Fun with Limericks
National Limerick Day is observed annually in the US on May 12 to celebrate the birthday of English writer, Edward Lear. Lear was an author, poet, illustrator, and artist, but he is best known for popularizing the limerick. This type of poem is characterized by its unique rhyming scheme and witty or nonsensical humor. Read more on the blog post.
Paradoxical Thinking in the Classroom
Earlier this year, I wrote a post called “Introducing Students to Meditation.” One reader included a link to a Wikipedia article with her comment that describes the Japanese discipline of meditation called Zazen. One distinguishing feature of Zazen is its use of "koans" (pronounced ko’ an). Koans are paradoxical statements, dialogues, parables, and questions. Read more on the blog post.
English Skit for ELLs: Spring Fever
Has spring sprung in your neck of the woods? Have you taught your learners some spring idioms? Spring Fever is an easy skit to celebrate the beginning of spring. This skit has five main parts (one narrator and four neighbors). There are also a few lines for the chorus (other neighbors). You can change the names to your students’ names. Happy Spring! Read more on the blog post.
Introducing Students to Meditation
When asked what they get out of the classroom in addition to language skills, ESL students will often tout the friendships they’ve made with their classmates, their increased confidence when interacting with native speakers, and a better understanding of English-speaking cultures. Wouldn’t it be great if they could add a coping strategy to deal with stress to their list? Read more on the blog post.
Giving and Accepting Compliments in English
March 1 is World Compliment Day! Here’s an activity to try! Introduce your students to the word “compliment” (a positive remark about someone or something), and explain that it can be used as a noun and a verb. While you are looking at the word itself, explain the difference between compliment and complement. (I always tell my students that the one that means “extra” has an extra “e”.) Read more on the blog post.
Playing Jeopardy! in Class: A Tribute to Alex Trebek
On November 8, 2020, Canadian game show host Alex Trebek died at home at the age of 80 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Amazingly, Trebek kept filming his popular trivia game show, Jeopardy!, right until the end of his life (the final episode will air December 25, 2020). Trebek set a Guinness World Record for the most game show episodes ever hosted—more than 8,000 in all! In the words of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, "the world lost an icon." Read more on the blog post.
