ESOL – mostly Intermediate/High Intermediate level

 

General Reading and Writing – designed as part of a professional development program, roughly high school level

 

(use the links above to view the materials, organized by class type)

 

Like many other educators, I often find myself searching for interesting, high-quality texts and/or creating new material to supplement (or replace) traditional curriculum. I love this part of the job, and developing content connected to students’ unique contexts and interests is an important part of critical pedagogy, but I don’t want us all to have to start from scratch! Here, I share some of the activities, assignments, and lesson plans I’ve created, in the hope that others may build on and adapt them for their own teaching and learning contexts.

Much of this content was developed for classes of adult survivors of violence and/or trauma in New York City. Most of these classes were majority women, and contained many parents. I chose to focus on the topics, themes, and stories represented in the texts and materials because students requested them, or because I thought they would be relevant based on my experience with these students.

When I select stories, articles, and movies to use in class, I prioritize content that centers the experiences of immigrants, women, and/or people of color, and I aim to avoid narratives that feature violence or sex/romance (because of the backgrounds of many of my students).

You can read more about my teaching philosophy here.

This material was designed to be used in fully virtual classes (taught via Zoom), but could be adapted for in-person learning. Almost everything is in Google doc format, because that is what I use for online teaching. To save or edit for your own use, you can download the document as a word doc, or make a copy of it. I’ve compiled some tips for using this content online (especially in conjunction with Google Classroom) here.

This content is VERY MUCH a work in progress, but hopefully it serves as a helpful starting point for other teachers!

 

If you use any of these materials, or have any of your own to share, please reach out! I always love to learn from and with other educators. Email me: kelseyrswift (at) gmail (dot) com !