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1. Labor Day

   In: Celebrate! Holidays in the U.S.A. Format(s): Text

   Labor Day was established as a holiday for workers, both as a tribute to their contributions to the nation, and as a means of bringing more public awareness to their struggles.

2. Veterans Day

   In: Celebrate! Holidays in the U.S.A. Format(s): Text

   On this holiday, Americans remember war veterans and the trials and hardships they experienced.

3. Halloween

   In: Celebrate! Holidays in the U.S.A. Format(s): Text

   Halloween orginated, in part, as a celebration connected with evil spirits and the dead.

4. 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.

5. To Build a Fire and Other Stories

   Format(s): MP3, Text

   If you like stories about wilderness and survival, check out Jack London’s To Build a Fire and Other Stories. This reader is designed for intermediate-level English learners. Download it for free!

6. The Red Badge of Courage and Other Stories

   Format(s): Text

   This book is a collection of stories adapted from Stephen Crane classics. Listen online or download the MP3. Or, download the MOBI or EPUB files for your e-reader.

7. Winter Scenes

   In: English Teaching Forum 2012, Volume 50, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   ʺWinter Scenesʺ is a series of photos with captions. The pictures can be used as writing or discussion prompts.

8. The Blues Singers

   In: English Teaching Forum 2003, Volume 41, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   This is the second in a four-part series about the Blues, a unique form of music born out of the African slave culture in the United States. When slaves were freed, their musical traditions blended with European musical styles into Jazz and the Blues. This article features stories about leading Blues musicians throughout the history of the music, including B. B. King, Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, and Bessie Smith.

9. The Lighter Side: Football Transformers

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

   This issue's The Lighter Side introduces a word game with a football related theme.

10. Poetry Corner: Reading and Reacting to a Michigan Poem

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

    “Poetry Corner: Reading and Reacting to a Michigan Poem” consists of activities targeting reading, listening, speaking, and writing skills using a Michigan poem called “How Is It That the Snow,” written by poet Robert Haight, who lives in Michigan.

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