I know how it is – you hear ‘hello’ and nothing else. You hear ‘hello’ 100 times a day, if not more.
I remember getting so pissed after hearing ‘hello’ so many times that I started teaching a lesson on ways not to say ‘hello.’ The result? This cool ESL Slang PPT.
- Ain’t;
- Bro;
- Chill;
- Dude;
- Gonna;
- Gotta;
- Gimme;
- Hang-out;
- Homie;
- Lame;
- Lemme;
- My Bad;
- Wanna;
- Wassup;
- Sucky.
That’s just a small sampling, and there are many more words than that. Just because there are only 28 slides don’t think you’re getting shortchanged – this lesson will take you a good 30 to 45 minutes or longer if you add in some planning yourself.
Let’s go through some of the specifics of this American Slang ESL Lesson so you can get an idea of how it can work for you in class.
Figuring Out When to Use American Slang
I bet your students will have fun yelling out some dumb, silly, and stupid words. I’m also willing to bet with just a few jotted-down notes before class that you can stretch this simple slide into 5 to 10 minutes. Well, that’s what I always did.
Using Gonna in Your ESL Classroom
In all that time we never taught “gonna,” which is used a lot in America. If you’re American you know what I’m talking about, and if you’re not you may well have had some students ask you about it anyways as it’s in a lot of movies. This slide will give you something to go off of.
Tired of Hearing ‘How are You?’
“Fine, thank you.”
That was the standard greeting while I was in China. Students always said “fine, thank you,” and rarely anything else. I tried to teach some kids different stuff and sometimes they’d say it to me in the halls – it always made me smile.
This fun slide will give you a few different ideas on ways to ask someone what’s going on or what’s happening – which we all know that question really means.
Ain’t Ain’t a Word So I Ain’t Usin’ It!
Ain’t ain’t exactly the word you want to be using in your classes, but there’s probably quite a few teachers where you work that ain’t ever heard of it.
Why not have a little fun and try ‘ain’t’ out? I ain’t saying you have to, and I ain’t even saying you have to pay the money – just copy this slide here. Ain’t that easy?
Making a Conversation Using Slang
I loved doing these for a couple reasons. First, students worked together for 10 minutes and I got to do nothing, or more likely got caught up on grading. Second, it gives you something great to collect and save for when parents come to watch your class (which if you’re in a training center they will).
Here’s what the conversation slide looks like, although all these sentences appear one at a time when you’re going through the Slang PPT.
Use This Slang Lesson in Your Class Today!
- They want to talk like those wise-cracking comedians they hear and that can make everyone laugh!
- They want to talk like those street rappers they hear on their iPods each day while riding the bus and walking to school!
- They want to talk like those characters they see in the movies, those bad mother’s that don’t give a damn about authority!
This American Slang ESL PowerPoint gives you all of those things over 28 slides. Most are simple, just like the pictures show above, but it’s that simplicity you want – your students aren’t going to understand anything more complicated!
Of all the 44 ESL PowerPoints I have in the ESL PowerPoint games section of this site, this one has surprised me the most. I didn’t think anyone would really be that interested in it, but I’ve actually sold a dozen copies of it in just the past couple months.
Obviously there’s a demand amongst ESL students around the world to learn American phrases. And while perhaps not the best to use around the dinner table, they are great at poking fun and playing games with friends.
What this ESL Slang lesson lacks in glitter and gold it sure makes up for in effectiveness.
Let your students laugh and have fun learning new ways to say the same old thing – download this ESL Slang PPT today for $0.99!