Here are some Christmas stories and poems that you can listen to. You can also record your own versions for us!
1) Listen to a Christmas recording on EnglishClub.com (see below for links).
2) Listen and read the text.
3) Listen and read again.
4) Practise reading out loud.
5) Record the reading (try Audioboo) and listen to yourself speaking.
*Share your recording with us! Share it with your friends too.
Christmas stories, poems, and excerpts on EnglishClub.com
Don't forget to subscribe to EnglishClub.com's podcasts.
Replies
Beautiful reading! I'm listening now. You use excellent expression. My daughter would love your story reading voice. She always tells my son to use more expression! I'm glad you love the story. It's so sweet, isn't it? I love the short form, "Inky Pink".
Dearest Ms. T,
Thank you very much for listening. I know that it takes time to listen to it up to the end that's why I'm so glad that you liked it. And even tells that your daughter would love it, really fattens my heart :)
To tell the truth, Ms. T, most my expressions in this story are copied or shall say I picked up them from the way you express it in narration. I just feel that through listening to it for a long period of time, I'm able to know where my voice should go up or go down. I grasp the 'tempo' or the 'beat'. I don't know what's the right word for it but what I'm sure about I sound different from the first time I recorded it months ago. I had recorded this same story before and this is the newer one, I sound a lot better. And I feel very happy. :)
Through Puakeng's blog I read today, suggesting how to listen to English, I've come to know about a reading material here in EC about how one is able to learn to speak. It says that speaking is not a "magic". Speaking is learned primarily through hearing. We can speak because we heard it.And I guess with a listening technique, it doubles the result (because not just hearing but paying attention to what you hear). So, because of this, my belief on how to improve my pronunciation and speaking has again firmly cemented.
I'll continue my writing Ms. T although it's already gotten long. I hope your eyes won't get tired by it. :) I just want to express how much I am grateful to this group to what I've accomplished so far this year (though I admit there's still so many things that I have to learn.
I always review my poems recitation, news reading, story telling every now and then. But the oldest ones, I don't. So today, I searched the oldest ones. The first news reading that I made was the Air France Wreckage Found. Unfortunately, I couldn't listened to it because I recorded it in Vocaroo. Good thing in May up to now I record my voice in Cinch and now I can listen again to it whenever I want to...And I said to myself while smiling...I sound better now. No, it's not pampering myself that's why I'm saying it. It's just I'm able now to distinguish some of the 'subtleties' in English sounds. It's like my ears are better now in receiving sounds..like it's being unclogged..LOL!
A BIG BIG thanks for the listening activities on EC and pronunciation as well.
It's December now, the year is ending. And just like an open diary, I'd like to jot down some few more things here, to remind me to work harder next year. MyEC has helped me BIG time in my every year here. :)
2010 ---I was able to focus on reading and writing.
2011---I was able to improved my listening comprehension and pronunciation.( and will continue activities next year)
2012---This time, I'm ready for more speaking...( I really hope so)
mayumee
Wow! This is such a nice note! I love hearing about how EC is helping English learners and teachers around the world. It's really important to have fun while learning and I hope EC can help people do that! Listening is so important, isn't it? It's how babies learn. They don't need to be taught to place stress on certain words because they grow up listening to it. I'm so glad you figured this out. You really sound wonderful and other members consider your voice a model! You should feel very proud, Mayumi! (Sorry about Vocaroo. It's so sad that the recordings disappeared. I really like Audioboo.) Cheers to 2012!
Inky Pinky Pooh: one my favorite story here in EC. When I was absent here in EC, I listened to it for almost every single day, for two or more months. I was lucky to downloaded it in my mp3 before my net disconnected..:)