BusyTeacher.org YouTube, as well as websites such as wikihow.com, instructables.com, and soyouwanna.com, have an incredible assortment of guides on how to do almost anything, from cutting up onions to making paper airplanes. In this article, I’m going to explain how to adapt a video tutorial into a listening lesson for your ESL/EFL classes. How-to videos contain a number of features which makes them perfect for exploitation in the ESL/EFL classroom: authentic English with natural pronunciation content that relates to everyday life a wide range of topics that can be used images and (in some cases) titles and subtitles which make the meaning clearer the pleasure of learning a useful skill and new English vocabulary at the same time The following sections will guide you through several steps of planning for using a how-to video in class. Searching for the Right Video First of all, you need to think of something that your class would enjoy learning. Planning Your Lesson First, start with a pre-listening task.
7 Shockingly Tone-Deaf Ads That Should Have Never Happened | The Huffington Post Trading in the EU - Detailed guidance Introduction The 28 countries of the EU make up a huge market of potential customers and suppliers for your business. This market can be easier to access than other overseas markets as many of the trading practices, regulations and standards apply throughout the EU. Key tasks - such as accounting for VAT - have also been simplified to facilitate trade within the EU. If you conform to UK requirements, you will generally meet requirements throughout the EU. Why trade in the EU? Trading with other EU countries offers a number of key benefits to businesses in the UK. At the core of the EU is the single market - the programme of freeing up the trade of goods and services and the movement of people between EU countries. The following are some of the measures which EU countries have introduced to make it easier to trade with each other: Find out about other EU markets You need to consider your particular business needs and see whether trading with other EU countries will be of benefit to you.
TeachingGamesEFL.com – by Mike Astbury 25 scary stories by Stephen King and other great horror writers you can read NOW We live in an age where you can experience horror in a multitude of ways, but a short, spooky story is still one of the purest. The short story is a time-honored part of literature as a whole, but it's always been particularly successful as part of the horror genre. Think back to when you first read Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" in junior high and you'll know what I mean. There's something about the finely honed, brief burst of the short story that makes it absolutely perfect for scares, and that's left us with a plethora of spooky tales from centuries of writing to enjoy over and over again. Though you have to visit a bookstore (or your e-book store of choice) to enjoy many of these tales, quite a few of them have found their way into the public domain by now, or they're just available for free via one publication or another. Just click on the story title to enjoy its creepy contents. "Beyond the Wall" by Ambrose Bierce "The Thing on the Doorstep" by H.P. "Mrs.
Doing referendums differently There’s no denying it: referendums have become a central feature of our politics. So it’s about time we started thinking seriously about how we should run them. Since 2011 we have had two UK-wide referendums (on voting reform and membership of the European Union), a Scottish independence referendum, and a Welsh referendum on devolution of powers. The UK is in an extended period of constitutional flux - and is showing few signs of coming out the other side any time soon. As passionate believers in democracy, we wanted to see the best possible referendum debate during the EU vote. Sadly though, the wider debate let voters down. That’s why we’re pleased to launch our landmark EU referendum report into the conduct of the referendum, ‘It’s Good to Talk: Doing Referendums Differently After the EU Vote’. This report shows without a shadow of a doubt just how dire the EU referendum debate really was - and what we can do about it. The state of the referendum debate Where next? Laying the groundwork
Lesson plans Functional language Mind-mapping social encounters – a generic lesson plan (shortlisted for Teaching English British Council Blog of the Month award). [worksheet] Listing advantages and disadvantages (A2). [worksheet] Lesson share: emailing (B1-B2). [worksheet] Tell me about your favourite technology (B1). [worksheet] Avoiding saying ‘no’ (shortlisted for Teaching English British Council Blog of the Month award). [worksheet] Keeping a conversation going – a lesson plan (B1-B2) A lesson plan designed to help learners maintain conversations more easily by (1) asking a range of follow-up questions more skillfully and (2) using some ‘active listening’ techniques, namely, showing interest verbally (through short interjections and comments) and non-verbally, through eye contact and body language. [worksheet] Active listening v 2.0. [worksheet]. Lessons based on authentic videos [worksheet] Take a Seat – Make a Friend? Listening lessons (also based on authentic interviews) American accents:
Abdi Hussein: Coming to America | Strangers | KCRW After being shot in the eye during the war in Somalia, Abdi Hussein came to America when he was seven. This is the story about the difficulty of fitting in when you are a tall, African kid with a strange looking eye, who speaks no english and wears unusual things -- and when your mother cooks over fire in the front yard for fear of using the stove. It's about the heartbreak of being an outcast and the difference one kind person can make, and it's about Abdi's ultimate triumph when he discovers a talent for the one thing that will make American kids love you more than anything... Abdi has his first surgery in Somalia Abdi and his brother upon arriving in America Abdi, the basketball star (that's him with the ball) Abdi, the high school graduate Abdi, the college student Producers:Lea Thau
SPEAKING:DISCUSSION TOPICS Holly Rothschild: Growing Up in Mayberry | Strangers | KCRW Holly's dad was the sheriff in McHenry County, Illinois, and the county prison was literally attached to their house. She could open a big door in her kitchen and walk right into the prison, and she did... Holly's parents The courthouse and prison with Holly's old home on the right.These days it's a restaurant. Holly as a little girl Holly's dad Producers:Lea Thau
TEDxESL | ESL discussion material based on TED talks