English For Life


Bible-based English lessons

Many churches are reaching out to their culturally diverse neighbours with friendship, English lessons and the good news about Jesus. To support churches in this valuable ministry, Anglicare’s Cross Cultural Services has partnered with Bible Society Australia to produce English teaching resources.

Lessons are offered at three levels: High Beginner, Intermediate and High Intermediate levels for face-to-face and/or online delivery.

Within any student group, there is always a range of competency. Therefore, all three levels cater for a wide range of ability. Within the resources, broad categories allow scope for teachers to adapt lessons according to their context.

The High Beginner level does not cater for absolute beginning speakers/readers of English. It is simplified as much as possible while maintaining the integrity of the biblical text. Whenever possible, teachers are encouraged to provide students with the Bible text in their heart language.

A Bible text informs the language and thematic content for these lessons, and each lesson contains two parts:

  • Part 1 is a general English component on a topic relevant to students’ everyday lives and closely connected in theme and language to the Bible text in Part 2. Part 1 activates knowledge, generates interest, and builds language and concepts relevant to students’ lives and the Bible text.
  • Part 2 guides students to read, comprehend and discuss a paraphrased Bible text.

Lessons include a set of simple, print-friendly sketches. These black-and-white sketches sequence the bible narrative in the High Beginner and Intermediate books and provide a pictorial summary for the High Intermediate books.

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