Working with young kids in a language institute is not easy. The facilities are not always adequate for kids who would like to move around and play, teachers need special training to deal with people who are at a different stage in cognitive development, and then we have the matter of books!


All children's series I know and have seen are made for schools, not language institutes; therefore, series are not only graded by levels, but by ages. What do you do in a language institute where you could feasibly have 10-year-old true beginners come into your school? If you place them in book 1, the material is too childish; anything above that would place students in a classroom where they are at a disadvantage (not to mention teachers would have to deal with them).


What we need is an English course for children that is not age-bound. Does anyone know of such a thing?

Presentation materials

The MEXTESOL Convention in Morelia was a good experience. Technical difficulties made it hard to start this workshop on time, but I think it went well. I have received some e-mails asking for the material I presented, so here it is. Oops! I can't attach the files! Please write me to my e-mail account to ask for the materials. That would be rcervantes@interlingua.com.mx.