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10/23/2014 0 Comments

October Week Four

This week's topic was house and home. We mainly used real estate ads as a jumping off point to discuss what we usually look for in a house or apartment.


LISTENING
To practice your listening skills, learners have several options: Home Improvement, Landscaping and Home Repairs at Randall's

For original version listening, try the TED talk Less stuff, more happiness, or for something a bit longer, try House Rules or No Place Like Home.

READING
Learners could read an article about changes in Home Ownership or about one of the world's priciest homes.

For original version reading, Building With Whole Trees, or read about a secret Treehouse in the Canadian woods. Or for something closer to home, read about Spain's own housing crisis.



WRITING
As usual, you've got plenty of writing options. First, you could try writing an ad to rent or sell your apartment. What amenities does it have? How would you describe it?

Another possibility is to address the housing crisis in Spain. What happened? How has it affected you or people you know? Where do we go from here? 



Have a good week!
Best,
Kelly
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10/16/2014 0 Comments

October Week Three

This week in honor of Columbus Day (celebrated on October 13th in the U.S.), we talked about Christopher Columbus, the discovery of America, and the so-called "Columbian Exchange."

LISTENING
For listening practice this week, learners can try an overview from ESL Holidays about the holiday (mp3, transcript, and activities).

For original version listening, watch one of the History channel's programs about the Columbian Controversy. 
READING

Learners could read and explore the BBC website about Christopher Columbus' biography at Famous People.
For original version reading, first check out the very interesting infographic suggesting we Change Columbus Day to Bartolomé Day.  Also, try the TIME article 10 Things You Should Know about Columbus. For history buffs, I highly recommend books and articles by Charles Mann: 1491.

WRITING
There are a few options this week for writing.  First, you could describe Columbus' voyage or the first meeting with indigenous people.  Or you could explain your opinion of if we should celebrate this day and how.

Next week's topic is house and home. You can review some vocabulary to get ready.



Have a good week!
Best,
Kelly
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10/13/2014 0 Comments

October Week Two

This week we based our conversation on the five senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell.

LISTENING

For listening practice this week, learners can try listening to a conversation about being blind (mp3 and transcript), describing touch or try this audio concentration game.

For original version listening, listen to the radio story Dining in the Dark or the Radiolab Segment Words that Change the World.

READING

Learners could read this explanation about the difference between the verbs listen and hear or for something a bit more difficult a story about a blind mountainclimber (check the right sidebar for mp3, too). 

For original version reading, check out some of the information about optical illusions or the article The Blind Man Who Taught Himself to See.

WRITING

This week you can write about any of the 5 senses. You could describe which sights, smells or sounds evoke memories for you and why. Or consider what Oscar Wilde famously said: "Nothing can cure the soul but the senses, just as nothing can cure the senses but the soul." Do you agree?Don't forget that you can combine this week's work with any of the general resources from last week.

Have a good week!
Best,
Kelly 
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10/1/2014 0 Comments

October Week One

Do your Homework!
Make your English teacher happy!

Welcome back to the new school year and a big welcome to all the new students this year! 
This week we talked about how to study English.  Your main task for this week is to familiarize yourself with the general resources that I include below and find some that you like. Bookmark them so that you can revisit them throughout the year!
LISTENING

There are plenty of websites out there both for learners and in original version that you can use to practice listening.  The ones that I recommend (by section) are:

Online listening activities adapted for learners:
  • Randall's Listening Lab
  • English Listening
  • BBC English
  • English Central
  • British Council Listen and Watch
  • Elllo
  • Voice of America Special English
  • Vaughan Radio (also available on TDT Radio)

Podcasts for learners:
  • ESLPod
  • The Bob and Rob Show

Learning with music:
  • Lyrics Training
  • Tune into English Karaoke
  • Lyricsgaps

Learning with movies:
  • Learn English Through Movies
  • Ororo

Original Version Resources:
  • BBC
  • NPR
  • TED Talks (also available as TED Radio Hour)
  • Frontline Documentaries
  • StoryCorps
  • This American Life
  • Radiolab
  • Favorite Poems Project
  • University courses and lectures at Coursera


READING
Just as is the case of listening, there are many resources that you can revisit throughout the year.  Try both the adapted reading sites as well as the ones in original version!

Adapted reading for learners:
  • Study Zone (first select level, then reading)
  • Time for Kids
  • Breaking News English
  • VOA
Original version reading:
  • New York Times
  • The Guardian
  • Magatopia
  • The Feature (essays)
Original version blogs and websites: Blogs are a fantastic way to explore your interests and study English at the same time.  There are blogs about everything: culture, TV and film, music, cooking,science, the possibilities are endless!  If you need help finding websites about your interest, please let me know!


WRITING

This week's writing assignment is to make a study plan for the year! What are your objectives? What resources will you use to achieve them? What skills do you need to improve on?  If you are a new student, please write about your past experiences with English and what you would like to change and improve.


GRAMMAR
I do recommend that you study a bit of grammar at home.  Even the most advanced students could use a review! So please take a look at some of these resources to study grammar:
  • Grammar Quizzes
  • Self-study Grammar Quizzes
  • Use of English Grammar Test
  • EnglishGrammar


VOCABULARY
This year I suggest you study vocabulary with theQuizlet sets that I have prepared, so take a look and consider downloading the app onto your phone or tablet, so if you are interested, please register online.  Other resources are:
  • Words in the News
  • Self-Study Vocabulary Quizzes
  • English Vocabulary Level Test


PRONUNCIATION
Last, but certainly not least, there are websites that you can use to practice pronunciation:
  • BBC Pronunciation
  • Listen and Repeat: Daily Pronunciation Practice
  • Ship or Sheep
  • Perfect Pronunciation
  • Pronunciation Course
  • English Central Pronunciation
As you can see there are plenty of resources to help you with your progress this year.  Try to find a few that you think you will use and continue to revisit them throughout the year.

Have a good week!
Best,
Kelly

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