TEACHING ESL WITHOUT A TEXTBOOK
by Donna Rae Viola, Ed.D.
For those of us who have taught EFL/ESL overseas, teaching without a textbook is not problematic; in fact, many of us find it to be invigorating! However, for ESL instructors who may be just starting out, or who have never worked in an under-privileged environment, beginning a class without written guidelines can be daunting. The key for all instructors – with or without a printed “manuscript” – is to remember that language is acquired in a logical sequence: LISTENING, SPEAKING, READING, and WRITING, with overlaps from one area to another. If you are just beginning to teach ESL, and your college major was something other than TESL or foreign language, you would benefit from reading the Stephen Krashen book,Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition. It was first published in 1983, and many other theorists have produced their versions, but Krashen is the guru for many who began teaching ESL during the last century!
So, how do you set up a class without textbooks? First of all, don’t panic! We do have a curriculum, and you can follow it by creating an interactive classroom experience. Attached are two guides created by Sharon Holt for you to follow. The first one is: Introduction of Grammar Priorities, and the second one is: ESL Verb Tenses for Level Completion. With or without a textbook for your students, these are the grammar forms and tenses you, the teacher, are charged with completing at each level of instruction.
That said, how do you incorporate the “dry stuff” with the “fun stuff?” Since we’re teaching summer classes which are shorter than semester classes, let’s deviate from the topics that we always use in our regular textbooks; for example, home, school, work, etc. In other words, choose some new THEMES to convey the structures you want to teach. I like to use current events, world history, California history, andenvironmental issues, to name a few. Here is a list of materials and activities I have used when teaching any of the above.
Materials: World, USA, and CA maps (I have 3 large ones and smaller ones for handouts); markers and whiteboard; large tag board and colored pens; glue, stapler, and lots of magazines with pictures (National Geographic, Time, People, etc.); computer/LCD projector; DVDs (such as “The Story of Us,” “4 & 5 of Culture Clips,” “Where the Red Fern Grows,” “Huckleberry Finn,” “Tom Sawyer,” and “Seven Alone.” I have also had advanced classes read The House on Mango Street, Mother’s Revolt (with film), The Californian’s Tale,The Last Leaf, Eleven, and The Stolen Party.
Activities: I always start with a “tickler,” as in “tickle your fancy.” I might arrive early and hang pictures of places and/or people all around the room, and as the students arrive I ask them to wander and look, trying to guess where the place is and who the people are. Guesses and
answers ensue. Then I introduce the topic: “Today we’re going to learn about the American people who opened up the West by traveling the Oregon Trail.” I use the internet to show some of the historical events, and the students can listen only, or listen and take notes, depending on their abilities. A Q & A follows. Based on student levels, students can be asked to write about what they think some of the dangers were that the travelers to Oregon might have faced (simple past or modals “might have, could have”). We watch the Disney movie, “Seven Alone,” which shows the true story of a family of children who lose their parents along the way, but who survive. After the film and discussion, the class can be divided into groups, each with supplies of large tag board, color pens, and magazines to cut up; give them a task such as: “Group One will show and tell us about the Sager Family before they decided to go to Oregon. Group Two will show and tell us about the things that happened to them on the Oregon Trail. Group Three will show and tell us about how Oregon has grown and developed, what its major cities are now, etc.” Groups show illustrations and give an oral summary of the story. I am not a singer, but a fun finale to this theme is to use the internet to find “American Folk Music,” prepare a copy of the words, and do a sing-along to folk songs of the era of the Oregon Trail pioneers.
As always, I relate the theme to what is currently happening in the world today; i.e., “Do you know another large migrant group who is trying to go from one place to another?”
For those of you who are teaching beginning levels, showing a movie that embraces your theme is still possible, but you can break it up into small segments. Often, I never show the whole movie; instead, I “fill in the blanks” with simple readings and discussions, then skip to another segment so they see the scenery and the characters.
Again, for teachers of beginners, don’t forget to use TPR, Suggestopedia, Jazz Chants, choral readings (I love Where the Sidewalk Ends!), role playing, cloze activities, board games (self-made or bought), dictation, and note-taking.
In summary, feel free to experiment this summer! Choose a multicultural theme (music, art, movies, social behaviors/mores, fashion, cuisine…the list is yours to make!), and get your students on their feet, reciting, demonstrating, dancing, singing, learning English in a relaxed environment! Use the attached charts to guide you when focusing on verb tenses or grammatical structures, but keep the conversations going.
There are not enough people available to get the textbooks to you right away, but I and others will be trying to drive them to your site during the second week. Hopefully, by the time you get them, you and your students will be having such a wonderful time, you will only use the texts to reinforce your theme or the structure you were teaching.