Several topics are trending in U.S. news, somewhat due to the recent presidential debate. The views and proposals of different candidates are making people in the U.S. think more about certain issues, such as the cost of college tuition. ELLs should be welcome to weigh in with their own personal opinions without fear of language…
Storytelling: Your Go-To Activity
Storytelling can be any teacher’s go-to activity because stories can be short or long and make use of any target language. If you have any concern about your own lack of creativity, don’t worry about running dry; tap into your students’ wonderful minds. All they need is a prompt, like an interesting photo from the…
Student Stumper 50: “Last” vs. “Past”
QUESTION: What’s the difference between “last” and “past”? Can I say “the last year” and “the past year”? Do they mean the same thing? ANSWER: We can use both of those phrases, but they don’t necessarily mean the same thing. Anytime there are similarities, we must figure out where exactly there’s overlap. Structurally, the phrases…
My Holiday Wishes to You
I wish you all happy holidays! May 2020 bring you joy, peace, growth, and unexpected moments to treasure! I’ll return with new posts in January. Enjoy these last few days of 2019. Kind regards, Jennifer Featured photo by congerdesign. Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/photos/christmas-christmas-decoration-4646421/.
Creating an Inclusive Celebration of Christmas
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are officially listed on U.S. calendars. With many schools and businesses closed on theses days and with special holiday events scheduled in abundance at this time of year, it’s pretty hard to ignore the importance of Christmas in American culture. Whether you’re in the U.S. or not and whether you…
10 Ways to Explore and Expand the Topic of Personality Types
In a recent video lesson, I presented vocabulary for talking about the range of personalities a person can have. It leans towards pop psychology, and that’s the fun of it. Few of us have any credible background in psychology (the handful of courses I took in college do not equal a degree!), but we’ve all…
A Realistic Path Toward Accent Reduction
I’m not a big believer in accent elimination. A successful pronunciation lesson of mine doesn’t guarantee a 100% “native-like accent.” I support progress towards accent reduction. The end goal is clear, natural, confident pronunciation. Reducing one’s foreign accent in English is about targeting a model closely enough so that variations don’t confuse or distract the…
Thanksgiving Wishes (and one activity!)
This week I’ll take a short break from blogging. I’ll need some extra time to bake my pumpkin pies and stuff the 13-pound turkey that’s currently thawing in the fridge. To all who are celebrating Thanksgiving this Thursday, I wish you a warm and peaceful holiday. May your plate be full, may conversation be pleasant,…
Student Stumper 49: “Another” vs. “Other”
QUESTION: What’s the difference between “another” and “other”? They’re very similar. ANSWER: Indeed, they’re similar, so the challenge is to find and remember the differences. A learner’s dictionary can help us identify rules and patterns. Then comes the hard part: we need to commit all that information to memory. Parts of Speech First, let’s look…
Tools for Generating Discussion About Generations
Something funny happens when the topic of generations comes up. People come together to discuss their similarities and differences. Those from the same generation bond over a common sense of identity. Those from different generations are interested in making comparisons. With the right atmosphere, such discussions can be positive and productive. The goal of my…
Student Stumper 48: Does the house need painting or need being painted?
QUESTION: I know I can say a house needs painting, but why can’t I say the house needs being painted? ANSWER: It’s not always easy to give a satisfactory answer to grammar questions. Sometimes a standard pattern simply must be followed, no exceptions. You learn the acceptable pattern, and like a dutiful soldier you follow…
Modals for Beginners
Modals find their way into grammar lessons at all stages of learning English. At the lower levels, it’s wise to present modal verbs in small doses, allowing time for practice and feedback. With one of my beginners, Natasha, I decided to teach “Would you like…?” for polite requests and invitations. (See beginner video lesson.) That…
