Teacher Discussion Forums

I too have been searching for a book to guide me through the teaching of Chinese seniors in an esl survival-level class. I agree the makeup of the class is a variable. My class is composed of Chinese seniors who have been in Canada for 2 or 3 years, and who can't get far past "hello". Many of them w...

I like Lifelines 1 Coping Skills In English by Barbara Foley and Howard Pomann, Prentice Hall Regents 1992. It was suggested to me by another teacher in another Dave's Cafe forum. I found it second hand at Alibris.com, and was able to buy a good, clean copy for $7.50 US plus shipping which about dou...

I would greatly appreciate suggestions for explaining the difference between "I went for a walk." and "I walked." to a group of Survival Beginner-level ESL adults. I almost need to pantomime it, but how? I use a pair of hand puppets to simulate dialogue, but I can't think of a dialogue that works fo...

I am looking for an activity to help my class of low beginner Chinese seniors to understand and practice using my, your, his/her, our, your, their. They know how to say, "My name is ... ." and "My telephone number is ... ." and I thought I would try to get them to tell the class what another person'...

Makes sense. Thanks again.

Thanks. Should I teach the words for the numbers at the same time, ie 1 = one, 2 = two, etc?

Sally Olsen: Would you please tell us the name of the Canadian book you referred to? Since I will be teaching ESL in Ottawa to a low/beginner class, I might find it useful.

In response to my plea for help, Mrs Sohn suggested the textbook Lifelines 1 by Barbara Foley & Howard Pomann, published by Prentice Hall 1992. I found it online at Alibris, and I am finding it to be very helpful in designing the course work for my low/beginner class. It cost $7.50 + $7.50 shipping.

Thank you Mrs Sohn. Yesterday I received in the mail the copy of Lifelines 1 which I ordered online through the Alibris website. The book meets my needs perfectly. :P I am in the process of drawing up an outline of what I will cover over the year. My plan shows me covering a chapter of the book each...

Excellent advice. Thank you so very much.

Thank you very much. I'll look for the book on the web. And thank your mother for the suggestion about using the students' family photos. I can see a way to work that into a number of lessons in order to motivate their speaking.

Starting in September, I will be teaching esl to a class of 15 Chinese senior citizens in Canada. I have been told that the class is at the earliest beginner level. These seniors live in a Chinese community in the center of the city and are learning English for fun and survival to some degree. This ...