Tag Archives: reading

An autumn lesson

Look at the photo above (shared on flickr by TausP under a creative commons licence) and in your mind’s eye, add a person sitting on the bench.  Pay attention to what they’re doing and what they’re wearing, the expression on … Continue reading

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Macmillan online conference 2013 slideshow

Making the most of reading texts A big thank you to everyone who was at the webinar – and a special thanks to people tweeting from the session. It was great fun! Here’s the slideshow: reading texts mac 2013 The … Continue reading

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Macmillan online conference 2013

Tomorrow  at 11am CET I will be presenting a webinar at the Macmillan Online Conference.  Two years ago I presented a webinar on extensive reading and we discussed ways of encouraging students to read for pleasure beyond the classroom. This … Continue reading

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Choice – is it really that important?

Maybe I should put that question in context because, of course, choice is important. It empowers, it validates, it motivates, it engages.  But in the context of extensive reading, is it really that important?  Being able to choose the text you … Continue reading

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loop or lope?

  a new fixation continued … In my last post I wrote about the books I’ve been reading with – or rather alongside – my 10 year old son and the insights we’ve shared into how we “grow” language through reading. This … Continue reading

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Carnaval

It’s the Thursday before carnival weekend.  Preparations are being made throughout the town. The lights are up, the burger and hot dog stalls are in place, there are fluorescent wigs and plastic hats fluttering in the wind in the cathedral … Continue reading

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Let it snow …

This lesson plan is an old-favourite of mine.  It’s based on a poem by Carol Ann Duffy and is great for a winter’s morning, afternoon or evening – especially if it’s been snowing.  But it works just as well if … Continue reading

Posted in using literature in the ELT classroom | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

There’s a first time for everything

Today I gave my first webinar for the first Macmillan Online Conference. And it was a fascinating experience. (Click on the image to see the links for the slideshow – I’ll be adding the recording once it’s online). I was … Continue reading

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Reader response codes

This topic has come up in conversation a couple of times in the last few days, and then again during yesterday’s #eltchat on adapting coursebooks. Shortly afterwards, I was rummaging through some old papers, looking for something completely different, when … Continue reading

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W is for … words

This is a description of a class I taught a couple of weeks ago where the students took a really simple little idea and really ran with it. It started with this lesson plan, a very old favourite of mine … Continue reading

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