In this video, I walk you through practical vocabulary teaching activities and ESL teaching games that make new words stick—especially when you’re pre-teaching vocabulary for ESL learners. In my experience, many multilingual learners don’t have the same background knowledge as their peers, so we can’t assume they “already know” the meaning, the context, or how a word is used in everyday language. I focus on simple, repeatable routines that help students hear the word, say the word, see the word, and then actually use it in speaking and writing. I also share ideas for building academic vocabulary through games and interactive practice—because vocabulary isn’t learned by copying definitions. I like tools and games that push students to produce language (not just recognize it), and that give you quick ways to scaffold: sentence frames, word banks, visuals, and structured partner talk. If you’re teaching online, these strategies still work—you just adapt them with digital tools and clear directions. And if you want more, I link part 2 so you can keep building your vocabulary lesson toolkit.