July – The Month To Celebrate Our Heritage
This July marks a year since we added our Canada Day lesson plan to our Holiday section. As a small Canadian publisher with a large number of Canadian subscribers, we take great pleasure in adding new Canadian content on a regular basis. Our library contains lessons about famous Canadian people, places, things, and holidays.
One Canadian-themed lesson that we are excited about this month is our NEW lesson on The Calgary Stampede. 2012 marks 100 years for “The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth”! The stampede takes place on July 6-15, so be sure to add this lesson to your calendar. Did you know that this annual event was invented by an American?
Of course, we also aim to please our American subscribers who will be celebrating Independence Day on July 4th! Check out our Independence Day lesson plan this month. Also, when Rodney King died last month, we filled your requests by adding a new lesson plan about the L.A. Riots. This was an important time in American history, and we think it provides great discussion material for your English language learners.
We will be adding holiday lessons from many other countries starting this year, including Australia, New Zealand, the UK, France, Korea, and many others. If you have suggestions for holiday lessons, please do get in touch!
New Lesson Plans this Month
- Discussion Starters: Banning Plastic Bags
- Simple Sentences: Feelings
- Famous Things: The Calgary Stampede
- Famous Things: L.A. Riots
- Everyday Dialogues: Talking to a Call Center
In the works: Everyday Idioms 3! (Check out Everyday Idioms 1 and 2.)
July Features
Holidays -Canada Day (July 1):Canada Day is celebrated just before the Americans celebrate their independence day. In this lesson, students learn about the history of Canada Day. They practise pronunciation, do a mapping activity, and learn Canadian vs. US spelling.
Holidays - July 4th: In our Independence Day lesson, students learn the history behind the Declaration of Independence. They find out why July 4th is such an important day, and learn some important information about previous presidents. (July 4)
Holiday- Running of the Bulls: The San Fermin festival in Pamplona Spain is world renowned. In this lesson, students learn about the Saint behind the holiday and the rules behind the dangerous race. (July 6 -14)
Holiday- Ramadan: More than one billion Muslims celebrate the month of Ramadan. Students learn important facts about the holiday and the Muslim faith, including the prophet Muhammad and the Five Pillars of Faith. (July 20 -August 19)
Be sure to check out July’s Lesson Plan Calendar for more featured lessons. We also invite you to browse the Something To Talk About suggestions on our blog, including our most recent post about the bullied bus monitor.
Teaching Tip: Answering Those Tough Questions
Are you worried that you won’t be able to answer a question after you teach a grammar point or take up a homework assignment? Maybe there is a particular student in your class who is skilled at stumping you! Our editor Tanya has over ten years of experience teaching ESL, and she knows exactly how this feels. Over the years she became more confident responding to the tough questions her students throw at her. In addition to admitting she doesn’t have all of the answers, she has learned to keep some reliable grammar guides close at hand. Check out Tanya’s invaluable tips for answering your students’ tough questions.
Happy teaching!
Sincerely,
The Staff at ESL-Library
PS–Thanks for the sweet tweet, Chelsea! Let us know how it goes with Living in English.
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