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Do you have a dynamite lesson that you’d like to share? Have you successfully integrated technology into your classroom? Download the Share a Lesson Template and email it back to us at teslkingston@gmail.com in order to have your lesson posted here. And give us feedback in the comment box below if you’ve used one of the lessons from this page.

A Lesson in Literacy
Jeremy Deline, who teaches at Fulford Academy in Brockville, has based his Literacy Lesson on the Ray Bradbury short story “A Sound of Thunder”. He chose this story because it’s short, widely available, and very commonly used in grade 9 or 10 ESL classes. In addition, he has always liked the fact that different language forms are a key plot element. This lesson is intended for L2 learners who are13-15 years old and at a high level of language production.

How to Tease Your Students’ Brains
David Chau, an adult EAP/ESL instructor at St. Lawrence College, likes to start off his classes with warm-ups that give the brain a workout. By virtue of its neuroplasticity, the brain can forge new pathways when presented with conundrums that require thinking outside of the box, which in turn may enhance language learning ability. David has provided examples of different types of Brain Teasers for all levels of learners, as well as links to sites where more can be found.

Introduction to Ecosystems
Victoria Renner is a Math/Science teacher at Fulford Academy in Brockville. She is TESL certified and also has her ESL ABQ Part 1. The lesson she shares here works well for students taking the ecosystems unit as part of the Grade 9 science curriculum. Students are typically 13 to 15 years old. It can also be used in whole or in part to teach the Grade 7 ecosystems unit (for ages 11-13). Victoria uses this lesson in her ESL Math/Science class, which focuses mainly on learners between Levels 1 and 3, although it may include Levels 4 and 5. Because students work together, those at Level 2 or Level 3 help Level 1 learners, who can still be active participants and feel successful.

Lesson Overview and Objectives: The student will learn what animals need to survive (water, food and shelter), how populations change in response to their environment, how to model population changes, how to understand carrying capacity, and how to analyze predator-prey relationships.

A Technique for Teaching the Dolch Words
Sharon Cathcart taught adult ESL literacy for more than 20 years in Thornhill and Belleville. She is currently teaching CLB 1-3 in a LINC/ESL program at Loyola School of Adult and Continuing Education in Belleville. Sharon has used Dolch words mini flashcards with her ESL literacy students. The activity she describes allows students to practise their reading recognition skills independently. The flashcards are small enough that they fit into a pocket or wallet. She encourages students to take them out and read them every time they have a spare moment; for example, while waiting at a bus stop or for an appointment, during a commercial, or when watching TV. Students work on one set at a time, and don’t receive the next set until they can flip through the first one, reading quickly and without hesitation. Included are a flashcard template and an assessment record sheet.\