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18 English Project Ideas You Can Do Right Now! ESL Teaching Project & Activity Ideas 18 English Project Ideas You Can Do Right Now! ESL Teaching , Project & Activity Ideas 18 English Project Ideas You Can Do Right Now!

• by EN101 Author

So, you are looking for interesting and creative English project ideas to spice up your lessons?

Here are 18 practical projects that will help your students get creative while enhancing their written and communicative English skills. These are applicable to your middle school and high school students . 

Creative English Project Ideas

Advertisement.

Test your students’ creativity by asking the them to make an advertisement for inventions of their own. Or they can stick to readily available products within the market. 

Ask them to start with the connection: how their product will solve the issue of their ideal customers. Tell them that the best advertisements trigger consumers’ emotions. Let them use powerful adjectives to inspire their fictional customers.

Elevator Pitch 

Like advertisement activity, this project also focuses on commercial communication. You would like to assign this project only to high school students because of the amount of research that goes into it. 

Start by asking students to review successful elevator pitches of successful startups. 

Detail the necessary information and persuasive tactics.

Ask them to create their own business model or select one from vast startups present in the business world. 

The last step is to present the whole concept in 3 minutes or less. 

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Abstract Word Art Activity

If you’re looking for a fun group project for 4 or more kids, wacky abstract word art activity is just the ticket. Offering  writing practice  and grammar review, this isn’t your average art project.

Kids practice building sentences with different parts of speech, then create paintings of the silly mad-lib sentences they come up with. In an unexpected fun twist, at the end they get to rip up their paintings and arrange them into wild and unique abstract collages.

Autobiographies

In this fun project, you ask the students to detail their life history in an interesting tone. To avoid monotone, ask them to only include those events in life which they consider adventurous or unforgettable. 

Ask them to highlight emotions rather than timeline. 

You can add a twist to the exercise by asking them to write their ideal future life in an epilogue.

This project will focus on verbal communication skills. 

Ask the students to select a book or excerpt from a book to read. You can assign a genre to keep the communication streamlined. 

Students can take turns to give a short review of their reading together with their viewpoints about it. They can talk about the moral values of the characters or change endings or events to discuss if the plot becomes more entertaining with these changes. 

Check out these ideas on how to run a successful Book Club !

Class Magazine

This is a perfect project for all classes in middle and high school. You can take it to the next level by asking the whole school to start a competition for the best class magazine. 

You can ask your class to select a theme of environmental, health, literary, or societal topic. 

Then ask them to gather all skills; idea-generation, writing, design, and presentation. You will get the most benefits if you make it mandatory for every student to produce content for one page of the magazine. (You can include the advertisement activity within the activity of class magazine.)

Comic Strip 

This is another extensive project that will not only win the hearts of your students but also allow you to assess their creative capabilities. 

Ask them to illustrate interesting events from their lives, or imagination, in the form of comic strips. 

ALSO READ: SPEAKING ACTIVITIES FOR ANY LANGUAGE CLASS

This activity is similar to the comic activity given above. The only difference is the increased detail that is required in drama writing. An absence of images adds the obligation on the students to describe scenes and expressions. 

Again, students can describe any life event from their reality or imagination. 

You can later ask the students to act on the best dramas to improve their verbal and non-verbal communication. 

Paper Mache Activity

In this messy yet super fun project, students make paper mache futuristic Earths or other imaginary planets as described in science fiction.

This was my cross-curricular activity based off of our Literature reading of  Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?  and a unit topic in English about the environment and recycling. Of course, you can do paper mache for any lesson or unit that you have!

This article gives you the step-by-step instruction on how to do paper mache in the classroom!

Editorial/ Fan Letter

Editorial is one of English project ideas most suitable for high-schoolers while fan letters work for learners from all English expertise levels. 

Ask your high-schoolers to analyze a societal issue that is close to their heart. Next, they need to define the problem from the viewpoint of aggrieved parties. Ask them to write out the problem and get it published in a local or national newspaper. 

(Be ready to proofread and edit the piece before they send it to relevant personnel.)

Younger students can write fan letters to their best actors, authors, and singers. 

This is another English project which will combine societal, and practical, understanding with English learning. In this project, the students will learn problem-solving skills. 

Ask them to understand a societal or scientific problem. Once they have understood and defined this issue, they have to provide a solution to this problem. 

In the end, they have to present their solution together with the need which gave rise to it in front of the class. (You may want them to include a video presentation with visual effects .)

This activity is one of my students’ favorite s not only because it’s fun but also because it facilitates their learning. I tried this project on two literature readings I had before (The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain and Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe) and both achieved the same fantastic end.

In this project, students are tasked to illustrate the setting or a specific part of the book in the form of a three-dimensional miniature scene. Students will pick a favorite scene from the story they are reading and decide how they want to represent it using the materials given (above) and a variety of design strategies.

This writing exercise contains the most fun among all the given projects. You will excite their creativity as well as their inner critic.

Start by inquiring about the literary work which fascinates or inspires them most. 

Ask them if they can add humor to that piece. Let them edit a single character or scene or if they want they can give a humorous outlook to the whole plot. 

Fables 

This open-ended English writing project will ask the students to select one event in their life. This event should be intriguing as well as contain a life lesson. 

Then, they have to retell this piece in third person pronoun. Ask them to keep the tone conversational as well as engaging. 

In the end, ask them to write a conclusive moral of the story. 

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Self-Portrait Project

These self-portrait ideas were part of a short project that went really with my middle school ESL class so I thought I’d share them with you.

My students were able to come up with three products in one activity: a mind map, a self-portrait and an essay. The unit topic was about “Identity” or “Personality” but I guess this will work for general descriptive adjectives lesson as well. 

Charts 

If you want to include futuristic touch to your English lessons, include a thing or two from STEM subjects. One great way is to ask them to explain or detail a mathematical chart. (You can come up with variations in this original plan. For example, you can ask future businessmen to interpret graphics related to market studies.)

See, if they have enough vocabulary and concepts to comprehend and convey the message to their fellows. 

Fictional Pen-Pals

Just like fan letters, this activity asks the students to write letters to their favorite characters in fictional and non-fictional worlds. 

Ask them to pinpoint the era, region, settings they like most in a given novel or historical account. Next, they would show interest in one of its characters and the reason for this interest. 

In the end, they need to write a letter to this character praising or advising him/her regarding his/her role in the piece. (You can reply on behalf of that character if you think the point made by the student inspires further dialogue.) 

Book Trailer Project

Book Trailer Project  is a digital storytelling activity for middle school or high school students after they finish reading a book. Students need to take the key idea from the book to create a short video that persuades people to check out a book they have read.

Doing the book trailer project requires students to summarize, synthesize and analyze the book and put that analysis in their trailer. Furthermore, having students create book trailers is a great way to incorporate  technology in the classroom  and encourage reading. Thus, book trailer project is a great alternative to boring book report assignments, and can easily be done individually or in groups.

So these are some of creative English project ideas you can use in your English class to prompt your students to express their creativity and language skills. These are fun, practical, and learning-inducing. 

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Assignment 1: Writing to Discuss, Argue or Persuade ( CIE IGCSE English Language )

Revision note.

Assignment 1: Writing to Discuss, Argue or Persuade

Assignment 1 requires you to select and evaluate facts, opinions and arguments from a text or texts. You are also required to write in a highly effective and technically accurate style, adapting your form and language to suit your audience and purpose.

The following guide is broken into the following sections:

Assignment examples

Adapting your writing to suit form, audience and purpose.

This assignment is a piece of directed writing in response to a text or texts chosen by your teacher (or by you with your teacher’s approval). The assignment is assessed equally for both reading and writing, and to achieve top marks the examiners are looking for the following:

Reading (15 marks):

• Your ability to select, put together and evaluate facts, opinions and arguments to give a developed and sophisticated response
• Your ability to successfully evaluate both explicit and implicit ideas and opinions from your chosen text(s)

Writing (15 marks):

• Your ability to display a highly effective style of writing capable of conveying subtle meaning
• Your ability to use effective language and to structure a response carefully
• A high degree of technical accuracy (spelling, grammar and punctuation are accurate)

Depending on the choice of reading material, a typical Assignment 1 response would be to reply to the author of your chosen text(s) in the form of a letter. However, a speech or an article in which you are able to argue ideas are equally permissible. Whatever the form, you should be able to give an overview of the argument as a whole and demonstrate your understanding by commenting on specific ideas presented by the author of your chosen text or texts. This should include an explanation of any ideas of interest and an argument for or against them, as well as an examination of inconsistencies and the recognition of bias.

A copy of all texts used for Assignment 1 must be included in your portfolio.

The text or texts chosen for Assignment 1 should be of a sensible length and not include literature. They need to be texts which have plenty of ideas and opinions with which you can engage. Most of the time, the chosen text or texts are articles, but they could also be the words of speeches or even travel literature. The following are some examples of suitable assignments for this task:

Your audience for this task will be the intended recipients or audience for your piece of writing. Part of what you are being assessed on is your ability to adapt your language and tone to suit this intended audience.

For example:

• A parent will have different concerns and values to a student
• A local MP would need convincing using facts and evidence to be persuaded by your arguments
• Readers of a local newspaper would be more persuaded by emotive language
• A letter to a headteacher or someone in authority requires formal, respectful language which is not aggressive or inappropriate
• Teenagers would need something to relate to, so personal anecdotes would work well

Addressing your audience or reader specifically is a convincing technique to persuade people to agree with your point of view. To do this, try using inclusive language, such as “we” and “us”, or “fellow students” or “parents”. You should always write using Standard English, but the level of formality you should employ will be dictated by the task itself.

It is also important to carefully consider the purpose of the task. “Giving your views” about a subject can mean to explain what you think, to argue your point or to persuade your audience to agree with you. Most importantly, your language and tone needs to match your intended audience and purpose.

Above all, remember: your arguments and point of view must be based on the reading passages you are given. If you just write without establishing a clear summary of the main points in the text(s), you will not score high marks.

For more detailed information about writing in the form of a letter, speech or article, please see our Paper 2 revision guides:

• Question 1 Directed Writing: How to Write a Letter
• Question 1 Directed Writing: How to Write a Speech
• Question 1 Directed Writing: How to Write an Article

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Author: Deb Orrock

Deb is a graduate of Lancaster University and The University of Wolverhampton. After some time travelling and a successful career in the travel industry, she re-trained in education, specialising in literacy. She has over 16 years’ experience of working in education, teaching English Literature, English Language, Functional Skills English, ESOL and on Access to HE courses. She has also held curriculum and quality manager roles, and worked with organisations on embedding literacy and numeracy into vocational curriculums. She now manages a post-16 English curriculum as well as writing educational content and resources.

How To Write A Discussion Board Post: Tips For College Students

Updated: Sep 11, 2023, 10:42am

College courses use discussion boards to promote a sense of community and encourage students to build strong research, communication and critical thinking skills. These practical tools also allow instructors to evaluate their students’ mastery of essential concepts.

Discussion post interactions are especially helpful in online courses because they allow students to collaborate and interact with each other and their instructors even though they don’t attend in-person classes. By engaging with each other through discussion posts and responses, students can answer each other’s questions or bring up additional inquiries and ideas that inspire ongoing discussion.

While writing a discussion post may sound simple, crafting a good one requires some thought. A few methods ensure your posts will be constructive and productive. This article explores how to write a discussion board post that grabs other students’ attention and keeps the conversation moving forward.

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How To Write Discussion Board Posts For College Courses

Below are some steps to take as you write your discussion board posts. Your instructor may set specific requirements that fall outside of the basic steps below, so be sure to check your course syllabus or consult with your instructor to ensure you meet all of the requirements for your assignment.

Step One: Read the Directions Thoroughly

It’s a good idea to read through your instructor’s directions and the discussion rubric, if applicable, to ensure you understand how your instructor expects you to participate in the discussion board. For example, if your instructor asks you to respond to at least two other students’ discussion posts or cite your sources in a certain way, it helps to know that before you begin.

You should note the response word limit, when your responses are due, how they should be formatted, and what type of research you need to do before constructing your post.

Step Two: Make Sure You Understand Each Question

Carefully read through the question at hand so you can understand its purpose and prepare the best possible response. Depending on the class in question, your instructor might propose complex questions containing multiple components. Try restating the question for yourself in simple terms to ensure you know what’s being asked of you.

Step Three: Read Other Students’ Responses Before Commenting

Read through other students’ ideas and responses before adding to a discussion. You don’t want to repeat an argument that someone else already made, and if you pay close attention to what your classmates are saying, you may be able to provide helpful insight or expand on another student’s idea to add value to the discussion. Reading other students’ responses can help get the gears turning in your mind and ensure you craft a unique, original post.

Step Four: Research Your Subject

If your discussion board post requires research, you must find sources that are credible , verifiable, objective, relevant and accurate, just as you would when writing any type of academic paper. Your instructor should guide you on the types of sources to use, such as scholarly or peer-reviewed articles or journals or other reputable sources.

Depending on your assignment’s requirements, you might want to avoid using secondary or less reliable sources, such as blog posts, which often reflect someone’s personal opinion rather than objective facts.

Step Five: Write Your Response

It’s not productive to simply say that you agree or disagree with someone else’s comment since such statements don’t encourage additional discussion. Before writing your response, take some time to formulate your ideas, anticipating potential questions or disagreements and addressing them ahead of time. This strategy will help you create a comprehensive response.

Consider writing out your thoughts in a Word or Google document before pasting your response into the discussion board. This allows you to create a rough draft so you can then edit and proofread your response to ensure it’s thoughtful, respectful, reflective and grammatically correct.

Step Six: Review and Make Sure You Answered the Question

Before you hit that “submit” button, you should review your response to make sure it’s substantial, clear, concise and error-free.

Ask yourself the following: Did you answer the question correctly? Did you stay on topic? Did you correct all typos and grammatical errors in your writing? Did you mention and cite research, if applicable? Did you ask additional questions to encourage other responses and move the discussion forward? Make sure you’ve ticked all of these boxes before submitting your response.

Step Seven: Engage with Other Students

Engage in discussions by commenting on your peers’ posts or responses. You may ask follow-up questions, answer other students’ questions or address their comments to add value to the discussion and keep it engaging and productive. You should also prepare to revisit the discussion board later on so you can respond to new posts and responses that come in.

Tips for a Good Discussion Board Response

A good discussion board response should contain useful information, share ideas, encourage critical thinking, and inspire others to respond and keep the conversation going. Below are a few tips for writing effective discussion board responses.

• Make your response constructive, thoughtful and relevant, just as you would in a face-to-face discussion in a classroom setting.
• Ask thoughtful questions to encourage more dialogue.
• Avoid responding with dead-end statements such as “I agree” or “I disagree.” Instead, explain why you disagree or disagree.
• Stay on topic.
• Avoid repetition.
• Write concise responses rather than lengthy ones.
• Write subject lines and headers that reflect the subject of your post, if applicable.
• Share your own personal experience or knowledge about the subject, if doing so adds value to the conversation.
• Use relevant, credible evidence to back up your claims.
• Proofread your response before submitting it.
• Avoid writing in all capital letters since this is considered shouting.
• Remember that online discussion posts may not accurately reflect tone of voice, sarcasm or other verbal cues, so be careful and respectful when responding.
• Refrain from using profanity or offensive language.
• Visit the discussion board regularly to view new posts and responses.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Discussion Board Posts

What is a discussion board post.

Instructors often use discussion boards to promote student engagement with course materials on an online learning platform. Students use discussion board posts to share information and collaborate with each other as they complete their course requirements. While both in-person and online courses may require discussion post assignments, in online courses, they often take the place of face-to-face conversations.

What makes a good discussion board post?

A good discussion board post effectively shares ideas and information with others, encouraging them to respond and add value to the conversation. It also reflects your communication skills, ability to understand and follow instructions, and mastery of the subject matter covered in your course.

How do you start a discussion board post?

To start a discussion board post, first ensure you understand the question and purpose of the post. You can then share relevant ideas and information and engage in conversations with other students. Make sure to stay on topic and include accurate information and thoughtful ideas to motivate others to respond to your post.

How long should a discussion board post be?

Discussion board posts vary in length depending on the purpose of the assignment and your instructor’s requirements. In general, your post should state your thoughts, ideas or recommendations; explain the reasoning behind your argument; and ask a question to drive other students to share their opinions. In some situations, you may be able to accomplish this in a couple of sentences or a paragraph, but some responses may need to be longer.

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November 25, 2015

• Using Choice Boards to Differentiate in the Classroom

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Love this idea. I use choice boards often - with vocabulary activities (red, yellow, green: depending on how they perceive their own knowledge of the words), after short story readings (writing choices: analytical, informative/expository, narrative)... The list goes on!

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Writing a successful discussion board post

A discussion board is a “space” where students can further delve into classroom content. It can promote collaboration, and offer individuals room to explore topics, issues, and/or questions. The discussion board is an excellent tool for students who may feel more comfortable expressing their understanding of course content in a written format, as opposed to verbally.

Discussion boards can also be used to further employ the resources of the Internet by allowing students to include hyperlinks to relevant content. Since discussion boards are asynchronous, they offer an opportunity for conversation that again cannot be found within the classroom environment.

What makes a good discussion board topic?

The ideal discussion board topic should always facilitate learning opportunities. It should ideally

• Address the course content
• Reveal your own understanding of that content
• Promote peer interaction.

Tips for writing a good discussion thread

• The Three Part Post (Developed by Dr. Judith Boettcher, Executive Director of the Corporation for Research and Educational Networking)
• Part 1: State what your thought or recommendation might be. In other words, answer the question, “What do you think?”
• Part 2: State why you think what you think. Examine your own experiences, beliefs, or knowledge. It is also a good place to provide references, textual quotations, and/or links to materials that reinforce your opinion.
• Part 3: State what you wish you knew or directly solicit the opinion of classmates (in other words, ask a question!)

Example of a successful discussion thread

Discuss your thoughts on the current national preoccupation with reality TV shows. In what ways are they used to represent or reinforce gender, racial, or economic stereotypes?

Response from student 1:

Reality shows are certainly an ever-expanding phenomenon, yet—in my opinion—they often convey many harmful stereotypes that undermine whatever entertainment value they possess. The genre exploded in the new millennium with shows like Survivor and Big Brother, which chronicled the relationships and personalities of “real” people within a competitive context. In recent years, however, reality shows have increasingly focused on the day-to-day lives of “authentic” individuals. There is one show that I think particularly epitomizes the current dilemmas inherent in this latter type of reality programming: Jersey Shore.

Jersey Shore was initially developed by the MTV network in 2009. The most recent season features the exploits of eight so-called “guidos” and “guidettes”: Paul (“DJ Pauly D”), Ronnie, Nicole (“Snooki”), Mike (“The Situation”), Vinny, Jenny (“J-Wow”), Deena, and Sammi (“Sweetheart”). I initially began watching the show at the insistence of my roommate, and occasionally follow the exploits of the cast due to their constant presence in both gossip magazines and mainstream media sites. I—along with many critics of the show—find it problematic due to three main criteria: their representation of Italian-Americans from New Jersey, their portrayal of the lifestyle of young Americans, and the show’s depiction of gender stereotypes.

Adam K. Raymond of The New York Times Magazine notes that the show has particularly infuriated Italian-Americans; Richmond states that the president of UNICO, an Italian-American service organization, has asked MTV to cease production of Jersey Shore because “it perpetuates the stereotype of young Italian men as mindless drunk oafs with more hair gel than brain cells.”

Indeed, Jersey Shore frequently shows male cast members who engage in alcohol-induced debauchery, avoid “grenades” (unattractive females), and whose only other occupations are “GTL” (gym, tan, laundry). The show’s females are also subject to equally negative representation, in that they are all heavily tanned, wear provocative clothing, and are constantly on the prowl for the perfect “juice-head gorilla” (read: a young man who likely takes steroids to increase his bulk.) For the show’s fourth season, the cast relocated to Italy, where they spent several months partying, fighting, and generally perpetuating negative stereotypes of American youth. Although this show supposedly chronicles the experiences of “real” Italian- Americans from New Jersey, only two of the cast members (Sammi and Deena) are actually from New Jersey, and not all of the individuals are ethnically Italian. The show thus, in my opinion, is deliberately designed to accentuate these stereotypes.

My question is this: is there anything redeeming about Jersey Shore? Do you think that these types of reality shows (that follow the lives of “real” people in day-to-day settings) are more detrimental than competition realty shows like Survivor?

Response from student 2 to student 1’s post:

I agree that Jersey Shore, by and large, demonstrates many negative stereotypes. And yet, you cannot ignore its current cultural relevance. According to Rebecca Brown, an MTV blogger, several universities are using Jersey Shore as a platform for discussion.

For instance, a student at the University of Chicago intends to sponsor a conference on the show which will include topics such as “The construction, localization and performance of ethnicity, or I'm not white, I'm tan‟ “. Jersey Shore has the potential to be detrimental, if these stereotypes are perceived as fact. But, in my opinion, it is very obvious that the Jersey Shore cast members are characters, not “real” people.

Also—just to play the devil’s advocate—I think that several reality shows (even those of the “day to day” variety) have positive repercussions. Consider a show that airs on the TLC channel—”What Not to Wear.” This program is hosted by two individuals who provide makeovers to primarily women. Unlike Jersey Shore, these women are portrayed as real people, not as “one-dimensional” stereotypes. Although some of the individuals on the show are more receptive to makeovers than others, they are not relegated to simple labels of “hero” and “villain.” This show has both positive intentions and consequences. Again, I certainly admit that many programs do reinforce negative stereotypes, but it is difficult to classify all “reality shows” as representing these stereotypes universally.

Additional tips

• Strive to always bring up new, interesting comments. There is no point reiterating a remark that has already been made. You should always try to further the discussion—be provocative! Even if you have a similar opinion as the previous respondent, bring up an additional example or resource. The second poster in the above example includes many comments for the next student—or even the previous poster—to agree or disagree with.
• Good discussion threads should be substantial but concise: convey only the information that is most meaningful and accessible to your classmates. Make sure to always re-read your response! A good habit is to copy and paste your thread into a Word document prior to posing to check for errors in spelling and grammar.
• Don’t just state that you agree or disagree with the poster—make sure you offer an inventive reason why (avoid things like “You go girl, I totally agree!”) Always be professional and respectful to your classmates and avoid ad hominem attacks (criticism against the person, not his/her comments.)

• Grades 6-12
• School Leaders

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How I Use Choice Boards to Increase Student Engagement

Because we all know one-size-fits-all lessons don’t exist.

One of the most common challenges that teachers face is planning engaging, hands-on lessons that are accessible to all students. Teachers know that a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work. That’s why I’m a big fan of the choice board. Choice boards can be implemented for any grade level or subject. They typically include a wide array of activities of varying difficulty. As a result, all students, regardless of learning style, are able to get the skills and learning they need.

Here’s how I use choice boards in my classroom.

The setup of a choice board is simple. First of all, I plan at least nine activities that can be done at stations or centers around the classroom. Each activity is then assigned a point value based on the level of difficulty or work required to complete it. Students must acquire a certain number of points by doing activities of their choice.

When I introduce the activity to the class, I distribute the choice board and review directions orally as students follow along. Next, I walk around the room, visiting each station and explaining each activity. That way, students know where to find them and what to do. At each station, I place another set of directions, this one specific to that activity. I have found this  extremely helpful, especially for students who need information presented in smaller chunks. Of course, everything that students need to complete the activity is waiting for them at the station. This really helps avoid confusion.

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Choice boards should offer a variety of activities that appeal to all learning styles.

Another benefit of using choice boards for inclusion classes is that modifications can easily be made without students feeling different or separated from their peers. A professional development seminar that my school held on UDL (Universal Design for Learning) really resonated with me. CAST, a nonprofit education research and development organization, defines UDL as “a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn.” This approach really motivated me to be extra diligent in creating lessons that were accessible to all learners.

Here are examples of activities from the choice board shown above:

Choice boards require a decent amount of preparation, but their outcomes are worth the extra time.

The students are learning, but they are also having fun while doing it. When students get to select the activities they do, they are involved in their own learning. This sets them up for success, and as a result the classroom becomes a safe haven for them. Consequently, they develop a positive attitude toward education.

Students also appreciate a teacher who they know is willing to go the extra mile for them. They can tell when a teacher thought outside of the box while planning assignments. If you’re looking to create an engaging, hands-on lesson that allows students to take ownership of their own learning, then give choice boards a try. 

Have you tried choice boards in the classroom? Come and share your experiences in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook. 

Plus, how I engage middle and high school readers by offering more student choice.

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73 ESL Writing Activities

From a student’s point of view, writing assignments are something to dread.

But from an ESL teacher’s point of view, they should be a challenge worth accepting.

The challenge for you is to motivate your students enough to actually be excited about writing.

Sounds impossible? It’s actually quite simple.

The key is a strong pre-writing activity that boosts their confidence and adds to their vocabulary at the same time.

So, how do you get your students’ writing off to a great start?

In this post, we’ll look at some different ESL writing activities that will transform your students from hesitant writers to confident wordsmiths in their own right.

Writing Assignments Based on Stories

Writing activities prompted by music, writing practice exercises based on images or pictures, writing assignments based on food, writing activities based on mysteries, exercises to practice writing emails, activities to practice writing advertisements, assignments to practice writing reports, creative writing activity: class newsletter/newspaper.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

People of all ages love a well-told story, and using stories to teach ESL is a sure winner.

A story for a pre-writing activity could be in the form of:

• A  movie . It could be a biography, sci-fi film, thriller, action-packed adventure, fairy tale or even a cartoon.
• A  story read aloud from a book. If you’re using this, read in a way that brings the characters’ voices to life (including the narrator’s), hold the book up to show any pictures within or scan them and project onto a screen as you read. You can also search YouTube videos of famous authors or celebrities reading a book aloud, and show these in class.
• A  story from the news . It could be from the TV, radio, newspaper or an online news site .
• A story read by your students. In this case, you could let them read a story silently or with a partner, and take as long as they like to think about the important parts.

No matter what you choose, it’ll be a great lead-in to the ESL writing exercises below.

1. Re-tell the story as is, or summarize it. (This works best for beginners, who are still getting their feet wet in the waters of English comprehension.)

2. After watching “Finding Nemo” : Tell the story from the point of view of the whale, the dentist’s daughter or Bruce the shark.

3. Explain to Marlin how he should take care of Nemo better.

4. Make up a story about a farm animal/zoo animal/jungle animal. What if a baby ___ was lost? What if a child was lost in the city? What if you found a lost child?

5. After the story of “Goldilocks” : Tell the story from the baby bear’s point of view.

6. What if the baby bear and Goldilocks became best buds? What would happen?

7. After discussing “The Gingerbread Man” : Tell the story from the fox’s or gingerbread man’s point of view.

8. What did the old woman do wrong that made the gingerbread man run away?

9. How do you make a gingerbread man? What other shapes could be made instead?

10. After “Little Red Riding Hood” : Write the story in the first person—from the point of view of either Red Riding Hood or the wolf.

11. What should Red Riding Hood have done when she met the wolf?

12. After watching a “Lord of the Rings” movie: What would you do if you had the One Ring? Write about a magical quest you and several friends would have if you could.

13. After watching a “Pirates of the Caribbean”  movie: What if you were a pirate? What adventures would you have if you were a pirate?

14. After watching “Titanic” : Write about what you discover when you dive onto the wreck. Or imagine you were on the ship when it sank, and talk about how you escaped.

15. Whose fault was it that so many people drowned on the Titanic? What should they have done?

16. After watching a “Star Wars”  movie: Imagine you’re a space explorer and write about what happens when you meet some characters from “Star Wars.”

17. After watching a “Terminator”  movie: Imagine your teacher is a robot that has come back from the future. Or imagine you have come back from the future—what would it be like?

18. After watching a “Harry Potter” movie: Make up some magic spells and explain how you’d use them.

Everybody loves music! Watch your students’ faces light up as soon as they realize that they’re about to be treated to some songs rather than chalk-and-talk. Music stirs the emotions, after all, and can get your students excited about writing.

Here are some ideas for music you can incorporate into ESL writing activities:

• Classical music. There are some pieces of well-known classical music that specifically tell a story , and many of these are available on YouTube.
• “Fantasia 2000,” particularly “Rhapsody in Blue.” This wonderful, wordless animated story can kick off so much great writing!
• Movie music. The music that goes with a movie tells watchers how they should be feeling, and could be a good jumping-off point for some writing.
• Popular songs and music. Self-explanatory. Check out the most popular or trending artists on YouTube or Spotify for ideas.
• Kids’ songs . There’s something about singing a catchy little tune that makes the words stick in your mind more than just saying them. These can lead to some interesting writing, too.

19. After Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf” : Tell the story from Peter’s point of view.

20. After Saint-Saëns’ “The Carnival of the Animals” : Imagine walking through the scenes with the animals and interacting with them. Write a story from the point of view of one of the animals.

21. Describe the animals in “The Carnival of the Animals.”

22. After Tchaikovsky’s “Romeo and Juliet” : Re-tell this classic Shakespeare story, adding a twist.

23. After watching and listening to “Rhapsody in Blue” : Tell all/part of the story.

24. If you were the main character in “Rhapsody in Blue,” what would you do?

25. Listen to a piece of classical/instrumental music and tell the story that it might be a background to. Imagine that it’s the background music for a movie.

26. Tell the story (real or made up) behind some popular songs like Taylor Swift’s “Wildest Dreams.”

27. Describe meeting someone special like in the aforementioned Taylor Swift song.

28. What happens in your wildest dreams?

29. What if you were a famous pop star or musician? What would it be like? What would you do?

30. Give instructions on how to find your favorite song on the Internet, both music and lyrics.

31. If you play an instrument, or have a relative who plays one, write about some of the basics of how to play. (This could also work as a speaking and listening activity, and then the whole class could write about it.)

32. What is your favorite genre of music, and why? (Be sure to explain what “genre” means !)

33. Do you think young children should be allowed to freely watch music videos?

Some pictures you can use for ESL writing activities include:

• Pictures from social media. If you use social media at all, you doubtless have a barrage of amazing photos and videos on your feed, all of which make for excellent writing prompts.
• Pictures from Google Images . A quick Google search on any (classroom-safe) image will turn up plenty.
• Cartoons . If you have young students, they’ll definitely enjoy this one.
• Pictures selected by your students. Not sure what to choose? Have your students pick their own pictures to write about. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how vibrant their writing can be when they’re writing about subjects they actually care about.

Regardless of the picture you (or your students) choose, here are some writing prompts you can consider.

34. Tell a story—real or imagined—of what is happening in the picture.

35. Write about what happens next from the pictured moment.

36. Write about what was happening just before the pictured incident.

37. What if that was you in the picture?

38. What if you were the person who took the picture?

39. What if you knew the people in the picture? What would you say to them?

40. Describe all of the elements in the picture. This is great for vocabulary practice.

41. Describe how someone in the picture might be feeling.

42. Explain how to get into  a pictured predicament (for example, in the picture here , how did he get into the boat without the crocodile eating him?) as well as how to get out of it.

43. Express an opinion about the rights and wrongs of the pictured situation. For example, for the same picture above: Should crocodiles be hunted and killed? What should happen if a crocodile kills someone?

Many of your students likely enjoy thinking and talking about food. So why wouldn’t they be motivated to write about it?

How you integrate food into your ESL writing assignments depends on your classroom arrangements and the amount of time you’re willing to put into preparation.

In any case, here are some ideas:

• Start with the preparation and sharing of food before writing about it.
• Look at pictures of food, and talk about them before moving on to writing.
• Have students research food-related topics on the internet.
• Start with a story about food.

Here are the specific food writing prompts:

44. After the story of “The Gingerbread Man”: Think about food that develops a life of its own, and what would happen with it. (This can also open up a discussion about cultural foods.) For example, make up a similar story about another piece of food (e.g., spaghetti or rice that comes alive). What if you felt something moving in your mouth after you bit into your burger?

45. Write a story (real or imagined) about being very hungry and/or finding/buying/stealing food to meet a desperate need.

46. Write a story about trying a new, unfamiliar kind of food—maybe in a (relevant) cross-cultural setting.

47. Write a story about finding and eating a food that has magical properties. (Maybe read or watch some or all of “Alice in Wonderland”  first.)

48. Describe interesting/disgusting/unusual/delicious/colorful foods, especially after a class tasting lesson. (Prepare students first with suitable taste vocabulary .)

49. Describe a food that’s unfamiliar to most students in the class. (This is particularly helpful for classes where there are students belonging to minority groups who hesitate to speak up.)

50. Describe an imaginary magical food.

51. Give instructions for preparing a particular recipe.

52. After a class activity or demonstration involving food: Write down what you have learned.

53. Give instructions for producing food—growing vegetables, keeping animals, etc.

54. Give instructions for buying the best food—what to look for, looking at labels, checking prices and the like.

55. Write about your opinion on food and health in First World and Third World countries. (Explain what makes a country “First,” “Second” or “Third World” first.)

56. Write about your opinion on the cost of food.

57. Write about your opinion on GMOs or genetically engineered foods .

There’s nothing quite like a good “whodunnit,” and students will always enjoy a good puzzle. You can base various pre-writing activities around the two games below to get the class warmed up for ESL writing practice.

• Conundrum. This is an example of a game that can be played as a speaking and listening activity, and can lead into some good writing. The game starts with a simple statement or description of a situation like the ones described in situation puzzles . Students ask questions and receive yes/no answers until they work out the explanation for the situation.

After Conundrum, here are some of the activities your students can do:

58. Write a story about the sequence of events involved in a situation brought up in the game.

59. Devise and describe your own situation puzzle.

• Putting their hands inside a cloth bag (or just feeling the outside) to guess what an object is.
• Smelling substances in opaque jars with perforated lids, and trying to guess what they are.
• Tasting mystery foods on plastic spoons (with blindfolds).
• Looking at pictures of mysterious objects from obscure angles.
• Listening to and guessing the origins of sound effects. (You can record your own, or use some from the Internet .)

(Important: Make sure that whatever you’re using for your guessing game is safe for your students, especially if they involve having to touch, taste or smell the object.)

After a guessing game, your students can:

60. Write about a possible mystery object and a magical quality it could possess.

61. Describe what you thought you saw, heard, felt, tasted or smelled.

For both games, here are some writing prompts you can do:

62. Give instructions for playing one of the games.

63. Give instructions for the perfect crime.

64. Give your opinion about a recent crime and the punishment for it.

Emailing can often be a scary task for your students, especially if they’re using a new, strange language like English. You can utilize an email writing activity to help your students build confidence and get more comfortable writing in English.

Email can also teach your students things like proper language (formal or informal), structure and format. Email-related writing activities for ESL students can offer ample opportunities to teach all of these three aspects.

Since emails involve two parties (the sender and the receiver), you’ll need to pair your students up for this activity. Here’s how to prepare for it:

• Create one set of worksheets explaining details relevant to the sender. For example, it could contain information about a sender’s upcoming birthday party that they want to invite the receiver to.
• Create another set of worksheets with the receiver’s details. The worksheets could contain questions about food dishes or gifts, or it could say that the receiver can’t make it for one reason or other.

Once the above has been done, give one set of worksheets to the “senders” and the other to the “receivers.” Then, here’s what your students will do:

65. Based on the senders’ worksheets, write an email inviting the receiver and explaining the key aspects of the event featured in the worksheet.

66. Based on the receivers’ worksheets, write an email explaining why you can or cannot make it to the party, and/or what other information you need about the event.

Advertisements are everywhere, and you can bet that your students have a few favorite ads of their own. Advertisement-related writing activities work across age groups and can be adapted to most students and their needs.

This great ESL writing assignment can help your students put the adjectives they’ve learned into good use, as well as showcase their creative writing and persuasion skills.

You can find advertisements everywhere, including:

• YouTube videos
• Newspapers and magazines

You can also bring an object (or handful of objects) to class that your students can write ads about.

67. After your students carefully examine the object(s) you brought into class: Write all the adjectives you can think of about it.

68. For a more challenging writing exercise: Write an ad about the object. How would you persuade someone who knows nothing about the object whatsoever to buy it? (Your students may or may not use the adjectives they wrote down earlier. Encourage them to be creative!)

Your students have likely already done some kind of report during the course of their studies. Also, writing reports is a skill that’ll be useful to them once they enter college or the corporate world (if they aren’t in it already). If you feel that they need a little more practice in this area, use this ESL writing assignment.

First, discuss how research and structure matter to reports—and perhaps show them a few samples. Then, give them a few questions to base their reports on, like:

69. What can you say about (insert topic here) in terms of (insert specific angle here)? (For example, “What can you say about the government’s efforts to improve the local park in terms of its impact on the general public?” Of course, you should adapt this question to the level of your students.)

70. After talking about a YouTube video on bears eating salmon : What would happen to the bears if the salmon ran out? 

This ESL writing activity is a bit more intensive and will allow your students to employ many different aspects of their ESL knowledge. Crafting a class newsletter will build collaboration, communication, listening, speaking and, of course, writing skills. If they’re not sure how to build a newsletter or newspaper from scratch, they can always swipe from premade templates like this one .

The newsletter/newspaper can follow a specific theme, or the articles can consist of a hodgepodge of random topics based on questions like:

71. What is the most interesting thing that happened in school this year? It can be the funniest/scariest/most heartwarming incident. Write a feature article about it. (Make sure to explain what a “feature article” is .)

72. Write a report highlighting the key events in some recent local festivals or concerts.

73. Going off of the last exercise, write an ad inviting the reader to buy a product or attend an event.

Once all of the articles are done, you can start putting them together. Make sure to walk your students through these newspaper layout tips . And when the newsletter/newspaper is finally published and circulated out there for the world to see, remember to congratulate your students for a job well done!

No matter what writing assignments you choose, make sure to keep the excitement level high so that your students are enthusiastic for your next writing session.

Whether they write by hand or type on a computer, remember to encourage them as much as you can by focusing on the good points rather than just running all over their mistakes with a red pen.

Lastly, find ways for them to share their efforts—whether online, on the classroom wall, bound together in a book to be passed around, etc.

They can also read aloud to each other, share with their parents and siblings and even share with other classes!

For more ESL assignment ideas, check out this post: 

Great ESL homework ideas can be difficult to come up with. So check out these 13 great ideas for ESL homework assignments that your students will love. Not only are they…

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English Bulletin Board Ideas for JET Program ALTs Everything you need to know about making the best English boards your school has ever seen

September 27, 2016 • words written by Sandra • Art by Aya Francisco

Viewing under The Tofugu JET Program Guide

Welcome to your first day as an Assistant Language Teacher ( ALT ) on the JET Program . You’re ready to command the classroom . You’re ready to inspire the students . You’re ready to become a poster designer!

Wait, what was that last part?

As a JET Program ALT , you’ll likely be tasked with creating colorful English bulletin boards for the classroom and/or hallways…every month.

If you don’t consider yourself an "artist," don't worry. Below, we’ve listed tips and tactics that go into the creation of an amazing, eye-catching boards. Plus, there are enough ESL bulletin board ideas in here to last you 5 years or more.

Grab your scissors and glue. It’s time to get creative (whether you like it or not).

What's an English Bulletin Board?

An English Bulletin Board (also called simply an "English Board") is any arrangement of colors, letters, and shapes that makes up a coherent message on a space inside the school.

This could be a poster you create and hang anywhere. Or there may be a designated space where your creation will live, like a cork board. It may even be a portable poster-board, like the ones you use in middle school science projects.

As an ALT , you’ll likely be tasked with creating colorful English bulletin boards …every month.

Whatever the form, your board's location will vary. It might be located in a classroom, a special English room, a hallway, or on a wall by a staircase. Check with your supervisor before you start hanging things in random areas.

If you want a co-creator, ask Japanese Teachers of English ( JTEs ), students, or English club members if they'd like to help. But more than likely the task will fall on you, as the most fluent English-speaking person in the school.

Usually a higher-up, someone at the BOE or your supervisor, will request you make a bulletin board. But if no one asks, don't wait for the order. Take the initiative and talk to your supervisor about it.

In my case, I was never asked to make a board. In fact, no ALT at my school had ever made one. So I asked and a JTE at my school helped me find a place to set one up. They were excited by the idea of exposing the students to more English.

If your board orders come from on high, you may be asked for monthly or bi-monthly board updates and the content may be dictated to you. But in many cases you're given free rein to create what you please as often as you please. The creative freedom is nice, but it can feel overwhelming (unless you have a great article to turn to for ESL bulletin board ideas, wink wink).

Gathering Materials

Once you get permission and have a designated English bulletin board space, it’s time to gather the tools you’ll need for the job.

You should be able to get the following materials from your school:

• A Board/Space: a place for your school bulletin board to live. This means a bulletin board, poster board, cork board, etc.
• Fasteners:  pins, glue, tape, stapler/staples, magnets, etc.
• Paper: in a variety of colors.
• Computer and Printer: for creating images and printing them.
• Laminator: it's fine if you don't have access to a laminator, but laminating increases decoration durability.
• Scissors: for cutting.
• Writing Utensils: markers, colored pencils, crayons, pencils, and paint.
• Ruler: for measuring and straight lines.

If you need help finding these things, don't be afraid to ask a  JTE or any co-worker. They might even have additional ideas for supplies you can use.

Though your school may not have a certain supply on hand, they might be able to order it for you.

If you can't find what you need, ask someone in the teachers' room. Though the school may not have the specific supply on hand, they might be able to order it for you. I once bought small 100 yen white boards to use during lessons, but later, one of my JTEs told me I could have asked the vice principal to order them for me. 100 yen is no big deal, but it’s nice to know you can get supplies provided when the item in question is 2000 yen or more.

If your school doesn’t have funds to provide the tools you need, check your local 100 yen shop (part of being a teacher is building your own arsenal of materials ). They’re great for seasonal goodies and cheap supplies. Just make sure to keep track of what’s yours and what’s the school’s. That way you don’t end up "donating" parts of your personal toolkit.

Basic Bulletin Board Sections

An ESL bulletin board can be anything you want (within reason), as long as it has English and/or teaches the students about foreign cultures.

At its most basic, a board will include words and pictures. And that's it! It's your creativity and organization that makes the words and pictures something special.

You can dedicate your whole board to one topic or divide the board into sections. 

One Topic: If you do one topic per board, go in-depth with that topic. Add lots of information, images, and decoration. Otherwise it will look bare bones.

Sections: The more common approach divides the bulletin board into sections and covers one topic in each section. This makes your bulletin board like a newspaper page; a recipe here, some sports photos there, a little quiz in the bottom right hand corner. Your school bulletin board becomes dynamic.

Below are common topics for your bulletin board. Mix and match as you please, using as many or as few as you want. Just make sure it results in an eye-catching board, or your students will walk by without noticing your effort.

ALT Profile

This is a great "starter section" for those freshly arrived on JET. Many schools like their new ALTs to post information about themselves for the students to see. A lot of materials from your ALT self-introduction lesson can be used here.

• Pictures of yourself: This will help the students get to know you and get used to seeing you around.
• Pictures of your hometown: Japanese students love seeing people and places from your home country, especially your high school. Prom and football games are always crowd pleasers.
• Pictures of famous things/people: From America? The Statue of Liberty is recognizable. England? Big Ben makes a big splash. Canada? Justin Trudeau is a hunky dude. ღゝ◡╹)ノ♡
• Your home country’s flag: All JETs are goodwill ambassadors from their countries. And nothing says "I'm from a country" like that country's flag.
• Facts: Information about you, your country, and hometown are great. List them in bullet points for quick comprehension.

Holidays offer fun visuals and are a great culture lesson. Plus they help fill the board during the winter months when it's too cold to come up with new ESL bulletin board ideas.

Halloween and Christmas are always popular. Although both are celebrated in Japan, there are big customary differences that will wow your students. You can even throw curveballs by promoting holidays that are lesser known in Japan. For example, I made a board about Mexico's "Day of the Dead" in October.

Most English reading material will be too difficult for your students. But that doesn't mean you can't help your students understand English articles that are +1 above their ability level . Here's how to do it:

• Print the material: Print out articles from Buzzfeed , Upworthy , or similar publications. The lists and quizzes from these sites usually have short, easy-to-understand sentences. Another option is Tweets from celebrities your students like ( Twitter is bigger in Japan than Facebook ).
• Highlight and define difficult words: Highlight and explain difficult words in the text, like a paper-based Rikaichan . Explain the difficult parts in simpler English or even Japanese, depending on your students' skill level.
• Use pictures: Always use pictures. Your students won't come to the board if there's nothing to draw them in.

If the article you want to use is too advanced (but too good pass up), rewrite the article in simpler English and post the original next to it.

More ESL Bulletin Board Ideas

A successful English bulletin board is one which students can read and understand easily. Start simple, especially right at the beginning of your ALT career. I put up pictures of different countries' flags with their names and surprisingly it was a big hit!

Here are more small ideas you can use as sections of your board, or make into boards in and of themselves, with extra work and creativity.

Word/Phrase of the Month: For words more complicated than "duck" or "shoe," highlight them as "Word of the Month." Define the word or phrase in English and Japanese, and add pictures or comics for greater clarity. Here's an example of a small section I posted for the phrase "I'll be back."

Interesting Vocabulary (With Pictures): Teach the students fun words they might not get to see in their textbooks. Interesting animals like squirrel, sheep, and porcupine. Be aware some Japanese animal names are almost identical to their English counterpart. For example, hamster is hamustaa ハムスター （ ） . Other great vocab categories are hairstyles, food, clothing, and weather.

Tongue Twisters: Tongue twisters are fun in any language, and the vast majority available online make this an easy board to put together. Not much more to say than that. Make sure to choose twisters easy enough for your students.

Picture Collages: As I've said before, pictures are the lifeblood of your boards. So creating sections or whole boards of just pictures is great, but they usually work best as culture lessons, more so than English lessons. A few collage ideas are, "Daily Life in [country/place of choice]," "My travels to [recent destination]," "Cosplay in [country other than Japan]," and "Food from [anywhere]."

Daily Routine: Use textbook vocabulary and pictures to create a daily itinerary that is easy to understand in concept and in language. For example, start with "7:00, eat breakfast" or "I eat breakfast at 7:00." Then continue with "8:00, I go running" and so on. I did one recently and it got quite a bit of attention. Let's just say I had a little help from some popular Titans.

Song of the Month: Post lyrics to students favorite songs. Or if you're up for a challenge, post English lyrics to popular Japanese songs.

Recipe of the Month: Everyone loves food. Some like making it. Find easy-to-follow recipes from your home country (or any country) and post them in English. Language and culture education all in one!

Attractive Topics: One of the advantages of the English bulletin board is that you can feature almost anything as long as it uses English. Use this to your advantage by highlighting celebrities, athletes, singers, movies, sports, or anything you know the students love. Reel them in with kool trendz and teach them English once you've got them hooked.

Interactive Bulletin Board Sections

Once you've mastered the creation basics, it's time to level up! The sections listed below are based on the basic topics listed above, but are modified to be interactive. The basics give students information, but these upgrades encourage kids to interact and engage.

Translation Challenge

This exercise will get your students interested in how to become a translator . Or at least grab their attention with nifty comics.

Print out excerpts from English and Japanese versions of a manga. Pin up both and cover the Japanese version with a piece of paper. Tape an envelope filled with slips of paper to the board so students can try translating the English into Japanese. After they're done, they lift the piece of paper to see the official Japanese translation and compare.

Try to pick comic panels with grammar or vocabulary your students have studied. Using manga series the students know will increase their interest. Past comics I have used are Attack on Titan , One Piece , and Haikyuu!! But try posting comics from any country (that way it counts as cultural exchange).

Your board puzzle can be anything you want. The pieces can be parts of a sentence or pictures that go together in a specific order. They can even be "traditional" puzzle pieces that form a word or cultural image. The possibilities are limitless!

The major challenge is making enough pieces for all potential participants. This could be tough in a school 300 students or more. A solution is purposely offering fewer puzzles than there are students. Hopefully the scarcity will create demand (and by proxy, interest in English).

Start with two sets of information that go together:

• Vocabulary words and pictures
• Two halves of one sentence
• Numerals and their spellings
• Words in different tenses (present, past, etc.)

In my case, I put up laminated pictures related to the current holiday season or recent class topics, and added magnetic strips underneath them. Then I put magnets on the backs of laminated vocabulary words in an envelope attached to the board. The students then chose what words to match to the pictures.

A neat variation I've seen on this idea is two lists of words with strings to move around and connect items the lists.

A board section I've read about is a "graffiti section." I emphasize section for this idea, because making this your entire board might look bad since it's essentially a blank piece of paper.

Above the graffiti section, add instructions to let students know they can write and draw whatever they want as long as it's in English. Giving students a chance to mess around and doodle is a great outlet for creativity and expression. And if you're lucky, most of this expression will be in English!

Poll your students to learn their opinions on the issues. Choose one question they can answer freely or several questions with multiple choice questions. This way you get a variety of answers to one question, or standard answers to several questions which convert nicely into charts and graphs (58% love tsukemono , etc).

Examples of polls you can try are:

• Best/funniest/saddest manga
• Best artist
• Favorite color
• Best holiday
• Favorite subject
• Which movie they're most excited to see

Include a box or container attached to the board or in another easy-to-access space, so kids can submit answers discretely. If you want answers displayed immediately, use the graffiti idea above, but ask a question rather than inviting free expression.

Alternatively, force poll participation by taking five minutes of class time to pass out and collect the poll. Then post the results up on the board so students can see what their peers think.

The "Student Work" Bulletin Board

After creating so many school bulletin boards from scratch, you may start to feel burned out. Never fear. This is the time to use your authority as a teacher to make the children (help) create board content.

Below are ESL classroom ideas that crowdsource board material from your students.

Essay or Quote of the Week

When classroom activities produce excellent pieces of written or spoken English, re-purpose and highlight them on the English board. Always ask the students permission of course and give them the option to have it posted anonymously.

Actually, this display might be more intriguing if you don't include the author's name. Instead, only display the grade year and/or homeroom class so other students can try to guess "whodunit."

Poetry and Art Displays

Hold mini poetry or art contests and reward the winners by displaying their work. This is like the previous idea, but it requires more voluntary effort on the part of the students. But the upside is, this is classroom material that produces bulletin board material. It's a win-win!

For poetry, Valentine's Day is the prime season. Ask your students to write love poems in a mad-lib style using the traditional "Roses are red/Violets are blue…" like this:

________ are red, ________ are blue, ________ is sweet, And so are you.

Hold poetry or art contests and reward the winners by displaying their work.

Don't be afraid to try this ESL bulletin board idea outside of February. Just make sure to provide the structure and an example, so you can tailor the task to the ability level of your students.

For the art contest, provide the topic and instructions in class using English. Something as simple as "Draw a kangaroo" is fine, but draw your own kangaroo on the board as an example. Then set a time and place to collect the drawing, either at the end of class or in a dropbox at your desk.

As long as you provide enough promotion and time, using student poetry and art can make for a grand exhibit without much elbow grease on your part.

Student Interviews

Interviews are a great source of material for your school bulletin board. Celebrity interviews are fine, but why not feature your students and teachers? It's a great way to connect with your school and make them feel like they're part of your process.

Here are steps to follow when doing student interviews:

• Have a topic in mind beforehand:  This may seem obvious, but there's nothing worse than requesting a chat with someone and not being prepared. Picking interview topics and questions is easy if you choose a student who is part of a club or activity. For example, interview a sports club member about their training methods or an English speech contest winner about how they study.
• Print out and display their English responses: I recommend recording the interview and then transcribing it.
• Show the interviewee the final interview before you post: Get the student's approval/show them how cool they are for participating in English!

Also look for ways to get teachers in on the fun. At my middle school, students from every grade level are asked to answer questions about their hobbies, favorite things, and dreams for the future. I thought it would be interesting to ask the teachers to provide answers to the same set of questions (you wouldn't assign something you wouldn't do yourself, right?). This gave the kids an example to follow when answering the questions themselves. Plus, I got to break the ice with teachers who previously wouldn't interact with me.

I love this board because there are so many benefits. You get to build relationships with students while building their confidence in English.

Decoration Collaboration

Use your authority as a teacher to make the children (help) create board content.

You can use your free time at your desk to draw and cut out snowflakes for your Christmas-themed ESL bulletin board. Or you can find ways to make this project a hands-on group activity in class! It's like "tricking" students into helping you decorate, but not really because you're the teacher.

Assign blank pumpkins for Jack-o-lantern creation during Halloween lessons, or include snowflake-cutting as part of a Christmas lesson. Have students write wishes on slips. Or use stars for Tanabata in July to combine English with a familiar Japanese custom. 

When you're done, collect the assignments to use as decorations on your English board, the walls of the classroom, or hallways. You just taught a lesson and got decorations at the same time!

Bulletin Board and Classroom Decorations

Once you become proficient with English bulletin boards, your colleagues may take notice and task you with extra decoration duties. You might need to decorate a classroom, or spruce up the hallway. Or you may want a few extra pieces of flair to spruce up the bulletin board. Whatever the reason, here are a few ESL classroom decoration ideas to get you going.

Common Phrases Posters

This great classroom poster features common English phrases, centered around a theme or conversation. For example, the poster in the image is labeled, "How are you?" with various answers below it. Most students know, "I’m fine," as an appropriate response. But they might not know how to mix it up with, "I’m good," "Okay," or "Alright." There are good examples of this poster in Verity's post on how to be an outstanding ALT .

Phrases to use in this poster are:

• "How’s the weather?" "It's sunny," "It's rainy," "It's cloudy," etc.
• Different ways to ask for help in class: Such as "Could you repeat that?" "What does that mean?" "How do you spell _____?"
• "I like ____s." To practice the plural 's,' as in "I like dogs," "I like foxes," etc.
• "Shopping phrases" Such as, "It's too small," "Can I have a blue one?" "How much is it?" etc.

Seasonal Symbols

As holidays and seasons come and go, it’s common for teachers to put up paper decorations reflecting those times. Things like flowers for spring and hearts for Valentine’s Day. Although it’s a bit of work, everyone appreciates a festive classroom. It can even spark discussion on culture and the English words associated with the decorations you decide to put up.

Vocabulary Posters

Words and pictures are great on ESL bulletin boards, so why not put them together on a poster to hang in the classroom? For an upgrade, parts of speech or other descriptive information. English vocabulary supports your teaching mission much better than a blank wall.

Jikoshoukai Posters

Jikoshoukai 自己紹介 （ じこしょうかい ） means self-introduction. Students often practice the textbook iteration of the English self-intro. Using pictures of popular characters, mascots, and celebrities adds much needed flavor to the run-of-the-mill jikoshoukai.

In my own classroom, I put up a poster of Jibanyan I got from 7/11 (of course, it immediately attracted attention). I attached speech balloons to make the Yo-Kai Watch character give his self-introduction. Every class that saw it for the first time had at least a couple of students reading it aloud and trying to understand the English! That's what I call success.

This sounds obvious, but a calendar is a great addition to any classroom. The bigger the better! Make it stand out by filling in holidays and the birthdays of students or famous people. Highlight upcoming events like school festivals and undoukai . It also helps you, the ALT , keep track of the day during those especially busy seasons. But make sure it's an English calendar (because it's English class). It helps students become familiar with those funny-looking words like "Wednesday."

Further JET Program English Bulletin Board Inspiration

I hope this list of ESL bulletin board ideas and examples helps you create and decorate your way to ALT stardom (not to mention educate masses of children along the way).

To continue your growth as a bulletin Board artist, I've provided a list of resources.

Yamaguchi Prefecture JET Stephanie’s English Bulletin Board Ideas: One of the few blogs that specializes in English bulletin boards for JET Program ALTs . Great design sense and ideas. Check it out.

English Bulletin Boards by Lobsterdance: Another one (of the few) collections of JET Program English bulletin boards online. The blog ended in 2012, but the 9 boards featured are great for inspiration.

Pinterest: Pinterest probably has the most examples of ESL bulletin boards, but few targeted at English teachers in Japan. Still, the many , many , many , many examples are bound to give you good ideas for your superstar JET boards.

ALT Insider's English Board Tips: There aren't many ideas in this post, but there is a philosophy behind bulletin board creation. Some great ideas from a seasoned ALT .

As you can see, there are few examples of JET Program English bulletin boards online… right now, at least. But as you start creating boards for your students, take photos and send them to us on Facebook , Twitter , or through email . We'd love to feature them in this post.

Go forth, fellow ALTs ! You have the knowledge. You have the talent. Create the kinds of boards that attract attention and inspire learning. Your school's walls will never be the same again.

AP English Language and Composition

Ap english language and composition course and exam description.

This is the core document for the course.

New for 2024-25: MCQs Will Have Four Answer Choices

Starting in the 2024-25 school year, AP English Language and Composition multiple-choice questions (MCQs) will have four answer choices instead of five. This change will take effect with the 2025 exam. All resources have been updated to reflect this change.

Course Overview

AP English Language and Composition is an introductory college-level composition course. Students cultivate their understanding of writing and rhetorical arguments through reading, analyzing, and writing texts as they explore topics like rhetorical situation, claims and evidence, reasoning and organization, and style.

Course and Exam Description

This is the core document for this course. Unit guides clearly lay out the course content and skills and recommend sequencing and pacing for them throughout the year.

Course Resources

Ap english language and composition course overview.

This resource provides a succinct description of the course and exam.

AP English Language and Composition Course and Exam Description Walk-Through

Learn more about the CED in this interactive walk-through.

AP English Language and Composition Course at a Glance

Excerpted from the AP English Language and Composition Course and Exam Description, the Course at a Glance document outlines the topics and skills covered in the AP English Language and Composition course, along with suggestions for sequencing.

The Difference Between AP English Language and Composition and AP English Literature and Composition

Learn the similarities and differences between these two courses and exams.

Course Content

The course skills are organized within nine units that scaffold student development of the analysis and composition skills required for college credit. For each unit, the teacher selects a theme or topic and then chooses texts, typically short nonfiction pieces, that enable students to practice and develop the reading and writing skills for that unit. This course framework provides a description of what students should know and be able to do to qualify for college credit or placement. Teachers have the flexibility to organize the course content as they like.

Course Skills

The updated AP English Language and Composition framework included in the course and exam description outlines distinct skills that students should practice throughout the year—skills that will help them learn to think and act like writers.

AP and Higher Education

Higher education professionals play a key role in developing AP courses and exams, setting credit and placement policies, and scoring student work. The AP Higher Education section features information on recruitment and admission, advising and placement, and more.

This chart  shows recommended scores for granting credit, and how much credit should be awarded, for each AP course. Your students can look up credit and placement policies for colleges and universities on the  AP Credit Policy Search .

Meet the AP English Language and Composition Development Committee

The AP Program is unique in its reliance on Development Committees. These committees, made up of an equal number of college faculty and experienced secondary AP teachers from across the country, are essential to the preparation of AP course curricula and exams.

AP English Language and Composition Development Committee

The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Choice Boards

Posted February 25, 2018 by Nick LaFave under General

Student choice is not only a simple way to increase student engagement, it’s also an essential factor in developing digital literacy while building 21st century life and career skills. Choice boards typically start with a specific learning goal, then provide students with a variety of ways to practice a skill, learn a concept, or demonstrate understanding.

Most choice boards are set up as grid of nine squares. My favorite choice boards embed images and include hyperlinks. Teachers differentiate the choices based on any number of approaches (ability, student interest, tiered assignments, etc.). In short, there isn’t a single “right” way to make a choice board. Just like any tool, it needs to be modified to meet the specific needs of the students you teach.

I’ve created a template and rounded up some examples (many can be edited directly) to get you started.

Student Choice Boards for DOK

Nadine Gilkison has an awesome collection of choice boards. Click on any of the boards in her collection and you’ll automatically be provided with a copy of the file that you can edit in Google Slides.

Show What You Know Choice Boards

Check out these fantastic choice boards from Lisa Highfill that allow students to show what they know.

Genius Hour Choice Board

A detailed Genius Hour Choice Board graciously shared by Christine Perkins .

Choice Boards on Pinterest

I’ve started a Pinterest Board featuring Student Choice Boards . I’ve tried to avoid Teachers Pay Teachers pins in an effort to promote free resources.

Choice Board Template

I created an easy to use choice board template . Just replace the text and image placeholders.

How Will You Use Choice Boards in Your Classroom?

Please share in the comments below or on  Twitter.

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[…] The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Choice Boards […]

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Storyboard That provides access to simple one-step-prep materials for interactive activities and other types of classroom activities! All you have to do is copy the activities that you would like to use, and they will be saved directly to your teacher dashboard. From there, you can use the directions, templates, and examples as is, or customize the lessons to meet your specific needs and ideas. We have meaningful lesson plans for all subjects including math, science, current events in today's world, vocabulary, technology, social studies, reading, writing, and so much more. Educators can also choose from social emotional activities and lessons that build community and are relevant in classrooms today.

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Great lessons start with great lesson plans. That’s why we have put together this bank of teacher-submitted, classroom-tested lesson plans for you to use in your own class. If you’re looking for lessons by grade level or subject, you can find them all at Storyboard That.

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Lesson plan ideas can be whatever you make of them and what the curriculum requires you to teach. You can use the free printable lesson plans to organize your lessons in a way that works best for you. The printable lesson plans can be used in several ways:

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Science Lesson Plan Example: This science lesson plan example template can be used by teachers to create their own science lesson plans. This template includes various activities and strategies for teaching the scientific methods, properties of matter, and states of matter.

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English Lesson Plan Example: This Novel Study English lesson plan example template can be used by teachers to create their own English lesson plans. This template includes different activities and strategies for teaching grammar, writing, and literature.

The fun lesson plans for elementary students are awesome to keep the children engaged and excited about learning. The printable lesson plans work great for in-person and online teaching too.

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Middle school students need to be taught slightly differently compared with younger elementary students. The middle school lesson plans are designed around teaching this age group. The focus is on using more interactive activities, classroom activities, games, and hands-on experiences.

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These are free printable lesson plans templates that are relevant to and designed to benefit the age group learning from them. The lesson plan resources for teachers allow you to plan lessons that increase the children’s comprehension of the information and save teachers lots of time as most of the hard-planning work has already been done for you. Teachers’ lesson plans can be used as they are or easily customized to fit the needs of your students.

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Interactive activities are still used, but the focus is more on in-depth discussions, projects, and writing assignments. The high school lesson plans are available in various subjects, too.

Why Is Storyboarding So Important for Young People?

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It allows them to see the story from different perspectives, which can help them find new ways to solve problems or approach challenges. In addition, storyboarding is a great way to encourage students to work together. When students collaboratively plan and organize their stories, they learn how to communicate effectively with one another and compromise when necessary.

Using Storyboard That’s Educational Activities for Students

All of our activities and lesson plans for elementary school, middle, and high school include basic directions, a blank template, and a completed example that teachers can choose to show or not to show their students. Many of our activities have pre-made rubrics that teachers can use as a guide for grading their students’ storyboards. We also provide additional lesson plan ideas, teacher lesson plans, and lesson plans examples. Everything can be customized to fit your ideas and desired objectives, as well as the unique needs of your students.

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Bishop Senior Announces Additional Clergy Changes for the Diocese of Harrisburg

• Bishop Senior Announces Additional Clergy…

HARRISBURG, Pa. – The Most Reverend Timothy C. Senior, Bishop of Harrisburg, announced additional changes to clergy assignments this weekend. Every year the Diocesan Bishop works with the Priest Personnel Board to make assignment decisions for the Diocesan clergy, in an effort to meet the needs of our parishes and fulfill the mission of the Church.

Priests and deacons are selected for assignments based on a variety of factors, including local needs and the clergy member’s skills, experience, availability, and health. Priests and deacons within the Diocese of Harrisburg can be reassigned for a number of reasons, including requests from the clergy member, an opening due to a retirement or death, or a clergy member has the skills and talents that are considered a good match for a specific ministry.

The following changes will be effective as of September 16, 2024:

• Very Reverend Alfred P. Sceski, to administrator pro tempore , Prince of Peace Parish, Steelton. Father Sceski remains Director of the Office of Pontifical Missions for the Diocese of Harrisburg and pastor of Saint Joan of Arc Parish, Hershey.
• Reverend Dennis G. Dalessandro, from pastor, Our Lady of Mercy Parish, Catawissa, to pastor, Saint Joseph Parish, Milton.
• Reverend Martin O. Moran, from Chaplain for the Center for Campus Ministry at Mount Saint Mary’s University, Emmitsburg, MD, to administrator, Our Lady of Mercy Parish, Catawissa.
• Reverend Matthew G. Smith, from parochial vicar, Corpus Christi Parish, Chambersburg, to parochial vicar, Saint Joseph Parish, Mechanicsburg.
• Reverend Michael C. Letteer, from pastor, Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, Spring Grove, to replacement ministry, the Diocese of Harrisburg.

The following changes will be effective as of October 7, 2024:

• Reverend Edward J. Quinlan, from pastor, Holy Name of Jesus Parish, Harrisburg, to Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia, the Diocese of Harrisburg, in-residence at Good Shepherd Parish, Camp Hill.
• Very Reverend William C. Forrey, VG, from Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia, the Diocese of Harrisburg and pastor, Holy Infant Parish, Manchester, to pastor, Holy Name of Jesus Parish, Harrisburg.
• Reverend Dominic M. Eshikena, O.P., from an assignment outside the Diocese of Harrisburg, to administrator, Holy Infant Parish, Manchester.

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