Teaching tips, straight from the classroom
Vocabulary strategies, grammar tricks, and reading activities for ESL teachers, parents, and learners.
ESL Flashcard Games That Get Young Learners Using Words, Not Just Repeating Them
Twenty children chant "giraffe!" and ten minutes later nobody can name it. Here's how to turn the same cards into real recall.
How to Teach a Mixed-Level ESL Class Without Planning Three Different Lessons
One student is still on "my name is", another finishes everything in eight minutes. You don't need three lesson plans to reach both.
Why ESL Students Mix Up Am, Is and Are (And How to Fix It)
"She am happy." "They is playing." Here's why am, is and are trip up ESL students long after they know the rule, and how to fix it.
How to Fix Subject-Verb Agreement Mistakes Like "He Go" Instead of "He Goes"
Your students know the rule. They still say "he go" under pressure. Here's why the -s disappears, and what actually makes it stick.
Why Folktales From Other Cultures Make Great ESL Reading Practice
A story about a fox that turns into a girl at midnight gets a reluctant reader's attention faster than any levelled passage. Here's how to use one well.
Why ESL Students Get Maths Word Problems Wrong (Even When They Know the Maths)
Your ESL students can add and subtract just fine, so why do word problems trip them up? Nine times out of ten, it's the sentence, not the sum.
How to Teach ESL Students to Stop Writing Choppy Sentences
Short. Simple. Safe. Here's why ESL writers stick to three-word sentences — and the exercises that get them combining ideas with confidence.
How to Run a Reader's Theater Script in Your ESL Classroom (Step-by-Step)
You've printed the script and handed out the parts. Here's what to do before students read, and after they finish.
How to Practise Sight Words at Home (No Teaching Background Needed)
Your child brings home a list of sight words and you have no idea where to start. Here's a five-minute routine that actually works, no lesson planning required.
Why ESL Students Mix Up "He" and "She" (And How to Fix It)
It isn't carelessness. For learners whose first language has one pronoun for both, English is asking them to build a habit from scratch.
How to Get Shy ESL Students Talking (Without Cold-Calling Them)
Cold-calling a silent classroom rarely works. A lower-stakes structure — pick a question, think first, talk in pairs — gets far more students speaking.
How to Teach Possessive Apostrophes to ESL Students (Without the Confusion)
Apostrophes look small but the mistakes are loud. Teach the one rule that clears up dog's, dogs', and the it's/its trap for good.
How to Teach ESL Students to Use Context Clues Instead of Guessing
Skipping unknown words breaks comprehension. Teach the four-step routine that keeps ESL readers moving instead of stalling on unfamiliar words.
Why ESL Students Skip Articles Like "A" and "The" (And How to Fix It)
Missing articles aren't carelessness — they're a grammar gap some languages don't have. Here's how to close it.
How to Help Your Child Practise Blends at Home (No Teaching Background Needed)
Your child brought home a blends worksheet and you don't know where to start. Here's exactly what to do — no teaching background required.
How to Motivate Reluctant ESL Readers With Reader's Theatre
The same student who mumbles through cold reading often reads the same lines with real confidence once they get to rehearse first.
How to Teach ESL Vocabulary So It Actually Sticks (Not Just Gets Recognised)
Students can define a word on a quiz and still freeze mid-sentence. Here is why passive and active vocabulary are different skills.
Why ESL Students Keep Mixing Up "In", "On" and "At" (And How to Fix It)
Explaining why we say "in April" but "on Monday" isn't easy. Here's a rule-based approach that finally makes prepositions click.
How to Teach Sight Words to Struggling Readers (Without More Flashcards)
Flashcard drilling isn't working. Here's why sight words trip up ESL learners specifically — and five techniques that actually stick.