But ESL students, on the other hand, may disagree. Adult learners will argue that they have busy schedules and a life outside the classroom, which translates into “ ”. Young learners and teens may come to terms with the fact that they have to do homework, but do we want them to do it because they are compelled to do it... or do we want them to do it because they are excited to do it? Which would you prefer?
The only way to get young students excited about doing homework, and get adults to set aside some time for it, is through . And here are 5 examples:
A Word Book or Vocabulary Journal is a classic among teachers of very young learners who are not adept at using dictionaries; here they have a chance to make their own. Help them design their very own Word Book from scratch, out of construction paper, cardboard, or any materials you have on hand. At the end of a reading task or activity, make a list of the words they have learned for the day. Their homework assignment is to enter each of the new words in their Word Book. The littlest ones simply copy the word and draw a picture of it; older students can use the word in a sentence that illustrates its meaning. There is no need to copy “dictionary” definitions. They may also cut out pictures from magazines or newspapers and get as creative as they like. But one thing is certain… these will be words they won’t easily forget!
This is an extremely engaging way to provide extended practice of any grammar point. Say you want your students to practice . Tell them you need information on this year's Oscar nominations. Tell them to go to and give them a list of questions they must answer:
You may assign any number of research tasks: ideal places for a family vacation ( ), best restaurants in the city ( ), or anything based on local information. Just make sure you give them a website to go to, a set of questions to answer or a task to complete, and above all don't forget to plan the assignment with a grammar point or learning objective in mind.
This is an ideal assignment for adult students. Most read the newspaper anyway, right? Or watch the evening news. Ask them to choose a news story that has piqued their interest, and have them:
”, thus prompting them to use , for example ( )
This is clearly one of the homework assignments that works best with adult learners or those who specifically study . Give them an email to read and ask them to write an appropriate reply. Or give them a situation that would require them to compose a message, like a complaint over a bad service experience or an inquiry into vacation rentals.
Choose a TV series that is shown in English, either with or without subtitles (you may ask students to cover the subtitles). Choose a show that is suitable to your students’ ages. Tell your students that their homework for that night will be to watch an episode of , whether they usually watch the show or not. Give them a task to complete after viewing the episode: a synopsis of the episode, a character description, or a questionnaire (Do you usually watch this show? If not, would you start watching it? Why/why not?)
Another great way to get students actively engaged in their homework assignments is to ask them to come up with some ideas for creative assignments on their own and share them with the class. They may surprise you!
And if you’re still stumped as to which worksheets to assign to , , or , BusyTeacher.org is always available to help, 24/7, with wonderful ideas for activities and great ready-to-print worksheets.
If you enjoyed this article, please help spread it by clicking one of those sharing buttons below. And if you are interested in more, you should follow our Facebook page where we share more about creative, non-boring ways to teach English.
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Homework may not be many students’ favorite thing, but research says it’s truly an effective learning tool that teachers should use .
The trick is assigning great homework.
To help you do this with ease, we’ve compiled an awesome list of 13 homework assignments that will have your ESL students begging for more.
2. share a passion, 3. start a chat group, 4. listen to a podcast, 5. write a letter, 6. write an amazon review, 7. do a wikipedia edit, 8. write a short story or poem, 9. share their culture, 10. catch a movie, 11. meet new people, 12. analyze a song, 13. go on a photo scavenger hunt, what makes homework effective.
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Have students read a short story for homework and then ask them to tell the class about the story in the next session.
I would recommend giving students some suggestions on what short stories to read, depending on the level of your students.
Here are some suggestions of short story collections for each level of ESL learner:
Intermediate
What do your students really care about? Give them a chance to talk about it in front of the class.
Have each person choose something they’re passionate about, something they might consider themselves an expert on.
Challenge students to think of a creative way to present five must-know facts about that subject. They might make a movie, create a poster or brochure, write a song or even put on a skit.
Have each person present their creative project to the class, and then give the class five minutes to ask questions of the presenter.
Set certain parameters like students must speak in complete sentences or require that every student ask at least two questions at some point during the presentations.
Students will love sharing about their passions, and they’ll get some great speaking, listening and discourse information in the process, as well as teach the rest of the class some interesting vocabulary.
Ask for class for a volunteer to start a class WhatsApp chat group. They can also decide to use another messaging app like Telegram, Viber, Voxer or any other app that has a group chat function.
Encourage them to send at least one message and to respond to a couple others for their homework.
This text group has the added advantage of students being able to make friends with one another, and a place to ask about missed homework assignments on days when they can’t make it to class.
Note that if a student doesn’t want to be included in the chat group, you should have a back up assignment prepared for them.
Listening is one of the ESL student’s most difficult skills to acquire, so listening to a short podcast episode is ideal homework.
You can ask students to write a little about the podcast to turn in to you, or you can ask them to briefly summarize what they heard for the class in the next session.
Here are some suggestions for well done podcasts:
The English We Speak : Produced by the BBC, this podcast focuses on teaching commonly used phrases and idioms in conversational English.
The Moth : A storytelling podcast where real people share their personal experiences and anecdotes in English.
Stuff You Should Know : Though not specifically designed for ESL students, this podcast covers a vast array of interesting topics, providing exposure to diverse vocabulary and subject matters.
Ask your students to write a letter . The letter can be written to a friend or family member (which they could then actually mail or email), or it could be a fan letter to a favorite musician or actor. They could even write a letter to Santa Claus or a historical figure.
For example, a student might choose to write a letter to Marie Antoinette, asking her what it was like to be the queen of France at such a young age.
You can also choose to have students write letters to one another. Then the next homework can be writing that letter writer back.
Ask you students to review a product on Amazon (or any other shopping website that has reviews). Ask them to select a product they have really used, so they have a genuine opinion on the quality of the product and whether it lived up to their expectations.
Then, in the next session, show the reviews on the overhead projector to the class and ask a student to read the review.
You can then go over any errors in vocabulary, grammar or sentence structure and revise the review together as a class.
Since anyone can edit a Wikipedia article, it’s a great place for ESL students to hone their writing and editing skills, and they’ll have a built-in readership, too!
Ask students to select a person that they know a lot about—a well-known figure from history, pop culture, music or film would all work. Then ask them to read the Wikipedia entry to see if they can add anything else to the article.
Perhaps the article on Ryan Gosling is missing a key detail about his recent Ken performance. If so, the student will revise and edit the article. They should take notes on what they changed, so they can explain it to you or the class the next day.
Ask your students to get creative. Have them write a short story or a poem . This can get them to use descriptive language that they don’t always have a chance to use.
One good activity to do before you assign this homework is an adjective bubble chart. For this, you start with one adjective. For example, write “moist” on the board, circle it and then draw 4-5 lines coming off of the”moist” bubble.
Ask your students to come up with other adjectives that are related to “moist” and so on. They may come up with “wet,” “watery,” “soaked” or “damp.” Then draw lines from each of those. This can lead to words that you never expected to come up.
Have your students select 3-4 adjectives from this introduction activity that they’ll use in their story or poem.
Ask your students to prepare a short presentation on an aspect of their home culture to tell the class about in the next session.
For example, a student from China may explain the Lunar New Year, a student from Vietnam may explain Tet or a student from El Salvador may tell the class about their quinceañera .
They can use photos, art, a PowerPoint presentation or they can just explain in their own words.
Then open the class up for questions.
Can you legitimately send students to the movies for homework? You can when you’re teaching ESL.
Your students don’t have to commit to a full-length movie. Instead, you can use the videos on FluentU to screen mini-lessons using clips from TV shows and movies, movie trailers, news segments, vlogs or music videos.
Use these videos in the classroom or assign homework to watch a few and complete the subsequent quizzes. You can also ask students to complete flashcard quizzes based on vocabulary words you want them to pay special attention to. These quizzes are adaptable so every student will have a unique experience catered to his learning level.
There are plenty of ways to use a movie for language development. And whether students watch a new release or catch an old Elvis flick on TV, they can do any of the following activities as homework:
I’m sure you also have your favorite movie-related language activities and many work as homework assignments. So get creative with how you have students share about what they watched.
For the most part, people are willing to help someone in need, and that is doubly true for someone who needs to complete an assignment for school.
That’s why sending students out to interview native speakers on campus is such a fun homework assignment.
Start by helping your students write a list of questions they’ll use for their interviews. Students can choose a topic or you can assign one, like leisure activities or celebrity news.
Tell students to list five to ten questions they might ask on that topic that will elicit specific answers.
As a class, discuss how students might introduce themselves to a potential interviewee.
Then send students out to their interviews after class. They can share the answers they got in the next session.
Music is great for English learners since it stresses many aspects of language that can otherwise be hard to isolate, like the emotion of language, intonation and stress.
Have students choose their favorite English language song to listen to for homework and then ask them to do the following:
Give individual students or groups of up to three students a list of items to find on their homework scavenger hunt. But instead of being specific in your list (for example, including items such as cat), be descriptive in your list.
You might include items such as something frightening, something beautiful, something quiet, something cool.
Students find items they think fit the description. For example, someone who is claustrophobic might choose an elevator for something frightening. They then take a picture of it.
The next day, have each person get with a partner and show them the pictures they took for each item on the list.
If the connection is not obvious, students should ask their partner to explain why they chose a particular item, such as the elevator.
Assigning homework that works isn’t as hard as you might think, especially if you focus on the following points.
No matter what you believed in your student days, homework doesn’t have to be boring. With a little creativity when assigning homework, you might find that the activities you assign for outside of class become the highlights of your students’ days.
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By Tim on Jan 25, 2019
Read Time: 7 minutes
I’m an elementary school teacher in Southern California. For 25 years, I have to admit that I was staunchly pro-homework, until one day I had a revelation. Here’s why I stopped giving my students homework, and my list of 250+ fun activities for kids to try instead.
For 25 years I was pro-homework. I gave it to teach my students responsibility and good study habits. And it worked! At least it helped my students to reach higher levels of academic achievement…or so it seemed.
Meanwhile, my brother (also a teacher) had made homework optional. Students and parents alike both loved the concept. This got me thinking about homework, and whether it was even necessary all for elementary kids. I thought…if I gave no homework, I’d be giving them something even more beneficial. Here’s what I came to discover.
Generally, kids and parents both cheer when I announce my no-homework policy. But occasionally, parents will ask what their kids should do with all that free time. In response, I came up with this list of fun activities for kids.
Teachers, looking for other ways to replace homework with something more meaningful? Try the Let Grow Project ! Kids are sent home with one homework assignment: Do something on your own you’ve never done before. For example, they could cook dinner for the family, ride their bike to school. or take a walk in the woods. There are all sorts of fun activities for kids to try on their own for the first time. Kids, parents, and teachers all love how this program empowers kids with responsibility and independence!
At Let Grow, we believe in the power of unstructured free play, and that sometimes it’s okay to let kids be bored. But if you need a little help finding fun activities for kids to do, snag our free “I’m Bored” Kit . It offers over one hundred fun things to do, along with a Bingo game and colorful poster.
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Who likes homework? Nobody, right? Especially not if it’s the same dreary worksheets and textbook exercises every time.
I used to find setting homework a challenge in EFL/ESL classes. What can you do to give them good practice and develop confidence without boring them to tears?
A Word Hunt is a vocab acquisition activity (a technique I describe in my article How to Elicit Vocabulary ).
Any student who has their own phone can do this activity. For younger kids, you’ll need the support of the parents.
The way it works is the teacher records themself reading a short story and sends it to one of their students. That student listens ONCE. Then they record themself re-telling the story and send it on to the next student who does the same.
When choosing a story, keep it relatively short (a couple of paragraphs at most) and use it to introduce or consolidate new vocab and grammar.
For beginners, this can just be individual words. For intermediates it could be sentences like “I see a woman jogging with her dog.” And for advanced students, challenge them to create a full description of the place, taking into account all the senses.
This one isn’t great for young kids who aren’t used to using tech yet, although if their parents are on board, they can help get things set up.
It’s super easy to set up a blog nowadays, and students can post articles from home or from their phone while travelling.
You could make it an account of what they did that week, an explanation of something they know a lot about, or a review of a film or series they recently watched.
A word on privacy and safety. If you’re going to do this with students under 18, DEFINITELY get their parents’ permission. Most will be perfectly fine with this.
With beginners, this can be household items, food, common things in the city, etc. It’s a great way to introduce new vocabulary.
Challenge students with more abstract things, like “something that is squishy” or “something that you can’t break”.
And go a step further: “something you couldn’t live without” or “something which terrifies you”, or “something worth over a million dollars”.
A word on subtitles: Advanced students should try to watch the English version without subtitles. For most, though, this is too difficult. Just make sure subtitles are in English, not their native language, otherwise you lose all benefits of the activity.
Either at the start of the day or before they go to bed, writing a short English entry into a journal is a powerful way of embedding English in students’ day-to-day lives. This activity is for most ages, except the youngest kids.
Podcasts get more and more popular with every year. You can find them on pretty much any topic, and they provide excellent listening practice.
Alternatively, write the responses yourself. Have an ongoing back and forth of letters between you and your students, where you can get to know each other (and give some helpful corrections!)
Mini-presentations are a great peer-teaching activity. Give students a topic (can be anything: grammar, a famous person, a favourite hobby, etc.) and have them do a 1-minute presentation on it in the next class.
Scripts are optional. Personally, I prefer my students to speak without a script, but for those who aren’t as confident, encourage them to make brief notes.
For more advanced learners, any news network is great. I prefer BBC News for the quality and clarity of writing.
This one applies to learners of all ages and levels. Many students will already listen to music in English, as it’s popular around the world.
You can make this a structured homework, assigning specific songs, with the aim of recognising certain words or grammar structures. Supplement this by studying the lyrics in class.
With younger kids, just having them listen to English songs is enough. Give parents a playlist to put on in the car or when they wake up in the morning.
The important thing is to know your students and keep things varied – that way you won’t have to chase your students up every week.
5 fun & practical weather activities for efl/esl kids, 5 terrific halloween activites for efl/esl, 9 efl/esl speaking games & activities perfect for beginners, 5 wonderful christmas activities for efl/esl, 9 efl/esl games with no materials or preparation needed, 5 engaging ways to teach health & the body in efl/esl.
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2. Make a board game. This is definitely one of the most creative homework assignments. Let your students come up with an idea for a board game about the lesson content. They have to make cards, and pawns, draw, write, cut, and paste. They have to use their imagination and inventive ideas to create a coherent board game. Click to open.
Quick win: If you're looking for some fun homework ideas then check out this simple multiplication activity you can do at home, it'll even get in one of your child's five a day! 9. Let them play teacher. Make another fun homework game by creating your own mini-classroom and letting your child step into the role of teacher.
Create a board game. Complete a quiz - you could also ask students to write the quiz in groups and then swap and complete for homework. Write a lesson plan for teaching the topic to a younger class. Teach the teacher - create a poster, Complete a series of exercises. Complete a family tree, real or imaginary.
For example, a phonics bingo card might include activities like: make a list of at least 10 words with the long e sound, sort the list of words into groups based on how the long e sound is spelled, write sentences using 5 long e words, draw pictures of 5 of our long e words and label them, look around your house for long e words (books, labels ...
Go on a treasure hunt. As a fun homework task that will get your students out and about, ask them to go on a treasure or scavenger hunt, finding certain things that are related to your topic. For younger children, this could be as simple as collecting leaves, flowers, or twigs they might find in their local park, or particular shapes or colours ...
Working on homework teaches children that work is a part of life, not just school, and fosters friendship without being overpowering. 5. Design an Awesome Workspace. Improve the area where your kids complete their schoolwork to increase efficiency, creativity, and problem-solving abilities.
Make it Relevant and Meaningful. Connect the school homework to their lives, interests, or current events to make it more meaningful and relatable. For example, if it's Christmas time, you can ask your students to explore the themes of charity, storytelling, etc. 2. Give Them a Choice.
Firstly, divide your class into smaller ability groups, 3 or 4 groups would work. Each group can be given their own coloured homework basket. You then fill the coloured homework baskets with activities, games and task cards that the students can take home and play with parents, carers or older siblings throughout the week.
Here's an example of how you can use them for homework. Say you're working on revising perimeter with your students. Instead of giving them a quiz worksheet, break the questions up into task cards. Create a game out of the cards and ask them to complete a recording sheet as they work through the cards. Hey, presto!
Read on for Zimmerman's summer homework game plan and ideas for how to make summer assignments more fun for everyone. 1. Try a New Student Meet and Greet. If possible, meet your incoming students before summer break (even if it's virtual!) to instill the importance of summer learning. At the end of the school year, coordinate with the ...
Practice each word as you trace it with different writing tools. 10. EMOJI SPELLING. Use the emoji picture code to spell each of your words. 11. PATTERN BLOCK SPELLING. Use the pattern block spelling words to create real-life pattern block spelling words! 12. VOWELS AND CONSONANTS.
In addition to the homework selection sheet, the bundle includes worksheets for vocabulary homework ideas number five and six. The other vocabulary homework options can be completed on a plain piece of paper or in student workbooks. Here are the vocabulary activities listed on the 7 Options for Vocabulary Homework handout: #1 Say Your Words
If you do assign homework, there are several creative ideas you can use that will motivate your students to complete the homework you assign. Creative hands-on learning activities and other similar learning ideas in the classroom are quite effective. They can be just as effective at home as well for a wide variety of subjects and assignments.
Set up a homework play date. Go outside. Turn it into a game. Let them play teacher. Use a timer. Create a special homework space. Remember to be positive. Get help if you need i t. Thankfully, there are ways of making homework less boring and that little bit more fun for your child.
Below are homework tips for elementary teachers to consider. You are bound to find some helpful homework ideas on this list that you can implement. 1. Assign Tasks Students can do Independently. The first tip on this list of homework ideas is to strive to find easy-to-manage, yet effective assignments.
Homework Station Supplies. Below is a handy list of supplies that are sometimes useful. Pens and pencils. Loose leaf paper for scratch paper or notes. A timer or clock. A folder with pockets. Calculator. 1 box of color pencils or crayons. Computer and charger.
Homework Activities. An extensive collection of resources to use when compiling a range of learning at home tasks. Homework gives students opportunities to explore concepts at home which have been covered in class. Engaging homework activities can also encourage students to explore new ways of thinking away from the classroom.
Here are 10 fun and entertaining homework ideas for your ESL students: Cafe hopper. Tiktok star. Let's go to the movies. Hello Mr. Teacher. Interview a stranger. Shine like a Karaoke star. Expert on the loose. 24 hour challenge.
Homework Assignments That Work. 1. A Word Book. A Word Book or Vocabulary Journal is a classic among teachers of very young learners who are not adept at using dictionaries; here they have a chance to make their own. Help them design their very own Word Book from scratch, out of construction paper, cardboard, or any materials you have on hand.
Homework Club Activity Ideas This is a list of ideas for practical activities and resources that may be useful in a homework club setting. Tutors are invited to take these as suggestions that can be modified to suit students' needs and academic ability. The level of understanding has
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 effective, they're genuinely fun. We've included activities like listening to a podcast, writing a letter and writing an Amazon review.
Make a compost pile/bin. Make a water catch basin. Harvest your garden. Share your harvest with those in need. Make a fruit stand and sell your harvest. Organize a backyard carnival for the neighborhood kids. Play football. Play with action figures or dolls. Make a cardboard fort.
The following seven are just as engaging, but a little more focused and "normal". 1. Word Hunts. A Word Hunt is a vocab acquisition activity (a technique I describe in my article How to Elicit Vocabulary). You can do it in class, with students searching for things they don't know the word for in English.