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1. Classroom Activities

   In: English Teaching Forum 2011, Volume 49, Number 4 Format(s): Text

   This section presents three stand-alone learning activities related to the theme of bowling. A game for upper beginners is useful for sentence formation and vocabulary review on any topic. Intermediate learners can practice with imperatives by giving and following instructions on how to bowl. The final activity asks intermediate learners to engage in focused listening or reading. Extension possibilities are included for each of the three activities.

2. Using Raphael's QARs as Differentiated Instruction with Picture Books

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

   A differentiated instruction technique this author uses is Question Answer Relationships (QARs), a strategy to aid reading comprehension. The article describes four QAR types and demonstrates them in differentiated reading and writing lessons, with accompanying worksheets, based on a children’s book, The Carrot Seed.

3. Accommodating Learning Disabilities in the English Language Classroom

   In: American English Webinars Format(s): Text, Video

   This session, "Accommodating Learning Disabilities in the English Language Classroom," examines supportive instructional options, such as the inclusive classroom, universal design for learning, scaffolding, and peer-assisted learning strategies. Participants consider a variety of approaches that are beneficial for students with learning disabilities as well their non-disabled peers.

4. "What was it about?" Supporting Text Retelling and Response

   In: American English Webinars Format(s): Text, Video

   This session, ""What was it about?" Supporting Text Retelling and Response," discusses the importance of scaffolding techniques in post-reading tasks and showcases a tool, the story retelling wheel, which provides support for learners while giving them opportunities to be creative and take ownership of their reading.

5. Process Writing and the Internet: Blogs and Ning Networks in the Classroom

   In: English Teaching Forum 2011, Volume 49, Number 2 Format(s): Text

   This article presents a student-centered technique for teaching writing to ESL and EFL students who are familiar with Internet-based technology. There are two classroom lessons which use blogs (an Internet-based diary tool accessible by many) and Ning networks (an Internet-based network created for small groups for a small fee). A process-writing concept focuses on students’ social relationships and interests. Step-by-step directions are included for teachers and students who may be less familiar with these two technologies.

6. Football: Action on the Gridiron

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

   This issue features an in-depth article on the history, mechanics, gameplay, culture, and appeal of American football as well as a piece on America's yearly big event (the Super Bowl). There are powerful, dynamic sports photographs and descriptive, numbers-based explanations of how to play. The historical context reveals that football is not purely an American creation. A discussion of current-day football describes it as an event instead of just a game. A vocabulary section is also included so that students can learn how to 'talk football.'

7. Lesson Plan: Greetings from Sunny New Mexico

   In: English Teaching Forum 2009, Volume 47, Number 2 Format(s): Text

   The New Mexico lesson plan for this issue is a self-contained 1 1/4 to 2 hour lesson with a complete pre- during- post framework for interacting with the main text - a letter from a friend living in New Mexico. The focus here is on the vocabulary and grammar of description (e.g., words for scenery and weather, relative "that" clauses). Extension activities are provided for multi-session lessons (e.g., written response, class survey).

8. Amazing Animals

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

   “Animals” is a three-part lesson plan for young learners with a zoo animal theme. The first lesson is full of activities to describe animals, with Simon Says, guessing games, and learning stations. The second lesson is about desert animals, but other types of animals could be chosen depending on student interest. This lesson teaches prepositions of place. The final lesson, using the Language Experience Approach, leads up to a trip to the zoo (real or virtual). The class constructs a story of their experience and reads it together. Animal flashcards are included.

9. Health and Fitness

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

   The theme of health offers a variety of language-learning possibilities. This three-part lesson plan for young learners can be adapted to other audiences. It includes a reading, a dialogue, and a listening script. The first lesson asks learners to analyze lifestyle choices and give advice. The second lesson takes students to a sporting goods store, where they consider the language they need to talk with a sales clerk. The third lesson is about food choices, including ways to prepare foods. A follow-up activity researches how a famous athlete stays healthy.

10. A Story-Based Framework for a Primary School Classroom

    In: English Teaching Forum 2007, Volume 45, Number 4 Format(s): Text

    These two story-based lesson plans were designed to address the lack of motivation and interest by students in a sixth grade English class in Greece. The lessons appeal to young learners who want to be creative and imaginative by making learning entertaining. The animal stories are authentic texts, not graded readers, with helpful visuals. They can be used with a holistic approach and provide a springboard to learning grammar and structure and to recycle vocabulary. Predicting and concentration are some of the thinking skills involved.

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