These posts are written for learners of English themselves. Find learning tips and ideas for learning English.

For Students

Find fun games and activities for teaching English to young learners and middle schoolers. 

Young Learners

<h2>Behind the Scenes at Ellii</h2>

<p>At Ellii, there are a few lesson sections that started out as passion projects for our Publishing team members.&nbsp;Our Young Learner section called&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/picture-stories" target="_blank">Picture Stories</a>&nbsp;is one of these sections. You might know this section better as &quot;Benji stories.&quot;<br />
<br />
These stories, about an adorable bear who happens to have the same name as our founder and CEO,&nbsp;are written and illustrated by our in-house designer, Saori.</p>

<p>Saori is from Brazil and her&nbsp;first language is Portuguese! In the early days, Saori had a lot of help from our editor, Tanya. Over the years, while working closely with the English materials developed by our in-house writers and editors,&nbsp;Saori&#39;s English improved immensely, and she was able to starting writing&nbsp;these lessons more independently!&nbsp;Meanwhile, Tanya took on a new role as our head of video and began overseeing the development of Benji <a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos/stories-songs/picture-stories" target="_blank">videos</a>. The amazing videos have brought even more fans to this fun series!</p>

<p><a href="https://ellii.com/video/spring" target="_blank"><img alt="Benji Picture Stories and Videos" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5353/content_Screenshot_2026-04-08_at_10.48.49_AM.png" /></a></p>

<h2>Fan Fiction</h2>

<p>As you can imagine, if you see how much <a href="https://ellii.com/collections/new-content" target="_blank">new content</a> we put out each month,&nbsp;Saori has a very busy job as the lead designer on Ellii&#39;s Publishing team. Though she&nbsp;doesn&#39;t have a lot of time for her passion project, Saori tries to add at least a few new Benji stories and lessons&nbsp;each year.</p>

<p>For some Benji fans, however, this is not enough! In fact, a recent young reader named Olivier (age 8) took this into his own hands and submitted his own&nbsp;Benji story. He asked that we publish it, so we&#39;ve decided to put it on our blog.<br />
<br />
With the World Cup coming soon, we hope your young soccer fans and early readers&nbsp;enjoy Olivier&#39;s Benji Soccer Story, our first &quot;fan fiction&quot; submission! We think Olivier got the tone just right for Benji. He even invented his own new Benji &quot;friend&quot; named Banjo. (Move over, Yumi and Onyx!)&nbsp;<br />
<br />
If your students love Benji and his friends, you can encourage them to write their own fan fiction and submit it below in the comment section.</p>

<blockquote>
<p>Olivier is very excited that Benji has a friend Banjo. They sound like maybe they&#39;re twins. We hope you like the story and will publish it! Cheers!</p>

<p>~ Ezri (teacher) &amp; Olivier</p>
</blockquote>

<h1>Benji Soccer Story</h1>

<h2>Hi, my name is Benji.</h2>

<h2>Today I am playing soccer with my friend Banjo.</h2>

<h2>Banjo and I like to play drums too.</h2>

<h2>My friend Banjo and I played a soccer match, and Banjo won the match 2 to 1.</h2>

<h2>We played another match, and this time&nbsp;I won 3 to 2.</h2>

<h2>We continued to practice soccer by doing free kicks.</h2>

<h2>After the game, we went to get pizza&nbsp;and played drums.</h2>

<h2>&quot;See you next time!&quot;</h2>

<p>By Olivier, age 8</p>

<blockquote>
<p>Oh my god, that&#39;s so sweet! 🥹 I can picture Banjo as a fluffy black bear, ha!&nbsp;<br />
<br />
~ Saori, author of Ellii&#39;s Benji Picture Stories</p>
</blockquote>


Benji Fan Fiction

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

Conferences

<p>Have you heard about the <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/esl-talk/id1548652844" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank"><em>ESL Talk </em>podcast</a>?</p>

<p>As described on their Apple Podcast page, <em>ESL Talk</em> is &ldquo;a podcast for English teachers by English teachers.&rdquo; In each episode, the hosts and their guests discuss various teaching topics, methods, and approaches pertaining to ESL teachers. It&#39;s a fantastic way to&nbsp;hone your English teaching skills&nbsp;and to stay current in your career field.</p>

<p>Here are some key takeaways from <em>ESL Talk</em>&#39;s episode on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/teaching-young-learners/id1548652844?i=1000530253318" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">teaching young learners</a>&nbsp;that you can incorporate in your classes.</p>

<h2>Provide Reading Activities</h2>

<p>Whether you&rsquo;re teaching online or in class, fluency can be built through reading and reading activities.</p>

<p>First, choose a reading that is age-appropriate and appealing to a younger audience.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Next, plan out pre- and post-reading activities. <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/pre-reading-activities-to-boost-comprehension" target="_blank">Pre-reading activities</a> can include a vocabulary review with the new words that students will encounter in the reading and a discussion about the context of the text. If you&rsquo;re reading a story, students can also make predictions about the plot. <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/9-post-reading-activities-to-help-students-reflect-on-a-text" target="_blank">Post-reading activities</a> can include further discussion and writing practice to test their comprehension.</p>

<p>At Ellii, we have plenty of ready-made&nbsp;reading-based lessons designed for young learners. Here are some of our most popular story-based lessons:</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/132/lessons" target="_blank">Picture Stories</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/134/lessons" target="_blank">Word Bank Readers</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/90/lessons" target="_blank">Grammar Stories</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/129/lessons" target="_blank">True Grammar Stories</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/83/lessons" target="_blank">Easy Readers</a></li>
</ul>

<h2>Incorporate Movement</h2>

<p>Young learners are full of energy!&nbsp;To help your young students focus, incorporate movement into your lessons.</p>

<p>You can dance for a few minutes partway through class. You can sing a song that matches the theme of the lesson. It can even be just as helpful to include a minute or two of stretching.</p>

<blockquote>
<p>&ldquo;Students love to get up and move around.&rdquo;</p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;Daniel Shaw, founder &amp; host of <em>ESL Talk</em> podcast</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Whatever movement you choose to incorporate, know that it will help your students stay focused, retain information, and remember the material.</p>

<p>Young students also learn by doing. They learn through their senses. Don&rsquo;t just show them a picture of a pencil. Have them actually hold and touch a pencil. Don&rsquo;t just show them a picture of someone waving. Get them to wave too!</p>

<h2>Ask Questions</h2>

<p>It&rsquo;s also important to make time each lesson to talk to your students. Build their conversational skills through simple questions.</p>

<p>You can start off by asking your young learners simple yes/no questions (e.g., <em>Are you excited to learn today?</em>).</p>

<p>When they&rsquo;re comfortable, you can ask questions using the five W&rsquo;s: who, what, when, where, and why (e.g., <em><strong>What </strong>did you do today?</em>).</p>

<h2>Build a Connection</h2>

<p>Find a way to connect with your young students. Ask their parents what their child likes and dislikes so you can teach topics that are meaningful to them.</p>

<p>It&rsquo;s important to relate your lessons to their world. If your students&rsquo; have ideas for a lesson, try to incorporate them.</p>

<p>For example, if your students express that they like superheroes, try to include superheroes in&nbsp;the lesson.</p>

<p>Ellii has plenty of fun ready-to-use lessons designed to appeal to young learners. Here are a few of our most popular:</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/134/lessons/3834" target="_blank">Hannah&#39;s Halloween</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/134/lessons/3918" target="_blank">Carly&#39;s Christmas</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/136/lessons/3678" target="_blank">Fairy Tale</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/136/lessons/3828" target="_blank">Superheroes</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/117/lessons/2752" target="_blank">Astronauts</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/117/lessons/2507" target="_blank">Pizza&nbsp;</a></li>
</ul>

<p>It&#39;s also important to show enthusiasm.&nbsp;Be excited about what you&rsquo;re going to teach! If you&#39;re excited to teach, your students will be excited to learn.</p>

<blockquote>
<p>&quot;Enthusiasm is contagious.&quot;</p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;Carina, guest speaker &amp;&nbsp;experienced&nbsp;ESL&nbsp;teacher&nbsp;on <em>ESL Talk</em> podcast</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Listen to <em>ESL Talk</em>&#39;s&nbsp;&quot;Teaching Young Learners&quot; episode on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/teaching-young-learners/id1548652844?i=1000530253318" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a> or <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/2MMYO6usuTsJgjT1Sr6fB0?si=7wQraRPTToaKe3sg_SOeWg" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Spotify.</a><br />
&nbsp;</p>

<div class="white-box">
<h4>Share Your Thoughts</h4>

<p>Teachers, do you have any tips for teaching young learners? Let us know in the comments below.</p>
</div>


Key Takeaways from ESL Talk Podcast on Teaching Young Learners 

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<p>Did you watch <a href="https://www.teflonline.net/" target="_blank">TEFL International</a>&rsquo;s webinar on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CngJcsVT7FE&amp;ab_channel=TEFL%26TESOLCourses-ITTT" target="_blank">useful tips for teaching ESL to children</a>? If you missed it, don&rsquo;t worry&mdash;we&rsquo;ve got you covered. Here are some key takeaways from the webinar.</p>

<h3>Incorporate hands-on activities into lessons</h3>

<p>When teaching online, it can be difficult for children to focus. Keep their attention by incorporating hands-on activities into your lessons. When possible, sing songs, play games, and use flashcards. Get your students moving. Encourage them to get up and stretch, walk around, or dance if they&rsquo;re feeling up for it!</p>

<h3>Try not to talk for long periods of time</h3>

<p>When teaching children, be mindful of how long you talk for. Avoid losing the attention of your young learners by not talking for long periods of time. Instead, break up your lesson with different activities and always have a few extra activities planned in case your students need a break.</p>

<h3>Interact with your students and have your students interact with each other</h3>

<p>Get your students talking. Involve them in your lessons by interacting with them. Make it a goal to speak individually with each child once per class. Have your young learners work in groups and in pairs whenever possible too.</p>

<h3>Review the material with your students</h3>

<p>Young learners typically need more review than adults. Review the material with your students each class to make sure they understand the content. Make connections between new material learned and past material learned. Create meaning and show how the information relates to one other. Try to create connections between the material and your student&#39;s&nbsp;lives.</p>

<h3>Praise your students</h3>

<p>Students learn better when they are motivated and feel at ease. Encourage your students and build them up at every opportunity!</p>

<p>Teachers, do you have tips for teaching young learners? Let us know in the comments below!</p>


Key Takeaways from TEFL International Webinar on Tips for Teaching ESL to Children

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Stay up-to-date with ELT trends and ideas with articles from experts and teachers in the field.

Articles

Posts describing lessons or activities for the ESL classroom.

Activities

<p>On April 28, 1995, employees at Marvel created National Superhero Day to celebrate everyone&rsquo;s favorite superhero. This now-annual holiday honors both the real and fictional people that inspire us in our daily lives.</p>

<p>In this fun group project, students design their own superheroes and then work together to create a comic book story based on their characters.</p>

<p>This is a highly adaptable activity that can be used to teach or review many different language&nbsp;topics, including conditionals, describing people, parts of the body, exclamations, and onomatopeia.</p>

<hr />
<h2>Step 1&nbsp;</h2>

<p>Begin the project with some background information about comic books and superheroes in pop culture. Our Famous People lesson on Marvel comic creator, <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/80/lessons/2833">Stan Lee</a>, is a great place to start!</p>

<h2>Step 2&nbsp;</h2>

<p>Once students are comfortable with the topic and new vocabulary, divide them into groups of four or five. Ask each group member to design their own superhero. Students can draw their character, use&nbsp;magazine or photo cutouts, design it on the computer, or create a model&nbsp;or puppet.</p>

<p>Ask students to write a description of their character. Depending on their level, this can include names, superpowers, personality traits, or the character&rsquo;s background story.</p>

<p>Here are two examples from our talented illustrators at ESL Library:</p>

<h3>Dino-Boy</h3>

<p><img alt="dinoboy" height="650" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1440/content_dinoboy.png" width="650" /></p>

<blockquote>
<p>&quot;This is Dino-Boy. His &#39;suit&#39; is made of super unbreakable material and he can roll around like Taz from the Looney Tunes. He&#39;s got high energy and can bite things with his dinosaur teeth. Lol.&quot;</p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;Steve</p>
</blockquote>

<h3>My Mom</h3>

<p><img alt="Superhero Mom" height="650" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1441/content_superhero-mom.jpg" width="650" /></p>

<blockquote>
<p>&quot;My father worked in Japan for years when my brother and I were young, so we basically grew up without him. In Brazil, my mom had to take care of everything herself&mdash;the house, the finances, and us. Years later, when our family reunited, my mom read for her degree in Gastronomy at 62 years old, along with my brother. While in college, she was diagnosed with bowel cancer, but even the chemo didn&rsquo;t stop her from going to class every night. It&rsquo;s been almost five years now of medical follow-up. Here&rsquo;s hoping that soon she will be officially cancer-free. She may not have superpowers, but my mom is determined and a true fighter. My mom is my superhero.&quot;</p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;Saori</p>
</blockquote>

<h2>Step 3&nbsp;</h2>

<p>Next, students take turns introducing and describing their superheroes to the other members of the group and brainstorm story ideas that would include each character.</p>

<p>Once each group has drafted their story, show them how to write it in the style of a&nbsp;comic&nbsp;book. Teachers can photocopy pages from an old comic book and white-out the text, or search for free templates online.</p>

<h2>Step 4</h2>

<p>When each group has completed their story, have them present (or act out!) their comic books to the rest of the class. Teachers can&nbsp;display each group&#39;s&nbsp;comics around the classroom, or photocopy and distribute a copy for each member of the class.&nbsp;</p>

<hr />
<p>Depending on class size, student level, time, and resources, this project could&nbsp;be completed over the course of several classes or an entire academic term. We hope your students will have fun either way&mdash;try it out and let us know what you think!</p>


Superheroes Group Project

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<p>Are you ready to introduce modals of ability to your young learners? We hope you&rsquo;ll try our ready-made lesson on <em>can</em> and <em>could</em> from our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2535" target="_blank">Fun Grammar Lessons</a> section. After you use the lesson, try this fun and easy game to review <em>can</em> as a modal of&nbsp;ability.</p>

<h1>Prove It!</h1>

<h2>Questions</h2>

<p>Write the following 10 questions (or similar ones) on the&nbsp;board:</p>

<ol>
	<li>Can you stand on one leg for 60&nbsp;seconds?</li>
	<li>Can you touch your tongue to your&nbsp;nose?</li>
	<li>Can you whistle?</li>
	<li>Can you stare without blinking for 60&nbsp;seconds?</li>
	<li>Can you say the English alphabet without making a&nbsp;mistake?</li>
	<li>Can you stand on one leg with your eyes closed for five&nbsp;seconds?</li>
	<li>Can you make someone yawn in 10&nbsp;seconds?</li>
	<li>Can you make someone laugh in 10&nbsp;seconds?</li>
	<li>Can you count to 25 in&nbsp;English?</li>
	<li>Can you draw a/an&hellip;(animal or&nbsp;insect)?</li>
</ol>

<h2>Points</h2>

<p>Give each student 3&ndash;5 points to start with. Use coins or slips of paper (or any objects) to represent the points. Send students around the room to ask each other questions, just as they would in a traditional <em>Find Someone Who</em> activity. In this game, students have to do more than say <em>yes</em> or <em>no</em>. They have to prove their abilities to collect points. If they can&rsquo;t prove their abilities, they lose a&nbsp;point.</p>

<p>When a student loses all of her points, she is out of the game and becomes an observer/judge. The last student standing (or the one with the most points when you end the game) is the&nbsp;winner.</p>

<div class="white-box">
<h3>Note:</h3>

<p>Remind students that they must not ask the same question twice during the&nbsp;game.</p>
</div>

<h3>Example:</h3>

<table class="horizontal dialogue">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<th>A:</th>
			<td>Can you stand on one leg for 60&nbsp;seconds?</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>B:</th>
			<td>Yes, I can.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>A:</th>
			<td>Prove it!</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>&nbsp;</th>
			<td><em>[B stands on one leg, but loses balance after 30 seconds. B gives one point to A.]</em></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<p>OR</p>

<table class="horizontal dialogue">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<th>A:</th>
			<td>Can you stand on one leg for 60&nbsp;seconds?</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>B:</th>
			<td>Yes, I can.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>A:</th>
			<td>Prove it!</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>&nbsp;</th>
			<td><em>[B stands on one leg for 60 seconds without losing balance. A gives one point to B.]</em></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<p>OR</p>

<table class="horizontal dialogue">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<th>A:</th>
			<td>Can you stand on one leg for 60&nbsp;seconds?</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>B:</th>
			<td>No, I can&rsquo;t.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>&nbsp;</th>
			<td><em>[No points are exchanged. Students find other classmates to&nbsp;challenge.]</em></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<p>OR</p>

<table class="horizontal dialogue">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<th>A:</th>
			<td>Can you stand on one leg for 60&nbsp;seconds?</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>B:</th>
			<td>Yes, I can.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>A:</th>
			<td>I believe you.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>&nbsp;</th>
			<td><em>[No points are exchanged. Students find other classmates to challenge.]</em></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<div class="white-box">
<h5>Note:</h5>

<p>If too many students use this &ldquo;safe&rdquo; option, you can disallow&nbsp;it.</p>
</div>

<h2>Increase the Difficulty</h2>

<p>To make the game a bit more difficult, don&rsquo;t put the whole question on the board. If you or another observer hears students asking the question incorrectly, you can take a point away from&nbsp;them.</p>

<ul>
	<li>stand one leg / 60&nbsp;seconds</li>
	<li>touch tongue to nose</li>
	<li>whistle</li>
	<li>stare without blinking / 60&nbsp;seconds</li>
	<li>say English alphabet</li>
	<li>stand one leg / eyes closed / 5&nbsp;seconds</li>
	<li>make someone yawn</li>
	<li>make someone laugh</li>
	<li>count to 25 / English</li>
	<li>draw a&hellip;</li>
</ul>

<h2>Other Abilities</h2>

<p>You can use our ideas, or you can make up any abilities you want. You could include some abilities based on lessons you have taught in class. Ask your students to help you think of some, too. Here are a few more&nbsp;abilities:</p>

<ul>
	<li>pat head and rub belly at same&nbsp;time</li>
	<li>name every person in the class</li>
	<li>name 10 countries</li>
	<li>hop on one leg for 10 seconds</li>
	<li>spell my name backwards</li>
	<li>name all of the months in&nbsp;English</li>
	<li>sing a verse from&hellip;</li>
	<li>roll your r&rsquo;s</li>
	<li>say three /th/ words</li>
	<li>breakdance</li>
</ul>

<h2>Review with a Video</h2>

<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/_facQiZDrU4" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br />
An ad-free version of the video is available for <a href="https://ellii.com/pricing" target="_blank">Ellii subscribers</a> in our <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2610-modals-of-ability-present" target="_blank">Modals of Ability</a> lessons and on our <a href="https://ellii.com/video/modals-of-ability" target="_blank">Media Gallery</a>.&nbsp;</p>

<h1>Related</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2535">Modals of Ability</a>: Fun Grammar Lessons (YL)</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/2610">Modals of Ability &ndash;&nbsp;Present</a>: Grammar Practice Worksheets</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/89/lessons/1588">Simple Present &ndash;&nbsp;Can you?</a>: Basic Grammar Sentences</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2426">Hobbies</a>: Word Bank</li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/assessment-tools/resources/2224-goal-setting-can-do">Goal-Setting &ndash; Can Do</a>: Resources</li>
</ul>


Modals of Ability Game: Prove It!

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<p>In the <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/118/lessons">Phonics &amp; Pronunciation</a> section this month, we have new lessons on the sounds <a class="inlineBlock" href="https://ellii.com/courses/118/lessons/2749">/ch/</a> and <a class="inlineBlock" href="https://ellii.com/courses/118/lessons/2748">/sh/</a>, which are both difficult for many language learners who do not have these sounds in their native language. Fortunately, <span class="inlineBlock">/ch/</span> and <span class="inlineBlock">/sh/</span> are fun sounds for young kids to make, even though they may be&nbsp;difficult.</p>

<p>Before you teach your students some words with these sounds, teach them how to make these sounds in isolation. Remember that imitating new sounds is the best way to get kids to produce them. Here is a fun and active activity that combines the <span class="inlineBlock">/ch/</span> and <span class="inlineBlock">/sh/</span>&nbsp;sounds.</p>

<h1>Shushing the Train</h1>

<p>Divide the class into two groups. If possible, separate the students so that they don&rsquo;t know what the other group is&nbsp;doing.</p>

<h2>Group 1</h2>

<p>Tell the first group that they are going to be a <strong>train</strong>. Demonstrate how a train sounds: <em>ch-ch-ch-ch-ch</em>. Tell the students that they are going to chug around the classroom (or hallway/playground) making their sound. Some students will be able to imitate you, but others will need more help. Start by telling them to pucker their lips as if they are going to kiss a teddy&nbsp;bear.</p>

<div class="white-box">
<h3>To pronounce the <span class="inlineBlock">/ch/</span>&nbsp;sound:</h3>

<ol>
	<li>Part and extend your lips outward as if getting ready to kiss a teddy&nbsp;bear.</li>
	<li>Place your tongue loosely just behind the bumpy part on the roof of your&nbsp;mouth.</li>
	<li>Quickly release one puff of air and stop it with your&nbsp;tongue.</li>
</ol>
</div>

<p>Note: After they are comfortable saying <em>ch-ch-ch</em>, teach your students to add <em>chugga chugga choo choo</em>.</p>

<h2>Group 2</h2>

<p>The students in the second group are going to be the <strong>villagers</strong>. Teach them how to hold a pointer finger up to their lips while saying the sound <span class="inlineBlock">/sh/</span>. If they don&rsquo;t already know, explain that this is how to say <em>Be quiet!</em> Again, some kids will get the sound right away by copying you, and others will need some instruction. (To make the activity more fun, don&rsquo;t tell them who or what they are going to be&nbsp;shushing.)</p>

<div class="white-box">
<h3>To pronounce the <span class="inlineBlock">/sh/</span>&nbsp;sound:</h3>

<ol>
	<li>Part and extend your lips outward as if getting ready to kiss a teddy&nbsp;bear.</li>
	<li>Place your tongue loosely just behind the bumpy part on the roof of your&nbsp;mouth.</li>
	<li>Release the air through your teeth and hold the&nbsp;sound.</li>
</ol>
</div>

<p>If your students have difficulty, have them practice contrasting <a class="inlineBlock" href="https://ellii.com/courses/118/lessons/2748">/s/ with /sh/</a> using the activities in this&nbsp;lesson.</p>

<h2>Put it Together</h2>

<p>Now, put the villagers on one side of the classroom (or hall/playground), and tell them to make their sound (and do the action) when their classmates come in. Send in the train, and tell the students to chug as loudly as they can! They can hold onto each other like a train. The villagers will use their new sound to tell the train to be&nbsp;quiet.</p>

<h2>Repeat</h2>

<p>Now, switch the groups so that the students get a chance to practice the other sound. For the first group, you can use the train again to practice <span class="inlineBlock">/ch/</span>, or if you want to try something different, teach the kids how to sneeze (<em>a-choo</em>). The second group will again use the <span class="inlineBlock">/sh/</span> sound to tell the first group to be silent (whether they are sneezing or chugging). To add another action, tell the shushing kids to pretend they are rocking a&nbsp;baby.</p>

<p>Your students may have difficulty understanding the difference between the sounds /ch/ and /sh/. Show them that it is impossible to hold the /ch/ sound for a few seconds, while it is easy to hold the <span class="inlineBlock">/sh/</span> sound for a long time. Challenge them to try. How long can they hold the <span class="inlineBlock">/sh/</span>&nbsp;sound?</p>

<h1>Follow Up</h1>

<p>After your students have mastered the <strong class="inlineBlock">/ch/</strong> and <strong class="inlineBlock">/sh/</strong> sounds, you can have some fun with minimal pairs. Here are some words and sentences to practice together. (Or ask the kids to try to make&nbsp;sentences.)</p>

<h2>Initial Sounds</h2>

<table>
	<thead>
		<tr>
			<th>Words</th>
			<th>Sentences</th>
		</tr>
	</thead>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<th>chair / share</th>
			<td>Share the chair!</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>chew / shoe</th>
			<td>Don&rsquo;t chew your shoe!</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>chin / shin</th>
			<td>Touch your chin to your&nbsp;shin.</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<h2>Ending Sounds</h2>

<table>
	<thead>
		<tr>
			<th>Words</th>
			<th>Sentences</th>
		</tr>
	</thead>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<th>which or witch / wish</th>
			<td>Which wish did the witch have?</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>watch / swash</th>
			<td>Don&rsquo;t wash your watch.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>catch / cash</th>
			<td>Catch some cash</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<h1>Related Materials</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/118/lessons/2749">/ch/ </a>:&nbsp;Phonics &amp; Pronunciation</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/118/lessons/2748">/sh/</a>:&nbsp;Phonics &amp; Pronunciation</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/118/lessons/2592">Ss</a>:&nbsp;Phonics &amp; Pronunciation</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2516">Transportation </a>: Word Bank</li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/grammar-usage/resources/2746-spelling-rules-ch-tch">Spelling Rules: ch &amp; tch</a>: Resources</li>
</ul>


A Fun Way to Introduce /ch/ and /sh/ to Kids

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<p>Are you looking for a fun review game to play with your ELLs this week? Try our Fun Grammar Lesson on <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2493/" title="Irregular and Regular Plural Nouns">Regular &amp; Irregular Plural Nouns</a>. Then do a bit more practice with this silly sock&nbsp;game!</p>

<h1>You will need</h1>

<ul>
	<li>a long piece of string and a place to hang it in the&nbsp;class</li>
	<li>four clothes pegs</li>
	<li>one long pair of matching socks (plain white or&nbsp;black)</li>
	<li>two long crazy socks (mismatched)</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres">flashcards</a> with singular nouns, such as <em>banana</em>, <em>flower</em>, <em>toy</em>, <em>table</em>, <em>candy</em>, <em>butterfly</em>, <em>kiss</em>, <em>box</em>, <em>watch</em>, <em>dish</em>, <em>potato</em>, <em>tomato</em>, <em>cactus</em>, <em>child</em>, <em>person</em>, <em>car</em>, <em>flower</em>, <em>loaf</em>, <em>leaf</em>, <em>foot</em>, <em>dog</em>, <em>deer</em>, <em>goose</em>, <em>apple</em>, <em>book</em>, <em>tree</em>, <em>tooth</em>, <em>pillow</em>, <em>t-shirt</em>, <em>sheep</em>,&nbsp;<em>cat</em></li>
	<li>blank strips of paper (the same amount as you have flashcards with&nbsp;images)</li>
	<li>a pen or marker</li>
</ul>

<h1>Setting things up</h1>

<ol>
	<li>Make a flashcard set of nouns (include ones that have irregular plural endings, such as the ones from ESL&nbsp;Library&rsquo;s <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2493/">Regular &amp; Irregular Plural Nouns</a>&nbsp;lesson).</li>
	<li>Place the flashcards inside a container or&nbsp;envelope.</li>
	<li>Hang up the string (where students can&nbsp;reach).</li>
	<li>Hang the regular socks beside each other on the&nbsp;string.</li>
	<li>Hang up the irregular socks beside each other in another area on the&nbsp;string.</li>
	<li>Place the blank strips of paper and pen on a table or ledge near the&nbsp;socks.</li>
</ol>

<h1>Playing the game</h1>

<p>Invite students to take turns going up to the front of the class. Here is what each student will&nbsp;do:</p>

<ol>
	<li>Choose a flashcard from the envelope/container and write the singular word on the&nbsp;board.</li>
	<li>If the plural of this noun has a regular ending (where you only need to add -s), stuff the flashcard into one of the regular socks and write the plural word on the paper strip. Put this strip into the other regular&nbsp;sock.</li>
	<li>If the plural of the noun has an irregular ending, stuff the flashcard into one of the mismatched socks and write the irregular plural form on a paper strip and put it in the other mismatched&nbsp;sock.</li>
</ol>

<p>If anyone in the class thinks the flashcard and plural form went into the wrong socks, they should shout out <em>Change Your Socks</em>! If the teacher agrees, have the student try again. (Watch as the student writes the plural form in case it&rsquo;s wrong. Help make spelling corrections or go over all spelling corrections at the end, by pulling out the strips one at a&nbsp;time.)</p>

<p>If nobody notices an incorrect placement, you the teacher should yell <em>Change your&nbsp;socks</em>! Continue until all of the flashcards are gone and the socks are full! Make a new flashcard set as you learn new nouns and plurals and play another round another&nbsp;day.</p>

<h1>Related</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2493/">Regular &amp; Irregular Plural Nouns</a></li>
	<li class="flashcards"><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres">Flashcard Genres</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/irregular-plural-nouns/">Irregular Plural Nouns</a></li>
</ul>


Regular & Irregular Plural Nouns Game: Change Your Socks!

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<p>The last few weeks of school are often centered around review and having fun. Here are three silly games to try along with some materials from our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/#young-learners-literacy">Young Learners &amp; Literacy</a>&nbsp;section.</p>

<h1>1. Clown Around</h1>

<p>Suggestion: Use this game with our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2503">Simple Present</a> lesson in our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons">Fun Grammar Lessons</a>&nbsp;section.</p>

<p>This game is like <em>Simon Says</em>, except the person at the front of the room is the <em>Class Clown</em>. The Class Clown cannot laugh! If a student makes him/her laugh, they get to switch places. However, students must always follow the Class Clown&rsquo;s commands. The ringmaster (you, the teacher) decides what constitutes as a&nbsp;laugh!</p>

<p>There are 5 things the Class Clown can say (write these on the&nbsp;board):</p>

<ul>
	<li>&ldquo;The Class Clown says, do a disappearing act!&rdquo; <em>[students hide or try to get as small as&nbsp;possible]</em></li>
	<li>&ldquo;The Class Clown says, do an animal act!&rdquo; <em>[students pretend to act or sound like an&nbsp;animal]</em></li>
	<li>&ldquo;The Class Clown says, do a balancing act!&rdquo; <em>[students balance something on their heads or stand or hop on one&nbsp;leg]</em></li>
	<li>&ldquo;The Class Clown says, clown around!&rdquo; <em>[students make a silly face or act as silly as&nbsp;possible]</em></li>
	<li>&ldquo;Clown around!&rdquo;*</li>
</ul>

<p>*Just as in <em>Simon Says</em>, the students have to freeze if they don&rsquo;t hear &ldquo;The Class Clown says&hellip;&rdquo; before a command. Whoever accidentally clowns around has to sit out for a&nbsp;shift.</p>

<p>Teach your students the English expression &ldquo;class clown&rdquo; (<em>the person in the class who is always telling jokes or getting people to&nbsp;laugh</em>).</p>

<h1>2. Dizzy Dictionary</h1>

<p>Suggestion: Try this game with any of ESL&nbsp;Library&rsquo;s <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons">Word Bank</a>&nbsp;lessons.</p>

<ol>
	<li>Create a theme‑based vocabulary word list (e.g., <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2427">Zoo Animals</a>) that has as many words as students in your classroom. Write each word on a slip of paper (or simply print the flashcards that go with the lesson). Hand one word to each&nbsp;student.</li>
	<li>Ask your students to write an easy definition or synonym for their word on a separate piece of paper. (Help your students with sentence structure.) Students will hand in their&nbsp;definitions.</li>
	<li>Mix up the definitions and hand one out to each student. Each student should now have one word and one definition (most won&rsquo;t&nbsp;match).</li>
	<li>
	<p>Tell your students to stand up in a line or circle to become a Talking Dictionary! The students will read their word and definition out loud one at a time (most will be mixed up and won&rsquo;t make&nbsp;sense).</p>

	<blockquote>
	<p><strong>Ella:</strong> Octopus &ndash; not a real fish, shaped like a&nbsp;star</p>
	</blockquote>
	</li>
	<li>After everyone has read out their silly match, give students 5&ndash;10 seconds to wildly trade definitions in an attempt to create the correct Talking Dictionary. (To keep it fun, don&rsquo;t give them enough time to get it all correct during the first&nbsp;switch.)</li>
	<li>When the 10 seconds are up, tell the students to get back in place and read the entire dictionary out loud again. Did they get it right this time? If not, give them another five seconds. Repeat until the Talking Dictionary is 100% correct. You might also encourage students to organize themselves in alphabetical&nbsp;order.</li>
</ol>

<h1>3. Manner Police</h1>

<p>Suggestion: Try this game after you use our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2530">Adverbs of Manner</a> lesson from our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons">Fun Grammar Lessons</a>&nbsp;section.</p>

<ol class="spaced-list">
	<li>Prepare two small blank slips of paper per&nbsp;student.</li>
	<li>
	<p>Ask your students to come up with as many action verbs as there are students in the classroom. You, the teacher, will write each suggested word on a slip of paper. Place these words in an envelope or&nbsp;pile.</p>

	<p>Here are some examples: <em>dance</em>, <em>sing</em>, <em>walk</em>, <em>jump</em>, <em>eat</em>, <em>write</em>, <em>wait</em>, <em>talk</em>, <em>laugh</em>, <em>sit down</em>, <em>pass</em>, <em>stand up</em>, <em>whisper</em>,&nbsp;<em>chew</em></p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p>Now challenge your students to come up with the same number of <em>adverbs of manner</em>. Write each adverb on a separate slip of paper and place these in a separate pile or&nbsp;envelope.</p>

	<p>Here are some examples: <em>carefully</em>, <em>quietly</em>, <em>happily</em>, <em>slowly</em>, <em>nervously</em>, <em>loudly</em>, <em>politely</em>, <em>blindly</em>, <em>nicely</em>, <em>sleepily</em>, <em>fast</em>, <em>well</em>, <em>gently</em>, <em>angrily</em>, <em>crazily</em>,&nbsp;<em>hungrily</em>.</p>
	</li>
	<li>Now, hand out one verb and one adverb to every student. (Students must not show each other their&nbsp;words.)</li>
	<li>Tell your students to stand up and form a circle or&nbsp;line.</li>
	<li>Choose a student who is standing quietly to stand in the middle of the circle (or front of the line). This student is the <em>Manner&nbsp;Police</em>.</li>
	<li>Now, tell all of the other students to act out what&rsquo;s in their hands (e.g., whisper slowly, jump&nbsp;blindly).</li>
	<li>
	<p>The Manner Police must try to guess what the other students are&nbsp;doing.</p>

	<blockquote>
	<p><strong>Manner Police:</strong> Paul is skipping&nbsp;hungrily.</p>

	<p><strong>Paul:</strong> Yes!</p>
	</blockquote>

	<p>If the Manner Police guesses correctly, the student doing the action gets to sit down. (Paul can&rsquo;t lose the&nbsp;game.)</p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p>The other students continue acting out their modified verbs. Every time the Manner Police makes an incorrect guess, everyone who is still playing has to exchange one word (verb or adverb) with another&nbsp;player.**</p>

	<blockquote>
	<p><strong>Manner Police:</strong> Elena is laughing&nbsp;loudly.</p>

	<p><strong>Elena:</strong> Nope!</p>

	<p><strong>Teacher:</strong> Switch words!</p>
	</blockquote>

	<p>The goal is to NOT be the last student standing. The last student standing goes to grammar&nbsp;jail.</p>

	<p>**As the teacher, you can decide if you want to change who the Manner Police is during play to give other students a chance to guess. You may also want to yell <em>Switch</em> after three wrong&nbsp;guesses.</p>
	</li>
</ol>

<p>We hope you have fun clowning around with your&nbsp;kids!</p>

<h1>Related</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2503">Simple Present</a>: Fun Grammar Lessons</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2427">Zoo Animals</a>: Word Bank</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2530">Adverbs of Manner</a>: Fun Grammar Lessons</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/82/lessons/1437">Cirque du Soleil</a>: Famous Things</li>
</ul>


Clowning Around in the ESL Classroom

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<p>Have you tried ESL&nbsp;Library&#39;s home-themed <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons">Word Bank</a>&nbsp;lessons?</p>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2419">House</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2552">Apartment</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2424">Bedroom</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2423">Bathroom</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2398">Kitchen</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2425">Living Room</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2388">Tools</a></li>
</ul>

<p>What about our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2515">Prepositions of Place</a> and <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2492">There Is / There Are</a>&nbsp;lessons?</p>

<p>Try some of these lessons before you try this follow-up listening activity: <em>Home Sweet&nbsp;Home</em>.</p>

<h1>Listening Activity</h1>

<p>Play the recording of <em>Home Sweet Home</em> in class, or have your students listen to it for&nbsp;homework.</p>

<p><iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/248372848&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe></p>

<h2>Home Sweet Home</h2>

<p>I moved into my new home today. It is a one-bedroom house. It has a small front yard and a big backyard with a garden. It has a green door and a blue&nbsp;roof.</p>

<p>My new home has a large main floor. I love my new kitchen. The fridge and stove are stainless steel. The stove is across from the fridge. I keep my microwave, kettle, and toaster on the countertop. I keep my pots and pans in the cabinets under the&nbsp;sink.</p>

<p>The living room is huge. I have space for a couch, a love seat, and a recliner. My coffee table is in front of the couch. The love seat is beneath the window. There is a TV and a painting on the&nbsp;wall.</p>

<p>The bedroom and bathroom are upstairs. My bathroom is tiny. There is only space for a sink, a toilet, and a shower. There is no space for a bathtub, a bathmat, or a towel rack! I keep my shampoo, soap, towels, and toilet paper in a cabinet under the sink. I need a new mirror and some new&nbsp;faucets.</p>

<p>There is only one bedroom in my new house. It is pretty small, but I love it. I have a new comforter, pillow, and blanket on my bed. There is a lamp on my nightstand. I have a small closet to hang my clothes, but I don&#39;t have any hangers yet. I also need curtains for my&nbsp;window.</p>

<p>Home sweet&nbsp;home!</p>

<h1>Vocabulary Sorting</h1>

<p>Are your students familiar with the vocabulary in the audio? You will find these words in our home‑themed <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons">Word Bank</a> lessons. Challenge your students to sort the theme-based vocabulary into categories such as&nbsp;these.</p>

<h2>Rooms / Spaces</h2>

<ul>
	<li>front / backyard</li>
	<li>garden</li>
	<li>roof</li>
	<li>main floor</li>
	<li>upstairs (second floor)</li>
	<li>kitchen</li>
	<li>living room</li>
	<li>bedroom</li>
	<li>bathroom</li>
</ul>

<h2>Built-In Interior</h2>

<ul>
	<li>door</li>
	<li>wall</li>
	<li>countertop</li>
	<li>cabinets</li>
	<li>sink</li>
	<li>toilet</li>
	<li>shower</li>
	<li>closet</li>
	<li>window</li>
</ul>

<h2>Appliances</h2>

<ul>
	<li>fridge</li>
	<li>stove</li>
	<li>microwave</li>
	<li>kettle</li>
	<li>toaster</li>
</ul>

<h2>Furnishings &amp; Household Products</h2>

<ul>
	<li>pot</li>
	<li>pan</li>
	<li>TV</li>
	<li>painting</li>
	<li>bathmat</li>
	<li>towel rack</li>
	<li>comforter</li>
	<li>blanket</li>
	<li>pillow</li>
	<li>curtains</li>
	<li>hangers</li>
	<li>shampoo</li>
	<li>soap</li>
	<li>toilet paper</li>
</ul>

<h2>Furniture</h2>

<ul>
	<li>couch</li>
	<li>love seat</li>
	<li>recliner</li>
	<li>coffee table</li>
	<li>lamp</li>
	<li>end table</li>
	<li>nightstand</li>
	<li>bed</li>
</ul>

<h1>Comprehension</h1>

<p>Here are some questions you can ask your students after they listen to the&nbsp;story:</p>

<h2>Questions</h2>

<ol>
	<li>How big is her house?</li>
	<li>Where is the garden?</li>
	<li>What is on the main floor?</li>
	<li>Where does she keep her pots and&nbsp;pans?</li>
	<li>Describe the bathroom.</li>
	<li>What is on the bed?</li>
	<li>What does she need to buy for her new&nbsp;home?</li>
</ol>

<h2>Answers</h2>

<ol>
	<li>Her house has a big main floor and a small second floor. It has a small front yard and a big&nbsp;backyard.</li>
	<li>The garden is in the&nbsp;backyard.</li>
	<li>There is a living room and a kitchen on the main&nbsp;floor.</li>
	<li>She keeps her pots and pans in the cabinet under the kitchen&nbsp;sink.</li>
	<li>The bathroom is tiny. There is only a toilet, a shower, and a sink with a cabinet&nbsp;underneath.</li>
	<li>There is a new comforter, blanket, and pillow on the&nbsp;bed.</li>
	<li>She needs to buy a mirror, faucets, hangers, and&nbsp;curtains.</li>
</ol>

<h1>Speaking Practice</h1>

<p>Invite your students to talk about their own homes (or dream homes). Encourage them to use vocabulary that they learned in the lessons above. They can write a transcript or speak naturally without writing anything down. They will naturally use prepositions of place as they give an oral tour. Record your students as they speak, and play it back for&nbsp;them.</p>


Home Sweet Home: Reviewing Prepositions of Place

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<p>How are you feeling today? Let&rsquo;s take a selfie!</p>

<p>In ESL&nbsp;Library&rsquo;s <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/120/lessons">Artistic Activities</a> section, you&rsquo;ll find a <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/120/lessons/2653">Photography project</a> all about feelings. You can try this project after you use our Word Bank lesson on&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2414">Feelings</a>.</p>

<p>Your young learners will take or find photos of themselves expressing nine different emotions. Here are the nine feeling adjectives your learners will explore as they complete this&nbsp;project.</p>

<h1>Feeling Adjectives</h1>

<ul>
	<li>happy</li>
	<li>sad</li>
	<li>mad</li>
	<li>surprised</li>
	<li>bored</li>
	<li>jealous</li>
	<li>tired</li>
	<li>scared</li>
	<li>nervous</li>
</ul>

<h1>Learning New Vocabulary with Emojipedia</h1>

<p>One fun way to expand your students&rsquo; vocabulary is through emoji.* ESL&nbsp;Library&rsquo;s guest blogger <a href="http://www.techlearning.com/blogentry/9651">Shelly Terrell</a> recently introduced us to&nbsp;<a href="http://emojipedia.org/" title="Emojipedia">Emojipedia</a>.</p>

<p>Try this follow‑up activity after students complete their photography projects on&nbsp;feelings.</p>

<ol>
	<li>Challenge your students to go to <a href="http://emojipedia.org/">Emojipedia</a> and look up the feeling adjectives they learned in the Photography Project (list above). This can be done in pairs or small&nbsp;groups.</li>
	<li>Tell your students to write down nine new words that they learn during their search (e.g., <em>mad</em> &ndash; <em>pout</em>; <em>surprised</em> &ndash; <em>shocked</em>). This could be a synonym to a word they learned in the list above or a new word found in the&nbsp;definition.</li>
	<li>Ask students to draw a poster of a new emoji that describes one of the new words they learned on Emojipedia. Under the picture, they should write the new word they learned. Try to encourage your students to choose different words from each other. A few duplicates are&nbsp;okay.</li>
	<li>Post your students&rsquo; new emoji around the class or use them as flashcards. For example, during a thunderstorm, test, or year‑end celebration you could ask your students how they are feeling and hold up their cards as&nbsp;prompts.</li>
</ol>

<div class="whiteBox">
<h5>*Note</h5>

<p>The plural of &ldquo;emoji&rdquo; is <em>emoji</em> or <em>emojis</em>. Here is an interesting article about <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/01/whats-the-plural-of-emoji-emojis/422763/">pluralizing Japanese loan&nbsp;words</a>.</p>
</div>

<p><img alt="winking emoji" height="60" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/210/content_winking-emoji.png" width="60" /></p>

<p>Happy Teaching!<br />
Tara</p>

<p>PS. Did you know that the <a href="http://emojipedia.org/twitter/">Twitter Emoji</a> (Twemoji) come with a free license? Thank you to our creative director Robyn for sharing this tip! For ideas on <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/12-ways-to-use-twitter-with-language-learners">how to use Twitter in the classroom</a>, check out another great post by Shelly. And speaking of Twitter and Shelly and emoji, check out <a href="https://twitter.com/ShellTerrell/status/736172491832332288">@ShellTerrell&rsquo;s tweet about an emoji writing activity</a> that you can use with more advanced&nbsp;learners.</p>

<h1>Related</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2414">Feelings</a>: Word Bank</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/120/lessons/2653">Feelings</a>: Artistic Activities</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2496">Adjectives</a>: Fun Grammar Lessons</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/91/lessons/1819">Feelings</a>: Simple Sentences</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons/2381">Emoji</a>: Discussion Starters</li>
	<li class="flashcards"><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/4/flashcard_categories/39">Feelings &amp; Conditions</a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/assessment-tools/resources/2228-exit-slips">Exit Slips</a></li>
</ul>


Using Emoji to Review Feeling Adjectives

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

Grammar & Usage

<p>Are you prepared to be inspired? Kids always end up competing more when the <a href="http://ellii.com/blog/olympics-singular-or-plural/" target="_blank">Olympics is</a> on. They want to jump the highest, sing the loudest, skate the fastest, and stay up the latest. Does this happen in your classroom? Don&rsquo;t be surprised if the Olympic Games inspire your students to aim a little&nbsp;higher!</p>

<h1>Who&rsquo;s the Best?</h1>

<p>Practice <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1607" target="_blank">superlatives</a> with your students after you&rsquo;ve tried this lesson plan. Or if you&rsquo;ve recently introduced superlative adjectives with <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/grammar-usage/resources/2163-superlative-adjectives" target="_blank">Tanya&rsquo;s handy chart</a>, try this fun review activity and consider holding a &ldquo;superlative-inspired&rdquo; Student Olympics at your&nbsp;school.</p>

<p>First, brainstorm all of the Winter Olympic sports. Here is a helpful&nbsp;list:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Skiing (alpine, cross-country, freestyle)</li>
	<li>Biathlon</li>
	<li>Bobsleigh</li>
	<li>Curling</li>
	<li>Figure skating</li>
	<li>Ice Hockey</li>
	<li>Luge</li>
	<li>Nordic combined</li>
	<li>Skeleton</li>
	<li>Ski jumping</li>
	<li>Snowboarding</li>
	<li>Speed skating</li>
</ul>

<p>ESL&nbsp;Library subscribers can use these <a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/7/flashcard_categories/114" target="_blank">Winter Olympic&nbsp;Flashcards</a>.</p>

<p>Next, put your students in small groups and tell them to choose a country to represent. Group members will work together to brainstorm Olympic records, achievements, and moments that the Winter Olympic athletes may achieve at this year&rsquo;s Games. Challenge your students to put their thinking caps on. They should be as imaginative as possible! Each item in their list should contain <strong>a superlative adjective</strong> followed by a <strong>noun</strong>. Students can use the list of Olympic events (above) as inspiration. Provide two or three examples to get your students on the right&nbsp;track:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Highest jumper</li>
	<li>Farthest jump</li>
	<li>Fastest skater</li>
	<li>Cleanest skate</li>
	<li>Longest spin</li>
	<li>Most decorated athlete (won the most&nbsp;medals)</li>
	<li>Toughest goalie</li>
	<li>Prettiest skating outfit</li>
	<li>Biggest smile</li>
	<li>Loudest anthem singer</li>
	<li>Worst fall</li>
	<li>Scariest wipeout</li>
</ul>

<h1>The Superlative Games</h1>

<p>Let the Games begin! After each group has come up with a large list of &ldquo;superlative achievements/moments,&rdquo; invite a representative from each country to stand up and read their ideas out to the class. The other groups must listen and place an X beside any examples that are duplicates on their own lists. (Duplicate examples won&rsquo;t count in the scoring.) At the end of &ldquo;the Games,&rdquo; groups count all of their unique (and correct) examples. You can decide if spelling counts! Which group wins gold? Which group wins silver? Which group wins bronze? (Print large-sized flashcards of the medals from our <a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/7/flashcard_categories/114" target="_blank">Winter Olympics</a> set. Then play the winning group&rsquo;s anthem to make it really&nbsp;fun!)</p>

<p>After the Superlative Games, create a master list of the achievements/moments etc. that your students came up with and pin the list somewhere in your classroom. During (or after) the Winter Olympics, have your students write the names of the athletes who deserve recognition for each Olympic record, achievement, or moment. <em>Which skier jumped the highest? Which bobsledder went the fastest? Which country had the most&nbsp;spirit?</em></p>

<h1>Student Olympics Day</h1>

<p>Finally, consider holding a Student Olympics Day with other classes in your school at some point while the Winter Olympics is on. Put your students in groups or pairs, and have each group come up with an Olympic event to host. The event can be academic or physical, but must contain a&nbsp;superlative.</p>

<h2>Examples:</h2>

<ul>
	<li>Best speller</li>
	<li>Quickest conjugator</li>
	<li>Tallest teacher</li>
	<li>Prettiest photograph</li>
</ul>

<p>Students will <strong>describe</strong> their event. A description will include the <strong>location</strong> of the event (somewhere on the school property) and any <strong>equipment</strong>&nbsp;that will be needed. Any rules or notes about how the winner will be determined should also be discussed and added. Students will write up their description for those who are interested in competing.</p>

<p><img alt="Student Olympics PDF" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/2190/content_Student-Olympics.png" /></p>

<p>Here is a sample <a href="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/attachments/2192/Blog_Student-Olympics.pdf" target="_blank">Olympics Resource</a> template to use. Finally, the group will create a <strong>medal</strong> or certificate for the winner of their&nbsp;event.</p>

<p>Challenge your students to think of a slogan (with superlatives) for their Student Olympic Games. Perhaps they can do better than PyeongChang&rsquo;s motto: &ldquo;Passion.&nbsp;Connected.&rdquo;</p>

<h1>Related</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2532" target="_blank">Superlative Adjectives</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1607" target="_blank">Equative, Comparative &amp; Superlative Adjectives</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1600" target="_blank">Comparatives &amp; Superlatives &ndash; Adjectives &amp; Adverbs</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/90/lessons/1631" target="_blank">Comparative &amp; Superlative Adjective Stories</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2612" target="_blank">Winter Olympics</a> (Word Bank)</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1890" target="_blank">Winter Olympics</a> (Holidays &amp; Events)</li>
	<li class="flashcards"><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/7/flashcard_categories/114" target="_blank">Winter Olympic Flashcards</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/olympics-singular-or-plural/" target="_blank">Olympics: Singular or Plural?</a></li>
</ul>


Practicing Superlatives During the Olympics

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<p>Are your students learning how to alphabetize words or lists? Knowing how to put words and lists in alphabetical order is very useful! Students who know how to alphabetize&nbsp;can:</p>

<ul>
	<li>find words in a print&nbsp;dictionary</li>
	<li>find numbers in a phone&nbsp;book</li>
	<li>find music in a&nbsp;store</li>
	<li>find movies online</li>
	<li>find books in a&nbsp;library</li>
</ul>

<h1>Christmas-Themed Alphabetizing Activities</h1>

<p>Alphabetizing doesn&rsquo;t have to be boring! Why not practice alphabetizing with a theme such as Christmas? (Adjust these activities to whichever theme you are using.) Here are some activities you can try in&nbsp;December:</p>

<h2>Alphabetize the Ornaments</h2>

<p>Does your school have a Christmas tree? Do you have a small fake one you could bring in to class? Gather some ornaments and have your students place them on the tree alphabetically from top to bottom. Alternatively, you could draw a big tree on your board, and have students come to the tree one at a time, drawing ornaments in alphabetical order. You may want to brainstorm a list to work with&nbsp;first:</p>

<ul>
	<li>angel</li>
	<li>ball</li>
	<li>bell</li>
	<li>bow</li>
	<li>candy cane</li>
	<li>garland</li>
	<li>lights</li>
	<li>nutcracker</li>
	<li>reindeer</li>
	<li>snowflake</li>
	<li>star</li>
	<li>wreath</li>
</ul>

<p>You could also use Ellii&#39;s <a href="https://ellii.com/media/flashcards/holidays-events/christmas" target="_blank">Christmas Flashcards</a> for this&nbsp;activity.</p>

<h2>Alphabetize a Wish&nbsp;List</h2>

<p>Invite students to the board to write one thing they want for Christmas. Then put students in groups of elves to alphabetize the list for Santa. Which elves work the quickest? You could also do this on a large piece of paper and tape it to your classroom&nbsp;door.</p>

<h2>Alphabetize Christmas Carols</h2>

<p>Give your students a list of Christmas carols and have them put them in order alphabetically. Then listen to a few Christmas songs and sing along with them.&nbsp;Here are some&nbsp;examples:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Away in a Manger</li>
	<li>Deck the Halls</li>
	<li>Frosty the Snowman</li>
	<li>Happy Christmas</li>
	<li>I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus</li>
	<li>Jingle Bells</li>
	<li>Joy to the World</li>
	<li>Little Drummer Boy</li>
	<li>O Christmas Tree</li>
	<li>Silver Bells</li>
	<li>Sleigh Ride</li>
	<li>White Christmas</li>
</ul>

<h2>Alphabetize Authors of Christmas Books</h2>

<p>Take out some Christmas books from the library and have your students alphabetize them by author. Teach your students that books are alphabetized by the last name of the author. Which group can alphabetize the books the&nbsp;quickest?</p>

<h2>Alphabetize Christmas Movies</h2>

<p>Give your students a list of Christmas movie titles. Have them put the titles in alphabetical order. Whoever finishes first (correctly) gets to choose which one to watch. Remind your learners that articles (a, an, the) are often ignored when putting titles in alphabetical&nbsp;order.</p>

<ul>
	<li><em>A Charlie Brown Christmas</em></li>
	<li><em>A Christmas Carol</em></li>
	<li><em>A Christmas Story</em></li>
	<li><em>Elf</em></li>
	<li><em>Home Alone</em></li>
	<li><em>How the Grinch Stole Christmas</em></li>
	<li><em>Miracle on 34th Street</em></li>
	<li><em>The Polar Express</em></li>
	<li><em>Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer</em></li>
</ul>

<h2>Alphabetize a Christmas To-Do List</h2>

<p>Put your students in groups and have them make a list of things to do before Christmas. Then have groups exchange the lists and put them in alphabetical&nbsp;order.</p>

<ul>
	<li>Bake cookies</li>
	<li>Buy a new dress</li>
	<li>Buy a turkey</li>
	<li>Decorate the tree</li>
	<li>Exchange gifts</li>
	<li>Go to a party</li>
	<li>Mail Christmas cards</li>
	<li>Sing carols</li>
	<li>Wrap presents</li>
	<li>Write to Santa</li>
</ul>

<h1>Tips for Alphabetizing</h1>

<ol>
	<li>First, make sure your students know the alphabet very well. You can use our <a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/23/flashcard_categories/124" target="_blank">Letters Flashcards</a> for&nbsp;practice.</li>
	<li>Next, show students how to group a list of words by first letter. (Here is a fun <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCDYoEm5Ls8" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">video on alphabetizing</a> that you can show, or use the video to see a demonstration of how to teach a lesson on&nbsp;alphabetizing.)</li>
	<li>Now show students how to sort words within each alphabetized group by second letter (in alphabetical order) and third letter (and more if necessary). Explain what to do when two or more words have the same first and second&nbsp;letters.</li>
	<li>Teach students to ignore articles (a, an, the) in titles when alphabetizing lists (such as book or movie&nbsp;titles).</li>
	<li>Talk about when it&rsquo;s useful to put things in alphabetical order (e.g., attendance lists). Talk about the difference between alphabetical order and numerical&nbsp;order.</li>
	<li>When you are sure your students know how to alphabetize, show them how to do it quickly on a computer (using &ldquo;sort&rdquo; or an online tool such as&nbsp;<a href="http://alphabetizer.flap.tv/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Alphabetizer</a>).</li>
</ol>

<h1>Related Materials</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/collections/holidays-events/december-holidays" target="_blank">December Holidays Lesson Collection</a></li>
	<li class="flashcards"><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/23/flashcard_categories/124" target="_blank">Letters Flashcards</a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resources/grammar-usage/2152-the-alphabet" target="_blank">The Alphabet</a></li>
	<li class="flashcards"><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/21/flashcard_categories/20" target="_blank">Christmas Flashcards</a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resources/visual-learning/2185-holiday-idioms-expressions" target="_blank">Holiday Idioms &amp; Expressions</a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resources/warm-ups-fillers/2221-how-to-make-a-paper-snowflake" target="_blank">How to Make a Paper Snowflake</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/english-holiday-idioms-expressions-and-phrases" target="_blank">English Holiday Idioms, Expressions &amp; Other Common Phrases</a></li>
</ul>
