Teaching and writing materials for migrant learners in Australia
2017 Sep 02

Wandering Girl worksheets are back!

A big thanks here to ‘Samantha’, who got in touch to ask if she could have access to the Wandering Girl worksheets. I was puzzled, because I knew they were right here, on the site… until I checked myself and found out that the links were broken. Oops. So now the worksheets are back, and you can download them here. … Continue reading

2017 Aug 21

Puzzles for ESOL learners (again!)

Why am I so obsessed with puzzles? Last week I got back from the fabulous QATESOL/QCAL mini-conference in Mackay, where I had to admit that some of the things I claim for puzzles can be argued against too; I’ve been thinking more about this since then. Are puzzles really non-elitist? I say how much I like the universality of crosswords, … Continue reading

2017 Jun 18

Real Grammar: a chat with Carl Eldridge

In this post, a chat about Real Grammar (out last year) with author Carl Eldridge: Carl, I know you were wanting to create something different from the usual grammar books. What has the reaction been to Real Grammar?

 The reaction has been great. Students tell me they finally understand how grammar works and can now make their own sentences with confidence. Which … Continue reading

Last week I was looking at the AMES Australia online bookshop and realised they had a new FREE-to-download publication: Lily the Volunteer: an introduction to volunteering for CALD volunteers. That title is self-explanatory – the resource is all about ‘Lily’s’ foray into volunteering. It’s at post-beginner level, and the five units are: Getting Started, Making Contact, First Day, Overcoming Obstacles … Continue reading

2017 May 21

ESL Extras ‘show and tell’ with YouTube

I’ve been experimenting with video lately – not that I feel very confident about having my face on screen – but there are things that text just can’t do. I want to show people what the books look like, demonstrate how I’d use the Maybe Next Year faces or the Welcome to Hope Street cut-ups, and answer those questions I … Continue reading

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