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Orders and polite requests
Teaching tip
To practise orders and polite requests at the A2 or B1 levels, choose one of these people:
weiterlesen1 dialogue – 10 ways
Teaching tip
When you're teaching an A1 class, there's always that fear that you're going run out of material. But the answer might already be right under your nose – look again at the materials in your coursebook and try to get more use out of them.
weiterlesenBe inclusive!
Teaching tip
Although many of us look forward to celebrating Christmas and to the prospect of spending time with the family, we must not forget the people for whom Christmas is not a time for celebration. This may be for religious reasons or for personal reasons, when being alone at Christmas can be difficult. Concentrating on the season – winter – might be a way of avoiding any discussion about family gatherings and Christmas itself.
weiterlesenCost of living
Teaching tip
This Christmas we need to think carefully about how to cut our costs. Encourage your students to be creative with ideas for less expensive purchases.
weiterlesenMy name is ...
Teaching tip
How often have you introduced yourself to people and said your name? But how often have you explained its meaning, how you feel about your name and the story of why you were given that name in the first place?
weiterlesenFind a link
Teaching tip
Write two words on the board which appear to be unconnected, for example, bread and umbrella.
Help students to find a connection between them.
weiterlesenDown and across
Teaching tip
Write a word on the board, such as HOLIDAY. Ask students to write it vertically on a piece of paper and write words (or phrases) horizontally across which they associate with, or can experience on holiday.
weiterlesenRandom letters, random sentence.
Teaching tip
When you start a lesson, it can be really helpful to begin with a short task which focuses all students’ attention on English. This is important whether they are attending an evening class or an in-business lesson.
You can use this activity with any level.
Reflection
Teaching tip
Ten minutes before the end of the lesson, ask everyone to reflect on the last 90 minutes or so.
Ask each student to write down three things they have learnt during the lesson.
Christmas party games
Teaching tip
Here are five short Christmas activities you can play online or in the classroom.
weiterlesenReward yourself
Teaching tip
The end of the year working online, working in the classroom, working a hybrid course. It’s been a tough time for us all. Two years ago most of us had never taught an online lesson and now we’re familiar with all the terms that go with it: mute, breakout rooms, screen sharing and so on. Maybe it’s time to just sit back and give ourselves a pat on the back after another challenging year and recognise how well we have adapted to this new world.
weiterlesenBetter learning and learning better
Teaching tip
From the very first lesson, help your students to learn better and more effectively.
weiterlesenListening practice
Teaching tip
In real-life situations, there are often no opportunities to ‘play it again’, so practising, and learning strategies for, listening is an important part of feeling competent with English. Listening is a usual part of every lesson, but there are particular ways you can help your students to listen better.
weiterlesenVideo tip: First lesson ideas – offline and online
Teaching tip
No need to be afraid of online teaching. Watch Gillian teaching her first online lesson and pick up some interesting ideas for your lessons.
weiterlesenMiming games for online or the classroom
Teaching tip
These activities are good for changing the tempo in the classroom or for the end of a lesson. Model each activity first and encourage students to think of their own mimes.
weiterlesenVideo tip: A Great! way to survive online!
Teaching tip
Seit über einem Jahr unterrichten vielen von Ihnen auch oder nur online. Daher interessiert es Sie vielleicht, wie eine gelungene Online-Stunde mit Great! Survival English aussehen könnte. Schauen Sie sich das Video an und lassen Sie sich davon überzeugen, wie gut die Tipps in der Praxis funktionieren. Viel Erfolg!
weiterlesenJokes in the classroom
Teaching tip
There are lots of ways you can use jokes in the classroom – try one of these!
weiterlesenVideo tip: Active grammar presentation
Teaching tip
Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I might remember; involve me and I’ll actually learn.
Using the example of the present continuous, Dagmar explains how personalising your material can really help students to learn their grammar as involving students in creating sentences about themselves helps to make the grammar more memorable. Have a look at the video and see for yourself.
weiterlesenFive Christmas activities for the socially distanced classroom
Teaching tip
1 Finish the phrase.
This call and response activity is a good energiser. Think of any common phrases that are connected to Christmas, for example Jingle Bells. You say Jingle and students reply Bells. Carry on with more phrases: Merry Christmas, Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Silent Night, Happy New Year, Figgy pudding, Deck the halls, Let it snow, Last Christmas, Peace on earth. If students know any other expressions, then encourage them to call out the first half of the phrase. You could continue this game with any other well-known expressions the students have learnt, for example, fish and chips.
Video tip: Two truths and one lie
Teaching tip
Watch Lynda trying to discover which of Dagmar’s claims are true – and which one is the lie.
weiterlesenQuestions, questions, questions
Teaching tip
1 Who am I?
This game practises second person questions: Are you…? Do you…? Have you got …? Did you…?
Think of a famous person, Barack Obama or Kylie Monogue for example, and the students have to guess who you are but you can only answer yes or no. For example, Are you a man? Let students take turns to think of a famous person.
Check for correct question formation.
Video tip: A pack of cards – offline and online
Teaching tip
Using an ordinary pack of cards in the classroom can add some fun to teaching. From dividing people up into groups to practising tenses, see how you can use a pack of playing cards in your teaching.
weiterlesenFive quick online activities
Teaching tip
Warmers and fillers are just as important in the digital world of teaching as they are in the traditional classroom.
So why not try these five activities!
Video tip: Running dictation
Teaching tip
Do you want to use an activity in your classroom that uses all the skills and introduces a change of pace? Then have a look at Dagmar explaining how to use a running dictation in your lesson.
weiterlesenThe famous four skills
Teaching tip
There are plenty of mini activities which practise the four skills speaking, listening, reading and writing.
Speaking – Guessing games are good opportunities for speaking.
I spy is a great no-preparation speaking game. I spy, with my little eye something beginning with ‘p’. Students have to look around the room and identify something beginning with that letter: Paper? Pencil? Poster? Pen?
weiterlesenChristmas activities
Teaching tip
Here are five short Christmas activities to keep your students in a festive mood!
weiterlesenVideo tip: Season’s Greetings
Teaching tip
Watch and enjoy Lynda’s video about writing Christmas letters.
weiterlesen
Video tip: Jigsaw reading
Teaching tip
Watch Dagmar explaining how to use jigsaw activities using texts from your course book. These activities are excellent to use because they practice the four skills – reading, speaking, listening and writing.
weiterlesenThe Internet
Teaching tip
Here are five ways to encourage your students to use the Internet for language learning.
Role plays: Keep on learning
Teaching tip
Here are six fun and effective ways for your students to keep on learning over the summer holidays:
Video tip: Modelling tenses
Teaching tip
Watch the video and see how Lynda’s neat exercise practises the future ‘going to…’, the present progressive and the present perfect simple.
weiterlesenRole plays: five mini activities
Teaching tip
Role plays are great ways for students to practise functional language.
Remember: When you do role plays, it is much easier for students to find their role if they have some props or a costume. It doesn’t have to be much: a hat, a badge, a bag, a pencil and notebook or an apron. And try to rearrange the furniture so that you are no longer in the classroom, but at the airport, at the police station, in the shop, in the restaurant or at the hotel. Wherever you want the action to take place.
Give students plenty of time to prepare what they want to say to each other. But allow for an element of surprise.
weiterlesenVideo tip: Change places if …
Teaching tip
Watch the video and see how Dagmar uses a great technique to introduce energy and movement into the classroom. In the video she uses examples of tenses: present continuous, past simple and present perfect.
weiterlesenVideo tip: Four corners (Making groups)
Teaching tip
Watch our video in which Lynda demonstrates an interesting way to divide the class into four groups. In each case you‘ll see that the students have to do a little bit of work to find which group they belong to.
weiterlesenUSA and UK: 5 mini activities
Teaching tip
1 Culture
Draw this table on the board and ask students to work in pairs to complete it.
weiterlesen5 short Christmas actvities
Teaching tip
1 Christmas word maker
On the board write MERRY CHRISTMAS. Tell students to find as many words as possible with three letters or more. They can only use each letter once. Examples: has, ties, rich, steam, teach. Give students five minutes and then see who has most words.
weiterlesenVideo tip: Pass the parcel at Christmas
Teaching tip
Watch the first new video in our series of short clips for the classroom. In this edition, Dagmar shows you a fun activity for your Christmas lessons.
weiterlesenRevision games
Teaching tip
The class have all arrived for the new semester and now, before the students start with new material, it’s a good time to have a fun look at what they have already learnt and do some revision games.
weiterlesenWhere do we go from here? - Take a break!
Teaching tip
The typical situation at the end of a CEF level: Your class has successfully completed their course book. Half of the students are already eagerly looking forward to the next level. The others feel they need more practice and are worried they won’t be able to cope with the challenge.
You find yourself facing that critical question: Where do we go from here?
weiterlesenIndependence in the classroom
Teaching tip
Try these methods to help facilitate a more independent-learning atmosphere in the classroom. The majority of students will not become independent overnight; there are, however, ways to encourage them.
weiterlesenEncourage students to become independent learners!
Teaching tip
Here are six activities which can help students achieve that goal.
1
Prepare one of the many 6-minute English listening programmes from the BBC. Depending on the level of your learners, you could give a copy of the transcript in the lesson and then ask them to listen to the programme for homework. Build on this by encouraging students to listen to (any) of the 6-minute English listening programmes in the following weeks and then to report back to the rest of the class. This also encourages listening to authentic English.
Moving in the classroom
Teaching tip
Getting students out of their seats in the classroom can be good for them – but it’s sometimes difficult to think of useful activities. Why not try these?
weiterlesenRevising grammar
Teaching tip
Try and make grammar revision fun – it can help students learn!
weiterlesenOut and about
Teaching tip
Discover more about the culture, geography and history of the English-speaking world. You’ll find Out and about sections at the end of every second unit in Let’s Enjoy English First Steps and A1.1.
weiterlesenLearning vocabulary
Teaching tip
Words, words, words. We want our students to learn vocabulary as painlessly as possible – try these five different activities and see how learning those new words can be something to enjoy.
weiterlesenTake a break
Teaching tip
…and have a breather in your lesson. In Let’s Enjoy English you’ll find a new addition: Take a break, especially designed to give your students a breather and allow them time to have a break and get themselves ready for the remainder of the lesson.
weiterlesenVideo tip: Elizabeth’s thirsty
Teaching tip
Watch Lynda giving some useful advice on getting your teeth around the tricky ‘th’ sound in English.
weiterlesenPronunciation activities
Teaching tip
These pronunciation activities require great concentration, so use them to change the pace in a lesson. Do one exercise in one lesson and the second exercise in another lesson. Before using these activities, practise the individual sounds with students.
weiterlesenVideo tip: Find a new partner
Teaching tip
Watch Lynda introduce a new way to encourage students to work with a new partner.
weiterlesenMaking groups in the classroom
Teaching tip
Do you want some new and interesting ways to divide your students into groups? Then read on…
weiterlesenVideo tip: Noughts and crosses
Teaching tip
Watch Dagmar revising vocabulary and bringing some fun and competition into the classroom with Noughts and crosses.
weiterlesenMake them talk – even more!
Teaching tip
Refresh Now and Let’s Talk Now – both provide great opportunities to motivate your students to talk. Have a look at the activity pages delivered to your letterbox, which focused on page 41 in Let’s Talk Now A2 and page 23 of Refresh Now B1:
And you can exploit the material even more.
weiterlesenVideo tip: Instructions
Teaching tip
Watch the latest in our video series of short clips for the classroom. In this edition, Lynda shows you a tip on using instructions in the classroom and how to get everybody’s attention after a noisy activity.
Classroom management
Teaching tip
One of the wonderful things about teaching adults is that we don’t usually have any discipline problems. Students are in the lesson because they have chosen to be there, so thank your lucky stars we don’t have to worry about misbehaving students. However sometimes people are consistently late and this can disturb the lesson. What can you do about it?
weiterlesenVideo tip: Paper planes
Teaching tip
There’s some action in the air this month with Dagmar’s tip about using paper planes in the classroom. Take a look at the clip and watch your lesson take off!
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You read it here first!
Teaching tip
Have you heard about the Oscar nominated film Lion, starring Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman? And did the story sound familiar? Here’s why…
weiterlesenVideo tip: Five words
Teaching tip
Are you sometimes stuck for a good warmer in the first few minutes of a lesson? Then watch Dagmar’s tip here Five words on how to exploit students’ vocabulary. And you can be sure that your students will all start talking!
weiterlesen5x5
Teaching tip
Here are five fun activities which are all based on the number five.
1 The number 5 quiz
Read out these questions all connected to the number five.
a. What is the Roman numeral for five?
b. Name the five senses.
c. What is 5 x 5 x 5 x 5 x 5?
d. What is the name of the British Security Service?
e. Who created the perfume Number 5?
Klett Augmented
Teaching tip
Contactless payments? Self-driving cars? 3D-printing? There are lots of new technological advances that make our lives easier. And we’re making teaching and learning easier, too, with Klett Augmented – a fantastic app to make learning more fun.
weiterlesenBest of NTC: Zero lessons
Teaching tip
Be perfectly prepared for your first lesson with the Network Now Zero lessons.
weiterlesenVideo tip: Name cards
Teaching tip
Sabine? Sandra? Susanne? - Don’t be at a loss again with students’ names. Watch Lynda show you how to construct a sturdy, stable name card that is easy to make, and will not collapse.
weiterlesenBest of NTC: New Year’s Eve
Teaching tip
Something old, something new, something borrowed, something for you!
weiterlesenGames in the classroom
Teaching tip
Let’s Talk Now A2 has some fun activities including great games – just what you’re looking for in the run up to Christmas.
weiterlesenVideo tip: Dice
Teaching tip
Roll up! Watch Lynda giving a useful tip about making and using a dice. Why not add a dice to your Christmas wish list this year? It’s a perfect stocking filler for any teacher.
weiterlesenPlateau learners
Teaching tip
Are you familiar with those learners who make great strides through the early stages of learning English and then seem to get stuck around A2/B1? They trundle along without making any apparent advance: plateau learners.
weiterlesenVideo tip: Snowball fight
Teaching tip
Watch the latest Klett Classroom Clip and look out this winter for ‘snowballs’ in the classroom! Don’t worry, there’s no melting ice involved - it’s an energizing vocabulary matching activity using … well, find out more …
weiterlesenVideo tips - Klett Classroom Clips: Dictogloss
Teaching tip
It’s not quite a dictation, but it is something like it! Find out more about dictogloss in the current Klett Classroom Clips, with Dagmar.
Dagmar explains how to use dictogloss in the classroom using an example text about time capsules from page 75 in Refresh Now B1. She explains how to use the activity in the classroom and how it can engage students in a text.
weiterlesen‘Let’s Talk Now A2' Teaching Notes and photocopiable activities - for free at the click of a mouse!
Teaching tip
They’re here! The Teaching Notes and ten photocopiable activities for Let’s Talk Now A2 are ready and waiting to be downloaded: the perfect support and flexibility every teacher would like in the classroom.
weiterlesenBest of NTC: Halloween
Teaching tip
Watch out for ghosts and ghouls – it’s Halloween!
Pumpkins, trick-or-treating or ghostly images hanging in the front window – Halloween on 31st October is here again.
weiterlesenFun and games in Let’s Talk Now A2
Teaching tip
Let’s Talk Now A2 – full of material to get your students talking; here we’ll focus on the Extras and Games. Look out for the sample units!
weiterlesenBest of NTC: No Pens Day Wednesday
Teaching tip
Sometimes, it’s really nice in the classroom to put your pens, pencils and paper away and just let students talk – and if you can have some fun at the same time, then all the better. No Pens Day Wednesday gives you the opportunity to do just that.
weiterlesenNEW video tips: Klett Classroom Clips
Teaching tip
Lights! Camera! Action! Get ready for Klett Classroom Clips!
Klett Classroom Clips is our new series of short video clips (just two minutes or so in length) which have been made to show you a host of lesson-fillers, energizers and warmers: simply great and easy ways to get your students talking. And the clips will also include some practical classroom tips to help you be a more resource- and successful teacher. The series will be continued over the next few months and you can see the first two clips, Conversation springboard and Back to the board, online now!
weiterlesenBest of NTC: The European Union - 28 will become 27
Teaching tip
The European Union has been expanding for nearly sixty years – but now with the shock news of Brexit from the UK, it looks like it will contract: 28 will become 27.
weiterlesenLet’s Talk Now A2
Teaching tip
What do students need to get talking? To feel at ease, to use interesting material and to have the tools to talk. And here’s the book which offers all that: Let’s Talk Now A2.
weiterlesenBest of NTC: Summer’s coming
Teaching tip
Have a look at what fun you can have in summer in English-speaking countries around the world.
weiterlesenWhat can we do to help students to keep talking?
Teaching tip
For some students it’s easy, for others it’s the most difficult skill. So what can we do to help students to keep talking? …
weiterlesenBest of NTC: A double celebration of June coronations
Teaching tip
Victoria and Elizabeth II – long reigning monarchs of the United Kingdom
weiterlesenBest of NTC: Victoria Day (Canada) and Memorial Day (USA)
Teaching tip
North America and the beginning of summer: in Canada it is one week earlier than in the USA. Read on and find out some other facts about these two countries.
weiterlesenLively and refreshing teaching with the new ‘Refresh Now B1’ online photocopiables
Teaching tip
Making your teaching just that bit easier! Refresh Now B1 Teaching Notes was published in March and now the downloadable photocopiable activities to complement each unit are also available online.
weiterlesenSuccessful teaching with the help of ‘Refresh Now B1 Teaching Notes’
Teaching tip
Refresh Now B1 Teaching Notes: concise and clear and an invaluable aid to your teaching with Refresh Now B1. And their publication in March signals the completion of the Refresh Now series.
weiterlesenBest of NTC: St George’s Day
Teaching tip
23rd April is an important day in the English calendar: it’s St George’s Day …
weiterlesenRefreshing topics
Teaching tip
‘Refresh Now’ - its lively, interesting and relevant topics are just the thing to help keep your focus on your teaching, and your students’ focus on their learning.
weiterlesenBest of NTC: St Patrick’s Day
Teaching tip
From the Network Teachers’ Club archives of material, we’re looking this month at the Emerald Isle and the globally-celebrated St Patrick’s Day on 17th March.
weiterlesenRefresh Now B1
Teaching tip
Not long now! Refresh Now B1 is published in February 2016, so let’s take a closer look to see what makes it refreshingly different with terrific texts, topics and tasks.
weiterlesenBest of Network Jubilee: Excellence and Variety
Teaching tip
25 years after the authors’ first meeting to start the Network story, we’ve celebrated our silver jubilee in style throughout 2015. Let’s look back again …
weiterlesenRefresher and Plateau learners
Teaching tip
Refresh Now – it’s different, it’s individual and it’s flexible. And it’s ideal for learners who’ve found themselves ‘stuck’ at a particular level – the so-called plateau learners. And Refresh Now is just the thing for students who want to reactivate their rusty English.
weiterlesenBest of NTC: Wacky Christmas traditions and events
Teaching tip
‘Christmas comes but once a year, but when it comes it brings good cheer.’ And, just like the saying, we’re hoping to provide you with some good cheer for your pre-Christmas classroom.
weiterlesenLet’s celebrate!
Teaching tip
It’s party time – let’s celebrate the ‘Network’ Silver Jubilee. Join in with the celebration of 25 years of ‘Network’, marking 25 years of variety and excellence while always being state of the art. Why not add some variety and bring the party feeling into your classroom?
weiterlesenBest of NTC: Guy Fawkes
Teaching tip
We have a fabulous variety of NTC material in the archives and this month we’d like to remind you about Bonfire Night on 5 November in the United Kingdom, when we remember Guy Fawkes and his unsuccessful attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1605.
weiterlesenBest of NTC: No Pens Day Wednesday
Teaching tip
Let your students put away their pens and enjoy a lesson exclusively dedicated to those important language skills - listening and speaking. The current event? - No Pens Day Wednesday on 7 October, one of the topics in Did you know? last year.
weiterlesenRefresh Now A2 Teaching Notes
Teaching tip
You’ve chosen well! The Refresh Now A2 coursebook will pep up, activate and extend your students’ English – and the Refresh Now A2 Teaching Notes, available since the beginning of August, will provide you with a helpful guide through all of its 12 units.
weiterlesenBest of NTC: Teacher training and other teacher resources
Teaching tip
It’s tempting, but don’t put your feet up for the whole of the summer – take some time to look at effective ways to develop yourself as a teacher and expand your range of classroom materials over the holiday break.
weiterlesenMake your students fit for everyday communication
Teaching tip
Refresh Now A2 provides your learners with language at their finger tips in multiple ways in every unit – to give them perfect support in their everyday communication. Read more …
weiterlesenBest of NTC: Summer’s coming
Teaching tip
Those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer – there are plenty of events to enjoy in the sunshine …
weiterlesenPep up your students’ interest in reading
Teaching tip
There’s lots of stimulating reading material in Refresh Now A2. Just look at the last two Focus on pages in every unit.
weiterlesenBest of NTC: Victoria Day (Canada), Memorial Day (USA)
Teaching tip
This year, lots of us have a holiday Monday in May – the Canadians on 18th May, the Americans and the British on 25th May.
weiterlesenRefresh your learners’ knowledge at A2 level
Teaching tip
Look forward to getting more from your A2 learners with the brand new Refresh Now A2.
weiterlesenBest of NTC: Quirky spring customs
Teaching tip
There’s always something unusual going on in spring in the UK – have a look at these quirky spring customs …
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