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Sophisticated English for Global Souls
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04
NOV
2015
Asian girl with tea

Home vs. House: What does this mean?

  “No matter under what circumstances you leave it, home does not cease to be home. No matter how you lived there – well or poorly.” ~Joseph Brodsky (1940-1996), Russian-American poet & Nobel Prize winner   What’s the difference between a house and...
30
OCT
2015
Three cheerful friends drinking coffee

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...
25
JUN
2015

Teaching the difference between ‘make’ and ‘do’ for English Language Learners

Sometimes we forget how much cultural information can be contained in short sayings and everyday idioms. Sometimes Americans will use the verb “make” in a way that might seem strange to English students. Many English students note that they don’t choose to “make mistakes” on...
03
JAN
2015

‘Verbal Energy’ column quirky, insightful, fun

Christian Science Monitor’s Ruth Walker spotlights English as a fascinating language   “There is no such thing as “the Queen’s English.’ The property has gone into the hands of a joint stock company, and we own the bulk of the stock.” Mark Twain...
10
DEC
2014

Ask Why Your Students Want to Learn English

“Well begun is half done.” Ancient Greek proverb Sometimes we forget the most basic questions. What brings the students in your English class into the room? Are they fulfilling school requirements, pursuing academic achievements, or creating new possibilities? How do...
10
OCT
2014

Search and Share exercises enhance learning resources

Explore with Search and Share worksheets   Photo Source: Photo taken by Nicola Sapiens De Mitri“In any field, find the strangest thing and then explore it.” -John Archibald Wheeler (1911-2008) American theoretical physicistWe live in a world full of wonderful resources...
21
AUG
2014

Spring ESL: “One Stop Connection to ESL, EFL, ELD, ELT, and ESOL instructional materials”

Book center hosts a wealth of ELL materials   “Spring Book Center strives in three basic principles: Service, Responsibility and Lower Prices.” -Spring ESLWe live in a Golden Age for teaching English. We can find resources from around the globe to fit the needs of the...
19
AUG
2014

‘Teaching History With Film’ encourages use of film through examples, lesson plans

How and when to use film in classrooms, and why “The difference between life and the movies is that a script has to make sense, and life doesn’t.” -Joseph L. Mankiewicz (1909-1993) American screenwriterFilm remains a powerful, if imperfect, tool for providing revealing glimpses...
15
AUG
2014

Between life and death: Zombie nouns privilege pretentious vocabulary at the expense of simple clarity

The nominalization of nouns creates abstract, dry and often misleading language “Simplicity is the glory of expression.” -Walt Whitman (1819-1892) American poetSometimes, it’s fun to play with the English language and transform its adjectives, adverbs and nouns into more...
13
AUG
2014

Biscuit: mobile app to recall, learn, explore vocabulary words

Innovative technology allows students to absorb new vocabulary “The limits of my language means the limits of my world.” -Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) Austrian-British philosopherHave you ever found a word you don’t know, jumped to your dictionary, tried to remember the...