Slides for the 2017 ITBE Conference Presentation: "The Art of the ESL Conversation". Naperville, Illinois, Saturday, February 25th. Speakers: Helen Stewart (Schaumburg Township District Library) and Julie Frost (District 211 Adult Education). The Illinois TESOL-BE is a professional, nonprofit organization which supports research and instruction in the teaching of standard English to speakers of other language or dialect and in bilingual education.
1. THE ART OF THE ESL
CONVERSATION
Helen Stewart, Literacy Coordinator
~ Schaumburg Township District Library hstewart@stdl.org
Julie Frost, ESL Instructor
~Community Education District 211 jfrost@d211.org
2. OUTCOMES
• Start or enhance your Conversation Club
• Get a range of new ideas for activities for Clubs
• Gain understanding of the different ways a Club may be structured
3. WHY?
• Serve
immigrants
• fun
• Build
relationships
• Build skill set
• Low
Maintenance
• Relaxed
• Less crowded
• Very useful
4. • Japan
• India
• Russia
• China
• Romania
Conversation Club ~ A global
experience!
Mongolia
Korea
Turkey
Cuba
Taiwan
Philippines
5. TIPS AND BEST PRACTICES
• Not a program for the beginner.
• Encourage regular attendance.
Meet weekly.
• Use multimedia
• Social Networking
• Serve tea and coffee
• Don’t set assignments or
homework.
• Focus on verbal expression.
• Organic versus strictly planned
• Listening before
participating
• Ball of yarn
• Same language groups ok
• Builds confidence
6. Schaumburg
Library ESL
Conversation
Club
• 3 (2) hour
classes per
week. Wed,
Thur, Fri 10am-
12. Free.
• Lower to upper
intermediate
levels.
• Not drop in.
• events and field
trips
• 12-20 per class
average.
9. CLASS MANAGEMENT
• Repeat the correct answer back to the student in an
unobtrusive way.
Student: “I went in the movies at
Saturday”
Teacher: “Great! You went to the movies
on Saturday?!”
• Encourage students to help each other and “jump in”
• monopolizers versus shy students
• Ask everyone to be punctual
• Stick to a schedule
10. Marketing
• Local ESL Providers
• Immigrant service groups
• Local libraries
• Churches
• Newspaper/local media
• Flyers
16. TOP ACTIVITY 1
“Speed meeting”
•Fun, fast-paced
•Involves everyone, even at a basic level
•Breaks the ice
•Same visual concept as speed dating, just “meeting” instead
•Need a bell/buzzer
2 circles of chairs
(outer and inner)
facing each other
Take turns telling the
other person as
much as you can
about yourself in
one minute!
When the 2 minute buzzer
sounds, the person in the
outer circle moves one seat
over to face someone else
17. TOP ACTIVITY 2
Choose a Picture
•Xerox:
•National Geographic photographs
•Pictures of paintings/artwork
•Interesting architecture
•Pictures of animals
•Fashion designs
Student picks out a picture from a selection before class.
Ask:
• Why did you pick this?
• How does it make you feel?
• What do you like/dislike about it?
18. TOP ACTIVITY 2
Which do you prefer?
•Powerpoint slides
2 pictures on each slide A and B
Ask which the student prefers and to articulate WHY
19. Successful Discussions
These were all fun and started as a mini-lesson on the talking point
itself, how to use it conversationally and were great to discuss
afterwards with feedback from class, and their own opinions.
A slideshow
of “lost
arts…”
Things we
used to do
well but no
longer do.
Old Wives
Tales
slideshow
Examples and
feedback from
class
20. The POP TOPICS Jar
•The most successful standby and time filler!
•Bring to every class!
•Keep it full of one/two word topics/discussable points to spark
conversation
TOPICS
Anything!
Zoos
Autism
Libraries
4th July
Motorcycles
Europe
Dentists
Police
List is endless….
21. How do they feel?
•Ask the question “how do they look?” or “how do they feel?”
Response “he/she looks/feels…. (appropriate adjective)”
•Endless possibilities for expressions on a slideshow
•Use a BANNED WORD system e.g. happy
Feelings
Keep them
interesting!
Confused
Disgusted
Terrified
Furious
Peaceful
Delighted
Excited
Exhausted
22. Caption this!
•Print funny, interesting thought provoking pictures from the internet
involving people, or animals, in weird situations
•Give the students a speech bubble – handmade or stick on post-it
•Ask them to caption anyone in the scenario, what would they be
saying? What are they thinking? Report back as a group.
Say
cheese!
23. What is happening in the picture?
Tests observation
For extra fun, set a timing for this – 30 seconds works well!
Reveal a picture on the screen with a lot of people and activities going on.
Reveal the picture to the class for just 30 seconds (or 45/60) get them to note
observations.
What’s going on?
How many people are there?
What are they wearing?... .etc
Then see how many got it right!
24. • Great for pairs
• Works well with names of famous people.
• Give them a list to work from
• Help them with formulating questions
Google: “100 most famous people”
25. • A boy’s name
• An animal
• Things that are cold
• Insects
• Things that grow
• Musical
Instruments
• Countries
• Clothing
• Games
• Things that are hot
• A girl’s name
• Colors
• States
• Sports equipment
• Tools
• Gifts
• Ice cream flavors
• Parts of the body
• Cities
• Stones/Gems
• Things in the sky
• Items in this room
• Bad habits
• activities
• Good for small
groups to
brainstorm.
• Limit it to specific
letters of the
alphabet.
26. Have you ever?
Google “ESL have you ever” for
inspiration questions.
“No he/she has/never_______”
HINT: Try: wackier, fun
questions like:
“..had a parking ticket”
“..Sang karaoke..”
“been inside a police car..”
TWIST:
Try this like Bingo!
Make your own bingo cards at: http://myfreebingocards.com/
27. Acronyms
Google “Most Common Acronyms”
Typically used everyday situations
examples:
AA – Alcoholics Anonymous AARP – American Association of Retired Persons
ADD – Attention Deficit Disorder ADHD – Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
AFL – American Football League AKA – Also Known As
ASAP – As Soon As Possible AWOL – Absent Without Leave
BFF – Best Friends Forever CDC – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
CIA – Central Intelligence Agency CPS – Child Protective Services
CSI – Crime Scene Investigation DMV – Division of Motor Vehicles
DOB – Date Of Birth FBI – Federal Bureau of Investigation
FYI – For Your Information HR – Human Resources
LOL – Laughing Out Loud NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NBA – National Basketball Association NFL – National Football League
NHL – National Hockey League OTC – Over The Counter
POW – Prisoner of War SSN – Social Security Number
UFO – Unidentified Flying Object
Do it as a blank worksheet where they have to fill in what they know
already and fill in the blanks together.
28. Mispronounced words
Great exercise to do verbally, and for the class to do together.
Surprises everyone, and is fun. Get them to say first what they THINK
the pronunciation is, then repeat it back.
Google: “common mispronounced words”
Examples:
Mischievous Colonel
Rural Hierarchy
Subtle Chaos
Mishap Paradigm
Quay Niche
(and many more!)
29. SYMPTOMS
Develop a chart of typical medical symptoms and the corresponding
area of the body.
Headache Fatigue
Dizziness Weight loss/gain
Sore throat Swelling
Sneezing Weakness
Pain Stomach ache
etc ….
THEN
Develop a list of illnesses or conditions, and talk about
the symptoms that go along with each condition.
e.g. Flu, Diabetes, Heart attack, Cancer, etc.
30. Riddles
Keep them EASY!
Great fun and perfect example of wordplay and double meaning.
Google: “Easy ESL Riddles”
Put them in a Powerpoint .
31. Tongue Twisters
Great way to finish up a class, give them time to practice before the
lesson ends, or during break.
Say it once, then say it faster!
Google:
“ESL tongue twisters”
saw a kitten eating chicken in the kitchen
I thought I thought of thinking of thanking you
Fred fed Ted bread and Ted fed Fred bread
Vivacious Val vacuumed Violet’s very vivid vehicle
32. Design a T-Shirt
Teaching objective: T-shirts can be slogans, mottos, political,
philosophical, religious, funny, patriotic, jokes, opinionated, and much
more.
What would YOUR T-shirt say?
Use a blank T-Shirt template and
have the class design their own.
Put together a slideshow of
sample slogan T-Shirts to give
the class inspiration beforehand.
Report back to the class on
chosen wording/design.
33. Typos
Spot the mistake - Fun, and shows native speakers make
mistakes!
Do a street sign/typo slideshow and ask the class to articulate what
exactly the problem is with each sign. Fun, suprising, and encourages
analysis and troubleshooting. Ask “what’s the problem here?”
Spelling? Grammar? Punctuation? Expression?
34. Inkblots or Trompe L’Oeil
Explain what they are, and ask, what do YOU see? Fun,
and expressive!
Vocabulary: “it looks like…” “it makes me think of…”
“maybe it could be…”
35. Pictionary
Good for large/small group or 2’s
Give every class member a picture of a random item,
object, famous person, activity. Get them to describe it to
their partner/group WITHOUT using the actual word or
hand gestures.
Use website www.randomlists.com to generate ideas for
everyday items to describe.
36. What’s My Line?
Like the game show!
Ask a “special guest” to come to class with a pre-
organized (pretend) profession and answer questions y/n
on what they do for a living.
Help students with sample questions
Is your job dangerous?
Do you make a lot of money?
Do you work in a team?
Do you wear a uniform?
Do you have an office?
37. Bumper Sticker Philosophy
existential, religious and comical
Do a slideshow of interesting bumper stickers you find on
the internet, to illustrate the concept.
Xerox examples from THIS book
(or the internet)
Ask students to Choose a bumper sticker: which one would you have on
your car, and why?
38. Slang words and expressions
Common “Americanisms” it’s useful to know, and maybe use too!
Google: American Slang Words and Phrases You Need to Know
Examples:
Similes
As…………………………as………………….
Examples:
Make it a tactile experience: bring a variety
of objects in with different textures, weights,
appearances, and find a simile to describe
each one.
As soft as…. As hard as…. As shiny as….
Couch Potato
Pass the buck
Going
Dutch
Hang out
Screw up
Ride
shotgun
39. Word Scrambles
Assemble sentences or phrases on the board scrambled up.
Works well for class as a whole. Put the scrambled words on the screen and
ask the class to assemble them to make the correct headline. Good speed and
competitive exercise.
Easy newspaper headlines work very well.
“Trudeau visits Trump in crucial meeting for Canada”
Trudeau
visits
Trumpin
crucial meeting
for
Canada
41. Do you think a boy or a man should pay for everything on a
date?
What are some popular places to go on a date?
What kind of person do you want to get married to?
What was the most boring date you've ever been on?
Are you married or single?
How old are you?
What languages do you speak?
When did you start to study English?
What role do in-laws play in a marriage?
Do you know someone who has gotten a divorce?
Do you think getting married means giving up freedom?
What are some wedding traditions in your country?
42. Card samples
What is your family’s favorite
holiday?
Can you think of a way that
people celebrate a holiday in
your country and break a law
at the same time?
What foods are associated
with a summer holiday in your
country?
Is there a holiday that you
don’t enjoy? Why?
Would you like to be an
astronaut? Why or why not?
Have space movies ever
scared you? Why or why
not?
Do you think governments
spend too much money on
space programs? Why or
why not?
44. Highly recommend this presentation, and if
any references have been borrowed
unconsciously, then I consciously thank:
Presenters: Emily Weak, Rachel
Schmidt, Hilda Lopez
Many Paths to Conversation:
techniques for successful ESL clubs
VIMEO of Slides
https://vimeo.com/174755530
News for You
Easy-to-read news stories that can
help you learn to read, write, speak,
and understand the English
language.
Easy English News
A monthly newspaper written in simple English,
created by expert ESL writers for adult & young
adult immigrants and visitors to the United States
48. District 211 Continuing Education classes
• Conversation class on
Saturday mornings
• 9:30 to 11:00
• $8.00 per class
• Runs for 5 week
sections usually 5
times a year
49. District 211 Continuing Education classes
• Conversation café
• Started from a
workshop and my
language experience
• Menus of questions
• Envelopes of
questions
• Listen and write down
suggestions,
corrections
• Answer questions
• Listen before
participating
50. CONTACT US
Helen Stewart, Literacy Coordinator
~ Schaumburg Township District Library hstewart@stdl.org
Julie Frost, ESL Instructor
~Community Education District 211 jfrost@d211.org
Editor's Notes
Community need~serve immigrants!
Great use of staff time, and fun
Build relationships
Build skill set
Low Maintenance
Relaxed environment
Cost Effective
Less crowded than ESL Classes
Very useful for the student
Started more than 30 years ago by a staff member.
3 (2) hour classes per week. Wed, Thur, Fri 10am-12. Free.
Lower to upper intermediate levels. Not beginners.
Not drop in. Regular attendees only.
Incorporates parties, events and field trips
12-20 per class average.
Single staffed
