3598. How to Start a New School Year with Some Enthusiasm, Some Hints

 A new school year is beginning, and we teachers wish our dear students would learn a lot, don’t we? As you know I teach English to adults. And I want for my students to learn how to taste reading books. For reading is a language-learning booster indeed. 

They will have to get graded readers, or full version books in some of the students’ cases. I can affirm for sure that by reading you learn English. Not only reading, of course. Yet reading gives you vocab and grammar and ways of saying things in English, and at the same time you enjoy even can relish learning that language. 

You have to read many readers or full versions to grasp the language, yet each page read is a firm step forward. 

As well my students will also have to read from websites whose link I will provide to them. Formerly I handed them out worksheets, but last school year with the online lessons I had them work on pages from websites, for example from the British Council – those guys are aces at teaching English indeed. 

Something else we learned last year was to keep in touch between their teacher and themselves via emailing. So on the first lessons I will give them forms to write some info about themselves plus their email contact. 

Of course those emails to my learners were in English. Because creating an atmosphere where the vehicle communication language is English is crucial for them to learn and acquire the language: IMMERSION in the language is crucial I would say. 

Well I had already started to plan more for this coming school year, like practicing the other three language skills, for example listening to a radio station – a high aim no doubt – plus writing essays plus volunteer oral presentations about a given topic or one their choice. 

Well plus other activities. Also I would add up that reading novels gives you everyday vocab and grammar, but reading non-fiction may be also right, of course: it may give you more formal language. I have to have all those points in mind this year. 

If you’re a teacher, I’d advise you to start with enthusiasm and joy and sympathy and cheerfulness. Have a nice day.

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