One effective method is to choose stories that are relevant to the students' interests. For example, if they like sports, use a story about an athlete. This grabs their attention. Another is to use pictures or props related to the story. It helps visual learners better understand the plot and new vocabulary.
Firstly, make sure the stories have a clear moral or lesson. Middle school students are at an age where they can start to understand deeper meanings. You can then have group discussions based on the story's moral. For instance, if the story is about kindness, discuss how kindness can be shown in different situations. Additionally, get the students involved in creating their own stories based on the ones they've read. This promotes creativity and further language development.
They are cost - free. Teachers can save money on teaching materials. Also, they can be easily printed and distributed to students, which is very convenient.
Well, there are horror stories about cultural misunderstandings. For instance, the teaching style that might work well in Western countries could be completely misinterpreted in Korea. Teachers might be too direct or casual in their teaching approach according to the local standards, and this can lead to conflicts with students or parents. Also, some teachers have horror stories about the long working hours. They might be expected to work extra hours without proper compensation, like staying late to help students with exams or prepare teaching materials.
Teaching ESL through stories promotes better language retention. Because the language is presented in a narrative form, students are more likely to recall the words and phrases. They can relate the language to the events and characters in the story, and this connection aids in long - term memory of the language.
Stories are great for teaching ESL because they are memorable. Students are more likely to remember new words and grammar when they are part of an interesting story. Also, stories can introduce cultural elements, which is important for language learning. For instance, a folktale from an English - speaking country can teach about the local culture and values.
Firstly, do thorough research on the school before signing a contract. Check online reviews and talk to former teachers if possible. For example, on ESL teaching forums, there are often threads about different schools in Korea. Secondly, make sure the contract is very clear about salary, working hours, and living arrangements. If it's not, ask for clarifications. Thirdly, try to learn about the local culture and teaching norms as much as possible before starting to teach. This can prevent a lot of cultural misunderstandings.
One common theme is miscommunication. For example, the teacher may use a term or concept that is easily misunderstood by students due to cultural or language differences.
One of the funniest was when teaching body parts. I asked a student to point to his nose. Instead, he pointed to his ear and then his eye, and finally his nose while giggling. Another time was during a pronunciation lesson. A student mispronounced 'banana' as 'bah - nah - nah' in the most comical way.
Easy ESL Christmas stories can also be used for role - playing activities. For example, students can act out the characters in the story, which helps them practice speaking and using English in a fun way. Teachers can also ask students to write their own endings to these stories, which is great for writing skills development. Moreover, these stories can be used to introduce Christmas culture to ESL students, including traditions like decorating Christmas trees, leaving cookies for Santa, etc.