Book club discussion starters for esl students

Apr 19, 2017 thoughtfully planned book clubs position learning in the hands of the students and provide discussion tools students can use as they work out their responses to the book. Interesting questions for discussions in engish lessons. Use specific passages from the book as evidence for your ideas. Whether youre a teacher or student, our conversation topics will help you start a meaningful realworld conversation for practicing english. This is a literary analysis technique called close reading. Even if you and your classmate are great conversationalists in your native language, you may have trouble coming up with questions to ask each other that will lead to more than just a. See more ideas about sentence starters, frame sentence and sentences. Have each student present the book, telling the story. One of the greatest challenges facing esl students is the advanced speaking class in which the most confident students dominate the discussion and the more reticent students quickly withdraw. Thoughtfully planned book clubs position learning in the hands of the students and provide discussion tools students can use as they work out their responses to the book. In this story, a married couple figures out how to get each other christmas presents despite having no money. Spread the love i wanted to use this moment to introduce a book that i have used again and again in class. Reading is one of the best ways to learn a language.

Engage your students with these 101 discussion topics to help break the silence. There are many popular strategies for these kinds of conversations, each with slightly unique rules and applications. All you need to do is show them a picture and get them to discuss their reaction to it. Leading an engaging esl conversation class isnt something you can just pull off at the drop of a hat. The activities and tasks in discussion starters are real situations from all over the world. Go to this sample lesson from discussion starters to get a feel for the lessons in this section. All talking point conversation worksheets are designed for use with students who have reached preintermediate level, though they are also very successful with. If you want some conversation starters for children, youre in the right place. If conversation lags, or you are looking for a little structure to their book club time, keep these cards close by. More discussion starters download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi.

For instruction, explicitly teach comprehension strategies and book club roles 2. Dont miss our new website for learning english 123 bien. What is stress esl discussion topic teaching english is fun. Nycs district 75 published their middle school units of study, developing autonomy when engaging with literature, online. It follows the lives of two best friends as global politics. What are some good conversation course books for tutoring. Ranging from topicrelated vocabulary to popular book idioms and phrases, this worksheet can spark your students interest. Good conversation questions to use when talking with children.

Teachers notes a lesson on a universally relevant topic which will really generate discussion. Collect the papers, choose the best two or three and have then answer the questions. Esl conversation questions books and reading iteslj. If you are looking for conversation questions or conversations starters for native speakers of english instead of esl students you can check out this page of 250 conversation starter questions or this page of topic based conversation questions. Conversation worksheets the main aim of these talking point conversation worksheets is to promote english fluency by presenting students with stimulating discussion questions. Discussion starters for children esl conversation topics. The kite runner by khaled hosseini is a powerful novel that explores sin, redemption, love, friendship, and suffering. Easy english conversation topics for teachers and students learning to speak the language. Jun 25, 2014 five winning books for an activitybased book club geronimo stilton series, by geronimo stilton scholastic, grades. Instead of having one big group discussion, put the students into partners, give them the conversation starter, and then assist as needed, but dont interfere. Looking for that missing element that will help your esl conversation classes sparkle, shine and speak english.

Some may have the gift of gab in their native language, others are typically shy. Discussion starters is designed to balance the oral participation of all the students in the class and thus promote an environment in which everyone has not only a chance but a real need to. Conversation questions for the eslefl classroom iteslj. Whether youre considering a classroom book club for the first time, or are already guiding your students through their third book this year, heres a list of benefits and some tips for success you can employ right away. Use for debates, discussions, speaking, conversations, independent learning and more. Jurassic park is a fun, favorite read for students. Geronimo the italian journalist rodent has penned dozens of highly illustrated earlyreader chapter books. Fluency is practised through discussion questions which are both topicrelated and personalised, such as. One of the most common problems facing esl teachers is the advanced speaking class in which the most confident students dominate the discussion and the weaker students quickly withdraw. The book explains how book clubs support students need for extensive reading and highinterest reading. Ive bolded a few words that students always asked about in my classes. The six stories below are great for discussions and are also very easy to find, whether online or in print. Feb 28, 2020 speaking resources for teachers of adult esl students.

We meet in a private facebook group and chat about a new book every month. Discussion starters a great way to engage your class. Therefore, to continue to know your children as well as you hope to, you need to keep asking questions to start conversations. This stirring tale of crime, punishment, justice, and redemption pulses with life. Here are 10 conversation starters that will never fail you. Jan 05, 2020 heres to hoping that this class is both interesting and informative and gives students some new vocabulary.

Use a favourite discussion starter to start your classes off in style. First discussion starters includes conversation activities that teachers and students have loved in the bestselling discussion starters and more discussionstarters, this time for lowerlevel esl efl students. This set of 24 book club question starters is perfect for student led book discussions. The book also explores the changes in afganistan from the fall of the monarchy to the fall of the taliban. Take notes or mark passages that strike youpassages you find significant, funny, or insightful. Question and answer on the first day of class, most students. This set of 24 book club question starters is perfect for studentled book discussions. Even if you do have a reading guide, these questions will still help engage your book club members and provide great conversation starters. Conversation worksheets esl worksheets englishclub.

A good question to see what kind of books they are into. Do you think comic books are good or bad for children. Chapters show how discussion and analysis are sparked by making personal connections, cultural connections, and media connections to book club texts, and by asking questions, making predictions, and drawing inferences. Conversation worksheets learning esl worksheets englishclub. Discussion starters speaking fluency activities for. During meaningful conversations, students are forced to be accountable for their positions, to listen, to analyze opposing perspectives, and to adapt their thinking on the fly. I recommend going to amazon and searching for these books, and also looking at the recommended books that are similar to these ones. Lots of great worksheets and activities to keep your students engaged and. Aug 21, 2017 ive been in a lot of book clubs, and i know its not always easy to get a conversation going on a book. Click on the book title to find the book on amazon.

Discussion questions to use in english conversation. A paid subscription to esl library gives you access to. This list of 100 get to know you questions can help. Linda garner, a teacher librarian and a school library journal slj school librarian of the year finalist, shares some great tips on running a virtual book club for middle schoolers. The pace of the lesson is changed with some classic doctor, doctor puns, and students are encouraged to.

Discussion starters helps balance the oral participation of all the students in the class, promoting an environment in which everyone has not only the. And if they really liked the book, well now youve got a good recommendation. For esl students abroad, a great idea is to form a book club for all the esl students. Litcourse 3 has a good discussion of close reading. Conversation starters for esl speaking students english. If your library doesnt offer a regular reading group at your library now is the time to start. First discussion starters includes conversation activities that teachers and students have loved in the bestselling discussion starters and more discussionstarters, this time for lowerlevel eslefl students. A part of conversation questions for the esl classroom. A book club can work well in a variety of settings. Featuring such unforgettable characters as the quintessential prisoner of conscience jean valjean, the relentless police detective javert, and the tragic prostitute fantine and her innocent daughter, cosette, hugos epic novel sweeps readers from the french.

Want to see these questions in action, and join a fun monthly online book club no awkward silences, promise. With the help perhaps of your teacher or advice on esl websites, select books which are recommended for you level of english but are still challenging and with themes and in genres that you favour. Given as a student handout book mark think mark visuals and sentence starters are included as part of a scaffold for esl elliep students book club roles book mark. Whatever the case may be, it is the esl teachers role to provide students with ample opportunities for speaking. Dig back into your own toolbox and refresh some templates for the book club setting students will be. How to create your classroom book club everyday esl. However, peopleincluding kidsare constantly changing and developing new preferences, fears, thoughts, and emotions. Vocabulary in the form of phrasal verbs and expressions is practised in a gapfill exercise. Creating book clubs in the english language classroom. Esl book club book choices update these are a few of the most wellreceived titles that we have done in esl book club recently.

Each unit contains exercises that provide speaking interaction about a central topic or idea. The book is set mostly in afganistan and the united states. Speaking fluency activities for lowerlevel eslefl students by keith s. Ive found that the best book club discussion questions are ones that are openended and that get people to share their personal opinions. A worksheet designed to motivate students to maintain their level of english by reading in english. In this story, a married couple figures out how to get each other christmas presents despite having no. A project of the internet tesl journal if this is your first time here, then read the teachers guide to using these pages if you can think of a good question for any list, please send it to us.

Ive been in a lot of book clubs, and i know its not always easy to get a conversation going on a book. First discussion starters includes conversation activities that teachers and students have loved in the bestselling discussion starters and more discussion starters, this time for lowerlevel esl efl students. Given as a student handout book mark think mark visuals and sentence starters are included as part of a scaffold for eslelliep students. Discussion starters is designed to balance the oral participation of all the students in the class and thus promote an environment in which everyone has not. If your class is too large or you feel like some of your students will get lost in a wholeclass discussion, split students up into small groups or partners. All of these spurred on great discussions, and were universally agreed upon to be pageturners. Great book club conversations happen when readers take elements of a book to heart, and feel empowered to share and compare their reading experiences together. I may be biased, but moms book nook is the best online moms book club youll find. Kids can be shy, its not always easy for them to have conversations with peers or adults. In most of these activities, students must work together in pairs or small groups to reach a conclusion about a topic. Jun 25, 2018 images as conversation starters images can be a really effective, low prep way of getting students interested in a subject. It teaches encourages general english conversation, firmly planted in a communicative mindset and reallife contexts, with lots of great activities that you can fairly easily. It follows the lives of two best friends as global politics and family drama come together to. Weve got a resource thats going to help save you some prep time.

There are hosts of other questions that can be added to this page so that students can have even more discussion on stressrelated topics. Esl gold free conversation topics for english practice. You can also use the following inclass conversation starters to get students talking in the esl classroom. If youre looking to include more extensive reading in your classroom, you should most definitely consider incorporating a book club into your weekly routine. To set the stage for that as the discussion leader, toss out those lengthy, old. See more ideas about conversation topics, teacher resources and teacher. We provide approaches to professional development that bridge theory and practice to generate solutions that work for a multitude of schools. This study uses conversation analysis to identify literacy development in adult esl classroom book club discussions.

We announce the book selection on the first monday of the month and discuss on the. A closed book club is ideal if you want a small club, for example, for your class or for a particular group of students. If youre ready to start a book club, heres 40 of the best book club questions, for fiction. Here are some conversation starters for the book lovers out there. I have put together a list of 10 book club discussion questions that will work for any book, and still encourage lively and engaging conversation. Free speaking materials and resources for teaching and study. These discussion questions will explore the events and characters in the story, as well as challenge students to define and analyze literary. The investigation focuses on the interactions of three university students participating in a sixweek book club about harry potter and the sorcerers stone. Various opinion matching exercisesworksheet with answers pdf opinion statements about relationships, mobile phones, advertising etc.