Students, it's lots of fun reading a recipe in English! Simply click on "The Newest Recipe Here!" picture caption, at left, to see the latest recipe.
Or, click on a title of any recipe from the list titled "Your recipes." You choose which recipe you want to learn more about today!
After you read the recipe, write the ingredients on a list. Working with a classmate or independently, decide which
category on
this grocery shopping list chart is the correct
category for each ingredient.
Then create your shopping list. When you're finished writing your list, do a buddy-check with a classmate to check your answers, before your teacher checks your answers.
If you're in an English speaking country, bring your written list of ingredients when you shop for food. Then, write the name of the grocery store aisle or section where you actually found each ingredient. Did you know the correct category for each ingredient?
Practice these
listing, categorizing and organizing skills again tomorrow, with a new recipe here. Now you're cooking!
Note to Teachers: Create your own ideas for ESL reading, speaking and writing activities by using recipes from the link above -- and the accompanying comments reviewing the recipe. And, remember: each month you'll find a NEW recipe posted!
If you're a student learning English, you may be interested in reading the writing of other students learning English. Click here to learn more.
Below are two essays written by students learning English...
Arrival by Kadi Musas
In 2002, I left my home in Zaire in Central Africa to come and live in the United Kingdom with my husband and my two children.
On our arrival at Heathrow airport, we met another couple who were also in the UK for the first time. None of us could speak or understand a single word of English. I started condemning my husband for the decision to come to England and shared these regrets and recriminations with the other couple. We all felt weak and vulnerable because we didn’t even know how to deal with the simple problem of getting out of the airport.
“Parlez-vous francais?” (Can you speak French?), asked my husband to one of the other passengers in the corridor but the man seemed to be on another planet.
We started to follow the arrows showing the way out, but we were uncertain about what was going to happen next. We were not even sure if we were going to get our luggage or not.
After a while, we noticed that everybody else had left the corridor and only the four of us were in that part of the airport. Luckily, I suddenly remembered I had my French-English dictionary in my handbag. I got it out and began to try to build some phrases in English for us to ask for help. However, my dictionary didn’t solve the problem. I was just met with vacant expressions. It was only when we met a man who could speak French that we got the help we all needed.
Once out of the airport, we met the person who was coming to pick us up. We got in the car and we were on the road for about two hours; as I looked out of the car window, everything was strange to me. I felt sick that night and went to bed without eating anything and feeling uncomfortable and confused about everything. I needed more than twelve months to recover from my sickness and depression.
Money by Robert Szewczyk
Money is everything in our life. It is around us and controls our future. People who say that they don’t care about money are probably lying. Rich people always want more money- Lotto winners still buy lottery tickets. Why? What for? This is the main question and issue of my writing.
One of the good things about money is that money gives people confidence and an established life. People work hard to get a better future. That’s ok if they really think about their family and children’s needs. They should have time for family during the weekend.
Another good thing is that money can help other people who really need help, like those poverty stricken after disasters like flood, storm, terrorist attack, war etc. Even a little help can make a big difference if people come together to support charity.
One of the bad things is that people get sick from money. They become materialistic. They lose family and friends because they always want more and more.
Money is as well the main reason why we have war in our lives. Not only the big ones like World War II, but even small wars with our friends.
I think that a lot of the rich people are more unhappy than people who haven’t got a lot what will you do if you have everything already? Where will you have it all? No hopes? No dreams, no thought to make other people happy.
The best thing is to have money and a brain as well, to appreciate money and not be greedy. If not, we are losers.
Five Minutes of Fun
If you enjoy using ESL games in class, visit
esl flow, which is chock full of ESL game links. Of course,
you may never find time to play
all those ESL games, but even when there's only five minutes left of class, everyone can still have fun -- by using any one of the interactive language activities below. Why stop learning? :)
