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1. Lesson Plan: Athletes, Actions, and Adjectives

   In: English Teaching Forum 2010, Volume 48, Number 4 Format(s): Text

   People who are very familiar with American football and those completely unfamiliar with it can benefit from the interactive, communicative activities presented in this lesson plan. Students can analyze examples from the NFL and create their own team names, team logos, and player descriptions. Ideas for teaching adjectives and body parts are also provided. In the spirit of the game, the plan features quick, lively group activities, all under 50 minutes each.

2. Mind Mirror Projects: A Tool for Integrating Critical Thinking into the English Language Classroom

   In: English Teaching Forum 2009, Volume 47, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   Students often have difficulty 'reading between the lines.' This article suggests the use of mind mirror activities as a tool to improve students' critical thinking and learning skills (e.g., analysis, categorization, clarification, inferencing). The author describes a successful five-day group project from his own classroom that ended in students sharing their work through poster presentations.

3. A Rough Guide to Language Awareness

   In: English Teaching Forum 2008, Volume 46, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   This article discusses the need to focus on form while learning language in context, and names this method of teaching grammar as “language awareness.” It connects this method of learning grammar with the concept of input processing, searching for examples of grammar in context, noticing the linguistic features and themes, deducing a rule, testing it against further data, and finally producing it in short tasks. The article provides teachers with practical techniques on how to teach grammar in a communicative lesson.

4. A Tale of Two Animals

   In: English Teaching Forum 2007, Volume 45, Number 2 Format(s): Text

   An Indonesian fable is the theme of this three-part lesson for young learners. Students practice with the past-tense verbs used in the fable. By listening, reading and ordering the sentences, and copying a paragraph of the story, students become very familiar with the fable. The lessons finish with homework to write a play based on the fable. Students may select and perform the best play from their group.

5. Houseboats

   In: English Teaching Forum 2007, Volume 45, Number 2 Format(s): Text

   This lesson uses a text about the houseboats of Kashmir to give students practice with descriptions, compound words, and participles. The lesson plan could be adapted to tourist destinations familiar to the students. Students are asked to write a description of their homes and create a tourism brochure for their own cities or towns.

6. The TOEFL and Grammar

   In: English Teaching Forum 2001, Volume 39, Number 3 Format(s): Text

   This article examines the implications of universities in non-English-speaking countries imposing TOEFL requirements on their students. The author points out the difference between grammar taught in classrooms and how structure is evaluated on the TOEFL. The author identifies and discusses three categories: syntax, combination, and vocabulary. The article discusses important features of the test in order to familiarize EFL teachers with the TOEFL in each of these categories.

7. Classroom Activities

   In: English Teaching Forum 2013, Volume 51, Number 3 Format(s): Text

   This section presents three stand-alone English language-learning activities related to motorcycles.

8. Classroom Activities

   In: English Teaching Forum 2014, Volume 52, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   This section presents three stand-alone English language-learning activities related to birds.

9. Lessons from the Other Side of the Teacher’s Desk: Discovering Insights to Help Language Learners

   In: English Teaching Forum 2011, Volume 49, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   An EFL instructor shares ideas on classroom practice after participating in an intensive language program. The author discusses L1 use in the classroom as well as the importance of pronunciation instruction. The article also includes tips on acquiring vocabulary and reasons why pair and group work are good. Finally, the author considers how to support students who may be experiencing communication anxiety as they learn a new language. The article emphasizes a communicative approach and the importance of a friendly classroom environment.

10. From Passive Learners to Critical Thinkers: Preparing EFL Students for University Success

    In: English Teaching Forum 2010, Volume 48, Number 3 Format(s): Text

    This article explains how the Bangladesh Rehabilitation Assistance Committee (BRAC) revised their curriculum to best prepare EFL students for English-speaking universities. After completing a needs analysis on how to best serve their students, the committee decided to make a more interactive classroom environment in which teachers integrated the four skills, used critical thinking activities, taught grammar in context, and used various methods of assessment. Feedback showed that both the students and the teachers responded positively to the changes.

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