This is a list of sentences which the students have to re-phrase, using higher level language skills e.g. reported speech, conditionals and compound tenses.

The students decide which comment refers to which character. You could develop this by asking them to back up their decisions/give examples.

This is a picture-based discussion exercise. I give my students some time to look at the sheet. Then , in pairs, they each have to argue one case or the other. Makes a great starter to 'Romeo and Juliet&'.

This is a grid with question openers and tasks going through Bloom's taxonomy. It avoids modals (would, could, should, might) and compound tenses and uses simple language structures that students at an early level of English language acquisition can access.

A play based on Aesop's fable. There are six narrators, besides the main parts, which can easily be adapted to fewer or more. I&'ve tried to make it fun and upbeat. This version is based on a Youtube clip and I&';ve included the link. There is no talking in the video, so it's great for teaching EAL kids.

For early learners or for a mixed ability EAL class. The beginners can count and practise 'There is a __&' &';There are __ s'. Also present continuous tense &'What is she doing?&';etc. More advanced students can write about it in the past simple 'The school trip&'. How did they get there? What did they do? etc. Also - good picture for Splat! and Hotseat activitiies. The picture is by Kait Eaton and copyrighted to Duck Egg Blue. I have permission to use it.

I ask my students to comment on each picture and make inferences. Then they have to prepare a 5 minute talk on whether they are for or against the death penalty and why. It's still a useful debate and can be linked to &'Of Mice and Men&'; and many other works they study.

This is a list of ten great ESL websites with descriptions of what they offer.

56 slides - a compilation of more or less ready-to-go fun activities. Besides ideas, I have included some exercises that you can use or adapt, also website addresses where you can access materials. I enjoyed putting this together and I hope it will be useful.

Two reading passages - this teacher's worst ever lesson and her best, with language exercises. It&'s good to let the kids know that we teachers are human too, occasionally vulnerable and also capable of doing silly things.

This is a series of contrasting pictures, with questions, for making comparisons. Good 'brain gym&' activity.

This is a play with 9 parts (easily adaptable). I am doing a topic on fairy tales, leading on to Shrek. I acted this out with my EAL students.

Get your students involved and thinking, right from the start of the lesson! Turn the objective/title/'learn&' - however you refer to it in your school, into an interactive exercise. Fifteen suggestions. I hope you find them useful.

This is a series of images of women in various roles. The students have to say which image matches each stanza in 'A Woman To Her Lover&' and they have to justify their decisions.

A short introduction to Botany Bay, with some language exercises.

A bit of colouring in fun for younger pupils.

I uploaded a different copy of this earlier, which I have now deleted. This one is better! It's a reading passage with exercises, including making resolutions for different people and a cloze exercise. Also, the main passage uses &'said&'; many times - presenting a good opportunity to practise using alternative words to 'said&'.

A passage about a boy making new year resolutions, with exercises. Can be used as a preliminary before students think up new year's resolutions for themselves. The template is by Baiba.

A great picture, with two pages of activities: counting, follow the instructions to colour in, rearrange the letters to make the words, true and false and answer the questions.

This is a number of great stills, which the students mind map, or think, pair, share. They need to place the pictures in context and say: Who? Where? When? What did...? Why did they...? How did s/he feel? What did they say? What happened just before? What happened afterwards? Etc...