This week we talked about stuff, all of our possessions that we have in our lives and what they say about us.  We described and compared objects.

Listening:
Learners can listen to an activity in which some people describe what are essential items for them.  Or try a listening activity describing the objects available at an appliance store.

For original version, check out the podcast about the history of the world in 100 objects: Download the podcast.

Reading:
Learners can try an article about living without some modern objects.

For original version check out the story, What We Saved from the Fire, or Confronting Racist Objects.

Writing:
This week for a creative writing exercise, write a love letter to an inanimate object.Think about all of the inanimate objects in your life. All of the things that you use on a daily basis. If I came to your house or place of work and told you that you can only keep ONE of those items for a whole week and everything else would be taken away, which item can you not live without?
Got it? Good.
Now, write a love letter to that inanimate object and make it sincere, convincing, and heartfelt with plenty of specific details and shared memories.

Best,
Kelly

 We continued our conversation about food, this time taking the topic to the restaurant, how to order, get by in difficult situations and settle up.

Listening:
Learners can try one of the following food-related activities: Restaurant Order from ESLLab or Fast Food Restaurant from Daily ESL.

For original version, watch some episodes from Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations:Anthony Bourdain No Reservations S03E00 Leftovers Anthony Bourdain No Reservations S01E02 IcelandAnthony Bourdain No Reservations S04E17 - Spain

Reading:
Learners can  try the activity Eating Out or an article about poor nutrition in the developing world.

For original version read about The Best Restaurants in Logroño

or read some review of Restaurants  from The New Yorker.

Writing:
For writing this week, please write a descriptive menu like the ones we saw in class.  Try to expand your food and preparation vocabulary.
Best,
Kelly

This week we used the illustrated book Food Rules, by Michael Pollan, as the basis of our conversation about healthy eating.

Listening:
Learners can try one of the following food-related activities: Snack Time 
Joe's Hamburger Restaurant 
Heavenly Pies Restaurant 
Dinner Time 

For original version, listen to Michael Pollan read some of his food rules, or listen to an interview with him called You Are What you Cook.

Reading:
Learners can  try the activity Eating Out or an article about poor nutrition in the developing world.

For original version try Michael Pollan answer's questions, How Change is Going to Come to the Food System, National Food Policy Saves Lives.

Writing:
For writing this week, choose one of Michael Pollan's food rules (check this list here) and write an essay expanding on the idea he suggests.
Best,
Kelly

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November Week Three:

This week we continued our conversation about travelling and situations we may encounter, focusing on context such as hotels, doctor's offices, taxis, etc.

Listening:
Learners can try an activity called At the Doctors or for something a little harder, try Hotel Check-In from ESLLab

For original version,  Amateur Traveler is a podcast tailor-made for you. For over a decade, host Chris Christensen has been coaching new travelers on how to find and visit locations that are on their bucket lists

Reading:
Learners can check out some of the following activities related to the situations we saw in class:

AT THE HOTEL 1: Checking in
AT THE HOTEL 2: Checking in
AT THE HOTEL 4: Talking to someone at the reception desk
AT THE HOTEL 5: Making a reservation
AT THE RESTAURANT 2: Ordering
AT THE RESTAURANT 5: Eating a meal
AT THE RESTAURANT 6: Eating/bad service
AT THE RESTAURANT 7: Finishing a meal/paying
TRAINS/TAKING TRAINS: What's wrong?
DRIVING: What's wrong?
SIGHTSEEING: Questions and answers
HEALTH: Seeing a doctor
HEALTH: What's wrong?
SAFETY/CRIME: What's wrong?

For original version explore some of the articles over at Global Yodel, or a longer essay from Longform.org about travel. 

Writing:
For writing this week please write a dialogue from one of the situations we talked about in class the last two weeks: at the airport check-in counter, the hotel, a taxi, a doctor's office, a restaurant, a shop.
Best,
Kelly

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November Week Two:

This week we talked about travel, specifically practicing useful language necessary to navigate problematic situations that could arise when traveling.
Learners can check out any of the many pages with useful listening exercises for travel English:
Airport
Car Rental
Hotel
Directions
Restaurant
Store and More
Talking to Strangers

For original version, listen to some travel podcasts, such as Excess Baggage, the Budget Minded Traveler, or Women Who Travel.
Learners can read any of the useful vocabulary lists and texts of Surival English, which focus on some of the vocabulary you many need when traveling.  Similarly, try Travel English.

For original version try any of the articles from Wanderlust Magazine or Atlas Obscura.
For writing this week please take one travel fiasco situation and write a dialogue.  What are some of the phrases you may encounter? How would someone solve the situation?
Best,
Kelly

 Hope you enjoyed your holiday weekend last week!  This week we got back to our flow, talking about sound: the sound of places, people, animals, film and music.

Listening:
Learners can check out an episode from 6 Minute English called Life Without Music, or Is Silence Golden?

For original version, listen to the Radiolab story, Sound as Touch or some of the resources from SoundWorks Collection: Video and Podcast.

Reading:
Learners can read an article from Breaking News English about the prevelant problem of noise pollution.

For original version read about John Cage's Search for Silence, or Silence Like Scouring Sand: A trip to one of America’s quietest places with a man who has dedicated his life to keeping it that way.

Writing:
For writing this week start a story with the first sentence, "The sound instantly made them both uncomfortable."  Take it from there!

Or, try to use some descriptive adjectives to describe the different sounds you hear throughout your day.  Write your sound diary.
Best,
Kelly

 Happy Halloween, everybody!  As you know, this is one of my favorite holidays, and it is a yearly tradition to turn off the lights and tell scay stories by candlelight.

Listening:
Learners can try watching the Ghosts ESL video, or Learning English Through Story: The Living Ghost.

For original version, check out the This American Life episode the House on Loon Lake, that we talked about in class. For something easier, try American Folklore Stories.

Reading:
Learners can try an article from Heads Up English about people's beliefs in Ghosts.

For original version learn about the origin of Halloween.

Writing:
For writing this week I would like you to write a scary story!  In can be a true story of something that happened to you, or you are welcome to use your imagination to make it up.
Best,
Kelly

 October Week Four:

This week's conversation was based on a great NYT series called 24 Hours in America, highlighting some of those aspects of life in my country that are not often represented in the media.  Check out the full article here.

Listening:
Learners can try a listening activity from Voice of America Learning English called American's Favorite Thing to Do. For more practice, try Voice of America's People in America.

For original version, check out the This American Life episode 24 Hours at the Golden Apple, In fact, many of This American Life's many episodes can be interesting snippets of life in the U.S.

Reading:
Learners can try one of many reading comprehension activities on the website ESLAmerica. Or check out an activity about the cost of college education in the U.S.

For original version try Fear in America, or Growing up in America.

Writing:
Most people have a lot of conceptions about the U.S. due to its widespread representation in pop culture such as film, movies, and music videos.  Please write an essay about what images are often represented and wether you think these are accurate or not.
Best,
Kelly

 This week we continued some of our work from last week about housing, but focusing more on problems with housing (mortage crisis, gentrification) and different styles of houses in other countries.

Listening:
Learners can try an activity about Living in a Tiny Space. For something a little more challenging, try a listening activity about Refinancing Mortgage Loans.

For original version, try a short video about Why is Hong Kong's Housing so Expensive? Or for something longer, House Rules from This American Life.

Reading:
Learners can try a reading comprehension activity about buying and renting houses or a downloadable PDF to read about different priorities in housing: Reading house student worksheet

For original version try one of several articles from the Huffington Post about the Tiny House Movement.

Writing:
Please write an article about how housing as changed over the last decades in Spain: buying, renting, living with family, unconventional living situations.  What is the future of housing in your country?
Best,
Kelly

  Last week, we got off to a great start with our English routines!  This week, we got down to business with our usual class dynamic.  We talked about houses, real estate, buying and renting.

Listening:
Learners can try one of the following listening activities:

1. Apartments for Rent
2. Suyeon's New Apartment
3. Renting an Apartment

For original version, try one of the talks from TED.com having to do with real estate.

Reading:
Learners can read an article about how people in New Zealand have taken measures to aid their housing crisis.

For something a bit more challenging, you could try any of the articles from Longreads about housing.
 
Writing:
For writing this week, try writing a detailed description of your house.  You could check some of the descriptions on Airbnb.com to get some ideas about some of the vocabulary and structures commonly used for this task.
Best,
Kelly