Make the right connections… Naomi’s Photos There are days when I think I should begin awarding  certificates for “long jumps” – some of my students excel at jumping! Jumping to conclusions, that is. This ability of theirs manifests itself in many varieties, but I’ve chosen  to focus on one particular issue and create a new “Visual Lesson” with a companion worksheet. “Line numbers” in reading comprehension questions are “eye catchers” for students. They can help the students find the correct answer or lead them astray if they don’t read the entire question carefully. Quite a fe ..read more

Different points of view / Naomi’s Photos I went through a “reading crisis” in the last three months. I had no patience for fictional characters and their fictional angst and read less than I usually do. The only two books I read were  both non-fiction: “Unraveling – What I Learned About Life While Shearing Sheep, Dyeing Wool, and Making the World’s Ugliest Sweater” by Peggy Orenstein  Who knew thread and cloth played such an important part in the history of humankind? I didn’t… I also related to her struggles to deal with her parents aging and ultimately passing away. The autho ..read more

Visualise It, by Naomi Ganin Epstein Sometimes you need to begin in the middle. Simply hone in on the problematic zones without starting at the top every single time. When it comes to essay writing, most of my advanced students are great at writing opening paragraphs of opinion essays. Their concluding paragraphs are coming along nicely as well, they’ve clearly grasped the principles. However, crafting the two “body paragraphs” in between is more problematic. The students are required to present their arguments clearly and support their claims with additional information and relevant examples ..read more

Feeling small… Naomi’s Photos With a very heavy heart, we teachers must now prepare for distance learning, amid the tragic events. Supporting each other and sharing materials is crucial, as none of us are at best (to put it mildly). Yet we have a deadline – school must resume, online. Here is a set of links to collections organized by level. In each collection, I am uploading material of mine relevant to that level. This is a space to follow, as I will continue uploading materials next week. There are guided reading tasks, vocabulary exercises, and some lighter activities. There are no grammar ..read more

What did you just say? Naomi’s Photos Some of my strongest Deaf and hard-of-hearing high school students perk up and invest in a writing task if there is some snarky element involved. Many years ago The  Washington Post had some sort of competition where they asked readers (in honor of Valentine’s Day) to submit rhyming pairs of sentences, the first very romantic and the other emphatically unromantic.  For example: “I see your face when I am dreaming. // That’s why I wake up screaming. I made a note of the idea. Over the years, whenever I challenged such very bright students to come ..read more

So, you’re awake too? Naomi’s Photos I wasn’t sleeping well the last few nights before setting off on our big adventure –  a 17-day trip to South Africa! I was too excited/nervous/stressed – I’m sure you know what I mean. I barely slept on the flights either way. I also tend to wake up very early on trips (not at home!) so I read quite a bit before the trip, on the trip, and upon returning. Since arriving home, I have mainly been listening to audiobooks and reading print a bit less – when I have free time I go over my “gazillion” photos! After which I fall asleep as soon as my head hits t ..read more

Naomi’s Photos It turns out, that sometimes a veteran teacher, a “puffin”, needs some support from a lion. Who knew. Just to be clear, I’ll always remain ” a puffin”.  As a veteran teacher of English as a foreign language to Deaf and hard-of-hearing high school students, knowing how to fly and swim has been a big advantage. Those qualities along with loving bright colors  (my students are certainly “colorful”, in the metaphorical sense!) have enabled me to stay in the profession for so long. Did you know that I’m beginning my 37th official year as a teacher? Everyone who corresponds ..read more

  Issues of language, citizenship, and critical thinking for the 2020s? The amazing Amos Paran will be speaking about these topics at the upcoming ETAI 2023 International Conference & Mediterranean Symposium ! So what do I have to offer on the topic? How about some videos for different levels? Here you go! “Saving Grace” – Advanced Students I have been using this video every single school year since I was first introduced to it (in 2014!) by Kieran Donaghy, of Film English, whose presentation I had the pleasure of attending at a conference. Not only is the topic an important one, but ..read more

Don’t fall into a trap!  Naomi’s Photos Okay. I admit it. I don’t know. Does the activity I’m sharing here fall under the label of “Promoting Critical L2 Reading Strategies”? The activity focuses on one very specific negative reading strategy that some of my struggling Deaf and hard-of-hearing high school students tend to rely on, one which I wish I could eradicate completely… Is this activity a good stepping stone on the road to reading for understanding or just a simple “review this before the exam” activity? Sometimes you need a ladder… Naomi’s Photos I’m not sure. But I know whom to a ..read more

  You are right, dear students, I have noticed you are interested in storytelling with graphics. Using comic strip characters provided such a clear context, in an appealing way, that some of you actually told me that you enjoyed practicing the vocabulary from the approved word list in this way. I certainly took note of that reaction! How many chunks can a comics strip chunk with no help from a woodchuck? Practicing advanced “chunks” from the approved vocabulary lists. I have even seen that the quirky comic characters I used when teaching Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken clar ..read more