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English is essential to know for anyone who wishes to live and work successfully in the United States. Here are a few classroom activities that I have found that work in successfully teaching ESL to adults.
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Use word props. To teach word recognition and vocabulary it is best to use image identification. Bring in pictures of items or the items themselves and teach your adult students what the English words for the items are. Write out the word with the correct spelling on the board. Have your students write the new English word down in their notebook next to their native language translation of the word. Quiz them by holding up items and having them say the English word aloud in unison. If they have trouble with pronunciation, have them repeat the correct way to say a word by repeating after you.
Write and act out scenes. Have your adult students divide in groups and assign different real life scenarios they will come across in the United States when they will have to speak English. Have the groups write out a script for a scene for their scenario. The scene can be very simple to more advanced depending on the level of English your class is at. Examples of scenarios include how to ask how much an item costs, directions to a destination, where the bathroom is, or how to order food. Have the students act out their scenes and kindly correct and explain any word, pronunciation or grammar mistakes.
Watch movies. Play a scene from a movie in English with English subtitles. See if anyone understood what was said. Play the same scene in English with their native language subtitles and then play the same scene again in the students’ native language with English subtitles. Make sure the scene is understood. This will help with word and idea translation. Finally, have the students write out a summary of the scene in English.
Assign captivating readings. Select passages and books that are invigorating and useful for your adult learners to read. You can use novels, self help passages, and information about US culture. The readings should be in easy-reader English. First read the passage aloud to the class in proper pronunciation and assign reading the same work on their own as homework. Have your students look up words that they don’t know and write down definitions. In class the next day have the students write on the board any words they came across that they didn’t know and have them give their native language translation and definition. Read the passage to them aloud again and have them draw a picture of what was said in the reading to make sure they understand what is being communicated.
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