Southern Ontario Cooperative of ESL Ministries
In October we asked some experienced ESL teachers who are part of SOCEM to share the resources they have been using or would recommend that will help students improve their pronunciation. Several teachers responded. We want to share our compilation because it will probably be of use to many others. Here is what the teachers […]
By Jennifer Tong Since the pandemic I have been using wordless picture books, or picture sequences, to teach a mid/high beginner on the phone. Wordless picture books are a sequence of pictures (say 15-25) that tell a story without words. Our lessons consist of telling the story in these books in English. We have found […]
What are the Biblical foundations for an ESL ministry? Perhaps you have considered them in one of our training sessions. At the start of another busy year of teaching and ministry, let us remind ourselves of these important questions: (1) We often think of ESL ministry as missional outreach. The foundation for mission is a […]
Did you know that in Canada, over a third of the overall older population are senior immigrants? Did you know that nearly two in three seniors in the Greater Toronto Area are immigrants? These older immigrants show up in many of our ESL classes. They can be visitors, recent immigrants, or longer term immigrants. Many […]
By Sarah Kim and Inji Kim from Pluscope (pluscope.com) Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request. (1 Chronicles 4:10) Pluscope […]
Will your online or in-person ESL program continue throughout the summer? If so, here are some resources related to themes about summer. There may be opportunities to go on outings with your students; you may talk about travel; and it may still be good to talk with your students about summer in Canada, Canada Day, […]
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 […]
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) […]
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 […]