Sometimes an integrated approach that includes several different aspects of language learning set around a common theme is a refreshing and motivating approach for both the TESOL teacher and the student of English.
The ‘Thematic Learning’ section in the Student Centre provides a series of reading passages and language exercises around specified themes.
In this ‘Thematic Teaching’ section we present teaching notes for the TESOL teacher that are based on those reading passages and language exercises.
The level of the materials and suggested activities varies and teachers will need to decide which passages are at the right level for their class. Similarly, the way that specific activities are used by the teacher will be determined by the level of the class.
The first theme is ‘chocolate’, its origins, its manufacturers, the socially-oriented employment policies of some famous chocolate makers like Cadbury, the historical links between chocolate-trading and slavery, and the more recent emergence of the ‘Fair Trade’ organization which aims to give producers in developing countries better prices for high quality coffee beans as part of a campaign for sustainable development.
Over time, further materials will be added so that eventually there will be a wide collection of historical material and up-to-date resources that can be used with students.
The texts themselves and students’ learning activities and exercises are presented in ‘Thematic learning’ in the student section together with pictures and other images related to the theme.
The first of this series of teachers’ notes on thematic topics is: