“Teacher, when do the trees turn colors?”
My Saudi students were sooo ready for fall. They’d seen the pictures online. The Instagram-worthy leaf tunnels. The explosions of red and gold stretching from your feet to the horizon. They were prepared for sweater weather and cozy scarves and all that romantic autumn atmosphere Hollywood had promised them.
What they got was central Oklahoma.
Now, don’t get me wrong. We have some beautiful trees here. But “sunset-on-a-high colors from your feet to the horizon”? Ehhhh…not so much. My students quickly discovered that if they wanted that experience, they needed to road trip to the Talimena National Scenic Byway in northeastern Oklahoma. Which, honestly, they loved doing anyway because road trips were right up their alley.
But here’s the thing about teaching fall to adult ESL students, if you’re in Oklahoma, you’re battling expectations. And sometimes those expectations are wildly different from reality.
What Students Experience vs. What They Expected
Some of my students were genuinely upset about Oklahoma’s version of fall. They’d mentally packed away their summer clothes and were ready for cool days and crisp air from day one of September. Instead, they got 95+ degree days well into what the calendar insisted was autumn. They felt cheated out of the romantic fall experience they’d been promised.
Then, around mid-fall, the ones who’d just arrived were thrown by the temperature swings. Long pants and a jacket in the morning. Wishing for shorts and a t-shirt by afternoon. Nobody tells you about that when you’re learning English in your home country, or how to choose clothes when the temperature swings 30 degrees in six hours on a daily basis.
The foggy mornings later in the season redeemed Oklahoma a bit. Apparently fog reads as “romantic” too.
Start With What They Notice, Not What You Think They Should
Before you launch into your perfectly planned fall activities, ask your students what they’ve already observed. What’s different about this season? What surprised them? What disappointed them?
Students who’ve been here through a full year will have stories. The ones from countries without four distinctive seasons will have questions. Let them share what fall means where they come from, what they’ve seen in movies, and what they want to try.
Because here’s what I learned: my most introspective students thought crunching their way through leaves on a walking trail was absolutely the best thing about fall. Meanwhile, others were all about the pumpkin spice taste-testing adventure (even when they weren’t fans of the actual taste). Everyone united around one thing though…the summer heat finally dying off. Even the summer lovers were over it by then.
You can’t predict which fall activity will resonate. So ask first.
The Sensory Stuff They’ll Want to Remember
Forget the generic “five senses” activity you’re picturing. Get specific.
I brought in a plain cotton pillowcase and a flannel one so students could feel the difference. Seems simple, right? That’s how I discovered one of my students had spent an entire summer in misery because she’d bought flannel sheets. They felt soft in the store. She had no idea they were why she was so hot at night. Her country didn’t have flannel sheets, so how would she know?
That conversation about fabric led to discussions about seasonal bedding, why Americans have different sheets for different seasons, and the whole concept of “cozy” as a fall aesthetic. Way more interesting than “what does fall feel like?”
For scent, yeah, pumpkin spice everything. But also? Tell them about petrichor (that smell after the first rain following dry weather). Some will have noticed it. Some will start paying attention. Either way, you’re teaching them to observe their environment in a new language.
For sound, I recorded myself walking through leaves. I’d hunt down trees crammed with migrating birds singing their travel songs. I’d play those sounds for them, and I know it sounds silly, but it got students talking about what they’d noticed on campus or in their neighborhoods.
A Warning About Those Gorgeous Leaves
Let me tell you about my junior high science teacher. She required those of us unwilling to kill a bunch of insects for an “insect collection” to instead do a leaf collection. So there I was at a park, gathering leaves and looking them up in my little book (eons before apps) to identify them. Guess which ones I couldn’t find in my book?
Yeah, poison ivy.
I had never seen poison ivy growing up into trees before. This wasn’t in fall, and the trees were so lush and green that I didn’t notice some were on vines on the trees instead of on the trees themselves. I got two weeks off of school. You can imagine what I looked like.
Anyway, the danger is that in the fall, poison ivy turns this gorgeously brilliant red that practically begs you to pick it. Like the Lorelei singing sailors to their deaths, except with blisters.
So yeah. Before you send your students out to collect beautiful fall leaves, make sure they only pick up ones that are readily identified as something else because once those leaves are on the ground, that “leaves of three” warning is impossible to go by. I did not want a classroom full of blistered students, so we always had that conversation.
You’re welcome.
The Creative Projects That They Really Got Into
Show students a couple of short YouTube videos that capture fall’s vibe. Then challenge them to create their own.
I used to show them the YouTube video “A Short Film Showing the Beauty of Autumn.↗” The first time I watched it was on a sweltering summer day, and I almost missed the end because my glasses got all wet and smeared with tears. The music. Just… the music.
For something simpler, students could create a slideshow with fall photos and music like in the YouTube video Autumn Pictures Collection↗. Or record themselves reading a fall poem they’ve written. Or one they know that makes them think of the season.
But here’s the key…get them to share what fall means in their culture too. Ask for music recommendations that fit their interpretation of fall’s essence. You’ll end up with a wealth of material for future classes. Plus, homogeneous classes especially love seeing examples from students who came before them.
Writing Prompts That Don’t Feel Like Homework
Set the scene. Play music that evokes summer giving way to fall or even fall relaxing into winter. Maybe light a scented candle. If it’s not 95 degrees out, pass out mugs of hot chocolate. Bring in some autumn decor. Turn your classroom into the essence of hygge as much as possible to flavor their writing.
Then give them prompts that let them write about their own fall experiences. What surprised them? What disappointed them? What do they want to try? What does fall remind them of from home?
If you’re short on time, because you’ve been out enjoying fall yourself (good for you!), then grab my autumn writing prompts ↗ from my TpT store to help give your students directions and purpose in writing without being too restrictive.
Don’t Make It Only About Your Fall
Teaching culture is part of teaching ESL. Sometimes the cultural bits are the most fascinating part (speaking from personal experience here).
But don’t ignore what your students bring to the table.
Get copies of their writing and videos with permission to share with future classes. Save their music recommendations. Take notes on what they say about fall traditions in their countries. You’ll have material for years, and your students will feel seen.
Plus, you might discover some recipes you want to try at home. Or learn about fall festivals you never knew existed. Or find out that your version of fall is actually kind of disappointing compared to what they were expecting, and you’ll have to get creative about showing them the good parts.
Which is basically the job anyway, right?
Fall Vocabulary Resources That Don’t Treat Adults Like Children
Look, I get it. Most fall vocabulary materials are clearly designed for elementary kids. Jumping in leaf piles. Going trick-or-treating. Making handprint turkeys.
Your adult students need to know about cleaning out the gutters. They’re going to be drinking hot cider and getting a flu shot. Instead of jumping in leaves, they’ll be making a fall wreath, knitting a cozy scarf, and shivering in the morning chill.
That’s why I created my fall vocabulary line ↗. It uses the same 25 fall activity phrases across all the resources, all with realistic images that respect the fact that your students are adults. No holidays (not even Halloween) are included!
Start with the Fall Vocabulary Presentation to introduce the activities and vocabulary. The Fall Vocabulary Bingo is solid for review, and the I Have Who Has game gets everyone talking and moving without feeling like busywork. Then use the Fall Vocabulary Worksheets for practice (solo, partner, or small group). Of course, each of these can stand alone, but they work best together.
I first created these because of fond memories of a particularly unforgettable class of Saudi students who were enraptured by the cooler temperatures fall promised (they hadn’t been frozen by an Oklahoma winter yet). Some were parents looking forward to showing their kids American cultural activities. Others just wanted to try new things with friends. All of them needed adult-level vocabulary, not kiddie stuff…and we didn’t have anything like that back then.
The Bottom Line
Teaching fall to adult ESL students isn’t about checking off a list of seasonal vocabulary and activities. It’s about acknowledging that their expectations (thanks, Hollywood) might not match reality. It’s about letting them tell you what they notice and what matters to them. It’s about preventing poison ivy disasters and explaining why flannel sheets are a terrible idea in summer.
And sometimes it’s about admitting that yeah, Oklahoma’s fall isn’t New England’s fall, but those foggy mornings are pretty romantic, and the Talimena Scenic Byway is worth the drive.
That’s it from me. See you in the next post!
