ESL etc.

Af-flu-en-za n. 1. The bloated, sluggish and unfulfilled feeling that results from efforts to keep up with the Joneses. 2. An epidemic of stress, overwork, waste and indebtedness caused by dogged pursuit of the American Dream. 3. An unsustainable addiction to economic growth. 4. A television program that could change your life.
Affluenza is a […]

[Read more →]

Here are a bunch of quick links that I have been meaning to post for a while:
Strange Maps is a great blog that features, well, strange maps. The pictures are really interesting, and the accompanying text is usually informative. A Road Map to Success and Bridge to Nowhere: a Map of Golden Gate […]

[Read more →]

A while ago, I wrote about The Story of Stuff, a great animated short about consumption. A reader just shared a link to a version with Japanese subtitles, which could definitely be useful for folks teaching in Japan. Enjoy!
(Thanks Jason!)

[Read more →]

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 […]

[Read more →]

A Class Divided is a wonderful episode of Frontline that shows an ingenious two-day activity undertaken by the third grade class of teacher Jane Elliot. In this activity, devised the night Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, Elliot divides her class into blue-eyes and brown-eyes. On the first day, the blue-eyed students are […]

[Read more →]

I was recently asked for suggestions for materials that could be used with younger learners. Here are a few of my favorites.

Facing the Future has a collection of activity-based, global issues lesson plans for students of all ages. In addition to the great stuff they offer for sale, they have a ton of […]

[Read more →]

The Smithsonian’s Forces of Change online exhibit has lots of accessible information on various changes taking place on the Earth, especially those related to the climate. It has sections on the Arctic, the atmosphere, El Nino, and soils.
If I were using this in my class, I would probably first look under the “media library” […]

[Read more →]

I came across this very disturbing story today in a post by Bill Templer on IATEFL’s Global Issues Ning.
Yala, Thailand - Suspected Islamic militants shot dead a female Buddhist teacher in Thailand’s troubled south Tuesday in a spiraling uprising against central government authority, police said.
The 56-year-old elementary school teacher was shot in a drive-by attack […]

[Read more →]

As Earth Day approaches, one topic that is often left out of the discussion is environmental racism. Teaching Tolerance has three lesson plans designed for different grade levels.

Fair is Fair (K-5) is a good introduction to the concept for children.
Progressive City Planners (6-8) puts students in the role of urban designers, and includes some […]

[Read more →]

CheatNeutral is a funny, accessible way to introduce the “logic” of carbon offsets to students. They have created a mock website that allows people to buy cheating offsets, offsetting relationship infidelity. I’m a little concerned that my students would have trouble with the speed and accent of the language, but I might give […]

[Read more →]