ESL etc.

Two quick links, both from Larry Ferlazzo: War Games: Seeing Iraq Through the Eyes of Children is a powerful video slideshow depicting some of the games Iraqi children are now playing, after years of violence. And Larry has also put together a great list of sites to learn about the Gulf oil spill. Drill, baby, [...]

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Global Issues in the ELT Classroom, a new textbook by the Czech Republic’s Society for Fair Trade, won a 2010 ELTon from the British Council for innovation. This book uses the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals as a framework to address a wide range of global issues. The sample activities look promising, but they are [...]

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March 31st was Cesar Chavez’s birthday, and Larry Ferlazzo updated his list of the Best Sites for Learning about Cesar Chavez. His list includes a lot of great stuff, including readings, audio and video clips. One that caught my eye is something from the Smithsonian on the banning of the short-handled hoe. I have to [...]

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Dancing Rabbit is an intentional community in northeast Missouri that is dedicated to living sustainably. They eat (and grow) local, organic food, practice natural building techniques, and host educational seminars. I stayed there for three weeks a couple of years ago and loved it. It is truly something worth supporting. Their website also features past [...]

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Making Connections is a new textbook (w/ teacher’s guide) from Facing the Future. This new research-based teacher’s guide helps students develop English language skills through highly engaging real-world investigations of current global issues. Designed for intermediate-level English language learners and striving readers, Making Connections combines language learning with opportunities for students to think critically about [...]

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I love these! Designer Candy Chang’s Tenants’ Rights Flash Cards come in sets of 30, with each one explaining a different right. They would make a great addition to a class for adult immigrant students. Some of the laws referred to are specific to New York, but a lot of the information applies to other [...]

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The Institute for Humane Education has a great collection of activities, many of which could be used with English language learners. Most of them are aimed at younger learners, but many could also be used effectively with adults. I haven’t yet had a chance to go through the whole site, but I took a look [...]

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I just became aware of A Young People’s History of the United States,a version of Howard Zinn’s classic targeted towards younger readers. I haven’t seen the book myself yet, but I suspect that it would work well with English learners, too.

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Howard Zinn passed away on Wednesday. He is one of my favorite authors and educators, and he will certainly be missed. Recently, Rethinking Schools and Teaching for Change launched the Zinn Education Project, a collection of resources for teaching A People’s History of the United States. There are tons of great materials here for introducing [...]

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ACT Responsible is a Swiss non-profit that attempts to use the talents of advertisers to address environmental sustainability and social responsibility. Their gallery is full of images and short videos that could be great visual prompts for activities on a wide variety of issues. For starters, check out highlights in The Best Adverts to Save [...]

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