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Compelling American Conversations – Teacher Edition Comes Out!
“Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education. The human mind is our fundamental resource.”
~ John F. Kennedy (1917-1963), 35th President of the U.S.
Are you a teacher looking for fresh tips to flip your classroom discussions? Do you ever wish the Teacher Edition of your textbook was more adaptable to your classroom needs?
Compelling American Conversations – Teacher Edition includes Search and Shares from the original CAC and the newly released Compelling Conversations – JapanChimayo Press, an LA-based educational publisher, releases Compelling American Conversations – Teacher Edition. This new title assists educators of English as a Second Language (ESL) working with intermediate students at the American high school and adult education levels, immigrant and international alike. Complementing and expanding upon the original material, Compelling American Conversatons – Questions and Quotations for Intermediate American English Language Learners, this guide also includes new content on pronunciation, idioms and word structures to spark more lively English classroom discussions.
This 120-page expansion on the original fifteen chapters comes from Eric Roth, also the co-author of four other Compelling Conversations titles and a master lecturer at the University of Southern California (USC). His co-authors are Mark Treston, who has over 15 years of teaching experience in the US, Korea, Japan, and Israel, and Robert Glynn, a tenured adult ESL teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Their collective, hands-on teaching experience is what makes the Teacher Edition an invaluable resource for more inexperienced teachers and adjunct faculty alike.”We’ve probably taught immigrants and refugees from 75 or more countries in our careers combined.” notes Roth.
First released in 2012, Compelling American Conversations, written by Toni Aberson and Eric Roth, gained some critical praise and a small group of enthusiasts.“This book is fun and stimulating and, fortunately, very accessible for the intermediate learner,” noted Planaria Price, author of Life in the USA and Realistically Speaking.
Carl W. Hart, author of Rocket English Grammar and The Ultimate Phrasal Verb Book, called Compelling American Conversations “a gold mine . . . . The combination of compelling conversation topics, which students enjoy; new vocabulary, which students crave; and brief grammar reminders, which students need, will get students talking and learning!” Despite this critical acclaim from some ESL authors and excerpts in the literacy monthly Easy English Times, Compelling American Conversations remains relatively unknown outside of Southern California adult education circles.
Many ESL Educators Can Benefit:
“I learned so much from Mark (Treston) and Robert (Glynn) about teaching speaking skills with my own book during this creative collaboration,” says Roth. “It’s both surprising and delightful. They brought so many insights and savvy techniques from their own ESL classroom experiences into the book. I suspect many other ESL educators can benefit from their teaching tips too!”
“Each chapter includes a list of learning objectives, extended vocabulary lessons, minimal pairs, and advice on paraphrasing proverbs and other extension activities. The combination of teaching tips, diverse extension activities, and additional cultural references makes it easier to provide insights into American culture while teaching English conversation. “Sometimes teachers are reluctant to teach conversation because students may ask unexpected questions,” adds Treston. “It can be stressful or wonderful. Our book reduces the stress and increases the wonder. And we like lively class discussions.”
Chapter titles – of both Student and Teacher Editions – include: Opening Moves; Going Beyond Hello; Making and Breaking Habits; Studying English; Being Yourself; Choosing and Keeping Friends; Playing and Watching Sports; Talking About American Television; Celebrating American Holidays; Being Stylish; Handling Stress; Practicing Job Interviews; Valuing Money and Finding Bargains; Exploring American Cities and Seeing Our World With Photographs.
Each chapter also concludes with reproducible ‘Search and Share’ communicative homework exercises in the appendix. These communicative, reproducible worksheets and tips help flip the classroom environment. The Search and Share format – where students collect information to share with classmates in small groups – both encourages and requires greater student participation and speaking in class. “English students need to be encouraged and supported as they gain competency and confidence,” concludes Roth. “Speaking English is harder than it looks.”
Although tailored for college and adult education students, the fluency-focused ESL textbook remains adaptable to other English programs and level. This ESL textbook expands the innovative fluency-focused ESL/EFL series that started with Compelling Conversations: Questions and Quotations on Timeless Topics written by Toni Aberson and Roth (2006). Since publication, Compelling Conversations has found readers in over 50 countries and established a niche among dedicated English teachers, online EFL tutors, and English conversation clubs. Compelling American Conversations is the third conversation book. The series also includes Compelling Conversations – Japan: Questions and Quotations for High Intermediate English Language Learners (2015) and Compelling Conversations – Vietnam: Questions and Quotations for Advanced Vietnamese English Language Learners (2011).
Compelling American Conversations – Teacher Edition, like the other titles in the Compelling Conversations series, is available for purchase through www.chimayopress.com, www.compellingconversations.com, or Amazon.com
Compelling American Conversations – Teacher Edition
Price: $18.95
ISBN-13: 978-1512226751
Publication date: October 15, 2015
Compelling American Conversations – Student Edition
Price: $22.50
ISBN-13: 978-1468158366
eISBN: 978-09847985-0-6
Publication date: June 10, 2012
Questions? Want to leave feedback? Contact us below:
Eric Roth, Publisher
Chimayo Press
eric@compellingconversations.com
855-ESL-Book or 1-855-375-2665
Ask more. Know more. Share more. Create Compelling Conversations.
Compelling Conversations – Japan Focuses on Fluency and Authentic Communication for Japanese English Language Learners
“The most important thing we learn at school is the fact that the most important things can’t be learned at school.”
~Haruki Murakami (1949- ), Japanese author
Do your English students want to speak more English? Do you currently teach Japanese English language learners? Are you looking for an engaging, fresh EFL conversation book to guide your English students toward greater fluency in speaking English in and out of class?
Compelling Conversations – Japan includes a dozen search and share worksheets.Chimayo Press, an LA-based educational publisher, proudly introduces their latest title Compelling Conversations – Japan: Questions and Quotations for High-Intermediate Japanese English Language Learners. The English as a Foreign Language (EFL) textbook focuses on fluency and authentic conversations. The 163-page title offers a wide variety of speaking exercises and cultural discussions that consistently encourage and foster deeper communication skills for English language learners.
Designed for Japanese students of high school and community college programs, Compelling Conversations – Japan remains adaptable to a variety of students and classroom needs, including adult conversation classes.
Some English language professionals believe the conversation-based EFL (English as a Foreign Language) textbook fills a niche. “Compelling Conversations – Japan will prove very useful to Japanese English learners ,” notes Lisa Mojsin, author of Mastering the American Accent. “It’s more than just a conversation book; it’s also a cross-cultural awareness book, filled with proverbs and cultural insights.”
Marshal Holmes, owner and head teacher of Eikaiwa English World online, adds “I have been using Compelling Conversations with my intermediate students for years. With its range of topics, it’s a great book to get students to a higher level of fluency.” Holmes concludes: “In my opinion, [Compelling Conversations – Japan] is one of the best books available for intermediate English students.”
Compelling Conversations – Japan is the latest EFL textbook from Chimayo publisher Eric Roth, co-author of four other Compelling Conversations titles and a master lecturer at the University of Southern California (USC). His fellow authors are Shiggy Ichinomiya and Brent Warner, each of whom taught English in Japan for at least a decade. Ichinomiya also has photography credentials in his repertoire, and a language learning site, GoSpeakGo.com. Warner, like Roth, is currently a lecturer at USC and is the author of How to Pass the TOEFLibt Test. Their combined experience provides invaluable insight into the world of both learning and teaching English as a Second Language.
Compelling Conversations – Japan includes over 120 provocative quotes and 60 + proverbs, from authors, thinkers and celebrities from around the world within 12 thematic chapters: Getting the Conversation Started; Going Beyond Hello; Home Sweet Home; Eating and Drinking; Exploring Daily Habits; Being Yourself; Making and Keeping Friends; Sharing Pet Peeves; Taking Photographs; Talking About Movies; Learning in School, and Exploring Cities. The appendix features additional self/peer evaluations, resources for further learning, and an index of quotes used.
Chapter sections feature a range of diverse speaking activities like: Sharing Experiences, Vocabulary Expansion, Culture Corner, Ask More Questions, Photographs to Start Conversations, Paraphrasing Proverbs, Pronunciation Practice, The Conversation Continues, Discussing Quotations, Tell Me About Japan … in English. Each chapter concludes with a Search and Share web quest, where students find articles and videos online, then summarize and evaluate the information. These activities provide many opportunities for college students and adult professionals to develop, deepen, and practice their speaking skills in English. “We think this book is the best book yet in the growing Compelling Conversations series,” notes Roth.
This EFL textbook expands the innovative fluency-focused ESL/EFL series that started with Compelling Conversations: Questions and Quotations on Timeless Topics written by Toni Aberson and Roth (2006). Since publication, Compelling Conversations has found readers in over 50 countries and established a niche among dedicated English teachers, online EFL tutors, and English conversation clubs. “Speaking fluent English is becoming increasingly important across Asia, including Japan,” notes Roth. “Our book helps Japanese English language learners create authentic, positive experiences in our difficult, strange tongue.”
Compelling Conversations – Japan, like the other titles in the Compelling Conversations series, is available for purchase through www.chimayopress.com, www.compellingconversations.com, or Amazon.com. Sample chapters be found at www.chimayopress.com.
Compelling Conversations – Japan
Price: $24.95
ISBN-10: 09847-98579
ISBN-13: 978-0984-798575
ISBN: 9780984798582 (ebook)
Publication date: September 1, 2015
Questions? Want to leave feedback? Contact us below:
Eric Roth, Publisher
Chimayo Press
eric@compellingconversations.com
855-ESL-Book or 1-855-375-2665
Ask more. Know more. Share more. Create Compelling Conversations.
Search and Share Speaking Activities Can Flip English Classrooms and Become Complete EFL Class Lessons
“Education is a kind of continuing dialogue and a dialogue assumes, in the nature of the case, different points of view.”
~Robert Hutchins (1899-1977), educator and philosopher
How can we create more speaking opportunities for students in our English classes? Why not ask students to select articles, charts, and videos that they would like to share with classmates on particular themes?
“Search and Share” is the way I describe this communicative homework activity. In the last blog post, I outlined how English teachers can revitalize their classes and expand student speaking time with these homework activities. It’s an easy, effective way to “flip” your ESL class and teach critical thinking skills too. Here I will show how English teachers can extend the activity into an entire class period. I use this technique quite often in my advanced speaking skills classes with graduate university students to create authentic, satisfying classroom conversations.
Practice Improves Storytelling Skills
EFL teachers can also move English students into new groupings, and take the communicative activity a few steps further. Students can present their “research” again, but this time they must include all the information that they were asked in the first round. So the second telling provides more details. It’s also usually tighter. Once again, however, every student asks every presenter a question. This consistent practice pushes shy students to ask questions, and gives all students practice in responding to questions in English. Practice, as the cliche goes, makes progress. English students both practice and improve their storytelling skills with this communicative activity.
In a 50-minute class, we usually only have time for two rounds. Yet in an 80-minute class we usually have time for three rounds and a class discussion. As an ESL teacher, I circle around in different groups, ask questions, and jot down notes on “good mistakes.” Between rounds, I usually summarize some “good mistakes” such as verb tense errors or forgetting to cite a source. Sometimes, however, I will save the “good mistakes” to review after a few rounds. For homework, students post the links to their selected videos or articles on a class website so other students can easily access the recommended materials.
Can you take the “Search and Share” assignment further? Yes. Sometimes students will be asked to develop a PPT presentation and prepare a class presentation for the following class. As with so many topics, the more you know about a subject, the more interesting the subject becomes. Perhaps that’s why students consistently praise this assignment on their course evaluations.
Download Free Search and Share Activities
You can find “Search and Share” materials in Compelling American Conversations for ESL students and Compelling Conversations – Japan for EFL students. This conversation activity allows students to “ask more, know more, speak more, and share more.” Isn’t that what we want?
How do you encourage students to intelligently search for information on the internet and share materials in your English class?
Ask more. Know more. Share more.
Create Compelling Conversations!
Visit www.CompellingConversations.com
Compelling Conversations for Fundraisers
Talk Your Way to Success with Donors and Funders
ISBN: 978-0-9904988-0-3
Compelling Conversations for Fundraisers: Talk Your Way to Success with Donors and Funders zooms in on the all important one-to-one conversations with your prospects and donors to help you make the connections that result in new and increasing contributions for your organization.
Whether you are new to fundraising or a seasoned pro, in a one-person development office or a large university advancement department, Compelling Conversations for Fundraisers provides conversation guidance and helpful tips for the many types of donor interactions you will face. Written by two fundraising professionals with track records of success in development offices large and small— in universities, religious and performing arts schools, public media and community organizations—Compelling Conversations for Fundraisers reviews the essentials for meeting prospects and talking your way to success.
Compelling Conversations for Fundraisers gives you the tools to really learn
about your donors through personal interaction and includes conversation
guides to:
- Turn a social conversation to one about the mission of your group
- Refresh and deepen your conversations with donors.
- Create more a more positive fundraising experience for your
donors and yourself.
Preparing for compelling conversations with your donors will inspire thoughtful replies that will provide context for you—the listener and relationship-builder—to ask follow-up questions, to relate to your donor’s answers and to truly interact with the person in front of you. Whether you are working in the advancement department of a large university or a one-person development office for a small non-profit, we think you’ll find by creating real conversations, your donors will feel heard and appreciated. You’ll find greater satisfaction in your work. And your organization will build a list of loyal donors who contribute and feel part of your community.
Compelling Conversations for Fundraisers’ chapters include advice, examples and conversation starters for each stage in donor cultivation: Acquiring New Donors, Re-Engaging Donors, Renewing Donors and Upgrading Donors. Are you working on planned gifts? We also include a chapter on this important area that may yield your largest gifts. Foundation program officers are people too—so we’ve included a chapter on how you can get to know them better and share news about your organization.
Chapter 1: Values and the Case Statement
Chapter 2: Acquiring New Donors
Chapter 3: Renewing Donors
Chapter 4: Re-Engaging Donors
Chapter 5: Upgrading Donors
Chapter 6: Planned Gifts, Endowments and Bequests
Chapter 7: The Integrated Ask
Chapter 8: Foundations and Conversations
We hope you find in these pages the sparks for a new approach and the confidence to truly engage your donors. After all isn’t a good conversation one of life’s great pleasures?
Compelling Conversations for Fundraisers: Talk Your Way to Success with Donors and Funders
Authors: Janet Levine and Laurie A. Selik
ISBN: 978-0-9904988-0-3
Price: $24.95
Compelling Conversations for Fundraisers is now available on Amazon!
CLICK HERE TO ORDER!
What people are saying about Compelling Conversations for Fundraisers:
“The authors, who each have great experience working for diverse major nonprofits, introduce the reader to many types of campaigns, from approaching current major donors (e.g. board members) to engaging new and re-engaging past donors. Currently, the trend for annual campaigns is to seek ongoing (e.g. monthly, automatic debits) “sustaining” gifts. “Compelling Conversations” also moves ahead with opportunities for upgrading (i.e. increasing the regular amount) contributions and the need on occasion to seek support for special campaigns (e.g. capital building funds). The authors also discuss the sources of funds, such as planned giving of appreciated property (e.g. stocks, bonds real estate, etc.), endowments and bequests. There’s also a section on working with foundation boards and staff (vs. soliciting the donor who set up the fund/foundation).”
– Lauren Deutsch, Amazon.com
“To make the ask, you need this book, whether you are a new fundraiser or an old hand. Compelling Conversations for Fundraisers provided me, a development professional with 20+ years experience, many fresh ways to approach donors and effectively make the ask.”
– Liz Leshin, Director of Development, Los Angeles Conservancy
“Compelling Conversations for Fundraisers reminds us that human interests drive philanthropy and encourages fundraisers to weave authenticity through their conversations.”
– Natalie Rodriguez Jansorn, Director, College Excellence Program, The Aspen Institute
“Janet and Laurie take the mystery out of asking for money by breaking conversations down to a very easy-to-understand and applicable level.”
– Gregory Bradbard, President & CEO, Inland Empire United Way
How do you flip your English class? What homework activities do you use to spark lively small group discussions in class?
How do you create lively small group discussions in your English class? What homework do you find most likely to spark student-led conversations? Are you interested in flipping your ESL class so English language learners collect information outside of class and share the information inside the class?
ELT researchers consistently recommend that students talk at least 70% of class time, but many English teachers find it hard to actually achieve this goal. Students want to speak – in the abstract, but both boring materials, limited vocabulary, and sometimes shyness and fear of making mistakes can often inhibit student speaking.
Letting Students Make More Choices
One effective teaching technique I’ve often used is called “Search and Share”. This communicative internet homework activity encourages – actually requires – English students to take an active role in their English classes. The ESL or EFL students find their own videos and newspaper articles that match their interests, summarize the material, and evaluate its quality. Search and Share also allows students to also share more of their personal interests with classmates in a safe, focused manner on chosen themes. By letting students choose some of the class materials, they often become much more interested in participating in both small group and class discussions.
What is Search and Share?
Over the last six years, I have used Search and Share activities as homework in intermediate and advanced high school and university English classes. The popular activity can be used for supplemental speaking exercise or extended into an entire class. Because students often want to present compelling material, they will spend far time reviewing possible videos and articles than I would ever require for homework too – and they become far more familiar with the concepts too.
Students share the information they have collected (job interview advice, review of a favorite film, product information/review, a TED talk, restaurant review, local tourist destination, favorite charity/non-profit, etc). Students begin in small groups of 3-5 students. Everyone presents their “research”, and the other students proceed to ask at least one question each. Each round usually takes 15-20 minutes to finish a search and share in university classrooms.
In my latest book, Compelling Conversations – Japan, you can find Search and Share exercises at the end of each chapters. Click here for a complete set of the “Search and Share” homework worksheets come from Compelling Conversations – Japan: Questions and Quotations for High-Intermediate English Language Learners.
While specially designed for English language learners in Japan, you can easily adapt and deploy the worksheets for EFL classrooms across the globe.
Compelling Conversations – Japan includes a dozen search and share worksheets. Why not test the material in your own English classroom?
Ask more. Know more. Share more.
Create Compelling Conversations.
Visit www.CompellingConversations.com
