How to Teach ESL Life Skills

Understanding grammar is an important part of learning English. However, if you teach adult immigrants like I do, it is more important to teach them skills that help them do everyday life tasks. Not only will they find this information useful, they will learn important vocabulary that they will remember.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Create lesson plans around basic life skills, for example, making a doctor’s appointment, shopping at a supermarket, preparing for a job interview, etc.

2. Introduce basic vocabulary. For example, if you are creating a lesson plan about shopping at a supermarket, include vocabulary such as, produce, cashier, debit, credit, check, ethnic foods, organic, and so on.

3. Write a scenario-based story or conversation. Include the vocabulary. For example, a person shopping for items at the supermarket may have a conversation about an item that is on sale.
   
   You may want to write a conversation between a customer and employee. The customer is looking for an item that they can’t find. The employee give directions. Any common scenario is fine.

4. Don’t assume that this information is basic, that your students know this stuff. Debit cards are not common throughout the world.
   
   If you are writing a lesson plan about a job interview, understand there are many cultural differences. For example, in many countries it is permissible to ask questions about religion, age, political beliefs and other things that are illegal in the United States.

5. Ask your students how this activity is done in their country. This easily generates conversation and helps reinforce the important differences between their culture and the United States.

6. Have fun. Your students will love these lessons!