Category: grammar

10 Tips for Teaching Short Stories: Part 1

Posted on | by Pearson

page43_SybilMarcus Sybil Marcus
Author of A World of Fiction series

Teachers often hesitate to use literature in the classroom. That’s a pity since short stories are perfect for teaching language and critical thinking skills. Good stories engage both teachers and students. Best of all, they can be used to enrich all language skills in imaginative and unexpected ways. The ten tips below are designed to help teachers create and implement an exciting, relevant short-story course.

1.  Enthusiasm is contagious.
When you believe in literature as a meaningful and fun way to build language skills, you can persuade even skeptical students to take it seriously. I’ve had students begin the semester thinking literature might be an inefficient use of their time, but in 40 years of teaching I’ve almost never seen one who felt that way after a few weeks of class. Continue reading →

Crowd-Sourcing Superstitions and the Grammar of Four Leaf Clovers

Posted on | by Pearson

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERABill Bliss

The three leaf shamrock might be a symbol of St. Patrick’s Day, but it’s the four leaf clover that will bring you good luck if you’re fortunate to find one and make a wish on it.  This enchanting superstition from Ireland is part of a rich mosaic of worldwide traditions and customs for making wishes.  It is also a wonderful context for practicing the grammar of conditionals and for stimulating some fun cross-cultural sharing as students crowd-source superstitions from their countries and traditions. READ MORE

 

 

Celebrate Grammar Day with Stacy Hagen

Posted on | by Pearson

Stacy_HagenStacy Hagen

Join us on March 4th at 3:00 pm (EST) to celebrate Grammar Day with Stacy Hagen. She will discuss the critical role of listening in the grammar classroom. Click here to register.

Of the four language skills taught in the classroom, listening has received the least attention, yet its role is vital. She will talk about recent research in listening, discuss the importance of teaching decoding skills, and show why listening belongs at all levels of a grammar curriculum.

Stacy Hagen is co-author of the Azar-Hagen Grammar series. She is an experienced ESL teacher and administrator, and the creator of EnglishwithStacy, a YouTube channel on spoken English.

Click here to learn more about this exciting professional development webinar.

Do you want to see a sample of the new fourth edition of Basic English Grammar? If so, click here.

 

New Year’s Resolutions:
Grammar, Resources, and Culture

Posted on | by Pearson

Bill.Bliss.photo Bill Bliss

Through the ages, people around the world have approached the start of a new year as a time to reflect and make promises to improve themselves, to do something better, or to do good deeds.  In our classrooms, the approaching celebration offers a great opportunity for students to share their plans, predictions, hopes, and resolutions for the year ahead.

READ MORE