Topical English Activities

A listening and vocabulary lesson for Intermediate English students, to learn about the Diwali Festival, practise general listening skills, and build vocabulary for talking about culture and personal experiences. Part of a free series of lessons about world festivals and celebrations for teaching and learning English..

An easy English graded reader about the Hindu Festival of Lights, Diwali. Read about the Diwali festival and complete a series of activities. Part of a free collection of puzzles, quizzes and printable worksheets about the Diwali festival for adult English learners and children. Suitable for classroom use or self-study. Free printable worksheets are also available.

Autumn Festivals - teaching and learning resources about cultural and religious festivals and celebrations that take place in the autumn - includes word lists, quizzes, mobile friendly games and self-study lessons, plus free classroom resources for English language teachers. Part of a free series of lessons about cultural celebrations, festivals, holidays and other festive events celebrated around the world.

English quizzes and games about autumn weather, harvest festivals and holidays, activities and events - online reading, writing and listening lessons, quizzes, puzzles, songs, printable worksheets and teaching resources. Suitable for classroom use or self study. Browse the menus for many more free English lessons online for English language students, young learners & kids.

A lesson about Friday the 13th superstitions for English language learners, with example sentences, reading, listening and writing activities, and a follow-up quiz on the song Superstition, by Stevie Wonder. Browse our site for many more free online English word games, vocabulary quizzes, lesson activities and worksheets for learners at all levels of English, and free lesson resources for ELT and literacy tutors.

An integrated skills lesson for Intermediate English language learners and IELTS students. Watch a short video about how to make Kadhai Paneer vegetable curry, a popular Indian vegetarian dish, and then complete a listening comprehension quiz and a vocabulary activity to test how much you have understood. Part of a free series of English listening lessons for Intermediate English learners and IELTS students.

An intergrated skills lesson about the month of September for English language learners, with vocabulary, grammar, reading and writing activities, and conversation questions. practise using prepositions of time, including in/on/at, to talk about festivals and events that happen in the month of September.

An English listening comprehension exercise about the popular African American R & B singer Beyonce, to practise general English listening skills and predicting words from context. Watch a music video, and then complete a multiple choice listening quiz. Part of a free series of online listening activities designed to learn and practise English by listening to short video clips about famous people and pop culture. Browse our site for hundreds of free English language lessons, games, and teaching materials for ELT and literacy teachers.

A fun online English listening lesson about a dog surfing contest. Watch a short video clip about surfing dogs, review some useful vocabulary, and complete an quiz with built in feedback. Browse our site for more free TEFL resources for teaching English students at all levels.

Free online Halloween teaching and learning resources. Activities include picture vocabulary word banks and word lists with definitions, reading, listening, spelling and matching exercises, crossword puzzles, gap fill quizzes, word games,  and printable worksheets.  British English and American English versions of beginner level activities are provided.

ESL gap fill exercise on the song Superstition by Stevie Wonder, to help adult English learners and kids practise their English listening skills. Listen to the song and complete the gaps in the lyrics by typing in the missing words. Browse our site for more free song quizzes, free English lessons, and games for esl students at all levels of English, plus free printables and lesson ideas for English language teachers.

A mobile friendly mini English listening lesson about popular American superstitions, for pre-intermediate adult English students and young learners. Listen to the story, read the transcript, and complete a self-marking multiple choice test. Suitable for use in class or self-study between lessons.

This free interactive lesson about environmentally friendly ways to explore England's capital city is designed to help advanced English learners improve their vocabulary, practise their listening skills, and prepare for the Life in The UK Citizenship Test. Watch a short video about green tourism in London, learn and review some useful English words and expressions, and complete an IELTS style multiple choice listening quiz. Practise your English with our free series of mobile friendly online lessons about British life, history, places and people.

A reading skills activity for English language students about The Great North Run Marathon road race. Skim read and scan a short factual text for specific information and complete some follow-on activities to test how much you have understood. Part of a free online series of lessons for English language learners about life in the UK, British culture, festivals and popular UK Sporting events.

A listening and vocabulary lesson about hurricanes for English language learners, with example sentences and a listening and writing activity to illustrate how to use the word in context. Browse our site for many more free online English word games, vocabulary quizzes, lesson activities and worksheets for learners at all levels of English, and free lesson resources for ELT and literacy tutors.

English listening comprehension exercise about the famous British film director Alfred Hitchcock, to practise your English listening skills. Watch a short video about Hitchcock and the restoration of some of his silent movies, and then complete a multiple choice quiz to test how much you have understood. Part of a free series of online lessons for English language students about famous people and events.

Free English teaching and learning resources about summer weather and clothes, and things to do in summertime.