How Do You Teach the Difference Between “Make” and “Do” in Your English Classrooms?
Distinguishing the difference between make and do in English classrooms “Do all you can to make your dreams come true.” ―Joel Osteen (1960- ) American preacher How do you teach the difference between “make” and “do” in your English classrooms? What do you do? What do you make? What’s the difference, anyway, between “make” and “do”? These simple words cause lots of confusion for...
Read MoreSpeaking Together to Write Academic Definitions
“The beginning of wisdom is in the definition of terms.” Socrates (469 BCE–399 BCE) , Greek philosopher Getting students to speak can be a challenge, especially in ESL courses focused on academic writing. Flexibility remains essential. How does one, for instance, teach the difficult task of writing formal academic definitions in a communicative style? The challenge becomes more...
Read MoreLooking for An ESL Book to Improve Speaking Skills? SMDP Recommends Compelling Conversations!
Santa Monica, California attracts artists, scholars, busboys, maids, actresses, models, sales people, mechanics, and film directors from around the world. Naturally, this upscale, coastal city provides many adult education classes, private language classes, and hosts English as a Second language workplace programs. The local newspaper, The Santa Monica Daily Press (SMDP), also covers immigration...
Read MoreWhat New English Words Will You Learn in 2009?
What new English words will you learn in 2009? Which English words will you teach? Do you have a way with words? Are you a lover of word trivia and origins? Are you an English teacher? If so, consider listening to the celebrated public radio show in 2009! Forget forcing students to memorize boring vocabulary lists. Get your English students engaged in the story of English words, their origins,...
Read MoreReading Pleasures and Tastes Adapted for Easy English Times Column
Easy English Times, an adult education newspaper for English language learners published in California, adapts a chapter from Compelling Conversations each month. The editors selected “Reading Pleasures”, one of my favorite chapters, to run in their November-December issue. Since Easy English Times focuses on the needs of beginning and intermediate ESL students, the editor selects...
Read MoreGratitude is heaven itself
A bright college student asked a simple vocabulary question that threw me this week. “What is the opposite of jealous”? What is the opposite of jealous? Generous? Selfless? Confident? I found myself discussing various possibilities with students adding in situations. The simple vocabulary building exercise (create 25 pairs of opposite adjectives) took a more philosophical turn. We...
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