Teacher Discussion Forums

Hi,
and welcome to my new website (nearing the end of its initial development stage): 'ESL Topics.com', a site for TEACHERS organized around 30 commonly found topics in ESL - from 'Airports' and 'Apartments' to 'Working' and 'Writing' - for Speaking and Vocabulary development.

http://esltopics.com/site/

90% of the free, printable activity handouts have already been uploaded:

30 Word Banks
30 Vocabulary Quizzes
30 Interactive Crosswords
30 Discussion Activities
30 Word Searches
30 Board Games
15 Advice Columns
15 Bonus Handouts

Still to upload in the coming weeks:

15 Advice Columns
15 Bonus Handouts

Here is the complete list of Topics:

1. Airports and Air Travel
2. Apartments and Houses
3. Bus Travel
4. Business
5. Canada
6. Clothes and Fashion
7. Computers and the Internet
8. Countries of the World
9. Exercise and Sports
10. Food
11. Health and Medicine
12. Jobs
13. Learning English
14. Money
15. Movies and TV
16. Office
17. Places around Town
18. Planet Earth
19. Reading
20. Restaurants
21. School
22. Shopping
23. Sleep and Dreams
24. Telephone
25. Time and Dates
26. Travel
27. The United States
28. Weather
29. Working
30. Writing

Work has already begun on the next 70 topics, for a total of 100 topics. For Lower-Intermediate to Upper-Intermediate level learners.

Visit 'esltopics' on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Free-ESL- ... 0995237370

"Making teaching fun!"

-Robert

Teaching Tip #1: For 'Interactive Crosswords' Version 2, divide the class into two or three teams. As you give clues for each of the missing Across and Down words, award points to the teams who first shout aloud the correct answers.

Teaching Tip #2: For 'Word Search' activities, consider attaching 2 or 3 copies of the handout onto the walls or board. Then, divide the class into 2 or 3 teams and have them stand next to their assigned Word Searches. Applaud the winning group that finds all the hidden words before the other teams.

Teaching Tip #3: 'Discussion Activity' Mini-Debates! In groups of 3, Student 'A' circles '(1) Agree Completely'; Student 'B' circles '(5) Disagree Completely'; Student 'C' circles '(3) Not Sure' for the 1st statement.

Students A + B discuss and give reasons to support their "opinions". Student C asks follow-up Qs and decides which opinion is best supported. Ss then switch roles and continue with the remaining statements.

Teaching Tip #4: 'Word Banks' - Break your class into 3 or 4 groups and the Word Bank into 3 or 4 sections. Assign a section to each group for homework. In the following class, put students into 3 or 4 small groups and have them peer teach the vocab they studied at home (with the help of a dictionary). Approx. 20 mins.

Teaching Tip #5: WORD SEARCHES - After letting students complete a topic-related 'Word Search' activity (either in class or at home), have them use as many of the words as they can in a written paragraph or short story. -Robert

That's a cool site Thanks. Maybe you can try and include some more unique topics? Wherever I go on the web I can usually find the same sort of topics (restaurants, movies, food, travel, etc). I'd love to see some really unique topics given the same care you gave to the ones you have already.

Thanks KeepupRichard for the positive feedback and useful suggestion! You might be on to something with 'unique' topics - it's interesting to note, for example, that the most popular handout covers the topic of "Sleep and Dreams".

I'll be continuing to add more topics - and I'll follow your suggestion; more topics covering the less common. Many thanks again!

Robert