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

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

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

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

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