​This week we talked about relationships and expectations to practice the grammatical form "I want you to" and "I need you to."

Listening:
Learners can try an activity called Love is In the Air about relationships or any of the many exercises from British Council about relationships.

For original version, try any episode from the podcast Modern Love.

Reading:
Learners can try an article talking about wants and desires.

For original version, read an article from Cheryl Strayd's fantastic advice column, Dear Sugar, many entries have to deal with what people want and need within relationships.

​Writing:
This week write an essay about expectations within relationships.  Think about relationships at work, within a family, friendships or romantic partnerships.  What do people want from each other? How do differences in wants and needs lead to conflict?
Best,
Kelly

This week we took a look at how the future was predicted by people centuries ago. Which predictions came true, and which predictions were completely off the mark.

it was a good opportunity to talk about our own ideas of what the future will look like.

Listening:
To start I recommend trying a listening exercise from Breaking news English about predicting the future which is adapted for learners. Or try another listening exercise about palm reading.

For original version, try a clip from of this American Life episode about predicting the future

Reading:
Learners can try an article from ESL voices called psychics can tell your future and keep you healthy.

For original version, try an article from NPR entitled how to predict the future no crystal ball needed.

​Writing
This week for a writing topic, it's your turn to be Nostradamus. please write an essay exploring what you predict the future to be like on multiple levels: personal, in your country, in the world. What do you think will happen with relationships, family, politics, technology etc?
Best,
Kelly

​ This week we continued our political discussion about the divide in US politics and the upcoming Democratic Primary Elections.  

Listening:
There are several good listening exercises designed for learners. Try an exercise from Randall's Listening Lab about voting, or from BBC English about compulsory voting.

For original version, try a latest episode from NPR politics podcast,  

Reading:
Learners can try an article entitled How Americans Elect a President.

For original version, read about the 2020 Dem Candidates and where they stand on the issues, or Why Do Iowa and New Hampshire go first? 

​Writing
This week, please respond to one of the following prompts:

1. Would you ever run for office?
2. What issues are most important to you?
3. If you could vote, who would you vote for this Election Day?
4. Why is it important for people to vote?

Best,
Kelly

 
We are focusing our conversation this week on politics. This week, Trump's impeachment trial which kicks off this week.  Who are the players, the evidence, the charges.  What do we predict will happen?  

Next week we will be discussing the other side, the upcoming Democratic primary elections in New Hampshire.

Listening:
Learners should try an audio from VOA English called Historic Impeachment Trial begins or US Supreme Court Justice will Impact Impeachment.

For original version listening, I recommend the podcast Trump, Inc.

Reading:
Check out an article adapted for learners from Breaking News English about impeachment.

For original version, try some articles from the BBC: Impeachment explained, A Very Simple Guide, Who is Who in the Trump Impeachment Trial.
 
Writing:
Please write an article this week outlining what is happening with impeachment.  Do you have an opinion or a prediction about what will happen?
Best,
Kelly

This week we discussed restaurants, ordering out, and how to decipher the complicated descriptions on modern restaurant menus.

Listening:
Learners can first try their hand at some adapted listening exercises such as Eating out or Ordering food in a café.

For original version listening, check out some episodes from Anthony Bourdain's show No Reservations: Spain, Mexico
 Paris.

Reading:
Learners should try an activity from British Council about ordering while eating out.  Then you can try, What a British Person Should Know when Eating Out in America.

Read some original version menus from Portland, Oregon: Le Pigeon, Cheryl's on 12th, 

Writing:
This week, write a menu of your own restaurant, thinking of evocative descriptions of the types of meals you tend to cook at home.
Best,
Kelly

Welcome back to class in 2020! I hope you enjoyed the holiday break, and had some time to relax and celebrate with your friends and family. Now it's time to get back to our English practice!

In honor of the new year, and in a spirit of optimism that we will stick to those new year's resolutions, we talked about how to form good habits and how to break the bad.

Listening:
Learners can try something from the listening lab --Smoking: Kicking the Habit

For original version, try a recent podcast episode from Hidden Brain called Creatures of Habit: How Habits Show Who We Are -- And Who We Become.

Reading:
Learners can try the reading comprehension article Make Health a Habit.

For original version, check out the article How Culture Molds Habits of Thought. Or try an article from the Guardian, Is It Weird to Eat the Same Sandwich Every Day?

Writing:

1. What do you consider your worst habit to be? Describe it in detail, including how and under what circumstances you engage in it.
   –
2. Perform a word association exercise with the name of your habit. Then, freewrite for ten minutes about all of the concepts and images associated with it.
   –
3. Why do you consider this habit “bad” or “worst”? What negative consequences come with it, for you and for those around you?
   –
4. When you do whatever this “worst” habit is, in what ways do you punish yourself? Or do you? How does having this habit affect your self-image and esteem?
   –
5. What essential inner need does your habit fulfill? In other words, in what ways does indulging in this habit work for you; what are its positive aspects? Think about when you first began this habit. What were it’s positive aspects then? What did you achieve for yourself by doing it?
   –
6. What is the opposite of your habit? For example, whether your habit is to procrastinate, to drink, or to bite your nails, what do you consider its opposite to be? Freewrite for ten minutes about this opposite quality or habit and what you think your life might be like. Do you feel resistance to your habit’s opposite? Write about the resistance. Who and/or what events does it remind you of?
   –
7. Write about what your life would be like without your habit. Would you prefer a life without it? If so, make a list of five things you’d need to do to change it. If not make a list of five things you’d need to do to find more acceptance from yourself and/or others.

Best,
Kelly

This week was our last week before the Christmas holidays and we took the time to discuss the last decade in review and our plans for the year ahead.

I am taking advantage of this opportunity to thank you for another wonderful year at Meetinghouse. Enjoy your holidays of your friends and family and we will see you again in 2020!
​
Don't forget that we follow the school calendar, which means that our first day back will be Wednesday January 8th.

 This week we used a recording of my friends Brendan and Carrie and talked about their amazing adventure crossing the Atlantic.  You can check out their website and instagram.  Long live SV Creeky! 

Listening:
Learners can try an activity called Remembering a Life or the Great Ship Adventure. For something a little harder, try A Survival Story listening comprehension exercise.

For original version watch a video about a family that is sailing around the world or an excerpt from This American Life called When May Day Comes in April.

Reading:
For learners, try a short text about Sailing from the British Council or about a teenager who broke the world sailing record.

For original version, read the article from the New York Times entitled 2 Tots, a Sailboat and a Storm Over Parenting or an article about Greta Thunberberg crossing the Atlantic.

​Writing:
This week for writing please write an article detailing the adventure of the SV Creeky. Or write a creative poem about their trip!

To practice vocabulary, write a shopping list for provisioning.

Best,
Kelly

This week we tackled the topic of the human body, looking at a lot of vocabulary about different body parts and amazing facts about our human body.

Listening:
This week learners can try any of the several activities available on the British council website that talk about the human body, for example that listening comprehension exercise amazing facts.

For original version, check out any of the videos on the Ted playlist entitled weird facts about the human body. if you're like me, and you want to practice some yoga to get your body moving, I recommend the yoga with adriene YouTube channel.



Reading:
Learners can try a b2 reading comprehension activity about acupuncture and the human body.

For original version read some articles from national geographic about the amazing human body or any of the articles available at the BBC about the human body and mind.

​Writing:
This week for writing, please write a composition responding to one of the following writing prompts:

1. Think about what your life would be like if you didn’t have fingers. Some people already go through life without them. How would your life be different? What kinds of tools might you use to do the tasks you already do now with your fingers?
2. What would it be like if humans breathed through gills instead of lungs?
3. If you could absorb your food through your skin instead of eating it like you do now, would you do it? Why or why not?
4. What kind of hairstyles would exist if all humans grew hair all over their body like dogs or bears?
5. Imagine you have shrunk to the smallest size possible and you take an adventure through the human body. What would it be like? What would you see? How would you move from system to system?
6. Think about all the ways humans use their bodies to communicate. Body language. Describe as many different ways you can communicate without words as you can.
7. What are the best ways to keep your body in top shape?
8. If you could give humans a physical ability they currently don’t have, what would it be?
9. Are there any unnecessary body parts? Make a list and explain why they aren’t needed.
10. Compare and contrast the human body to another animal.

Best,
Kelly-
Learners can try a b2 reading comprehension activity about acupuncture and the human body.

For original version read some articles from national geographic about the amazing human body or any of the articles available at the BBC about the human body and mind.
This week for writing, please write a composition responding to one of the following writing prompts:

1. Think about what your life would be like if you didn’t have fingers. Some people already go through life without them. How would your life be different? What kinds of tools might you use to do the tasks you already do now with your fingers?
2. What would it be like if humans breathed through gills instead of lungs?
3. If you could absorb your food through your skin instead of eating it like you do now, would you do it? Why or why not?
4. What kind of hairstyles would exist if all humans grew hair all over their body like dogs or bears?
5. Imagine you have shrunk to the smallest size possible and you take an adventure through the human body. What would it be like? What would you see? How would you move from system to system?
6. Think about all the ways humans use their bodies to communicate. Body language. Describe as many different ways you can communicate without words as you can.
7. What are the best ways to keep your body in top shape?
8. If you could give humans a physical ability they currently don’t have, what would it be?
9. Are there any unnecessary body parts? Make a list and explain why they aren’t needed.
10. Compare and contrast the human body to another animal.

Best,
Kelly

 This week, in honor of our Thanksgiving feast in the US, we talked about food, using cookbooks, food magazines, and cooking apps.

Listening:
This week learners can start with something easy like Gourmet Cooking from Randall's ESL Lab, or kitchen capers or any of the many food related videos at ESLVideo.


For original version try any of the videos from J. Kenji López-Alt.such as Tips and Tricks.

Reading:
Learners can test their food vocabulary with Food and drink 1 and 2. if you're ready for a reading exercise, try an article from breaking news English about British food.

For original version try any of the long journalism articles available on longreads.org about food, cooking and cultural identity through cuisine.

Writing:
This week for writing, please write a description about what comfort food means to you. What is a dish that reminds you of home and makes you feel cozy? How is this dish prepared? Make a description of the ingredients and the process to prepare your favorite comfort food.

Best,
Kelly