A selection of English ESL brainstorm printables

Useful whenever you need a speaking activity which embraces the topic of weather, climate or natural environment. Ideally, some vocabulary brainstorming should be done before you give it a whirl :) 

Are you weather-wise? - class survey

The aim of this worksheet is to let students practise using the present continuous for upcoming plans. e.g. "What are you doing on Monday next week? I'm watching a movie at the cinema." 



You can start the class by brainstorming free time activities, then highlight the ones that we would normally plan in advance as these are the ones we would be most likely to use with the present continuous. Then students ask each other "What are you doing on ___day next week?" and write their partners' answers in the boxes. They don't need to say their real plans, encourage them to use the activities brainstormed on the board.



Next, highlight the 3rd person forms "What is [name] doing on Monday next week? (S)he is watching a movie at the cinema." Then allow 1 minute for students to try to memorise as much as they can of their sheet. In pairs, ask them to swap sheets and test each other's memories using the 3rd person form - 1 point for each correct answer.



Wrap up the class with some kind of charades or pictionary game for the free time activities used in the class. I've done this class many times now and it always works nicely!

Plans For Next Week

A comprehensive 60-minute lesson material with three sections on different English skills. First, there's a reading comprehension section, a vocabulary section based on the words from the text, and a speaking section at the end. Only the text is not mine.

I Paint Flowers So They Won't Die (Art Lesson Material)

 This activity is designed after the writing part of the New York State English as a Second Language Achievement test. Students use pictures to brainstorm ideas in the pre-writing section. You can modify this activity for different levels. Beginners and Intermediate students can write a paragraph. Advanced students can write a 4 paragraph essay. 

Farm or City Writing

A fun video-based conversation about St. Patrick's Day and leprechauns. Use the illustrations to brainstorm vocabulary, create sentences, tell and retell stories. 

Vocabulary builder, idioms, discussion, and listening questions, and more. 



This is one of the lessons in the holiday collection you can find when signing up: www.pocketpassport.com



Visual-aids help students retain vocabulary and phrases.



YouTube video: https://youtu.be/5EJ5C-coJ3w







St. Patrick's Day - Leprechauns

This activity is designed after the writing part of the New York State English as a Second Language Achievement test. Students use pictures to brainstorm ideas in the pre-writing section. You can modify this activity for different levels.



Fun Times- Essay

- Students read a cute story about Cotton the bunny! This reading comprehension is an introduction to descriptive adjectives. It is not teaching what they are, but rather seeing them in the context of a story

- The second sheet offers 3 comprehension questions which can be asked individually, used for group discussion or pair work.

- At the bottom of page 2 there is an 'Adjective hunt', students use their list of adjectives from question 3 and find synonyms, antonyms or make sentences. Again, this can be used as individual work, pair work or group work! If there is not enough space provided students can write in their notebooks. 

- Teachers can use their discretion and decide on which activities the students will do on the bottom of page 2. They can do all or just 1. The last activity makes for a good class brainstorm session. 

==> Note from Emma: I am really proud of this worksheet. I love how it looks and the story. Please leave a comment or go to my buy a coffee to support my work 

Spring Reading Comprehension

Notes giving a brief explanation on what an adverb is and a short brainstorming activity to help the students understand what different types of adverbs there are.

ADVERBS

Students can use this worksheet to brainstorm their ideas about people in their community who have jobs that help others. 

People Who Help

Fairly self explanatory: students match the name of the job to the picture.  As an extension, I always like taboo or charades or possibly getting students to brainstorm x number of verbs or adjectives associated with each job.

Jobs Match

A worksheet that heps studdents brainstorm the idea of "sentimental value of things", to write notes about such things, and then to practice telling others about them.

Speaking Practice Activity

This worksheet deals about the song Empire State of Mind from the singers Jay- Zand Alicia Keys.



This song is very good to describe the New York City. I usually use this song as a brainstorm to start the talking time about cities in The United States and it's also good to talke about tourist attractions.

Emprie State of mind- song

Culture, intercultural communication, cross-cultural communication

Adjectives to describe feelings, emotions

Adjectives to describe personality and character

Adjectives: Gradable / Non-gradable adjectives

Articles: Definite or indefinite article (a, an or the)

BE + infinitive structures (e.g. he was to become famous)

Clauses of contrast (e.g.  although, while)

Clauses of purpose (e.g. in order to, so that, so as to)

Clauses of reason (e.g. because, because of, due to, as, since)

Cleft sentences (e.g. It's Joey we're looking for)

Comparison: Comparative adjectives and structures

Comparison: Superlative adjectives and structures

Conditional 2 (second conditional) - would

Conditionals: Conditional phrases (e.g. unless, provided that, as long as)

Conjunctions (aka connectives, e.g. and, but, or, so, then)

Contractions (shortened forms, e.g. don't, aren't, etc.)

Determiners (words that can come before nouns)

Formal and informal English (politeness or colloquial language)

Future perfect continuous (progressive) tense

Future perfect simple and continuous (progressive) tense

Future phrases (e.g. be about to, bound to, likely to, due to, set to + INF)

Homonyms (two words with the same pronunciation - homophones and homographs)

It as preparatory subject (e.g. it's raining, it's nice of you to)

Linking verbs (aka copulas, e.g. I am a student)

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how to accuse somebody of something in English

how to apologize, say sorry, forgive and express regret in English

how to ask for information and make inquiries in English

how to ask for something, make requests in English

how to blame somebody for something in English

how to defend yourself from criticism in English

how to deny or admit something in English

how to describe things or people in English

how to emphasize important things in English

how to encourage or discourage people in English

how to evaluate people or progress in English

how to express agreement /disagreement in English

how to express approval and disapproval  in English

how to express cause and effect in English

how to express interest in something in English

how to express likelihood, probability in English

how to express likes and dislikes in English

how to express sequence and chronology in English

how to express shock and disbelief in English

how to express sympathy and condolences in English

how to give permission, authorization in English

how to inform somebody about some news in English

how to interpret what was said in English

how to keep a conversation going in English

how to make guesses about something in English

how to make, accept and refuse offers in English

how to order or make a booking in English

how to persuade, convince people in English

how to praise people and express appreciation in English

how to reassure somebody of something in English

how to refuse and object to something in English

how to remind people of something in English

how to rephrase, paraphrase what was said in English

how to say thank you, express gratitude in English

Nouns: Collective nouns (team, class, family, committee)

Nouns: Proper nouns (names of people, cities, companies)

Oxymorons (phrases with words of contradictory meaning, e.g. living dead)

Participles: Past participle (e.g. HAVING DONE)

Participles: Present participle (e.g. DOING)

Parts of Speech (aka word classes, e.g. nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs)

Past perfect continuous (progressive) tense

Phonetics (pronunciation, IPA, phonetic symbols)

Plural nouns: regular plurals with S ending

Prefixes (e.g. A, UN, IM, DIS, MIS, EN, etc. )

Prepositions vs adverbs (e.g. before me, saw him before.)

Prepositions: Double prepositions (e.g. out of)

Prepositions: Participle prepositions (e.g. pending, concerning)

Prepositions: Phrase prepositions (e.g. by means of)

Present perfect continuous (progressive) tense

Present perfect simple or present continuous tense

Present simple tense: S for third person singular verbs

Present simple vs continuous (progressive) tense

Pronouns: EACH OTHER, ONE ANOTHER (reciprocal pronouns)

Pronouns: Possessive pronouns (e.g. my, mine)

Pronouns: Reflexive pronouns (e.g. myself, yourself))

Pronouns: SOMEBODY, ANYBODY, EVERYBODY, NO ONE, NOTHING, etc.

Pronouns: THIS, THAT, THESE, THOSE (demonstratives)

Pronouns: YOU and THEY to talk about people in general

Quantifiers (e.g. some, many, much, any, few, little)

Questions: WH questions (open-ended questions)

Reported speech: reported questions (indirect questions)

There is / there are / there was / there were / there will be, etc.

Verbs: Transitive or intransitive verbs (words that can or cannot stand with objects)

Working with Paragraphs: ordering, titling

Role play, miming, drama activity or improv game

Pictionary (picture dictionary) or picture matching

Writing an opinion essay (persuasive essay)

Learners who are Pre-A1 have just begun learning English and will first learn how to:<ul><li>Say the letters in the alphabet and numbers</li><li>Say hello, talk about names and age</li><li>Name the colors and dates, express likes and dislikes</li></ul>

Absolute beginners who have begun to learn the letters and numbers

Learners taking the A1 Elementary exam should be able to:<ul><li>Introduce themselves and ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, things he/she has, people he/she knows.</li><li>Communicate using very basic phrases as long as the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: common adjectives & adverbs of frequency, going to, how much/how many, imperatives, I'd like, 's – possessive, common prepositions of place and time, present simple & continuous, there is/are</li></ul>

A very basic tourist level, which is enough for buying food and a bus ticket

Learners taking the A2 Pre-intermediate exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand sentences and frequently used expressions (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment).</li><li>Complete tasks that are routine and exchange information about familiar matters.</li><li>Describe matters of immediate need in simple terms.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: countable/uncountable nouns, adverbs of frequency, future will/going to, much/many, present perfect, past simple, past continuous, common phrasal verbs, common modals: can/should</li></ul>

A tourist who can do basic conversations about the past, present and future

Learners taking the B1 Intermediate exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand points regarding family, work, school or leisure-related topics.</li><li>Deal with most travel situations in areas where the language is spoken.</li><li>Create simple texts on topics of personal interest.</li><li>Describe experiences, events, dreams, and ambitions, as well as opinions or plans in brief.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: question tags, intensifiers: too/enough, future tenses, past tenses, modals, conditionals, wh-questions in the past</li></ul>

Learners who can deal with both familiar and routine situations, in friendly and work contexts

Learners taking the B2 Upper-intermediate exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialization.</li><li>Interact with fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without difficulty for either party.</li><li>Produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain an opinion on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: perfect tenses, mixed conditionals, modals in the present, phrasal verbs, reported speech, wish, relative clauses</li></ul>

The level where you can be a tour guide for your foreign friends and talk about a lot of topics, even abstract ones, with ease and fluency

Learners taking the C1 Advanced exam should be able to: Express ideas fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts. Produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, using linking phrases (=words that connect ideas between sentences). Main grammar points to know: inversion, mixed conditionals, modals in the past, all passive forms, phrasal verbs (all patterns), wish/if only for regrets

Learners who can smoothly communicate in every walk of life, read long texts and write well

Learners taking the C2 Proficient exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand almost everything read or heard with ease.</li><li>Summarize information from a variety of sources into a coherent presentation.</li><li>Express themselves using precise meaning in complex scenarios.</li><li>Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in the most complex situations</li></ul>

Get here and you are ready to study in English at university

172 Brainstorm English ESL worksheets pdf & doc