Mad Libs
As a tutor myself, I am always looking for new activities and methods to help make my tutoring sessions fun yet effective. One fun activity that my student and I do occasionally is a Mad Lib. Mad Libs are stories with missing words, which your student chooses beforehand, and then when you read the story the student’s words help make [Read on...]
Using Real World Materials
Save weather maps, reports, and temperature listings. Read over the material with the student. Ask the student questions such as: “If you live in Pittsburgh , should you wear a sweater today?” “Should you carry an umbrella in Kansas City?” “Will you go swimming in Minneapolis?”
Save greeting cards. Make up a scenario and have the student choose an appropriate card. [Read on...]
How Stuff Works
Today I want to introduce you to a fantastic Web site I recently discovered: HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks is a media company that is internationally recognized as the leading provider of information on how things work. Founded by Marshall Brain, HowStuffWorks offers in-depth articles that explain the world from the inside out. You can find information on just about any topic, from how [Read on...]
Creating Material for Beginning readers
Creating Material for Beginning Readers
With beginning readers, it sometimes seems impossible to find books easy enough for independent reading. Each of the following ideas provides independent reading possibilities for beginning readers.
Sticker Books
Create individual sticker books by allowing your student to paste one sticker (or magazine cutout) on a blank page of a tutor-made book. Write a short sentence, incorporating the [Read on...]
Reading a Menu
Your student may be intimidated when ordering items from a menu. Studying a menu can be a great activity to supplement a lesson. Here are some tips to help you:
Visit the restaurant of your choice and ask for a copy of a menu.
Help your student become familiar with the menu items themselves and the descriptions of the [Read on...]
How to Write a Story
A recent article in Hands-On English sparked my interest. It talked about preparing your own materials for students as much as you can. Your own material will be fresher, more interesting, and more relevant than anything you find in a book or even (gasp!) at Project Read. If you have hesitated to do this in the past, let me offer [Read on...]
TESOL Resource Center
The TESOL Resource Center is an online source dedicated to teachers, tutors, and mentors working with students for whom English is a second language. The TRC has two goals:
1. Support expanded online peer-to-peer learning
2. Provide a clear, simple submission and review process for sharing resources
New resources are constantly being added to the TRC on an ongoing basis. TESOL encourages you [Read on...]
