ESL Jigsaws

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: