Picture This! A Beginning ESL Teacher's Resource Book [Spiral-bound]

Laurie Johnson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1932203036 | ISBN-13: 978-1932203035 | Publication Date: September 1, 2002

The Picture This! A Beginning ESL Teacher's Resource Book is designed to introduce non-English speakers living in the United States to the vocabulary commonly encountered in this country. Purchasers of this book are entitled to reproduce all activities as many times as they like, thus making it a one-time investment for years' worth of teaching.

The Picture This! A Beginning ESL Teacher's Resource Book is a visual resource book intended for use in a beginning-level ESL classroom. It provides a strong curricular framework for teachers of junior high, high school, and adult English Language Learners. The idea of using pictures to assist in learning a language other than English comes from the old cliché: "A picture is worth a thousand words." Rather than translating a word verbally -- a practice which risks a lack of comprehension and information overload in early language learners -- instructors can use pictures to build a strong foundational vocabulary. Because it contains 30 different vocabulary units, placed in an optimal developmental order, Picture This! relieves the stress of teachers by helping them know what they will be teaching each week of the year. In addition, the uniformity, predictability, and appropriate reading level of the materials promote great success in beginning English learners who are often confused by the incomprehensible materials used in content classes.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Laurie Johnson began teaching Beginning and Advanced ESL classes in Arizona in 1993. In 1998, frustrated by the lack of curricular materials for the lowest-level ESL classes, she came up with a predictable, thematic approach to vocabulary acquisition. Her creation of reproducible picture words, puzzles, dictation tests and helpful forms immediately took the guesswork out of her lesson planning. Eager for anything to help with their own lesson planning, teachers in her district found this method to be simple and easy to integrate into their existing curriculums. They spread the word, and the Picture This! book is now used by teachers of junior high, high school and adult education students throughout the United States and Canada.

Product Details

• Spiral-bound: 360 pages
• Publisher: Sundog Ltd (September 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932203036
• ISBN-13: 978-1932203035
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 9.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,920,643 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy to use, effective & fun!, November 3, 2002

By 

Elizabeth Almann (Billings, MT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Picture This! A Beginning ESL Teacher's Resource Book (Spiral-bound)

I highly recommend the Picture This ESL Resource book. I've used the materials to teach all levels and types of ESL, including high school Bilingual Special Ed and ESL for adult Latino baseball players. The pictures are cartoons, but not babyish, so they are suitable for all ages. The materials can be used as the core of a complete ESL curriculum, or unit by unit, to supplement as needed. I wish I had had them when I taught 7th grade Language Arts--they are truly a great resource for vocabulary building and spelling! This product is easy to use and fits well into any lesson plan. Well worth the money because you can literally use it all year.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Do not use outside of USA, June 24, 2005

By 

Hoke (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Picture This! A Beginning ESL Teacher's Resource Book (Spiral-bound)

As a Peace Corps volunteer part of my duties are to teach English to my community. I purchased this book because I have little background in teaching. I had hoped this book would give me meaningful guidance. It fell far short of this.

This book was designed with a very ethno-centric point of view. The pictures are of things most Americans would be familiar with but when I tried reviewing the pictures with some of the Thai people in my community they had no idea what the objects were in either language.

Most of the pictures are crude and get worse if you try to reproduce them. The entire idea of a book like this is to provide reproduceable study material, otherwise what is the point?

If you are in my situation, teaching to people outside of the U.S., Then this book is not for you.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well Organized for Quick Learning of the Language, June 28, 2005

By 

Barbara L. Whitten "Retired school marm" (Pittsburg, KS) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Picture This! A Beginning ESL Teacher's Resource Book (Spiral-bound)

This book is particularly helpful for the beginning ESL student in high school or even junior college. The pictures are clear, the activities are interesting and easily accomplished by students who are just becoming familiar with English. The use of pictures makes learning vocabulary much easier. The organization of the book into meaningful life units helps the student relate it to his life. I like the fact that the student learns to spell the words as they are learned. The simple sentences also help the student begin to write the language. If you are "at sea" and looking for a way to get started with beginning ESL, this well-organized book is a must for you.