We’ve been hard at work building a new home for our blog posts, and it’s finally live! Visit Our New Blog You can still find our archives here while we continue to move posts over. Comments will be disabled on archived posts, so please chat with us over on our new blog ..read more

“Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.” —Robert Frost It is National Poetry Month, but year round students can enjoy learning from poetry. Different forms of poetry appeal to various age groups and literacy levels. All our students can discover poems that make them laugh, smile, or think. Additionally, teachers can find poems about any topic that help students make a deeper connection to the vocabulary and ideas related to the topic. Students can learn from the examples of poetry they consume to produce their own poems, which gives students the oppo ..read more

“I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” —Albert Einstein Einstein credited curiosity as the driving force of his success. By asking questions and indulging his curiosity, he was able to challenge centuries‑old views about the universe and turn them upside down. And who knows? You could have the next Einstein right in your classroom. By introducing your students to the concept of thin and thick questions, you may be able to pull out the Einstein in all of them. Reading fiction can serve as a conduit for developing curiosity. To start the process, first make sure that stu ..read more

TESOL 2019 Sessions The annual TESOL convention is the perfect opportunity for materials writers and editors to learn from the masters and keep up with the changing needs of English language teachers and learners. Balancing our time between the booth and the classroom is always a struggle at TESOL. While we would love to spend the whole time attending sessions, TESOL is our busiest week of the year! In addition to squeezing a week‑long trip into our busy publishing schedule, we have to present our own sessions, meet with potential partners, and—most importantly—chat with teachers and subscrib ..read more

We’re back! The ESL Library team has just returned from our annual TESOL convention. This year we went to Atlanta, where “Every Day Is an Opening Day!” From left to right: Ben (CEO), Ginny (office manager), Tara (publishing director), Tanya (managing editor), Taylor (user experience) For some of us, TESOL is something we look forward to every year. Our CEO Ben Buckwold has been to 13 TESOL conventions! For others on our team, TESOL is a relatively new experience. Atlanta was Ginny’s first time and she rocked! “Ginny was so helpful in answering all my questions—friendly and just a delight ..read more

Ramadan (Low Int) Today’s podcast features a reading from our low-intermediate Holidays & Events lesson about Ramadan. In this lesson, students learn about the Islamic calendar and the month-long fast of Ramadan. This lesson includes vocabulary review tasks and writing practice. To see the full transcript and use the ready-made lesson in class, log in to ESL Library and choose the low-intermediate Holidays & Events lesson on Ramadan. We also have a high-intermediate lesson and podcast on Ramadan. How Do I Subscribe? Not an ESL Library member? Get unlimited access to 1,000+ lessons a ..read more

Mother’s Day (Low Int) Today’s podcast features a reading from our Holidays & Events lesson about Mother’s Day. In this lesson, students read about the history of Mother’s Day and discuss what they would have for a Mother’s Day brunch. This lesson includes an introduction to portmanteau. To see the full transcript and use the ready-made lesson in class, log in to ESL Library and choose the low-intermediate Holidays & Events lesson on Mother’s Day. We also have a high-intermediate lesson and podcast on Mother’s Day. How Do I Subscribe? Not an ESL Library member? Get unlimited access ..read more

Anzac Day (Int – High Int) Today’s podcast features a reading from our Holidays & Events lesson about Anzac Day. In this lesson, students read about the historic battle on the Gallipoli peninsula in World War I. To see the full transcript and use the ready-made lesson in class, log in to ESL Library and choose the Holidays & Events lesson on Anzac Day. How Do I Subscribe? Not an ESL Library member? Get unlimited access to 1,000+ lessons and 2,000+ flashcards. Subscribe today ..read more

Pearl Harbor (High Int – Adv) Today’s podcast features a reading from our Historic Events lesson about the Pearl Harbor. In this lesson, students read about the historic attack on the American naval base of Pearl Harbor during World War II. To see the full transcript and use the ready-made lesson in class, log in to ESL Library and choose the Historic Events lesson on Pearl Harbor. How Do I Subscribe? Not an ESL Library member? Get unlimited access to 1,000+ lessons and 2,000+ flashcards. Subscribe today ..read more

WonderInt Today’s podcast features a reading from our Discussion Starters lesson about Wonder. In this lesson, students read about and discuss curiosity and whether wondering (especially while wandering) is becoming a lost art. This lesson includes pronunciation practice with minimal pairs. To see the full transcript and use the ready-made lesson in class, log in to ESL Library and choose the Discussion Starters lesson on Wonder. How Do I Subscribe? Not an ESL Library member? Get unlimited access to 1,000+ lessons and 2,000+ flashcards. Subscribe today ..read more