It might be difficult to think of things you need to make an ESL class more fun and engaging. Especially if you are a new teacher, finding new tools to use in the classroom can be a challenge. Below are 4 ESL teaching tools that can be used in any classroom. 

1. Music 

Using music is a great way to get your students’ attention. You can use music that they like or introduce them to new music in English. Music can be used as listening comprehension. You can ask the students to listen to one line of the song then pause it and ask what they think the singer has said. You could also use a gap fill activity with the lyrics so that students have to listen to the lyrics and fill in the blanks. Music can also be used to review or present a grammar topic as well as vocabulary. 

2. Videos 

Thanks to websites and YouTube videos are much easier to use in an ESL classroom. You can find videos on any topic you wish and use them to introduce the day’s lesson or activity. Video clips from television shows or movies show native speakers speaking at a normal pace. Therefore videos can help students learn and understand regular speech. They also show students body language and facial expressions.

3. Newspapers and Magazines 

Other great teaching tools are newspapers and magazines. They can help students practice reading skills. Newspapers and magazines can be used with questions for reading comprehension activities. Articles can be chosen to help introduce vocabulary. Reading vocabulary in context can help students understand the vocabulary without having studied the words. They can also be used to review vocabulary that has already been taught.  

4. Radio and podcasts 

If you do not have access to the internet in your classroom using the radio can be a good alternative. You can have access to music and speaking programs on the radio which can help students practice their listening skills. Podcasts are another interesting ESL classroom tool because they cover a great variety of topics. Using radio and podcasts is a great way to cover current events and topics in an ESL class. 

To make an ESL class fun and engaging it is important to use some of these tools. Students will appreciate the effort it take to find and create activities around music, videos, magazines, radio, newspapers and podcasts. Varying your teaching tools will keep your students on their toes. You classes will never be predictable and boring. To learn a new language you must learn more than just grammar. It is learning about culture and the world.