What a difference... no book makes

[eslteachertim]

eslteachertim

Ahhhh... I came home from today's lesson singing a song.  It's wonderful what teaching without a book gives you as a teacher... a certain freedom, in this case the students paid more attention to learning, they were interested... holding there heads up and listening/speaking as opposed to heads down and sleeping thru the book.
Ok, so

Comments

[idiotglee]

I like teaching the 2nd conditional without books, by showing the class two pictures:

An old man with a zimmerframe - then I ask them to describe him, and name him. I draw a city building and the night sky, and ask when and where it is, and what he's doing.

Then a picture of a burglar, or thug. Same questions.

"[The old man's name] is walking past [the burglar's name]". What happens?"

The idea's that they'll say "He gets robbed" or something like that. The first time I did this, they decided the burglar was a ghost (and named him after me!), the second time, they decided the old man and the burglar were mafioso in league to burn down the school I was working at (cue cheers from the students). The class always love it (especially when they realise "they're plotting to burn down the school!" is a right answer!), they get really involved...and then we go on to "If you were the old man, what would you do? Are you the old man?" etc.

The books definitely have their limits.

[eslteachertim]

That's a really good way to let them discover a bit of grammar, thanks for sharing ;0)
How's it all going at your school? Did your advertising work out?

[ex_enbooste]

You wrote [quite excitedly]"Ahhhh... I came home from today's lesson singing a song. It's wonderful what teaching without a book gives you as a teacher... a certain freedom, in this case the students paid more attention to learning, they were interested... holding there heads up and listening/speaking as opposed to heads down and sleeping thru the book."

Sir,here I'd rather disagree. New English File Intermediate was the coursebook that made me sing everytime I returned home. Anyway, as is the case with other coursebooks, all you gotta do is be selective, don't ya? ;)