Author Archives: rebecca

About the Paper

NotebookAmerican paper is short and fat.  The dimensions of regular old US Letter sized copy paper are 8 1/2 x 11 inches.  That’s a quarter inch shorter and two-thirds of an inch wider than the paper that comes out of every copy machine in the rest of the world: A4 standard sized paper.  Cut it in half and it’s called A5.  Half of that is A6 and so on.  It’s pretty hard to find A4 paper in America, and equally hard to find US Letter in European shops.  With this information, you can conclude that your folders, binders and papers will not be compatible with the office supplies overseas.

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Tips for correcting students during the lesson

People are sensitive and easily discouraged, so when a teacher hears a mistake and corrects the student immediately, it could serve to annoy or embarrass the student.  Here are two ways to minimize damage to fragile egos:

1.  Delayed correction

Introduce a speaking activity, have a bit of discussion, and hand out the role cards to the participants.  Tell them to read their role card, and give them a minute to write some notes or think of what to say.  Signal for them to start talking when they look ready. Continue reading

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Need worksheets?

Cover 1Teachers know that parents want to be part of their child’s learning experience, and many children like to collect things from their English lesson. This series of worksheets and flashcards are perfect for the ESL classroom. The flashcards are a vital part of the lesson, being introduced at the start of each hour, and used for games and quizzes. A short coloring activity is also a great way to calm the children and reinforce vocabulary. My little students took great pride in coloring their picture sheets and their parents were happy to have a way to practice what they’ve learned. When collected in a folder or binder, the Picture Dictionary can be a nice reference tool for young learners. Continue reading

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Need students?

TableChairs1

To all freelance English teachers in and around Hannover, Germany:

Let’s get to the point: you need more students.  I left all 75 of my students behind when I moved back to America, and every week I have to turn away new people who still contact me through the website www.hannover-englisch.de, and that makes everyone feel sad.

To get your own page on the Hannover site, e-mail me the following:

– A high-resolution photo of your most teacherly self Continue reading

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