonants of words are silent unless they're followed by a vowel. These two factors make it very difficult for the French to learn English. It would be useful to have some tips ready for them to understand how to pronounce your language properly. 3. Speak slowly: This goes for teaching to any nationality but especially the French who tend to be slower speakers in their native tongue. Adapted from http://french.about.com/cs/pronunciation/a/mistakes.htm Spanish: A primary issue for Spanish speakers learning English is difficulty with pronunciation. Keep in mind the following when working with Spanish speakers: 1. Natural Sound: English is derived from German, which produces sounds which are more guttural than Spanish. This is why the sound is deeper. In Spanish the sound, for the most part, comes from the chest and has a softer sound. 2. Vowels: The English system has three sounds for all its vowels whereas in Spanish each vowel has one distinct sound. Multiple pronunciations of the same vowel in English create specific problems including the failure to distinguish the sounds in words such as: ship/sheep, taught/tot, fool/full or cart/cat/cut. Drilling vowels sounds and listening exercises aiming to help students decipher the difference between vowel sounds are important exercises. 3. Pronunciation: For the most part in Spanish there are two rules concerning pronunciation of letters. One is to pronounce the sound, and the other is not to pronounce the sound, commonly referred to as the silent sound. A common issue is the failure to pronounce the end consonant accurately or not strongly enough; i.e. cart for the English word card or brish for bridge or thing for think. To correct the problem some students may try to overcompensate and develop a tendency to read and pronounce every letter they see as a result of applying the rules from their native language. To resolve this problem, it is easiest if the ESL instructor has some understanding of the Spanish language, the structure, and the sound patterns. If you have an understanding of such patterns and sounds, you should be able to teach the Spanish-speaking student the English vowels and consonants. If you do not have any knowledge of the Spanish language, keep in mind that your student is likely picking up this habit based on his native language and work on drilling the English vowel sounds. Adapted from: http://esl.fis.edu/grammar/langdiff/spanish.htm Italian: Education is taken very seriously in Italy. Classes are held Monday-Saturday and most students spend a great deal doing homework. As Italian is also a Romance language, speakers of Italian share some of the same obstacles as the French and Spanish. As with Spanish, the English word “do” does not exist in the Italian language and causes confusion as to why it is necessary in an English sentence and often results in the learner leaving it out altogether. For example, students may say, “I no like American food”. The subject pronoun is not required in Italian and you may hear students say, “Is important,” eliminating the subject. Pronunciation: The tendency to 'swallow' weak vowels in English causes difficulties both in listening comprehension and in the production of natural-sounding speech. Most Italian words end with a vowel, which often leads Italian learners to affix a short vowel sound to in English ending with a consonant. This, together with temptation to give full value or emphasis to all syllables, results in the stereotypical Italian

http://french.about.com/cs/pronunciation/a/mistakes.htm

http://esl.fis.edu/grammar/langdiff/spanish.htm

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production of sentences that sound like: I atə soupə for lunchə. There is another factor leading to the often heavily-accented production of English by Italian learners. Primarily, that which the speaker wants to emphasize is usually moved to the end of the clause. In English, we identify this by intonation changes rather than word order changes. Italians often find it difficult also to produce the right intonation patterns when asking questions or making requests. Pay special attention to this as it may be difficult to discern if the student is making a statement or asking a question. Grammar: Italian does not use the perfect tenses to make a connection to the present in the same way that English does. This results in problems such as, I have done my homework on the bus. A similar lack of correspondence in the use of tenses in the two languages leads to interference errors such as: What will you do when you will leave school? or I live in Germany since 1999. Adapted from: http://esl.fis.edu/grammar/langdiff/italian.htm Chinese: Chinese students regard the book and the teacher to be the authoritative sources of learning. Suddenly, in English-speaking countries, Chinese students are confronted with a model of teaching that they do not understand and a style of learning of which they have no, or little, experience. Bearing in mind that average English class sizes range from between 40-60 students in China, it becomes immediately apparent that communicative-style teaching methodologies are challenging to implement for Chinese teachers whereas teacher-centered classes are easier to ‘control’. Therefore, when native English teachers announce they are not using the book that week or leave their central position at the head of the class to circulate and monitor, the effect can be bewilderment on behalf of the Chinese students. Furthermore, this bewilderment sometimes turns to anger as students may feel that the teacher is not performing her/his duties well and, therefore, is wasting their time. Therefore, it may be especially important to explain the difference of approach in the class you will be leading, possibly with the assistance of the group leader. Alphabet: Mandarin is not composed of an alphabet as English is, but a system referred to as logographic (a picture word). In Mandarin, a picture or single character, instead of a series of letters, represents an entire word: thus many Chinese EFL students will have particular difficulties with reading and spelling throughout their lives. Word stress: Spoken English consists of a significant stress-timed quality which means that the amount of time it takes to say a sentence depends on the number of syllables that receive stress in the sentence as opposed to the total number of syllables it contains. Chinese is a tonal language therefore a Chinese speaker is listening to the tone for meaning of a word as oppose to distinguishing tones between syllables making it difficult to draw conclusions to meanings of a sentence. It is important to have lessons on teaching English rhythm, or (stress-time). To start teaching sentence rhythm, first start with stress in words. Because stress in each Chinese syllable is equally strong, Chinese speakers treat English words in the same way thus, a common problem is that they tend to give each syllable almost the same strength, length, and pitch and do not know how to weaken and reduce unstressed syllables. A very good example is the word “CHOcolate;” many Chinese students say “CHO CO LATE.” A good article expanding on this topic can be found here: http://chifenchen.tripod.com/papers/paper-2.html Tone: Chinese use changes in tone not for stress or emphasis but to distinguish between the meanings of different words.

http://esl.fis.edu/grammar/langdiff/italian.htm

http://chifenchen.tripod.com/papers/paper-2.html

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Grammar: Mandarin does not contain any articles of speech (a, an, and, the). Although most Chinese EFL students can appreciate the difference between the proper use of "a" and "an," most perpetually struggle with when to use, and not to use, the definite article (i.e., zero article when, for example, referring to an indefinite plural as in "Children should listen and not speak"). Pronouns: The Chinese characters for he, she, and it are homophones. All three personal pronouns are pronounced as "tā." Consequently, Chinese EFL students frequently interchange the use of "he" and "she" in speech: that is, when talking about their mothers, for example, they will often refer to them as a "he," which is very disconcerting to a native speaker who's already having difficulty trying to follow the communication. Chinese information adapted from: http://esl.fis.edu/grammar/langdiff/chinese.htm Japanese: From a young age Japanese students are taught to respect his or her teacher and do the assignments they are told. Since they do not want to disturb the class, Japanese students often do not ask the questions that they have. Instead, they ask their peers questions or check in the books after class. They believe that saying their opinions in front of the class is a form of "showing off." They believe that their job is to memorize the things which the teacher teaches. Since they are so quiet in the class in this manner, the teacher might wonder whether they understood or not. The teacher needs to pay special attention with regards to this point and assist the students by calling on them by name, encouraging them to participate more freely, giving some kind of leadership responsibility in class, etc. Mannerism: It is best to avoid putting the Japanese student on the spot. It is okay if the student successfully accomplishes the task, but if he does not, especially if he is older or is socially at a higher position than the rest of his classmates, he will be very embarrassed. The Japanese usually do not use eye contact while they are talking with others. This does not mean that they are insincere or guilty of wrongdoing. Also, they do not accept compliments because accepting compliments means that they admit that they are good, which they believe to be conceited. Pronunciation/Speaking: In Japanese all the words end with vowels. When the Japanese students begin to learn English, they tend to attach some vowels after English words which end with consonants. The first step to helping Japanese students on pronunciation is to help them realize that English has more sounds than Japanese. The reason why it is hard for Japanese students to hear or produce certain sounds is due to either the sound not existing in the Japanese language or two sounds being very similar and sounding the same to the Japanese. Listening: Japanese, and many other English as a second language learner, will often find native English speakers’ pronunciation to be unclear. Native speakers of English usually connect words together in their natural speech, and they also reduce vowel sounds, to that most of the vowel sounds tend to sound alike. The teacher may need to explain this point so that the student gets used to natural English speech. Examples: Jededdit” Do you do it? No, joo? No, did you? Wassup? What’s up? Dunno I don’t know

http://esl.fis.edu/grammar/langdiff/chinese.htm

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Grammar: In Japanese, the final verb in the sentence signals the tense in which that sentence takes place regardless of the verb tenses within the sentence. Therefore, it is hard for them to understand why they need to match all of the verb tenses in a sentence in English. The last point that Japanese students are often frustrated with in English grammar is that the grammar rules that they have learned in Japan are different from the ones which are actually used by native English speakers. In English class in Japan, the teacher teaches strict, traditional grammar and excludes all other rules. For example, the teacher may say that "May I go to the restroom?" is correct, but not "Can I go to the restroom?” When the student actually talks with native English speakers, he realizes that the natives do not follow the rule. The teacher needs to help the student realize that both ways are used, and while some people believe that only one way is correct, others believe that both ways are acceptable. Adapted from: http://humanities.byu.edu/elc/teacher/japanesestudents.html III: Culture in the Classroom In general, we would like to create a welcoming classroom environment that embraces the students’ home culture while teaching them as much as possible about American culture. The goal of ESL classroom and cultural sensitivity practices should be to impress upon students the value of embracing and understanding their new host culture while still celebrating their own. Since these students are in the U.S. for just a short-period of time, lessons centered around U.S. lifestyle and culture are the best use of time however, it is always important to recognize the cultures from where the students are from and perhaps incorporate some lessons speaking or writing about people, places or things from their home country especially if the group appears to be experiencing some form of homesickness. The majority of the groups will be from the same country. In this case it is important to limit the amount of their native language which is spoken in the classroom. It will be natural for students to revert into their first language. For suggestions on addressing this please see, “10 helpful reminders for 10 common classroom problems.” When teaching a classroom of more than one nationality, remember that no two cultures are alike. Even if students are from the same region of the world and may share a common language, the cultures are likely very different, for example, the cultures of Spain, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Guatemala, are all unique. IV: The Multi-Level Classroom Often times students on the group program will have varying levels of English ability. This presents a specific challenge for the teacher but also brings with it some advantages. You can assume that the students are looking to practice listening and speaking and perhaps pronunciation given that this is their opportunity to interact with native English speakers. Most groups travel with one adult group leader who is bi-lingual. The leader is a great resource for you to use in the classroom. The leaders can assist monitoring the class and helping the groups during class activities. 1A: Advantages and Disadvantages of Multiple-level classes Advantages of Multi-level classrooms

• Students are able to learn at their own pace • Students learn to work well in a group

http://humanities.byu.edu/elc/teacher/japanesestudents.html

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• Students become independent learners • Students develop strong relationships with their peers • Students become partners in learning

Challenges of Multi-level classrooms

• Finding appropriate teaching resources and material • Organizing appropriate groupings within the class • Building an effective self-access center in the classroom • Determining the individual needs of each student • Ensuring that all students are challenged and interested • Enforcing English only policies when teacher is occupied and students are working in small groups or

pairs 1B: Teaching Method for multi-level classes Use a simple schedule that can be used each class period. The idea is to break the class into as many groups or pairs as necessary so each student obtains attention either from the teacher or a peer group.

1. Start with a warm-up that involves the whole group. 2. Break part of the class off into one type of grouping (i.e. pairs) and work with part of the class on a

lesson, grammar point, or activity. 3. Break off the class into another type of grouping (i.e. small groups) and have the other students use

self-access materials. 4. Bring the class back together for a whole group activity/game.

Suggested Activities: (http://www.englishclub.com/teaching-tips/teaching-multi-level-classes.htm)

1. Whole group Warm-up: Starting your class with a whole-group warm-up is a great way to foster a sense of community in your multi-level class.

2. Information gap exercises: Works great for cross-ability and like-ability pairs. 3. Crossword puzzles: Works well for cross-ability pairs or small groups. Despite their English vocabulary

levels, each student will bring a wide variety of knowledge to the group to help fill in the puzzle. 4. Self-Access Materials: Make sure everything is well labeled and organized. The materials should reflect

the needs and interests of the students in your class. Self-Access materials can be intimidating for students if you just have a shelf full of textbooks. It is best to photocopy many copies of worksheets and exercises. If you have students who are preparing for something such as the TOEIC test, have a file marked TOEIC Practice sheets. If your students need to improve their listening skills, have an audio shelf with an easy-to-use CD/tape player and level appropriate resources (CD's and worksheets). Rather than having guided readers, it is better to have photocopies of stories or articles with corresponding tasks (such as writing activities) stapled right to the readings. Games, specifically board games, are fantastic to keep in the classroom.

5. Art and images: Visual stimuli can be a great teaching tool. Use paintings as the basis for class discussions, writing assignments, and vocabulary building. Students of all different levels can participate together by describing photographs. Encourage students to bring in their own pictures and art and find ways to build lessons around them. One great pair activity that acts as a listening and speaking activity is to put students in pairs and have one of them describe a picture while the other tries to draw it. This can also be done as a whole group. Your students can choose a photo and describe it to you or another student who will try to reproduce it on the board.

http://www.englishclub.com/teaching-tips/teaching-multi-level-classes.htm

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V: Classroom Management 1. Seating arrangements Seating arrangements augment the lesson being taught and create the optimum learning environment for a specific lesson. A horseshoe shape of the desks or circle are good designs to use for teaching grammar and in general to promote group involvement. Dividing the classroom into opposing teams, dividing the class in half, works well for class debates. Pairs are good to promote dialogue between two students while back-to-back pairs help the students focus on words as opposed to facial clues and could be used to practice activities such as phone calls. Buzz groups are when students are seated in circles forming groups but some students rotate seats thus switching up the groups. Wheel shape is the same design but everyone moves. 2. The Teacher’s Language As the teacher, your language in the classroom is important. In general, it is important to: ask open ended questions, use gestures and let students finish sentences. Below is a list of more specific guidelines that would be handy to follow. Wait time: Provide additional “wait time” for student responses to questions. When asked a question, ESL students typically translate it into their first language, formulate an answer in their first language, and translate an approximation of the answer into English, before giving their response. They accordingly need more time to respond than do students whose first language is English. Vocabulary: Be conscious of the vocabulary you use in English; everyday words of Anglo-Saxon origin are generally the easiest for ESL students to comprehend, because they hear and read these words frequently. However, speakers of Romance languages (Spanish, Italian, etc.) comprehend many of our Latinate words more readily because their own languages have the same etymological roots. For example, most ESL students won’t understand “comprehend” but Spanish speakers will understand that word sooner than “understand.” Teach the language of the subject: In some subjects students not only encounter specialized vocabulary but also language structures that occur with high frequency in that subject. ESL students need to have words explained in context, as the dictionary generally lists common meanings of words first, which tends to increase the learners’ confusion. Closed exercises based on lesson content (i.e., passages with important key words omitted for students to fill in) are a good way to reinforce ESL students grasp of content and new vocabulary. Simplify: Simplify sentence structures and repeat sentences verbatim before trying to rephrase. Short, affirmative sentences (no negatives) are easiest for new learners of English to understand. Complex sentences and passive verb constructions pose a greater challenge and should be used judiciously. Explanations can be useful, but it is often a good idea to repeat verbatim difficult sentences containing important information and ideas. This gives students a second chance to process the same structure –something they don’t get if they are presented too quickly with a rephrased version that may be just as challenging as the original sentence. Transitions: Clearly mark transitions during classroom activities. To avoid confusing ESL students when changing topic or focus, explicitly signal the changes (i.e. “first we will,” “now it’s time for”).

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Check in: Periodically check to ensure the students’ comprehension. ESL students may be reluctant to ask for clarification or to admit that they don’t understand something, if asked directly (some may feel that it is disrespectful or an affront to the teacher to admit that they don’t understand). To check for understanding, focus on students’ body language, watching for active listening behaviors or for expressions or posture that indicate confusion or frustration. Bear in mind, however, that sometimes only later performance provides an accurate indication of the extent of students understanding. Use cooperative learning strategies: Cooperative learning groups provide opportunities for ESL students to interact orally with their peers in a small, non-judgmental forum. ESL students are able to hear others use the language of the subject to review key points. They are also able to ask questions they might be reluctant to pose in front of the whole class. Adapted from: http://www.responsiveclassroom.org/category/category/positive-teacher-language 3. Correction Techniques: When correcting any mistake, be sure to take note of common mistakes as they may indicate that a lesson needs to be reviewed or a topic should be covered. Be kind and do your best to keep mistakes anonymous and finally, write the example on the board and use a gap sentence to have the class correct the mistake and visualize it. It is also important to be aware of the difference between errors and mistakes. Errors are systematic mistakes students are unable to self-correct; they may not have learned the material yet. On the other hand, a mistake is a “slip”, is it non-systematic and the student should be able to correct him or herself. There are three main types of correction: self-correction, peer-correction and teacher correction. We will discuss the options for correcting students when speaking. 1. Offer a puzzled facial expression 2. Repeat the student’s words up to a point of error and let student continue 3. Indicate the mistake with your voice, i.e. using rising intonation 4. Identify the type of mistake it was, for example say “tense” and have the student repeat what he or she said 5. Ask the student to repeat the statement 6. Give the student two options, like a multiple choice question to have him or her self-correct 7. Reformulate the mistake for example, change the student’s statement of “I watch a film,” to “Did you what a film, “or “I watched a film”. In responding to students’ written errors, try to focus on consistent errors of a specific type (e.g., lack of plural endings) and concentrate on modeling or correcting only that error. If you target each and every error, the student cannot easily see the logical rule that must be applied in particular situations and may become confused and overwhelmed. Overall, remember to focus on content first. 4. 10 Helpful Reminders for 10 Common Classroom Problems: 1. Students become overly dependent on teacher Many times, students will automatically look to the teacher for correct answers instead of trying themselves. If the teacher obliges them with the answer each time, it can become a detrimental problem. Instead, focus on

http://www.responsiveclassroom.org/category/category/positive-teacher-language

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giving positive encouragement to students. This will help to make students more comfortable and more willing to answer (even if incorrectly). 2. Persistent use of first-language When teaching English as a foreign language, this is possibly the most common problem. As an ESL teacher, it's important to encourage students to use English, and only English. However, if students begin conversing in their first language, move closer to the student. Ask them direct questions like "do you have a question?" Another idea is to establish a set of class rules and develop a penalty system for when they use their first-language. For example: if a student is caught using their first-language three times, have them recite a poem in front of the class (in English). Remember, for the 3-4 hours they are in English class, it must be English only. There are occasions where it can be quite acceptable for a student to speak his or her own language. Stronger students can quickly explain to less proficient students what the latter have not understood or what they have to do - this frees the teacher from constantly needing to check on the progress of the weaker student, allowing the teacher to devote enough attention to the other students in the class. It can be distracting to everyone, however, if a student is trying to do a simultaneous translation of what you are saying while you are saying it. It is helpful therefore if the lesson contains a number of natural breaks in which less proficient students can be helped to understand the important points you have made or what they have to do next. 3. Student is defiant, rowdy, or distracting of others This will happen, no matter what, in every classroom. If the entire class is acting up, it may be partially the fault of the teacher; i.e. boring material or poor classroom management. If it is one particular student, you should react swiftly to show dominance. In order to resolve the issue, an ESL teacher should discipline the student if needed—for example requiring the student to stay after class, help clean the classroom, or do an extra assignment. If it continues to happen, make sure to inform the LC. If needed Greenheart Exchange can get the natural parents involved. 4. Students "hijack lesson" - The lesson doesn't go where you want it to When teaching English as a foreign language, you can always count on students hijacking a lesson. To some extent, this can be a good thing. It shows that students interest, and as long as they are participating and conversing in English, it is a productive experience. However, if the lesson strays too far off topic, in a direction you don't want it to go, it's important to correct the problem by diverting the conversation. 5. Personalities between students clash Not every student in an ESL classroom will become best of friends. If drama arises between certain students, the easiest solution is to separate them away from one another. 6. Students unclear what do to, or do the wrong thing This happens often when teaching English as a foreign language. If your instructions to an assignment yield looks of confusion and soft whispers among students, don't worry, there is a solution. In order to avoid this problem, it's important to make sure your instructions are clear. Use gestures, mime, and short concise sentences. Speak clear and strong. Most importantly, use models and examples of the activity. You can use pictures, miming, gestures etc. to model the entire activity exactly how you want the students to do it. You may also ask a pair of stronger students to model the activity for the rest of the class.

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7. Students are bored, inattentive, or unmotivated With proper planning, this problem can be solved. Choose a juicy theme to the lesson; one that the students can relate to and one you know they will enjoy. This will automatically give them some motivation and interest. Get to know your students and identify their interests and needs, then design or tweak your lesson. 8. Tardiness The group in some cases may be arriving all together or via carpool. If tardiness becomes a problem for your students, make sure to let the LC know. It may be an issue with their host family not being able to get their student to class on time, in which case the LC should work to make alternate transportation arrangements. Make sure that clear instructions are given regarding “break time”. Tardiness is not only rude; it can be distracting and disruptive of other students. Adapted from: http://jdaviswrites.hubpages.com/hub/Teaching-ESL-10-Common-Classroom-Problems-and-Solutions 5. Teaching Tips to Eliminate Incorrect Habits If your students have developed sticking points or seem to have plateaued in learning don’t be afraid to introduce some game playing or some alternative activities to break up the routine. By applying some of these techniques, your class will become fun, challenging, and hopefully successful. Tongue twisters: Alliterative phrases where every word starts with the same letter can be a fun and useful way to practice clear pronunciation and enunciation. “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers”, “Sally sells seashells at the seashore”, and other tongue scrambling phrases make a good break to text book work. Introduce a new tongue twister once a week. Search the internet using the keyword “tongue twisters” to find lots of possible tongue wriggling phrases. R and L for Asian speakers: Asian speakers often struggle with producing the correct sounds for the letters “R” and “L”. Listening to you say the letters over and over does not do the trick. The easiest way for them to pick up the correct pronunciation is to show them the physical difference in the production of the sound. Have your student watch where your tongue is placed in your mouth as you say these letters. Point out that to make the sound for the “L” the tongue goes to the roof of the mouth; for the letter “R”, the tongue stays down. Make sure your students are close enough to you to see the difference in the action of the tongue. This can be applied to any nationality struggling to correctly pronounce certain letters or sounds. Just whisper: Whispering is an effective way of enabling students to enunciate more clearly. Students who are having difficulty pronouncing words or letters correctly often benefit from trying to say the same phrase or letters in a whisper first. We naturally make a more conscious effort to form the letters more carefully when we whisper. Whispering also softens the pronunciation slightly so differences like those between the letters “j” and “g” become more distinct. Play hangman in class: Plan your class time to include a 5 minute session of a modified version of the game “Hangman” to improve vocabulary and spelling. Choose words from a previous class. Draw blanks for each letter and then set a limit to the number of guesses. As your students state their guess letters, record the correct letter guesses on the blanks you have drawn and the incorrect guesses off to the side. The goal is for the students to guess the correct word before they run out of the allotted number of guesses. As your students gain familiarity with the game, select a different student to run the game each time you play. Call the

http://jdaviswrites.hubpages.com/hub/Teaching-ESL-10-Common-Classroom-Problems-and-Solutions

http://jdaviswrites.hubpages.com/hub/Teaching-ESL-10-Common-Classroom-Problems-and-Solutions

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student up and tell them the word. Then let them take it from there. You can also expand the activity to call on students to use the word correctly in a sentence. Make it apply: Since you are working with teenagers, practice the vocabulary of their age group. Also keep in mind the unique situation of this group of student; they are spending a short-period of time in a native English speaking country and this program is designed to maximize English language learning which goes hand-in-hand with their learning about the culture. Include practical everyday situational vocabulary and vocabulary for tasks they may have to perform. Students are highly motivated by being able to handle daily living language. 6. Homework Homework, if given at all, should be fun in nature and really focus on getting the student to converse with his or her host family and new American friends. An example of this is the “Your First Homework” sheet which is designed to obtain important information for the student while also practicing having a conversation with the host family. (The LC should be providing this sheet during orientation and also provide you with a copy of it.) You could also assign an interview with a family member(s) for example, for a profession/jobs unit students could interview host parent(s) about their jobs. While many American TV shows are aired around the world, often times, the U.S. shows air with sub-titles or are dubbed into another language. Watching the same shows during their visit without sub-titles provides a good comprehension activity. You can assign a TV or radio show to listen to and in the following class have a short quiz, or game to play testing for level of comprehension. VI: The Communicative Approach Greenheart Exchange prefers that teachers take the “Communicative Approach” to teaching English. Generally speaking, this approach believes that interaction is both the means and the goal, learning is task-based, understanding the meaning is more important than using exact grammar, authentic materials are used, there is more than one answer and mistakes are a part of learning. Many students are not accustomed to this type of learning since they typically have classes from non-native English speakers that focus on written work and tests to determine their comprehension. As discussed in the section on teaching students of specific cultures, each country teaches foreign languages differently and places different importance on learning English. We can assume that not many, if any, of the students have been taught English from a native English speaker prior to this group homestay and will not be used to a talkative English lesson. It would be helpful to explain to the students up front that they will be doing more speaking activities and discuss the conversational approach in order to alter the group’s preconceived notions from the start. 1. Types of Communicative Activities A: Role plays: Role plays are a good way to help the students forget themselves and focus on the lesson instead of imperfections in English. Make sure to pre-teach the material the students will need, especially the vocabulary they will need to use. Don’t go into the lesson “cold,” ask lead in questions to engage interest from the class. To build up the atmosphere bring in props and encourage the students to really act the part. Try not to interrupt, just let the students speak freely. Possible scenarios: job center and seeker, shop keeper/buyer, teenager/parent, interviewer/celebrity B: Interviews: Interviews are a good way to have students practice speaking and since they provide the framework for the conversation, they are not intimidating for the students and can be great for beginners.

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C: Information Gap: In Information Gap activities, each student has information that the other student(s) don't have. The objective is for students to ask questions to find out what they can from the other(s). Information gap activities are a good way to reinforce vocabulary and also grammar lessons. D: Surveys: Surveys are another great way to get a class talking. They can be focused on a grammar point or they can be focused on an area of content. They too, provide a framework for a conversation. E: Pair Work: Pair work can include any of the above activities or simply having a pair of students work together to complete a task. The focus of the pair work should be the process itself, particularly students speaking with one another in English, rather than completing the activity or worksheet (though afterwards the activity should be reviewed so individuals can grasp the concept better and review on their own later.) Be aware of any speakers who may have a stronger grasp of the language and try to pair him or her with a student who may have weaker stills. Peer learning is a great benefit of pair work. F: Debates: Debates are good for classes with a more advanced level of the language but can also be used in some intermediate classes. In either case, it is important to pre-teach the vocabulary needed based on the topic. For Greenheart Exchange groups the debates should not be on overly controversial topics but rather practical and engaging ones. Questions for example can range from “learning a foreign language is not important,” to local topics or global ones for example, “people who pollute should be punished.” G: Icebreakers: For at least the first few classes, you may want to begin with an icebreaker activity. They are a great way to get to know the students and set the atmosphere of these relaxed, conversational classes. Spell your name: To test the class’s ability to use the letters of the alphabet and to learn everyone’s name, it would be fun to have each student spell his or her name to you as you write in on the board. Be sure to write out and say aloud as a class the alphabet. Instead of singling out a student, start with a volunteer and work in a circle from that student. If you determine the class could benefit from more practice, have a volunteer student come to the board and write a classmate’s name as s/he spells his/her name aloud. Truth or Lie: Each person writes down four facts about themselves, one should be a lie. Each person takes turns reading their facts aloud while the rest of the team determines which the lie is. When all are done, each person reads their list again and informs the group which is the lie. It could be fun to have the teams guess what they thought was the lie. The team with the most correct guesses wins. Break the classroom into small groups of 4-5 people. 4 Cs: Each person writes on an index card his or her favorite color, cuisine, country or city, and car. The cards are then shuffled and distributed. Each person reads aloud the card they picked and the group guesses who wrote it. You can choose to keep track of who guessed the most correctly but the activity is meant to get the group talking and seeing what they have in common. Do this with any letter or also use it to practice pronouncing difficult letters and sounds. Things we have: Divide the class into two or three larger groups. Give each a list of things they likely have, things they brought with them on their trip i.e. a passport, suitcase, toothbrush, plane ticket, camera etc. Also include items that are likely in the host families homes i.e. dishwasher, coffee maker, TV, DVD, Wii, a pet, number of children etc. The students will stand up while you read an item’s name out loud. If the student has the item, they sit down. You can throw in silly words to trick the class and make the activity more fun. Adapted from http://www.susan-boyd.com/tenways.htm

http://www.susan-boyd.com/tenways.htm

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VII: Lesson Planning When lesson planning, keep in mind the three “Ps:” presentation, practice and production meaning the students will be presented with, taught the information, practice the new material and, finally, be able to produce it in the correct context. There should be variety in the type of activities (writing, reading, speaking, listening) however you should be flexible and willing to deviate from your plan assuming the class is getting a lot of out the current activity. Keep timing and interaction in mind, indicating the amount of time dedicated to pair-work, group-work, individual work and teacher presentation time as well insuring there is adequate time to complete the lesson. Each lesson must have a clear focus, explicit presentation keeping at the forefront: the objective of the lesson, what the students need to know (be pre-taught), think about potential learning blocks and solutions, and prepare visual aids. Greenheart Exchange does not have a set curriculum but instead, relies on the expertise and experience of the ESL teacher. That said, the first lesson should include a general student orientation led by the LC, including a review of the student handbook and activity calendar. These materials will be provided by the LC. Students should be provided with classroom supplies: notebooks, pencils, paper and any handouts. Most teachers photocopy materials from various textbooks, internet sites, newspapers, menus, etc., and sometimes use additional material such as short articles and film clips. Make sure to check with the LC to find out if and what AV equipment is available in the classroom. Keep in mind, our aim is to have classes that emphasize practical speaking and listening skills. We also prefer if the teacher uses a “learner-centered” approach; students work independently, are more responsible for the activities, and focus on communicating with each other and the teacher as opposed to the teacher being the center of the activity. In the following pages you will find twelve complete sample lesson plans based on different themes. Feel free to use or adapt these in your classes. Within some of these lessons are links to useful plans and additional activity ideas, which may actually comprise multiple lessons.

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VIII: Lesson Plans 1. Food One of the big adjustments of living in the U.S. is learning to adapt to the food in the U.S. and possibly, changing some eating habits. For example, some students may not be used to eating dinner as the biggest meal of the day, since lunch is often the larger meal in many countries. Students are asked to pack bag lunches for the days they will not eat lunch with their host family and many students find this a hard or strange concept to grasp. These are the topics we would like for you to integrate into a lesson on food as much as possible. Activity 1: Food Categories: Have the students brainstorm the names of food they know writing the words on the board, or have the students go to the board and write the food items themselves. For words they are missing provide leading clues for them to guess or better yet hold up a picture or actual item of food. As a class categorize the food into breakfast, lunch and dinner food (according to U.S. custom). A discussion could follow on what students like to pack for lunch during their homestays and also how this differs from their home culture. Perhaps take a survey to discover what the favorite U.S. food items are and what students are missing from home. Activity 2: Bring in real food or pictures of food items and actual or pictures of eating utensils, do the same for condiments. Ask the students to say the name of the item, explain what it is used for; questions to facilitate a conversation and teach vocabulary. In pairs, have students state create 5 true/false statements about eating habits in their home country and a few for the U.S. Practice. The second step is to have them ask each other questions. For example, if the question is “we eat our food with chopsticks, true,” the question is “do you each your food with chopsticks?” As a group, form a circle with the students and discuss the differences between eating habits in their home country and in the U.S. What have they noticed in their homestay? Are they used to making their own meals, eating snacks, packing a lunch? What do they think about these American habits? The worksheet below could be used as a warn-up lesson as the main lesson. It should get the class talking about eating habits. http://www.tefl.net/esl-lesson-plans/TBW_Food_Eating-Habits.pdf Role-Play Restaurant with the students to practice 1) buying things in the grocery store and 2) ordering food in a restaurant. For a field trip, if the classes are held near a grocery store or a corner store, take the students to the shop and have then buy a snack or just have a look around at all of the options we have in the States! Homework idea: Ask the class to help their host family make dinner, have students bring in the recipe and explain it to the class or share briefly about this experience cooking in a U.S. kitchen and eating an American meal. Conversely, have students write a recipe for a typical meal in their home country to share with the class.

http://www.tefl.net/esl-lesson-plans/TBW_Food_Eating-Habits.pdf

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2. Giving Advice (Adapted from: http://esl.about.com/od/conversationlessonplans/a/l_advice.htm) The following is a simple lesson plan to use for giving advice. It would also be a good idea to bring in an actual advice column from a newspaper or a teen magazine. You may also want to discuss with the group leader or local coordinator what, if any, problems the students are having in adjusting to living with a host family and provide a constructive platform to speak about these cultures differences and brainstorm possible solutions as a group of peers. Aim: Building reading comprehension and advice giving skills / focus on modal verb 'should' and modal verbs of deduction (can/may, must/have to, mustn’t/don’t have to, should/ought to/had better) Activity: Reading about teenage problems followed by group work Level: Intermediate -Upper Intermediate Materials: Advice columns, Student Worksheet Outline:

• Start off the lesson by asking students to suggest what type of problems teenagers typically may have. • Use one of the problems mentioned and inductively review modal verbs of deduction by asking

questions such as, "What must have happened to the boy?” "Do you think he might have lied to his parents?", etc.

• Ask students for advice on what the person should do (reviewing the modal verb 'should'). • Have students get into small groups (four or five students). • Distribute various teen problems taken from newspaper or magazine advice columns. Assign one or

two situations to each group. • Have the students answer the questions as a group. Ask students to use the same forms as given in the

questions (i.e. "What might he have thought? - He might have thought it was too difficult.") • Students should then use the sheet to report back to the class actively using the modal verb 'should' to

give advice. • As a follow-up exercise or homework:

o Ask students to write about a problem they have had with their host family or anticipate could have

o Students should not write their names on their short problem description o Distribute the problems to other students o Have students answer the questions about the situation described by one of their classmates o Ask students to verbally give recommendations

Questionnaire: Students read the situations and then answer the following questions:

• What might the relationship be between the person and his / her parents? • How must he / she feel? • Where might he / she live? • Why might he / she have this problem? • What should he / she do? (Give at least 5 suggestions)

Texts/Situations: Try to bring in examples from advice columns in teen magazines. You may want to start out reading the example below and begin to have a group conversation answering the questions above. Then, write the questions on the board and have students work individually or in pairs to answer the questions for their assigned texts.

http://esl.about.com/od/conversationlessonplans/a/l_advice.htm

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Please help me get along with my family, female, age 16 I am having trouble getting along with my family. My older sister is always mad at me about something; recently she was upset that I borrowed some of her clothes without asking. My younger brother always wants me to play with him and I just don’t want to play little kid games. My Dad is always asking me about my grades and telling me to study more and my Mom told me that I can’t go to the Homecoming Dance this month because she thinks I am too young. None of us can see eye-to-eye on anything, help! Role-Play: Discussing teen issues such as a discussion with host-family members or it can include a complication for example, one student disagreeing with the group. Elicit ideas from the class based on what they are experiencing during the program.

1. Give the class the role-play topic. 2. Hand out the role-cards, making sure that they don't share the information with their partner or

partners, and be prepared to deal with any vocabulary questions. 3. Give students time to think about their role and what they may say. 4. As the groups practice, go around the room offering advice or helping with small corrections. 5. Have the groups perform in-front of the class. If there is time, swap scenarios among the groups and

have then repeat the drill. 1A You are a teenager who wants to go to the dance 1B You are the mother who does not want your child to go. 1C You are the friend or older sibling trying to convince the mother to a) allow the child to go or b) convince the mother it is bad idea the child goes (you agree with the mother).

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3. Conjunctions, Prepositions and Directions Conjunctions and prepositions are what make sentences flow and are a key component to moving from the intermediate level to the more advanced native speaker level of a language. English prepositions are a problem because different languages use different prepositions to express the same ideas. Conjunctions can also be problematic. It will help your students if you do not teach too many prepositions at one time. More importantly, it will help if you are sure to put the prepositions in context. A natural context to teach prepositions is with directions. This will be especially helpful because students will be getting adjusted to their new home communities and will need to know how to get around. You can start with reviewing basic prepositions and then move onto the specific lesson on directions. To start: Brainstorm on board, listing “place,” and “positive” and “negative.” Before the class ask the students to bring in pictures of their hometowns or allow time for the students to find a picture on the internet, if computers are available. Bring in magazines that have places in them, for example National Geographic. Elicit adjectives and nouns, descriptions of the places in the pictures. Model this conversation and perhaps write cues on the board to clarify the use of conjunctions and words for contrast. Also, be careful of noun-adjective confusion. Create 4 large flashcards for these words: but however though and Talk to a student...hold out the flashcards A: What's it like?........however The student must use the word "however" in his or her reply. B: There are a lot of wild animals. However, it's really pretty. Finally let the students practice with their peers. Two other great activities are listed here. One is based on places vocabulary and the other facilitates a conversation about specifics of hometowns. 1. http://www.eslflow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Lifestyle_dictation_exercises.pdf 2. Sample questions on hometowns (http://iteslj.org/questions/hometowns.html): After you graduate do you want to live in your hometown? Why or why not Do you like your hometown? Why or why not? How many TV channels do you get at home? Does your hometown have any festivals? What happens at that festival? What are some things in your hometown that are part of history? What does your hometown produce? What does it grow? How many members of your family were born in your hometown? Preposition lesson plan: (From: http://busyteacher.org/3630-how-to-teach-prepositions-of-place.html) Warm up Crisscross is an excellent game to start the class with. Have all the students stand. Ask questions like “What is this?” while holding up a pen or pointing to an object. Have students volunteer to answer by raising their hands. Choose a student and if he answers correctly he may sit down. Repeat until all students are seated. In

http://www.eslflow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Lifestyle_dictation_exercises.pdf

http://iteslj.org/questions/hometowns.html

http://busyteacher.org/3630-how-to-teach-prepositions-of-place.html

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large classes the volunteer can choose either his row or column of students to sit. Usually no more than about ten questions are asked. The exercise should take approximately five minutes. Introduce - Prepositions Pronunciation Write the target vocabulary on the board. The words below are a good set to begin with: - in - in front of - on - behind - under - above - between - next to Demonstrate the pronunciation of each word one at a time having students repeat it after you. If certain students appear not to be participating, call on them individually to pronounce the word for the class. You may want to start a chain where the first student says the first vocabulary word, the next student says the second, and the third student says the third, etc. until all students have had the opportunity to say at least one word aloud. In a small class feel free to repeat this exercise several times and encourage them to speed up with each cycle while still maintaining proper pronunciation. Drilling is important however it is often boring for students so adding in some fun elements can encourage them to participate. Introduce - Prepositions Meaning Try to have the students come up with the meaning or translation of each word. Use example sentences such as “I am in front of the board. Now I am in front of the desk. Now I am in front of Jane.” and change your position in the classroom accordingly. Use as many example sentences as you can think of for each preposition trying to get the students to guess its meaning before writing it on the board and moving onto the next one. Drill pronunciation and translation before continuing. Practice To test comprehension, do a short exercise. Tell students to put their hands on their desks, above their desk, behind their backs or to put their books in their desks, under their desks, etc. Perhaps a few students would like to give it a try so why not have them give a few instructions as well. A simple worksheet where students match prepositions with pictures would be good practice as well. Introduce – Prepositions Q & A Ask students questions such as “Where is my/your/the book/pen/desk/clock?” Demonstrate the pronunciation of the question and answer. The model dialogue for this lesson should resemble the structure below: - A: Where is (my/your/Sam’s/the) (noun)? - B: It’s (preposition) the (noun). Practice Ask your students to practice the model dialogue (created in the introduce prepositions Q & A above) in pairs for about five minutes taking turns being A and B. Next ask for volunteers to demonstrate their conversations and encourage them to be creative instead of being limited to the vocabulary you have already used in the lesson. Correct any errors with clear explanations and demonstrations before moving on.

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Production-Directions A great lesson for the first week of class is practicing vocabulary for local places in the neighborhood and asking and giving directions on how to get there. It is suggested that you try and obtain a map of your neighborhood or even a tourist map for the closest city to use in class. Objective: Students can name locations in the community on the map, comprehend the direction vocabulary, ask for directors and provide directions. Pair Work: In pairs, students can practice asking and giving directions using the maps. Have two sets of maps, each set marked with different “Xs” on locations. Give each student a map, the idea is for the each student in the pair to have a different map than his or her partner, in order to have students ask how to get to “X.” Prior to this lesson, be sure to go over the map as a class, properly labeling or defining the vocabulary of places and directions on the map. To conclude, students can sit in a circle and do the same drill. Review As a class review the exercise from the previous step. Students can volunteer to read one of their written sentences aloud, groups can take turns reading one of their sentences from Jumbled, or students can read their un-scrambled sentences aloud. Whatever exercise you’ve done, this is a key stage in catching mistakes. Often other students can assist their peers in making corrections but if not you may need to review certain problem areas.

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4. Asking Questions (Adapted from: http://esl.about.com/od/conversationlessonplans/a/ask_low.htm ) Many post beginners to lower intermediate students are quite capable of expressing their ideas reasonably well. However, they often run into problems when asking questions. This is due to a number of causes: i.e., teachers are the ones that usually ask questions, the inversion of the auxiliary verb and subject can be especially tricky for many students. This simple lesson focuses specifically on the question form and helping students gain skill while switching tenses in the question form. “WH” question words It would be helpful to review how to ask questions using the “Wh” words: who, when, where, why, & how. To start, you may want to start with something as simple as eliciting examples of these words. Write on the board the “Wh” words and have students come up with examples then, as a class create sentences using these categories. For example: Who? Anna, Bob, my parents, sister, What? Draws cartoon, listens to music Where? At school, in the pool, on the bus, When? Every day, on Mondays, during the weekend The website provided below has several links to free worksheets for free forming questions. They are divided into English speaking levels. They provide a structured way to form questions. https://www.englishforeveryone.org/Topics/Forming-Questions.htm Speaking Activity Aim: Improving speaking confidence when using question forms Activity: Intensive auxiliary review followed by student gap question exercises. Level: Lower-intermediate

• Focus on auxiliary verb usage by making a number of statements in tenses the students are familiar with. Ask students to identify the auxiliary verb in each case.

• Ask a student or students to explain the underlying meaning of the object question form (i.e., question word, auxiliary subject verb). Have students give a number of examples in different tenses.

• Split students up into pairs. Distribute worksheet and ask students to ask an appropriate question for the given answer taking turns.

• Follow-up check of questions either by circulating through the student pairs or as a group. • Ask students to each take the second exercise (one for Student A the other for Student B) and

complete the gaps by asking their partner for the missing information. • Solidify question forms by quickly playing a verb inversion game using the various tenses (i.e., Teacher:

I live in the city. Student: Where do you live? etc.) Students sit in a circle taking turns asking and answering questions based on who catches a ball or whoever responded last asks the next question.

Exercise 1: Ask an appropriate question for the response

• A steak, please. • Oh, I stayed at home and watched TV. • She is reading a book at the moment. • We are going to visit France. • I usually get up at 7 o'clock.

http://esl.about.com/od/conversationlessonplans/a/ask_low.htm

https://www.englishforeveryone.org/Topics/Forming-Questions.htm

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Exercise 2: Ask questions to fill the gaps with the missing information

Student A Frank was born in ______ (where?) in 1977. He went to school in Buenos Aires for ______ (how long?) before moving to Denver. He misses _______ (what?), but he enjoys studying and living in Denver. In fact, he _____ (what?) in Denver for over 4 years. Currently, he _________ (what?) at the University of Colorado where he is going to receive his Bachelor of Science next ______ (when?). After he receives his degree, he is going to return to Buenos Aires to marry _____ (who?) and begin a career in research. Alice ______ (what?) at the University in Buenos Aires and is also going to receive ______ (what?) next May. They met in _____ (where?) in 1995 while they were hiking together in the ______ (where?). They have been engaged for ________ (how long?). _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Student B Frank was born in Buenos Aires in ______ (when?). He went to school in _______ (where?) for 12 years before moving to ______ (where?). He misses living in Buenos Aires, but he enjoys ________ (what?) in Denver. In fact, he has lived in Denver for ______ (how long?). Currently, he is studying at the ______ (where?) where he is going to receive his _______ (what?) next June. After he receives his degree, he is going to return to _____ (where?) to marry his fiancée Alice and begin a career in ______ (what?). Alice studies Art History at the ________ (where?) and is also going to receive a degree in Art History next _____ (when?). They met in Peru in _____ (when?) while they _______ (what?) together in the Andes. They have been engaged for three years.

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5. Asking For Permission (Adapted from: http://www.pearsonlongman.com/totalenglish/pdfs/downloads/starter/unit_09_grammar_03.pdf) To help the students in communicating with their host families, incorporating a lesson on asking for permission into the general asking questions section is highly advisable. A sample lesson plan is listed below. TEACHER’S NOTES: Aim: to provide further practice of asking permission and making requests. Time: 40 minutes Materials: copy of the worksheet for each student

1. Students use the phrases in the box to write questions with Can/could you….? and Can/could I….? Elicit answers from the class. 2. They then practice asking and answering these questions in pairs. Answers (in any order): 1 Can/Could you iron my pants please? 2 Can/Could you carry my suitcase, please? 3 Can/Could I have a coffee, please? 4 Can/Could I use your computer, please? 5 Can/Could I take a photo of the house, please? Can/could you take a photo of the house, please? 6 Can/could you wash the dishes, please? 7 Can/could I ask a question, please? 8 Can/could I speak to Mr. Brown, please?

http://www.pearsonlongman.com/totalenglish/pdfs/downloads/starter/unit_09_grammar_03.pdf

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Student Worksheet

1. Work with a partner. Write questions using the phrases below. Use Can/Could you….. ?/ Can/Could I……..? Answers (in any order): 1 Can/Could you iron my pants please? 2 Can/Could you carry my suitcase, please? 3 Can/Could I have a coffee, please? 4 Can/Could I use your computer, please? 5 Can/Could I take a photo of the house, please? Can/could you take a photo of the house, please? 6 Can/could you wash the dishes, please? 7 Can/could I ask a question, please? 8 Can/could I speak to Mr. Brown, please? 2. Next ask your partner the questions. And write your partner’s answers to the questions in short answers. Examples: iron my pants carry my suitcase, have a coffee, use your computer, take a photo of the house, wash the dishes, ask a question, speak to Mr. Brown, your own examples A) B) C) D) 3. Work with a partner. Make a list of six things to ask permission or make a request for. Write a dialogue below including all six requests and the answers.

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6. Then and Now, Past and Present (http://esl.about.com/od/conversationlessonplans/a/l_thennow.htm) In natural conversation we switch between tenses which, is often hard for someone new to a language. A lesson on speaking about past and present could be useful for the group. Getting students to talk about the differences between the past and present is a great way to get students using a variety of tenses and cementing their understanding of the differences and time relationships between the past simple, present perfect (continuous) and present simple tenses. This exercise is quite easy for students to understand and helps to get students thinking in the right direction before beginning the task. Exercise 1 Conversation: Aim: Conversation lesson focusing on the use of the past simple, present perfect and present simple tenses Activity: Drawing diagrams as a support for conversation in pairs Level: Intermediate to Advanced Outline:

• Draw two circles on the board, labeling one “now” and the other “then.” Write example phrases or sentences in each.

• Read through the example sentences showing the relationship between the two circles ('life then' and 'life now').

• Ask students why you used the various tenses (i.e. past simple, present perfect (continuous) and present simple (continuous).

• Have students draw two circles. Each circle should have 'me' at the center with a universe of friends, hobbies, relationships, etc. surrounding. One circle is drawn for the past and one drawn for 'life now'.

• Students break up into pairs and explain their diagrams to each other. • Walk around the room and listen to the discussions, take notes on the most common mistakes made. • As a follow up, go through the most common mistakes made by the students to focus on the problems

they are still having with certain tenses (i.e. using the present perfect instead of past simple for definite past).

Exercise 2 Writing: Based on your two circles describing 'life then' and 'life now', write a story on the board describing how the person’s life has changed using those sentences including transition words, for example:

• In 1994, I lived in New York. • Since then, I have moved to Livorno where I have been living for the past five years. • Barbara and I have been married for ten years. • I used to play squash twice a week when I lived in New York. • Now I play tennis twice a week. I have been playing tennis for over a year.

Based on your example, have the students write their own story using the information in their circles to describe life then and life now. Once they have finished, they find a partner and describe how your life has changed over the past few years. Since many students will be used to writing assignments in English, asking them to do this assignment and then asking them to speak about it with a partner will help ease them into a communicative class. Exercise 3: “Have you Ever” Game: (http://www.eduplace.com/rdg/gen_act/g_start/graphics/have.htm)l This is a game for students to practice making “Have you ever…” questions, and responding to them. Divide students into groups of 4-10. Print out some play money and distribute it equally to each student. Cut out and

http://esl.about.com/od/conversationlessonplans/a/l_thennow.htm

http://www.eduplace.com/rdg/gen_act/g_start/graphics/have.htm)l

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shuffle the “Tell the Truth” or “Tell a Lie” cards at the end of this page and place them in one pile at the center of the table. Model “Have you ever” + past participle for your students, as well as ways to respond to “Have you ever” questions. Example: Have you ever sung in public. Yes, I have. or No, I haven’t. Give the students the list of examples of ‘Have you ever questions’ with verbs in the simple present. Remind students that they will have to change the simple present to a past participle. The first student starts and asks anyone else in his/her group a “Have you ever question.” The student who is asked the question should draw a card from the pile of “Tell the Truth” or “Tell a Lie” cards and answer according to the card. The rest of the students are allowed to ask 3 more follow-up questions to try and determine of the person answering is telling the truth or lying. Then all of the students, except for the student who answered, bet on whether the student is telling the truth or lying. It is the student answering the question that must pay the bets. It’s a good idea to set a maximum bet, so one student doesn’t go completely bankrupt on one question. Betting is optional, if you find it easier to assign a point to the people who guess correctly or, simply not keep score at all, that is fine. Example: In a group of six students (made up of Chandler, Joey, Monica, Phoebe, Rachel and Ross) Ross starts and decides to ask Monica, “Have you ever stayed up all night”. Monica, who has never stayed up all night, draws a “Tell a Lie” card and answers, “Yes, I have.” Since three follow-up questions are allowed, Joey begins and asks “When?” Monica replies, “Last summer”. Phoebe then asks Monica, “Who were you with?” Monica replies, “My cousin.” Chandler asks Monica, “Where were you?” Monica replies, “In our cabin.” Rachel then asks, “What did you do all night?” Ross steps in and says, “Three questions are up. It’s time to bet.” Ross: “5 dollars it’s a lie” Phoebe: “10 dollars. Truth” Chandler: “uh…50 bucks, lie” Joey: “20 dollars she’s lying” Rachel: “300 dollars says she’s telling the truth” Monica then shows her “Tell a Lie” card. She collects Phoebe’s and Rachel’s money, since they were wrong, but has to pay Ross 3 dollars, Joey 2 dollars and Chandler a dollar. Overall, she lost one dollar. Play proceeds for a set-time period. This activity can also be used to practice “When was the last time you…” or “Did you ever…”

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Tell the Truth

Tell a Lie

Tell the Truth

Tell a Lie

Tell the Truth

Tell a Lie

Tell the Truth

Tell a Lie

Tell the Truth

Tell a Lie

Tell the Truth

Tell a Lie

Tell the Truth

Tell a Lie

Tell the Truth

Tell a Lie

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“Have you ever”- Game Questions http://www.canada-esl.com/lessonsmain/haveyouever.pdf As you your partner, “have you ever…”You will have to change the tense of the verb and create a sentence. Example questions: Have you even sung in public? Have you ever… sing/in public think/out loud tell/gossip shake hands/someone famous strike/a baseball begin/book/never finish say/something you regret run/students’ council come home/past your curfew shoot/a goal go/to another country tell/a secret to a friend decide/to break up with someone win/the lottery choose/a team feel/an earthquake break/promise leave a class/early forget to do something important lose/something valuable get/ripped off oversleep sleep in grow/your own vegetables buy/anything expensive see/the sunrise catch/a fish show someone around your town teach/anything throw/a party

http://www.canada-esl.com/lessonsmain/haveyouever.pdf

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Exercise 4: Have been survey For “have been” you can create an example by telling the class a story of your own life. Then create a brief survey written on the board and ask the students if they, “have been to,” name the country they are from, name the country they are in, name the city they are staying in etc. To expand on this and create a conversation, have the students form this into a question asking a classmate and repeating the answer, i.e. “have you been to,” and “s/he has been to…” →For another past tense exercise, see the website grammar section, specifically this lesson: Past Simple vs. Present Perfect (“ed” vs. “have” or “has” + past participle) http://www.btinternet.com/~ted.power/in18.html

http://www.btinternet.com/%7Eted.power/in18.html

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Have Been Survey

Student Name Have you been to another country

Have you studied a foreign language

1. Yes, s/he has been to… Yes, s/he has studied English for four years.

2

3

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7. Making Plans and the future tense (Adapted from: http://www.eslflow.com/futuretenselessonplans.html) Students will definitely be making lots of plans during their home stay programs. A speaking activity about future plans would be very practical. In this section, a role-play activity is listed below. Be sure to point out that many people will shorten “going to” with “gonna” and they should listen for this phrase. Role-Playing Activity for Future Lesson (http://www.pearsonlongman.com/ae/download/spectrum/pdfs/book2/sp2_future.pdf) Teacher Instructions Students will practice asking and answering questions about the future in this role-playing activity. You will need enough copies of the Student A Worksheet for half the class, and enough copies of the Student B Worksheet for the other half of the class. Divide the students into pairs and distribute the worksheets. One student in each pair is Student A, and the other student is Student B. Tell the students they must use the information on their worksheets to ask and answer the questions. Give each pair six minutes to complete the activity—three minutes for Student A to ask about Student B’s weekend, and three minutes for Student B to ask about Student A’s weekend. (You may want to use a timer to let the students know when three minutes are up.) Wrap up the activity by asking one Student A volunteer and one Student B volunteer to tell the class about their partner’s weekend. Example: Student A: Paula is going to go shopping this weekend. She is going to go with her sister Wendy and her friend Linda. Student B: will ask a series of questions (when are you going, who are you going with etc..) to figure out student B’s plans. This example can serve as a model, if you feel the class is getting a lot out of the lesson, students can repeat the activity with an actual example they create. Present tense for habitual and future actions: In English, we use the present tense to refer to actions that are habitual, repeated, or always true. (e.g., The sun rises in the East; I get up every day at 6:00 a.m.; We celebrate Thanksgiving in November). English uses present progressive (present continuous) to express actions that are taking place in the present (e.g., I'm reading a teacher training manual; I'm teaching an ESL class; You're preparing to take your GED). →For a handout of writing simple present sentences from pictures: http://www.eslflow.com/Present_simple.pdf

http://www.eslflow.com/futuretenselessonplans.html

http://www.pearsonlongman.com/ae/download/spectrum/pdfs/book2/sp2_future.pdf

http://www.eslflow.com/Present_simple.pdf

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Present Tense for Future Action Student Handouts:

1: Answer the questions using the PRESENT SIMPLE with future meaning. Refer to the train schedule below. The first question has been done for you. Railway Timetable Depart New York City: 7.10 Arrive New Jersey 10.40 Depart Chicago: 8.30 Arrive Milwaukee: 9.45 Depart Washington D.C 9.30 Arrive Boston: 10.10 Depart Boston 9.33 Arrive Philadelphia: 10.28 1 When does the train leave New York City ? The train leaves New York City at 7.10 2 When does the Chicago train arrive at Milwaukee? The Chicago train……………………………………………………………………………………………… 3. When does the Boston train arrive at Philadelphia? The Boston train……………………………………………………………………………………………… 4. When does the Washing D.C. train arrive at Boston? The Washington D.C. train …………………………………………………………………………………………. 5. When does the train arrive at New York City train arrive at New Jersey? The New York City train ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 2: Answer the questions using the PRESENT SIMPLE with future meaning. The first question has been done for you. 1. A Are you coming to the cinema tonight? B Yes. What time does the film start? 2. A I’m going to College early. B What time …………………………………………………………………….( College open) 3. A I’m bored with this T.V. program. B When…………………………………………..(end) 4. A When does the Art exhibition start? B It……………………………………………………………………....(start July 12th) 5. A When is your birthday, Ronan? B My birthday……………………………………………..( on May 6th) 6. A When is Iram’s party ? B Iram’s party …………………………………………………………………(on Friday) 7. A What is your holiday destination? B My ……………………………………..…………………………………………………….. (Rome) 8. A What is for dinner tonight? B …………………………………………………………………………………………………

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The Future With Going To

Student A Worksheet Ask your partner this question:

What are you going to do this weekend? Then ask these questions:

When are you going to go ? Who is going to go with you? What are you going to (do, buy, see)? Where are you going to go ? How are you going to get there? Are you going to ?

You must ask questions (and listen to your partner’s answers) until your teacher says to stop. Read the following situation. This is your plan for this weekend. Your partner is going to ask you some questions about your plans for this weekend. Give short answers to all of your partner’s questions.

You are going to go skiing at Crystal Mountain this weekend. Your friends Gail and Steve are going to go with you. You are going to stay in a hotel. You are going to drive your Jeep to Crystal Mountain.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ The Future With Going To --Student B Worksheet Read the following situation. This is your plan for this weekend. Your partner is going to ask you some questions about your plans for this weekend. Give short answers to all of your partner’s questions.

You are going to go shopping this weekend. Your sister, (Wendy) and your friend (Marylou) are going to go with you. Your sister is going to drive her new Toyota car. You are going to buy a sweater, and your friend Jennifer is going to buy a dress.

Now it’s your turn to ask questions! Begin by asking your partner: What are you going to do this weekend?

Then ask some of the questions in the box. When are you going to go ? Who is going to go with you? What are you going to (do, buy, see)? Where are you going to go ? How are you going to get there?

Are you going to ?

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8. Volunteering in the U.S. Groups will be participating in a volunteer project in the local community. Every country has a different view of volunteering and it is not always a part of the culture. Greenheart Exchange values volunteerism and embraces volunteer projects as way to more fully engage the cultural exchange students into U.S. culture and interact with more Americans. Prior to the group’s project an introduction to volunteering should be incorporated into a lesson plan. Below is information on Greenheart Exchange’s initiative and how Greenheart Exchange students participate in volunteer activities. (This should have also been review briefly during the orientation.) Please consult the group’s activity calendar and/or ask the Local Coordinator what volunteer activity the group is participating in. We suggest the following lesson plan but if you would like to edit or expand the lesson please feel free to do so. Greenheart is Greenheart Exchange’s environmental and social initiative that connects people and planet through environmentalism, fair trade, social transformation and cross cultural understanding. Greenheart offers resources, support, and incentives for the Greenheart Exchange community to make a difference in the world. Each participant of Greenheart Exchange’s Short-Term Program Group Homestay is required to participate in a Greenheart volunteer project. Past examples of volunteer work includes, car wash fundraisers, going to a soup kitchen, forest preserve restoration, tree planting, grounds- keeping at a church, park clean-ups and wrapping gift boxes for a children’s non-profit. The projects can be social or environmental in nature. Objectives: (Adapted from: http://learningtogive.org/lessons/unit119/lesson5.html) The purpose of the volunteer lesson is to explain that in the U.S. we believe volunteering is the responsibility of the citizens. Those contributions made by volunteers represent positive social action for the good of the community. To introduce volunteering, bring in an article from a local paper about a person or a group volunteering in the community. Also share with the students the Greenheart Exchange blog http://greenheartcci.wordpress.com/ and read stories of other students who have participated on Greenheart Exchange’s projects. Create a list of questions to ask a volunteer. For homework, have the students ask these questions to his or her host family. Lead the students to make the personal connection that they are directly benefiting from the generosity of an American volunteer. (The host family themselves are volunteering to host the student.) After the projects, students can write a brief reflection or even list points they have learned and explain to the class what they took away from the experience, if they like the idea of volunteering, and if they continue to volunteer at home. During class, students complete exercises and discuss volunteering. In filling out the following worksheets learners will:

• Evaluate the importance of service to others • Analyze what volunteering means in the group’s home country • Identify ways that volunteers help others

http://learningtogive.org/lessons/unit119/lesson5.html

http://greenheartcci.wordpress.com/

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Student Handout: Discussing Volunteerism There is a strong spirit of volunteering in America. Americans contribute more than a hundred billion dollars a year to charitable purposes. In addition to donating, tens of millions of Americans give time as volunteers in a variety of ways. People find the giving of their time, talent, and treasure to be a necessary part of being a caring citizen. Giving also just makes you feel good. Volunteers are people who care about others enough to set aside their own problems and take action. Read the quotes below from two well-known people and discuss how you think they relate to volunteering with your class. “How wonderful it is that nobody needs to wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” Anne Frank “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have. Sadly, too often creativity is smothered rather than nurtured. There has to be a climate in which new ways of thinking, perceiving, questioning are encouraged. People also have to feel needed. Frequently, we just offer a job and ‘perks.’ We don’t always offer people a purpose. When people feel there is a purpose and that they’re needed, there’s not much else to do except let them do the work.” Maya Angelou Lesson: Create a Volunteer Spirit Directions: Work with a partner and write down your ideas about problems or needs you have observed. Needs of kids in our home country:

1. ____________________________________________ 2. ____________________________________________ 3. ____________________________________________

Things that need to be done in our schools: 1. _____________________________________________ 2. _____________________________________________ 3. _____________________________________________

Things that need to be done in our community: 1. _____________________________________________ 2. _____________________________________________ 3. _____________________________________________

Things that need to be done in our country: 1. _____________________________________________ 2. _____________________________________________ 3. _____________________________________________

From this list of categories below, label the type of volunteer activities into the classification each one fits.

• To discover new frontiers of knowledge • To support and encourage excellence • To enable people to exercise their potential • To relieve human misery • To preserve and enhance democratic government and institutions • To make communities a better place to live • To nourish the spirit • To create tolerance, understanding, and peace among people • To remember the dead.

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9. Slang words & Idioms (Adapted from: http://www.englishadvantage.info/lesson/school-slang/ ) For many of the students, this is their first time in the U.S. and the most interaction they have had conversing with native English speakers from the States. They will inevitably hear some idioms and slang terms. To help them both understand the phrases and how fun playing with the language, an incorporation of slang words and idioms would serve the class well. Level: Intermediate Skill: Speaking Theme: School, slang Theme: 30-60 mins Resource: Slang Expression List: http://www.virgule3.ca/units/pdf/Slang%20Expressions.pdf Vocab Before the students arrive put the school terms list up on the board. Then go over the terms by category, trying to prompt students to tell you what they mean or to guess. If they have watched a lot of American movies set in high schools, they should be pretty quick to catch on. Otherwise, most of these terms may be completely unfamiliar to them and this can take a while. To make it a bit more interesting, ask them if they have a similar term (or in the case of traditions, if they have something similar) in their school or language. When we talk about discipline, ask them how teachers discipline them at their school and any activities the school holds, like dances in the U.S. Alternatively, you may want to hold off on discussion until after the lesson. Below is a list of school terms but feel free to add as many to the list as you can think of. School Terms People Traditions Freshman Prom Sophomore Homecoming Junior Reunion Senior Electives Preppie Senior Night Nerd Extra-curricular activities Geek Jock Places Discipline Cafeteria Detention Homeroom Suspension Study Hall Hall Pass Tests Quiz Test Exam Mid-term Final Dialogue Once you have gone through the vocab, hand out the sample dialogue. Have the students go through it individually and underline the slang terms in it. Then ask two students to read it as is. Next, ask two different students to read it out loud, but to ‘translate’ the slang into normal English. For example, if the first line of dialogue is: “Hey, look at these freshmen, trying to cram for the final.” They might say: “Hey, look at these first

http://www.englishadvantage.info/lesson/school-slang/

http://www.englishadvantage.info/level/intermediate/

http://www.englishadvantage.info/skill/speaking/

http://www.englishadvantage.info/theme/school-2/

http://www.englishadvantage.info/theme/slang-2/

http://www.englishadvantage.info/time/30-60-mins/

http://www.virgule3.ca/units/pdf/Slang%20Expressions.pdf

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year students (or ninth year students) trying to study very hard in a short period of time for the end of the year examination that tests them on everything they learned in that class.” Finally have the students write their own dialogues in pairs or small groups using as much slang as possible. This can also be a good homework assignment. After each group reads their dialogue, correct any mistakes or mis-usages: ‘I did an all-nighter’ or ‘I am an ace on the test’. Hand out the sample dialogue.

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Student Sample Dialogue: Instructions: Underline all the slang terms in this dialogue then translate the dialogue into “normal” speech Dave is a senior in high school and John is a junior. They are sitting in the cafeteria during lunch period. Dave Hey, look at these freshmen, trying to cram for the final. What a bunch of nerds. John Oh, and you have straight A’s? Dave I do ok. I blew the mid-term in biology, but I aced the pop quizzes. Those are so easy. John I’m worried. I mean I’m a junior already, and getting ready to apply to colleges. Dave I thought you were a jock, Mr. Captain of the Football team. John Yeah, but I’m starting to think of my future too. I mean some of my classes are killer. And I don’t have time to pull all-nighters every time we have a test. Dave I’m not worried. I cut class all the time. What are they going to do? Suspend me? I already got into college. John You think your homeroom teacher hasn’t noticed? You’re going to flunk out of school. Dave No way. I do all my work in study hall. John What college accepted you? Moron U? Practice Now write your own dialogue with a partner using as much school slang as possible!

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10. Nouns A lesson on nouns is another way to introduce new vocabulary and also to refine one’s use of the language by correctly using the noun. In English, as in many other languages, we consider some things countable and some things non-countable. If something is countable, it can have a plural form. If it is non-countable, it cannot have a plural form and the singular form is used to refer to any quantity. Some of the things that we consider non-countable in English are: abstractions, ideas, ideals, emotions, gasses, fluids, materials with particles too small to be conveniently counted, and fields of study. Many languages have the same concept of count and non-count but they do not always put items in the same category as we do in English. For example, in English, homework and housework are generally non-countable. (We do not say, houseworks”, for example.) In other languages, these nouns are countable and they do have plural forms. Students have to learn which nouns are which in English because it affects other grammar principles as well (e.g. whether to use A LITTLE or A FEW before the noun). There are other problems with English grammar but most good textbooks can guide you along. The pointers included here are mentioned only to make you aware that there are many aspects of English that are not problems at all for native speakers (even uneducated ones), but which might cause problems for your students. Lesson Plan: Countable and Uncountable Nouns Lesson: (From: http://www.easyenglish.com/lesson.asp?much.txt) A common lesson on nouns is what nouns are countable and what are not countable. While the students likely have studied this, a lesson on nouns would be a useful review. It could also serve as a good time to introduce new vocabulary the students are using in their conversations with native speakers or for an upcoming activity. Below we have listed information on nouns for you to speak to the class about as well as an activity handout. UNCOUNTABLE Adjectives: so much, too much spoonful, teaspoon, drop, quart, gallon, tad, smidgeon, bit COUNTABLE Adjectives: each, enough, so many, too many, most, all, both, neither, several (couple, pair, dozen, million, several, stack, herd, school, gang, flock, group, crowd) COUNTABLE AND UNCOUNTABLE Adjectives: each, enough, most, all (box, boxful, fistful, handful, ounce, pound, ton, eyeful, earful, ton, bunch, mountain, pile, heap(s), truckload, cartload, shipload) VOCABULARY: a few, a little, a lot of, enough, few, little, loads of, lots of, many, much, no, plenty of, some, tons of, too All nouns are either countable or uncountable: -There are a few birds in the garden. birds = countable -There is a little water on the table. water = uncountable We do not say:

http://www.easyenglish.com/lesson.asp?much.txt

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-XXX There is a little birds in the garden. -XXX There are a few waters on the table. □Countable nouns use the singular and the plural: -That is a book. -Those are books. □Uncountable nouns use only the singular: -There is time. -That is money. □Uncountable nouns do not use the articles "a" and "an". ADJECTIVES OF QUANTITY: COUNTABLE: Question: How many? Answers: few a few many UNCOUNTABLE: Question: How much? Answers: little a little much SOME UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS: air, art, beer, bread, butter, coffee, cold, dirt, fire, food, heat, milk, music, oxygen, paper, plastic, rain, skin, space, sugar, sun, tea, water, wind, wine, wood, wool SOME COUNTABLE NOUNS: bird, book, car, child, cigarette, dog, film, house, idea, jacket, man, mountain, pipe, plate, river, shoe, table, thought, window

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Student Handout—Countable and Uncountable Nouns Answer the following questions. You may choose some of these vocabulary words: too, enough, how many/much, not many much, little much, few many Example: How many people are there in the Sahara Desert? There are not many. or: There are few. 1. How many exercises are there in this lesson? 2. How much time is there before the new year? 3. How many fish are there in the sea? 4. How much memory is in your computer? 5. Is a kilogram of sugar enough to make a cake? 6. Is twenty dollars enough to buy an airplane ticket? 7. Are five people enough to play a game of chess? 8. Are there many people who speak Latin? 9. Are there many unemployed people in Europe? 10. Are there enough doctors in Italy? Fill in the blanks: How many books are there in the library? Example: There are _______. -- many, a lot, a ton, loads 11. Is there ______ hot water to wash the dishes? 12. Are there enough teachers in the school? No, there are _______. 13. How much rain is there in India? There is ______ rain. 14. Is there much traffic in Sao Paolo? Yes, there is ______ much! 15. Is there ______ poverty in Switzerland? 16. Are there ______ baseball fans in Taiwan?

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17. How ______ kinds of insect are there in the world? 18. How ______ tourism is there in Australia? 19. How ______ tourists are there in Thailand? 20. Is fifty dollars ______ to buy a liter of water? Yes! It is too ______. Make questions for the following answers: Example: How many tigers are there in Africa? There are no tigers in Africa. 21. No, there is too little gas in the car. 22. No, there aren't enough hours in the day. 23. There are many diseases. 24. It is too much for me. 25. There are too few rooms for the business convention. 26. There are a lot of employees in the company. 27. No, there are no people with two mothers. 28. Yes, there is a ton of salt in the ocean. 29. No, there is no person who is 250 years old. 30. No, there are too few saints in the world.

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11. Debates To get the students talking and sharing his or her opinions have the class engage in a debate. Outlined below is an example of a debate activity centered on a moral dilemma topic, shoplifting. The outline can be adapted for any kind of debate. Ideas for debates can be: learning another language is important for the future, cheating, one city is better than another or any cultural differences between the U.S. and the group’s home country the students want to discuss/debate. Shoplifting (Adapted from: http://esl.about.com/od/conversationlessonplans/a/shoplift.htm)

1. Show students something you can claim to have stolen - bananas or IPODs work wonders - and ask them how much they think it cost. Tell them you didn't pay anything for it, because you stole it.

2. Say 'No, ha-ha, of course it's not stolen' and show them the receipt. 3. See if they know any other words for 'steal' - teach them nick, swipe and 'five-fingered discount'. Elicit

Shoplifting. 4. Ask them if they've ever taken anything from a shop without paying. If no, tell them you understand

they might be shy, and put them in groups to 'share their secrets'. 5. In pairs or groups, give them the following questions to discuss:

o Have you ever stolen anything from a shop? o Do you know anybody else who shoplifts regularly? o Why do you think some people help themselves to things in shops?

6. Would you ever steal anything from a shop? If so, under what circumstances? 7. Get feedback on questions - get one in each group to 'report' back and encourage contributions from

the others. 8. Have a quick vote on who thinks it's ever right (under certain circumstances such as disaster or

extreme hunger) or always wrong to shoplift. Put them in threes or fours depending on the size of the class, and try to make sure each group has a mix of yeses and nos.

9. Give them the following: o Do you think it's right or wrong to shoplift? Why/why not? o Is stealing from local shops the same as stealing from supermarkets? Why/why not? o Do you know anyone who has ever gotten caught shoplifting? Did you feel sorry for them?

http://esl.about.com/od/conversationlessonplans/a/shoplift.htm

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12. Cultural Comparisons (Adapted from: http://www.ysu.ru/users/itc/sitim//e-books/metod/pgn/Unit%2010.pdf) Given the nature of the program the students are on it is important to discuss the definition of the word culture, why the students wanted to learn about a new culture and share their own and how they think this summer group program can influence them. Part 1. Discussion-The teacher leads the class in these discussions A: What is culture? Choose the four factors below which you think are the most important in creating a culture: Climate, language, ideas and beliefs, cuisine, arts, geography, historical events, ceremonies and festivals, social customs and traditions, religion B: Do you think cultures are becoming more alike? Is this a good or bad thing? For example, think about: improved communications, cheap foreign travel, global business. C. How important are the following things when meeting someone from your country? Are they: a. important b. not important c. best avoided? - shaking hands - kissing - socializing with contacts - accepting interruption - using first names - formality (how you dress, how you talk to colleagues, what names you use, etc.) - punctuality - humor - giving presents - being direct (saying exactly what you think) D: In preparing for your trip to the U.S. what did you think was important when meeting your host family and new people in the States? Create a list. Part 2: (Adapted from:http://englishwithjennifer.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/cultural- eliefs_handout_efl.pdf) Directions for the teacher: Step 1 – Explain a legend, for example, the Tooth Fairy. Ask students to share what they know. Step 2 – Hand out the chart on the next page to pairs of students. Ask them to discuss similarities and differences between the U.S. cultural beliefs and their own. They should use their charts to make notes. Step 3 – Have volunteers share their information with the whole class. Information can be added or changed during this time. Encourage questions for clarification and confirmation.

http://www.ysu.ru/users/itc/sitim/e-books/metod/pgn/Unit%2010.pdf

http://englishwithjennifer.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/cultural-%20eliefs_handout_efl.pdf

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Step 4 – Repeat this pattern of discussion for the remaining chosen legends for example Easter Bunny and Santa Claus. U.S. Cultural Beliefs Our Country-Same Our Country-Different

Tooth Fairy X: In our country we believe in….

Belief No 2 X

Discussion Questions for Advanced Speakers and Mature Learns Cultural http://www.btinternet.com/~ted.power/discculq.html 1. "Cultural differences cause problems. It is better for people to stay in their own countries rather than to migrate to other ones." Do you agree? 2. Would you prefer to live in a monoculture or a multi-racial society? Why? 3. "It is better to study major international languages like English rather than to spend time on minority languages for the sake of regional identity." Do you agree? 4. "Governments should give regions in their countries more autonomy so that they can protect and enjoy their own cultures rather than serving the centralized policies of the capital city." Do you agree? 5. Is it better to marry someone of the same cultural background? 6. "Religion as a school subject should include all the major world religions - not only the majority religion in the country concerned." Do you agree? 7. How do you think "British Culture" differs from "N. American Culture"? How do these cultures differ from the culture of your own country?

http://www.btinternet.com/%7Eted.power/discculq.html

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IX: ESL Games Many everyday games can be incorporated into ESL classes, which can be particularly useful towards the end of the week when student attention may be waning. Some common US board games that could be used in class include: Hangman, Bingo, Charades, Pictionary, Scrabble Jeopardy, Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, Apples to Apples and Word Up. Word Up: Word Up is an easy-to-play quiz game for learners of English. Each set contains thousands of questions graded into 5 levels (beginner to advanced) with all the answers included. Players of various ages and abilities may play together, each answering questions from their own level. Players throw the dice and move their pieces around the board, asking and answering questions as they go. The questions are in 4 categories: Missing Word, Crossword Clues, Multiple Choice and Spelling. Correct answers earn a scoring token, with the first player to earn 2 tokens for each of the 4 question categories being the winner. The game tests and develops: speaking, listening and reading skills, vocabulary and spelling, phrasal verbs and collocations, idioms and proverbs, grammar and usage, general knowledge - history, geography, science, the arts, sports, etc. For information on how to buy the game: http://www.teflgames.com/index.html X: Resources 1. Grammar Lesson Websites: Good ideas on how to teach and drill correct word order as well as downloadable worksheets on my ESL topics: http://busyteacher.org/3687-how-to-teach-word-order.html Nouns: Countable and Uncountable including adjectives and exercises: http://www.easyenglish.com/lesson.asp?much.txt Too Much or Too Many: http://www.pearsonlongman.com/totalenglish/pdfs/downloads/pre-intermediate/preint_unit06_grammar02.pdf Present Tense for Future Actions: http://moodle.citylit.ac.uk/file.php/1/Study%20skills%20work%20sheets/grammar/intermediate/Microsoft%20Word%20-%201.14%20FUTURE%20action%20 20Present%20Simple%20tense%20_timetables%20etc_%20Exercises.pdf Future Tense Lesson plans: http://www.eslflow.com/futuretenselessonplans.html Practicing Simple Past tense: http://www.langenscheidt-unterrichtsportal.de/_downloads/viz/compass_a1_unit7_partB.pdf Past Simple vs. Present Perfect (“ed” vs. “have” or “has” + past participle): http://www.btinternet.com/~ted.power/in18.html Bank of grammar lessons by grammar topic:

http://www.teflgames.com/index.html

http://busyteacher.org/3687-how-to-teach-word-order.html

http://www.easyenglish.com/lesson.asp?much.txt

http://www.pearsonlongman.com/totalenglish/pdfs/downloads/pre-intermediate/preint_unit06_grammar02.pdf

http://www.pearsonlongman.com/totalenglish/pdfs/downloads/pre-intermediate/preint_unit06_grammar02.pdf

http://moodle.citylit.ac.uk/file.php/1/Study%20skills%20work%20sheets/grammar/intermediate/Microsoft%20Word%20-%201.14%20FUTURE%20action%20%2020Present%20Simple%20tense%20_timetables%20etc_%20Exercises.pdf



http://www.eslflow.com/futuretenselessonplans.html

http://www.langenscheidt-unterrichtsportal.de/_downloads/viz/compass_a1_unit7_partB.pdf

http://www.btinternet.com/%7Eted.power/in18.html

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http://www.usingenglish.com/handouts/ 2. General ESL Websites: BBC Learning English http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/ Free handouts including: word banks, crosswords, word searches, discussion activities: http://esltopics.com/site/ Custom made games and worksheets: http://www.toolsforeducators.com/ Role-playing ideas: http://eslsite.com/resources/pages/Resources_and_Teaching_Ideas/Drama_and_Role_Plays/ Speaking Activities: http://www.eslgo.com/resources/sa.html http://iteslj.org/questions/ Survey Lessons: http://bogglesworldesl.com/surveys.htm Interactive Lessons: http://lessonstream.org/browse-lessons/ Lesson Planning: http://esl.about.com/od/englishlessonplans/English_Lesson_Plans_for_ESL_EFL_Classes.htm http://www.eslflow.com/ http://www.mcedservices.com/ESL/Flashcd.html http://www.everythingesl.net/lessons/ 3. Reading/Activity Books • “Interchange” series by Cambridge University Press. Popular ESL textbook used worldwide, comes in four

levels for young adult and adult learners, contains themes, grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. Good for more structured classes or for students studying for exam such as TOIEC. You can print off sample lessons from their website: http://www.esl.net/interchange_third_edition.html

• “Connect” by Cambridge University Press. Four-level, American English course designed specifically for young adolescents, high-interest topics and fun, real-world focused activities contained throughout. Sample lessons can be found here: http://www.esl.net/connect.html

• “Readers for Teens” by Cambridge University Press. Designed for young learners of American English, there

are four levels, each engaging the reader with fictional stories with themes such as multiculturalism, the environment and social responsibility.

• “True Stories in the News” or “More True Stories in the News” by Sandra Heyer, editor. (Funny stories adapted and simplified from real newspaper articles. Includes vocabulary/grammar exercises as well as conversational topics)

• “Essential Grammar in Use” by Raymond Murphy. The “Grammar in Use” series is a solid source of

simplified grammar explanations and exercises. “Basic Grammar in Use” in another option.

http://www.usingenglish.com/handouts/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/

http://esltopics.com/site/

http://www.toolsforeducators.com/

http://eslsite.com/resources/pages/Resources_and_Teaching_Ideas/Drama_and_Role_Plays/

http://www.eslgo.com/resources/sa.html

http://iteslj.org/questions/

http://bogglesworldesl.com/surveys.htm

http://lessonstream.org/browse-lessons/

http://esl.about.com/od/englishlessonplans/English_Lesson_Plans_for_ESL_EFL_Classes.htm

http://www.eslflow.com/

http://www.mcedservices.com/ESL/Flashcd.html

http://www.everythingesl.net/lessons/

http://www.esl.net/interchange_third_edition.html

http://www.esl.net/connect.html

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• “All About the USA, A Cultural Reader” by Milada Broukal and Peter Murphy; Pearson ESL. Helps describe American traditions and customs; geared towards ESL students.

• “The Card Book: Interactive Games and Activities for Language Learners”. A great resource in teaching vocabulary.

• “Games for Language Learning” by Andrew Wright, David Betteridge and Michael Buckby. Cambridge

University Press. • “Grammar Games: Cognitive, Affective, and Grammar Activities for EFL Students” by Mario Rinvolucri. Good

source of ideas for communicative games.

4. Other Topics for class The Telephone: placing calls to talk to someone or order food, taking messages Emotions: what you are feeling, culture-shock emotions, homesickness and how to overcome the emotions Preparing for a presentation: some groups are required to prepare a presentation on his or her home country and present it to the host school, practicing in class and making some edits would help the students Thank you letter: take some time in the last class to write a thank you letter to the host families, students can work in pairs on individually, encourage peer review and pre-teach appropriate vocab Keeping in touch: practicing brief emails for staying in touch with host family and new U.S. friends

Documents

Short-Term Programs ESL Guide for Teachers