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1/26/2017 0 Comments

January Week Three

January Week Three:
Today we dedicated the whole hour to the aliens, the search for intelligent life, and the fascinating Voyager Golden Record.  To explore the contents of the record, check out the website goldenrecord.org

Listening:
Learners can try a listening comprehension activity about aliens over at Listen a Minute (mp3 and transcript) or for something more advanced, try an interview about S.E.T.I. over at ESL Lounge.

For original version listening, try listening to the first part of the SPACE episode from Radiolab that talks about the voyager record and Carl Sagan or a radio program about the endeavour on NPR.

Reading:
Learners
can read a biography of the creater of the Voyager Golden Record, astronomer Carl Sagan or another one from over at Many Things.

For original version, check out an article about the Voyager Golden Record, or an interesting essay from the Smithsonian about what's on the record.

Writing:
So for writing this week, tell me... Do you believe in intelligent life out there?  If you were to make a time capsule of life on earth what would you use to represent our species and planet? Why?
Best,
Kelly
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1/26/2017 0 Comments

January Week Two

This week we did some hard work on a very challenging aspect of English -- the ever-dreaded PHRASAL VERBS!!  You can study the list of phrasal verbs we worked with in class over at Quizlet.

Listening:
Learners
can try one of the activities at Phrasal Verb Demon or BBC Funky Phrasals.  Or you could try any of the videos over at BBC Phrasal Verb Videos.

For original version listening, I recommend listening to the TED Talk of your choice (don't forget, they are usually available with subtitles in English and Spanish).  Can you identify any phrasal verbs in the presentation? What do they mean?

Reading:
Learners can try checking out this infographic or some of the games at Phrasal Demon or Ting, a reading exercise with phrasal verbs related to food. Try reading one of the conversations at Funky Phrasals, like this one about health.

For original version, check out any text in original version: National Geographic, Longform, NYTimes, BBC, etc. Your job is to be a phrasal verb detective!  Can you find any? What do they mean?

Writing:
This week for writing, please choose a handful of phrasal verbs (5-7) and write a short text that tries to incorporate them into your writing.  Practice is the best way to get the hang of this complicated aspect of English!
Best,
Kelly
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1/26/2017 0 Comments

January Week One

This week we talked about New Year's resolutions and all our plans to improve our health, fitness and English in the upcoming year. I'm sure most of you have improving your English and studying hard as one of your New Year's resolutions so let's get to it!

Listening:
Learners can listen to an audio about people's New Year's resolution, or a broadcast straight from London on New Year's Eve about people's plans for the upcoming year. Lastly, try a 6 Minute English activity about how people can stick to what they plan to do.

For original version listening, try the TTBOOK episode about renunciation including an interview with the creator of Drynuary. Or try that This American Life episode about Transformers (audio and transcript).

Reading:
Learners can try a text from over at breaking news English or an article called quit smoking now.

For original version, try reading an articule from the NYTimes about Drynuary or about Veganuary.

Writing:
So now it's your turn. How will you improve yourself in the year 2017? How will you work on being a better, more improved you? Please detail your resolution and your plans to carry it out in the upcoming year.
Best,
Kelly
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1/26/2017 0 Comments

December Week Three

Merry Christmas everyone!  I hope you all have a wonderful holiday with friends and family and may 2017 bring us all many good things!

We start class again on Monday January 9th, so see you then! Best,
Kelly
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1/26/2017 0 Comments

December Week Two

This week I forced you to ask eachother lots of questions about a great variety of topics, always being careful with the interrogative structure or question tags.

Listening:
Learners can try a job interview exercise and fill in the listening comprehension activities at ESL Lab, 5 Minute English Job Interview or some Sports interviews.

For original version listening, watch videos of the interviews by famous talk show hosts like Jimmy Fallon or Ellen Degeneres, listen to a great interview podcast like Death, Sex, and Money or WTF with Marc Maron.

Reading:
Learners can try Interview with a famous actor, Job Interview, or another reading comprehension activity, An Interview at the Shopping mall.

For original version, check out any of the articles over at Interview magazine or the 36 Questions that Lead to Love.

Writing:
This week for writing, please choose someone you admire -- a historical figure, a celebrity, a musician, an artist, an ancestor, whoever! -- and write a series of questions you wish you could ask them.
Best,
Kelly
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1/26/2017 0 Comments

December Week One

This week we extended our topic of food to restaurants and bars, covering how to order, how to pay, how to tip, and of course, how to have perfect etiquette!

Listening:
Learners can start with an easy exercise called Restaurants, or Pizza Delivery. Or try the 6 Minute English exercise Prison Restaurants.

For original version listening, listen to the Sporkful podcast or watch one of Anthony Bourdain's episodes from his show No Reservations.

Reading:
Learners can try some of the many texts about the different parts of restaurant dining: from ordering to paying or Eating Out Reading Comprehension activity.

For original version, check out some longform essays about the restaurant industry: Pocketful of Dough,

Writing:
This week for writing, please write a review of a restaurant (it could be favorable or scathing).  Please include a description of the decor, fare, and service along with your personal opinion.
Best,
Kelly
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1/17/2017 0 Comments

November Week Four

November Week Four:
In honor of this week's American holiday, Thanksgiving, we talked about food, meals, menus and dietary restrictions. You may want to check out some of these vocabulary lists:
  • Eating, Food & Drinks
    • Catering
    • Cuts of Beef
    • Citrus Fruits
    • Dinnerware
    • Fruit
    • Grains
    • Kitchen Knifes
    • Pasta Types
    • Breads
    • Condiments
    • Desserts
    • Drinks and Beverages
    • Food
    • Meat
    • Restaurant (Short List)
    • Salad Dressing
    • Vegetables
    • Diary Products
    • [NG] Food Pyramid
    • [NG] Supermarket Packaging
Listening:
Learners can try any of the many listening exercises out there: Choosing and Buying Wine, The History of Pumpkin Pie, How Chocolate is Made, The Great British Menu, How to Cook a Thanksgiving Meal.

For original version listening, why not watch some youtube food channels: 10 videos that will make your cooking more fun, Foodwishes, or Foodtube.

Reading:
Learners
can read about eating out, read about some food vocabulary, about organic food or how often people go to restaurants.

For original version, check out any of the wonderful food blogs and websites out there: The Kitchn, Smitten Kitchen, Epicurious.

Writing:
For writing this week, please plan a menu. First, write up the menu using descriptive adjectives for the dishes.  Then write the recipes for the dishes included, being careful with cooking verbs.
Best,
Kelly
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1/17/2017 0 Comments

November Week Three

This week we tried to lighten the mood and talked about what makes us happy.  We made a list of some of the things that bring joy to our life and played a game about the things that really matter to us.

Listening:
Learners can try BBC 6 Minute English episode about Happiness or check out some of these idioms to describe happiness such as to be on cloud nine, or to be over the moon.

For original version listening, try the TED talk, the Surprising Science of Happiness or the video Measuring Happiness.

Reading:
Learners can read about whether or not Happiness... is family?! or about the correlation between Money and Happiness.

For original version, read about the latest Happiness indicator (spoiler: Spain is not the happiest country in the world, and the US isn't either!). Or read about the secret to Vanuatu's happiness.

Writing:
For writing this week choose one of the following write about one of the following quotes
  • The reason people find it so hard to be happy is that they always see the past better than it was, the present worse than it is, and the future less resolved than it will be. (Marcel Pagnol, French writer, producer and film director)
  • If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things. (Albert Einstein)
  • Don’t rely on someone else for your happiness and self worth. Only you can be responsible for that. If you can’t love and respect yourself – no one else will be able to make that happen. Accept who you are – completely; the good and the bad – and make changes as YOU see fit – not because you think someone else wants you to be different. (Stacey Charter, cancer survivor)
Best,
Kelly
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