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30
JUL
2008

It was an Earthquake, not a Lifequake! We’re lucky!

As CNN and the other global news organizations rushed to tell the world, a 5.4 earthquake hit Los Angeles yesterday. The earth shook, people got scared, and fears of “the big one” entered the minds of millions. The shaking lasted for almost a minute, many pictures fell from walls...
26
JUL
2008

How do you close your last class in a satisfying, summer ESL program?

Class bookends, both beginnings and endings, deserve special attention. This truism becomes more important in short term summer English programs where ESL students have traveled thousands of miles to study English. As so often, I tend to learn by stumbling. Yet, over the years,...
21
JUL
2008

Teaching English Language Learners: What Seems to Work in American Public Schools

Do English language learners, or English as a Second language students, learn better in sheltered programs? Should students receive some instruction in their native language – and if so, for how long? Are there clear differences to effectively write and speak fluently? Teaching...
18
JUL
2008

Does Uncle Sam want immigrants to learn English?

Yet funding for English language classes, especially for adults, remains quite limited. Government programs only help students learn rather basic English, often around 1200 essential words. Students can “pass” all their ESL classes and learn enough English to hold low-level jobs....
06
JUL
2008

Teaching Quotations Creates Lively ESL Classroom Discussions, Shares Insights

Why do you recommend using classic quotations in ESL classrooms? “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free…it expects what never was and never will be.” Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), U.S. President and principal author of the Declaration of Independence Classic quotations,...
02
JUL
2008

Enjoying Easy English Times and Exploring the EET Website

“In every curving beach, in every grain of sand, there is the story of the earth.” Rachel Carson (1907-1964), biologist and environmentalist The mailman brought the “Summer Fun” issue of Easy English Times yesterday, and it made me smile. It’s another wonderful issue...
27
JUN
2008

Have You Read English Teaching Forum Yet?

Have you read English Teaching Forum magazine yet? It is another outstanding resource for English language teachers whether working with adults in Africa, Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, South America, or teaching immigrants and future citizens inside the United States. Published...
19
JUN
2008

Learning by Stumbling (again) and finding Classroom 2.0

As readers of this blog will soon discover, I believe in experimenting and finding new resources. Following an emailed lead, I discovered an impressive website for teachers called Classroom 2.0 . What attracted me? The site meets me where I am – an English teacher curious...
19
JUN
2008

What are the 1000 most common words in English?

Sometimes students ask simple, direct questions that I can’t immediately answer. For instance, an ESL student wondered, “What are the 1000 most common words in English?” Wiktionary, an offshoot of the wonderful Wikipedia, offers this answer . The list looks,...
16
JUN
2008

TaLKing in English, Talking about English, and Learning Korean

Sometimes we confuse talking about English with talking in English. As English teachers, we need to gently encourage our students to talk as much as possible in English, and only sometimes in English. And as world citizens, we should learn as much about the country and host...