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by Andrei Zakhareuski 499,185 views

Teachers may feel awkward speaking in front of a group of new faces who appear to be watching in a quite judgemental manner. Students also feel the nerves during a first class, as they may not have spoken English for a very long time. Their last experience with an English teacher may have been in a strict, grammar-focused classroom environment many years ago. This often creates a series of confidence issues with the student, having not used the language for an extended period and fearing making a mistake. The first class should be to promote a positive learning environment, where usage of the target language, whether right or wrong, will be viewed as being beneficial for the students. This is often the biggest hurdle faced by ESL teachers when dealing with adult learners of a basic level.

Additionally, the first lesson is also a prime opportunity to build a rapport with the students. By developing a strong connection with students, teachers set a cooperative learning environment that is easy for you and comfortable for the students. You should also use the first class as a time to evaluate the level, needs and wants of the students, and this can be done through a number of activities that are fun, entertaining and sure to develop on all of the important qualities that set the mark for what will be a successful course.

Fun First-Lesson Ice-Breakers

1. '?'
When I walk into a class for the first time, instead of introducing myself, I like to draw a big question mark on the board and get the students to do all of the hard work. I sometimes tell them that I would normally introduce myself, but I'm feeling a little tired and that they must do the hard work. For more advanced students, the teacher could walk in the class and have students ask whatever comes into their mind with little preparation, while lower levels could work in pairs or groups and write down some questions they could ask. Error correction is very important, the teacher should write the question on the board, and if a question is asked in a structurally incorrect way, the teacher can elicit the answer from other students in the class. This is good way to build the confidence of students and show them that incorrect answers are still beneficial to the class. This exercise is a great way to start off a class as it puts the students in a position where they are effectively doing work in your class, experiencing your role as a teacher in the class, and building their confidence in using English in a fun and light-hearted manner.

2. 'Lie Detector'
Lie detector is a great way to build rapport and trust with students. This activity involves the teacher writing three sentences on the board about him: 2 are true, and 1 will be a lie. Teachers should embellish the details slightly and write some sentences that the students wouldn't be likely to guess. Depending on the level of the students, the students can then ask questions about the topics of the three statements of the teacher to determine the lie. BUT, the hook to this game is that YOU, the teacher, may lie verbally to the students in your response, and the students must play the role of a lie detector and figure out which sentence is a porky pie. You can then set it up as a fun game, while analysing the level of the students by getting them to write three sentences about them, with one of the sentences being a lie. A good way to do this is the class versus the teacher, if the student can successfully deceive the teacher, the class will get the point. If the teacher can successfully detect the lie, the teacher will get the point.

3. Talk about your partner
In some classes, especially basic levels, the students may not possess the necessary knowledge of structure or vocabulary for the above exercises. Introductions are vital, as the teacher can learn a lot about the interests, along with wants and needs of a student. You may find out something rather unique, like the softly spoken middle-aged woman who drives rally cars as a hobby on the weekend! This would make quite a fantastic talking point when it comes to asking the student about her weekend. To avoid being predictable and to challenge the students, introductions can be done with a twist - by finding out the information from their partner and completing presenting the information to the class. This takes a traditionally quiet, individual task and transforms it into a fun, social activity that incorporates the additional skills of forming questions - provided the student uses English and not their native language!

4. Expectations, wants and needs
When dealing with children, the expectations of the teacher play a significant role in contributing to a productive flow of the course, especially for dealing with classroom management. However, when it comes to dealing with adults, focusing on the expectations of the students is vital when providing extracurricular activities. All adult students would have an expectation of an English class, and when you fulfil the expectations of the student, you succeed as an ESL teacher. By finding out the expectations of the students, you can tailor the course around their wants and needs, which at the end of the day gives you positive feedback and provides you with a great reputation that can lead to more opportunities in the future.

5. End the class on a fun note
After completing a successful first class, leave on a high note and play a game. A great little quicky vocab game is to come up with a topic, e.g., 'The Beach', and have the students stand up and form a circle in the middle of the room. The student must say an original word associated with the topic, e.g., 'sand', 'sea', etc. If the student gives an answer that is not associated with the topic, takes too long to answer or repeats a word, they must sit down. The game continues until one person is left standing, who is the winner.

As the saying goes: 'first impressions last', especially walking into a class full of new faces.

All you need to do is arm them with the confidence to succeed, find out what they expect from the class, while taking a fun and light-hearted approach. By following the above steps, your students will love you, and have the confidence to express themselves and walk away from the class having learned something new in constructive and enjoyable atmosphere.

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Your First Lesson: 5 Essential Ice-Breakers That Guarantee Success

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by Andrei Zakhareuski 499,185 views Teachers may feel awkward speaking in front of a group of new faces who appear to be watching in a quite judgemental manner. Students also feel the nerves during a first class, as they may not have spoken English for a very long time.

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It's not easy starting a new school. Listen to this poem about how it feels to be at a new school.

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People say dogs are man's best friends. Dogs and humans have always been close. Scientists think the bond is very deep. They said dogs cry with joy when they see their owner after being away for a long time. The scientists said when dogs see their owner, they cry. When they see other people they know, they don't cry.

The researchers said when dogs see their owners after five hours of being apart, they cry. A researcher said he had never heard of animals crying tears of joy. He thinks dogs' tears make humans love their dogs more. He said: "It's possible that dogs who show tears...during human interaction would be cared for more."

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Dogs cry for joy after reuniting with their owners

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English News Lesson on Dog Tears: Dogs cry for joy after reuniting with their owners - FREE worksheets, online activities, listening in 7 Levels...

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Todd: So, Meg, are you busy? Do you have a busy week?

Meg: Yes. I usually have a busy week.

Todd: Yeah, me too. So what day is your busiest day?

Meg: My busiest day is Thursday.

Todd: Why?

Meg: On Thursday, I have to work from early in the morning until around 6:00 p.m. I have to teach classes. And then after that, I need to do my shopping at the supermarket.

Todd: Okay. I do my shopping on Saturday.

Meg: Oh, really?

Todd: Yeah, always on Saturday.

Meg: What else do you do on Saturday?

Todd: On Saturday, I do all my boring activities.

Meg: Like what?

Todd: I do my shopping. I do my laundry. I run errands. I clean my apartment. I do boring stuff because on Sunday, I like to have fun.

Meg: What do you like to do on Sunday?

Todd: On Sunday, I often go hiking or I go to the park or I go to the beach. I go to the beach almost every Sunday.

Meg: Wow, that sounds really fun.

Todd: Yeah, the beach is beautiful. Nobody is there. It's really nice.

Meg: Yeah, it sounds great.

Todd: How about you? What do you do on Sunday?

Meg: On Sunday, I always go to church in the morning, and sometimes I'll have lunch with friends after church.

Todd: Oh, cool.

Meg: And then, I usually clean as well, Sunday evening before the new week starts.

Todd: Now, do you work Monday through Friday?

Meg: Yes, I work every weekday. What about you?

Todd: I work Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday. I don't work Wednesday.

Meg: Oh, what's your schedule like on Wednesdays?

Todd: On Wednesdays, I usually stay at home and I relax. Sometimes, I go shopping. Sometimes, I go to the park. Sometimes, I prepare lessons because I'm a teacher.

Meg: So, sometimes you do a little work on Wednesdays?

Todd: Yes, but I do work at my house.

Meg: Oh, right.

Todd: I never go to school on Wednesday.

Meg: Why not?

Todd: Because it's a day off. So, how about Monday? Are you busy on Monday?

Meg: I'm usually busy on Monday because my schedule is similar to Thursday, so I have to teach class until around 6:00 p.m.

Todd: Yeah, Mondays are busy for me too. Mondays are busy. Thursdays also are busy. Tuesday and Friday are not so busy.

Meg: Your schedule sounds a little similar to mine.

Todd: Yeah. Well, we're both teachers.

Meg: That's true.

Todd: What about activities? Do you do any activities during the week?

Meg: During the week, if I have free time, sometimes I will watch a TV show or a movie and I also go to Japanese language class.

Todd: Oh, nice.

Meg: Yeah, so sometimes I have homework so I have to do my Japanese language homeworks some nights. What about you?

Todd: I play futsal on Tuesday nights. Every Tuesday, I play futsal with my friends for two hours and that's fun. And then, sometimes on Friday, I meet my friends for dinner.

Meg: That sounds good.

Todd: And I also like sports so I usually watch sports on TV on Monday.

Meg: What sports do you usually watch on Monday?

Todd: I watch everything. I watch baseball. I watch basketball. I watch American football and I watch soccer. So I come home and I watch a video of a game from Saturday or Sunday. I don't watch sports on Saturday or Sunday. I watch the video later on Monday night.

Meg: Is it better that way?

Todd: Yeah. Usually, I don't check the internet, so I don't know the score.

Meg: Well, it sounds like you have a busy schedule.

Todd: You too.

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Listen to English speakers from around the world talk about real world topics in real conversations.

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In this video we talk about how we can help our students use chunks communicatively - we share 4 ideas that have worked well for us in the classroom. We're using an interactive video quiz in one of our ideas, which you can find here.

iSLCollective teacher trainer

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Face and body - English ESL video lesson

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In this video we talk about how we can help our students use chunks communicatively - we share 4 ideas that have worked well for us in the classroom. We're using an interactive video quiz in one of our ideas, which you can find here. iSLCollective teacher trainer

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Лазиза Икромова

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As the second wave of Covid-19 started rising in Pakistan in October, the educational institutions were closed as a precautionary measure. The situation compelled many teachers including myself to complete the remaining semester online. Usually, I have a graded presentation activity for my Functional English students near the end of the semester; however, this had to be adapted now as the classes had moved online. The importance of assessment of speaking in the course and the virtual class environment posed a challenge that required an innovative solution. Besides, I decided to make this presentation less stressful and more enjoyable for my students. That's when the idea of picture presentation occurred to me.

I planned to conduct individual presentations for two to three minutes each. Since the number of students was high (i.e. 38), I scheduled the presentations for three online sessions. For this task, students were supposed to select a picture that is worth 1000 words (i.e. a meaningful picture). The students were given free choice to take a picture from the internet or capture one themselves for presentation. Later, they were supposed to deliver a presentation for two to three minutes. For presentation, students were at liberty to record a voiceover presentation and share the link with the teacher to be shown in the virtual class or they could share the picture with screen sharing option in Zoom class and deliver the presentation. Interestingly, all the students went for the second option despite facing internet connectivity issues.

Moreover, in order to guide their talk, I gave them four guiding questions:

What do you see in the picture? Describe.

Why did you choose this picture? Give three reasons.

How do you see this picture? Share your opinion/understanding of the picture.

What can others learn from this picture? Share a lesson/message as per your understanding.

The response from students was overwhelming as they came up with extremely sensitive and thought-provoking ideas coupled with very meaningful pictures related to poverty, food preservation, climate change, female education, adverse effects of social media, and many more. Thus, the students made use of language pertaining to multiple fields of life.

As for assessment, all students were assessed using a rubric on the following areas: picture selection, content, fluency and lexical resource. Every single student was given oral feedback as soon as his/her presentation ended. In addition to that, students were encouraged to comment on their classmates' presentation, thus making room for peer feedback. Nevertheless, since we were doing it for the first time, students lifted the morale of their classmates by posting supporting comments in the chat. Since the online session was recorded and its link was shared with the students, they have a record of their presentation as well as the feedback they received.

When all the presentations were over, the students were advised to answer one question using a Google-form link which explored their perceptions about this experience. The students reported that they enjoyed talking about such topics using images and getting prompt feedback in the virtual class.

On the basis of my experience, I suggest that picture presentation is an extremely useful activity for all-age groups if guidelines are provided to students beforehand. Besides, key areas of speaking can be assessed using virtual platforms and prompt feedback becomes easy and rewarding. Apart from the assessment of speaking, this activity can provide students with a chance to speak about what matters to them and the world around them.
Kamran Akhtar Siddiqui

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Picture Presentation: Activity for Assessing Speaking Online

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As the second wave of Covid-19 started rising in Pakistan in October, the educational institutions were closed as a precautionary measure. The situation compelled many teachers including myself to complete the remaining semester online. Usually, I have a graded presentation activity for my Functional English students near the end of the semester; however, this had to be adapted now as the classes had moved online.

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Read the article about Tom and do the exercises to practise and improve your reading skills.

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Let's learn more about Greek GodsThe list of the Olympian Greek Gods: ZeusZeus was recognized as the father of gods and humans. He regulated the celestial phenomena and defined the laws that govern people. He held the lightning bolt with one hand and the scepter with the other, which had an eagle at the top. He was known as the 'Lord of Justice'. People respected and feared him at the same time. He was taking care of the families, keeping vigil in the home of every mortal and protecting strangers and passers-by from evil. Zeus' wife was the goddess Hera, to whom he was not always faithful. Greek mythology is full of love stories about Zeus, who liked to transform himself into anything he could think of and mingle with other goddesses or mortals. DemeterDemeter was the Greek goddess of agriculture and protected the trees, plants and grains. She was the first to make the earth fruitful and taught people how to grow wheat, barley and other plants. Demeter is somewhat isolated from the twelve gods in ancient myths and this is because she is an even more ancient goddess herself. The Greeks received her cult from the Pelasgians, who originally lived in Greece. According to Greek mythology, Demeter's daughter is mentioned as Persephone, who was once abducted by God Hades and became his wife. The most sacred and secret religious rites of ancient Greece, the Eleusinian Mysteries, were held in honor of Demeter. PoseidonPoseidon was one of the six children of Cronus and Rhea and brother of Zeus. He was allotted the kingdom of the sea but he was also considered the god of horses and earthquakes. This is why he was called "the earth-shaker". He rarely lived on Olympus, preferring the depths of the ocean. He was sitting on a famous chariot drawn by immortal horses and holding in his hand the famous trident, forged by the Cyclops. When Poseidon was angry, he plunged the trident into the sea and shook it whole from end to end. The sailors prayed to Poseidon so that he spares them from his wrath. HadesHades was the brother of Zeus and Poseidon and the god of the Underworld. He was allotted this kingdom when the three brothers took a draw to decide who will take each of three (heavens, sea and the Underworld). He liked to live in the dark and shadowed world of the dead and was rarely seen on Olympus. This is why, although he is one of the most important gods, some lists do not include him in the 12 Olympians. He was also known as Pluto. "Plutos" in Greek means wealth. The Earth is giving us a lot of treasures and since Hades' kingdom is underneath it, the ancient Greeks believed that he was the one delivering the wealth to them. They actually preferred to call him Pluto because the name Hades was another name for the Underworld and they did not like the idea of death. The entrance to the Underworld is guarded by a monstrous dog, Hades' favorite pet, the three-headed Cerberus. In order for your soul to cross the silent river, you need to pay the ferryman, Charon, to carry you to the other side on his boat. HeraGoddess Hera was the sister of Zeus, daughter of the Titans Cronus and Rhea, and at the same time Zeus' wife. Hera symbolized and protected the sacred institution of marriage. She blessed and helped the women in labor. Greek mythology presents Hera as a modest, measured and faithful woman, but at the same time very jealous. There are almost no myths that refer exclusively to Hera. Her name is almost always associated with the myths about Zeus. However, Hera does not present herself as a goddess submissive to her sovereign husband. She had a strong female personality and she was the only one that dared to object to him. ApolloApollo and Artemis were siblings, twins actually, children of Zeus and Leto, a Titan goddess. According to tradition, the two children were born on the island of Delos. Apollo is one of the most important and complex Greek gods. He is the god of light, music and poetry, healing and prophecy. He was the one that established the great Oracle of Delphi, which was considered the center of the ancient world. He was the teacher of the nine Muses and when they sang he accompanied them with his famous lyre. Artemis Artemis, Apollo's twin sister, was the goddess of hunting, wild animals and the wilderness. She spent her time in the woods, accompanied by the Nymphs, hunting, with her bow and arrows. She was a virgin goddess and protector of young girls. She was also worshipped as one of the primary goddesses of childbirth and midwifery, relieving the women in labor from diseases. She was sometimes associated with the goddess of the moon. AphroditeAphrodite, the most beautiful among mortals and immortals, was born from the foam of the sea when Uranus' blood fell on it after his defeat by Cronus. This fact makes her the eldest among the Olympian Gods. Her name literally means "risen from the foam". Aphrodite was worshipped as the goddess of beauty and passion. She could inspire love in the hearts of men and women. Most myths generally present Aphrodite as a vengeful woman. Aphrodite was worshiped in all parts of Greece and many priestesses were serving her. According to Greek mythology, she married the god of fire and blacksmiths, Hephaestus, but she was in love with the god of war, Ares, with whom she bared many children among which the winged god of love, Eros. AresAres, the god of war, was the son of the Greek gods Zeus and Hera. He was always followed by two of his faithful sons and followers, the gods Deimos and Phobos. Ares was handsome and strong, young and well-armed. He loved war and battles so he was hated by people and his worship was limited. Only in Sparta he was particularly worshipped and had a statue dedicated to him. Ares was tried, according to tradition, for his many war crimes, in one of Athens' hills, the Areopagus Hill, which later became the seat of the criminal court of ancient Athens. HephaestusHephaestus was the god of fire and blacksmiths. He was born ugly and that is why his mother, the goddess Hera, unable to nourish him, threw him out of Olympus. Since then he has been limping. Hephaestus fell into the sea, where he was picked up by the Nereids and raised by them. Growing up, he became a famous craftsman and set up his workshop on Mount Etna in Sicily. With his various metals, he made works of art of incomparable beauty. He once made a golden throne and sent it to his mother Hera. As soon as Hera sat down, invisible chains bound her without anyone being able to untie them. They tried to persuade Hephaestus, but they only succeeded after they got him drunk first. Hephaestus, the god of fire, gave his name to the volcanoes in the Greek language. It was from him, that the Titan Prometheus took the fire and gave it to the people. Hephaestus was also the one who built the brass and gold palaces of Olympus.Visit this website for more details: https://greektraveltellers.com/blog/the-greek-gods

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Let's learn more about Greek GodsThe list of the Olympian Greek Gods: ZeusZeus was recognized as the father of gods and humans. He regulated the celestial phenomena and defined the laws that govern people. He held the lightning bolt with one hand and the scepter with the other, which had an eagle at the top.

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