EFL Teaching Recipes

You can use a dictogloss task to practise all four skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking), along with grammar or lexis.  See a nice explanation HERE.

If the topic of the week is sport, create a short text about sport, … Read More ....

Divide learners into teams of four. Write a word that you introduced last week on the whiteboard, like:

• loyal (adjective)

Ask learners to agree on:

• the definition (faithful, devoted to someone/something)
• the noun (loyalty)
• the negative form (disloyal)
• a common

This is helpful for learners with lower language levels who are struggling with the auxiliary verb system (be, do and have).

I give learners a piece of paper or mini-whiteboard with one word of a short sentence. They … Read More ....

I adapted this idea from the Hot Spot series of young learner coursebooks, and use it to review vocabulary from previous lessons.

At the start of a lesson, I ask learners to write the names of:

• one activity
• two animals

A simple game. Write a bunch of categories and have students brainstorm 3 things for each category.

Then take up with the groups in turn. Each thing not repeated gets a point. Continue with all categories. Most points win.

See … Read More ....

Write everyone’s names on slips of paper and put them in a hat or box. Choose two pairs of learners to be players, and ask each of them to pick a name and keep it a secret. Ask the rest … Read More ....

I do this story often with new classes – int/adv. levels. It really helps emphasize the need to listen carefully.

1. Tell a story like the one below. Start with ” I’m going to tell you a story. Listen carefully. … Read More ....

Students watch a lot of movies! So harness this and get them “retelling” a movie plot and sharing their thoughts about a movie in English.

Use this template so they can prepare their thoughts about the movie they have chosen … Read More ....

Write a word on the board. For example “apple”.

Ask students to continue with new words or expressions using the last letters of the previous word.

Ex. apple – learn – ever – very – ryebread – address …..
Pts. … Read More ....

Ask a few students to step out of the classroom.

Tell the students in the classroom a simple, step by step story. Like the 3 wishes joke maybe.
Ask the students to come back in the class.
The rest of … Read More ....