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ESL Lessons Holidays Seasonal Uncategorized

Good Ideas for Celebrating Christmas with Your Students

Christmas is fast coming and many of us have started thinking about Christmas special activities with our students. Here are some ideas collected from different churches in the past, as well as some fresh ideas. If you pause and think, ideas can be endless. Might you send your ideas to us at eslministries@gmail.com? Remember that […]

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ESL Lessons Holidays

Christmas and New Year ESL Resources

Check out the rich Christmas resources on our SOCEM site including Christmas lessons from the Virtues series and the Conversation Guides: https://eslministries.org/resources/teaching-materials/seasonal-resources/ An excellent reading about the North American Christmas traditions, with a glossary: http://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/christmasday.pdf Christmas traditions around the world; good for starting conversations with students: http://www.whychristmas.com/cultures/ http://www.santas.net/aroundtheworld.htm https://www.whychristmas.com/customs/ Stories behind favourite Christmas carols and […]

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Devotional

Peace in the Midst

By Mary Ellen Tierney “Peace.” I hear God whisper. “How can I have peace when there is so much to do and COVID is swirling around?” I shout back, inside. “Peace.” He whispers again. The word “peace” is everywhere in the account of Jesus’ birth (the actual word itself, and implicitly in the angels telling […]

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ESL Program Ideas Holidays Seasonal

Ideas for celebrating Christmas with our ESL students under COVID

We asked the ESL teachers within our circles what they are planning to do this year with their students for Christmas. Since we’re under COVID, and some of us in lockdown, many in-person activities cannot be done. We need to be creative in finding new ways. Here is what some of them said: Latin American […]

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Holidays Seasonal

Christmas and New Year ESL Resources

Check out the rich Christmas resources on our SOCEM site including Christmas lessons from the Virtues series and the Conversation Guides: An excellent reading about the North American Christmas traditions, with a glossary: Christmas traditions around the world; good for starting conversations with students: Stories behind favourite Christmas carols and hymns: A Christmas story from […]

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ESL Program Ideas Resources

Overwhelmed. Now to Him Who Is Able…

By Linda Reed Editor’s Note: While Christmas 2019 is behind us, some of us still look back with nostalgia. Further, there may be lessons from Christmas that can apply throughout the year. We are publishing this Christmas-related article now because it may encourage and edify us in our ministries throughout the year. Sometimes ministry is […]

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Devotional Holidays Seasonal

A Christmas Eve Story

Abridged by Colin Brewster There was a man. He was a kind, and mostly good man. He was generous to his family, and honest in his dealings with others, but each year when Christmas came along, he had a problem. He just couldn’t accept the Christmas story.  “I’m really sorry to upset you”, he told […]

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ESL Lessons Holidays Seasonal

Christmas and New Year Resources

Check out the rich Christmas resources on our SOCEM site including Christmas lessons from the Virtues series and the Conversation Guides: https://eslministries.org/resources/teaching-materials/seasonal-resources/ An excellent reading about the North American Christmas traditions, with a glossary: http://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/christmasday.pdf Christmas traditions around the world; good for starting conversations with students: http://www.whychristmas.com/cultures/ http://www.santas.net/aroundtheworld.htm https://www.whychristmas.com/customs/ Stories behind favourite Christmas carols and […]

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ESL Program Ideas Holidays Seasonal

Helping Interpret Christmas

By Marion Chang Imagine that you are a tourist visiting Canada for the very first time during this holiday season. You see coloured lights on houses and gaudily festive store windows as you tour the city streets. There also seems to be a large, bearded, old man in a red uniform all over the media. […]

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ESL Lessons Holidays Seasonal

Seasonal, Secular, Sacred Christmas*

By Mary Cummins What is Christmas? In many places in the world, Christmas is probably the most popular holiday in the year, especially for Christians. It is very nostalgic for many people—the sights, the sounds, the smells and time spent with family and friends. Since Canada is in the Northern Hemisphere, Christmas comes in the […]