Fun new states/capitals game.

This game was a hit with students this past week. You'll need a set of "Rand McNally Schoolhouse U.S. States & Capitals Flashcards And Games (Cards)", easily found at most educational resources shops, or on Amazon. Students had to choose a region and collect state cards for that region. You can also ask about each state, and learn capitals and nicknames as you go along. Or, you can have each student introduce a state. Fun!

A bingo story and lesson plan for the song, "Imagine".

Here's the original story: http://breakingnewsenglish.com/0905/090510-john_lennon.html

Here's my version: http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dct34n59_29d3nvzc6z

Document links fixed!

Sorry about the lack of access for the various documents I've been posting. Everything should be working now but please let me know if there are still broken links by emailing me at eslconversationclubs@gmail.com.

New bingo stories...

Both stories are adapted from http://breakingnewsenglish.com/

About the connection between fast food and strokes: http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dct34n59_257nth5sdj
About the recent birth of octuplets: http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dct34n59_26cxh4fpgh
About the recent spike in bedbugs: http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dct34n59_27f7dbgdrc

Asking open-ended questions.

Deploy open-ended questions when your class is reading a story to encourage and extend conversations. Here are a few ideas:

• What would happen if ... ?
• Tell me about your ...
• Where could we do that?
• What do you think will happen next?
• How do you know?
• How are you going to do that?

This week's story for ESL Bingo.

All about the perils of noise pollution. Here's a link for the original article:
http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/0812/081205-noise_pollution.html
And here's my version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dct34n59_13f3fd22dd

Break in December for the Holidays?

So, the ESLCC at MPOW was very slow in December. Particularly when we took a break from story time during the last two weeks, the parents stopped coming entirely. I think next year, we might take a break for the holidays. Otherwise, I think I should plan a large event like a party so that students stay engaged. What did you do for the holidays?

This week's story for ESL Bingo.

I adapated this story: http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/0812/081208-oprah_winfrey.html - made the vocabulary a tad simpler, and added defintions. Here's a link to my version: http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dct34n59_13f3fd22dd

Alta now a publisher only....

Alta Book Center used to sell a great collection of ESL materials, but starting Dec. 1, they'll resell their own publications only. Their own publications are great, though - check them out at http://www.altaesl.com. I highly suggest purchasing "Cathy's Cards" for a no-prep conversation club.

I took this chance to add a few new ESL pubishers on the right...

This week's story for ESL Bingo.

I adapted this story: http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/0811/081117-hair_colour.html
It's a fun story that talks about the potential development of a shampoo that gets rid of greys! Anyway I adapted it with simpler vocabulary, and added definitons. Here's my version: http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dct34n59_14hpndg6f7

Thank you for coming to our presenation!

Thank you again for coming at such an early hour to our program. We had a great time meeting and talking to all of you and hope you'll be able to start a ESLCC at your own libraries.

Here's our presentation:
http://docs.google.com/Presentation?id=dct34n59_5gjfv8qss

Here are the handouts:
http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=F.f197553e-5481-4a7d-8334-3b375587ff98&hl=en

How to play Alphabet Go-Fish!

Shuffle a deck of alphabet cards. Deal each player a set number of cards (5, 7, 10) The first player asks any other player if they have one of the letters that they have in their hand If the person has the card they hand it over, if not they say " go fish" and the person who requested the card picks one of the remaining cards from the deck. Play then moves to the next person in the circle.
When a player makes a pair, they put the cards on the table and say a complete sentence that uses the word on the card The game ends when one player runs out of cards (or you can give that player more cards to make the game last longer) The person with the most pairs at the end of the game wins. I reward each pair with a candy.

Play some RPGs!

Role playing is an excellent way to get students talking about real-life scenarios. You'll need to prepare cards with scenarios written on them - for example, buying a car at a Toyota dealer, looking for an apt, shopping at Valley fair, ordering food, ordering coffee at Starbucks. Then, the group can act out the situation together.

If you have a mixed level group, you can have the advanced students do more of the talking - for example, they can be a store clerk and the others can be customers.

How to play the "Statements of Opinion" game.

1. Write various statements of opinion on small strips of paper. For example: Dogs are better than cats. The rich should pay more taxes.
2. Have one participant read the statement and respond to it.
3. Have a discussion with pros/cons - or even a debate.

For more statements of opinion, check out this list at our Google Docs account.

How to play the "What If??" game.

This game requires some work and preparation but it can be a lot of fun and generate some heated discussions.

1. Participants pick out “what if” questions from a question jar. I print my questions and cut them into strips and curl them up in the jar. For example:
What would you do if you won the lottery? What would you do if you found a $100 bill in a library book you borrowed?
2. Each participant can also add their thoughts.
3. After answering the questions, participants can come up with their own “what if” questions and ask other participants.

For more "what if" questions check out this list; you'll need to edit out questions that won't work for your group.

How to play Liar! Liar!

This is a simple game but is best with participants that know each other fairly well; it's not as successful as as an ice-breaker.

1. Participants say three things about themselves; one of these statements should be a lie.
2. The others guess which one the lie is.
3. The participant that guesses correctly wins the game.

Site to get information and resources on fiction

Choosing books for your ESL Book Club can be challenging. Using high school level reading materials is a good choice for intermediate ESL learners, because the content is more mature, but the vocabulary will be more accessible. Web English Teacher (http://www.webenglishteacher.com/ya.html) has supporting material for a wide variety of young adult level books.

A neat game using a deck of cards.

Here's a neat conversation starter using a deck of cards; basically people pick cards and get assigned questions based on what they picked. Here's the link: http://iteslj.org/Lessons/Brown-TalkingCards.html

How to play the Alibi Game.

Think of situations where alibis may be required. Participants choose a scenario and then make up alibis for each. Remember to keep it fun! You can either have everyone make up alibis for the same scenario and give a prize to the best alibi, or just go around and respond to each scenario.

Here are some example scenarios:

• Yesterday, Friday, at 5:35 pm, someone robbed the Bank of the West on South First Street. The police suspect you of being the robber. What is your alibi?
• There was a hit-and-run accident Wednesday 9:43 pm near your house. Witnesses said that the car resembled yours. What is your alibi?
• Sunday at 12:00 noon someone shoplifted diamonds from the jewelry store at the mall. The video camera shows someone that looks a lot like you. What is your alibi?
• Thursday morning at 7:30 am someone stole a newspaper from in front of your neighbor’s house. Your neighbor says it was you. What is your alibi?
• A couple was walking their Chihuahua this morning at 10:25 am. They said that their dog was attacked by a pit bull being walked by someone who lives close to your house. What is your alibi?
• Last night at 2:00 am someone set off fireworks on your street. A neighbor called the police, who knocked on your door. What is your alibi?

How to play ESL Scattegories.

This quick game is a great way to wrap up the class if you have a few extra minutes left over. It is an easy version of the ‘real’ board game.The objective is to score points by uniquely naming objects within a set of categories. So, you first say the category, and then everyone goes around in a circle naming things in that category. If someone can’t think of one, have them pass and keep going until the topic is stale. Have students talk about each thing they name. Some good categories:

• States - what do you know about the state, have you been there
• Colors - your favorite color, what is a good color for a car or a house.
• Emotions - when you felt that way, how does it feel, opposite feeling.
• Stores - what do you like about it, what kind of a store is it
• Animals - favorite animal, where have you seen this before, zoo vs. wild