Spelling Rules for Superlative Adjectives

Posted by on Nov 18, 2014 0 Comments

What’s the best way for students to learn English spelling?

Spelling in English is very difficult to learn. There are only 26 letters in the English alphabet, but there isn’t a one-to-one spelling/pronunciation system like there is with some other languages. For example, the  /i/ sound can be spelled as “ee,” “ie,” “ei,” “ea,” or “e” in English (cheese, thief, receive, leaf, impede). Even though English spelling involves a lot of memorization, there are some patterns and rules that can help. Today, let’s focus on the spelling rules for superlative adjectives.

Here are four easy spelling rules for adding -est to the end of adjectives. For more examples and practice, check out our Spotlight lesson this week on Superlative Adjectives. (more…)

Heads Up! A Fun Vocabulary App for English Learners

Posted by on Nov 13, 2014 0 Comments

During a family vacation last week, we had one stormy afternoon that kept us indoors in a hotel room for a few hours. We drew pictures of the animals we had seen in the Everglades, read The Secret World of Og (a Canadian classic), and played a variety of card games. Though we spent most of the holiday unplugged, my husband couldn’t resist searching for a family game to play on his mobile phone. He came across Heads Up!, the game Ellen Degeneres plays with her guests. He downloaded the app, and before the first round was over, I knew this game would be a hit with English learners. (more…)

Veterans Day or Veterans’ Day?

Posted by on Nov 10, 2014 0 Comments

Lest We Forget

On November 11, many countries have special ceremonies that honor the men and women who served during wartime. As teachers, it is important to help young learners understand this historic day. The famous saying “Lest we forget” means not only do we need to remember in order to honor the sacrifices of many people during past wars, but also to remember what happened so that history doesn’t repeat itself.

November 11 is called Veterans Day in the US, Remembrance Day in Canada, and Armistice Day in parts of Europe. At Sprout English, we’ve created two vocabulary lessons for you to use this year, Veterans Day and Remembrance Day. This led me to think about mistakes people often make with the titles of this holiday. Why is it Veterans Day and not Veterans’ Day or Veteran’s Day? Why is it Remembrance Day and not Rememberance Day? These punctuation, spelling, and capitalization rules can be tricky for native speakers as well as English language learners. I hope the explanations below will help your students keep these rules straight. (more…)

Writing: Using the Past Progressive to Create Atmosphere in a Story

Posted by on Nov 05, 2014 0 Comments

“Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.”
—Anton Chekhov

Writing is a skill that English learners usually find challenging. Writing in a second language is even tougher. Not only do students need to understand and apply grammar, spelling, and punctuation rules, but they also need to know how to compose a paragraph, story, or essay! Guiding learners step by step through the writing process can help—check out How to Write a Paragraph and our Writing section in the Project Depot for tips and writing activities.

Another way to help students write is to teach them ways to start a story. The past progressive (past continuous) verb tense is a great way to create atmosphere and set the mood of a story. For a good example, our Spotlight lesson this week, UFO Report, uses the past progressive to set the scene of the story. In that lesson, students will also practice using the past progressive by writing the first few lines of various stories. (more…)

That’s Wicked! 20+ Halloween Activities, Apps & Tools Kids Will Love All Year Long

Posted by on Oct 29, 2014 0 Comments

“As astronauts and space travelers children puzzle over the future; as dinosaurs and princesses they unearth the past…as monsters and gremlins they make sense of the unreal.” —Gretchen Owocki

Children across the globe enjoy dressing up, monsters, ghosts, witches, sorcerers, and horror. Halloween is that time of the year to explore spooky themes that will get your students learning English, science, history, math, and culture hands-on. However, the fun does not have to end on Halloween. Feel free to use any of these wickedly awesome activities, apps, and resources throughout the year to continue to engage your young learners! (more…)

Expressing Fear and Phobias: English Idioms

Posted by on Oct 28, 2014 1 Comment


Spiders, snakes, small spaces, and storms. What do these things have in common? Ask your students this question. If they say that these words all start with “s,” ask them to guess again! These “s” words are all things people are scared of! Other common phobias include the fear of germs, dogs, needles, and flight.

This week in the Spotlight, we are featuring our Discovery Center lesson plan on Spiders. After you try the lesson plan, get your students talking about their own fears and phobias. Your students will have fun learning NEW English idioms and sayings that are related to fear. (more…)

Halloween Costumes – ESL Listening Activity

Posted by on Oct 21, 2014 0 Comments

Halloween takes place on October 31. Will your students be dressing up for the occasion? Do they know how to respond to the standard question that people are asking kids at this time of year?

“What are you going to be for Halloween?”

Talking about Halloween costumes before the big day is useful for practicing “going to” to make simple future plans.

Listening Activity (more…)

Spooky Halloween Fun for Young Learners

Posted by on Oct 21, 2014 0 Comments

If you live in a country that celebrates Halloween, you’ll soon be surrounded by little witches, zombies, and pirates! With the focus on costumes and candy, it’s a given that kids love Halloween. Teachers can make the most of this time of year by decorating their classrooms, putting on a costume parade, and having pumpkin-carving contests. There are many ways to make Halloween educational as well. Read on for many spooky ideas! (more…)

Present Perfect Vs. Present Perfect Progressive

Posted by on Oct 15, 2014 0 Comments

The differences between the present perfect and the present perfect progressive can be subtle, and many students aren’t sure when to use each one. Luckily, both are correct in most cases, but students still want to understand why there are two tenses with such similar uses.

The worksheet below has charts and examples so students can compare these two tenses side by side. For the other use of the present perfect and to compare it with the simple past, see Teaching the Present Perfect. (more…)