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Exploring Children's Picture Storybooks with Adult and Adolescent EFL Learners

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

The author presents a theoretical framework for using picture storybooks in teaching EFL to adults, suggesting that the storybooks are helpful in teaching both mechanics and culture. The article provides activities and resources and suggests themes that can be explored through the picture storybooks.

Sing Out Loud Children's Songs

Format(s): MP3, Text, Image / Poster / Maps

Sing Out Loud Children's Songs CD includes popular children's songs in the U.S.A. Several posters accompany the individual Sing Out Loud Children's Songs.

Establishing Textual Authority and Separating Voices: A New Approach to Teaching Referencing

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

This article provides practical reasoning and tools for the ESOL teacher to better teach source referencing. The author argues that students from around the world are taught different concepts for using sources. Students often assume texts present truths that do not require analysis. Many cultures teach students to memorize texts and repeat them to show mastery and shared knowledge. The author addresses plagiarism and provides classroom exercises.

Building a Class Library Using Local Folktales

In: English Teaching Forum 2003, Volume 41, Number 4 Format(s): Text

In areas of the world such as Nigeria where reading is not a central part of the culture, teachers may face a shortage of reading materials. One way to address this problem is by asking students to create their own reading materials. The activity described in this article focuses on a way students can engage in process learning by writing down oral folktales. Because students work in groups, they must communicate with each other in English to write and prepare their book. Students produce a tangible object from their learning that can be used to build a reading library.

Literature and Language

Format(s): Website

Language arts resources including reading, literature, and poetry. Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE).

Picture This – In a Minute

In: Activate Games for Learning American English: Picture This Format(s): Text

In a Minute provides students with practice forming questions that begin with wh- words: who, what, when, where, why, and how. First, players read and respond to the six questions on a Picture This card. Then players race to write as many questions as they can in a set amount of time. This game works best in small groups.

Writing about a Peacemaker

In: English Teaching Forum 2021, Volume 59, Number 2 Format(s): Text

The authors use peace education as a framework to present an assignment in which students read and write about a peacemaker “to reflect on the meaning of peace and how it can be achieved.”

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.

Sing Out Loud Word Play: Music Resources for English Language Teachers

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

This session, "Sing Out Loud! Wordplay: Music Resources for English Language Teachers," shares a new resource you can find on the American English website—diverse, music-based instructional materials that include free, downloadable audio tracks, videos, and classroom-ready activities. These low-prep activities are student-centered and fun for both teachers and learners!

Beyond Proficiency: Nurturing Critical Thinking Skills in the EFL Classroom