Cooking Up Tasty Autumn American Recipes for a Successful ESL Learning Activity

Reading recipes, planning and then cooking a meal together can help English learners in many valuable ways, expanding their vocabulary, encouraging discussion, and improving their ability to give and take instructions. In addition, a hands-on cooking activity offers ESL students the opportunity to understand oral communication and pose spontaneous questions within a structured situation.

By introducing hands-on cooking activities into an ESL curriculum, English language learners are directed to pay attention to names of food, preparation instructions, simple recipes, courses of the meal, package descriptions (ingredients, expiration date, weight, and serving size, storage instructions, nutrition information, etc..) As an added benefit, introducing a cooking activity into an ESL setting adds a cultural awareness of western styled food and meals.

Here are just a few on-line resources ESL teachers can look to for selecting their recipes and choosing from a great list of ideas for several other cooking and food related ESL activities.

• Dave’s ESL Café Idea Cookbook provides a comprehensive list of words used in cooking.

• Karin's ESL PartyLand features a fun menu reading activity that will encourage ESL students to practice their English as a second language vocabulary, reading and writing skills while they look at a menu from a real American restaurant.

• Many Things features a game of hangman including food and drink related vocabulary

• FAST-US-1 Introduction to American English (Hopkins) Department of Translation Studies, University of Tampere provides an overview of U.S. Food Customs and Terminology

• Traditional Thanksgiving dessert recipes
• Traditional American Recipes http://www.traditionalamericanrecipes.com/recipes.htm

• Circle Time Kids features fun, easy and quick traditional American recipes

In addition, for a truly authentic and historical taste of American food and culture, here is an ESL cooking activity that features a Native American lesson plan: Someone's in the Kitchen

And, in situations where ESL instructors do not have access to a cooking facility, optional cooking situations can possibly be sought in school kitchens in off hours, or with a hotplate for boiling or frying; or a small microwave appliance, or toaster oven for baking, depending on the recipe and age of the students involved in the cooking activity.

Alternatively, for a no-cooking required option, ESL teachers might consider a food related activity that involves the presentation of English-language television cooking shows. Television cooking shows can be ideal for classroom use because of their short segments and predictable step-by-step structure which ESL teachers can use to help their students focus on developing general listening, as well as comprehension and specialized vocabulary, and speaking skills.

• For a great selection of videos featuring autumn recipes like toffee apples, pumpkin soup, and apple crumble check out Videojug

• The Food Network Video Center

Creating shopping lists and ordering food from a restaurant are natural follow up activities that can also enhance the study of English language teaching.

But, no matter the approach, the introduction of a cooking activity into an ESL classroom helps students to make cultural connections and reinforce their English language skills and knowledge across academic disciplines like mathematics, language arts, and social sciences. Moreover, cooking/food related ESL activities can cater to and expand the interpersonal talents of various educational levels and profiles of English language learners, with the added benefit of introducing them to a cultural awareness of western styled food and meals.

Part 2 in the Cooking Up Tasty Winter American Recipes for Successful ESL Learning Activities Series, features links to Valentine’s Day and President’s Day recipes as well additional links to resources for creating alternative non-cooking winter food related activities.

Part 3 in the Cooking Up Tasty Spring American Recipes for Successful ESL Learning Activities Series, will feature links to Easter, Mother’s Day, Memorial Day and additional spring celebrations unique to America.

Part 4 in the Cooking Up Tasty Summer American Recipes for Successful ESL Learning Activities Series, will feature links to 4^th of July, Labor Day and additional summer celebrations unique to America.