10 Ways to Use Your Sprout English Kid Accounts This Summer

Posted by Tara Benwell on Jun 21, 2016 0 Comments

Did You Know?

When teachers sign up for Sprout English, they automatically receive 30 free kid accounts! Kid accounts give students access to all of the great resources that teachers use in the classroom. This includes reading materials, games, puzzles, and more! If your child doesn’t have a free account, you can sign up for free and get 20 sample lessons.

If you’re a teacher who already uses Sprout English, download and print this Summer Letter to Parents to send home with your students this summer. Add your students’ names, passwords, and User IDs. (more…)

The Scaredy-Cat: ESL Halloween Listening Activity

Posted by Tara Benwell on Oct 22, 2015 0 Comments

Halloween is coming soon! Have you tried Sprout English’s Halloween-themed Word Bank lesson? In this lesson, your students will learn some Halloween vocabulary in a fun way. We also have a fun NEW lesson on Prepositions of Place. Try both of these lessons before you try this follow-up Halloween listening activity.

Listening Activity (more…)

Funny Videos for Practicing Reflexive Pronouns

Posted by Tara Benwell on Dec 11, 2014 0 Comments

Have you ever watched America’s Funniest Videos with children? Little people laugh the hardest when other kids have funny accidents. After they laugh themselves silly, kids often want to make sure the people in the video are okay! Did he hurt himself?

Funny videos can be used for practicing vocabulary and usage related to Injuries, Sprout’s Spotlight theme this week. If you want to try teaching with this theme, follow these 3 steps: (more…)

Talking to Kids about Jobs

Posted by Tara Benwell on Jan 23, 2014 4 Comments

“When students say they want to change the world, listen.” ~ Angela Maeirs

Are you doing a unit on Jobs this year in your classroom? Will you be asking your students to talk to you about what they want “to be” when they grow up? What can you as a teacher (or parent) do to support your students’ goals and dreams? Is it your job to encourage kids to have something to “fall back on”, or should you be doing everything in your power to support kids’ passions no matter how wild and wacky their ideas may be?

Here is a video (below) and an article that may help you rethink how you talk to kids about jobs and careers. And check out this TED Talk about fostering creative confidence. (more…)

Active Games for Young Language Learners

Posted by Tara Benwell on Sep 12, 2013 6 Comments

One of the best things I’ve seen implemented at my children’s elementary school is called DPA. This stands for “daily physical activity”, and it takes place in the classroom or hallway at a set time each day. During the brain break, students and teachers move away from their desks and dance to a song that some of the older kids have choreographed. Not only does DPA amuse the students and give them something to look forward to, it boosts the energy of the teachers and unites the school.

Besides dancing, there are tons of games for keeping young kids active during the school day. Here are some ideas and adaptations to try with your young English learners:

Drip, Drip, Drop – This is a variation of Duck, Duck, Goose, and is played outdoors on a warm day. The teacher brings out a big bucket of water and a sponge. The students sit in a circle. The teacher gets the sponge quite wet, so that it drips a bit. One student is chosen to stand up and walk on the outside of the circle. She says “Drip, Drip, Drip…” as she drips a bit of water on each classmate’s head. Instead of tapping one person’s head and shouting “Goose!” she shouts “Drop!” and squeezes the sponge out on her victim. The victim with the wet hair chases the sponge holder around the circle, trying to reach the empty spot in the circle first. Try some other variations, such as (more…)