ESL Directions

Week of July 28/25

Alberta garden flowers
This lesson plan for ESL beginners focuses on common flowers in Alberta gardens. The lesson includes activities for vocabulary development and practice (including learning singular and plural forms), a short video, information about annuals and perennials, and understanding bloom times. The session also encourages interactive learning through discussions and reflection.

Week of July 21/25

The lesson plan introduces students to some wild animals found in Alberta. Aimed at CLB Stage I (1-3) learners, the lesson’s activities include warm-ups, skill-building, and review activities. Students will learn vocabulary, watch a short video, identify animal characteristics, and understand safety issues related to Alberta’s wildlife.

Week of July 14/25

This lesson plan teaches the cardinal numbers from one to twenty to beginner ESL students (CLB 1). Activities help students to learn the English words and to match numbers and written-out forms. Students also discuss their feelings about math and how it is taught in their first country compared to here in Canada.

Week of July 7/25

This lesson plan teaches your beginner ESL students about small talk in Canada. Activities include vocabulary building, identifying suitable conversation topics, a short video, and practicing open-ended responses.

Cultural discussions highlight differences in small talk expectations. The class encourages full sentence responses and reflection on personal experiences.

Week of June 30/25

Check out the new AI-generated podcasts (through Google NotebookLM) on the “Find digital ESL resources” and “Create digital ESL resources” pages. Posted on our new Spotify account, each podcast does a “deep dive” into a specific resource and how you can use it in your online classes for ESL beginners.