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As I was reviewing my blog posts, I realized that I don't have much content relating to grammar teaching.

So today I am fixing this and will give you my best tips for teaching grammar to ESL students!

In this post, I am going to break down a few of the things to consider when you are preparing to teach grammar to English learners.

The level of your students is important, as always. Some activities are more suitable for students at intermediate English proficiency and up while others need to be tailored to beginners and will take more scaffolding and time.

Here are a few things you will learn:

Inductive vs deductive grammar teaching

Importance of context

Holistic approach

Activities you can use

Games for the grammar classroom

Inductive vs deductive grammar teaching

There are two ways to teach grammar. One of them is through the "prescription" of rules (deductive) and one is through the discovery of rules (inductive).

Inductive grammar teaching is when a student is given a chance to discover the grammar rules by noticing, observation and drawing his/her own conclusions. This can be done as a whole class activity when a teacher carefully guides the students to the desired outcome.

Let's say you are reading a passage that contains a grammar form that you would like your students to learn. For example, present simple tense. As you read the passage, you can draw the students' attention to the verbs that end in -s and see if they can come up with a generalization about those verbs. They will have to employ their existing grammar knowledge. You can scribe their answers on the board and then go over them as a class. This activity should culminate in the students grasping the new grammar pattern.

Deductive grammar teaching is the more traditional method. Likely, you have learned grammar this way: a teacher goes over the grammar rule, the teacher gives examples and then you practice (by doing worksheets, etc.). While this method may not be as effective as the first one, it certainly does have its place in grammar teaching. Especially if the structure is difficult to discern otherwise.

Context in grammar teaching

One of the things to keep in mind when teaching grammar is context. Although there are some classes that are aptly named "ESL Grammar", even there context has to play a big part.

What do I mean by context? It can be anything that allows seeing grammar in use: short stories, songs, movies/video clips, or cartoons.

Grammar alone has no meaning and wrapping it in a context that students can relate to allows them to internalize the forms and functions faster.

You can teach any grammar concept through the above-suggested context - from tenses to phrasal verbs and more.

A holistic approach to grammar teaching

Similar to the idea of putting grammar teaching in context is the holistic approach, i.e. the all-skills approach.

We want our ESL students to learn and use English grammar in their speaking and writing. We also want them to be able to pick up on those grammatical patterns through listening and reading.

Therefore, when you present your lesson, make sure you incorporate activities that reinforce the concept through all four language domains - listening, speaking, reading and writing.

Activities to use in grammar teaching

Some of the activities that many students are receptive to include songs, movies or movie clips, reading short stories and making cartoons.

Here is an example of what you can do with a song:

Listening/reading/writing

identify the target grammar you want your students to learn

pick a song that is appropriate for your students' age and level

prepare a gap-fill worksheet (remove words/phrases that are examples of your chosen grammar pattern)

listen to the song as a group, go over any vocabulary and answer questions

students fill-in-the-blanks on the worksheet

check as a class

Speaking/writing

after you listen to the song, have a discussion (as a class or in small groups)

students can also respond to the song in writing or even rewrite it

Other activities

While watching full movies in class may not be possible, picking a scene/clip from a movie will usually suffice to teach grammar.

The students can find grammar patterns in the script of the movie (listening). They can also change the characters' dialogues into those with the target grammar. Finally, students can also create a comic strip with speech bubbles that contain the target grammar structure.

I already mentioned using short stories earlier in this post. To add, one of my favorite activities of all time to do with the students is to take a short story but make sure the students do not have access to its ending. They then can create their own endings to the story (working in groups and using the target grammar). As a class, compare the endings and then reveal the real one.

Here are a few ideas for your grammar teaching in your ESL classroom.
Sentence structure with pictures for reading, writing and speaking (a digital version of the Who? What? Where? game) Practice the verb "to be" with your ESL beginners
Games for the grammar classroom

As you may know, I am a big fan of games. Some work better than others and I may have written about them in my other blog posts.

The first one, Ball Toss I described in the blog post about icebreakers. The idea is simple: take a beach ball and write down the target grammar structures on it. Toss it to a student and ask him/her to read and explain/use the grammatical structure that is under their thumb (or index finger).
I have, who has....
This is another game that is great for grammar review.

Here is how it goes:

You need one set of cards (25-30) with a particular grammatical structure

each card should connect to the next card

First card: I have GRAMMAR STRUCTURE. Who has....For example, I have present perfect, who has a sentence that uses present perfect?

Each student should get at least one card, but if you have more cards than students, they can get two also.

The game continues with each person reading their card when they hear the prompt and think they have the answer. If and when students make mistakes, stop, discuss and lead the students to the correct answer.

The game continues until the question goes back to the first card (I have present perfect, who has a sentence that uses present perfect).

Finally, a game that involves both physical activity AND grammar review!

You will need fly swatters and papers with target grammatical structures written on them. You can use sticky notes or put the papers in bags and attach magnets to them.

stick the papers to the whiteboard (or wall)

have your class split into two teams.

each team lines up and the person in front gets the fly swatter

ask a question, the answer to which is stuck on the board/wall

students race to slap the correct answer the first person to slap it correctly wins a point

anybody who slaps incorrectly loses a point.

no points are awarded to the team that does not slap any answer

Pass the swatter on to the next person and the game continues until there are no more questions.

To end this blog post, I would like to invite you to watch a video that I made about teaching grammar and also to follow me on my new and growing YouTube channel. At the end of the video, I also go over a few of the resources that I recommend for the activities described above.

For more teaching tips and ideas, join our Facebook group Helping ESL/ELL Teachers K-12.

How do YOU teach grammar? Share with us in the comments below!

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How to Teach ESL Grammar: Tips, Activities and Games

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How to teach grammar to ESL students? Read about inductive vs. deductive grammar teaching and get ideas for activities and games for your ESL classroom

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Don't miss these Featured Posts :

Another Wonderful Collection of Games for any level
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How to teach the four skills

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Games and activities for teaching english as a second language :

Type: Concentration Game

Target: Any vocabulary

Materials: Timer

Procedure: Set a timer for 2 mins. Challenge the students to see how many times they can recite the vocabulary words in 2 mins. For example, if you are learning the months of the year, see how many times the students can say all 12 months in 2 mins.

Comments: Good for practicing fluency and retention. Can change the time limit depending on needs.

Type: Active Game

Target: Any vocabulary

Materials: None

Procedure: One student is it and stands in the middle of the class with their eyes closed. Each corner is represented by a vocabulary word. The students have 10 seconds to choose a corner to go to. It calls out one of the vocab words and the students standing at that corner are out. Continue until only one person is left and that student becomes the it for the next round.

Comments: Not very intensive on English speaking, but very fun.

Type: Concentration game

Target: Alphabet

Materials: None

Procedure: The teacher draws a letter on the back of the first student. The student then tries to decipher which letter was drawn and draw the same letter on the next student's back. This continues until the last student must draw the letter on the board. I usually play the same as the Telephone game, class against the teacher. Every time the class gets the letter wrong, I get a point. Every time the class gets the letter right, they get a point. It's really motivating for the students and develops class co-operation on a common goal.

Comments: This could be altered so that the student must say the letter out loud in stead of drawing it on the board. Or they must say the sound that the letter makes instead of the name. Or they must say a word that starts with the letter.

Type: Active Game

Target: Any vocabulary

Materials: flashcards, angry gorilla cards

Procedure: Have a pile of flashcards that you want to review. Mix in a few angry gorilla cards. Turn a card over and the students should say the word three times. If the angry gorilla card is turned over then students run to the safe zone and the angry gorilla (the teacher) tries to catch them. The caught student becomes the gorilla through an initiation dance (pounding of fists on the chest).
Comments:
Type: Active Game

Target: Any vocabulary or sentence patter

Materials: Ball

Procedure: Throw the ball to a student. The student catches it and says a word or sentence, for example, "I like apples." They throw to the next student who says a new word or sentence such as "I like pizza." This continues until all the children have had a turn.

Comments: This is a very simple game and fun for younger students. However, endless variations can be made to make it suitable for all levels. For example, the students must repeat the process and remember who threw to them and who they threw to as well as what the person before them said. The first person says

"I like apples" and then throws to S2. S2 says "He likes apples. I like pizza." Then throws to S3. S3 says "She likes pizza. I like Kim Chi." This continues until it reaches the first student who starts the pattern over again. Everyone tries to remember the pattern of the ball and what they said. Another variation is to do the above and then add more balls into the mix so that after the first 2 students have gone throw another ball and the students must continue the pattern with more balls. Or else who can speed up the rhythm of the throwing.

Type: Active game

Target: Any vocabulary

Materials: Balloon

Procedure: Practice vocabulary words. The students then stand in a circle and a balloon is hit into the air. The object of the game is to not let the balloon hit the ground. But when someone touches the balloon, they must say a vocabulary word. If the balloon touches the ground, or someone hits the balloon without saying a word the round is over. Count how many touches you can get to and try to beat your own record.

Comments: This could be altered to practice a sentence form instead of vocabulary by having the students hit the balloon and say one word from the sentence at a time in order instead of random vocabulary words.

Type: Active Game

Target: Any vocabulary

Materials: Balloon

Procedure: Divide s tudents into teams. Each team is split in half and stands in line opposite from each other as in a relay. The first student must walk to their team with a balloon between their knees without it falling. Once they get to their team they have to tell the next person a vocab word that I have given them. The next person repeats it 5 times and then takes the balloon between their knees. Then they walk to the other side, pass it to the next person and say the next vocab word. The first team to finish all vocab words is the winner.
Comments:
Type: Game

Target: Review

Materials: picture cards

Procedure: Divide the class into 2 teams. Draw a banana tree on the board with about 9 rungs up the tree. Each team has a mascot (monkey picture cards work well). The object of the game is to climb the tree the fastest to get to the bananas. The climb a rung at a time by answering questions correctly. The first group to get the bananas is the winner.
Comments:
Type: Concentration game

Target: Any vocabulary

Materials: None

Procedure: Divide the class into 4 or 5 teams. The teams are now crews on a Battleship at war with the other ships. One person on each team is the captain, another person is the shooter and the rest is the crew. Each ship has its own name. The captain's job is to answer when their ship is called, the shooter's job is to call out another ship's name and the whole crew must each say a vocab word. The teacher starts by calling out the name of a ship. The captain answers first by saying a vocab word, for example, let's say the theme is food, they answer by saying bananas. Each crew member of that ship follows by saying in turn another food word until the last crew member is the shooter. The shooter himself says a food word and then calls out the name of another ship. That ship's captain must answer and their crew must say food word until the shooter calls out another ship. If the captain doesn't answer quickly (2-3 seconds after their ship is called), their ship is sunk. If the shooter can't say the name of another ship quickly or any crew member can't say a vocab word, their ship is

sunk.

Comments: Can be made harder by not allowing students to repeat vocab

words or else their ship is sunk.

Type: Game

Target: any conversations

Materials: Picture cards, fake money

Procedure: Hand out fake money to the students. Ask each student a question from the target theme (i.e. under, on, in) about Mr. Monkey such as "Where is Mr. Monkey?" Each student answers where they think he is, for example "He is on the table," "He is under the chair," or "He is in the box." In order to bet the students must place a bet from their fake money, like 1 dollar.

Record their predictions. Then pull out one of the picture cards at random. The students who guessed correctly get the money in the pot. The students can buy candy or prizes with their money at the end of the game.

Comments: Other suitable conversations would be "What is Mr. Monkey doing?" 'What is Mr. Monkey eating/wearing?" etc.

Type: Game

Target: Any vocabulary

Materials: paper and pencil

Procedure: Students draw a 3×3 (or bigger) grid and fill in the squares with vocabulary words. Call out vocab words at random and the first student to get a line or any other formation decided upon is the winner.

Comments: Students can also draw instead of writ the vocab words in the squares.

Type: Active Game

Target: Time

Materials: circle marked on the floor

Procedure: Ask students to make the hands of a clock with their bodies inside the circle on the floor. Yell out certain times and students should make the time with their bodies. For example, if the time is 3:30 they can point their hands toward where the 3 would be and bend at a 90 degree angle to show the time. Can be played just for fun or as teams.
Comments:
Type: Game

Target: Can you help me?

Materials: A button (or a small coin)

Procedure: In this game there is one searcher and one hider. The hider has a button cupped in his hands. The rest of the students are all in a line with their hands cupped in exactly the same way. The hider then slides his cupped hands in between the others hands all the way down the line. Except, secretly, he drops the button into someone else's hands somewhere along the way. The student who receives the button from the hider should not give any indication that he has the button because we don't want the searcher to know. Then when the hider is finished everyone asks the searcher grasshopper, "Button, Button, who has the button?" Then searcher should guess who he thinks has the button by asking "Can you help me?" If the student he guesses doesn't have the button they should answer, "Sorry I can't" but if he guesses correctly and you have the button you say "Sure I can" and then give him the button. Repeat with new searchers and hiders.

Comments: Perhaps could be altered to focus on another conversation theme.

Type: Game

Target: Any conversation

Materials: mini cards

Procedure: Each student gets a collection of cards of a certain number and on a certain theme. They write their name on the back. Then they find a partner and ask the target question such as "What do you do?" to each other. Both students answer such as "I'm a doctor" or "I'm a lawyer". Then they do Rock Paper Scissors and the winner takes the other person's card. Repeat with new partners.

Most cards wins. Return the cards to each person at the end of the game.
Comments:
Type: Game

Target: Any vocabulary

Materials: None

Procedure: Students are divided into 2 teams. One person from one team comes up to the front where the teacher gives them a vocabulary word to act out. The team tries to guess the word. If they get it correct the team gets one point. Teams alternate turns and the team with the most points wins.

Comments: If the words are easy to guess you can make it harder by limiting the time to act it out, limiting the time the students have to guess, limiting the number of guesses and having the team say the answer together in unison.

Type: Active Game

Target: Any vocabulary

Materials: None (or picture cards)

Procedure: Divide students into 2 teams. Write the vocab words on the board. 2 students from each team race to circle the word I say with a piece of chalk, say the word and then return the chalk to their team. The fastest team per round gets a point

Comments: Can also be used with picture cards on the board, but instead of circling the card they just touch the card.

Type: Concentration Game

Target: Any vocabulary, song or chant

Materials: None

Procedure: Students stand in a circle with their hands overlapping, each student right hand is in front of the others and their left hand is behind. Practice passing the clap; the first person brings their right hand over to clap the right hand of the next person. The left hand always stays in place. They clap should be passed around the circle. Then add in the chant and clap to the beat of the chant.

For example, use the chant " Cinderella, Dressed in yella, Went upstairs to kiss her fella. She made a mistake, and kissed a snake. How many doctors will it take? 1! 2! 3! 4! 5!" The 2 students who are supposed to clap on the count of 5 have a duel to slap each other's hands. The person on the right tries to clap the person's on the left's hands. The person on the left tries to remove their hand so that the person on the right misses. Whoever is successful (clapping the other's hand or making the other person miss) is the winner. The loser is removed from the game. The 2 students must have the duel on the count of 5, no waiting or fudging the time or else it gets complicated. Make sure the students say thechant and don't just clap. The last 2 students standing have the final duel by one person putting both hands on top and the other putting their hands on top. They clap and switch hands position to the beat of the chant until the count of 5. On 5 the person on top tries to clap the bottom persons hands and the bottom person tries to remove their hands. The successful person is the winner.

Comments: You can use any song or chant or even simple vocabulary words to play this game

Type: Active game

Target: Any conversation pattern

Materials: None

Procedure: Make up actions for the answers to the question. For example, to practice "What's the weather like?" "It's cloudy/rainy/sunny/windy, etc" make up actions for each answer such as "It's cloudy"=cover your eyes, "It's rainy"= fingers wave in the rain motion, "It's windy"=sway side to side, etc. Then

students stand in line all facing the teacher. Everyone says the question together in unison "What's the weather like?" and then clap 2 times together.

Immediately after the second clap, each student answers and does the action to go along with the answer. The teacher also answers and does an action. Any student that does the same action and answer as the teacher is out. The last student standing is the winner

Comments: Could be used to practice only vocabulary words and instead of saying a question just say the theme of the words. For example "Animals, animals, clap-clap" then everyone does the action and says an animal vocabulary word.

Type: Active Game

Target: Clothes vocabulary

Materials: Old clothes

Procedure: Students line up across from a pile of clothes in teams. The first student runs to the pile of clothes and picks one thing to put on. Then they yell the name of the clothes 3 times and run back to the line. They pass the clothes to the next person who must wear it and run and choose something else to wear and yell it's name 3 times. The team to get all their items on the fastest is the winner.

Comments: Can also be done as a whole group and try to beat their previous times.

Type: Game

Target: Any vocabulary

Materials: Word or picture cards

Procedure: One student has a card pinned to their back or stuck on their forehead. The rest of the class knows what the card is and gives the students hints about it until they can guess their card.

Comments: Can be used to practice more than just vocabulary by having the students answer in full sentences, and having the student ask questions about their card.

Don't miss these Featured Posts :

Another Wonderful Collection of Games for any level
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How to teach the four skills

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MoroccoEnglish.com's webmaster, High School teacher of English, in Nadorcity. A BA degree holder, from Mohamed first university in Oujda . - - www.moroccoenglish.com - -

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100 Classroom Activities & Games - Part 1 | MoroccoEnglish

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_____________________________________________________________________ Type: Concentration Game Target: Any vocabulary Materials: Timer Procedure: Set a timer for 2 mins. Challenge the students to see how many times they can recite the vocabulary words in 2 mins. For example, if you are learning the months of the year, see how many times the students can say all 12 months in 2 mins.

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Dzisiaj mam dla Was kolejną rewelacyjną stronę do tworzenia łamigłówek dla Waszych uczniów, i to za darmo! Dość długo szukałam strony, która będzie miała więcej niż jedną opcję układania rozsypanek literowych - udało się 😉 Na końcu wpisu czeka na Was gra do pobrania!

Zaczynamy od wejścia na stronę quickworksheets.net/worksheet-generators/word-scramble
Tworzenie kart pracy jest bardzo intuicyjne i wszystko przebiega sprawnie.

Na początku wybieramy rodzaj czcionki. Do wyboru mamy trzy opcje: Sans-serif, serif oraz hand.
Możemy również dostosować wielkość naszej czcionki klikając w opcję size (żółta pętla).
Nadajemy tytuł naszej karty pracy w polu Enter Worksheet Title (zielona pętla), wpisujemy datę oraz imię, zaznaczone małą niebieską pętlą na zdjęciu poniżej (możecie te pola zostawić puste). Opcjonalnie możemy również dodać instrukcje do naszej karty pracy (duża niebieska pętla).

Następnie przechodzimy do wpisania słów (czerwona pętla). Możemy wpisać 26 słów - każde z nich zapisujemy kolejno w liniach (nie po przecinku). I teraz mała uwaga: wpisując słowa dwuczłonowe np. police officer, program pomiesza litery z obu słów razem - spacja nie jest brana pod uwagę.
Jest również opcja wybrania słów z istniejących już zestawów/list (żółta pętla).

Listy posiadają swoje nazwy i mamy wgląd w słówka, które się w niej znajdują (zdjęcie poniżej).

Kolejnym krokiem jest wybranie jednej z trzech opcji podpowiedzi do rozwiązania naszych rozsypanek literowych: bez podpowiedzi, podana pierwsza litera oraz podane 25% liter (żółta pętla). Opcja bez podpowiedzi jest bardzo trudna, pierwsza litera jest całkiem ok, ale zdecydowanie najbardziej lubię ostatnią opcję.
Następnie wybieramy czy na naszej karcie pracy ma być widoczny Word Bank (niebieska pętla), czy też nie. Będzie to sporym ułatwieniem przy rozszyfrowywaniu słów.
Czerwoną strzałką zaznaczyłam opcję, która dostępna jest tylko w wersji premium. Nie ma zupełnie potrzeby korzystania z tej opcji, ponieważ dotyczy anagramów.

Wybieramy teraz czy nasze słowa mają być zapisane małymi czy wielkimi literami (czerwona pętla), oraz liczbę kolumn (żółta pętla). W naszej karcie pracy może znaleźć się również zadanie na pisanie (pomarańczowa pętla).

Po kliknięciu w pole Add a Writing Exercise zobaczycie to:

Wybieramy liczbę linii do zapisania zdań ze słowami, które muszą zostać rozwiązane. Linie mogą zostać ponumerowane lub nie.
Ostatnim etapem jest zaznaczenie opcji include an answer sheet (bardzo pomocna funkcja, dzięki której szybko sprawdzimy prace uczniów) oraz wybór formatu papieru. Klikamy w okienko nie jestem robotem a następnie w zielone pole z napisem MAKE WORKSHEET i gotowe!

Mamy teraz dwie opcje: otworzyć nasz plik PDF i go wydrukować lub możemy go zapisać.

Poniżej zdjęcie karty odpowiedzi:

Muszę Wam napisać, że ta strona bardzo przypadła mi do gustu. Ma wiele dodatkowych funkcji, które są bardzo przydatne. Polecam każdemu z Was stworzenie chociaż jednej karty pracy.

WORD SCRAMBLE GAME - dział "praca"
W grę możemy grać w małych zespołach, grupach lub parach. Uczniowie losują kartę (każda ma swój numer, który ułatwi Wam szybkie odnalezienie odpowiedzi w dołączonym kluczu) lub wybierają numer od 1 do 84. Zadaniem jest rozszyfrowanie słowa i podanie jego znaczenia po polsku lub ułożenie z nim zdania. Jeden punkt możemy przyznać za poprawne rozwiązanie słowa, drugi za przetłumaczenie, a trzeci za ułożenie zdania. W sumie uczeń może zdobyć 3 punkty, ale od Was zależy ustalenie maksymalnej liczby punktów (1-3). Możemy ustalić też limit czasowy na rozwiązanie słowa - zależnie od poziomu zaawansowania naszej grupy. Wygrywa para lub grupa z największą liczbą punktów.

Gotową grę pobierzecie tutaj ➪ Będzie mi bardzo miło, jeśli zostawicie po sobie ślad - like lub komentarz 🙂 Możecie też oznaczyć znajomych w komentarzu 😉 To największa motywacja do tworzenia kolejnych postów!

Chcecie być na bieżąco z postami? Obserwujcie mój profil na Facebook'u ➪

Dajcie znać jak podoba Wam się strona do tworzenia rozsypanek wyrazowych. Jeśli skorzystacie z mojej gry na zajęciach, miło mi będzie jeśli wyślecie mi zdjęcia w wiadomości prywatnej.

PS Jeśli spodobał Wam się wpis o "Spinning words" KLIK to możecie na mnie zagłosować w konkursie na stronie Edublogi KLIK na najlepszy wpis października. Bardzo dziękuję za oddane głosy! 💓

See you,
Sylwia

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Klik w klink - Free Word Scramble worksheet generator + gra do wydruku

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Dzisiaj mam dla Was kolejną rewelacyjną stronę do tworzenia łamigłówek dla Waszych uczniów, i to za darmo! Dość długo szukałam strony, która będzie miała więcej niż jedną opcję układania rozsypanek literowych - udało się 😉 Na końcu wpisu czeka na Was gra do pobrania!

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CAE fixed expressions

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Fixed expressions are a huge part of the Cambridge Advanced exam, coming into play far more frequently than in lower levels. The difficulty with CAE fixed expressions is that learners will often recognise them and understand them when seen in context. However, making them part of of their active vocabulary is a much greater challenge. For the CAE it is essential that your students know fixed expressions because they can and will come up in the open cloze (Part 2 of Use of English) and key-word transformations (Part 4 of Use of English). So let's take a close look at what a CAE fixed expressions would be and how we can teach them.

If you are looking for transformations that use CAE fixed expressions, you can find them here:

What is a fixed expression?

Afixed expressionis a combination of words which express an idea. It has taken on more meaning that the individual words while still maintaining a lexical connection. It is frequently used in certain circumstances to express a specific idea.

Examples include:

My sister asked me to keep an eye on her kids while she was working late. (to watch / look after)

It came as no surprise when Lawrence got the job. (it was expected / not surprising)

It is only a matter of time until that bridge collapses. (it will happen at some point in the future)

If she doesn't start training, she won't stand a chance of winning the race. (has no possibility)

As their name suggests, fixed expressions are fixed. This means the order and combination of words cannot be changed. The only flexibility in fixed expressions is a pronoun change (e.g. She made up her mind becomes I made up my mind) or a tense change (e.g. There is no point in arriving late becomes There was no point in arriving late).

What's the difference between a fixed expression and an idiom?

Idioms use words that are completely removed from their lexical meaning. The meaning cannot be deduced from its individual words and it has a separate meaning of its own.

Examples include:

My brother is a couch potato. (lazy)

I can't believe she let the cat out of the bag. (reveal a secret)

Sarah's new boyfriend really rubs me the wrong way. (annoy / bother)

Losing the contract added insult to injury. (make a bad situation worse)

Idioms can be a lot of fun to teach and learn (idiom pictionary anyone?). Advanced students are often eager to scribble them down and bask in the glory of knowing something so obscure in their 2nd language. However, in my opinion, they are less useful for the CAE than their fixed expression counterparts.

How to teach fixed expressions

Unfortunately, unlike idioms, fixed expressions don't lend themselves as easily to fun games and activities. You can't describe, draw or act out by the time. So what we need to do as teachers is help our students notice fixed expressions when they see them. Encouraging noticing will create a deeper cognitive connection, which will help students take fixed expressions from their passive memory into active memory.

Here are some tips to make fixed expressions stick:

Always look at fixed expressions as a whole and preferably in context.

Whenever you do an exam task (or any task) that has fixed expressions, have your students write them down, think of a synonymous expression and write an example sentence. They can dedicate a section of their vocabulary notebook to this.

Have students watch series and films and write down fixed expressions that they hear.

Put fixed expressions on cards and have students think of sentences using them. Make it more fun by making the sentences true or false about them and their partner has to guess if it's true or not.

Give students fixed expressions that are gapped and they have to complete them.

Create fixed expression pelmanism with synonymous phrases.

Use materials like the ones on this page or this transformations activity which focus on fixed expressions.

The Materials

My preferred method of using these materials is by doing a dictogloss (procedure indicated below). However, they could also be used as is or adapted in other ways.

I suggest using these materials after you are sure that your students are familiar with the vast majority of the fixed expressions listed. There are a lot of CAE fixed expressions here which were found by searching through CAE exams and materials. Despite that, there are sure to be fixed expressions which appear in future exams which are not here, so don't rely solely on this list.

If you are worried about the number of fixed expressions on this worksheet, I recommend cutting off the lower half of the page and focusing only on the fixed expressions that appear in the text.

EXAM PART: Use of English

EXAM SKILLS: Using a range of lexis appropriate to the level (C1)

TOPIC: Work

TIME: 60-90 minutes + homework/extension

PREPARATION: One copy of the worksheet per student
PROCEDURE WITH DICTOGLOSS:

1. Introduce the topic of work by asking students a few discussion questions (e.g. When did you last have a job interview? Has anyone been fired from their job at the place where you work? What happened? etc.)

2. Teacher reads the short text about work to the students, who just listen the first time.

3. Students discuss what the text was about in general.

4. Teacher reads the text again and students take notes of key words. Point out that they should not try to write down every word.

5. Students work together to reconstruct the text. Teacher can read the text again if necessary.

6. When finished, hand out the worksheet with the original text and students compare with their reconstructions.

7. Students discuss the meaning of the fixed expressions in the text.

8. Students examine the list of CAE fixed expressions and discuss any which are new for them.

9. Students work together to create their own short text on the topic of work with CAE fixed expressions from the list (could be done as homework).

10. EXTENSION: Students read their texts to others who listen and discuss what it is about.

Download

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Advanced (CAE) - Fixed Expressions - Breakout English

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Fixed expressions are a huge part of the Cambridge Advanced exam, coming into play far more frequently than in lower levels. The difficulty with CAE fixed expressions is that learners will often recognise them and understand them when seen in context. However, making them part of of their active vocabulary is a much greater challenge.

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Road to Grammar PDF downloads - ESL resources in PDF format

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Here is the third extract from the latest British Council publication ' Creativity in the English Language classroom' edited by Alan Maley and Nik Peachey. In this chapter, Judit Fehér gives tips to teachers on how to integrate creativity into everyday classroom practice.
'In this chapter, I aim to give tips to teachers on doing just that: to integrate creativity into everyday classroom practice and typical language learning activities and exercises. I will use a framework of thinking that is used by many teachers around the world to think about and plan their lessons, namely:

Working with the language system:

Presenting and practising vocabulary.

Presenting and practising grammar.

Improving pronunciation.

Working with skills:

Developing speaking.

Developing writing.

Developing listening and reading.

While sticking to this familiar framework, I would like to show that small changes introduced step-by-step at different levels of teaching can gradually lead to a richer and more motivating, more creative learning environment for the learners and a more fulfilling, more rewarding teaching experience for the teachers.

With each typical classroom/course book activity discussed, I will use the following format:

How is the activity normally done?

What alternative do I suggest?

How does the proposed change affect teacher and learner creativity?

Adaptation, variation, extension. How can the idea be used in different ways?

Background to the activities

The activities in this chapter were designed with secondary and adult classes in mind and they are informed by a variety of current approaches including learner-centredness, holistic learning, Multiple Intelligences, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, humanistic teaching and task-based learning.

Presenting and practising vocabulary

When teaching vocabulary, we normally aim to help our students to connect the form of a word with its meaning so that they can get to the meaning if they come across the form (they see or hear the word) and that they can come up with the form (say it or write it) when they have the meaning in mind. When we present vocabulary, we provide the form, spoken and/or written, and give some guide to the meaning through a context, images, objects, mime, sounds and verbal clues or by creating a situation in which the meaning is clarified. This often calls for a lot of teacher creativity, as they try to find ways to clarify meaning without using the mother tongue, but the students can do some of this creative work.

From meanings to words

Students present meanings of words they don't know in English.

Procedure:

Give students an example of what we mean by different clues for the meaning of words. For example, if your topic is travelling by train, choose the word 'train', give a simple definition, imitate the movement and sound of a train and show students a simple drawing of a train.

Ask groups of four to six students to write down in their mother tongue five words on your topic that they do not know in English but they think would be useful to know, e.g. station, ticket office, seat reservation, timetable, platform, written in students' mother tongue.

Ask groups to provide clues to the words they have chosen. They can use drama, mime, sounds, drawings, gapped texts, paraphrasing - anything but the mother-tongue word.

Ask groups to give their clues, one at a time. For example, students in a group pretend to be trains while some students make sounds like a loudspeaker and they sing the tune you hear before railway announcements in your country for the meaning of station.

Ask if another group thinks they have a clue for the same meaning. If there is a group with the same meaning, get them to give their clue, for example, "You can get on and off trains here", or they show a picture they drew. Check with the first group if it is the same meaning.

Ask students if any of them knows the English word, and ask them to say the word. If not, provide the word yourself. Get them to repeat the word and write it on the board.

Continue like this, asking groups to repeat their clues from time to time and say the word, to recap.

Variation:

If you have a specific list of words you need to teach, make a big poster/slide of the words in the students' mother tongue and ask groups to choose the five they want to learn the most.

This technique can be used with any topic which students have some experience with and knowledge about.'

Extract from chapter 7, 'From everyday activities to creative tasks' by Judit Fehér in ' Creativity in the English language classroom'.

Read more extracts:

Download the complete book: 'Creativity in the English language classroom'.

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Here is the third extract from the latest British Council publication ' Creativity in the English Language classroom' edited by Alan Maley and Nik Peachey. In this chapter, Judit Fehér gives tips to teachers on how to integrate creativity into everyday classroom practice.'In this chapter, I aim to give tips to teachers on doing just that: to integrate creativity into everyday classroom practice and typical language learning activities and exercises.

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You can help your child improve their English by giving them lots of opportunities to use English. This will help your child to feel more confident and prepared for their English exams.

If learning English seems very challenging, break it down into smaller tasks. For example, your child shouldn't try to learn lots of new words in one go. Instead, they should focus on learning a few new words every week. They will be much more likely to remember them!

Here are some ideas you can try at home.

Free vocabulary picture books and lists

Our research project, English Profile, finds the English vocabulary that speakers tend to use at each level of language learning. We then produce free vocabulary lists, so that your child can learn the most useful English words.

Download our free Pre A1 Starters, A1 Movers and A2 Flyers Word List Picture Books.
Download our free vocabulary lists for A2 Key for Schools and B1 Preliminary for Schools.

Learning tip for 5-12 year olds
Look at the vocabulary pictures together. For example, here's a picture called At the doctor's. Try using a mixture of closed questions, which assess quick factual knowledge (e.g. Where is the doctor?), and open questions, which assess reasoning (e.g. Why do you think the doctor is looking surprised?).

Learning tip for 13-18 year olds
Try learning vocabulary and playing fun games at the same time! For example, you could use the words in our free picture books and vocabulary lists to play Charades or Pictionary.

Flashcards

Flashcards are really useful resources. Research shows that vocabulary learning improves when children have visual images.

Your child can make their own flashcards. On one piece of card, write a word. On another piece of card, add a picture for that word. Your child could illustrate their cards with their own drawings and keep them in a 'favourite word box'.

Encourage them to use some of these new words in stories they create. Remember that children learn language best when they can communicate, not just memorise words.

Learning tip
Flashcards are a great resource because they can be used in many different ways. Here are some fun games you can play with your flashcards:

Which word am I?: Put all of the word cards, facing down, on a table. Choose a picture card (don't show the card to your child). Give your child clues about the picture. How many clues does your child need to pick the right word?

Snap: Give each player a pile of cards that are face down. Player 1 turns over a card, then player 2, and so on. If two cards match, shout 'Snap!' The player who says 'snap' first can keep all the turned-over cards if they can use the word in a sentence.

Categories: Ask each player to sort three or four cards into a category of their own choosing. Can the other players guess the category?

Memory: Put all the cards face down. Player 1 turns over two cards. They can keep any matching cards if they can use that word in a sentence. If the cards don't match, put them back face down. Now player 2 turns over two cards.

Odd one out: Sort the cards into groups and include an 'odd one out' in each group. Ask your child to find the 'odd one out' in each group and explain why.

Bingo: Ask your child to make some bingo cards (e.g. a 2 x 2 grid). Write a word in each box of the grid. Family members who don't speak English can use bingo cards in their own language. Now, turn over one picture flashcard at a time. If a player has the matching word on their bingo card, put a counter on top of the word. When you have counters on every word on the bingo card, shout 'Bingo!'

Challenge: Ask each player to choose one word flashcard and one picture flashcard . If the player completes their challenge successfully they get one point. Here are some example challenges:

Word flashcard challenge: use the word in a sentence

Word flashcard challenge: say the word in a funny voice

Word flashcard challenge: draw the word

Picture flashcard challenge: guess the right word for the picture, then spell the word

Picture flashcard challenge: act out the picture

Picture flashcard challenge: describe the picture as another person draws it.

Funny sentences: Select some cards with different nouns, verbs and adjectives, for example, 'my dad', 'my dog', 'likes eating', 'loves wearing', 'big', 'purple', 'handbags', 'snakes'. Take turns to choose cards to make funny sentences.

Free online learning activities

Encourage your child to try some of our fun learning activities, which are available to use on a computer or on a tablet.

Learning tip for 5-12 year olds
Your child can practise their English with these fun learning activities and games.

Learning tip for 13-18 year olds
Encourage your child to try some of our free vocabulary and grammar activities, and games.

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how do i keep my child motivated to learn english

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what can i do to help my child learn english

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Practising vocabulary outside the classroom

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You can help your child improve their English by giving them lots of opportunities to use English. This will help your child to feel more confident and prepared for their English exams. If learning English seems very challenging, break it down into smaller tasks.

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You might expect that, after having been exposed to a word in ten, twenty, or maybe at the very most thirty, contexts, a learner will gradually piece together the word's meaning and start to use it correctly, appropriately and fluently.

Seven steps to vocabulary learning

Classroom context
Of course we cannot expect a learner to acquire difficult words in the same way as a young child acquires their first language, but, perhaps as teacher we can somehow help learners to arouse their 'learning monitor' by, for example, providing rich contexts containing the target language and by giving our learners time to reflect on what the language item means. In this way teachers can use the EFL classroom to replicate the real world and nurture strategies to help students understand and produce difficult language items which often seem beyond their grasp.

Seven steps to vocabulary learning
Here are some practical steps that I have used to help my students. As an example I want to focus on one very tricky word ('actually') and suggest ways that a student can understand what it means, and, thereafter, be able to use it more fluently. This model (which consists of seven steps) can be used for any difficult word/phrase.

Step 1
I get my students to listen to the word or phrase in authentic-sounding dialogues
Here are the dialogues I use for 'actually':

Do you want a chocolate?
No, thanks. I'm on a diet actually.

Do you want a coffee?
Actually, I'm a bit pushed for time.

Could I just borrow your book for a moment?
Actually, I'm just about to use it in class. Sorry.

How's John doing?
Actually, he's doing all right!

Ready to go?
Yeah...erm...actually I'm going to take my umbrella. It looks like it might rain.

I see you're still following your diet! (meant sarcastically)
Actually, I've lost a couple of pounds since we last met.

I think the students need at least six contexts to start to understand all the different nuances of meaning of a difficult target item.

Step 2
I give my students plenty of time to study the word in these contexts, so that they can work out what the meaning / function is. I either get them to study the contexts individually and then get them to compare their thoughts in pairs or groups or I get them to discuss in pairs / groups straight away. I prefer the first option, because, this way, each student gets more time to think for him / herself.

Step 3
I discuss the meaning in plenary. I do this in two stages. First, I simply say "So what do you think?" Then, after having heard their thoughts, I ask concept questions that uncover the heart of the meaning.

Examples of concept questions for actually might be:

Is the speaker saying something quite important?

Does the speaker give the other person the answer they want / expect?

Is the speaker asserting him/herself?
Answers: a) important; b) not; c) standing up for him/herself

After doing such concept question work, I use a summing up concept statement, like this one: "So we use 'actually' after someone asks us a question (often a request or offer), and we don't give them the answer they want or expect."

I provide a phonological model (including pronunciation, stress, and intonation) in a surrounding sentence.

Most native speakers devote three syllables to 'actually', the stress is on the first syllable, and there is a rise/fall/rise intonation pattern (which signals the conflict in the situation).

Step 5
I provide a prompt - to elicit use of the word in a natural way.

Here are some prompts I use for actually:

"So what do you think of __________ ?" (London) I use a facial expression to show that I expect a positive response.

"Would you like a cigarette?"

"Shall we go out for a meal tonight?"

"How's your friend Bill?"

If I don't get the response I want, I repeat and try to get another student to help. Then, if necessary, I get individual students to repeat the response until they feel completely comfortable with it. Further reading

I set up a simulation, providing students with the chance to say the word in a natural situation. I distribute the following scenario and get two of my stronger students to act it in front of the class and then I get all the students to act it in closed pairs (rotating roles). This is an example scenario I have used for 'actually'.

John and Mary are in a pub.
1. John asks Mary if she'd like an alcoholic drink.
2. Mary declines this (as she doesn't drink alcohol).
3. John buys her some mineral water.
4. Mary suggests sitting down.
5. John agrees.
6. John asks if it's OK to light a cigarette.
7. Mary says she's got a bronchial problem. (etc.)

Step 7
I set up a review schedule, in which words are elicited and practised. It's always important to review such lessons in the future, but each time I do this, I spend less time on it, and insert bigger gaps between the inclusion of this language item in the review sessions. Ultimately, I reach the point where I just need to say to someone "Fancy a chocolate?" and I automatically get the response "Actually I'm on a diet."

Conclusion
Students who are living in an English-speaking country are often happy learning what difficult words and phrases mean through their everyday study or work lives, but for the majority of students, learning a language is a slow and painful process, and we must try to do something to accelerate the pace of learning. My students should, I believe, benefit from the teaching procedures I've described in this article. If they learn words and phrases in this systematic way in class, they are not only likely to achieve more communicative success in class but also to become more aware of how they learn and the knowledge they need to acquire to learn words more successfully.

The Syntax of Noun Phrases, Cambridge University Press
Giorgi and Longobardi
Miller and Weinert Spontaneous Spoken Discourse, Oxford University Press

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You might expect that, after having been exposed to a word in ten, twenty, or maybe at the very most thirty, contexts, a learner will gradually piece together the word's meaning and start to use it correctly, appropriately and fluently.

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What a student may need to know about an item

Ways to present vocabulary

Alternative ways of teaching vocabulary

Introduction
With hundreds of thousands of words in the English language, teaching vocabulary can seem like a very daunting prospect. Remember though that the average native speaker uses around only five thousand words in everyday speech. Moreover, your students won't need to produce every word they learn, some they will just need to recognize. Selecting what to teach, based on frequency and usefulness to the needs of your particular students is therefore essential. Once you have chosen what to teach, the next important steps are to consider what students need to know about the items, and how you can teach them.
What a student may need to know about an item
Which of these areas you choose to highlight will depend on the item you are teaching and the level of your students. Now it's time to think about how we can get the meaning across.

Ways to present vocabulary
There are lots of ways of getting across the meaning of a lexical item.

Again which you choose will depend on the item you are presenting. Some are more suitable for particular words. Often a combination of techniques can be both helpful and memorable
Alternative ways of teaching vocabulary

Give your students a few items of vocabulary and tell them to find the meaning, pronunciation and write an example sentence with the word in. They can then teach each other in groups.

Prepare worksheets and ask your students to match words to definitions.

Ask students to classify a group of words into different categories. For example, a list of transport words into air/sea/land.

Ask students to find new vocabulary from reading homework and teach the other students in the class.
Other things to consider

Review the vocabulary you teach through a game or activity and encourage your students to do the same at home

Encourage autonomy in your learners. Tell them to read, watch films, listen to songs etc and note the useful words

Have a section of your board for vocabulary items that come up as you are teaching. Use different colours for the word / the phonemics / the prepositions / the part of speech

It is a good idea to teach/learn words with associated meanings together

Encourage your students to purchase a good dictionary and use class time to highlight the benefits of one

Teach your students the grammatical names for the parts of speech and the phonemic script

Always keep a good dictionary by your side in case a student asks about a word you don't know

If you don't and have never heard of the word, tell the student you will check and get back to them. Do get back to them

Give extra examples sentences to the students if they are unsure and encourage them to write the word in an example sentence (maybe for homework)

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What a student may need to know about an item Ways to present vocabulary Alternative ways of teaching vocabulary Introduction With hundreds of thousands of words in the English language, teaching vocabulary can seem like a very daunting prospect. Remember though that the average native speaker uses around only five thousand words in everyday speech.

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Go ahead, flex your vocabulary teaching muscles.
We're going to exercise those in a whole new way.

Enhance all your vocabulary lessons by building the four major language skills -speaking, listening, reading and writing-at the same time.

Teaching a diverse range of English vocabulary is indeed an essential part of any ESL student's growth. But it doesn't have to be done in isolation.

Yup, kiss those long lists of vocabulary goodbye right now.

We're going to show you how to give your students the tools to build their vocabulary knowledge while also helping them build all their major language skills.

Learning new words with a heaping helping of context and immediately using them in a practical way is how native English speakers develop their vocabulary in the classrooms of their youth, and a very similar approach can be taken in your ESL classroom.

After all, why wouldn't the same methodology work out for foreign language learners as well?

Encouraging their overall linguistic growth and range of English experiences is what it's all about.

Let your ESL students blossom into confident English speakers using a volume of new words.

How Teaching ESL Vocabulary Can Build Other Skills

Expanding vocabulary leads to improving overall language skills. Even if you resort to lists and rote memorization, vocabulary is a wonderful way to build all the major language skills. That's because building vocabulary in any way boosts ESL skills such as communication, visualization, memory recall and practical use among others. Think about it: More vocabulary means that students have more words at their disposal to use-plus they'll understand more of the words they hear.

Any lesson can become a vocabulary lesson. Let's say you're ready to get away from lists of isolated vocabulary. Let's say you really want to teach students to speak, understand, read and write English while teaching vocabulary lessons. You'll start using the practical strategies in the list below (keep reading!) and, each time you introduce a new word in a practical way with great, multidimensional activities, your students be able to improve their pronunciation and knowledge of grammatically-proper word usage as well.

The more words your ESL students know, the more they can apply their language in a practical way. Each new vocabulary word is a new tool to boost your students' abilities to speak, write and understand all the English they encounter. In fact, an academic study published in Reading & Writing Quarterly: Overcoming Learning Difficulties (2010) discusses the close relationship vocabulary has with comprehension. The teaching methods below emphasize this close relationship.

Vocabulary activities all complement one another in one way or another. Each vocabulary teaching method you'll utilize in your classroom will have a focus. Maybe you're focusing on visual stimuli with one teaching method. Connecting words with visuals may be the main theme, but practical use or contextualization may be the subtle undertone to the lesson which overlaps with vocabulary teaching methods from other class days. Even brand new vocabulary lessons will feel a little bit familiar, a little bit within the class comfort zone. This is what makes teaching vocabulary so wonderful.

In addition to the methods and suggested activities below, you can use SpellingClassroom to organize and enhance your vocabulary teaching. With games, activity modules and both pre-made and customizable word lists, you can easily create an engaging vocab learning experience for students at any English learning level. Learn more here.

Now let's take a closer look at some fantastic vocabulary teaching methods.

1. Present Words with Visual Stimuli

Visual learning has long been a staple of learning.

From the time we're kids and throughout our entire academic careers, visual learning plays a big role. Presenting new words using visual stimuli is also a great way to step away from more humdrum methods (like those vocab lists) and spice up the classroom.

One way you can recruit visuals to join your battle is by using flashcards. Of course, this is a classic teaching and learning method. However, there are plenty of ways to make it a new and exciting activity.

For example, you won't simply have your students write the new words and their meanings on flashcards- boring! Rather, you'll let them build a visual experience that will support comprehension. We'll show you how to take this even further in the teaching method outlined below.

How to teach ESL vocabulary with visual stimuli:

First, compile a healthy stack of magazines. The material should be appropriate to your students' ages.

Grab stacks of flashcards, glue sticks and scissors. Hopefully you have some of this stuff lying around already. Make a few flashcards yourself. Pick a new vocabulary word and cut out pics from magazines that represent it. These homemade illustrated flashcards will serve as examples for your students.

It's class time. Present a few new words to your class, discussing the definition and usage of each.

Show examples of your creative flashcards and let them loose in groups to develop their own using the words you presented at the beginning of the activity. The groups will support communication, a great ESL sub-skill.

Once your ESL students have developed their flashcard masterpieces, it's time to present. Each student will explain their new word, definition and the photos they chose for that specific word. This creates a lasting visual memory, boosting comprehension when opportunities for practical use come knocking.

2. Attach Context to Vocabulary

Find a subject first. The chosen subject will put everything else in place. For this sample activity, we'll use the weather as the subject. After all, the weather will sooner or later be a talking point for your students outside of the classroom. Find a weather broadcast from a news channel website or YouTube.

Pick five to seven new words you'll focus on from the weather video. Transcribe how they were used in the video and write down their definitions for your lesson plan material.

Present the vocabulary in context to your class. Show them the video. Then present the new words, their definitions and transcriptions. Have a little discussion and answer questions as needed before moving on.

Show the weather broadcast video again, but this time have your students raise their hands every time they hear the new target words. You can do this two or three times.

Once you have etched the new words into your students' minds with context, it's time for contextual action. Break up your eager students into small groups of three or four, then unleash them to develop their own weather scripts using their freshly presented vocabulary. They can work together in their peer groups and simply modify the transcriptions from the video, or they could even create totally new and compelling scripts of their own.

Have the groups present their scripts in front of the class in order to build confidence and have them learn that vocabulary once and for all.

Attaching context to the vocabulary you present to your students will connect them with those new words in a more meaningful way.

There's nothing wrong with a little competition, so pair up your students for this vocabulary building activity. Each pair will be competing for points and cluster champ bragging rights.

Browse your previous vocabulary lesson plans in order to find the target words you'll use for this activity. You'll want to have lots of descriptive words that are synonyms and antonyms to one another, if possible. Let's say you decide to utilize the five to seven words you presented in context during the weather-related vocabulary building activity. These words will be the centerpieces for your students' word clusters.

In order to warm your class up a bit, recap the words you'll be building clusters for. This could be a simple classroom discussion after you present the words again, or you can let the class watch the weather broadcast again and point out the new words.

Once the warm-up is complete, let the cluster creation begin. Each student pair will have a blank sheet of paper or you can provide them with a blank template. You'll say and write the first cluster word, and they'll write the word in the center of their blank paper.

Start the timer. Your students must attempt to get as many words linked via lines to the core word as possible before time runs out. Five minutes is generally a good amount of time per word.

Once time is up, your pairs will present the words they have clustered. They get a point for each word, and another point if the word is spelled correctly.

First, you'll need to identify five to seven new words to present to your class. Sticking with the practical use theme, it's a best practice to use vocabulary associated with the time of year or an event currently happening, for example.

If a big sporting event is taking place or is about to take place soon, you can utilize it for your practical vocabulary building activity. The Olympics is a fantastic example. You can build plenty of vocabulary using the Olympics as your subject.

Choose five to seven words associated with the Olympics. This can be a specific event or a concept like teamwork that's involved in the happenings of the world-renowned athletic event. Let's say you want to focus on track and field. You could introduce words related such as marathon, sprinting, high jump, time, teammate and competition, among others.

After presenting the new Olympic track and field vocabulary, pair up your students. You'll give them roles. Student A will be a sprinter and student B will be a marathon runner. You can give them opening lines or a scenario to get them started, but then let them converse naturally after.

The use of the new vocabulary in such a practical manner will drive them to think fast by answering questions or coming up with questions to ask. For example, Student A the sprinter placed first in his run, and Student B the marathoner is congratulating his teammate. This will allow your students to develop their vocabulary, confidence and thought processes. And it's fun to get some improv acting going in any classroom, for you and your students.

You'll repeat and answer questions as they arise during the activity. Ensure that you're encouraging communication and collaboration between your students. The classroom should be nowhere near quiet during this activity.

Once you have shown and presented the new words such as pants, shirt, shoes, etc., you can expand those new words on the spot. Choose the first student and instruct them to move toward another student. Then ask them to describe what that student is wearing. The correct answers would be pants, shirt and so on.

Next, you'll ask the student what type of pants they're wearing (for example, they might be jeans, slacks, sweatpants, corduroy). Then you'll ask color and so on. They'll answer everything out loud and with a strong, confident voice, even if they're wrong.

Correct pronunciation and any questionable answers on the spot, allowing your students to make real-time corrections.

The student who was just described will be the next student to describe a classmate, and so on. They'll bop around the room with excitement, not even realizing how much they're learning and comprehending as they go.

Many English teachers place the most emphasis on this vocabulary teaching method due to its utter importance.

There are a few strategies based on teaching with context. For one, you can group words together using context. You'll want to show how vocabulary words work together in sentences and paragraphs. You'll want to present words to students with a complete story or a video clip that utilizes all of it.
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How to teach ESL vocabulary with context:

3. Build Confidence with Word Clusters

Another exceptional and effective way to keep building vocabulary comprehension is to deploy word clusters in the classroom.

They're an old English teaching favorite that allows you to check in on your students' comprehension levels quite easily. They could be a bit boring if you simply give your class a worksheet of word clusters to decipher-but you don't want to be the boring English teacher.

Word clusters basically map out relationships between words (see here). Students will need to identify which words are closely related and draw it all out.

You may also want to consider using Visual Thesaurus for examples for this activity as well as further activities and learning possibilities. Visual Thesaurus is exactly what it sounds like, a thesaurus that uses word maps to display the relationships between words. Because of its interactive, engaging nature, students may end up using it not just to find the "right" word, but to add new words to their vocabulary without even realizing it!

How to teach ESL vocabulary with word clusters:

4. Keep New Words Practical

Keeping new words practical will let students know exactly how to use them when they need them the most.

In fact, building ESL skills through practical use is essential to language growth. Plus, it adds excitement to any activity. You can mold your students' communication skills faster while building quicker response times in a practical setting.

This could prove valuable to ESL students abroad or during English testing. Improvisational activities in the classroom are effective for presenting and learning vocabulary in a practical way.

How to teach ESL vocabulary with practical exercises:

5. Let Your Students' Voices Be Heard

Your students want to build vocabulary and they want to be heard.

So, let them do both with an out-loud activity that will boost their confidence, communication and comprehension. Having your students practice their new vocabulary out loud will also help develop proper pronunciation of their new words. Hearing them use the new words you presented will allow you to make on-the-spot pronunciation fixes while still building momentum within an activity.

You can combine this vocabulary teaching method with the Total Physical Response (TPR) method as well. You'll be instructing students around the classroom, making the two-method combination an exceptional way to build ESL skills, English response time and language use confidence.

How to teach ESL vocabulary out loud:

Now you've got an excellent assortment of ESL vocabulary teaching methods that can boost a variety of language skills.

So, don't settle for just any old method. Focusing on vocabulary teaching methods that incorporate confidence-boosting activities that touch on other ESL skills is always a best practice.

Learning vocabulary is an ESL cornerstone and sets the tone for future growth.

Stephen Seifert is a writer, editor, professor of English and adventurer. With nearly a decade of teaching experience to students worldwide, he enjoys the many aspects of culture and traditions different from his own. Stephen continues his search for writing inspiration, boldly enjoying life to the fullest.

If you liked this post, something tells me that you'll love FluentU, the best way to teach English with real-world videos.

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5 ESL Vocabulary Teaching Methods That Build Serious Linguistic Muscles

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Teaching ESL vocabulary? Check out these 5 powerful teaching methods that teach vocabulary along with reading, writing, listening and speaking skills!

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by Claudia Pesce 125,904 views

As we strive to help students improve English fluency, words are one of the basic buildings blocks.

They are the principal carriers of meaning in speech and without them, students simply can't communicate. Introducing vocabulary to ESL students is usually not a problem. We try to elicit vocabulary as much as we can. Still, despite our best efforts, students don't remember as many words as we'd like them to. Lots of new words are understood when introduced, but then disappear into oblivion. How can we help students remember (and use) more words? Try these tricks.

How to Help Your ESL Students Remember New Vocabulary

1. Always teach vocabulary in context

You've probably heard this again and again (especially from me!) but it can't be emphasized enough. The first step in helping students remember vocabulary is teaching it in context. This means you should never provide a list of isolated, and least of all unrelated words, for them to learn. Words should be introduced within the context of a story, everyday situation, sport, activity or any context your students are familiar with.

Try this: We often teach words related to weather with pictures of clouds, rain, sun, etc...and that's perfectly fine, but try this instead. Print out the Weather Channel's 10-day forecast. Talk about what the weather will be like today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. Will there be any thunderstorms in the next 10 days? When that storm hits you can be sure your students will remember the word "thunderstorm".

2. Use the right timing for repetition

There are plenty of scientific studies and papers on vocabulary teaching and learning, but let me summarize the results. Most studies agree that it is essential to repeat or practice a new set of words immediately after being exposed to them. And then repetition should follow at progressively longer intervals. So, to ensure that students will remember the words you teach them, they must use them again - and again.
Try this:

Use new words immediately after they are introduced (introduction followed by practice)

Use them again one hour later (quick review at the end of class)

Use them again one day later (review the words they learned the previous day)

Use them one week later (general review of words learned in the previous week)

Use them one month later (review/preparation for a test)

3. Use pictures and visuals whenever you can

When we speak, words are gone with the wind - they disappear in a matter of seconds. Students may understand them, but their minds are quickly filled with other thoughts. Our brains, however, are wired to process visual information differently - it sticks, whether we are visual learners or not.

Try this: Whenever possible use flashcards, pictures, or posters when introducing new words. Use the same visuals, or different ones, to test students' memory of the words previously taught.

4. Make the words memorable

By definition, "memorable" event or occasion is easily remembered. By the same token, you can make new words more "memorable" by using techniques that engage students and get their attention.

Try this: Introduce vocabulary related to feelings by making exaggerated faces. It will make your students laugh, and chances are they'll remember them more. The same thing will happen if you draw funny pictures on the board or use realia. These types of experiences are memorable for students, which makes the vocabulary you use easier to remember as well.

5. Use Word Clusters or Webs

Organize words into word clusters, and it'll help students create associations between words. For each set of new words, create the first cluster together, then for future clusters have students recreate them on their own.

Try this: Let's suppose you have taught animals in different lessons throughout the year. Write the word "animals" at the center of your cluster and let students branch out from there by supplying different types of animals, like farm, jungle, domestic animals. Students then continue by naming the different animals in each category.

6. Use words in phrases or collocations

When practicing new words, make sure students not only remember the "word" itself but its proper collocation or usual verb-noun combination.

Try this: When teaching Business English, don't just teach words like "appointment", "contract" or "meeting", teach phrases like "make an appointment", "sign a contract" or "cancel a meeting".

7. Practice out loud

Quite often we give students vocabulary exercises to complete, and while this is important to help them practice writing the new words, studies also show that practicing words out loud is more effective in improving retention than practicing them silently. Apparently, the ear is an important ally when it comes to remembering vocabulary.

Try this: Games are a great way to practice vocabulary out loud. Play this Clothing Memory Game but make sure students make sentences with the words. Or try a game like Guess the Sport.

Most students have no trouble comprehending new vocabulary; the problem is getting them to remember to use these new words.

All we have to do is give them the opportunities to put what they've learned to practice.

Do your students remember most of the vocabulary they are taught?

P.S. If you enjoyed this article, please help spread it by clicking one of those sharing buttons below. And if you are interested in more, you should follow our Facebook page where we share more about creative, non-boring ways to teach English.

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7 Infallible Tricks to Help ESL Students Remember New Vocabulary

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As we strive to help students improve English fluency, words are one of the basic buildings blocks. They are the principal carriers of meaning in speech and without them, students simply can

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by Claudia Pesce 740,091 views
Did you know that a student needs to encounter a new word 10 to 16 times to effectively "learn" it according to recent research?
Considering the number of new words students have to learn per course, this means us teachers have our work cut out for us. We all know that although it is important for students to use correct grammar and structures, words are the main carriers of meaning. This means that the more words students are able to handle accurately, the better their chances of understanding English and making themselves understood.

To effectively acquire new vocabulary, students must go through four essential stages:

first, they notice a new word with help;

secondly, they recognize the word at first with help,

then later on their own;

and lastly, they are able to both recognize and produce the word.

It is essential that you, as the teacher, make use of activities that target each of these stages; more often than not, we make the mistake of merely introducing new vocabulary, and we don't give students the opportunity to put these new words to use.

So, here are 10 great ways to teach English vocabulary, outlined for each of the stages of vocabulary acquisition:

Stage 1: Noticing and understanding new words
Introducing nouns, things, objects, animals, etc...
Visual elements work best with concrete nouns, but try to go beyond flashcards and illustrations. Try to use real objects whenever possible, or even sounds, smells, and tastes. Appeal to all of your students' senses!

Introducing adjectives
Opposites, like "big" and "small", "long" and "short", are usually illustrated with pictures, but here's another case where realia will help you teach new adjectives; the use of real life objects is wonderful for words like "soft" and "rough", adjectives that may take precious minutes of class time to explain. For more advanced adjectives, like "stunning", "gorgeous", "spectacular", "huge", or "immense", bring in photos of famous sights from around the world like the Louvre, Egyptian pyramids, the Eiffel Tower, etc...then use these new adjectives to describe these places in ways that clearly illustrate their meaning.
Introducing abstracts
There are things you simply cannot teach with a flashcard. What works best in these cases are synonyms, definitions, substitutions, or simply placing students within a given context. Consider this simple example: To teach the difference between "early" and "late", remind students what time class begins, then state that those who arrive before this time are "early" while those that arrive after this time are "late".

Stage 2: Recognizing new words

Bingo
Bingo is one of the most versatile games employed by ESL teachers. For younger learners, make bingo cards with illustrations, and call out each word. For those who can read, do the opposite, make the cards with words, then draw the flashcards from a bag. For teens or adult learners, you can make cards with the definition and call out the words, or vice versa.

Matching
Another type of exercise with countless possibilities. Students may be required to match opposites, synonyms, or a word with its definition, as well as a picture to a word.

Fill in the blanks (with options)
Hand out a piece of written text (anything from a description, song, letter, to even a short story) with blank spaces that must be filled in from a list of words. You can adapt this to longer texts, and also have longer word lists.

Stage 3: Producing vocabulary
Descriptions
From a newspaper photo of a recent event to a personal account of a recent trip, there are countless things students can describe while putting new vocabulary to good use. This goes for both oral and written descriptions. You may give them some guidance, like indicating that they have to use at least five adjectives in their description, or five words related to sports, weather, etc...to no guidance at all.
Fill in the blanks (no options)
Supply students with a piece of written text with blank spaces that have to be filled in with any word that fits. You may give them indications for each space, like "noun", "adjective" or "adverb", if they're advanced students. You can then read several out loud to compare the different words used to fill in each blank.
Mind maps or brainstorming
Tell students they need to think of words they can use to describe the weather. Write "weather" at the center of a blackboard or whiteboard and circle it. Write every word supplied by students as "rays" that shoot out this circle. They should reply with previously taught words, like "chilly", "scorching", or "mild". You may even have sub-circles shooting off to the side for winter, summer, etc...words. This works great for vocabulary review lessons.

Guess what I'm thinking
Students take turns describing something, like a place: "I'm thinking of a place that is so huge it takes visitors hours to see all of it. It has stunning works of art. It is a breathtaking building, very old, but with a modern glass pyramid in the front." Students choose to be as obvious or as cryptic as they like. Even little ones can do this with simple descriptions: "It's an animal. It has a very long neck and big brown spots." Or simply state a series of words: "Africa, black and white, stripes".

It's better to teach vocabulary in context, in other words, teach highly descriptive adjectives when the lesson is about travel. Or clothes and accessories when you're talking about shopping. Never teach a list of words just because, or students won't have a chance to practice this new vocabulary.

On a final note, remember to cater to different learning styles or multiple intelligences.

Use songs and music, real life objects, or puzzles, but the more you mix the better. Remember the difference between recognizing and producing words: to practice recognition the words have to be supplied by YOU; then students use them to fill in blanks or match them. For students to effectively and accurately produce vocabulary, they have to spontaneously recall the words.

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Teaching English Vocabulary: 10 Fabulous Ways to Teach New Words

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by Claudia Pesce 740,091 views Did you know that a student needs to encounter a new word 10 to 16 times to effectively "learn" it according to recent research? Considering the number of new words students have to learn per course, this means us teachers have our work cut out for us.