How do you teach the difference between “a” and “the” during conversation class?
Helping English language learners distinguish articles remains important in advanced ESL and English conversation classes “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” ―Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) Dutch painter Does it make sense to emphasize the difference between articles (a, an, the) in an English conversation class? Perhaps. Context matters. Conversation class should...
Read MoreJames T. Keating’s “Writing Modern English” tackles the idiomatic, confusing and wrong
Source: Japanese Amazon Japanese English Learners and many English teachers can greatly benefit from this logical guide to clear, modern writing “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug.” –Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author and humorist How do you know if you’re doing “well” or if you’re doing “good?”...
Read MoreMcREL 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,...
Read More“English in Los Angeles” inspires conversation with splashes of color
Source: Amazon Piera Fumagalli fuses vocabulary, grammar and idioms with LA “People cut themselves off from their ties of the old life when they come to Los Angeles. They are looking for a place where they can be free, where they can do things they couldn’t do anywhere else.” ―Tom Bradley (1917-1998) Former Mayor of Los Angeles Do you have a California dream? What about a Los...
Read MoreJourneys 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...
Read MoreCreating Simple ESL Lesson Plans Around Top Ten Lists for Advanced English Classes
Advanced ESL/EFL classes benefit from making top ten lists “Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.” ―Tenzin Gyatso (1950-) 14th Dalai Lama Americans love to create, read, and discuss top ten lists. Newspapers and magazines use the simple format to summarize large chunks of information in a friendly, easily digestible manner. Year-end issues often expand the technique to create...
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