RESOURCES

Here's a  list of my all-time favorite textbooks and workbooks which are essential in my own classroom and can work wonders in your classroom too:

1. Basic Grammar In Use - Raymond Murphy

This is a basic grammar book designed for beginning to low-intermediate students of English. The worksheets in this grammar book have been a life saver when trying to supplement grammar points discussed in my own lessons. The book itself covers a wide range of topics and the way these topics are covered isn't dry and boring with simple substitution drills, but instead the exercises are dynamic and thoughtful and cover all nuances of each grammar point. Highly recommended.

2. Grammar In Use Intermediate

Here is the companion book to Basic Grammar In Use, and it's every bit just as useful and in-depth as the first in the series. The exercises in this book are designed for intermediate, but is also useful for Advanced students looking to improve their grammar. The worksheets are challenging, practical and very beneficial.

3. Pro Lingua's Color Lexicarry - Patrick R. Moran

This is a great picture book with beautiful illustrations on all sorts of topics (Tools, clothing, human body, tastes, smells, textures, insects, weather, and land features just to name a few), but unlike your standard picture dictionary, the pictures are not labeled (word lists are given in the index though). This forces the students to label the pictures themselves, which in my opinion is a powerful step in learning new vocabulary. This book also includes a section of illustrated proverbs and sayings like "An apple never falls far from the tree" or "Don't put all your eggs in one basket" and more. These pictures are a great way to review or introduce new vocabulary.

4. True Stories in the News - Sandra Heyer

This book as well as the rest of the books in the True Stories in the News series  offer reading texts based on human-interest stories adapted from newspapers and magazines. The texts include worksheets regarding vocabulary and comprehension, but most importantly they are high-interest stories which students love to discuss. There are so many ways to integrate these stories into your lesson or build a lesson around them.

5. Vocabulary in Practice (Series) - Glennis Pye

These books give students a chance to practice their vocabulary in a fun way. Each worksheet covers a topic and provides two or three activities to use the vocabulary in an enjoyable yet practical way which is conducive to memorization and a deep understanding of the words meaning and use. The similar series, "Grammar in Practice" is also highly recommended.