Picture Perfect! Fun Ways to Learn English with Instagram
When is the last time you received a postcard? In the past, they were used by everyone. Soldiers sent them to their families with photos from the battlefield. Tourists used them to show off their trips to all their friends. They were even used for teaching the first long-distance courses way back in the 1840s! Hardly anyone uses them today.
Warning of Global Havoc as Possible Arctic 'Tipping Points' Pile Up
What is happening in the Arctic will not stay in the Arctic. In an ominous (though not hopeless) report published Friday, researchers warn that as many as 19 various 'tipping points' could be triggered by the increasingly warm temperatures in the world's northern polar region. "[These rapid Arctic] changes will destabilize the regional and global climate, with potentially major impacts." —Johan Rockström, Stockholm Resilience Centre The Arctic Resilience Report, produced under the auspices of the Arctic Council by an international team of researchers from multiple institutes and universities, is the first comprehensive assessment of its kind, looking at the unique region from a combined social and ecological perspective. By surveying and synthesizing a large body of previous research on how both communities and natural systems are responding to global warming, the report offers a worrying conclusion.
Interactive Online English Lessons
English listening is king. Real English is the only site with interactive multimedia exercises for ESL students using spontaneous native speakers. No actors here.
Brace yourself, the polar vortex is shifting
Climate change has hit the Arctic worse than ever over the past few years, but that doesn't mean the Northern Hemisphere is going to be experiencing a mild winter this year. In fact, a new study shows that the polar vortex is shifting, and it's going to make winters on the east coast of the US and parts of Europe even longer, with exceptionally cold temperatures expected during March. The polar vortex is that lovely zone of cold air that swirls around the Arctic during winter. When parts of the vortex break apart and splinter off, it can cause unseasonably cold conditions in late-winter and early-spring in the Northern Hemisphere. This happened in early 2014 - as you can see in the satellite image above - and caused an extreme weather event in the northern US and Canada. Usually, when the weather forecasters are talking about the polar vortex, they're referring to the tropospheric vortex, which is the one that rips apart and plunges cold air towards mid-latitude cities, such as New York.
Games and social media
English learning apps Exam Lift Practise your English and develop the skills you need for your A2 Key for Schools, B1 Preliminary for Schools and B2 First for Schools exams. Filled with a range of fun skills-based activities and exam practice, Exam Lift is a flexible way to improve your English on the go. Exam level: A2 Key for Schools, B1 Preliminary for Schools and B2 First for SchoolsCEFR: A2, B1 and B2Skills practised: reading, writing, listening and speakingAvailable on Android and iOS.Play Exam Lift Quiz your English
Goodbye World: We’ve Passed the Carbon Tipping Point For Good
It’s a banner week for the end of the world, because we’ve officially pushed atmospheric carbon levels past their dreaded 400 parts per million. Permanently. According to a blog post last Friday from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, “it already seems safe to conclude that we won’t be seeing a monthly value below 400 ppm this year—or ever again for the indefinite future.” Their findings are based on weekly observations of carbon dioxide at Hawaii’s Mauna Loa Observatory, where climate scientists have been measuring CO2 levels since 1958.
ESL/ELL/ELA Speaking and Writing Activities
Get your MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS talking and writing with this multi-usage BUNDLE of resources. 40 bell ringers/task cards/writing prompts about ANIMALS, ANIMAL HABITAT AND ANIMALS BEHAVIORS in 3 different formats. All questions are open questions and require development. Almost all bell ringers/task cards/writing prompts have at least two questions. Use them as bell ringers, class openers or class finishers, or for morning meetings.
Gulf Stream is slowing down faster than ever, scientists say
The Gulf Stream that helps to keep Britain from freezing over in winter is slowing down faster now than at any time in the past millennium according to a study suggesting that major changes are taking place to the ocean currents of the North Atlantic. Scientists believe that the huge volumes of freshwater flowing into the North Atlantic from the rapidly melting ice cap of Greenland have slowed down the ocean “engine” that drives the Gulf Stream from the Caribbean towards north-west Europe, bringing heat equivalent to the output of a million power stations. Scientists believe that huge volumes of freshwater flowing into the North Atlantic from the rapidly melting ice cap of Greenland have slowed down the ocean “engine” that drives the Gulf Stream (Getty)
