Teaching adult ESL with no materials or time?
Here’s what works when nothing else does.
Most recent posts:
- Teach Vulgar Vocabulary to Your Adult ESL Students
C’mon. You know this. Your adult ESL students are not living in a sealed, expletive-free terrarium. They’re at work, on public transit, watching TV, scrolling social media, and hanging out with native-speaking friends. They hear things. They just don’t always know what those things mean, or whether the person who said it was being friendly or terrible. - Hey TpT Buyers, Are You Leaving Perks on the Table?
Teaching adult ESL and getting great resources from TpT? Here are some TpT tips for buyers that you might not know but really should.
Older Posts:
Getting Adult ESL Students to Talk About the Environment
The environment is everywhere in the news. Microplastics in our water. Fast fashion waste filling landfills. Wildfires and extreme weather events. Rising sea levels. Your…
All About Me Worksheets: Why Starting Slow Gets You Further Faster in Adult ESL
I’ll never forget walking into my first intensive English program and watching experienced teachers hit the ground running on Day 1. Syllabus distributed, attendance checked,…
5 Smart Ways to Use Music in Adult ESL
Music is one of those magical classroom tools that almost everyone reacts to. Even the grumpiest student with their arms crossed and their hood up…
Greetings, Farewells, & Introductions: Engaging Activities for Adult ESL Newcomers
You know how everyone assumes greetings and introductions are easy? Like students just stroll in on day one, shake hands, and magically know what to…
Why Vocabulary Bingo Is Your Secret Weapon for Exhausted Adult ESL Students
It’s 10:30 am. Your students have been in class since 8 am. They’ll be here until at least noon, maybe longer. Or maybe you teach…
Telling Time in Adult ESL: Not Just Reading Clock Faces
“But everyone has a phone now.” You think this every time someone mentions spending class time on telling time, right? And look, I get it….
3 Huge Reasons to Spend as Little as Possible on Your Classroom
It’s back to school time, and teachers everywhere are groaning over the tsunami of products being marketed at them while simultaneously filling up Amazon wishlists….
2 Vocabulary Games That’ll Get Even Your Skeptical Adult ESL Students Excited
The first time I announced we were playing SWOOSH!, my student Saleh crossed his arms and said, “I didn’t pay for this class to play…
How to Assess Adult ESL Students in Intensive English Programs (IEPs)
I’ll be honest: when I first started teaching in an IEP (Intensive English Program), I had no idea how to assess my students effectively. I…
Teaching Animal Vocabulary in Adult ESL
“This is for children. I don’t want it.” Nasser crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, looking at me like I’d just suggested…
Conditionals Worksheets: 6 Quick Ways to Make Them FUN!
I was scrolling through a teacher Facebook group the other day, and someone had posted a photo of their student’s answers in a conditionals grammar…
Create Listening Labyrinths Using Minimal Pairs: A Step-by-Step Guide
I’ll never forget watching Ahmed confidently grab a marker when I handed out the first listening labyrinth of the term. “You want a pencil?” I…
Short I and Long E Sounds: 4 Engaging Activities for Adult ESL Pronunciation
Look, we all know why we teach Short I and Long E sounds. Nobody wants their students accidentally talking about going to the “b*tch” when…
How to Stop Homework from Devouring Your Time
Stacks of homework papers used to sit on my table, glaring at me. Menacing little goblins. A good teacher would have graded all that already,…
Three High-Impact Activities for Teaching Facts and Opinions in Adult ESL
“Teacher, this article says coffee causes cancer. But last week, different article says coffee prevents cancer. Which one is truth?” I looked up from my…
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