Website Developer (VIPTeacher Member): Mel Eliza Consulting/Small Business Strategies
WELCOME TO EGGHEAD ENGLISH!
A 1-year subscription-based service providing ready-made, sit-down & teach, ESL lesson plans for independent, online, ESL teachers
Please note: As of 10 December 2022, we are not offering new subscriptions at the moment. However, feel free to use the two sample lesson plans (for viewing purposes only) provided below for your online classes! If a subscription is something you're interested in, then please come periodically to see if new subscriptions are available again! Thank you and hope you have a great day! :-)
OVERVIEW
What you see on this home/FAQ page is most, if not all, of what a teacher needs to know to obtain a 1-year subscription through Egghead English. We feel putting all the information in one place like this is an effective way to learn about the program in order to not miss any parts. If online ESL lesson plans are indeed something you're interested in, feel free to read some of the following, leave, come back and read some more. Or get a cuppa tea or another beverage, and perhaps read through all of it now. Please be sure to read it all, though. However you end up doing it, if you do, welcome!
We are a subscription-based service that offers a 1-year subscription to independent, online, ESL teachers to view its ESL lesson plans from within the Egghead English website.
Some teachers feel ESL lesson plans need to be for one or the other. However, it’s Egghead's viewpoint, unless a lesson plan has been specifically developed for a particular age group, an ESL lesson plan is often fine for either. It's definitely the case for Egghead, partly because we use lots of examples of both kids and adults doing various activities. As such, everyone sees their age group! We incorporate a variety of ethnicities and the differently-abled as well! The slides are also not written in an immature way yet are not so over-the-head that a child is not able to understand whatever is being presented (as long as it's, more or less, the correct level, of course).
Having said all of the above, if you're an experienced, online ESL teacher, you know then, it's still a good idea to adapt accordingly if it's a child or an adult. For instance, if it's a child, you may want to have a puppet, a particular reward system set-up and/or a background tailored for kids; you may also want to wear eye-catching clothes like funny glasses or a hat shaped like an animal figure, whatever helps keep a child's sometimes short attention span engaged basically! On the flipside, when it comes to an adult, the refreshing thing is none of the above is necessary, because most are intrinsically-motivated and don't need any of that to stay motivated; so, as mentioned, the slides suit adults just fine as well.
4) Are the lesson plans for 1-to-1 or group classes?
Though the lesson plans are lightly developed for 1-to-1, they work great for teaching group classes as well!
Essentially, it all comes down to creativity in how the lesson plans are used, and Egghead has made it as easy as possible for a teacher to adapt them any number of ways.
6) How long of a class are the lesson plans intended?
The lesson plans are developed with the idea that most online ESL classes range from 25-minutes to 60-minutes.
If a class is longer than 60-minutes, if you’re an experienced teacher, then you know with a little creativity in extending the material (and perhaps prepping) that any lesson plan can be tailored longer.
Also, the slides are quite substantive. As such, for effective time management, some items on a slide may need to be skipped.
Each level has six units. As examples, here are partial class descriptors of two lesson plans:
Level 1 (B-1)-Unit 1
Level 1 (B-1)-Unit 2
Except for Level 1 (B-1)-Unit 1*, each unit has 10 lesson plans and two end-of-unit exams.
*Note: Level 1 (B-1)-Unit 1 only has one end-of-unit exam.
Here’s the full class descriptor of one lesson plan: Level 1 (B-1)-Unit 2-Lesson 1
And here’s the full class descriptor of an end-of-unit exam: Level 2 (PI-1)-Unit 1-Exam Class 11
Number of slides Each lesson plan consists of 30 slides of which 28 comprise the actual lesson plan, itself.
Quick Quizzes The end of each lesson plan has two quizzes: Quick Quiz 1 and Quick Quiz 2.
Comprehension checks There are also a number of comprehension checks throughout each lesson plan.
Total number of units When the Egghead English program is complete, it will consist of 24 units in-total.
Note: Because many ESL teachers are completely fluent in English, the lower levels are easy for them. As such, the "Teacher's Answers" in Level 1 and Level 2 are only provided a handful of times throughout the lesson plan, itself, and on the Quick Quizzes as well.
9) What is the theme, purpose and a few objectives of Egghead English?
The overall theme is to help make classes fun and interesting for both the student and teacher. The lesson plans are cheery, neat, conscientiously-prepared, well-laid out and have a clean, uncluttered design. The messages conveyed within the slides strive to be positive and the graphics interesting and entertaining! Also, each concept presented doesn't have a lot busyness around it versus the flipside of presenting several different concepts all mixed-up together.
For the teacher, Egghead's primary purpose is putting in all the hours in developing lesson plans, so he or she doesn’t have to. Needless to say, we know what a relief this is! (And yes, Egghead ends sentences with prepositions and linking verbs sometimes! ;-) )
One of Egghead's objectives is to assist the teacher in helping the student slowly, surely and steadily lay a firm foundation in English.
Another objective is to assist in building student confidence which, as we know, is so important in learning a language.
$25 per unit (the access and viewing of 360 slides)
Note 1: Some independent teachers roll the price of a particular curriculum into their rate.
Note 2: Egghead English is beyond passionate about animals, and a percentage of each subscription goes towards the care of animals who were once living on the streets, as well as those who still are (mostly cats and dogs).
11) I work at a school. Though I can see Egghead's base is tailored for independent, online, ESL teachers, however, as a caveat, do you also offer a school subscription for teachers who work for a school? Yes we do. If interested in getting a school subscription, please complete the form on the contact page and provide the following information:
Most debit and credit cards, as well as many (or most) mobile wallets such as Google Pay, Apple Pay and Samsung Pay.
We accept payment in the majority of currencies. Though Egghead’s currency is dollars, our payment processor automatically converts a different currency to the same.
13) What video-conferencing platforms can the slides be viewed in, on which devices and what about annotation?
The slides can be viewed in most, if not all, of the video-conferencing platforms.
A red laser pointer comes with the slides and is an excellent feature to go from item to item.
In terms of devices, the slides view well on PCs, laptops, iPads and even cell phones. Though the website, itself, loses some formatting here and there on a cell phone, the slides usually do not.
Regarding annotation, if you're an experienced, independent, online teacher, you know, then, that the ability to annotate varies depending on the device and also how the video-meeting is set-up. ~Since many, if not most, independent, online teachers use Zoom, the following suggestions from Egghead relate to this platform, which may be helpful for the new teacher, the relatively new teacher or an experienced teacher who may see a new idea here. ~First, the ability to annotate is an integral part of online teaching for both the student and the teacher. And though most, if not all of the platforms offer a whiteboard, it may not be easily accessible or even accessible at all. Annotating directly on the slides may not be available either. ~As such, here are some workarounds:
1) These suggestions are when the teacher is "screen sharing" so sharing his or her screen with the student. (If you're not familiar with this feature, YouTube has lots of videos about it.)
2) While screen sharing, no matter the device, the teacher and student can usually type to one another via the chatbox.
3) For the teacher, when teaching on an iPad and screen sharing, annotating directly on the slides is not usually available and the whiteboard isn't either. In this case, the red laser pointer can be used to go from item to item. The teacher can also open a whiteboard website, split-screen it next to the lesson plan, narrow the whiteboard's window so the lesson plan can be the bulk of the page, and pin the whiteboard window to the side. Webwhiteboard.com is a good one for any device. An app called Goodnotes also works well. The reason these two are mentioned is because along with a writing tool, they also offer the ability to type.
4) In addition, when the teacher is teaching on an iPad and screen sharing, the student may also not be able to annotate on the slides either. If this is the case, because the student is not screen sharing (and it would be time-consuming for the teacher to share, then allow the student to share and back and forth like this), the student can either use a whiteboard on his or her cell phone or use an actual whiteboard, either of which can then be shown what has been written on camera.
To wrap-up this annotation section here, these are just some ideas, but far from all, and have simply been mentioned to be helpful.
14) Should the lesson plans be taught a certain way?
No they don’t! They can be taught any way a teacher likes.
For instance, a teacher may decide to skip a particular component if: a) it doesn’t resonate; b) the student knows it well already; c) it doesn’t fit with the teacher’s plan for a particular class that day; d) and/or the class may not be completed on-time otherwise.
15) Can the byline “sit-down & teach” be misconstrued?
Yes it can. What we are saying is that the lesson plans are ready to be used. It’s not implying that prepping doesn’t necessarily have to be completed. However, with an independent program like this, prepping is always optional, of course.
Having said that, the main developer thinks it’s a good idea, if at all possible, to go through a lesson plan beforehand. One of the biggest reasons is it gives the teacher the opportunity to see the entire lesson plan first and decide which parts he or she wants to focus on the most, given the constraints of a timed-class.
Also, for teachers who are new to teaching and/or the curriculum, prepping can be tremendously helpful in feeling confident when teaching.
writing Note: Many items on slides have lines, allowing the student to write whatever is being asked of him or her; due to time constraints, however, it's always the teacher's option, of course, as to whether or not he or she wants the student to write. Also, so the student can practice writing balanced letters, some items on a slide have a top line, a dashed middle line, and a bottom line for the student to write the word, phrase or sentence on it. In addition, if there's not a line, there may be a question mark instead; however, if the teacher wants the student to write out whatever next to it that is his or her prerogative, of course.
17) Where should the teacher begin in a particular unit?
It’s recommended to start with the first lesson plan in a unit. This is because a story or another component may be introduced in one lesson plan and continued in another. So, when a previous lesson plan is skipped, the student misses the first part.
18) How are the lesson plans organized in terms of quizzes, exams and grades? Quizzes As mentioned, each lesson plan has two quizzes at the end. (See sample lesson plan towards the bottom.) End-of-unit exams
Also, as stated before, with the exception of Level 1 (B-1)-Unit 1 that only has one exam, each unit has 10 lesson plans and two exams, one in class 11 and one in class 12. (See sample exam class towards the bottom.)
In terms of grading, the quizzes and exams do not have a particular grading system set up. If a teacher, however, wants to keep track of the correct/incorrect answers on either, then he or she can, of course. The teacher can also write a brief summary of what the quiz or exam covered, how the student did and provide it to the student or the parent.
19) Is there a way to help the teacher manage time?
Yes, first, the number of each slide is in the top-right corner and also the bottom-left.
How this helps, if you’re not familiar, is to have the time, which can easily be seen, near the screen during class.
If it’s a 30-minutes class, keep in mind about one minute per slide. If it’s 60-minutes, keep in mind approximately two minutes per slide. Of course, some will take less time, and some will take longer. Overall, though, matching-up the time with the slide number definitely helps with pacing.
For example, let’s say it’s a 30-minute class, and it starts at 4 p.m.:
If you’re on slide 5 at 4:05 p.m., then you’re managing your time well.
If you’re on slide 20 at 4:20 p.m., then you’re managing your time well.
However, if you’re on slide 10 at 4:25 p.m., then you're way behind with little hope of catching-up! ;-)
Note:As mentioned, each lesson plan consists of 30 slides of which 28 comprise the actual lesson plan. Therefore, correlating the time with the slide numbers is an approximation but still works well! Having said that, you may know pacing gets easier with experience teaching certain duration-classes and/or knowing what to expect, more or less, when using a particular curriculum.
Because many online ESL students take three classes a week. Based on this, a student can theoretically finish one unit a month.
There are also many students who only take two classes a week or even one, which is fine, too.
When it comes to learning a language, however, you probably know that at least two lessons a week is recommended for the purposes of continuity, and so the student can remember what he or she recently learned.
21) As more units are added, how can the currently available lesson plans be creatively used to make them last as long as possible if desired?
Beginning-level students
Option 1:
If interested, each lesson plan can be presented* twice, providing two months of classes per unit if a student takes three a week, longer for students who take fewer than that.
Experienced teachers know repetition is a big part of learning a language, so repeating a class is completely fine and works out well.
Though, in presenting a class twice, the teacher needs to make sure to save certain parts of the lesson plan the first time around to have enough material for the repeat.
*Note: We use the term “present” versus “taught,” because the teacher teaches. Egghead simply presents the material, and the teacher takes it all the way home through teaching it.
Option 2:
Along with guiding the student through the beginning units, if interested, the teacher can also guide him or her through the pre-intermediate unit as well, making certain parts easier when needed.
Option 3:
Incorporate both of the above.
Note: In January, another Level 2 pre-intermediate unit is scheduled to drop, providing an additional 360 slides.
Pre-intermediate-level students
Option 1:
Same ideas as above. For instance, each pre-intermediate lesson plan can be presented twice, providing two months of classes for the unit if a student takes three a week, longer for those who take fewer.
Option 2:
Same as the previous section applies here, too. Along with guiding a student through the pre-intermediate unit, the student can also be guided through the beginning units, adjusting when needed.
Unlike the above, a third option isn’t given here, because in January, as mentioned, a Level 2 pre-intermediate unit is scheduled to drop, providing 360 more slides.
New students: If a teacher doesn’t know a student’s level, the beginning-level lesson plans work especially well for assessment purposes, too!
Intermediate and Skilled-level students
Again with some creativity and planning, incorporating Level 1 and Level 2 lesson plans for these students can also be used!
For instance, one way to implement them is for the teacher to develop a light lesson plan on his or her own using a Level 1 or Level 2 lesson plan as its foundation. As an example, for a slide with numerous verbs, the teacher with a Skilled-level student can ask him or her to construct a humorous story using the various verbs, or the teacher and student can take turns in developing a story together.
The variety in creating advanced classes from Level 1 and Level 2 units is essentially endless!
The main thing to keep in mind, though, when incorporating lower levels, is to not insult the intelligence of the higher-level student. Therefore, classes spun from lower levels should definitely match the level of the student being taught.
For new students, the lower level units, again, are easily used for assessment purposes!
Note: A Level 3 intermediate unit is scheduled to drop in March, providing an additional 360 slides.
22) What is the educational background and experience of the main developer?
B.A. in journalism/English; M.A. in psychology; TOEFL and TEFL-certified.
Taught over 7000 online ESL classes to kids and adults in mostly Asia but also other parts of the world, including the US.
Also taught ESL classes in the classroom at a brick-and-mortar college in the US.
Experienced writer.
Loves the art of language and genuinely enjoys developing English language curriculum.
For those into astrology, the main developer is a Virgo (a double!), which is known to be persnickety, perfectionistic, highly-detailed-oriented and with an exacting-quality. This doesn’t mean that the lesson plans are perfect or all the grammatical rules are either, for that matter. However, with millions of details, such as a program like this, excellence—not perfection is the standard striven for at Egghead! (Though when a mistake is caught, it’s corrected.)
23) If interested in a subscription to access and view the Lesson Plans (i.e. the Material) on the External, Subscription-Only Component of the Egghead English Site (i.e. the Site), please read the following of what we expect from you as a subscriber.
Be sure you fully understand these Terms and Conditions before signing-up, if you do, because the subscriber is legally-bound to this agreement once he or she obtains a subscription. If you do not agree and/or do not want to legally-comply, then do not sign-up, thank you.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
1) For the 365-day duration period of said Subscription, Subscriber is responsible for complying with these Terms and Conditions when accessing and viewing the Material on the External, Subscription-Only Component of the Site. 2) Subscriber is fully responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of the secured log-in information, as well as responsible and liable for all activities that occur when accessing and viewing Material from the Site. 3) Through these Terms and Conditions, Subscriber has been made aware of and understands he or she will be provided with a personal link(s) in which Site admin can see the personal traffic use of said Subscriber when the Material is being accessed and viewed. 4) Any breach of security is solely said Subscriber's responsibility and runs the risk of immediate cancelation pursuant under this agreement. 5) A Subscription is valid for one individual only and may not be shared. If the Site has sufficient evidence to suspect a Subscription is being shared by multiple users, the Site reserves the right to immediately suspend said Subscription. 6) Subscriptions and the privileges and rights afforded to a Subscriber are non-transferable and personal. 7) Regardless of actual usage throughout the 365-day duration period of said Subscription, the subscription rate for a unit is based on the subscription-service that has been purchased and is non-alterable. 8) Within the 365-day subscription-period, the Site reserves the right, and without notice, and without altering the subscription rate that was purchased, to not be available on the rare occasion when the Site's server conducts maintenance. 9) Through these Terms and Conditions, Subscriber has been made aware of and understands that data is embedded onto each Slide stating and signifying the Site to be the lawful copyright owner of said intellectual property. Subscriber understands, too, if any Material from the External, Subscription-Only Component of the Site is being used off the Site, it is considered theft and is being illegally-used. 10) Any prohibited or unauthorized use of the Material may subject said offender to civil liability, criminal prosecution under applicable laws, and name added to a piracy/copyright infringement blacklist currently being used by some online courseware educational websites, effectively blocking said offender from accessing and viewing subscription-only material from these sites now and in the future. 11) If the Site suspects said Subscriber has violated any Term or Condition, Subscriber agrees that the Site, in its exclusive discretion, can deactivate and terminate said Subscription, for any reason and without limitation, regardless of remaining days on the Subscription. 12) Subscriber agrees that the Site is not liable to a previous Subscriber for the termination of access and viewing Material from the Site if it has been determined that a Term or Condition has been violated.
24) What is your refund policy? For evaluation purposes, Egghead provides the links below to view 60 free slides. These are actual working slides taken from the curriculum. Therefore, subscribers know what to expect. So, on the date a subscriber receives his or her log-in information, there are no refunds after that. As such, before signing-up, be certain that you want a subscription!
27) I'm interested in a subscription but have a question/s.
Please contact us via the Contact Page. Make sure you’ve read all this first, though, because there’s an excellent chance the answer is here.
If you don’t see it, however, and you contact us, please be polite and have good manners—always, when working with admin staff. (Know we always have the option of not giving a subscription to an individual who we feel doesn’t meet the positive vibes of Egghead English.) We strive to respond within 72 hours.
28) If you would like a subscription, please complete the following: First: Fill-out and submit the Sign-Up for a Subscription Formon the payment page. (Even if you've had a subscription before, no matter how recent it may have been, a Sign-Up Form still needs to be completed, as every subscription requires one, thank you.)
Second: To make payment, go to the payment page, and click on the image of the subscription unit you would like. Right after payment, you will receive a confirmation email. (As stated above, be sure to complete and submit the Sign-Up Form as well.You’re not subscribed until this form has also been received.)
Third: Within 72 hours after the Sign-Up Form and successful payment have been received, we will send you your log-in information to the email you've given us in order to allow access and viewing of the Lesson Plans on the External, Subscription-Only Component of the Site.
Note 1: A 1-year subscription begins the date we email a subscriber his or her log-in information and ends on the 365th day from that date at the bewitching hour of midnight in the US Central Time Zone (CT). Note 2: We do not automatically renew when a subscription ends. To renew then, the subscriber needs to let us know.
29) To file a claim of piracy/copyright infringementof any of the Material on the External, Subscription-Only Component of the Site, please follow these steps:
If you believe that piracy/copyright infringement of any of theMaterial on the External, Subscription-Only Component has been or is being used off the Site, notification can be sent to admin@eggheadenglish.com.
Notification may or may not include a copy of a message/s, email/s, text/s, audio recording/s and/or a book/s with the said individual/s name/s and/or website/s address who has offered to sell or give, or who is offering to sell or give any of the Material on the External, Subscription-Only Component of the Site.
When giving notice, please provide the following:
1) A description of the piracy/copyrighted material you claim has been illegally-infringed from any of the Material on the External, Subscription-Only Component of the Site; 2) The location or if no location but was used or is being used by an individual/s, then the name of said individual/s that may or may not include a copy of a message/s, email/s, text/s and/or audio recording/s detailing use and/or offering to give or sell the allegedly-infringed Material from the External, Subscription-Only Component of the Site; 3) Your name, phone number and email (held-in strict confidence); 4) A statement outlining any further details.