This week we talked about our upcoming plans for the easter holiday and looked at some amazing and unbelievable facts.  This means that in fact we talked about a lot of different topics, so this week it's a good idea to go over some of the general resources I recommend.

Next week we don't have class!  Classes resume on Monday April 9th.  Enjoy the break!

Listening:
Learners can try any of the following websites:

• Randall's Listening Lab
• English Listening
• BBC English
• English Central
• British Council Listen and Watch
• Elllo
• English Speak Lessons
• Voice of America Special English

For original version, take a look at some of these:

• BBC
• NPR
• TED Talks (also available as TED Radio Hour)
• Frontline Documentaries
• StoryCorps
• This American Life
• Radiolab
• Invisibilia

Reading:
Learners can have several options online:

• Study Zone (first select level, then reading)
• Time for Kids
• Breaking News English
• VOA
• Academic Reading and Writing Resources

For original version, try any of the following:

• New York Times
• Vox (Explains the News)
• The Guardian
• Magatopia
• The Feature (essays)

Writing:
Go ahead and do a writing activity talking about your Easter plans over the break!
Best,
Kelly

 This week we talked about fashion and clothing.  There is a lot of vocabulary when it comes to describing clothes.  You may want to start this week's homework reviewing some vocabulary.

Listening:
Learners can start with an easy listening about clothing and fashion from Randall's, then move on to some activities from British Council: Working in Fashion, Camden Fashion and Shopping for clothes.

For original version, try any of the videos over at TED Talks, Ideas about Fashion.  Or try some online tutorials! Here are 13 Youtube Channels that will teach you how to sew.

Reading:
Learners can try a text about Ancient Egyptian Fashion, or a Reading Comprehension Activity about Fashion. For something a little harder, try this article from Breaking News English.

For original version, explore in Google Arts and Culture the amazing articles within We Wear Culture, or British Fashion.

Writing:
Please write an article about trends.  How are these trends sets?  Please write about current trends in fashion. Try to be as descriptive as possible!
Best,
Kelly

 In honor of last week's International Women's Day celebrations, we talked about many topics regarding women's rights, from the Me Too movement, to emotional labor.

Listening:
Learners can start by listening about last year's women's march or a Six Minute English episode about the right to vote. For something a little harder, try a listening exercise about sexual harrassment, you can modulate the speed.

For original version, you could watch a documentary about why sexual assault hasn't stopped, or the fanstastic TAL episode Five Women (with transcript) 

Reading:
Learners can read about the history of International Women's Day or about Rwanda: the first women led country.

For original version, try 15 Remarkable Women we Overlooked or an article from the Guardian about emotional labor.

Writing:
Now it's up to you to write an article about why International Women's Day is relevant (or not) to you. What does it represent? What is the struggle about?
Best,
Kelly

 This we we touched on a topic that has been all over the US in the last weeks -- gun control.  You had lots of questions and interesting comments about this topic. Now time for some homework!

Listening:
Learners can start with something easy from Listen a Minute about Gun Control.  Or try to an article from British Council about how different countries regulate weapons in different ways.

For original version, you could try watching the documentary Gun Nation from the Guardian.

Reading:
Learners can try some of the recent articles from VOANews about the gun debate in the last week or so: Shooting Leads Companies to Change Position, US Teacher Arrested After Firing Gun in Classroom, or For Today's US Teens, School Shootings are Common.

For original version, try The Parkland Students Aren’t Going Away from The Atlantic or When it comes to guns, the Parkland shooting survivors aren’t here to play nice  from The L.A. Times.

Writing:
For a lot of you, the debate about gun control in the US is difficult to understand.  Please write an essay about why many Americans consider their right to bear arms a sacred right worthy of defending.  Then, explain your own personal opinion about it.
Best,
Kelly

This week we talked about some of the fascinating aspects of language, including words that cannot be translated into other languages.

Listening:
Learners can give a listen to this podcast episode about minority languages or an episode from the listening lab about learning languages.

For original version, you could try some language nerd podcasts such as Lexicon Valley or the World of Words.

Reading:
Learners can try reading an article that posits that being bilingual is good for the brain. Or try a fascinating piece about endangered languages.

For original version, try doing some reading over at the online photography magazine LensCulture.

Writing:
This week I'd like you to write an essay talking about what things can be done to teach, archive, and celebrate a language.  Are the measures you would use different for common or minority languages?
Best,
Kelly

This week we talked about one of my personal passions: cameras and photography! We took a look at some different styles of cameras and described different photographs.

Listening:
Learners can try listening to an article about how more people die from selfies than shark attacks, or an article describing different photographs from the past.

If you ever have to do an oral exam in which you have to describe a picture, you'll want to check out some tips at this website.

For original version, you could try watching some TED talks about photography or explore some of the short videos over at the Cooperative of Creative Photography Youtube Channel.

Reading:
Learners may want to review some photograph vocabulary and then try reading an article from VOA about some possible problems that can arise with selfies.

For original version, try doing some reading over at the online photography magazine LensCulture.

Writing:
Start by checking out the Guardian's website, Best Photographs of the Day. Choose one picture to use at as the basis of your writing. 

You can describe the photograph (make sure to use descriptive adjectives, adverbs, precise nouns and prepositions), or you could write a story based on the photograph.
Best,
Kelly