Podcast: Winter Olympics

Sochi (Feb 7-23, 2014)

The Winter Olympics is rolling around again! Due to many requests from teachers, ESL-Library has developed a brand NEW lesson plan for subscribers to try. Our team of teachers, writers, editors, artists, and designers has worked very hard on this lesson, and we are very proud of the finished product! Today’s podcast features a reading from our intermediate Holiday lesson plan about the Winter Olympics. In the full lesson plan, English learners read some interesting history about the Winter Olympics. They answer comprehension questions, review vocabulary, and practice using superlative and comparative adjectives. They also watch a video (optional) and learn the names of all of the winter events. This lesson includes a competitive guessing game where your students will “Go for Gold”, as well as a matching activity from our Winter Olympics flashcard set. Use this audio with the optional gap-fill activity on the final page.

To see the full transcript and use our ready-made lesson plan in class, log in to ESL-Library and choose our Holiday section.

Check out our full collection of Ready-to-Print Functional English Lesson Plans.

Introduce your students to iTunes today! This is our 195th episode.

Check out previous podcasts here, including last week’s podcast about Australia Day.

Podcast: Sugar Industry

Is Sugar the New Tobacco?

We all know that excess sugar isn’t good for us, but is it really as bad for our health as tobacco? In our NEW ESL-Library lesson plan on the Sugar Industry, students discuss who is responsible for the increase in diabetes and childhood obesity. Should we be pointing our fingers at the sugar industry, the government, or parents themselves? Today’s podcast features a reading from our intermediate Discussion Starters lesson plan about the Sugar Industry. In the full lesson plan, students answer comprehension questions, review vocabulary, and create their own Odd One Out exercise for their partners to try. They also design packaging for sugar warning labels, just like the kind you see on cigarette packaging. Give your students something interesting to talk about!

To see the full transcript or use the gap-fill activity, print our ready-made lesson plan. Log into your ESL-Library account, and choose our Discussion Starters section.

You might also want to try our related Health Matters lesson plan on Smoking, or our Mini Debates lesson plan on Junk Food at School.

Introduce your students to iTunes today! This is our 196th episode.

Check out previous podcasts here, including our recent podcast about the Winter Olympics.

Podcast: Valentine’s Day

February 14

Will you be teaching your students Valentine’s Day vocabulary this week? Today’s podcast features a reading from our beginner-level Holidays & Events lesson plan about Valentine’s Day. In our beginner-level lesson plan, students answer comprehension questions, review vocabulary, and create their own valentine cards. For the full transcript, log into your ESL Library account, and choose our beginner Valentine’s Day lesson plan from the Holidays & Events section. We also have an intermediate Valentine’s Day lesson that includes a fun information-gap activity.

Check out all of our related materials on love, marriage, and relationships, as well as last week’s podcast on the Sugar Industry.

Introduce your students to iTunes today! This is our 197th episode.

Podcast: Deforestation

If a tree falls, does the global warming crisis worsen? Yes! Today’s podcast features a reading from our ready-made Discussion Starters lesson plan about deforestation. In the lesson plan, students read about and discuss the environmental concerns related to clear-cutting. This lesson plan includes comprehension, vocabulary, and critical thinking exercises. You can assign this podcast for homework before you do the lesson, or download the MP3 file and listen to it together in class. If you’re an English learner, use this podcast for extra listening practice.

Check out our full list of Environmental lesson plans, and consider doing a theme-based unit on this subject.

Check out our full collection of Ready-to-Print Functional English Lesson Plans.

Coming soon to our podcast…Space Tourism.

Introduce your students to iTunes today! This is our 198th episode.

Check out previous podcasts here, including our last episode on Valentine’s Day.

Famous People: Elvis Presley

Do your students enjoy talking about famous people? Do they enjoy rock and roll music? This is the perfect week to do a lesson on the King of Rock and Roll. As our Lesson Plan Calendar reminded us, Elvis Presley died on August 16th, 1977. He was 42 years old. Today’s podcast offers an audio preview of our Famous People lesson plan on Elvis Presley. The full lesson comes with a warmup, a reading, comprehension and discussion questions, and a vocabulary review. Preview all of ESL-Library’s Famous People lesson plans here. Please encourage your students to use our FREE podcasts. These can be used for individual on-the-go listening practice or as a preview to the ESL-Library lessons that you use in class. Introduce your students to iTunes today! This is our 75th episode.

Have you ever thought about doing your own podcast with your English learners? Shelly Terrell recently did a webinar on Podcasting with English learners. I highly recommend it if you’re thinking about trying this out!

Podcast: Vanishing Honeybees

Honeybees are dropping like flies! Some environmentalists are more concerned about the decline in pollinators than they are about global warming. Today’s podcast features a reading from our ready-made Discussion Starters lesson plan about vanishing honeybees. In the lesson plan, students read about and discuss the environmental concerns related to Colony Collapse Disorder. This lesson plan includes comprehension, vocabulary, and critical thinking exercises. You can assign this podcast for homework before you do the lesson, or download the MP3 file and listen to it together in class. If you’re an English learner, use this podcast for extra listening practice.

Check out our full list of Environmental lesson plans, and consider doing a theme-based unit on this subject.

Check out our full collection of Ready-to-Print Functional English Lesson Plans.

Coming soon to our podcast…Nauruz.

Introduce your students to iTunes today! This is our 199th episode.

Check out previous podcasts here, including our last week’s episode on Deforestation.

Famous People: Elvis Presley

Do your students enjoy talking about famous people? Do they enjoy rock and roll music? This is the perfect week to do a lesson on the King of Rock and Roll. As our Lesson Plan Calendar reminded us, Elvis Presley died on August 16th, 1977. He was 42 years old. Today’s podcast offers an audio preview of our Famous People lesson plan on Elvis Presley. The full lesson comes with a warmup, a reading, comprehension and discussion questions, and a vocabulary review. Preview all of ESL-Library’s Famous People lesson plans here. Please encourage your students to use our FREE podcasts. These can be used for individual on-the-go listening practice or as a preview to the ESL-Library lessons that you use in class. Introduce your students to iTunes today! This is our 75th episode.

Have you ever thought about doing your own podcast with your English learners? Shelly Terrell recently did a webinar on Podcasting with English learners. I highly recommend it if you’re thinking about trying this out!

Famous People: Mother Teresa | Podcast #76

Mother Teresa was a revered Catholic nun who helped the poor, the sick, and the dying in India and around the world. She was born on August 26, 1910 and died on September 5th, 1997. Here is a short recording about the famous nun. The full printable Famous People lesson in our library contains a warmup, a reading, comprehension questions, vocabulary review and discussion questions. Preview all of ESL-Library’s Famous People lessons here. If you have any suggestions for topics, please leave a comment.

Coming soon to our podcast…September 11th.

Please introduce your students to our FREE podcasts. These can act as a preview to our Biography, Holiday, Discussion Starter, or Grammar Story lessons. They can also serve as extra listening homework to help your learners develop an understanding of the rhythm of English. Some teachers use our weekly podcast (posted every Wednesday) as a warm up for an online tutoring session.

If you’re interested in helping your students develop their listening skills, check out Brad Patterson’s latest blog post, where teachers comment on this issue.

Find all 76 ESL-Library podcast episodes on iTunes. You’ll also find related podcasts that our listeners enjoy. Don’t forget to share the link with your students.

Podcast: Space Tourism

Destination Zero Gravity

What does weightlessness feel like? According to Chris Hadfield, Sally Ride, and Dennis Tito, it’s a feeling of freedom that is difficult to explain. Dennis Tito was the world’s first space tourist. Today’s podcast (#200!) features a reading from our NEW intermediate Discussion Starters lesson plan about the Space Tourism. In the full lesson plan, students answer comprehension questions, learn new vocabulary, and review the expression “get used to”. Students discuss whether space travel will be an option for everyday people in the near future. Give your students something interesting to talk about!

To see the full transcript, print our ready-made lesson plan. Log into your ESL-Library account, and choose our Discussion Starters section.

You might also want to try our related Famous Places lesson plan on the International Space Station, or our Discussion Starters lesson plan on The New Moon Race. Also, check out our full collection of Air and Space Travel materials if you’re doing a unit on this theme. Learners who want more listening practice can listen to previous podcasts, including our recent episode about the The Vanishing Honeybee.

Introduce your students to iTunes today! This is our 200th episode!

Podcast: Nauruz

Good thoughts, good words, good deeds

In 2010, the UN declared March 21 as International Day of Nawruz. There are many different English spellings of this holiday, and we have decided to go with Merriam-Webster’s spelling, “Nauruz”. ESL Library has a NEW ready-made lesson plan for subscribers to try. In the full Nauruz lesson plan, English learners read some interesting history and traditions related to this Persian New Year’s festival. Students answer comprehension questions and review vocabulary. They also work in groups to set up their own ceremonial tables, inspired by the Haft Seen tradition. To see the full transcript and use the ready-made lesson plan in class, log in to ESL Library and choose our Holidays section.

Check out our full collection of Ready-to-Print Functional English Lesson Plans.

Introduce your students to iTunes today! This is our 201st episode!

Check out previous podcasts here, including last week’s podcast about the Vanishing Honeybee.

Bermuda Triangle

A number of ships, small boats, and even large military craft have disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle.

Our Lesson Plan Calendar reminded us of an important date in history that took place on September 16th, 1950. This was the first time the mystery of The Bermuda Triangle was revealed. Today’s podcast offers an audio preview of our Famous Places lesson plan on The Bermuda Triangle. Students learn about the mystery of  disappearing vessels and explore possible explanations. The full lesson comes with a warmup, a reading, comprehension and discussion questions, and a vocabulary review. These podcasts can be used for individual on-the-go listening practice or as a preview to the ESL-Library lessons that you plan to use in class.

Go to the Bermuda Triangle lesson.
If your students like mysteries, why not try our Detective series: The Case of the Missing Ring. Listen to a sample audio from the series in a past podcast episode: Detective Series for English learners.

Introduce your students to iTunes today! This is our 79th episode.

Podcast: Basketball

“Some people want it to happen. Some wish it would happen. Others make it happen.” ~ Michael Jordan

When the ESL Library team is down in the US for the annual TESOL convention in March, we can’t help but notice the excitement about basketball! March Madness is the informal name for the NCAA’s annual college basketball tournament. Today’s podcast features a reading from our Famous Things lesson plan on Basketball. In the related lesson, English learners read a short history and overview of the sport. They review useful vocabulary and check their comprehension. Challenge your students to ‘Spot the Errors’ and ‘Unscramble the Rules’.

To see the full transcript and use the ready-made lesson plan in class, log in to ESL Library and choose our Famous Things section. Not a subscriber? Join today!

Check out our full collection of Sports-Themed Resources and Lesson Plans.

Bermuda Triangle

A number of ships, small boats, and even large military craft have disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle.

Our Lesson Plan Calendar reminded us of an important date in history that took place on September 16th, 1950. This was the first time the mystery of The Bermuda Triangle was revealed. Today’s podcast offers an audio preview of our Famous Places lesson plan on The Bermuda Triangle. Students learn about the mystery of  disappearing vessels and explore possible explanations. The full lesson comes with a warmup, a reading, comprehension and discussion questions, and a vocabulary review. These podcasts can be used for individual on-the-go listening practice or as a preview to the ESL-Library lessons that you plan to use in class.

Go to the Bermuda Triangle lesson.
If your students like mysteries, why not try our Detective series: The Case of the Missing Ring. Listen to a sample audio from the series in a past podcast episode: Detective Series for English learners.

Introduce your students to iTunes today! This is our 79th episode.

Podcast: Legalizing Marijuana

“Doesn’t the idea of making nature illegal seem a bit unnatural?”

~ Bill Hicks, comedian

This week’s podcast comes from our NEW Mini Debates lesson on Legalizing Marijuana. Is this a subject that your students are comfortable talking about? We think it makes for a great debate! This topic raises issues about health, government, crime, and ethics. In the related lesson, English learners read a short overview about how views are changing in favor of decriminalizing marijuana in many countries and states.  Students review useful vocabulary and check their comprehension. They also learn useful expressions for expressing strong opinions.

To see the full transcript and use the ready-made lesson plan in class, log in to ESL Library and choose our Mini Debates section. Not a subscriber? Join today!

Check out our full collection of Resources and Lesson Plans on controversial topics.

The United Nations

Today is Peace Day, an initiative organized by the United Nations

Our Lesson Plan Calendar reminded us that September 21 is Peace Day. According to the UN, this is “an opportunity for individuals, organizations, and nations to create practical acts of peace on a shared date“. Today’s podcast offers an audio preview of our Famous Things lesson plan on The UN. Students learn about the history and basic operations of the United Nations, an organization that works hard to preserve peace. The full lesson comes with a warmup, a reading, comprehension and discussion questions, and a vocabulary review. These podcasts can be used for individual on-the-go listening practice or as a preview to the ESL-Library lessons that you plan to use in class.

Go to the United Nations lesson.

If your students like talking about peace, why not try other lessons from our ESL Lessons for International Day of Peace. Listen to a sample audio from the series in a past podcast episode: Mother Teresa.

Introduce your students to iTunes today! This is our 80th episode.

Mini Biography: James Dean

Do your low level students enjoy talking about Hollywood actors? Do they ever talk about James Dean? Our Lesson Plan Calendar reminded us of an important day in history that is coming up this week. You’ll find out what it is when you listen to this recording and use it along with this easy English lesson from our  Mini-Biographies section. You can also invite your learners to download the podcast on iTunes. If they like this mini podcast, they may also enjoy our podcast on Marilyn Monroe. Preview all of ESL-Library’s Mini-Biographies here. If you have any suggestions for topics, please leave a comment. For your intermediate-advanced students, try our popular Famous People lesson plans.

Coming soon…Grammar Stories: Adjective Phrases and Clauses.

Please introduce your students to our FREE podcasts. These can act as a preview to our Mini-Biography, Discussion Starter, or Grammar Story lessons. They can also serve as extra listening homework to help your learners develop an understanding of the rhythm of English. Some teachers use our weekly podcast (posted every Wednesday) as a warm up for an online tutoring session.

Introduce your students to iTunes today! This is our 81st episode.

Podcast: Passover

A Jewish Festival of Freedom

The Jewish festival of Passover takes place on the 15th day of Nisan. ESL Library has a NEW ready-made lesson plan on Passover for our subscribers to try. In the full Passover lesson plan, English learners read some fascinating information about the origin of this festival. Students answer comprehension questions and practice using “if clauses”. They also work in groups to get to know some new words. To see the full transcript and use the ready-made lesson plan in class, log in to ESL Library and choose our Holidays & Events section.

Check out our full collection of Ready-to-Print Functional English Lesson Plans.

Introduce your students to iTunes today! This is episode #205!

Check out previous podcasts here, including last week’s podcast about the Legalizing Marijuana.

When it rains, it pours!

The past few weeks have been really busy for the ESL Library team. We had the TESOL convention, the Shorty Awards, and a bunch of new Holiday materials to work on. We’re also working on our new website and the launch of a new lesson section on Writing.

Earlier this week, our editor was off for a short “getaway” and our designer was ill. An idiomatic way of expressing business (or difficult things that happen in a short amount of time) is, “When it rains, it pours!”.

This week on our podcast, we’re sharing spring and Easter idioms. Robyn (despite being “under the weather”) designed a new poster of idioms and expressions that your students can look at while they listen. We think it’s fun and useful to depict idioms and expressions in a literal way because it makes them easier to remember.

Happy Easter!

People, Places, and Things Mentioned in this Podcast

Easter Materials Collection
Easter Egg Craft on Sprout English
Shelly Terrell, guest blogger
Tanya, our editor
ESL Library Returns from the Shorty Awards
More posters by our artists Robyn and Kaitlyn

Podcast: Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom Ha’Shoah)

In Memory of the Holocaust Victims

Holocaust Remembrance Day, known in the Jewish community as Yom Ha’Shoah, takes place annually on the 27th day of Nisan. ESL Library received a few requests for a lesson plan about the Holocaust, and we have now added a Holiday & Events lesson to our library. In this lesson, students learn some important facts about the Holocaust. They also learn useful expressions for discussing sensitive subjects. You can preview the reading through this podcast to see if you think it is appropriate for your language learners. You can also assign it for extra listening practice. To see the full transcript and use the ready-made lesson plan in class, log in to ESL Library and choose our Holidays & Events section.

Your students can also find this episode on iTunes. This is episode #207.

Find our previous podcasts here, including a recent podcast about Passover.

Podcast: Food Waste

Do we need a food waste tax?

Approximately one-third of the food produced in this world goes to waste. This statistic alone will get your students talking. Food waste is a problem in rich and poor countries. It’s bad for our economy and our environment. Today’s podcast features a reading from our NEW intermediate Discussion Starters lesson plan on Food Waste. In the full lesson plan, students answer comprehension questions, learn new vocabulary, and discuss possible solutions for reducing food waste. Students discuss whether or not a food waste tax is a good idea. Give your students something important to talk about!

To see the full transcript, log into your ESL-Library account, and choose our Discussion Starters section. Not a member yet? Subscribe today!

Introduce your students to iTunes today! This is our 208th episode!