Teacher Discussion Forums

Hello teachers....

I'm looking for ideas and also to just share stories. I teach ESL at a community college. It's been a while since I taught a beg class, and now I have one with the most inadequate textbook you can imagine. The class is 4 hours and I easily spend 4 hours preparing for it, as I essentially have to make up a lesson plan from scratch each week. It's so time consuming and the school does not pay for my copies! The class is over in a couple of weeks, and I'd like to do it again, believe it or not, but next time with a better text book.

Any suggestions for a good LEVEL 1 (as opposed to absolute beginners, LEVEL 0) book for adult immigrants in the US?

The class is big, 23 people, and there seems to be a new person there every week. Amazing. But they are an especially delightful group so it makes it all worthwhile.

Ciao for now all

Diana X

Hi Diana,

The text book depends on the level of education your students have had. I like the Grammar Dimensions for students who have had formal education in their native countries. You might check with your sales rep. and see if he or she can recommend something for you.

As far as activites go, you can down load a really great activity book on the longman usa website. It's called Fun with Grammar and I downloaded the whole thing. It's great.

Good luck!

Mary Beth

I often refer to Mario Rinvolucri's 'Humanising Your Coursebook' - it gives a variety of ways to spice up your lesson or extend the material you have, making the most of what you've got.