ESL Week 2013 Sample Classroom Activities

Transcription

1 ESL Week 2013 Sample Classroom Activities ESL Week is October 20 to 26. It is a celebration of the role of English as a Second Language instruction. We hope these sample activities will help you find ways to celebrate your profession and the daily efforts involved in teaching and learning English. These sample activities aim to help learners recognize and express the role of ESL instruction in their lives, inspire both learners and instructors to learn about others who teach or learn ESL. Sample Activities ESL Week, p. 2 3 CLB 3+ Write a Story; Interview Classmates... p. 4 CLB 2+ Watch an ESL Week Video... p. 5 CLB 2+ Watch an ESL Week Video... p. 6 CLB 1+ A Thank You Letter... p. 7 CLB 3+ The Best Thing That Happened... p. 8 9 CLB 5+ Learn About English Language Training Programs... p CLB 3+ Write on an ESL Week Blog... p. 12 CLB 2+ Record Your Voice on EnglishVoices.Org... p. 13 CLB 2+ Find Someone Who... p. 14 CLB 2+ Multicultural Toronto!... p. 15 CLB 3+ Instructor notes... p. 16

2 ESL Week, 2013 What is ESL Week? ESL Week is a week to celebrate and appreciate ESL instruction and learning. During ESL Week, people all over Ontario will recognize and appreciate the work of ESL instructors and learners. Who Celebrates ESL Week? ESL week is celebrated in many communities across Ontario. In Toronto, Mayor Rob Ford proclaimed the week of October as ESL Week. Why October 20-26? This year, ESL Week happens during the same week that hundreds of ESL professionals gather in Toronto for the TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) Ontario conference. At the conference, ESL professionals come to Toronto from all over Ontario to participate in presentations to learn more about teaching ESL. How do people celebrate ESL Week? There are many ways to celebrate ESL Week. Some people write a story or give a presentation to share their experience with teaching or learning English. Others have a special meal or party with their class. Others silently appreciate the efforts of the learners in their class, the efforts of their instructor, or the funding the government provides for ESL instruction. Each way of celebrating: shows our appreciation of the role of ESL in our lives. inspires us and others learn more about ESL in Ontario. inspires us to learn more about those who teach or learn ESL. What is a City of Toronto proclamation? A proclamation is a ceremonial document, signed by the Mayor of Toronto. Proclamations are signed by the Mayor to recognize special events or celebrations. ESL Week A proclamation helps Canadians learn about and appreciate: a cause that can help ease suffering (like cancer research) an important service (like ESL education) the cultures of Canadians (like Islamic History Month) 2

3 ESL Week, 2013 (cont.) 1. What do people celebrate during ESL Week? 2. How do people celebrate ESL Week? 3. Find the words on the left in the story on the previous page. Then write the correct letter to match each word to its meaning. 1. recognize a. Be grateful for 2. appreciate b. A planned gathering or meeting to exchange information 3. proclaim c. Show approval for 4. conference d. Encourage 5. inspire e. Formally announce something publicly Choose one of the words above. Use it in a sentence. 4. Do you want to learn more about proclamations? Go to and answer the questions below. a. List four kinds of events the Mayor of Toronto can sign a proclamation for. b. List one reason the Mayor will NOT sign a proclamation. c. Click on 2013 Proclamations (at the top of the webpage). List some October proclamations. d. Is there a proclamation you would like to suggest that relates to your culture? Describe it. 5. How will you or your class celebrate ESL week? 3

4 Write a Story About Learning ESL Share your experiences learning ESL in Ontario. Below are some prompts to help you start writing. Choose one of the prompts to start your story. My ESL class is The best ESL teacher I had was My favourite way to practise English is My ESL class is interesting because My classmates Learning English is or start with your own prompt Do you want to share your story? Give it to your teacher. He or she can post it on the wall so others can read it. Post it on a blog (a blog for ESL learners, your own blog, or a class blog). Interview two of your classmates Names Where are you from? How long have you been studying English in Canada? Think about your favourite English class. What made it your favourite? What do you do at home to help you learn English? 4

5 Watch a Video About ESL Week (see next page for easier questions) Go to In the site search bar, type ESL week. Then click on the Search button. Choose the ESL week video that looks like the one below. Watch the video. 1. Record the seven sentences that appear on the video. a. We re different. e. b. f. c. g. d. 2. List some of the countries the students came from. 3. List some of the things the students like. 4. What do you think of this video? Write your answer. Then, if you want to, type your answer in the comment box under the YouTube video. Discuss in groups. 1. Who made this video? Why was it made? What did you like about this video? What does the video say you should do to celebrate ESL Week? Do you agree this is a good way to celebrate ESL Week? Why? 4. Would you like to make a video like this of your class? In small groups, brainstorm some ideas (like making a video or a poster) of how you can tell others about the different people in your class. 5

6 Watch a Video About ESL Week 1. Watch the ESL Week video on YouTube. Fill in the blanks as you listen. Pause the video if you want. a. Hong Kong k. b. l. c. Half Japanese, half English m. China d. n. e. China o. Vietnamese f. Part Trinidad, part Guyanese p. Philippines g. p. h. South Korea r. China i. s. j. Half Jamaican, half Canadian t. 2. Watch the video. Fill in the blanks as you listen to the first few students. Pause the video if you need to. Then match the sentences to the pictures. a. I have an interest in sports. b. I like to. c. I love. d. I like. e. I like. f. I. Interview Two Classmates Ask them where they are from and what they like. Be prepared to tell the rest of the class where your classmates are from and one thing they like. 6

7 A Thank You Letter from Ali to his instructor My name is Ali, and I have been a student at Eglinton LINC for the past year. I am writing this letter to thank you and your colleagues for providing such services and facilities for newcomers to Canada. Your school has provided me information on Canadian culture and living and an opportunity to read, write and speak English. I also appreciate the special guests such as police officers, reporters, and fire fighters. The instructors for each level have been great, especially the current one. Activities such as short trips, visiting museums, and restaurants are great additions to the program. Your school has helped me and other students to pass job interviews in order to be successful in our society. In return, I am thankful for all your help in achieving our goals, hoping to continue our progress through the LINC program at your school. Answer the questions. 1. Find and write the word in Ali s letter that means: a. people you work with b. happening in the present time c. the building that provides a service d. a chance (that can lead to a positive outcome) e. to be grateful for f. also means for example g. also means accomplishing 2. What does Ali like about his school? 3. Which activities does Ali think are great additions to his English class? 4. Imagine you are writing a letter to your ESL centre or an instructor. What would you be thankful for? In groups, brainstorm things you like about your school or instructor. Then write a letter. 7

8 The! Best Thing That Happened to Me in Canada! by Afarin I first landed in Canada in August I had no idea about challenges an internationally trained ESL teacher might face in Canada. I came to Canada with over 12 years experience in teaching English, a Masters degree and a certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language. Prior to landing, I had planned to work as an English instructor. However, very soon I found out that I would not be able to teach English if I didn t have a Canadian credential. I was quite discouraged and frustrated to realize that my previous credentials and teaching experience would not work in my new country. Like all newcomers, I was searching for information at immigration agencies. I was advised by a settlement worker to attend an ELT (enhanced language training) course for administration since I had a good command of English. I attended the ELT course for administration only two weeks after coming to Canada. At first it was interesting to learn a lot about Canada and its competitive job market, but little by little I got bored and even more disappointed to discover that the administrative profession was not really my favourite kind of job. I realized I was not ready to change my career as I was deeply in love with my English teaching career. I was searching for information on the Internet, when I found an ELT course for internationally educated instructors. It was extremely unbelievable for me then as I had been told that non native speakers have no chance of teaching English in Canada. I had found a course just for internationally trained ESL instructors! I called the number the next day, and two days later I met the program coordinator. She smiled at me and said this course would help get my previous credentials to work for me. I really had no clue what she was talking about until I started the course. ELT for internationally trained ESL instructors was the best thing that has ever happened to me since I came to Canada. It helped me to achieve my dream of teaching English in Canada the dream I had before coming to Canada! Discuss the questions. 1. What is the main idea of paragraph 1? 2. What problem does Afarin present in paragraph 1? 3. Did you experience this problem when you came to Canada? Share your experience. 4. What was the best thing that happened to Afarin in Canada? What was the best thing that happened to you in Canada? 8

9 5. What happens to Afarin in paragraph 2? Use transition phrases such as first, then, after a while to describe what she experienced. 6. Who does Afarin get advice from, and what kind of advice does she get? 7. Have you ever spoken to a settlement counsellor (an ISAP counsellor)? Describe your experience. Describe how you could contact a settlement counsellor for advice. 8. In paragraph 2, find and write the words in Afarin s story that mean: a. Former e. Person who helps newcomers b. A recent arrival f. Proof of a qualification c. Skill or knowledge of a subject g. Disheartened d. Person responsible for the administration of a program or organization h. A language training program for internationally trained newcomers (at CLB 7 10) who want to get a job in their chosen profession, but need to improve their English to do so. 9. Read Afarin s full story, and other learner stories on the Toronto Catholic District School Board website. Go to Move your cursor over About Us. Click on Success Stories from the drop down menu. Click on the picture to view the e magazine. Read one of the stories. Re tell this story to others. 10. Do you want to learn more about language training programs that focus on getting you ready for specific occupations? These programs are mostly for newcomers who have training in their occupation from another country, and have about CLB 6 level of language proficiency. OSLT (Occupation Specific Language Training): oslt.org ELT (Enhanced Language Training): ELT.html (scroll down the webpage to find out what kind of program each provider offers) SLT programs: On the home page, type specialized language training in the site search bar. Bridging programs: Click on Working from the left column. Then click on Bridge Training Programs. 9

10 Learn About Ontario s Language Training Programs LEARN SPEAK LIVE is a phone service and a website that helps you find English classes in your area. It is for people who live in Toronto, Peel Region, Simcoe County and York Region. When you call, you can even get help in your language. Toronto: Go to 1. What is the URL of this website? 2. On the home page, along the top of the website there is a navigation bar. Name the four titles on the navigation bar. The first one is Home. Home 3. Click on Language Training on the navigation bar. List the five acronyms that appear in the middle column of the web page. Beside each acronym, write the words the acronym stands for. The first acronym is listed for you. LINC 4. Click on LINC. Scroll down the web page to find the heading WHO CAN TAKE LINC CLASSES? Who can take LINC classes? (list two criteria). 5. Who cannot take LINC classes? (List three criteria). 6. Click on ESL. Scroll down the web page to find the heading WHO CAN TAKE ESL CLASSES? Who can take ESL classes? (list three criteria). 7. How is the eligibility for LINC classes different than the eligibility for ESL classes? 10

11 (cont.) 8. Match the following website terms with their meanings. These terms are bolded on the previous page. 1. navigation bar a. A single page of information on the World Wide Web. 2. URL b. To use your mouse to make the text on a computer screen move up or down. 3. acronym c. The first page of a website. 4. scroll down d. Qualified to be chosen. 5. eligibility e. The address of a web page on the World Wide Web 6. web page f. A word that is made from the first letter of each word in a name. 7. home page g. A series of links that lead you to other pages on a website. In small groups 9. In small groups, use the Learn Speak Live website to learn more about LINC Home study, ELT or OSLT. Which did you choose? 10. Try to answer these questions about your choice: a) What are these classes? b) Do these classes have childcare? c) Who is eligible for these classes? d) How can you find out where these classes are? 11. Present your findings to the class. Call the Learn Speak Live phone service 12. Call the LEARN SPEAK LIVE phone service. Make sure you have a question you want to ask. Describe to the class what happened when you called. 11

12 Share Your Thoughts On an ESL Week Blog What is a blog? A blog is a kind of website that is like a diary or a journal. A regular journal or diary is usually private; but a blog is different because it is shared. Other people can see it and write comments about it. Why is it called a blog? The word blog is actually a short form of the longer word weblog. Weblog is a compound word. It combines the word web and log. The word web is a short form of World Wide Web. The word log means a written record of events. My Blog What are blog posts and blog comments? A blog post is a message the author puts on his/her blog. Each post will show a date. The blog author can post as many times as she/he likes. For each post, many blogs will allow readers to comment. A blog comment is a reader s written reaction to a post. Go to this ESLWeek blog. It is a simple blog, with only two posts. One post is an ESL Week video from YouTube. The other post is a message asking people to write something about their experience teaching or learning English. To read the comments, click on the word comments, beneath the post. Answer the questions about the blog. 1. Find the date of each post on the ESL Week blog. When was each post posted? How many comments are under the video post? Describe one or two of the comments (you will need to click on the word comment to see the comments). 4. How many comments are there under the second post ESL Week 2010 is October 24 to 30 post? 5. Who wrote the first comment, and what does the writer say? (hint: you will need to click on the word comment to see the comments). 6. Write a comment on the blog about your experience teaching or learning English. Write in the Post a Comment box. Then click on Post Comment. 12

13 Record Your Thoughts on EnglishVoices.org English Voices is a website developed by Randall Davis. Randall has developed many websites that help people learn English. He created this website so English language learners all over the world could share their thoughts and practice listening and speaking English. Here s how it works. go to On the home page, scroll down. You will see several topics. A good topic for ESL Week is Personal Introductions. Tell Us About Yourself. Another good topic is Language Learning Secrets: What Are They?. Click on the topic Introductions. Here is what you will see. Click on any of these pictures. You will hear different people introduce themselves. Click on comment. Then click on record to record your voice so you can introduce yourself, too. Answer the questions. 1. Listen to the voices on EnglishVoices. Tell about the different people you listened to on EnglishVoices. 2. Do you think you will use this website to practice listening to English? Why? 3. Record a message on EnglishVoices. Describe to the class what happened. 4. In small groups, make a flyer or poster to share information about this website with others. 13

14 Find Someone Who Talk to your classmates to find someone with these characteristics. Write the person s name and one detail related to that characteristic. Find someone who Name and one detail Has been taking English classes for more than two years. Arush. He s been in English classes for 3 years. Has been taking English classes for less than one year. Is taking an English class for the first time in Canada. Can give you a tip for learning English. Speaks the same language as you (but not English). Used to be a teacher in another country. Used to work with children in another country. Wants to go to college in Canada. Has a pet. Speaks more than three languages. Studied English in another country. Has a favourite food that you have never heard of. Can share a favourite website he/she uses to learn English. 14

15 Multicultural Toronto ESL Week is a good time to celebrate the cultural diversity of the people who live in Toronto. Toronto is the most multicultural city in Canada! Almost half of its population was born in another country and first earned a language other than English or French. Mother tongue language, 2011 Per cent of Toronto s population Per cent of Toronto s population In Toronto In all of Ontario English... 53% English... 70% French... 1% French... 4% Other languages... 46% Other languages... 26% Discuss the questions. 1. Did any of the figures in the data tables surprise you? What did you find surprising? 2. These figures are from the 2011 census of population. Canada has a census every five years. The next census will happen in How do you think the figures will change in 2016? Give reasons for your predictions. 3. How do you think that being multicultural makes Toronto a great city? 4. Visit the Statistics Canada census webpage: www12.statcan.gc.ca/census recensement/index eng.cfm Select the Toronto Census Profile to view more statistics about Toronto s population. Write about three interesting facts you learned about Toronto s population. Data from: Statistics Canada 2011 Census Profile: Toronto www12.statcan.gc.ca/census recensement/index eng.cfm 15

16 Instructor Notes ESL Week, 2013 (from p. 2 3) Answers: 3. 1 c; 2 1; 3 e; 4 b; 5 d; 4. a. public awareness, charitable fundraising, arts and cultural celebrations, special honours; b) any of: matters of controversial, ideological or religious beliefs, events with no direct relationship to the City, events contrary to City policies, national days OR profit making events. c. several events are listed for October 2013; learners can list any of them. Watch A Video About ESL Week (from page 5) Answers: 1. a. We re different; b. We re unique; c. We re special; d. We re the same; e. We live in Canada; f. This week is ESL week; g. Learn something new about other people s cultures. Note: This video is also posted on Watch A Video About ESL Week (from page 6) Answers: 1. b. China; d. Philippines; g. Chinese; i. United States; k. Malaysia; l. Half Greek, half English; n.canada; p. Hong Kong; s.scarborough; t. Bangladesh A Thank You Letter (from page 7) Answers: 1. a. colleague; b. current; c. facilities; d. opportunity; e. appreciate; f. such as; g. achieving Extension Activity: Encourage learners to write their own letter or experience with learning ESL. The Best Thing that Happened to Me in Canada (from page 8 9) Answers: 1. the challenge of being an internationally trained language teacher in Canada. 2. She cannot teach English in Canada without Canadian credentials. 4. The ELT course for internationally trained ESL teachers; 6. Provide learners with instructions on how to contact an ISAP counsellor 8. a. previous; b. newcomer; c. command; d. coordinator; e. settlement counsellor; f. credential; g. discouraged; h. ELT program 10. This activity could be conducted as a research activity, where interested learners choose one kind of program to research, then inform their classmates about it in a presentation. Learn About Ontario s English Language Training Programs (from page 10 11) Answers: Home, language training, newcomer services, resources, contact us; 3. LINC, ESL, ELT, LTW, OSLT; 4, 18+, permanent resident or PR applicant with letter of approval OR landed immigrant OR convention refugee; 5. Canadian citizen, refugee claimant, temporary resident; , Canadian citizen OR permanent resident OR PR applicant with letter of approval OR landed immigrant OR convention refugee OR refugee claimant OR temporary resident. 7. ESL programs accept Canadian citizens, refugee claimants, and temporary residents g; 2 e; 3 f; 4 b; 5 d, 6 a; 7 c. Write on an ESL Week Blog (from page 12) Extension: Explore the idea and interest of learners in setting up their own blog or a class blog. Use or to set up a free blog. Multicultural Toronto (from page 15) Introduce the activity: Introduce the activity by having learners predict the figures (e.g., ask them about what percent of Toronto s population do you think were born in Canada? ) before they read about the actual figures. Extension activities: Statistics Canada produced a classroom ready 2006 Census Results Teacher s Kit (there is not a 2011 Teacher s Kit), available at: 16