The English Corner

I was thinking about this (hmmmm…I don’t know why, maybe because the manners in my neck of the woods have seemed to have vanished.) Anyway, I thought it would be a great idea for a new topic. Etiquette can be used on many different levels. Or just think of it as a filler activity to use when you are in a pinch.

For the younger crowd:
Etiquette for elementary kids.
http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/articles/16183.aspx

Free coloring pages.
http://www.mannersgames.com/freestuff.html

Be a good manners detective
http://www.mannersgames.com/files/QuickSiteImages/GoodApple_Lesson1.pdf

For teens and adults:
Telephone manners
http://www.xiangtan.co.uk/oralenglish2telephones2.htm

Writing thank you notes (can be used for all ages) If you look on the side bar you will notice additional lesson plans that are topic related.
http://classroom-activities.suite101.com/article.cfm/letter_writing_lesson_plan

This one is listed under “functional and social English.” Contains lesson plans for the ESL adult learner.
http://www.tefl.net/alexcase/worksheets/functions/

I included the index page, since it looked like a very useful resource.
http://www.tefl.net/alexcase/worksheets/

Netiquitte
http://www.learnthenet.com/english/lessons/150lesson.htm

More netiquette. This one has a quiz page.
http://www.albion.com/netiquette/index.html

Eating etiquette
http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview.cgi?LPid=4619

Australian etiquette worksheet
http://www.eslprintables.com/printable.asp?id=7181

Bathroom etiquette (does require you to download a video from You Tube) but it still has some good ideas you can borrow. Can you say urinal etiquette?
http://waygook.org/index.php?PHPSESSID=3dde3b08a34eb157e245ec60f0471ac7&topic=243.0

Concert etiquette. There are several lesson plans to choose from.
http://www.musicedmagic.com/music-education-links-1358.html

Dining etiquette on PowerPoint. Lots to browse through on this page.
http://facs.pppst.com/dining-etiquette.html

Email etiquette
http://www.curriki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Coll_peter7812/EmailEtiquette

This video is AWESOME! Can you say troll & Flamewars? (he, he)
My librarian friend is just crazy about this Brain Pop website. It is worth checking out the ESL section on this site too. It is a great resource to help supplement your lessons. If I were you, I would bookmark this site. Trust me it may come in handy someday. Here is a link to the digital etiquette page. It is followed by a quiz. Click here.

List of intercultural lesson plans
http://www.eslflow.com/interculturalcommunication.html

Dating etiquette
http://www.onlinetutoringworld.com/lessonplans/advance-dating.htm

Job and career etiquette
http://www.eslflow.com/Jobandcareerlessonplans.html

Good manners
http://teachertipstraining.suite101.com/article.cfm/teaching_good_manners

Good manners printable certificate
http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/pdf.htm?minicert_manners.pdf

Apple is in on the good manners theme too
http://edcommunity.apple.com/ali/story.php?itemID=10807

Good manners are everywhere
http://cybersmartcurriculum.org/mannersbullyingethics/lessons/2-3/good_manners_everywhere/

Wireless etiquette with a following quiz
http://www2.sprint.com/mr/consumertopic.do?topicId=260

Theme park etiquette podcast, scroll down for bullet point highlights
http://www.mouseplanet.com/8941/Theme_Park_Etiquette

Emily Post – the authority of all things related to etiquette
http://www.emilypost.com/everyday/index.htm
Emily Post for kids
http://www.emilypost.com/kidsandparents/index.htm
Peter Post’s business etiquette podcast
http://www.mouseplanet.com/8941/Theme_Park_Etiquette

For the college crowd:
You could assign the podcast as a homework assignment. Ask them to listen to it,  jot down some notes about what they learned that was new to them and then follow up with a short oral presentation in class.

More ESL etiquette resources:
(These resources are mostly suited for adults.)

Culture and customs
http://www.eslflow.com/interculturalcommunication.html

Office etiquette
http://eng.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?article_class=18&no=382992&rel_no=1

More email etiquette
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/636/01/

Tipping etiquette
http://www.eslvideo.com/view_quiz.php?id=686

Conversational etiquette
http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?menu=c10400&no=382931&rel_no=1

Answering machine etiquette
http://www.esl-lab.com/phone/phonerd1.htm

Kissing etiquette
http://www.english-4u.com/index.php?module=pagesetter&func=viewpub&tid=1&pid=257

Let’s not forget British etiquette, I mean didn’t they invent good manners?

http://www.ukstudentlife.com/Personal/Manners.htm
http://www.britishetiquettecoaching.co.uk/index
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/UK.html

Pub etiquette
http://www.sirc.org/publik/pub.html

How to set the table for High Tea
http://www.ehow.com/how_2313274_set-table-high-tea.html
http://www.ehow.com/video_2334661_set-up-table-afternoon-tea.html?optype=video

Tea etiquette
http://teas2dine4.com/etiquette.html

High tea vs low tea debate explained
http://www.veetea.com/site/articles/Afternoon-Tea

Epicurean weighs in on the subject
http://www.epicurean.com/articles/hightea.html

At this point I feel like making a sarcastic remark about the Jerry Springer phenomenon in the US, but I think I’ll keep my mouth shut – this time!

I love using movies to each English, but they can be too much – you know – too long, to boring, yadda, yadda, yadda. The Genki English guy, Richard Graham, has a suggestion. Use movie trailers. What a fantastic idea! He suggests using the Apple movie trailers. Good choice in that the movie trailers on the Apple site are offered in HD. http://www.genkienglish.net/usingmoviesinclass.htm

Below is the link to the trailer site. There is a veritable smorgasbord to choose from. It may not be such a bad idea if you want to mix things up and/or kill some time. Or, if you get a positive response from the students you could do it as a regular thing, turn it into “Movie Monday.” It doesn’t have to be on a Monday, but you get the idea.
http://www.apple.com/trailers/

You could do a bunch of different activities along with it, like:

• transcribe it and have the student follow along as a simultaneous listening and reading activity
• create a close activity from the transcript focusing on specific grammatical items, such as contractions
• introduce new vocabulary and idioms
• assign a movie trailer to be viewed cold (their choice) as homework. They have to view it and write down one new vocabulary word and find the appropriate definition to share with the class. (Homework – I know not the most popular choice, but this is not too difficult to do.)
• have students perform it as a readers theater script
• is there a song with lyrics involved? Assign small groups to sing the song to the class as others in the group act it out.

For example, Invitcus http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/invictus/ can be used to teach about Nelson Mendela and apartheid. If you’re a Rugby fan then “forget about it!” You could springboard a mini-unit about the game, history, rules, etc; Maybe you could get a Rugby club going with the students? Do you think they would go for that? I don’t know, but my teenage son would be totally into that (he plays’ American football – which is kinda like Rugby except with armor, right?)

What about Where The Wild Things Are? This story is a children’s classic. I remember reading it to  my son when he was a little guy. http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/wherethewildthingsare/ Can you get your hands on the book? This would be a great one to teach the kids.
Here is a random list of resources that can be found on the net:

• http://www.fantasyjr.com/where-the-wild-things-are-lesson-plans-and-movie-news/
• http://www.lessonplanspage.com/LAWildThingsStoryElementsK2.htm
• http://newteachersupport.suite101.com/article.cfm/teaching_with_where_the_wild_things_are
• http://www.nwf.org/BeOutThere/parentsguide.html

This lesson incorporates math and science

• http://www.easyfunschool.com/article1293.html

Students create their own wild things

• http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/early/Jeryl-Wild.htm
• http://www.ibiblio.org/mturner/seawell/legos2/susan/wildthings.html

Character development lesson

• http://www.scetv.org/education/ntti/lessons/2005_lessons/character.cfm

Beginning, middle, end

• http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/early/Jeryl-Wild.htm

Sequencing monster

• http://www.eduref.org/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Writing/WCP0033.html

What about A Christmas Carol? Another timeless classic.

• http://www.apple.com/trailers/disney/achristmascarol/
• http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=238
• http://www.learningtogive.org/lessons/unit10/lesson3.html
• http://ulsterballet.org/acc-lesson.TeacherGuide.pdf

and let’s not forget the ppt’s!

• http://languagearts.pppst.com/dickens-christmascarol.html

Then there is Amelia. http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox_searchlight/amelia/

Is she dead? Is she alive and living with Elvis on a deserted island?

lesson plans

• http://www.idahoptv.org/ntti/nttilessons/lessons2002/taylortatten.htm?CFID=566417&CFTOKEN=24829627
• http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresources/units/Byrnes-famous/Earhart.html

Even if you don’t have the series, you can still glean nuggets that you can use in class.

• http://www.patriapress.com/earhartre.html

biography

• http://www.ellensplace.net/eae_intr.html

Forensic evidence – create a discussion – is she alive or dead? Let the students decide based on evidence provided by the following sources and then present their position to the class.
Is she alive? http://www.irene-amelia.com/index.html
Is she dead? http://www.nndb.com/people/943/000026865/

There’s lots of rich material to choose from. It can be used year after year once you put the lesson together. So a little bit of work will pay off in the long run.