My Favorite ESL Books.

One of the challanges I face when teaching non-credit ESL for the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD), is that I teach a "multi-level" class. That means, I have students who are beginners and students who are advanced.

The question you will face at some point as an ESL (non-credit) teacher is "What is a good book to embrace all types of ESL levels?" Well, here are two fantastic books which, do just that.

Center Stage targets all kinds of learning styles through reading, writing, listening, and speaking. No student is left behind in the second language process because each lesson is designed to allow students to produce as much output as they can. Students are encouraged to think critically, to learn how to work in groups and individually, and most importantly, to bring their own life experiences into each lesson to make the language learning process meaningful. On the other hand, the book does a great job teaching content and not just grammar. For example, students learn about world history, USA history, science, civics, and art.



My second favorite ESL book is Picture This! Learning English Through Pictures. Each lesson starts with a picture story. Students listen to the story first. Then, they answer questions by looking at pictures and by allowing their imaginations to flow. For example, students look at a picture and answer questions such as "What do you see in the picture?" "What do you think is going to happen next?" "How do you think the person in the picture feels?" Students are encouraged to think critically and to concentrate in meaning rather than "writing error-free papers." Then, grammar is explored and finally, each lesson has a listening (minimal pairs) exercise and a grammar quizz. I use this book every summer and students just love it!