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1. Cars, Cars, Cars

   In: English Teaching Forum 2013, Volume 51, Number 2 Format(s): Text

   Cars are the focus of this feature article, which explores such topics as the history of cars in the United States, the national highway system, classic car shows, and the road trip in American literature and film.

2. Motorcycles on the Move

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

   Motorcycles are the subject of this feature article, which explores such topics as the history of motorcycles, types of motorcycles, special interest motorcycle clubs, motorcycle rallies, the Harley-Davidson company, and Rolling Thunder.

3. Birding—Fun and Science

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

   This feature article presents the basics of birding, or bird watching, and discusses its appeal, especially to serious birders. A section on “citizen scientists” explains organizations that collect data on birds and describes projects they organize.

4. Horses—Haulers, Racers, and Healers

   In: English Teaching Forum 2014, Volume 52, Number 2 Format(s): Text

   This feature article looks at the history of horses in North America and showcases American breeds of horses.

5. Canine Companions and Helpers

   In: English Teaching Forum 2014, Volume 52, Number 3 Format(s): Text

   This feature article highlights dog breeds that are popular in the United States and explores the health benefits and services that dogs provide to people. The article also discusses dog shows and dogs in popular culture.

6. "This American English Class”: A New Model of Cultural Instruction

   In: English Teaching Forum 2018, Volume 56, Number 3 Format(s): Text

   This article describes a cultural-instruction model and provides clear examples of how to apply it in class.

7. Learning to Learn Cooperatively

   In: English Teaching Forum 2009, Volume 47, Number 4 Format(s): Text

   This article discusses the use of cooperative learning activities in the classroom to strengthen students’ interpersonal communication skills and increase their participation in the language-learning process. It addresses the importance of cultural and individual differences in cooperative learning. The article offers practical suggestions and useful activities to teach learners how to get involved in such activities and to complete the activity successfully.

8. Introduction to Teaching Pragmatics (Reprinted from the online book Teaching Pragmatics, published by the Office of English Language Programs)

   In: English Teaching Forum 2003, Volume 41, Number 3 Format(s): Text

   Second and foreign language learners use English differently than native speakers do, especially in regard to greetings, closings, and managing conversations. Pragmatics does not receive the attention it should even though mistakes can be interpreted on a social and personal level. This article introduces a rationale for teaching pragmatics and discusses the goals. Teaching materials should include authentic language, and input should precede interpretation or production. Instructors may decide to use the L1 for raising awareness since these types of lessons are useful even for beginners.

9. Spot the Problem! (reprinted from Teaching Pragmatics)

   In: English Teaching Forum 2003, Volume 41, Number 3 Format(s): Text

   This lesson plan considers pragmatic violations of openings, closings, and requests. These humorous role plays involve continuing a conversation when one person is trying to end it, being overly direct, and providing an overly informative answer to the greeting “How are you?” Textbooks may lack complete openings and closings, so it is worthwhile to spend time on post-openings and pre-closings. Politeness in English may be problematic for EFL learners because of the lack of grammatical forms that mark it.

10. Authentic Video in the Beginning ESOL Classroom: Using a Full-Length Feature Film for Listening and Speaking Strategy Practice

    In: English Teaching Forum 2004, Volume 42, Issue 1 Format(s): Text

    Using film in the classroom can be effective with beginning English learners. A full-length film offers continuous context to discuss humor, culture, and language functions, real-life communication with images and non-verbal cues, increased retention due to activating the right hemisphere of the brain, and the lowering of students’ affective filters. The authors include a lesson based on their experience teaching listening and speaking skills using the movie “What about Bob.” Assessment techniques and potential problems are considered.

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