fluentu What’s your favorite song? If it’s a popular hit, there’s a good chance your students will understand the lyrics. A shocking study discovered that the majority of popular music is written at a third-grade reading level or below. Let me repeat that. The majority of songs that adults and teenagers are listening to could easily be read by an eight-year-old. While this may be a troubling discovery about the current state of music composition, it’s great news for ESL teachers! This means you can take songs that your students are listening to and turn them into an ESL lesson that you will all enjoy. You can even create an entire lesson (or multiple lessons!) It will be fun for your students and easy for you. This can work for any level of ESL student. No matter how little English your students know, there is a song at their level that is listened to by millions of native English-speaking adults. So let’s dance! Why Is Music Helpful for ESL Students? The takeaway? With English-language music, you can…
The sounds of English and the International Phonetic Alphabet © Tomasz P. Szynalski, Antimoon.com This chart contains all the sounds (phonemes) used in the English language. For each sound, it gives: The symbol from the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), as used in phonetic transcriptions in modern dictionaries for English learners — that is, in A. C. To print the chart, use the printable PDF version. Does this chart list all the sounds that you can hear in British and American English? No. For example, this page does not list the regular t (heard in this pronunciation of letter) and the flap t (heard in this one) with separate symbols. So this page actually lists phonemes (groups of sounds), not individual sounds. Take the phoneme p in the above chart. Typing the phonetic symbols You won’t find phonetic symbols on your computer’s keyboard. You can use my free IPA phonetic keyboard at ipa.typeit.org. You can also use the ASCII Phonetic Alphabet, which represents IPA symbols with “normal” characters that you can type on your keyboard.
How did English become the world’s most spoken language? | ESL Five hundred years ago, between five and seven million people spoke English, almost all of them living in the British Isles. Now, anywhere up to 1.8 billion people around the world speak English, it’s no wonder why so many students choose to study English abroad! How did this happen? The growth of English has nothing to do with the structure of the language, or any inherent qualities, and everything to do with politics. The British Empire After developing for almost a millennium on the British Isles, English was taken around the world by the sailors, soldiers, pilgrims, traders and missionaries of the British Empire. For example, English-speaking puritans were not the only Europeans to arrive in North America: Spanish, French, Dutch and German were also widely spoken. But in the process of designing a “United” States, the USA’s founders knew the importance of language for national identity. And it wasn’t just America that said “hello” to English. Gone but not forgotten English is “cool”
Teach Them A Lesson 22 Appar för att öva engelska! – IKTsidan Jag får ofta frågan om appar för att öva engelska. Det har varit ganska magert utbud på dessa men nu när jag grävde lite mer har det faktiskt kommit flera bra appar att testa. Här kommer 22 appar i olika svårighetsgrader. I mitt nästa inlägg kommer webbsidor där du kan öva engelska både på dator och via surfplatta, håll utkik! Bitsboard Spelling Bee Bilderna ovan är tagna från denna app. English ladders Använd din engelska för att matcha rätt svar, och klättra upp på stegar eller falla ner till ormarna. Active Listening: Using Times Videos, Podcasts and Articles to Practice a Key Skill Listening is a skill that we’re in danger of losing in a world of digital distraction and information overload, writes Seth S. Horowitz in “The Science and Art of Listening.” He continues: And yet we dare not lose it. Because listening tunes our brain to the patterns of our environment faster than any other sense, and paying attention to the nonvisual parts of our world feeds into everything from our intellectual sharpness to our dance skills.… “You never listen” is not just the complaint of a problematic relationship, it has also become an epidemic in a world that is exchanging convenience for content, speed for meaning. Research shows that being a good listener can make you more influential and a better leader. And, of course, listening — along with speaking, reading and writing — is one of four key domains in learning any language, and one of the central skills in the Common Core State Standards. How much emphasis do you put on the skill of listening in your classroom? “The Daily”
Swedish word of the day: sportlov The sportlov usually lasts for one week and, depending on where you live in Sweden, comes as early as February 11th-17th or as late as the week of March 4th-10th. The vacation dates back to the Second World War after a recommendation by the government-run energy commission (bränslekommissionen) which stated in 1940 that Sweden could save fuel by not having to heat up the country's schools for a week during one of the coldest months of the year. It was initially named kokslov (named after the high-carbon content fuel coke), but eventually changed its name to instead match the winter sports activities on offer for the children on vacation. In the 1950s, the country's public health services noted that February (popularly referred to also as vabruari) was the peak month for Swedish children catching the flu or the winter vomiting virus, and by keeping them away from the schools for at least one week, the spreading of such illnesses reduced drastically.
Super Teacher Tools Hem - Kunskapshubben The Best Poems for Kids | Short Poems | Funny Poems | Rhyming Poems As a father of five children who loves to read to them at night, I’ve learned a thing or two about which poems play best for kids. In fact, I’d say there are three key types that appeal to kids the most: Short PoemsFunny PoemsRhyming Poems This post links to several kids poems of each type (in fact, the best!) and includes some commentary for why I think each poem type succeeds with children. Want to write good poetry for kids (and adults)? Short Poems for Kids Why do short poems work so well? Here are the best short poems for kids: Rabbit, by Mary Ann HobermanDinosaur Diets, by Jane YolenAbout the Teeth of Sharks, by John CiardiMommies, by Nikki GiovanniFirst Grade, by William StaffordHow to Paint a Donkey, by Naomi Shihab NyeValentine, by Donald Hall Funny Poems for Kids Kids love to laugh and clown around. Here are the best funny poems for kids: Rhyming Poems for Kids If your poems for kids aren’t short or completely funny, you still have an “in” with children if you can rhyme.
American English to British English Vocabulary While pronunciation, grammar, and spelling are among the many differences between American and British English, perhaps the most difficult to navigate is the difference in American and British vocabulary and word choice. American and British Vocabulary and Word Choice Many students are confused about word differences between American and British English. The following list provides common American English vocabulary and word choices and their British English equivalents arranged in alphabetical order. Now, test your knowledge with the two quizzes below. American to British English Vocabulary Quiz Replace the American English word in italics with a British English word. I'd like to hang the drapes tonight. Answers curtainsliftfilmflatchemist'spubrubbishroundaboutcrispstorchtrousersspigot waistcoatposttights British to American English Vocabulary Quiz Replace the British word in italics with an American English word.