Niveaustufe A1

International Haiku Poetry Day

Did you know?

You may remember having a go at writing a haiku at some point in your English lessons at school; it’s the Japanese three-line poem that has a strict 17-syllable count of five syllables in the first line, seven in the second and five in the third. And 17 April is the day for its international celebration.

USA 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.

Presidents’ Day

Did you know?

The president who was only in office for one month, the one who resigned and the four incumbents who were assassinated in office: all US presidents are remembered on Presidents’ Day which falls on the third Monday in February.

Sing a song at Christmas!

Did you know?

Do you like singing Christmas carols and other Christmas songs? Then you’re sure to enjoy finding out about their histories.

5 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.

World card making day

Did you know?

Births, marriages and deaths are not the only reasons people send cards. There are over one billion reasons why greetings cards are sent in the United Kingdom.

Traditional folk-dancing

Did you know?

Yes, it’s that time of year again, when the bells are dusted, the sticks are polished and flowers are arranged around the straw hats – it’s the Morris Dancing season in England.

Out 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.

Learning 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.

British Sandwich Week

Did you know?

It might only be two slices of bread with a filling, but the sandwich has a big role in the British kitchen. And you can celebrate all things ‘sandwich’ from 14th to 20th May.

Best of NTC: Zero lessons

Teaching tip

Be perfectly prepared for your first lesson with the Network Now Zero lessons.

Best of NTC: New Year’s Eve

Teaching tip

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something for you!

Best 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 31^st October is here again.

Best 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.

Best 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.

Best of NTC: Summer’s coming

Teaching tip

Those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer – there are plenty of events to enjoy in the sunshine …

Best 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.

Best 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 …

Vocabulary – more than just a list of words?

Teaching tip

Learning vocabulary can be more fun than just grinding through lists of words – find out how …

Best of NTC: Easter Special

Teaching tip

The Easter Special in our Did you know? series is full of information about UK events leading up to Easter starting from Shrove Tuesday up to Easter Monday. Enjoy another Best of Network Teachers’ Club …

Best of NTC: Valentine's Day, President's Day, St David's Day

Teaching tip

February can be a cruel month – signs of spring might be hidden under layers of snow and the jollity of Christmas seems ages ago. So brighten up your month with the best of Network Teachers’ Club.

Network Now A1 Starter Companion and A1 Companion

Teaching tip

This month the first two Network Now Companions, A1 Starter and A1, are available … Read here how they complement the Network Now Family.

Network Now Companions

Teaching tip

The Network Now series has been expanded with the welcome addition of four useful Companions – for A1 Starter, A1, A2.1 and A2.2.

Network Now A1 digital

Teaching tip

Everything in the classroom and at home with just a click …!

Network Now Resource Book A1 A2 B1

Teaching tip

The Network Now Resource Book A1 A2 B1 is ready to use, so you are ready to teach.

The Zero lesson

Teaching tip

Most teachers have experienced this problem: the first lesson of a new course and not all students have the coursebook. Don’t worry - Network Now won’t leave you alone in this challenging situation.

Everyday English

Teaching tip

Most of your students will be learning English so that they can communicate when travelling to an English-speaking country, and so they need practical, everyday English. 'Network Now A1' offers them lots of opportunity to use basic, functional English in the Step 3 of each unit.

Language and culture, Magazine, Now me

Teaching tip

Warm-up or Round-up activities

Teaching tip

Here are several activities which can be used as 'five-minute fillers'. Keep a list of short activities in the back of your course books in case you need a lively filler!

Using maps in the classroom

Teaching tip

Have you already looked at the map of the British Isles showing all the locations used in the Now books? This month we give you some general ideas for using maps in the classroom.