Quotes on various areas of life: happiness, success, family, technology in the classroom etc.... The students analyse, compare and contrast and make up their own. Each slide could be used as a starter to get your students thinking or to promote debate. They could end by producing an inspirational poster.

This is to get the students using higher level language and thinking skills. They have to use conditionals with compound tenses (would have done/might have done) etc to be able to debate/discuss different possible outcomes.

A series of worksheets: Words beginning with each letter of the alphabet. The clue is given and the students work out what the word is. I'll upload these as I complete them. To extend this, the students can choose any noun and mind map it with &'where do you see it? What is it made of? Draw it. Design a symbol for it etc... More to come!

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 powerpoint with the four Ts to promote independent learning: THINK, TEXTBOOK, TEAM, TEACHER. I've made these up based on the 4 Bs (brain/buddy/book/boss). I like the Ts better - but then, I would, wouldn&'t I? And there definitely is no apostrophe! I&';ve added the 4 Ts on one sheet.

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.

Some ideas on how to exploit pictures for teaching EAL. I also include a writing exercise to practise the past simple tense.

Two pages on this picture by Melanie Hope Greenberg. The focus on page 2 is the past simple tense, but it could be adapted for the present continuous. Can be used with a mixed ability class: counting/colouring/recounting in the past tense.

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.

The first sheet is to practise past simple and to explain 'embarrassment&'. The second one is a follow up story, past simple or past continuous? After the exercise, you can cut the pictures out for sequencing. Ask the students to put the story together using time connectives, &';First, then, after that' etc.. You could practise making questions by having the students prepare qs for Jake, using the &'wh&'; words and build this into a hotseat activity.

A few ideas for introducing the past simple - on the second sheet. On the first sheet is a little worksheet with exercises based on a street scene.

Two pages - a great picture, by Laurie A. Conley. With a picture, I normally 1) play Splat! 2) Memory game 3) Barrier game (pupil A facing picture, pupil B not allowed to look) 'she&'s wearing a pink top - what&';s she doing? 4) Hot seat - e.g.you are Will 'what are you doing?&' &';what can you see?' etc.... Here, I have made a variety of exercises for writing or homework.

A fun sheet to colour, with some activities including scrambled words, true or false and past tense exercises.

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

This is a summary of the five keys for Achievement and Social -Emotional Well-Being. This can be used as an inspirational wall chart.

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.