Southern Ontario Cooperative of ESL Ministries
By Carey Jo Johnston The need for ESL ministries is growing in Canada as the number of newcomers increases each year. More Christians and Churches are realizing that they have an amazing opportunity to share the love of Jesus with newcomers through ESL ministry. Sometimes trying to start and keep an ESL ministry going seems […]
By Mary-Jane Davison Fight4Freedom (F4F) is a Christian ministry that outreaches to and journeys with individuals impacted by the sex industry and trafficking. F4F outreach teams visit locations known to have sex industry activities and seek to build relationships with the individuals at those locations. When they express interest to receive support and/or would like […]
Joyce always goes to class on time. She is the only one who is there on the snowy evenings in winter. She is shy and never speaks much during the class. Sometimes she writes down new words and looks them up in the dictionary at home. She likes grammar exercises, but she does not like […]
In the Fall of 2022, some of you participated in a survey for volunteers working in church-based ESL programs. A summary of the result was published in The ESL Link Volume 14.1 in February 2023. The author of the survey, Gordon Moulden, has written an article based on this survey with additional information. The article […]
By Allan Pole We want to help new Canadians communicate in English so that they can thrive in a community. We do this by establishing common ground, where our lives intersect, and we recognize we are alike in more ways than might first appear. The Latin word “communis” and the Old French word form “comun” […]
Christian Content General Easter Content Beginners’ level Conversation questions Readings North American cultural stories to do with Easter (good as warm-ups or lead-ins to Easter story) Miscellaneous Other Good Friday handouts Easter card
By Jennifer Tong If we google <small talk ESL>, we will easily get different lesson plans or ideas to teach our students ‘small talk’. There is a lot to say about making small talk as a kind of English function, that is to say, a purposeful exchange for particular situations (for example, giving compliments, interrupting, […]
By Lorna Tatomir, Literacy and Evangelism Canada Strolling down the streets of downtown Leamington on a Friday afternoon, you’ll notice shops full of luggage, running shoes, lineups of Mexican and Caribbean workers at the banks and grocery stores. Spanish/English signs, multiple Taco-serving restaurants and a hum of Spanish language and music brighten the main street. […]
By Nancy Kingdon INTRODUCTION On October 28, 2023, fifteen participants shared their collective wisdom, as they discussed their top three student learning needs, plus their top four ESL teaching issues. Participants were surveyed ahead of time by Nancy Kingdon, with survey results noted below. SUMMARY of what you told me were your top STUDENT LEARNING […]
By Albert Janzen Although peaceful coexistence between Canadians and newcomers to Canada is a wonderful thing, there is potential for much more than that to upgrade the welcome mat that Canada puts out to help newcomers become woven into our multicultural fabric. I am not just thinking of the most recent arrivals but also about […]