Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) involves introducing the English language to students who primarily communicate in other languages. Regardless of their ages, you can keep your students engaged by using creative assessments, fun lesson plans, and participation incentives or prizes.

Your first lesson should include an oral and written assessment to gauge your students' abilities. Remember the assessment results when creating your lesson plans so that your lessons are appropriate for students of different ages and abilities.

Kids
When teaching ESL to kids, try to keep lessons short and wide ranging. Although kids absorb information quicker than adults, their attention spans generally are shorter. Begin your lesson with a warm-up review of past topics. If your class size is large, then tailor your lessons appropriately and consider that student levels may vary widely.

Teach English fundamentals, such as pronouns and subject-verb agreement, but include cultural information as well. For instance, pass out a handout and spend time reading simple sentences aloud: "Jack has a red bike" or "Mary eats soup in a bowl."

Instead of publicly correcting students, you personally should read the sentences to increase pronunciation confidence.

Incorporate an interactive task so that students can practice, such as pairing students together to form new sentences. Strengthen the lesson by having the students share their sentences with the class.

Explore websites like Dave's ESL Cafe (eslcafe.com) for lesson plan ideas.

Teens
Teaching teens can be a daunting task, especially when ESL is a mandatory class for them. Research popular culture in the community in order to better connect with teens and to give them examples that will resonate with them. One example involves sports, as most teens find common ground with a sports-related topic. Discuss famous athletes from your students' country of origin, not just world-famous athletes. Then, create lesson plans using the athletes as the subjects of sentences and paragraphs. For example, include sentences, such as "Michael Jordan plays basketball very well," or "Michelle Kwan exercises during her spare time." For additional resources, check out the Kids and Teens Open Directory Project.

Initially, emphasize oral listening and speaking skills so that students maintain interest in your lessons to improve their own communication. Use different teaching methods to maximize your students' success. Your class may have students who are verbal, visual, or hands-on learners. Make sure that your lessons can be embraced by students with different learning abilities.

Adults
Most adults take ESL classes when they find themselves living in an English-speaking country. Remember that adults often have less time to study because of their work or family. As such, include more reinforcement exercises to avoid overloading your students by unrealistically assigning homework. Like with teens, you should include popular culture themes that will resonate with the adult learners, but be careful of culturally sensitive or controversial topics.

Add practical lessons, such as "How to shop at a retail store," during which you take the class to a store to introduce relevant vocabulary and phrases while allowing students to practice asking about prices, sizes, and available options. Take some time and walk around so that you can observe your students and correct them as needed. Address heavy accents by including intonation and rhythm exercises that allow adults to gain confidence.

To give them exposure to an American or English accent (depending on which accent you are focusing on), you should suggest that the students watch a short television show or listen to music that highlights the desired accent

Check out the ESL Resource Planet for adult ESL lesson ideas.