Updated ESL Jigsaw books

Callan's Beginner Essentials

Sat, 22 Oct 2011 12:39:17 -0700

Callan's Beginner Essentials with illustrations by Mark Perrault is a skill building book geared for literacy and low beginner ESL / EFL students with little knowledge of the sounds and letters or spelling conventions of English.

The book uses mainly simple 2-6 letter words to exemplify English sounds and spelling conventions. Each picture page, where students listen and write the letter they hear, is followed by a grammar page where students practice one of the following questions and short answers, using the vocabulary from the previous page.

"What is it?"
"What are they?"
"Do you....?"
"Is it a....?"
"Are they....?"
"Is there....?"
"Are there....?"
"How many....?'
"Are you....?"
"Is he/she....?"
"Is it a.... or a ....?"

Up until page 75, students are given the template of how to answer. (eg. Yes, it is. / No, it isn't.) As of page 75, no template is given and students are required to answer mixed questions without guidance.

The book is "sanitized for your protection", meaning that you will not find odd, low frequency words or pictures students do not readily understand. Teacher and student frustration are thereby minimized.

Check below for sample pages. Check out these classroom matching cards and bingo cards with illustrations from the book here.

The book may be ordered here:

You can find a table of contents HERE.

View a review of Callan's Beginner Essentials by Kelly Morrissey below:

Conversation Surveys

Sat, 01 Oct 2011 16:34:00 -0700

This beginner level book, suitable for literacy, level one or level two ESL, bridges the gap between elementary level language skills and advanced level cognitive skills. Each page features one survey question only, clearly illustrated through unambiguous pictures to ensure minimal explanations are required. Students practice speaking and conversational skills by interviewing their classmates (or native speakers of English!) about their preferences, habits and attitudes. The many repetitions of the target vocabulary help build long term memory.

The book begins with simple surveys, such as "What is your name? Please spell it." and "Where are you from?" and moves on to more interesting questions in the themes of Personal Information, Health, Transportation, Food, Shopping and others.

Click here for how to order the book.

Here is a fun free sample from the book. Click on this image to download and try in your class. Scroll down to view more pages.

Here are two pages from the food section:

The book begins with simpler questions for low level students, such as this:

Here is a page for a banking unit:

To order, click here:

International orders may use the Canadian order form. Your order will be charged in Canadian dollars and converted by your credit card company into your currency. Add $10 CDN additional for shipping.

Callan's Canadian Holidays for Low Beginner ESL

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 19:14:06 -0700

By popular demand, this non-jigsaw, low beginner Canadian holidays book is aimed at literacy and CLB 1. Focusing on commonly known information on holidays, each reading text has pictures to assist with vocabulary comprehension.

Visit the Beginner Sample Lessons page to view an Earth Day story from this book. Scroll down to view some pages from the book.

The profile of the learner is a student with limited knowledge of the English alphabet and a very small vocabulary. Copying accurately can be a challenge and the letters "l" and "I" are often confused. Listening proves challenging as students struggle to distinguish where one word ends and the next begins. Considerable repetition is required for vocabulary retention.

Callan's Canadian Holidays for Low Beginner ESL makes use of word clouds for word recognition, word searches for spelling practice and bingo games for vocabulary retention. Listening clozes end each unit. CDs are available.

Written exercises focus on plurals, capitalization, imperatives, third person singular and short answers with "be", "do" and "can".

For each book's CLB levels, click here. Click here for how to order the book.

You will use this book all year round. Holidays included in this book are:

January: New Year's

February: Groundhog Day, Valentine's Day

March: St. Patrick's Day, Easter

April: Earth Day

May: Mother's Day, Victoria Day

June: Father's Day

July: Canada Day

September: Labour Day

October: Thanksgiving, Halloween

November: Remembrance Day

December: Christmas

Click here to order:

Here are some, not all, of the pages from the Mother's Day unit. The unit combines Mother's Day with study of daily routines.

This unit has eight distinct BINGO cards to reinforce daily routines. Here are two:

Each lesson begins with a word cloud to acquaint students with the upcoming vocabularly and all units have a story with visual support and a cloze passage. Other than that, each unit is completely different. Here are a couple pages from the Father's Day unit below:

Check out a few pages from the Victoria Day unit below:

Callan's Contemporary Jigsaws 1

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 10:35:42 -0800

This book is suitable for mid-beginner and above. It is not suitable for absolute beginners studying, "What is your name?" and the alphabet. For each book's CLB levels, click here. Click here for how to order the book.

Topics not covered in Thematic Jigsaws, such as environment, employment, food, restaurant, divorce, driving, airport, and life events are covered in this book.

Here is a description of the stories you will find:

The Half-Sister is the funny story of a man whose father tells him each of his girlfriends is his half-sister. (see sample)
The Passport is the story of a woman unable to obtain a passport because her parents falsified the date of her birth.
The Widow is the story of a woman whose husband is killed in the war two months after their marriage, yet she never remarries.
The Divorce is the story of a couple fighting over custody of children, their home and their belongings.
The Custody Case is the story of a divorced couple fighting over custody of their frozen embryos. There are numerous cases like this in the courts today.
Pham’s Employment Decision outlines four different job scenarios. Students must choose which job is best for Pham.
The Promotion is the story of an employee who is repeatedly promoted to higher and higher positions within a company.
Mark’s Lunch is the story of a man with various dietary restrictions deciding what to order on a lunch menu.
The Invitation is the story of some coworkers fighting over who should pay the bill in a restaurant. The story touches on cultural customs around inviting and paying.
Two Families is the story of two families and their shopping habits at the grocery store. One family tries to make environmentally friendly choices, while the other does not.
Broken, Torn, Stained is the story of a couple committing insurance fraud after coming home and finding a flood in their basement. (see sample)
The Bad Driver is the story of a man criticizing a woman driver who is putting on mascara while driving, while he himself is shaving and drinking coffee. (see sample and download for free to try in your class)
The Parking Spot is the story of a man who steals a parking spot a couple have been waiting for and his reaction when confronted. The story touches on issues of racism.
Dog in the Taxi is the story of a taxi driver who refuses to take a blind person’s dog in his cab. There have been several court cases about this in America, Canada and England.
The Second Seat is the story of an obese passenger who is forced to buy a second seat on an airplane. There have been stories in the news about similar incidents in North America and Europe.

Here below is a unit from the book. Feel free to download it and try it out with your own class.

To order, click here:

Callan's Contemporary Jigsaws 2

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:49:21 -0800

This book is geared to adult intermediate English language learners. It has also been used successfully in high school classes from age 15 and up. Topics not covered in Thematic Jigsaws, such as environment, employment, food, restaurant, divorce, driving, airport, and life events are covered in this book.

For each book's CLB levels, click here. Order here.

To listen to a sample from the audio CD for this book, click here. Download a fre e sample jigsaw to try in your class.

Here is a description of the stories you will find:

The Half-Sister is the funny story of a man whose father tells him each of his girlfriends is his half-sister. (see sample)
The Passport is the story of a woman unable to obtain a passport because her parents falsified the date of her birth.
The Widow is the story of a woman whose husband is killed in the war two months after their marriage, yet she never remarries.
The Divorce is the story of a couple fighting over custody of children, their home and their belongings.
The Custody Case is the story of a divorced couple fighting over custody of their frozen embryos. There are numerous cases like this in the courts today.
Pham’s Employment Decision outlines four different job scenarios. Students must choose which job is best for Pham.
The Promotion is the story of an employee who is repeatedly promoted to higher and higher positions within a company.
Mark’s Lunch is the story of a man with various dietary restrictions deciding what to order on a lunch menu.
The Invitation is the story of some coworkers fighting over who should pay the bill in a restaurant. The story touches on cultural customs around inviting and paying.
Two Families is the story of two families and their shopping habits at the grocery store. One family tries to make environmentally friendly choices, while the other does not.
Broken, Torn, Stained is the story of a couple committing insurance fraud after coming home and finding a flood in their basement. (see sample)
The Bad Driver is the story of a man criticizing a woman driver who is putting on mascara while driving, while he himself is shaving and drinking coffee. (see sample and download to try for free in your class)
The Parking Spot is the story of a man who steals a parking spot a couple have been waiting for and his reaction when confronted. The story touches on issues of racism. To hear the listening track from the CD for this jigsaw, click here.
Dog in the Taxi is the story of a taxi driver who refuses to take a blind person’s dog in his cab. There have been several court cases about this in America, Canada and England.
The Second Seat is the story of an obese passenger who is forced to buy a second seat on an airplane. There have been stories in the news about similar incidents in North America and Europe.

To hear a sample from the audio CD, click on the CD image .

Here below is a sample unit from the book which you are welcome to download here to try in your classroom.

Callan's Thematic Jigsaws 1

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:51:07 -0800

These photocopiable group stories focus on vocabulary building along common themes and stimulate discussion through controversial questions in the areas of relationships and ethics. Thematic Jigsaws 1 and Thematic Jigsaws 2 contain the same stories, at different levels. For each book's CLB levels, click here. Click here for how to order the book.

Themes addressed in both books include:

family
health (a skiing accident, a car accident)
transportation (driving, taking a bus and taking a plane)
immigration and the stages of adjustment
shopping (buying a dress and later returning it)
personal descriptions (including hair vocabulary: dyed, permed, trimmed)
banking (exchanging money, cashier theft)
housing (furnishing an apartment and a break-in)
daily routines
gender roles and housework (incuding adjectives of frequency)
Christmas (the beloved story "The Gift of the Magi")

Not sure which level is right for your class--Thematic 1 or 2? Click on the image below to get an idea of the difference in level between the two books.

Take a look at the illustrations below for the Sharing Housework jigsaw to see how well the text is visually supported to aid comprehension:

And here are some other materials from the same unit:

To order, click here:

Callan's Thematic Jigsaws 2

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:53:55 -0800

These photocopiable books of group stories and exercises transform the classroom into a hub of communicative, co-operative activity, with very little preparation required by the teacher.

Stories focus on vocabulary building along common themes and stimulate discussion through controversial questions in the areas of relationships and ethics. For each book's CLB levels, click here. Click here for how to order the book.

Themes addressed in this book include:

family
health (a skiing accident, a car accident)
transportation (driving, taking a bus and taking a plane)
immigration and the stages of adjustment
shopping (buying a dress and later returning it)
personal descriptions (including hair vocabulary: dyed, permed, trimmed)
banking (exchanging money, cashier theft)
housing (furnishing an apartment and a break-in)
daily routines
gender roles and housework (incuding adjectives of frequency)
Christmas (the beloved story "The Gift of the Magi")

All the same stories of Thematic Jigsaws 1 are also found in Thematic Jigsaws 2, but at a higher level.

Not sure which level is right for your class--Thematic 1 or 2? Click on the image below to get an idea of the difference in level between the two books.

Here below is the Break In Story:

Consider for yourself the question below of how much Nina should pay for the drill.

Is this a question that would generate discussion in your class?

To order, click here:

Callan's Beginner Canada Jigsaws

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:11:23 -0800

What could otherwise be a serious, individual or teacher-centred area of content-based ESL is transformed into lively, interactive lessons with this book.

Excellent preparation for citizenship, Callan's Beginner Canada Jigsaws features jigsaws on the territories and all the provinces of Canada, as well as one jigsaw on each of the following: Canada's major cities, government, aboriginals and the history of the Chinese in Canada. Group exercises, which follow the jigsaws, include tic tac toe games, card games, dictation games, cloze passages and other activities.

Students will learn basic geographical information, as well as the main facts about the people and industries of Canada's provinces and territories, in a fun and easy to remember format. Content focusses primarily on information considered general knowledge by well-informed Canadians.

For each book's CLB levels, click here. Click here for how to order the book.

Here is the unit on PEI. Take a look at these pages and download the PDF at the end if you want to try it in your own classroom.

Download the PDF of this lesson here to try it in your own classroom.

To order the book, click here:

Callan's New Canada Jigsaws

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:07:43 -0800

Just released!

What could otherwise be a serious, individual or teacher-centred area of content-based ESL is transformed into lively, interactive lessons.

Excellent preparation for citizenship, Callan's New Canada Jigsaws features jigsaws on the territories and all the provinces of Canada, as well as one jigsaw on each of the following: Canada's major cities, history, government, social history, Aboriginals and the Chinese in Canada. Group exercises, which follow the jigsaws, include tic tac toe speaking games, dictation games, crosswords, cloze passages, group discussions, paragraph writing and other activities.

Students will learn basic geographical information, as well as the main facts about the people and industries of Canada's provinces and territories, in a fun communicative format. Content focuses primarily on information considered general knowledge by well-informed Canadians, as well as a few surprising facts.

To Order, click here:

Check out some pages from the book:

Each unit starts with a jigsaw and is followed by various group activities, except for the first jigsaw. In that unit, groups do the multiple choice questions about Canada first, break up and learn the jigsaw in different groups, and then regroup with their original group to correct their answers. Here are a some pages from the book:

The Social History Jigsaw takes a different look at the history of Canada. The following is not simply a grammar exercise, but questions directly related to the material in the jigsaw that can only be completed in consultation with other group members regarding their section of the jigsaw.

Many of the units include discussion exercises. While the questions directly relate to information learned in the jigsaw, many can be stand alone exercises for use with other materials, even if students have not completed the jigsaw.

Here are some sample follow up activities for different units:

This BC exercise can only be completed with information from the jigsaw. Students are, therefore, forced to consult with group members for information they have not memorized.

This PEI exercise likewise can only be completed with information from the jigsaw, making it necessary for students to consult with group members.

The following two exercises are supplementary paragraph work. You cannot finish a unit on Newfoundland and Labrador without mentioning the beautiful icebergs that grace its coastline.

After the book was finished, the thought was that no book on Canada could be complete without mentioning the world's largest and longest running multicultural festival! This paragraph making exercise about Folkorama in Winnipeg was added at the end and field testing classes loved it.

One of the longest units in the book is the government unit.

Don't worry Nova Scotia, the book did not miss out the Bluenose or Cape Breton's ceilidhs! And New Brunswick, yes the Acadians should feature MORE prominently in the study guide for Canadian citizenship. The book has three pages on Acadians. And yes of course the book includes Saskatchewan's thriving economy with its potash and uranium, Alberta's chinooks, PEI's Confederation Bridge, and a whole unit on Nunavut. Canada's Aboriginals have a prominent place, including information about residential schools, and the contributions of the Chinese were also not forgotten. If you love Canada, you're going to love it! And if you don't know anything about Canada, you might consider a train trip across the country after you finish. How privileged we are to live here!

Callan's American Holiday Jigsaws 2

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:06:16 -0800

To fill a void in the interactive material available to teach about national holidays, Nancy was asked to write a holidays jigsaw book. This ready made compilation of interactive lessons and activities on holidays is a valuable resource, saving teachers enormous preparation time. Book One is suitable for beginners and Book Two is suitable for high beginners and intermediate ESL.

Click here for how to order the book.

The following holidays are covered in the book:

• New Year's

• Groundhog Day

• Martin Luther King Day

• Valentine's Day

• St. Patrick's Day

• Easter

• April Fool's Day

• Earth Day

• Memorial Day

• Mother's and Father's Day

• Independence Day

• Labor Day

• Veterans Day

• Thanksgiving

• Christmas

Available in two levels, each book has a variety of follow up activities, including Jeopardy type overhead games, tic tac toe games, board games, sentence scrambles, dictation games, crosswords and more.

Here below are some sample pages from Independence Day showing part of the unit. Following that are sample pages from the Earth Day unit.

What follows is a map exercise, a discussion page (where students talk and write about what they like about America) and then the following cloze passage:

The following is NOT a jigsaw, but a dictation game that follows the cloze passage.

Here is Earth Day:

To order, click here:

Callan's Holiday Jigsaws 1

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:54:57 -0800

The book is available in two levels, each featuring the following holidays: New Year's, Groundhog Day, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, April Fool's Day, Earth Day, Mother's and Father's Day, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving, Remembrance Day, Christmas and Boxing Day.

Click here for how to order the book.

The same books are now available in two levels for teachers in the U.S.A. featuring U.S. holidays.

Each book has a variety of follow up activities, including Jeopardy type overhead games, tic tac toe games, board games, sentence scrambles, dictation games, crosswords and more.

Here below is a sample unit from this book on Earth Day:

To order, click here:

Callan's Holiday Jigsaws 2

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:01:13 -0800

The book is available in two levels, both featuring the following holidays: New Year's, Groundhog Day, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, April Fool's Day, Earth Day, Mother's and Father's Day, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving, Remembrance Day, Christmas and Boxing Day.

For each book's CLB levels, click here. Click here for how to order the book.

The same books are now available in two levels for teachers in the U.S.A. featuring U.S. holidays.

Each book has a variety of follow up activities, including Jeopardy type overhead games, tic tac toe games, board games, sentence scrambles, dictation games, crosswords and more.

Here is a sample unit from the book:

To order, click here:

Callan's American Holiday Jigsaws 1

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:02:49 -0800

Click here for how to order the book.

The following holidays are covered in the book:

• New Year's

• Groundhog Day

• Martin Luther King Day

• Valentine's Day

• St. Patrick's Day

• Easter

• April Fool's Day

• Earth Day

• Memorial Day

• Mother's and Father's Day

• Independence Day

• Labor Day

• Veterans Day

• Thanksgiving

• Christmas

The same books are now available in two levels for teachers in Canada featuring Canadian holidays.

Each book has a variety of follow up activities, including Jeopardy type overhead games, tic tac toe games, board games, sentence scrambles, dictation games, crosswords and more.

Here below are some of the pages from the Independence Day unit, followed by the Earth Day unit:

Following the multiple choice question page are a map exercise and a discussion page and then the following cloze passage.

The following is NOT a jigsaw, but a dictation game about America that follows the cloze passage:

Here below is the Earth Day unit from the book:

To order, click here: