Reusing—Not just for the environment anymore!

Keep a binder of materials that you can keep and use in many different situations. For example,

Stock Supply of Flash Cards	Some themes will reappear over and over again; make sure that you create a solid set of cards for them and then you can use them in lessons, as review, as warm-up or emergency activities.   Some topics include: family, vegetables, fruits, zoo animals, farm animals, clothing, basic verbs, flowers, school-related words, greetings, weather       There are many ways to use such a supply of cards: 1.       Matching game (ask a student or group of students to match the appropriate English word to its illustration or equivalent) 2.       Drills (show the cards to the students until they are able to say the word in English immediately) 3.       Interesting visuals (create a chart on the board and have students create the same chart in their exercise books; this is especially useful for introducing these words for the first time.) 4.       Model sentences (Have students write sentences about the topic, using the illustrations in the blank spaces to prompt their memories). 5.       Use the cards as models for students to create their own set of flash cards to use at home.   A matching activity to remember parts of the face A matching activity to remember the order and names of the months
Stock Supply of Board Games	I have found that, at almost any level, students benefit from refreshers of previously learned topics. That is why it is helpful, even with more advanced students, to have a stock supply of board games on hand for days when the unexpected occurs…for example, several students are sick, and you have only 3 or 4 kids in class; a board game is a fun way to review, refresh and spend quality time with students when a lesson may be fruitless.   Basic Review Board Game: reviewing basic level questions and answers, vocabulary (colors, months, fruits, etc.) and introductions
Stock Supply of Dialogues	Dialogues can be fun when used in different ways. Try pairing a stock dialogue or set of model sentences with the flash cards that you have above to create new stories that the students can copy, revise, or complete on their own.   Another basic review activity: using simple adjectives to describe yourself, a friend, family member, etc. Also a good review of the verb "To Be"