AI-Generated Timelines and Visuals for Teaching ESL Vocabulary and Grammar
Exercises for adverbs of time, making decisions and making changes
This post continues to explore alternative ways of presenting content, particularly by visualizing grammar and vocabulary through images and timelines. AI technology now allows for the creation of effective visual teaching materials on a whole new level. As usual, you can download the complete set of exercises with answers at the end of the post.
Adverb Clauses of Time (with images)
Now we can create more sophisticated images that more accurately convey the context of vocabulary by capturing complex temporal relationships: a person in front of a TV show during a phone call ('while'), the warm glow of afternoon light as someone drifts off before sunset ('before'), and a station platform showing missed connections ('by the time'). These visuals help make abstract grammar concrete by showing exactly how simultaneous events unfold, how sequences progress, and how actions overlap or continue to their endpoints.
Adverb Clauses of Time (with timelines)
This timeline-based approach to teaching time adverbs is experimental and more challenging than traditional methods, potentially being too complex for some students. Based on my experience with timelines, student comprehension varies significantly—while some grasp the concept immediately, others require extensive explanation. Nevertheless, the ability to create such detailed visual representations of temporal relationships is remarkable. Though I haven't tested this method in a classroom yet, it represents an exciting teaching innovation.
Decision making
Below are some exercises for teaching the language of decision making.
Visual Vocabulary
Housing and Careers Decisions Dialogue
This is a dialogue using the vocabulary from above.
Making Career Decisions Grammar Roleplay (present perfect)
Making Decisions Critical Thinking
These exercises usually work well. I have several classes with Chinese students. I think many are quite bored with traditional vocabulary and grammar exercises. However, critical thinking exercises seem to be more engaging.
Making Decisions Wrap
This is an improved older exercise practicing basic decision making language.
Making Decisions Pronunciation
My favorite pronunciation exercises to end a class: circle the word and syllable stress
Making Changes
These exercises about language for “making changes” are related to decision making. They are a bit more challenging. This is another older exercise that has been improved.
