Grab Bag of America Sample Pages

The Grab Bag
of
A Collection of Activities
for the ESL Classroom
Elizabeth Ganong
Dan Ingram
The Grab Bag of America 2005 eslresources.com 1-866-833-9485
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The Grab Bag of America ISBN 1-894799-16-X

Contents
activity
topic
type of exercise
page

coming to America
when & while with verbs
Arriving in America
coming to America
question strips
Correction & Answer
coming to America
correct the errors/discussion
Starting Out
settling in America
discussion/modal use
4-5

refugee story
fill in the blanks
Interview by Me
planning to come
question formation/interview
Firsts
firsts in America
board game
Check the True Statement
why I came
questionnaire
Irregular Verb Talk
coming to America
irregular verb crossword
10-11
Study Here
studying in America
order sentences/dialogue
12-13

first countries
sentence match/discussion
14
Conversation Practice
immigrant experiences
prompt cards
15
Reported Thoughts
immigrant experiences
interview/writing
16
They Told Me
before coming
quotes/reported speech
17

sentence completion
18
Making Friends
making friends in America
agree/disagree statements
19
The Immigrant Experience
immigrant experience
board game
20
Finish the Phrase
settling in America
sentence completion
21

questions about America
sentence completion
22
!

activities in America
interview
23
Together & Apart
activities in America
sentence writing
24
Opinions About America
opinions about America
questionnaire
25
How Long Has It Been?
settling in America
order conversation
26-27
Pamphlet Grab
general information
reading/writing
28-29
Stressed Out
stress
reading/discussion
30
"

"
weather forecast
sentence match
31

activity
topic
type of activity
page
Weather Talk
general weather questions
discussion
31
Weather to the Extreme
weather terms
match/discussion
32
Ice Cold Idioms
weather idioms
sentence /definition match
33
Environmentally Speaking
environmental issues
debate wheel
34-35
Weather Effects
weather
role play
36
Compare & Contrast
comparing countries
prompt cards
37
Opinion Expression
expressing opinions
prompt cards
38-39
Are These True?
American experiences
writing questions/interview
40-41
Revision Decision
personal travel story
editing/capitalization
42
A Sticky Situation
news story
memory/writing
43
Have You Ever...?
question formation/interview
44
Hanging Out, US Style
leisure time/invitations
speaking/discussion
45
Reporting Ideas
prompt cards/reported speech
46
Opinion Exchange
opinions about Americans
questionnaire
47
American Culture
20th century culture
writing
48
Museum Journal
museum field trip
prompts/journal
49
Basketball, Made in America
basketball origins
running dictation
50-51
Batter Up
hitting a baseball
order & follow instructions
52
Coffee Culture
coffee
T or F/discussion
53
The Culture of Cooking
multicultural cooking
reading/discussion
54
Hot Off The Grill
BBQ
discussion/role playing
55
#
$
%
'
eating habits
questions & answers
56
Food Guide Pyramid
eating habits
game grid
57
Pass the Picture
American scenes
writing/puzzle
58
Americana
words that begin with
59
An American Acrostic
acrostic poem
writing
60
Media Watch
news stories
reading/oral presentation
60

" (

activity
topic
type of exercise
page
America Match
USA geography
match information/answer
61
Knowledge Test
general USA facts
question strips/interview
62
Just The Facts
general USA facts
match category/answer
63
American Quest
general USA facts
interview
64
Who Can?
general USA facts
knowledge game
65
About You & Us
general USA facts
fill in the blanks
66
Singular-Plural
singular-plural words
fill in the chart
67
American Scrabble
American vocabulary
word grid
68
American Word Search
general USA facts
word search
69
American Words
general USA facts
listening/puzzle
70-71
Historical Firsts
American firsts
interview cards
72-74
Symbols of the U.S.A.
American symbols
match word to picture
75
Our National Emblem
the bald eagle
essay/multiple choice
76-77
Leadership
leadership issues
conversation cards
78
Money, Money, Money
American money
the true statements
79
George Washington

create a timeline
80
A Presidential Chart
US presidents
chart to answer questions
81-83
The President
presidential facts
T or F
84
Flag Facts
US flag
match facts to number
85
Anthem Questions
anthem history
forming questions
86-87
Star-Spangled Banner
anthem lyrics
match meaning to words
88
Special Days in America
special days
match holiday to date
89
Name the Holiday
special days
fill in the missing letters
90
Describing a Holiday
special day
writing
91
My Favorite Place
travel in America
reading discussion
92
Seeing the Sites
tourist attractions
conversation
93
Comparative Parts
geography comparatives
match the sentence parts
94-95
Where in the Country?
places names
map search
96

activity
topic
type of exercise
page
Placing Prepositions
geography
fill in the preposition
97
States Bingo
states
oral clues/bingo
98-99
Tourist Guide
tourism
research
100
State Tourist Guide
tourism
research/form fill out
101
Coordinates
map coordinates
using a map
102-103
In the Right Direction
map locations
using a map
104
Map Find
map directions
using a map
105
Symbol Sight
map symbols
using a map
106
Mapping Ideas
map activities
using a map
107
!
) *

) *
using a map
108
)*
+
places plurals

) *
109
Traveling Advice
advice
interview
110
State Abbreviations - The Northeast
abbreviations
self correcting page
111
State Abbreviations - The Midwest
abbreviations
112
State Abbreviations - The South
abbreviations
113
State Abbreviations - The West
abbreviations
114
From East to West
geography
ordering states
115
State Puzzle
state facts
puzzle
116
Ali & Marcos
personal travel story
jumbled story
117
Industrious America
jobs & resources
lists
118-119
Native Americans
Native history
jigsaw/multiple choice
120-121
The Legend of Sedna
Native story
jumbled story
122-123
Show Me the Way
inukshuk/symbols
essay/discussion
124
A Sappy Exercise
maple syrup
T or F
125
Forced Immigration
slavery
timeline
126
Racism: Stop It!
racism
discussion
127
Immigration
Immigration facts
multiple-choice
128

activity
topic
type of exercise
page
The American People
facts
interview cards
129-131
Becoming a Citizen
citizenship facts
order the statements
132-133
If... Citizenship
citizenship facts
research
134-135
Citizenship Tags
citizenship facts
match statement to tag
136
Before & After Interview
citizenship
interview
137
The Constitution
the Constitution
discussion
138
Write About Rights
rights

)!*
!
138-139
Civics By Numbers
government questions
match sentence to number
140
Voting Choices
voting facts
multiple-choice
141
From Bill to Law
making laws
match word to definition
142
New Laws
making a law
matching
143
Discovering Our History
major historical facts
match/timeline
144
Answer Key
145
General Index
146
Appendix
147-148
Titles in the Grab Bag Series

The Grab Bag of Socializing
(2000)
The Grab Bag of Telephone Activities
(2000) (Second Revised Edition)
The Grab Bag of Canada
(2001)
The Grab Bag of Health
The Grab Bag of Work
The Mixed Bag Volume 1
(2004)
The Mixed Bag Volume 2
(2004)
The Grab Bag of America
(2004)
Introduction

@

@ !

! X

America, American culture, geography, history etc., and citizenship. You and your students will explore
the US from historical to contemporary perspectives. You can look at America through its art, nature,
people, structures and so on.
In typical Grab Bag fashion, the ideas actively involve your students and fully cover the topic at hand.
Not only are there introductory activities but there are numerous extensions to provide further practice
and/or allow you to customize your lesson.
Welcome your students to America by using The Grab Bag of America in your classroom!
About the Authors

Dan Ingram and Elizabeth Ganong met teaching Adult ESL at the Canadian Cooperative for Language
and Cultural Studies in Toronto in 1992. It was within this LINC and teacher-training environment that
the idea for sharing teaching materials formed. In 1995, they started The Grab Bag, a newsletter of
ESL teaching ideas. Over the past few years, they have facilitated workshops at numerous
conferences, including TESL Toronto, TESL North York/York Region, TESL Hamilton, TESL London,
TESL Ontario, and TESL Canada.
Dan had his BRE and M.Miss when he was introduced to ESL in Ecuador. When he returned from this
overseas experience, he got his TESL Certificate from CCLCS and started teaching LINC at CCLCS,
where he taught for many years. Dan is currently teaching overseas.
Elizabeth had her B.A. when she started working at Humber College in 1985. It was there that she was
introduced to ESL. After receiving her TESL Certificate from Humber, she taught ESL as a part-time and

!

> !

#@
@@

@

extensive experience with LINC at CCLCS. Elizabeth currently teaches with the Peel District School
Board. In addition, Elizabeth has her B.Ed, M.Ed, and ESL Part 1.
Acknowledgements
We would like to acknowledge the following individuals and organizations for their support: all of our
ESL students (for inspiring us to share the country we call home), the students at the Canadian
Cooperative for Language and Cultural Studies (CCLCS) in Toronto (for the testing of ideas), the staff at
CCLCS (for helping in many small but important ways), Earl and Loretta Ganong (for the Canadian roots
they provided), and Henry and Marjorie Lyons (for the immigrant experience they shared).

Angelas Trip
Instructions:
Use when and while with the verbs provided to make

!

@ !
1. Angela check

)
*

Z

put luggage in the taxi.
2. Say goodbye / taxi wait.
3. Get into the taxi / a friend give Angela a small package.
4. Feel sad but excited / drive to the airport.
5. At the airport / wait in line / get her seat assignment / check in her luggage.
6. Wait to board / buy a magazine.
7. Board the plane / sat beside another young woman (Kim) / begin to talk.
8. They talk / Angela put on her seat belt / prepare for take off.
9. The seat belt sign go off / Angela ask the flight attendant for a drink.
10. They chat / Angela learn that Kim immigrate to Seattle.
11. Finish lunch / decide to take a nap.
12. The flight attendant collect the trays / Angela ask for pillow.
13. Go to sleep / Kim get out her knitting.
14. Wake up / read for a while.
15. Read / Kim sleep.
16. Flight attendant serve dinner / Angel put away her book.
17. They eat / Angela ask Kim about her dreams for life in America.
18. They land / Angela look out of the window.
19. Get off the plane / pick up her luggage / stand in line.
20. Angela and Kim wait in line / Angela give Kim her address.
21. Stand in line / get out her documents.
22. Get to the front of the line / produced her documents.
23. Talk to the immigration officer / friends wait for her.
Extra:
Write a paragraph about your trip to America.

Arriving in America
Instructions:
Photocopy and cut up the sentence strips below. Prepare one set for each
small group. Instruct the groups to take turns picking up one question strip and asking it to
the group. Continue until all the questions have been asked and answered.
On what airline(s) did you fly to America?

Who did you travel to America with?
How long did it take you to travel from your country to America?
On your way to America, did you stop in any other countries? Which ones?
What time of year did you arrive in America?
What did you think of the weather?
How much luggage did you bring with you? Did it all arrive with you?
Did anyone meet you at the airport when you arrived? Who?
What time of day did you arrive in America?
Were you more tired or excited?
Did you have any problems with immigration at the airport?
Where did you go after leaving the airport?
On your way here, did you have any layovers?
Extensions:
Have the students write about arriving in America. You could have a focus for
the writing. For example, you could focus on logical order or you could have them write a
descriptive piece. If you were doing the latter, you could include a lesson on adjectives.

2
Correction & Answer

Instructions:
Look at each of these questions. There is at least one error in each. Correct
the errors.
1. Where you did first applied come America?
2. Who helped you come America?
3. How many place had you go to for your document?
4. Have you ever come to America before decide move here?
5. Had you wait more than six month for you visa.
6. What month do you arrive here?
7. Need you how many documents enter America?
8. Was you family glad come America?
9. Who knew in America before come?
10. Is you glad be in America here?
11. Why chose America?
12. What knew you about America before came?
Extra:
Use the questions to talk with a partner or small group and learn about the process
of coming here.
You can also write about one of your experiences coming here.

Starting Out
Instructions:
Put the students into groups of three or four. Give each group a copy of the
activity on the next page. Have them evaluate the advice. Then, give each group the
opportunity to share either the decision for the best or the worst piece of advice. Together,
identify the modals (e.g., should). Ask them why you would use a particular modal. For
>@[

!

)@ *

[

[

!@
!

[

groups use the questions below as the basis for a more personal discussion. Finally, have
them write about one of the topics.
Starting Out Discussion

1. What was the best advice you got before you came to America? Why was it the best?
2. What was the worst advice you got before you came to America? Why was it the worst?
3. What advice would you give someone who was coming to America?
4. What advice would you give someone who just moved to America and was having a
difficult time?
Extension:
Have the students each choose one of the topics from the discussion and write
a short paragraph. Encourage those who choose the third topic to experiment with a variety of
modals. For those who finish quickly, identify some of the problem areas and have them try to
correct their own work.

4
105
Starting Out
Instructions:
Katsumi immigrated here three months ago. He came here with his wife and
two children. All of his family and friends, both here and in Japan, had lots of advice for him.
Some advice he got before he left and some he got after he arrived. Which advice was the best?
Why? Which advice was the worst? Why?
You could rent a

basement apartment.
You shouldnt go there

in the winter.
You should do
some volunteer work.
You had better avoid

the casinos.
You have to visit

the Rockies.
You ought to hire a

private language tutor.
You should speak English

at home.
You shouldnt buy a car.

You should lease one.
You must get a job

right away.
You have to enroll your

children in some Japanese
language classes.
You must establish

some credit.
You might want to get

some second-hand
furniture to start with.
You should live

where the action is.
You could learn

to play golf.
You should join a

Japanese cultural club.
You should start

your own business.
You should start

conversations by talking
about the weather.
You had better find

a good family doctor.
You should find some

English-speaking friends.
You have to study English

full-time at a school
with students from all
over the world.
You must go to
Niagara Falls.

Panawas Story
Instructions:
Read the story and fill in the blanks with the correct tense.
Panawa (be) ____________ from Burma. His aunt, three sisters and brother still
(live) ____________ there. His parents (die) ____________ when he (be) ____________
very young. His aunt (arrange) ____________ for Panawa (live) ____________ and
(attend) ____________ school in a Buddhist monastery. He (live) ____________ there
for 16 years. Because of some political problems in his country, Panawa and a friend
(decide) (leave) ________________ Burma in 1997. They (negative) (believe) ________
in the future of their government.
One night, Panawa and his friend secretly (start) ____________ their long journey to
freedom. They (travel) ____________ at night. They (hike) ____________ through the
mountains and (walk) ____________ through the jungle until they (reach) ____________
the border with Thailand. A friend (help) ____________ them cross the river and (help)
____________ them find a place to live in a refugee camp.
Panawa and his friend (attend) ____________ English classes every morning with 40
other students. They (study) ____________ very hard. In the afternoon they (work)
___________ in a sewing cooperative. They (sew) ____________ shirts to sell outside
the refugee camp. After work they (listen) ___________ to English radio programs and
(play) ____________ soccer.

\ @@ ]
^^^^^^^^^^^^

'

\ ]
____________ in the refugee camp for two years before he (receive) ____________
papers to come to America. He (want) (immigrate) ____________ to America or Canada.
In America he (attend) ____________ ESL classes during the day and (work) _________
in a restaurant in the evening. He (work) ____________ as an assistant chef. Panawa
(be) ____________ happy in America but really (miss) ____________ his friend. At first
he (stay) ____________ with a family from his home town but now he (share) _________
an apartment with a friend.
He (hope) (find) ____________ a good job and someday (help) ____________ his family
come to America too. He also (want) (visit) ____________ his best friend in Canada.
Extra:
Review simple past regular verb pronunciation ( id, t, d ). Using the correct
pronunciation of the simple past regular verbs, read the story to a partner.

6
Interview by Me
Instructions:
Write one question using each of the question words below. These
questions are those you will be using to interview your classmates about their experiences in planning to come to America. When you finish work, break into small groups.
Ask the students in the group your questions and share your experiences. Try to form groups
with students from different countries.
How
When
Did
How many
Where
Were
Who
What
Are
Why
How long
Do
Extra:
Think of two questions you wished you had asked or might have asked that would have
made coming here easier.


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The Grab Bag

Important Copyright and Photocopy Permission Information

Purchasing Teacher (One Teacher Permission)

Purchasing School (One School/Site Permission)

The Grab Bag of America 2005 eslresources.com 1-866-833-9485

when & while with verbs

Correction & Answer

correct the errors/discussion

fill in the blanks

Check the True Statement

Irregular Verb Talk

irregular verb crossword

making friends in America

The Immigrant Experience

Finish the Phrase

questions about America

Together & Apart

Opinions About America

opinions about America

How Long Has It Been?

The Grab Bag of America 2005 eslresources.com 1-866-833-9485

general weather questions

Weather to the Extreme

Ice Cold Idioms

sentence /definition match

Compare & Contrast

Are These True?

personal travel story

Have You Ever...?

Hanging Out, US Style

prompt cards/reported speech

opinions about Americans

20th century culture

museum field trip

Basketball, Made in America

order & follow instructions

The Culture of Cooking

Hot Off The Grill

questions & answers

Food Guide Pyramid

Pass the Picture

words that begin with

The Grab Bag of America 2005 eslresources.com 1-866-833-9485

general USA facts

Just The Facts

general USA facts

general USA facts

general USA facts

About You & Us

general USA facts

fill in the blanks

fill in the chart

American Word Search

general USA facts

general USA facts

Symbols of the U.S.A.

match word to picture

Our National Emblem

the bald eagle

Money, Money, Money

the true statements

chart to answer questions

match facts to number

match meaning to words