07.05.2010 13:15

Teaching tip: English outside the classroom

Here are some ideas to show your students how much English is around them and to offer them possibilities for practising:

● Langenscheidt Internet site

http://www.langenscheidt-unterrichtsportal.de/internet_tasks_332.html

Remind your students that here they will find links for Internet tasks from their coursebooks as well as some website links where they can find interesting information about the English-speaking world.

● Readers

Your students can enjoy English books, according to their level. Since Readers have been simplified for learners of English, from beginner level (with 300 different words), they can introduce students to a very enjoyable skill. Why not encourage your students to read a book in their spare time? They might want to then give a little five minute presentation to the class on what they have read.

You can find some interesting Readers in this month’s News section. Just click on:

● Adverts

English is used a lot in adverts which are often quite easy to understand. Ask your students to write down some English advert slogans that they’ve seen and to try to translate them into German. 

● Car registration numbers

Encourage your students to use the time they are walking along a road or sitting on a bus by saying car registration numbers to themselves – in English, of course! It’s an easy way to practise the alphabet and the numbers. 

● Shopping list

The next time your students go shopping, they could write their list in English. Encourage them to use their dictionary to find the English words for the things they need, and they can always write the German words next to them, just in case. Although it would be more fun to try to do a successful shopping just with the English list and keeping a German back-up list in their bag … 

● Emails

Encourage your students to write you emails in English, for example when they won't be able to make it to a lesson. Make sure you reply to them in English too.