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? Chimayo Press, an...

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McREL standards provide universal guide for teachers

Foreign language classrooms could benefit from McREL standards “You are never too old to set a new goal or to dream a new dream.” ―C.S. Lewis (1889-1936) British author While conducting research for a review on Journeys In Film, a nonprofit dedicated to teaching social study through film, I came across the Mid-Continental Research for Education and Learning (McREL) standards. For teachers,...

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Journeys in Film promotes use of movies, documentaries to teach

How films can explore and examine cultures in classrooms   Source: PBS.org “Film has the power to educate the most visually literate generation in history.” ―Liam Neeson (1952- ) Irish actorNeeson speaks specifically about Journeys in Film, a nonprofit organization founded in 2003 from the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center, and its mission to educate at the middle and high school level...

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Proceed with Caution: Gender-Neutral and Plural Pronouns

How to approach pronouns in English class “The world is still a weird place, despite my efforts to make clear and perfect sense of it.” ―Hunter S. Thompson (1937-2005) American journalist How unfortunate it is that English has no gender-neutral pronoun, one to use when saying “he or she” is either too tedious or ambiguous. John McWhorter of the New Republic argues in this article that in fact...

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Discussing the New Year And Making Resolutions to Change in English Class

“Everything becomes a little different as soon as it is spoken out loud.” Hermann Hesse (1877-1962), Nobel Prize winner for Literature Holidays and anniversaries often prompt personal reflections. As 2010 ends and a new year beckons, millions of English language learners and thousands of English teachers  reflect on their lives and make new year resolutions. ·         What did you...

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CATESOL Accepts Presentation on Informational Interviews

How can English teachers help adult, college, and university students expand their network of professional contacts while improving their interview skills? What practical speaking exercise includes both off-campus interviews and classroom presentations? How can ESL teachers add informational interviews to their oral skills curriculum? What are informational interviews, anyway? What makes them...

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