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Design for Drama: Short Plays from American Literature

Format(s): Text

Design for Drama features a number of plays that are adapted from well-known American short stories and poems. Download the PDF or E-book.

Teaching ESL Versus EFL

In: English Teaching Forum 2005, Volume 43, Number 2 Format(s): Text

The author argues for different teaching approaches in EFL vs. ESL settings. He points out the differences in student motivation and suggests how to select different activities for the two contexts (with examples of relevant activities). He gives guidelines for the appropriate role of L1 in each classroom, and explains how the two classroom cultures differ (for example, in term of the learning styles of the students). He argues that keeping in mind these differences will help educators make more effective decisions for their students.

From Passive Participant to Active Thinker

In: English Teaching Forum 2005, Volume 43, Number 3 Format(s): Text

This article discusses how, through materials development, teachers can help students think critically and feel comfortable enough to be active participants in class. The author suggests adapting materials to be more relevant to the interests and needs of students in a particular context. Another suggestion is to create materials that help students connect their thoughts and feelings to the language they are learning. The author includes techniques to promote critical thinking and learner autonomy.

Poetry for the People

In: English Teaching Forum 2006, Volume 44, Number 1 Format(s): Text

This article starts with the view that most poets believe that poetry should be understandable and accessible to everyone. The article then introduces the poetry and ideas of Ted Kooser, a famous poet born in Iowa. Following the stories of Ted Kooser, the article introduces what a poet laureate is, how long they serve, how they are chosen, how much pay they get, what they do, and six poet laureates of the past two decades. The history of the Library of Congress is introduced at the end.

Using Favorite Songs and Poems with Young Learners

In: English Teaching Forum 2006, Volume 44, Number 2 Format(s): Text

In this article, the author discusses the benefits of using songs and poems to teach young learners. The author explains how songs and poems can be used in English class and what their benefits are. The author explains how teachers can use actions or puppets to accompany the selected songs or poems, or allow young learners to create ideas themselves. Each suggestion includes an activity. The author also offers an example of a song chart.

Newspapers in America

In: English Teaching Forum 2006, Volume 44, Number 4 Format(s): Text

This is an introduction to American newspapers. It starts with a history of newspapers and the tradition of American journalism that challenges authority. The article offers a description and discussion of major American newspapers and the different sections of a typical newspaper. There is also a section introducing some famous American journalists.

Lesson Plan: Using Journalism Skills in the Language Classroom

In: English Teaching Forum 2006, Volume 44, Number 4 Format(s): Text

This lesson plan contains four activities based on the theme of newspapers and journalism. It includes a lesson to familiarize students with newspapers, journalistic writing, interviewing, and creating a class newspaper. The activities can be used as individual lessons or a larger project of creating a class newspaper.

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.

Create to Communicate: Collage

In: Create to Communicate: Art Activities for the EFL Classroom Format(s): Text

This section contains five lesson plans focusing on imperatives, present continuous, wh-questions, contrastive nouns, and future aspect using will focusing on high beginner to advanced proficiency levels.

Create to Communicate: Mixed Media