ESL etc.

The New Internationalist has a collection of global issues articles written specifically for learners of English. They have articles on globalization, the environment, human rights and war. They haven’t updated the articles for several years, but the topics are still very relevant.
One example that I like is a series of 5 stories told […]

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Teach English, Teach About the Environment is an ESL textbook by the EPA. It’s available as a free PDF, and features a variety of lesson plans at three different levels. It is focused almost entirely on solid waste (reduce, reuse, recycle) and is designed for adult learners of English.
One thing that I really […]

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The International School Studies Association at the University of Denver has a large collection of links to lesson plans that deal with global issues. They break them down thematically (Cultural Studies, Environmental Studies, Economics, etc.) and by grade level. There are tons of lessons available here, so there are bound to be some […]

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We’ve got a group of 50 or so Korean elementary school teachers here at the ELI for a month-long program. Today, I gave them a brief workshop introducing a poetry activity that I have used in the past. Basically, I have students read, write, then discuss poems built around particular structures. I […]

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Materials Used:

Final Project Topic and Action Ideas
Final Project Rubric
Pay It Forward Questions
More Topic and Action Ideas
World Changer Interview

Each Tuesday, students led reading circle articles. In addition, on the Tuesday of week 5, I introduced some ideas for final project topics and actions. For homework, I asked them to write out a one to […]

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Materials used:

Reading Circle Peer Evaluation Sheet
Financial Crisis Timeline Activity
Financial Crisis Lesson Handout
Financial Crisis Readings

On Tuesday, we did the first reading circle. I was pleased to see that it went well. I had done this with a global issues class I taught in Hawaii, but at that school reading circles were a common part […]

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November is National Novel Writing Month.
Last year, I had a great time completing my 50,000 word opus, and I am looking forward to giving it another go this year. In a creative writing class, this could be a great way to get students to write a lot without worrying overly much about grammar.

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Materials Used

Glassbooth Handouts
Agree / Disagree Handout
Where Do They Stand Handout

Last week, I decided to cover election issues with my class. Students had expressed an interest in politics, and it seemed like a good time for it, and also a good way to introduce a variety of global issues fairly quickly. Before we got […]

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Materials Used

Reading Circle Assignment Sheet
Reading Circle Demo
Miniature Earth / World Wealth Handout
Miniature Earth, a neat, short video that contains a lot of demographic information on the world, and touches on issues such as wealth and education. Students seemed to enjoy the video very much. We watched it a second time, and I paused […]

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For now, instead of doing podcasts, I’m going to type up reflections of my current teaching and make materials available via the blog. It’s faster than making podcasts, and probably just as useful/useless. Plus, I can do it from work.
Week 1: Materials Used

syllabus
icebreaker
general global issues discussion / freewrite activity
vocabulary journal
label reading […]

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