Teaching grammar can be deadly boring and put the class to sleep faster than just about anything else. Many teachers love teaching it because it is easy to rattle off the rules and it make the teacher look so smart. Students who are adept at memorization may also like learning grammar. The catch is when they try to have a real conversation with a real native speaker outside the classroom, all the rote memorization in the world won't help.

For most adults, learning a language skill is similar in ways to learning how to drive a car. You simply turn the key where the ignition is placed for you; turn the wheel in the direction of your choice; press the gas pedal where you are shown; push the break to stop, and hope for success without bumping into something. You practice until you are comfortable on your own.

You don't have to understand what connects to what to make the spark that produces the energy to move the different parts. However, if you get into trouble, you might well know some basics about how things work. Some people want to know it all, so they get the manuals and figure it out. Can they drive better? Maybe. Maybe not.

Many sites offer exercises and explanations for students who need to or want to explore how words, phrases, clauses and sentences work in relation to each other. The student who is educated in her own language will benefit far more from grammar exercises than a student who has no point of comparison.

If you want to teach your student grammar, there are many textbooks available. Make sure that you know it yourself first though!

Our approach to teaching grammar is base on the example above of driving a car or riding a bicycle. Our activities are designed to get students involved and talking and using the targeted grammar point. Before they know it, they have learned the grammar point, used it over and over and had fun doing it!


Fun Grammar activities >>>

The new Star Wars movie Episode III: Revenge of the Sith has broken many box office records in its opening four days. It became the first movie to earn more than $50 million on its opening day. Movie industry experts say this figure is amazing. It is the sixth and final part of the Star Wars series and looks like it will become the most profitable.

Although "Sith" made $108 million in weekend sales, it failed to beat Spiderman as the biggest weekend moneymaker of all time. However, Episode III easily made more money than the previous two Star Wars movies. Attack of the Clones pulled in $80 million on its opening weekend in 2002, while The Phantom Menace netted $65 million in 1999.

Star Wars fans around the world waited for hours for movie theaters to open. Many wore costumes of characters from the movie. In North America, tickets went on sale at one minute past midnight in the 9,000 theaters that screened the movie. "Sith" also set the record for the biggest global debut ever. It was released simultaneously in 104 countries.

WARM-UPS

1. HEADLINE: In pairs / groups, make your own news report from the words "break", "box office" and "records". Develop the story, complete with characters and facts, and tell it to another partner / group. Decide whose story is the best, funniest, strangest, most probable, etc.

2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics are most interesting and which are most boring.

Revenge / Star Wars / movie theaters / fans / movie tickets / $50 million / weekend sales / Spiderman / midnight / North America

Have a chat about the topics you liked. For more conversation, change topics and partners frequently.

3. MOVIES: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with movies. Share your words with your partner / group and talk about them.

4. MOVIE OPINIONS: In pairs / groups, decide which of these opinion you agree with. Discuss how much truth there is in each one.

1. Movies are better than books.
2. Going to the movies is great value for money.
3. Life would be boring without movies.
4. Movies can change our lives.
5. Movie stars get paid too much money.
6. Renting a video is better than going to the movies.
7. European, Indian, Chinese or Japanese movies are better than Hollywood movies.
8. There's too much blood and killing in movies.

5. BLOCKBUSTERS: Which of these movie series did you see / like?

In addition to our popular 'Culturally Sensitive' curriculum, which is used all over the world, LEWL will be soon be offering complete Textbook Sets on a CD. Each text book set contains a student reader, Teachers Guide, and Student Workbook.

This new product line, aimed at ESL Schools, offers a very cost effective and innovative way for schools to purchase textbooks. Schools purchase 1 CD, and print as many textbooks as they wish.


The first Textbooks CD to be released will be Beginners Book 1, and will include:

Fallacy 1: English is Losing Ground to Other Languages in the United States

Fallacy 2: Newcomers to the United States Are Learning English More Slowly Now Than in Previous Generations

Fallacy 3: The Best Way to Learn a Language is Through "Total Immersion"

Fallacy 4: Children Learning English Are Retained Too Long in Bilingual Classrooms, at the Expense of English Acquisition

Fallacy 5: School Districts Provide Bilingual Instruction in Scores of Native Languages

Fallacy 6: Bilingual Education Means Instruction Mainly in Students' Native Languages, with Little Instruction in English

Fallacy 7: Bilingual Education is Far More Costly than English Language Instruction

Fallacy 8: Disproportionate Dropout Rates for Hispanic Students Demonstrate the Failure of Bilingual Education

Fallacy 9: Research is Inconclusive on the Benefits of Bilingual Education

Fallacy 10: Language-Minority Parents Do Not Support Bilingual Education Because They Feel It Is More Important for Their Children to Learn English than to Maintain the Native Language

Researchers have made considerable advances in the fields of psycholinguistics, second language acquisition, bilingual pedagogy, and multicultural education. Today, we know a great deal more about the challenges faced by English language learners and about promising strategies for overcoming them.

One such strategy, bilingual education, has been the subject of increasing controversy. Although a growing body of research points to the potential benefits, there are a number of commonly held beliefs about bilingual education that run counter to research findings. Based on current research, this digest clarifies some of the myths and misconceptions surrounding language use and bilingual education in the United States .

Full Article >>>

BINGO is a long time favorite of ESL students and teachers. If you haven't tried it, here is your chance for FREE!

You receive:

• Exercises using comparatives such as the slowest, the hungriest, faster than Variations include Question and Answer Bingo Bonus written exercise using comparatives
• Bonus word order exercise
  
  MORE>>>

ESL Bingo

ON SALE!
Every month we have a new special -- games, ESL Mysteries and more!
http://www.efl-esl.com/specials/index.htm

ESL for CHILDREN
Visit our sister site for ESL materials for teaching children age 8 - 12.
Children's Storybooks

ESL Curriculum
Custom 'Culturally Sensitive' or 'off the shelf" curriculum.
http://efl-esl.com/custom-curriculum.html

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