Learn tips on how to teach grammar and usage from our editors and grammar experts. 

Grammar & Usage

<p data-pm-slice="1 1 []">The habitual past is a grammar structure that allows us to talk about actions that happened regularly or repeatedly in the past but no longer occur. We can also use it to&nbsp;describe states of being that were once a reality but aren&#39;t true anymore.</p>

<p data-pm-slice="1 1 []">The habitual past is perfect for reminiscing about our childhood or describing how life used to be. It is quite easy to form, and English speakers often use it to talk about past routines and habits.</p>

<h2>How to form the habitual past</h2>

<p>In the habitual past, either &quot;used to&quot; or &quot;would&quot; is&nbsp;followed by the base form of the main verb.</p>

<p>1. used to + base verb</p>

<ul>
	<li>Elizabeth <strong>used to be</strong> very thin, but she has recently gained a lot of weight.</li>
</ul>

<p>2. would + base verb</p>

<ul>
	<li>Before my husband and I&nbsp;had children, we <strong>would sleep in</strong> on the weekends.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Used to</h2>

<p>&quot;Used to&quot; is a versatile phrase for the habitual past. It works with both actions and states.</p>

<ul data-spread="false">
	<li>Action: She <strong>used to</strong> ride her bike to school every day.</li>
	<li>State: We <strong>used to</strong> live in a small village.</li>
</ul>

<div class="white-box">
<h2>Note</h2>

<p>The negative form of &quot;used to&quot; is &quot;did not&nbsp;use to&quot; or &quot;never used to.&quot; The question form is &quot;Did (you) use to...?&quot;</p>

<p>Examples:</p>

<ul data-spread="false">
	<li>Negative: I <strong>didn&rsquo;t use to</strong> like vegetables when I was a kid. / I <strong>never used to</strong> bring my own bag to the grocery store.</li>
	<li>Question: <strong>Did you use to</strong> have a pet?</li>
</ul>
</div>

<h2>Would</h2>

<p>&quot;Would&quot; is&nbsp;often paired with specific time markers and is used to describe repeated actions in the past. However, unlike &quot;used to,&quot; it is never used&nbsp;with states of being.&nbsp;</p>

<ul data-spread="false">
	<li>On Sundays, my grandfather <strong>would</strong> tell us stories by the fire.</li>
	<li>Every winter, we <strong>would</strong> build a snowman in the backyard.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Common mistakes to avoid</h2>

<p>1. <strong>Mixing &quot;used to&quot; and present habits:</strong>&nbsp; &quot;Used to&quot; is only used for the past. To describe present habits,&nbsp;words like &quot;usually&quot; or &quot;tend to&quot; are more appropriate.</p>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="incorrect">I used to go jogging every morning.&nbsp;(if it&rsquo;s still happening now)</li>
	<li class="correct">I <strong>usually</strong> go jogging every morning.</li>
</ul>

<p>2. <strong>Overusing &quot;would&quot;:</strong>&nbsp;As mentioned earlier, &quot;would&quot; cannot describe states.</p>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="incorrect">She would own a bakery in her hometown.</li>
	<li class="correct">She <strong>used to</strong> own a bakery in her hometown.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Why is the habitual past important?</h2>

<p>Understanding and using the habitual past allows speakers to:</p>

<p>1. <strong>Tell engaging stories:</strong>&nbsp;It helps listeners imagine repeated events or routines.</p>

<ul data-spread="true">
	<li>When we were teenagers, we <strong>used to</strong> stay up all night talking about our dreams.</li>
	<li>Every evening, we <strong>would</strong> sit on the porch and watch the sunset.</li>
</ul>

<p>2. <strong>Show contrast:</strong> It emphasizes how life has changed over time.</p>

<ul>
	<li>I <strong>used to</strong> have so much free time before I started this job.</li>
	<li>This neighborhood <strong>used to</strong> be dangerous at night, but the city installed street lights last year and crime has decreased significantly.</li>
</ul>

<h3>&nbsp;</h3>

<h1>Related</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/1620-past-modals" target="_self">Past Modals</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/1565-what-did-you-use-to-do" target="_self">What Did You Use to Do?</a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2830-used-to-get-used-to-be-used-to" target="_self">Used To, Get Used To &amp; Be Used To</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/used-to-get-used-to-and-be-used-to" target="_parent">Used To, Get Used To &amp; Be Used To</a></li>
</ul>


The Habitual Past: Used To & Would

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<p>Learning English can be challenging, especially when it comes to collocations&mdash;<em>words that naturally go together</em>. One type of collocation that English learners often struggle with is <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/5236-verb-preposition-collocations" target="_self"><strong>verb&ndash;preposition collocations</strong></a>. Unfortunately,&nbsp;there are no clear-cut rules that govern which prepositions go with specific verbs, yet speakers whose first language is English rarely get the combinations&nbsp;wrong. Mastering these collocations will not only improve learners&#39; fluency, but also make&nbsp;everyday conversations much easier to understand and participate in.</p>

<h2>Common verb&ndash;preposition collocations</h2>

<p>Here are some of the most commonly used verb&ndash;preposition collocations in English:</p>

<table>
	<thead>
		<tr>
			<th>Verb</th>
			<th>Preposition</th>
			<th>Example Sentence</th>
		</tr>
	</thead>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>agree</td>
			<td>with</td>
			<td>I <strong>agree with</strong> your opinion.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>apologize</td>
			<td>for</td>
			<td>She<strong> apologized for</strong> being late.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>apply</td>
			<td>for</td>
			<td>He <strong>applied for&nbsp;</strong>a new job.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>depend</td>
			<td>on</td>
			<td>You can <strong>depend on </strong>her to help out.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>focus</td>
			<td>on</td>
			<td>I need to <strong>focus on</strong> my studies.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>wait</td>
			<td>for</td>
			<td>They are <strong>waiting for</strong> the train to arrive.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>complain</td>
			<td>about</td>
			<td>He <strong>complained about</strong> the long wait.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>participate</td>
			<td>in</td>
			<td>She <strong>participated in</strong> the school event.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>succeed</td>
			<td>in</td>
			<td>He <strong>succeeded in</strong> passing his exam.</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<h2>Why verb&ndash;preposition collocations are important</h2>

<p>Verb&ndash;preposition collocations are essential to learn for several reasons:</p>

<ol>
	<li>
	<p><strong>They reduce hesitation.</strong>&nbsp;Knowing common collocations makes speaking and writing easier as learners&nbsp;won&rsquo;t need to pause to consider the right preposition.</p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p><strong>They improve&nbsp;listening comprehension</strong>. Since collocations are common, recognizing them will help students&nbsp;understand English speakers&nbsp;more easily.</p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p><strong>They allow for clear communication.</strong>&nbsp;Collocations give context and precision to language. For example, verbs like&nbsp;&quot;agree&quot; and &quot;ask&quot; can have different meanings when paired with different&nbsp;prepositions. Knowing which preposition to use in a given situation enables speakers to convey their intended meaning accurately.&nbsp;</p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p><strong>They help learners avoid mistakes.</strong> English learners often make mistakes by omitting prepositions or using incorrect ones, which can change or distort the meaning of their sentences. Learning collocations will help reduce the number of errors learners make.</p>
	</li>
</ol>

<h2>Tips for students</h2>

<p>Mastering collocations is not about memorizing endless lists. Instead, there are practical strategies that can help make these phrases feel more natural and easier to acquire.</p>

<ol>
	<li><strong>Study common verb&ndash;preposition collocations&nbsp;in context.</strong> One of the best ways to learn collocations&nbsp;is to see them in real-life contexts. Reading books, watching TV&nbsp; shows, or even listening to podcasts can expose you to these collocations in action.</li>
	<li><strong>Create examples.</strong> Using collocations in sentences helps solidify their meaning. Create sentences like &quot;I agree with your opinion&quot; or &quot;I&#39;m waiting for your reply&quot; as you study.</li>
	<li><strong>Practice speaking and writing with verb&ndash;preposition collocations.</strong> To retain what you&#39;ve learned, try incorporating collocations into your everyday speech and writing. Use them in spoken conversations, journal entries, emails, and texts.</li>
	<li><strong>Learn verb&ndash;preposition collocations as fixed phrases.</strong> Collocations are fixed expressions, so it&rsquo;s helpful to learn the two elements&nbsp;together as a unit. Instead of memorizing &quot;depend&quot; on its own, focus on &quot;depend on&quot; as a single concept that means &quot;to rely on.&quot;</li>
</ol>

<h2>Verb&ndash;preposition collocations&nbsp;vs. phrasal verbs</h2>

<p>Verb&ndash;preposition collocations&nbsp;and <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2742-phrasal-verbs" target="_self">phrasal verbs</a> might seem similar, but they are different. Collocations keep a connection to the verb&rsquo;s original meaning, while phrasal verbs can have meanings that are quite different from the individual words.</p>

<ul>
	<li><strong>Verb&ndash;preposition collocation example:</strong> &quot;listen to&quot; &ndash; &quot;She <strong>listens to</strong> the news every morning.&quot;</li>
	<li><strong>Phrasal verb example:</strong> &quot;count on&quot; &ndash; &quot;I can always&nbsp;<strong>count on</strong>&nbsp;my parents for emotional support.&quot;</li>
</ul>

<h2>Summary</h2>

<p>Verb&ndash;preposition collocations&nbsp;are a&nbsp;vital aspect of producing clear, accurate English. By learning common collocations, understanding their meanings, and practicing them in sentences, students will be well on their way to achieving fluency and communicating effectively.</p>


Verb–Preposition Collocations

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<p>My intermediate ESL&nbsp;students enjoy beginning each class with a <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/structuring-your-class-with-dictation">dictation</a> as a way to review previously learned vocabulary items. Recently, the dictation included the expression &ldquo;be supposed to.&rdquo; A couple of students raised their hands and asked me to spell and explain it. I was rather surprised that they were unfamiliar with such a common phrase.</p>

<p>I talked to the instructors in my program who teach the lower levels and found that they did not cover &ldquo;be supposed to&rdquo; in their classes. I also had a hard time finding it in grammar textbooks. Since this expression is used so frequently in conversational English, I felt that it was time for a post explaining&nbsp;its usage and providing practical tips on how to use it correctly.</p>

<h2>Understanding the basics</h2>

<p>&quot;Be supposed to&quot; is an idiomatic expression used for&nbsp;obligation, expectation, or intention. Found mainly in the simple present and simple past tenses,&nbsp;it is&nbsp;typically used to express what is considered normal, customary, or required in a given situation. While its primary function is to indicate duty or responsibility, &quot;be supposed to&quot; can also convey assumptions or beliefs about what is likely or intended to happen.</p>

<h2>Structure</h2>

<p>The structure of this phrase is straightforward:</p>

<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>subject + Be verb + <em>supposed to</em> + base form of the main verb</strong></p>

<h2>Usage in the simple present</h2>

<p>1. Expressing obligation</p>

<ul>
	<li>Example: I <strong>am supposed to submit</strong>&nbsp;my report&nbsp;tomorrow morning.</li>
	<li>Explanation: In this context, &quot;am supposed to&quot; indicates a sense of obligation or responsibility. The speaker is following their boss&#39;s request.</li>
	<li>Note: &quot;Must&quot; could also be used in this example, but it would suggest more serious consequences if the speaker fails to meet the dealine. In other words, if &quot;must&quot; is used, the speaker could be fired if they don&#39;t submit their report on time. With &quot;am supposed to,&quot; the speaker may face lesser consequences such as being reprimanded.</li>
</ul>

<p>2. Indicating expectation</p>

<ul>
	<li>Example: It&nbsp;<strong>is supposed to rain</strong>&nbsp;tomorrow.</li>
	<li>Explanation: Here, &quot;is supposed to&quot; conveys an expected occurrence. Perhaps the speaker has read a weather report or watched the news to get this information and believes that it is true or probable.</li>
</ul>

<p>3. Describing intention</p>

<ul>
	<li>Example: My aunt and uncle&nbsp;<strong>are supposed to visit</strong>&nbsp;us this summer.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Explanation: In this case, &quot;are supposed to&quot; suggests an intended action. The speaker&#39;s&nbsp;aunt and uncle&nbsp;have plans to visit.</li>
</ul>

<p>4. Repeating hearsay</p>

<ul>
	<li>Example: The Yellow Umbrella Cafe <strong>is supposed to have</strong> the best pizza in town.</li>
	<li>Explantion: The speaker has heard other people talk about&nbsp;the Yellow Umbrella Cafe, or they may have read about it online, in a newspaper, or in a magazine.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<h2>Usage in the simple past</h2>

<p>When discussing the past, the phrase &quot;was/were supposed to&quot; is used to express unfulfilled expectations or unmet obligations.</p>

<ul>
	<li>Example: She <strong>was supposed to call&nbsp;</strong>me when she reached her destination, but she forgot.</li>
	<li>Explanation: In this instance, &quot;was supposed to&quot; indicates an obligation that was not met in the past. The result could lead to disappointment, anger, or surprise.</li>
</ul>

<p></p>

<h2>Common pitfalls to avoid</h2>

<ol>
	<li>Don&#39;t confuse &quot;be supposed to&quot; with the verb &quot;suppose&quot; or the adverb &quot;supposedly.&quot;&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Pay attention to the correct conjugation of the verb &quot;to be&quot; based on the subject of the sentence.</li>
</ol>

<blockquote>
<p>Do your learners incorporate &quot;be supposed to&quot; in their speech and writing? How do you present&nbsp;&quot;be supposed to&quot; in your classes? We&#39;d love to hear your thoughts and ideas.</p>
</blockquote>

<p></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p></p>

<p></p>

From Obligation to Expectation: Exploring “Be Supposed To”

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<p>Indefinite pronouns are words that refer to nonspecific people, places, things, amounts, or ideas. They help us express generalities rather than specifics. Unlike personal pronouns, which refer to a known noun, indefinite pronouns are intentionally vague.&nbsp;</p>

<h1>Ambiguity &amp; context</h1>

<p>The very nature of indefinite pronouns brings ambiguity to language. Without a clear antecedent, the referent becomes open to interpretation. For example, consider the following sentence: &quot;Someone left their umbrella behind.&quot; Here, we don&#39;t know who that &quot;someone&quot; is, making it impossible to determine the gender or identity of the umbrella&#39;s owner. The absence of a specific antecedent makes indefinite pronouns both versatile and challenging.</p>

<h1>Common indefinite pronouns</h1>

<p>Let&#39;s explore some frequently used indefinite pronouns:</p>

<p><img alt="Common indefinite pronouns" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3269/content_Common-indefinite-pronouns.png" /></p>

<h1>Tips &amp; tricks</h1>

<h2>1.&nbsp;Function &amp; form</h2>

<p>Indefinite pronouns can be used in both the&nbsp;subject position&nbsp;and the object position within a sentence. Unlike personal pronouns (I/me, she/her, they/ them, etc.) whose form changes depending on their function, indefinite pronouns stay the same regardless of their role in the sentence.</p>

<ul>
	<li><strong>Someone</strong> left the door open. (subject)</li>
	<li>I met <strong>someone</strong> from Nigeria yesterday. (object)</li>
	<li><strong>Anyone</strong> who buys a lottery ticket has a chance of winning. (subject)</li>
	<li>Maria doesn&#39;t know <strong>anyone</strong> at her new school. (object)</li>
</ul>

<h2>2. Subject-verb agreement</h2>

<p>a. Indefinite pronouns that end in <em>-one</em>, <em>-body</em>, and <em>-thing</em> are usually treated as singular. <em>Each</em>&nbsp;also takes a singular verb.</p>

<ul>
	<li>I rang the doorbell, but <strong>nobody</strong> <em>was</em> home.</li>
	<li><strong>Everybody</strong> <em>knows</em> that I hate eggs.</li>
	<li><strong>Someone</strong> <em>is</em>&nbsp;<em>knocking </em>at the front door.</li>
	<li><strong>Everything</strong> <em>is</em>&nbsp;already in the car, and we are ready to leave.</li>
</ul>

<p>b. <em>Both, few, many, others, </em>and <em>several </em>always<em>&nbsp;</em>take a plural verb.</p>

<ul>
	<li><strong>Many</strong> of the students <em>drive</em> to school, but <strong>others</strong> <em>walk </em>or <em>take</em> the bus.</li>
	<li><strong>Both</strong> of my sisters <em>like</em> to write poetry.</li>
	<li><strong>Many</strong> <em>are</em> called, but <strong>few</strong> <em>are</em> chosen.</li>
	<li><strong>Several</strong> of my friends <em>live</em> in my neighborhood.</li>
</ul>

<p>c. Depending on the context, some indefinite pronouns can be either singular or plural.&nbsp;These include <em>all, any, none,</em> and <em>some</em>. If one of the indefinite pronouns in this group is referencing an uncountable noun, a singular verb is used. On the other hand, if the pronoun&nbsp;is referencing a countable quantity, the verb is&nbsp;plural.</p>

<ul>
	<li><strong>All</strong> <strong>of the fruit</strong><em> is</em> rotten.</li>
	<li><strong>All</strong> <strong>of the children</strong> <em>are</em> sick.</li>
	<li><strong>None of the story</strong> <em>was</em> true.</li>
	<li><strong>None</strong> <strong>of my answers </strong><em>were </em>correct.</li>
</ul>

<p>Note:&nbsp;When <em>all</em> is followed by a relative clause, it takes a singular verb.</p>

<ul>
	<li><strong>All that matters</strong> <em>is</em> your happiness.</li>
	<li><strong>All that happened that night</strong> <em>has been forgotten</em>.</li>
</ul>

<h2>3. &quot;Else&quot;</h2>

<p>Unlike most other pronouns, indefinite pronouns can be modified by an adjective. The adjective most commonly used to modify these pronouns is<em> else. Else&nbsp;</em>is placed after&nbsp;the indefinite pronoun, and we use it&nbsp;to refer to people, places, or things in addition to the ones we&#39;ve already mentioned.&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li>After I ordered a salad and a cup of coffee, the server wanted to know if I wanted&nbsp;<strong>anything</strong> <em>else</em>.</li>
	<li>If Amir can&#39;t give me a ride to work, I&#39;ll ask <strong>someone</strong> <em>else</em>.</li>
	<li>We invited my family and close friends&nbsp;to our wedding, but <strong>no one</strong> <em>else</em>.</li>
</ul>

<h2>4. Referring back to &quot;somebody&quot; &amp; &quot;someone&quot;</h2>

<p>In most cases, we don&#39;t know if&nbsp;<em>someone</em> or <em>somebody </em>is<em>&nbsp;</em>a male or female. To acknowledge this ambiguity, we often use the&nbsp;plural pronoun <em>they</em> to refer back to (singular)&nbsp;<em>someone</em>/<em>somebody </em>in everyday spoken English.</p>

<ul>
	<li>As I was walking across the parking lot, I noticed that <strong>somebody</strong> left <em>their </em>headlights on.</li>
	<li>When you first meet <strong>someone</strong>, it is considered rude to ask <em>them</em> how old <em>they</em> are or how much money <em>they&nbsp;</em>make.</li>
</ul>

<h1>Summary</h1>

<p>Indefinite pronouns add depth and versatility to our language. They&nbsp;allow us to generalize our statements so that we can include a wider range of individuals or situations. By employing these pronouns, we can express ideas, experiences, or beliefs that apply universally. For instance, saying &quot;Everyone appreciates kindness&quot; or &quot;Nobody likes to be left out&quot; helps us address shared experiences without singling out particular individuals. As a result, we can avoid&nbsp;making assumptions and judgments about specific people or groups.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<div class="whiteBox">
<h2><span class="label hangingLabel">Related Lesson</span></h2>

<h2 class="circleThumb"><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/1625-pronouns-2"><img alt="Pencil and paper" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3261/content_88_Nouns-and-Pronouns.png" /></a></h2>

<h2><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/1625-pronouns-2">Grammar Practice Worksheet: Pronouns 2</a></h2>
</div>


Indefinite Pronouns

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Teaching with Ellii

Tour around the ELT conference circuit as our team shares conference highlights and session reviews.

Conferences

<p>Seven&nbsp;members of <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/tesol-2023-in-portland" target="_blank">the Ellii team attended TESOL 2023</a> last week in Portland, Oregon, and I was lucky enough to be one of them. When I wasn&#39;t chatting at the booth with teachers and administrators from all around the world, I went to some amazing and inspiring sessions.</p>

<p>One session really stuck with me. It was titled &quot;The Error-Friendly Classroom: Learning from Listening and Speaking Mistakes.&quot; In this session, Beth Sheppard from the University of Oregon emphasized that learners have to notice their errors before they can correct them.</p>

<p>To this end, she outlined four classroom activities that can help capture listening and speaking mistakes, allowing for metacognitive reflection on current strengths, weaknesses, and next steps for learning.</p>

<p>During these activities, students are encouraged to analyze their work by asking themselves the following questions:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Which part was easy?</li>
	<li>Which part had an interesting mistake?</li>
	<li>Which part had an important mistake?</li>
	<li>Why did I hear/say it that way?</li>
</ul>

<p>They can answer these questions in a pair&nbsp;or group discussion, on an exit slip, in a brief presentation, or as a homework assignment.</p>

<p>Now for the activities...</p>

<h2>Activity #1: Fast Dictation or Gap Filling</h2>

<p>In this activity, students&nbsp;write down what they hear as you read a text aloud. If you choose to have them just fill in gaps of a given text, use more than&nbsp;one word per gap.&nbsp;(If you want, you can give students a line for each word.)</p>

<ol>
	<li>Read the text at a natural pace&mdash;you can adjust the level via length and complexity.</li>
	<li>Repeat the input, but not so many times that the students will make&nbsp;no errors.</li>
	<li>Hand out the text or project it&nbsp;on the board and allow students to correct their work.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Ask students to reflect on their mistakes and report on the one(s) they would lke to work on most to you (the teacher), a partner, a small group, or the whole class.</li>
</ol>

<h2>Activity #2: Paused Transcription</h2>

<p>In paused transcription, students listen to an extended text into which pauses have been inserted at irregular intervals. During each pause, students write down the last phrase they just heard.</p>

<ol>
	<li>Choose target phrases (4&ndash;5 words) in a graded audio clip.</li>
	<li>Copy the audio file into an audio editor such as <a href="https://www.audacityteam.org/">Audacity</a>. Insert a beep and a 15-second pause&nbsp;after each target phrase.</li>
	<li>Play the audio once in class and have students write down the phrase they&nbsp;heard just before each beep.</li>
	<li>Give students a transcript of the original audio and have them correct their work.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Ask students to reflect on their mistakes and report on the one(s) they would lke to work on most to you (the teacher), a partner, a small group, or the whole class.</li>
</ol>

<h2>Activity #3: Elicited Imitation</h2>

<p>In this activity, the learner is asked to repeat an utterance that is modeled by the teacher or a partner. Unlike typical listen-and-repeat tasks, learners do&nbsp;not see the utterance in written form nor do they repeat chorally.</p>

<p>Depending on the level, the language sampling can be one or two words, one or two phrases, or one or two sentences. Whatever the length or complexity, the delivery should be natural.</p>

<ol>
	<li>The teacher or partner says the sampling.</li>
	<li>The learner repeats what they heard verbatim.</li>
	<li>Students correct each other&nbsp;or the teacher corrects the learner.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Students analyze whether their mistakes are in comprehension or production.</li>
</ol>

<h2>Activity #4: Recorded Speaking</h2>

<p>Students can use their own devices to complete this activity. It works well as a&nbsp;homework task.</p>

<ol>
	<li>Students record themselves giving a brief monologue in response to a prompt. (I suggest using the&nbsp;Personal&nbsp;Response task in&nbsp;the digital version of any of our <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/discussion-starters">Discussion Starter</a> lessons. These tasks include both&nbsp;a prompt and a recorder.)</li>
	<li>They then transcribe their speech word for word, using another colored pen or pencil to correct their mistakes.</li>
	<li>Students re-record the monologue and apply corrections.</li>
	<li>Alternatively, this activity can be done in class. In pairs or groups, students record a conversation among themselves. They collaborate to transcribe it&nbsp;and discuss any mistakes they notice.&nbsp;</li>
</ol>

<p>Learner errors are a wonderful resource for both teachers and students, and&nbsp;it never hurts to repeat these mantras:</p>

<blockquote>
<p>&quot;Have a growth mindset.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;Don&#39;t be afraid to be wrong.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;Mistakes are an important part of learning.&quot;</p>
</blockquote>

<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7ZBufKMlhJg" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p>


Takeaways from TESOL 2023: The Error-Friendly Classroom

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Posts describing lessons or activities for the ESL classroom.

Activities

<p>Do you keep a journal? Researchers have found that <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/benefits-of-journaling" rel="noopener nofollow noreferrer" target="_blank">journaling has positive effects on a person&#39;s&nbsp;well-being</a> including drops in blood pressure, improvement in sleep, and decreases in stress markers. They&#39;ve also noticed that people who journal&nbsp;experience less&nbsp;anxiety and an increase in overall mood.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Journaling also serves as a valuable tool for English language learners (ELLs)&nbsp;to improve their overall fluency.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In this post, you&rsquo;ll learn some of the key benefits of introducing journaling in the language classroom. You&rsquo;ll also discover 35 inspiring journal prompts to&nbsp;encourage&nbsp;students to practice their writing and become more proficient.</p>

<h2>Benefits of journaling for English language learners</h2>

<p>In addition to both physical and mental&nbsp;health benefits, ELLs can gain in other ways as they express their thoughts and&nbsp;feelings, write about their hopes and fears,&nbsp;and&nbsp;record memories in a safe space.</p>

<p>Whether you decide to make it a repeating&nbsp;in-class activity or a regular homework assignment,&nbsp;journaling has&nbsp;the power to:</p>

<ul>
	<li>improve&nbsp;fluency</li>
	<li>track&nbsp;progress</li>
	<li>facilitate&nbsp;student-teacher relationship</li>
	<li>increase&nbsp;vocabulary</li>
	<li>encourage&nbsp;students to use grammar structures in context</li>
	<li>allow&nbsp;students to claim ownership of the language</li>
</ul>

<h2>35 journal prompts for writing practice</h2>

<p>Coming up with topics for your students to write about can be time-consuming. This list of 35 inspiring journal prompts is a great way to engage learners at&nbsp;all levels and get their words flowing on the page.</p>

<ol>
	<li>Describe your favorite holiday.</li>
	<li>Write about one of your hobbies and explain why and how you do it.</li>
	<li>Describe your best friend.</li>
	<li>Write about your first memory.</li>
	<li>Describe your home.</li>
	<li>Describe your neighborhood.</li>
	<li>Write about your favorite restaurant.</li>
	<li>Describe what you do when you have guests visit.</li>
	<li>Write about something that you have lost that you still miss.</li>
	<li>Write about a regret you have, either something you did or something you didn&rsquo;t do.</li>
	<li>Write about the best vacation you ever took.</li>
	<li>Write about everything you did last weekend in detail.</li>
	<li>Write about a habit that you would like to stop doing.</li>
	<li>Describe a childhood pet.</li>
	<li>Tell about a time you were embarrassed.</li>
	<li>Describe a perfect day.</li>
	<li>Describe something you couldn&rsquo;t live without.</li>
	<li>What do you do when you&#39;re frustrated at work?</li>
	<li>If you could travel to any time and place in the past, where would you go?</li>
	<li>Write about a difficult decision you&#39;ve made.</li>
	<li>Describe your ideal town or city.</li>
	<li>Describe the best party you&#39;ve ever been to.</li>
	<li>Write about the best gift you&#39;ve ever received.</li>
	<li>Write about a goal you have and how you plan to achieve it.</li>
	<li>Describe a time in your life when someone treated you unfairly.</li>
	<li>Describe your worst teacher.</li>
	<li>What advice would you give to a friend who just broke up with their partner?</li>
	<li>Describe your favorite piece of clothing. When do you wear it? How do you feel when you wear it?</li>
	<li>What 3 things would you take to a deserted island? Why?</li>
	<li>Tell about something you know now but didn&rsquo;t know last year. How did you learn about it? How do you use this information?</li>
	<li>Describe a situation that made you angry.</li>
	<li>Describe the person you admire the most.</li>
	<li>Tell about a time you were scared.</li>
	<li>Explain how to make your favorite dish.</li>
	<li>Describe how you are feeling right now, both physically and emotionally.</li>
</ol>

<h2>Useful writing resources&nbsp;</h2>

<p>Ellii&#39;s <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/writing-in-english" target="_blank">Writing in English section</a> is ideal for helping students express their ideas on paper. For lower-level learners, check out <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2020-how-to-write-a-simple-sentence" target="_blank">How to Write a Simple Sentence</a> and&nbsp;<a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2562-how-to-build-a-paragraph" target="_blank">How to Build a Paragraph</a>. For higher levels, try <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2563-how-to-write-a-basic-paragraph" target="_blank">How to Write a Basic Paragraph</a>&nbsp;and <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2116-how-to-write-a-descriptive-paragraph" target="_blank">How to Write a Descriptive Paragraph</a>.</p>

<div class="white-box">
<h5>Share your go-to journal prompts with us!</h5>

<p>Do you have any great journal prompts you&#39;d like to share? Please add them in the comments below!</p>
</div>


35 Inspiring Journal Prompts

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<p>Language teachers are often looking for ways to integrate <a href="https://ellii.com/collections/academic-subjects/social-emotional-learning" target="_blank">social⁠⁠-⁠⁠emotional learning (SEL)</a>&nbsp;in their lessons to help students develop empathy, build self-esteem, and improve their communication&nbsp;skills.</p>

<p>Teachers also know the value of creating a structured environment aided by daily or weekly&nbsp;rituals.</p>

<p><strong>Rose, Bud, Thorn is a reflective&nbsp;activity</strong> that ticks both boxes while allowing teachers to check in with their students and get to know them&nbsp;better.</p>

<p>This social-emotional learning activity serves as a great warm-up that students benefit most from when it&rsquo;s part of their daily or weekly routine. This class activity is also&nbsp;effective with English&nbsp;learners of all&nbsp;ages.</p>

<h2>How to implement Rose, Bud, Thorn in 4&nbsp;steps</h2>

<h3>Step 1: Explain what each flower part represents</h3>

<ul>
	<li><strong>Rose:</strong> something good that&#39;s happened recently, something that you&#39;re proud of, or a success that you&#39;ve&nbsp;had</li>
	<li><strong>Bud:</strong> something that you&#39;re looking forward to or a new idea that you want to&nbsp;explore</li>
	<li><strong>Thorn:</strong> a challenge that you&#39;re facing or something that you need help&nbsp;with</li>
</ul>

<p>When you first introduce this activity, you may want to provide examples for each of the flower&nbsp;parts.</p>

<p>A rose could be something small and incidental like a nice breeze on a warm afternoon. It could also be a success while speaking English outside of the classroom such as being understood by the cashier at the grocery store when asked about bagging&nbsp;preferences.</p>

<p>A bud could be an upcoming day off from work, a coffee date with a friend after class, or the release of a new season of a favorite TV&nbsp;show.</p>

<p>And, finally, a thorn might be parenting a toddler who doesn&rsquo;t want to nap or having a car that needs expensive&nbsp;repairs.</p>

<p>But perhaps <strong>the best way to illustrate a rose, bud, and thorn is by modeling the activity with your own personal information</strong>. Seeing your willingness to expose your vulnerabilities may <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/activity-to-boost-confidence-and-well-being" target="_blank">give students the confidence boost they need</a> to be open&nbsp;themselves.</p>

<h3>Step 2: Have students jot down their ideas</h3>

<p>Give students 5&ndash;10 minutes to write down ideas for their rose, bud, and thorn. Students may find it useful to gather their thoughts in a graphic&nbsp;organizer. <a href="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/blog_printable/content_Rose-Bud-Thorn_Ellii.pdf">Click here</a> to print the activity below.</p>

<p><a href="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/blog_printable/content_Rose-Bud-Thorn_Ellii.pdf"><img alt="Rose, Bud, Thorn graphic organizer" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/2813/content_Rose-Bud-Thorn_Ellii.jpg" /></a></p>

<h3>Step 3: Give students the opportunity to share</h3>

<p>Because this activity can be quite personal, some students may be more comfortable talking about their rose, bud, and thorn in&nbsp;pairs.</p>

<p>After students have had time to discuss their ideas with a partner, bring the whole class back together and give volunteers the chance to share with the entire&nbsp;group.</p>

<h3>Step 4: Provide a follow-up activity</h3>

<p>Help students <strong>improve their problem-solving skills</strong> by asking them to write down strategies for turning their thorns into roses. They can use their own ideas or get suggestions from their&nbsp;partner.</p>

<p>You can also ask students to come up with a reasonable time frame in which to turn their strategies into&nbsp;action.</p>

<h2>Take&nbsp;this activity one step further</h2>

<p>Encourage students to <strong>start a Rose, Bud, Thorn journal</strong>.</p>

<p>By keeping a written record of the&nbsp;good things that have happened&nbsp;in their lives as well as the challenges they&#39;ve faced, students will reap the rewards of practicing gratitude, learning to set goals, realizing when they need support, and reflecting on instances when they&#39;ve&nbsp;found solutions to their&nbsp;problems.</p>

<div class="white-box">
<h5>Now it&#39;s your turn!</h5>

<p>Share a recent rose, bud, and thorn of your own in the comments section. What strategies did you use to turn your thorn into a rose?</p>
</div>


Rose, Bud, Thorn: A Warm-Up Activity That Promotes Social-Emotional Learning

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<p>Did you know?&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons" target="_blank">Grammar&nbsp;Practice&nbsp;Worksheets</a> (affectionately referred to as GPWs by our publishing team) are used by more teachers than any other lesson section on our&nbsp;site.<br />
<br />
GPWs provide clear, thorough explanations of <strong>grammar&nbsp;targets</strong>. They also include a variety of writing tasks and group activities that give students confidence to put the structures into practice when they&#39;re producing the language on their&nbsp;own.</p>

<p>Our subscribers flock to this section no matter if they&#39;re teaching beginners or advanced learners, introducing or reviewing a grammar&nbsp;target.<br />
<br />
Here are a few warm-up and follow-up activities for&nbsp;exploiting the grammar lessons from&nbsp;our <strong>Grammar Practice Worksheets</strong> section to ensure that your students come away with a full understanding of the target at&nbsp;hand.</p>

<h1>Warm-up activities</h1>

<p>These activities take place before you hand out the GPW.</p>

<p>The first two&nbsp;grammar activities&nbsp;appeal to students who have an <strong>inductive </strong>learning style. In other words, these students respond best when grammar is presented in context or naturalistically. This type of presentation is called<strong> implicit</strong> instruction, and the focus is on&nbsp;meaning.</p>

<p>The third grammar activity is geared toward students who learn best through<strong> explicit&nbsp;</strong>instruction with a focus on&nbsp;form.</p>

<p>Let&#39;s get started!</p>

<h2>1. Present the target structure in context</h2>

<p>Students will often discover patterns and use their analytical skills to understand grammar rules when they&#39;re introduced to a target structure in&nbsp;context.</p>

<p>It&#39;s&nbsp;not necessary to point out the structure to students as they read or listen. The goal is for students to make connections between the patterns and the meaning of the text, often on a subconscious&nbsp;level.</p>

<p>Try it out:</p>

<ul>
	<li><strong>For lower-level students</strong>, Ellii has two sections with readings that focus on a particular grammar structure and present it in context: <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/90/lessons" target="_blank">Grammar&nbsp;Stories (⁠⁠Beginner&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;Intermediate⁠⁠)</a> and <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/129/lessons" target="_blank">True&nbsp;Grammar&nbsp;Stories (⁠⁠Beginner&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;Low&nbsp;Intermediate⁠⁠)</a>. Since these lessons also include an audio recording of the readings, you may choose to present the material&nbsp;aurally.</li>
	<li><strong>For more advanced students</strong>, the authentic readings found in <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons" target="_blank">That&#39;s&nbsp;News&nbsp;to&nbsp;Me</a> may be more appropriate. For example, the following paragraph from the lesson&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/4083" target="_blank">The&nbsp;Mysterious&nbsp;Cheese&nbsp;Theft</a> provides exposure to the <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1601" target="_blank">passive&nbsp;voice</a>:</li>
</ul>

<blockquote>
<p>&quot;But milk doesn&#39;t turn into cheese on its own. It has to be prepared, acidified,&nbsp;curdled, cut, pressed, and drained in a lengthy process that takes almost a whole day, van Dorp said. Next, it gets shaped into its signature round figure and put into a salt bath for one to two days. A week is then spent&nbsp;coating&nbsp;and drying it. Finally, the wheel is placed on a shelf to mature for at least three months, after which it&#39;s ready to go into the belly of a happy&nbsp;customer.&quot;</p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;&quot;Thieves strike in the Netherlands with heist of $22,000&mdash;in cheese.&quot; April 14, 2022. &copy; The Washington Post.</p>
</blockquote>

<h2>2.&nbsp;Ask a question that uses the target structure</h2>

<p>When you ask a question that uses the target structure, students become aware of the language they need to answer&nbsp;it.</p>

<p>If you&#39;re preparing your students for a grammar lesson on the&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1595" target="_blank">past&nbsp;progressive</a>, you can ask, &ldquo;What were you doing at 10⁠⁠:⁠⁠00 last&nbsp;night?&rdquo;</p>

<p>Students may try to use the simple past tense in their answer but will recognize that their response does not match the&nbsp;question.</p>

<h2>3.&nbsp;See what students already know</h2>

<p>Most of our GPWs include a quiz at the end of the&nbsp;lesson.</p>

<p>Have students take the quiz before you begin the lesson. Their results can be used as a pacing&nbsp;guide.</p>

<p>If students do well on the quiz, you can approach the grammar lesson as a review. If they do poorly, you will need to spend extra time on the <strong>Notes </strong>section&nbsp;and going over the answers of each&nbsp;task.</p>

<p><strong><img alt="Image of highlighted notes section in Past Progressive Lesson " src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/2445/content_Ellii-teacher-note-grammar-quiz.jpg" /></strong></p>

<h1>Follow-up activities</h1>

<p>Recycle the warm-up activities&nbsp;by using these follow-up activities to check and reinforce students&#39; understanding of the target&nbsp;structure.</p>

<h2>1.&nbsp;Have students review the&nbsp;text you used to present the structure in&nbsp;context</h2>

<p>This time, have students circle all the instances where the structure is used. As an extra challenge, have them explain why it was&nbsp;used.</p>

<p>If you had students just listen to the text the first time, play the recording again and have students raise their hand each time they hear the grammar&nbsp;target.</p>

<h2>2. Ask the same question</h2>

<p>See if students can apply the target structure to their&nbsp;answer.</p>

<p>At this point, it&#39;s okay to correct students or to ask them to pause and answer the question again if they make mistakes using the grammar target.</p>

<h2>3. Have students retake the&nbsp;quiz</h2>

<p>Compare their scores to the quiz before they did the lesson and after. Seeing their scores improve will give students a real confidence&nbsp;boost!</p>

<div class="white-box">
<h5>Share your thoughts</h5>

<p>What activities do you have your students do before and after they complete a Grammar Practice Worksheet?&nbsp;Please share your ideas in the comments&nbsp;below.</p>
</div>


Maximize the Benefits of Grammar Practice Worksheets with Warm-Up & Follow-Up Activities

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<p>Teachers often prepare&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/pre-reading-activities-to-boost-comprehension" target="_blank">pre-reading</a> and <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/9-post-reading-activities-to-help-students-reflect-on-a-text" target="_blank">post-reading</a> activities to help students develop their reading skills, but they don&rsquo;t always plan activities for students to do while they are actively&nbsp;reading a text.</p>

<p>Having students perform tasks as they read serves several purposes. It gives students the opportunity to confirm any predictions made during the pre-reading stage. It also helps students to read more carefully and focus on the content as they gather and organize information.</p>

<p>Here are 10 activities that will&nbsp;get your&nbsp;students to actively engage with a text and increase their understanding while reading.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>1. Skim for the main idea</h2>

<p>Before students get into the nitty-gritty of the text, have them skim the text for a general overview. Encourage them to look at headings, visuals, and bold words. These things will help students find the main topic&nbsp;or purpose of a reading quickly.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Teach your students the basics of how to skim a text with Ellii&#39;s lesson on <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/127/lessons/3179" target="_blank">Skimming &amp; Scanning</a>.</p>

<h2>2. Scan for specific information</h2>

<p>Prepare a few questions that ask for specific information such as names, dates, times, and numbers. This will give students an idea of the scope of a reading.</p>

<h2>3. Summarize or paraphrase</h2>

<p>Put students in pairs then&nbsp;have them read one paragraph at a time silently. When they finish, ask them to take turns summarizing or paraphrasing the paragraph they&#39;ve just read.</p>

<h2>4. Use context clues</h2>

<p>As students read, have them circle any unfamiliar words or expressions. Before they reach for their dictionaries or phones, have them take a closer look at the words preceding and following the unknown terms. Using context clues, see if they can figure out their&nbsp;meaning.</p>

<h2>5. Make predictions</h2>

<p>After students have read a paragraph or section, have them pause and say what they think is going to happen next.</p>

<h2>6. Annotate the text</h2>

<p>As students read, encourage them to note their reactions to the text in the margins.</p>

<p>They can place a question mark when they don&rsquo;t understand something, a star when something is important, and an exclamation mark when they are surprised.</p>

<h2>7. Consider other perspectives</h2>

<p>After students have read the text one time, ask them to read it again and pretend they are reading it from someone else&rsquo;s point of view.</p>

<h2>8. Participate in a jigsaw activity</h2>

<p>This collaborative technique works well for longer texts.</p>

<p>Assign each student to a &ldquo;jigsaw&rdquo; group then&nbsp;give each student a section of the text to read. When they have finished, have them get together with members from the other groups who&#39;ve been assigned the same section.</p>

<p>In these new groups, students discuss and become &ldquo;experts&rdquo; on their section. Students then return to their original &ldquo;jigsaw&rdquo; groups and teach their group members about their section.</p>

<h2>9. Put text in order</h2>

<p>Cut up the reading and have students put it in order. This activity requires students to think logically as they examine sequencing words and transitions.</p>

<h2>10.&nbsp;Create a Venn diagram</h2>

<p>Students are often asked to read articles that compare and contrast two or more topics. (For example, see Ellii&rsquo;s lesson on <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/82/lessons/1962" target="_blank">J-Pop Vs. K-Pop</a>.)</p>

<p>As students use this graphic organizer to note&nbsp;the similarities and differences of two or more items, they will better understand the relationship between them.</p>

<h2>Improve their reading experience with Immersive Reader</h2>

<p>In addition to these activities, students can also optimize their reading experience by using <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/how-to-use-microsoft-immersive-reader-on-ellii" target="_blank">Microsoft&rsquo;s Immersive Reader</a>, which is now available on the Ellii platform.</p>

<p>The Immersive Reader promotes accessibility for learners of all ages and abilities. By implementing it in class, you can help improve student comprehension and focus.</p>

<div class="white-box">
<h5>Share your thoughts</h5>

<p>What activities do you have your students do while they&#39;re reading?&nbsp;Please share your ideas in the comments below.</p>
</div>


10 Activities to Increase Understanding While Reading

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<p>Not only does reading provide students with access to&nbsp;information and hours of pleasure, but it also&nbsp;leads to greater language proficiency.&nbsp;</p>

<p>As English language learners develop their&nbsp;<strong>reading&nbsp;comprehension </strong>skills, they usually make strides&nbsp;in other areas, such as <strong>grammar accuracy</strong> and&nbsp;<strong>vocabulary</strong> <strong>building</strong>.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Previously, we&nbsp;explored ways to enhance students&#39; reading comprehension through <a href="http://ellii.com/blog/pre-reading-activities-to-boost-comprehension" target="_blank">pre-reading activities</a>. In this post, our focus will be on <strong>post-reading activities, </strong>which&nbsp;are activities that are done after students finish reading a text.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Here are nine post-reading activities&nbsp;that will engage your students and help them have a deeper understanding of what they&#39;ve read.</p>

<h2>1. Write a Summary</h2>

<p>If students can summarize a piece of writing, you can be sure they&#39;ve&nbsp;gotten the gist of what they&#39;ve just read. Refer to our lesson on <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/74/lessons/2718" target="_blank">How to Write a Summary</a>&nbsp;if they need a refresher on giving a condensed overview of a text.</p>

<h2>2. Create a Quiz&nbsp;</h2>

<p>Give students the chance to step into the teacher&#39;s role. Have students come up with comprehension questions&mdash;short-answer or true/false&mdash;to test their classmate&#39;s understanding of the text.</p>

<h2>3. Play a Game</h2>

<p>Put students into groups of three or four. Have them put away the text. Give them five minutes to think of as many facts as they can about the reading. The team that comes up with the most facts wins.</p>

<h2>4. Do Further Research</h2>

<p>Ask students to do online research on the topic and report findings back to class.</p>

<h2>5. Retell the Information&nbsp;</h2>

<p>Have students sit in a circle. As they go around the circle, each student adds a sentence about the text, preferably in the order the information appeared in the&nbsp;reading.</p>

<h2>6. Make an Outline</h2>

<p>As students make an outline of the reading, the main ideas and details will become clear. If students need help writing an outline, try our lesson on <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/74/lessons/1827" target="_blank">How to Write an Outline</a>.</p>

<h2>7. Write Questions&nbsp;</h2>

<p>Have students write 3&ndash;5 questions&nbsp;they have about the topic that the reading didn&#39;t answer.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>8. Write a Story</h2>

<p>Encourage students to choose 8&ndash;10 new or interesting words. Challenge them to write a short story using those&nbsp;words.</p>

<h2>9. Identify Target Structures</h2>

<p>Tie in the reading with a grammar lesson. Have students go back through the lesson and&nbsp;identify target structures (e.g., <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1597" target="_blank">present perfect</a>, <a href="https://ellii.com/collections/grammar/modals" target="_blank">modal verbs</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/2028" target="_blank">articles</a>, etc.).</p>

<div class="white-box">
<h5>Share Your Thoughts</h5>

<p>We&#39;d love to hear what post-reading activities you do with your students. Please share your ideas in the comments&nbsp;below!</p>
</div>


9 Post-Reading Activities to Help Students Get the Most Out of a Text

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<p>Reading is an essential skill in second-language acquisition. As learners&nbsp;develop their <strong>reading</strong> skills, they not only build their <strong>vocabulary</strong>, but they also&nbsp;become familiar with&nbsp;common <strong>grammatical&nbsp;structures</strong> and phrasing in the target language. Learners can transfer this knowledge to the other three&nbsp;basic&nbsp;skills&mdash;listening, speaking, and writing&mdash;and see their overall fluency improve.</p>

<p>By providing <strong>pre-reading activities</strong>, teachers can help learners become successful readers. Pre-reading activities increase comprehension by activating students&#39; prior knowledge and generating interest in the topic.&nbsp;In our <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons">Reading &amp; Discovery</a> category, most lessons begin with a set of <strong>Warm-Up Questions</strong> and a&nbsp;<strong>Vocabulary Preview</strong> task.</p>

<h1>I. Warm-Up Questions</h1>

<p>Warm-Up Questions&nbsp;allow&nbsp;students to connect&nbsp;their own life experiences to the reading before they even see the text. Students who stare at you blankly when you announce the day&#39;s lesson topic will soon realize&nbsp;that they do, in fact, know something about the subject matter and, more than likely, have opinions about it as well.</p>

<p>For example, if you tell a group of students who did not grow up in North America that you&#39;ll be reading about <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/80/lessons/2853">Fred Rogers</a>, they may wonder what he has to do with their lives. However,&nbsp;once you begin asking&nbsp;the Warm-Up Questions, students will begin focusing on the broader topic&mdash;children&#39;s television&mdash;as they develop a schemata with which to approach the reading.</p>

<p>But what are the best ways to present Warm-Up Questions? We all know that students respond well to variety and that every student&nbsp;learns differently.</p>

<p>Presenting the questions in the same way each class won&#39;t work for every group of students. They&#39;ll get bored with the predictability of&nbsp;the process when we really want to pique their curiosity.</p>

<p>Here are some suggestions for using Warm-Up Questions with your students.</p>

<h2>Have a Whole-Class Discussion</h2>

<p>The easiest way to present Warm-Up Questions is to have a whole-class discussion. This works best when the students are at the same level.</p>

<ul>
	<li>Ask the whole class the first question and elicit responses before moving on to the second question.</li>
	<li>As students call out their answers,&nbsp;it&#39;s always a good idea to write notes on the board&nbsp;because it promotes further responses from other students and shows you&#39;re listening and engaged.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Have Group Discussions</h2>

<p>For variety&mdash;or If you have shyer students who are hesitant to speak in front of the entire class&mdash;divide the class into groups of three&nbsp;or four.</p>

<ul>
	<li>Have more advanced students take notes for the group.</li>
	<li>Circulate among the groups and make sure all students are participating.</li>
	<li>To extend the activity, come together as a whole class and have the groups share their ideas.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Have Pair Discussions</h2>

<p>Any time is a good time for pairwork, especially if you add a little fun. This activity, called <strong>Speed Chatting</strong>, will get your students talking!</p>

<ul>
	<li>Have students pair up and ask each other the Warm-Up Questions.</li>
	<li>Give them only 60 seconds to ask and answer the questions.</li>
	<li>When the time is up, have them work with a new partner.</li>
	<li>Repeat the process&nbsp;for three&nbsp;or four&nbsp;rotations.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<h2>Assign Questions the Day Before</h2>

<p>Introduce the Warm-Up Questions at the end of the class on the day before you do the reading. Ask students to answer the questions for homework.</p>

<h2>Use Illustrations</h2>

<p>If you&#39;re using the PDF version of a lesson, draw students&#39; attention to&nbsp;the illustration that goes with the lesson. In pairs, have them come up with their own set of Warm-Up Questions based on this illustration.</p>

<h1>II. Vocabulary Preview</h1>

<p><a href="https://ellii.com/lessons">Reading &amp; Discovery</a> lessons all include&nbsp;a Vocabulary Preview task. Usually, this is in the form of a matching activity.The purpose of this task&nbsp;is to introduce students to unfamiliar words before they encounter them in context.</p>

<p>Give the following ideas a try the next time you want to&nbsp;use&nbsp;the Vocabulary Preview task before assigning the reading.</p>

<h2>Model the Pronunciation</h2>

<p>It&#39;s always a good idea to model the pronunciation of new vocabulary&nbsp;words. You can do this as a separate activity in which you say the words and have the class repeat, or you can do this as part of another activity as you introduce each word.</p>

<h2>Try a Matching Exercise</h2>

<p>To get a sense of whether or not the vocabulary is familiar to students, have them try matching the words to the correct definitions on their own and then check answers as a whole class.&nbsp;This can help you determine how much time you need to spend on this task. Remember to have students try to match the words and definitions again after you&#39;ve done additional work.</p>

<h2>Explore the Vocabulary Further</h2>

<p>If other activities are needed to reinforce unfamaliar words, extend the activity by doing the following:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Give students a sentence that contains each word.</li>
	<li>Have students classify the words according to their part of speech.</li>
	<li>Point out any prefixes or suffixes.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Create a Word Wall</h2>

<p>Encourage students to be active vocabulary learners. You can do this&nbsp;by creating&nbsp;a word wall in the classroom. Have students vote on the three&nbsp;words from the task they would most like to remember and add them to the word wall.&nbsp;You can also have students keep an individual vocabulary journal.</p>

<h2>Work in Pairs</h2>

<p>Put students in pairs and assign one&nbsp;or two&nbsp;words to each pair.&nbsp;(You can allow them to use a dictionary for this activity.)</p>

<ul>
	<li>Have them come up with a definition (in their own words).</li>
	<li>Next, have them write&nbsp;an example sentence that contains each word.</li>
	<li>Then have them teach their word(s) to the class.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Ask Concept Questions</h2>

<p>Concept questions are questions that contain a target word. They are also usually Yes/No questions. Asking them allows students to&nbsp;hear the word in context and process the meaning. For example, <em>rodent</em>&nbsp;is a target word in our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1911">Groundhog Day</a> lesson. You can pose the following question: &quot;Is a rat a rodent?&quot;</p>

<h1>III. Other Pre-Reading Activities</h1>

<p>In&nbsp;addition to the Warm-Up Questions and Vocabulary Preview tasks, there many&nbsp;other activities that work well to prepare students to tackle a reading. Here are a few:</p>

<h2>Make a KWL Chart</h2>

<p>Instruct students to create a three-column&nbsp;KWL chart.</p>

<ul>
	<li>They should label the first column &quot;K&quot; and list all the things they already <strong>know</strong> about the topic.</li>
	<li>The second column, labeled W, should include things that students <strong>want</strong> to know about the topic.</li>
	<li>The third column, labeled L, will be filled out by students as a post-reading activity to jot down what they <strong>learned</strong> from the reading.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Guess the Topic</h2>

<p>Choose four&nbsp;or five&nbsp;familiar words that are related to the topic and see if students can guess what the reading is going to be about. For example, if you&#39;ll be&nbsp;doing a lesson on <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/82/lessons/3169">Coffee</a>, you can use the words <em>drink, beans, brown,</em> and <em>caffeine</em>.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Brainstorm</h2>

<p>As a class, brainstorm all the vocabulary that comes to mind about the topic.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Use Audiovisual Tools</h2>

<p>Expose students to audiovisual supplements.&nbsp;This is a good way to introduce harder or lesser-known topics when Warm-Up Questions may themselves need a warm-up.</p>

<p>For example, in the Fred Rogers lesson, you might show a clip from his children&#39;s show that you find on YouTube. Or, for the lesson <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/82/lessons/1962">J-Pop Vs. K-Pop</a>, you could bring in audio samples of both types of music.</p>

<h1>Share Your Thoughts</h1>

<p>What kind of pre-reading activities&nbsp;do you use with your learners? Do you have any tips to share with the teaching community?</p>

<p>If you teach 1:1, is there an activity that works particularly well with individuals? Please share your ideas in the Comments section below.</p>


Pre-Reading Activities to Boost Comprehension

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<p>Since introducing our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons">English with The Washington Post</a> section late last year, we have received a lot of positive feedback. Newspapers are, after all, a great way to bridge the gap between the classroom and the &quot;real&quot; world.</p>

<p>Teachers who use&nbsp;the advanced version of the lessons have told us that their students benefit from exposure to authentic language, while teachers of lower levels say that they enjoy using the modified articles to generate discussion about current events and topical issues.</p>

<p>Some teachers, however, have asked for tips and tricks to make the lessons more engaging. Here are a few activities you can try to get the most out of this section.</p>

<h2>Pre-Reading Activities</h2>

<ul>
	<li>Choose 8&ndash;10 keywords from the article that will be familiar to students. Tell students that they will be using these words to predict the story. Put students into groups of three or four and have them work together to come up with a story. After all the groups have finished, ask a volunteer from each group to share their story with the class. Finally, read the actual article together as a class and vote on which group&#39;s prediction was the most accurate.</li>
	<li>Read out the article&#39;s headline. Then give students a list of words in which half of the words are in the article and the other half are not. Using the headline, students decide which words will be in the article.</li>
	<li>Write the headline on the board and give a brief summary of the article. Have students work together to brainstorm vocabulary related to the topic.</li>
	<li>If the lesson contains photos, have students look at them before they read the article. Put students in pairs and have them come up with a headline to go with the photos.</li>
	<li>Before students read the article, have them practice their <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/127/lessons/3179">scanning skills</a> by giving them a few specific questions with answers that are in the form of numbers, dates, or proper names.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Active Reading/Listening Activities</h2>

<ul>
	<li>
	<p>Read each paragraph of the article out loud. Pause after each one and see if students can tell you its gist. They can also write a sentence <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/74/lessons/2718">summarizing</a> each paragraph.</p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p>As students read the article, encourage them to write down their own comprehension questions. For lower-level learners, they can write down questions that can be answered with a few words or yes/no. More advanced learners can ask factual questions as well as more probing questions that don&#39;t have a right answer, such as ones related to predicting outcomes. (See our blog post on&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/thin-thick-questions">Thin &amp; Thick Questions</a>.)</p>
	</li>
</ul>

<h2>Video Activities</h2>

<ul>
	<li>Before you read the article or go over the vocabulary, play a short clip of the video and have learners guess what the lesson will be about.</li>
	<li>Show a short clip with the sound off. If the clip is about&nbsp;an event, ask students to write a narration of the event. If the clip shows a&nbsp;person talking, have students describe the speaker&#39;s appearance and then speculate about their personality, job, family, etc.</li>
	<li>After watching the video, have students create a mind map based on what they saw. (See our&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/courses/74/lessons/1826/print">How to Brainstorm</a> lesson&nbsp;for tips on mind mapping.) Then put students in pairs and have them take turns telling each other as much as they can about the video using their mind map.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Post-Reading Activities</h2>

<ul>
	<li>
	<p>Ask students to summarize the article in their own words. They can write their summaries down or they can present them orally.</p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p>Challenge students to <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/learning-with-letter-writing">write a letter</a> to someone who is mentioned or quoted&nbsp;in the article. Encourage them to share their opinion about the topic, even if they don&#39;t agree with the person they are writing to. If they disagree with the addressee, make sure they support their argument with facts and details.&nbsp;</p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p>Have students look online for articles from other sources on the same topic or event. Have them make a list of any factual differences they find between the new sources and The Washington Post article.</p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p>Organize a jigsaw activity&nbsp;by dividing students into groups of three&nbsp;or four. Assign each group&nbsp;a particular aspect of the topic from&nbsp;The Washington Post lesson.&nbsp;For example, if your class is working on the lesson <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/133/lessons/3847">Ecotherapy for Kids</a>, you could break the topic down into the four&nbsp;popular types of ecotherapy: nature meditation, horticultural therapy, animal-assisted therapy, and conservation-related activities. You would then ask the groups to become &quot;experts&quot; on their given topic by&nbsp;doing additional online research about the topic&nbsp;and reporting back to the class with their findings.&nbsp;This activity works best if you give the groups a list of questions about their topic before they start their research. If time permits, all the groups can collaborate to create a poster or fill in a chart or table using their research.</p>
	</li>
</ul>

<p>We would love to hear what other activities you have done&nbsp;with your students. Please post your ideas in the Comments section below.</p>


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Ann Dickson