Inspirational English, April 2017 | Page 29

A- Z of Hope Review I am an ESL teacher who believes in the positive education and we, teachers, are our students’ role models. That is why I carefully plan my lessons and make sure they foster creativity, collaboration and at the same time are fun and useful. As a busy teacher any tool that can make my work easier is always welcomed. About a month ago I found out that Heart ELT was going to publish a new book, called “A-Z of Hope”, which consists of 26 fun activities for children. It has been created by leading ELT authors and teachers. I was really eager to order the book because I knew it could be a great time-saver. We, teachers, love this, don’t we? When the book arrived, it didn’t let me down. I personally believe “A-Z of Hope” is a treat for every ESL teacher around the world. To begin with, the resources have been created in such a way that Heart ELT they can easily be adapted to any level. I like the fact, that I can make little tweaks here and there and use most lessons with my students. Secondly, Publishing there are beautifully designed photocopiables, which can be used in the classroom. However, if you do not have access to a printer or a computer, The organisation provides the publisher has provided a few “Zero-resource” lesson plans. Additionally, resources and support to let’s not forget the useful tips that some of the authors have left for us, giving children who have no access to us some advice on changing the activity in order to suit our students’ needs. education due to war, poverty and natural disasters. How can teacher use the resources from “A-Z of Hope” • To practise basic vocabulary with young learners. There are a few resources which are specifically designed for kids and include activities on topics such as Colours, Daily routines, Numbers, Food, etc • To encourage students’ creativity • To bring Fun into the classroom, for example, students can design their own robot after practising Question forms • To build awareness of language through sounds and rhythms. • To make use of spare minutes at the end of the class by using any of the zero materials • To develop the students’ deductive skills by solving a crime • To learn the art of story-telling • To use various methods to practise new vocabulary 29