Southern Ontario Cooperative of ESL Ministries
By Linda Reed Most of us don’t realize we’ve signed up to teach grammar when we sign up to teach English. We often just love Internationals, and perhaps teaching. We feel called and we care. But, clarifying the words that form contractions, conjunctions, or consonant pronunciation—we’re often not so sure. What if we could provide […]
By Jennifer Tong* Even though we just heard that we are entering a ‘sixth wave’ of the pandemic, the Ontario government has stuck to its policies of lifting public health restrictions and re-opening the economy. We may be leaving the acute or emergency phase of the pandemic. Many ESL classes, which have changed to an […]
By CY Yan A seemingly never-ending pandemic, the tearful exodus of thousands upon thousands from Hong Kong, the helpless cries of the oppressed in Myanmar, the desperation of those fleeing Afghanistan, and – most recently – the harrowing images from amid the heartless invasion of Ukraine by a super-power… ! Faced with such uncertainties and […]
Valentine’s Day: Love and Valentine’s Day lessons (The Virtues series) (readings, including from the Bible; discussion questions, quotes and other activities) http://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/valentinesday.pdf (excellent reading on the history and customs of Valentine’s Day, with glossary) http://www.eslholidaylessons.com/02/valentines_day.pdf (a reading with lots of accompanying activities) http://iteslj.org/questions/valentine.html (Valentine’s Day conversation questions) http://bogglesworldesl.com/valentines_day_worksheets.htm (vocabulary and writing activities for lower level) […]
Modality: Using Modal Verbs like ‘Can’, ‘Should’, ‘Would’, etc.Presented by Lydia Mountney Thursday, Feb 24, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. (EST) This webinar is recognized for 1 PD hour by TESL Ontario.Registration closes February 21, 2022 Description: A: I might bring a mask… B: Yeah, I think you should. I had to wear one when I […]
By Allan Pole D.L. Moody led many people to Jesus, yet he never displayed the pompous air of self-importance that so many famous evangelists did in that era. He was a tolerant, understanding man who rarely criticized others. One of his famous sayings was, “Right now I’m having so much trouble with D.L. Moody that […]
By Jennifer Tong In our online ESL class for Upper-Intermediate to Advanced students, we have been discussing movies since last year. First, we agree on a movie. Then we watch that movie in our spare time before the class. When we come together for a class, we discuss the themes and content of the movie. […]
By Mary-Jane Davison When the spring 2020 pandemic arrived, “Learn English, Make Friends” (LEMF), an outreach program of WMB Church in Waterloo, moved from the community centre to an online format. Almost two years later, the online English conversation circle has shown significant benefits and unforeseen opportunities. Not only has the online circle continued to […]
On October 30, 2021, SOCEM held its annual training conference, Gathering XVII. It was the first time we held an online conference, and we welcomed close to 50 participants not only from throughout Southern Ontario, but also from other provinces. Thanks to technology such as Zoom, we were able to accommodate participants from Alberta, B.C., […]
By Jennifer Tong If you live in Ontario, you probably remember the big ice storm of 2013. It was a few days before Christmas. For many, the memories included being forced to leave their homes and stay elsewhere. It was difficult, a struggle. We then had a taste of being ‘displaced persons’, forced to leave […]