ESL-Kids.com - Free ESL printables for teaching kids including flashcards, worksheets, classroom games and children's song lyrics.
A great resource for teachers of ESL kids.

Page 1: Introduction  |  Page 2: Meet the Children  |  Page 3: The Lesson

INTRODUCTION

Hi! My name's Nick, and when I'm not working on ESL-Kids.com, I'm teaching English at an English 'conversation' school in Japan.

These 'In-Class' pages are designed to give some guidance to current teachers, or people considering teaching ESL to children. I've been teaching children ESL for over 15 years, and hope to share some of of what I've learned in that time with you.

Generally, children in Japan study at private English schools just once a week, usually for 45 minutes or an hour. Japanese parents tend to expect their children to learn English quickly and with ease, and also expect them to have lots of fun at the same time. We all know how hard this is, so the emphasis is on having fun with the children. After all, if the children are enjoying their classes, they will keep coming back week after week, and their English ability will slowly improve.

I'm going to focus on an imaginary class of kindergarten children. I have chosen four children, each from the second year of Japanese kindergarten, which means they are either four or five years old. I have given each child a unique learning style and opposing personalities, to make this one of the more challenging classes! Fortunately, it's a small class with just the four kids. Phew!

The next page details the learning styles and personalities of each child, and on page three I talk through the lesson, giving suggestions on what activities to do, and how to deal with the problems that arise. I wish there were a magic fix for problem children, but unfortunately every class and every child is different, and I can't guarantee that the methods I use will work for you.

Page 1: Introduction  |  Page 2: Meet the Children  |  Page 3: The Lesson