Tara Benwell's Posts (219)

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Happy Holidays!

At this time of year we often write wish lists for our loved ones. On my wish list was a coffee bean grinder and a novel by Kate Morton called "The Secret Keeper". I also asked my daughter to learn a song for me (see below). It's from my favourite Christmas movie, "The Polar Express". I'm hoping she'll sing it at our Christmas Eve celebration tomorrow night. 

I thought it might be fun to create an EnglishClub wish list. What would you like to see added to EnglishClub/MyEC in 2013? More podcasts? More stories? More writing challenges? More mods?

Share your ideas in the comments below. Check out this lesson on "Would" and try to write complete sentences (see desire and wish) when you express your wishes.

Happy Holidays!   

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People around the world are talking about today's date.  December 12, 2012 (12-12-12) is considered to be a lucky day by some people, and an unlucky day by others. Some people think the end of the world is coming. Others believe it's the perfect day to get married or play the lottery! 

According to the Globe and Mail, there is no English word for a date that has matching numbers like this. As the article suggests, this is likely because this kind of date doesn't come around very often. The Globe and Mail article suggests that this is the last -insert your word for this kind of date- we'll see this century. We won't see another date like this until January 1, 2101.  

Despite how rare these dates are, I still think it deserves a word, don't you? * I thought it would be fun to come up with a word that could describe this kind of sequential date. Put your thinking caps on and make some suggestions in the comments below! 

What word do you suggest for a date like 12-12-12? 

Check out this Wikipedia entry on the number twelve to find out the interesting word origin of this number.

*My daughter was looking up continents last night, and she thought it was interesting that there is no word for a person from Antarctica. Let me know if you know any other words that we need in English! Here are 20 untranslatable words

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As many of you know, I am from Canada. I was born and raised here in Canada. This means I am Canadian. You could also say that I am a Canadian. My mother tongue (also called "native language") is English. In school we learned French as a second language.

Did you notice that I capitalized some important words in that introduction? Nations, nationalities, and languages are all capitalized in English. There are many countries in the world, and English learners often mix up nations and nationalities. Here is a useful chart that you can consult when you have a question about how to describe a person from a certain country. Try not to mix up the nouns and adjectives

This month I'm going to challenge you to introduce 3-5 members of MyEC on your blog. Consult a member's profile page to find out the information you need. 

Your Task

1) Choose 3-5 MyEC members who are from different nations. 

2) Create a new blog post. Use the title "Writing Challenge: Nations and Nationalities"

3) Introduce these members by providing the following information:

  • the nation they live in (also include the nation they were born in if it is different)
  • their nationality
  • their mother tongue and any other languages they speak (including English)
  • check the chart to make sure you used the correct spelling (make sure to use proper capitalization)

4) Share the link to your Nations and Nationalities post in the comments below.

5) Visit other Nations and Nationalities posts and make at least one new MyEC friend!  Introduce yourself on their wall and share your nationality! (Ex. Nice to meet you! I'm Tara. I'm Canadian.)

My Example: 

Here are some MyEC friends you should meet! 

Grace is a hardworking MyEC member. She is from Taiwan. She is Taiwanese. Grace speaks Chinese and English. You will see how well she speaks English if you visit her page. She is a voice blogger! She writes and records very interesting blog posts. Grace is also a talented painter and photographer. 

Have you met Robbie? He is our video moderator. He is from the Philippines. I always have trouble spelling that word. Robbie is a Filipino and his profile page says that he speaks Filipino. (I think there are many different languages used in the Philippines. Am I right, Robbie?) Robbie is also excellent at English. He likes writing, making videos, and being creative. I hope we get to meet in real life one day.

Nadira is a longterm member of MyEC. She is from Sri Lanka. She speaks Tamil and English. I have worked with many Sri Lankans in my lifetime. They are always hardworking, funny people with big hearts. I'm so happy that she is on EnglishClub's moderating team. I hope to visit Sri Lanka one day.

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[It's time for another guest post on my blog. This time my 8-year-old daughter is the guest. She told me a funny story on the way home from school last week, and I asked her to type it out so that I could share it with all of you. I thought you might enjoy it, and even learn something important about writing. If you're a teacher, maybe you'll even try this lesson! I haven't changed a word.] 

Hamburger Paragraphs and the Grade 3 Teacher

My silly teacher bought two hamburgers at Burger King on Wednesday to teach us how to write a paragraph. She sure knows how to be funny about it though. I could never be that funny about a hamburger. She got the hamburger, and THE WHOPPER.

My teacher brought out a huge cardboard hamburger that was laminated. It had a top bun with TOPIC SENTENCE printed across it.The next thing was the lettuce. It said  Reason-Connection on it. The next was the cheese with Reason-Connection on it. Then there was the meat. The meat said Reason-Connection on it. The last was the bottom bun with WRAP UP SENTENCE printed across it. How do teachers get so smart?

My teacher asked which hamburger she would enjoy more, the hamburger, or the WHOPPER. Everyone guessed the WHOPPER because it was bigger,and a whopper wouldn’t be called a WHOPPER if it was not a good hamburger.

My teacher opened the normal hamburger first. It was boring. A top bun, meat, a bottom bun. That’s it. Then she told us: ’’I’m not eating this hamburger. I might feed it to Nicole, my dog.’’ As she wrapped it up, she told us the plain hamburger was like a boring paragraph. Then she unwrapped the WHOPPER. It had a top bun, tomatoes, lettuce, meat, mayonnaise and a bottom bun.

She made a big show of eating the hamburger in front of the whole class. Crumbs spilled on the floor. She even spilled mayonnaise on her face.’’Mmmm!’’ she kept saying. Then she told us the WHOPPER was a good paragraph. Someone yelled out that the hamburger was making them hungry. She said, that was the point, which made us laugh. That funny teacher of mine!

Written by JP for MyEC

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Have you heard of NaNoWriMo? This is the short form for National Novel Writing Month. Every November, at least 300,000 people try to write the first draft of a novel in just 30 days. To complete this personal challenge, NaNoWrimo participants have to write 50,000 words between November 1-30. 

I've always wondered what it would be like to write a novel so quickly. My first novel took me ten years to outline, draft, revise (a million times), polish, edit, and publish! This year, since I'm feeling a little bit stuck in my fiction writing life, I decided to register for NaNoWriMo. My goal this month is to find a few scenes or characters worth keeping from my rough draft. I hope this challenge will motivate me to get going on my second novel. I've had many false starts over the past few years, but I don't want to be one of those novelists who only writes one book! 

There is also a youth version of this challenge. Young people can set their own writing goals. My eight-year-old daughter has decided to write her own novel this month. Her goal is to write 6000 words. I'm so excited that she'll be writing with me after dinner each evening. She is an amazing writer! Maybe she will agree to share a paragraph with you later in the month.

Writers who complete 50,000 words are considered "winners". There is no prize except the wonderful feeling of accomplishing a major goal. 

You can help inspire my writing by answering this question:

Imagine a talent show in the future. What human talents will people have? If I use your idea, I'll add your name to the acknowledgments in my next novel. WARNING - It may be ten years from now.

 

Please share some motivating tips for me this month. I'll need all of the support I can get! 

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Writing Challenge: My Keychain

It has been a while since we've done a "getting to know you" exercise on MyEC. I hope you'll join me in this month's writing challenge! 

For this writing challenge, I will need you to reach into your purses, knapsacks, or coat pockets and grab your keys. Set your keys out in front of you and have a good look at them.

What does your keychain say about you? 

When we use the word "say" in this way, we do not mean to speak out loud. The word "say" can also mean "to reveal/show/prove/suggest". For example: What does your car say about you? What does your lipstick colour say about you? What does your bookshelf say about you?

Your Task: 

1. Take out your keys. Have a close look at them. Look at every key. Look at every keychain or accessory. Notice the keys that aren't on your keychain. What do these missing keys say about you? What about the keys that aren't in use? Take some notes.

2. Add a new blog post on your MyEC blog. Use the title: Writing Challenge: My Keychain 

3. Write a paragraph (or an essay) about what your keychain says about you. (Don't share information that is too personal, such as addresses.) 

4. After you publish your blog post, share a link to it here in the comments. Please read the other writers' posts and leave comments for your MyEC friends. This will be a fun way for us to get to know you!

My Example:

My Keychain

While I was walking home from my kids' school today, I had a good look at the keys I was carrying. My keys say a lot about me. My keychain itself is an old-fashionedkey. I found it recently at a craft shop and I bought it because it reminded me of how I often think I was born in the wrong decade. I often think I would have been more suited to living in the age of candlelight and inkwells. My new keychain says that I appreciate wonder, adventure, and treasures.

I have many keys on my keychain. Two of the keys reveal that we are now a two-car family. This proves that we live in an area where things are spread out, and you can't just walk to the library like we used to be able to do (my main reason for wanting my own car). 

My keys also say something about my extended family. They reveal that I have nieces who occasionally lock themselves out of their house. This is why I have a spare key to my brother's house. They also say that my brother's family is intoStar Wars. My brother's spare house key came on a Darth Vadar keychain. 

On my own house key there is a yellow ducky sticker. This sticker shows that I am conscious about not wasting time. Before I added the sticker to that key, I used to fiddle aroundwith my keys at the front door for too long. A few of my keys look alike, and it was a waste of time trying different keys every time. Time is very important to me.

Finally, there are a few items on my keychain that aren't currently being put to use, such as the green tag for the Zumba studio I used to go to. It has a barcode on it. Every time I went to a class, one credit was taken off my account. The fact that I haven't removed this from my keychain says that I might go back to doing Zumba this winter. (Or am I too lazy to throw it out?) There is also a bike lock key on my key ring. This key tells methat I still have hope that my children will become interested in riding their bikes. My kids aren't into biking like I was as a child. And lastly, there are some tiny luggage keys on my keychain. These say that I have been on trips in the past, and that I hope to go somewhere again soon!

What do your keys say about you? 

 

 

 

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Some of you took part in Kaplan's blog competition a few months back. It was a great experience, wasn't it? Here is another opportunity to practise your writing. Kaplan is holding a new blog competition (Sept 28-Oct 26), and you are invited. It is called "Inspire Language Learning". Find the details on how to enter here. You can write your post on your MyEC Blog. Let me know if you need help embedding the infographic. Don't forget to vote for your favourite post. You may recognize one of the judges...

~"May the odds be ever in your favour." *

 

inspire language learning

* Does anyone recognize the quote I used above? Where is it from, who said it, and what does it mean? Hint: I just finished reading the trilogy that it came from, and I highly recommend it!

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Have you ever wondered if you, your child, or a friend might be dyslexic? Dyslexia is a condition that is inherited, and ranges from mild to severe. A dyslexic person's brain does not function in the same way an average person's brain functions. The weakness is related to the processing of language. The word dyslexia comes from the Greek words dys (difficulty) and lexia (language). 

Dyslexia is not simply a reading disorder. Dyslexics may also have difficulty with writing, spelling, pronunciation, and mathematics. On the other hand, many dyslexics have strong creative and artistic skills. 

In some countries, children who have signs of dyslexia are tested around the age of 8-10. Teachers may notice that a student's letter reversals are not improving, or that a student's spelling and penmanship is extremely poor. These students may also have poor attention spans in some subjects. Students who are diagnosed with dyslexia, may receive extra help. For example, dyslexics may be allowed to listen to audiobooks, or record their teacher's voices.

In other countries, children are never tested. Some are placed in special classrooms with others students who have various learning difficulties or physical disabilities. Others are not allowed to go to school at all. They are never given the opportunity to prove that they can learn in a different way.  

How are students with learning difficulties treated/taught in your country? Do you know someone with dyslexia? If you're a teacher, have you ever taught a student with dyslexia or another learning difficulty? 

Please share your thoughts and stories in the comments below. 

dyslexic: a person who has dyslexia (noun); of or related to dyslexia (adjective)

dyslexia: a brain disorder that results in difficulties in language processing (noun)

 

 

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Some people assume that English teachers are wonderful spellers. This is not true! In fact, many of us have to review spelling rules regularly. We also have to review other aspects of the language before we teach a lesson. One thing I have trouble remembering is compound nouns. I often find myself looking up words just to be sure they are one word rather than two. Sometimes these words end up being hyphenated. I've noticed on MyEC that many other people have the same problem. This month, let's practise using compound nouns.

Your Task

1) Review EnglishClub's lesson on compound nouns. (Learn all 3 types.)

2) Create a list of 10 compound nouns that you want to remember. Search for lists of "compound nouns" online.

3) Add a new blog post. Use the title: Writing Challenge: My Compound Noun List

4) Challenge a few MyEC members to write 10 sentences about other MyEC members (or about MyEC) using YOUR word list. The members can write their example sentences in the comments of your post. Make sure the member(s) sees your challenge!

5) Share a link to your word list in the comments of this post as well. 

*Optional: Add the best sentences to your post with credit to the writers. (Try to fix any errors.) Record the sentences and share the MP3 file. Don't forget the rules about the pronunciation of compound nouns.

My Word List

1. ice cream

2. high school 

3. hairdresser 

4. blackboard

5. bus stop 

6. sister-in-law

7. swimming pool 

8. five-year-old 

9. redhead 

10. takeout 

*I challenge all of the EC Mods to write example sentences using these words! (Anyone is welcome to try.) The best sentences will be added to this post.  

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It's almost time for "Back-to-School" in many countries, including Canada. Many students are asked to write essays or paragraphs about their summer vacation. Here is an idea that is more interactive! It's a great way for students to get to know their teachers better. Create a Word Cloud (or have your students create one using something like Wordle that they can use to get to know each other better) with words that remind you of your summer vacation. Then have the students guess what the words might signify. We've done this a few times already on MyEC. It's a fun way to learn new vocabulary, share memories, and practise making guesses. I recently returned from a family vacation. Do you want to play along? 

Your Task:

1) Choose a word from my most recent memory Wordle (see above).

2) Guess why I included the word you chose. Write your guess in the comments.

How to guess:

a) Ask a question (direct): Did you discover a new species?

b) Use "I think" + past tense: I think you discovered some interesting seashells. 

c) Use "I bet" + past tense: I bet Tara saw a hamburger bun in the Atlantic Ocean.

d) Use "I wonder if" + past tense: I wonder if the food in South Carolina was bland.

3) Read my responses. I will unravel the story of my trip down south by sharing a memory (and sometimes a photo) related to each word after a guess is made. I'll respond in the comments too.

 

Have you been on a trip recently? Why not create your own Vacation Wordle and challenge MyEC members to guess your memories!

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We've done a few serious writing challenges over the last few months, and I'm very impressed by how much you have learned about punctuation, capitalization, irregular verbs and countable/uncountable nouns. This month, let's have a little fun!  

Your Task

1. Check out this Live Penguin Cam from the Vancouver Aquarium.

2. Spy on the seven African penguins for a while. What do you think they are thinking? If they aren't around, it could be night time. Visit again later. Feeding time is really fun! 

3. Give the penguins seven names using positive or negative personality adjectives (like the 7 Dwarves). If you only see four penguins, just write about four, or imagine what the others are doing.

4. Create a new blog post. Use the title: Writing Challenge: Live from the Penguin Cam. Write a dialogue from the perspective of these penguins. Try to use idioms, phrasal verbs, and everyday sayings in your dialogue. Include actions in italics in [square brackets]. 

5. Come back to this post and share a link to your post. Read the other Writing Challenge posts and leave comments. Have fun!

Note: If you're not into penguins, or if the penguins aren't active in your time zone, find another Live Cam that interests you. You can search through many live cams via EarthCam.com. Title your post: Writing Challenge: Live from Times Square or Live from the Puppy Cam. If there is only one animal, person or landmark in the camera, write a monologue from the perspective of this person or thing. 

My Example

Writing Challenge: Live from the Penguin Cam

Dorky: I can't believe you're swimming today! The water is like -22.4 degrees. You wouldn't catch me dead in there. 

Sneaky: When I swim people take pictures of me. I'm going to be famous. Just watch. I'll swim for five seconds and five people will snap photos of me. They're all over me! The water may be cold, but I'm hot!

Touchy: They take pictures of me too you know! You're not the only penguin in this zoo.

Timid: I don't want my picture taken. Someone might see it and come and steal me. I think I'll just stand over here and look at the wall. Pretend I'm not here.

Flirtatious: I hope one of those guys is from the San Diego Zoo. I'm looking for a transfer. The penguins there are adorable. I need a change in scenery. Pick me! Pick me! [flaps wildly]

Stingy: No way. [shakes head]  The penguins there don't get fed as often. It's overcrowded down south. I like it here. I know where I stand. I'm guaranteed at least five fish each feeding.

Dorky: Listen up everyone! It's 2:00 on the dot. Time for us to line up in single file. I'm first because it's my birthday tomorrow. [lines up by the glass where the visitors are congregating]

Flirtatious: Only if I can be behind you. You're looking fine today, Dorky. Old age looks good on you.

Touchy: Hey, what about me? Don't I look good today? You never say how good I look. I don't think she likes me.  

Sneaky: You snooze, you lose, Flirty! I'm behind Dorky today. All of the photographers are moving in. Smile pretty everyone. [sneaks away to be the first in line for the next feeding]

This challenge is dedicated to a friend who is obsessed with penguins. She keeps the Live Penguin Cam on at work. 

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capitalize (verb): to write the first letter of a word with a capital letter

This month I'd like to challenge you to review the rules about capitalization. We don't use capitals very often. The 3 most common reasons for using a capital letter are:

1) at the beginning of a new sentence

2) for the pronoun "I"

3) the first letter of a proper noun

When I read the blog posts and comments on MyEC, I often notice people using capital letters incorrectly.

The 4 most common errors I see English learners making when it comes to capitalization are: 

1) using a capital mid sentence for pronouns like "he", "she", or "it" (eg: My brother is so smart He graduated with honours.)

2) NOT using any capital letters and using commas instead of periods ( eg: i want to eat ben and jerry's ice cream, do you like ice cream, it's so hot outside today in mexico)

3) OVERUSING CAPITAL LETTERS SO THAT IT IS REALLY HARD ON THE READER

4) using capital letters for common nouns (eg: I bought a new Car today.)

Some people use capital letters incorrectly because they don't know the rules. Other people use capital letters incorrectly because they are being lazy. Text messaging and instant messaging (chat) have a role in this laziness. It's not a big deal to chat or text without capital letters. However, when you write a blog post, an essay, or a letter, it is better to use proper formatting. Readers will take your writing more seriously if you use capital letters properly. 

Your Task:

A) Review the rules of capitalization on EnglishClub. 

B) Start a new blog post. Use the title: Writing Challenge: To Capitalize or Not. This post will be a letter to a member of MyEC (or to me) about a trip you took. In your letter, include these 10 examples of capitals. (Your trip can be fictional or true.)

Here is a summary of EC's checklist of when to use capitals. Please include all 10 in your letter: 

1) for the personal pronoun "I"

2) to begin a sentence or speech

3) for abbreviations

4) for days, months, holidays

5) for countries, nationalities, religions

6) for people's names and titles

7) for companies and organizations

8) for important places and monuments

9) for named vehicles 

10) for specific works of art 

C)  Come back to this post and share a link to your blog post.

My Example: 

Dear Camelia, 

I am so happy that you enjoyed my video about New York. Visiting NYC on the Victoria Day weekend was a dream come true for me. Even though we only went for a long weekend, we still enjoyed four full days in the Big Apple. We left on Thursday and came back on Monday. The weather was wonderful! I highly recommend visiting New York in May. It did rain on our last day, but we were exhausted by then. We didn't mind walking down Broadway in the rain. 

We met many friendly Americans on our trip! They helped us decide which places to see. One of my favourite places was the James A. Farley Post Office. It's located very close to Penn Station. I wanted to send my kids a postcard, but the lineups were too long. I took quite a few pictures to share with EnglishClub members. 

We saw some fancy cars in New York City! I took a few pictures for my son, because he loves Ferraris and other expensive cars (he has a big Hot Wheels collection). We also saw many limousines and taxis. Apparently Bono was in town while we were there. We didn't see any celebrities, though. Out by the J.F.K airport we saw one of the space shuttles. I think it was the Enterprise.

One of the highlights of the trip was leaving a copy of my novel, "The Proper Order of Things", in Central Park. I hope someone will write to me soon to say that they found it and enjoyed it.

I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Cheers,

Tara

Note: Another word for capital is "upper case". The common short form is "caps". When you have to fill out a form you may hear someone say, "Please write in caps". This means they want you to write ALL IN CAPITAL LETTERS. 

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New York City Word Cloud

It's time for another game of Wordle Reflection! I have just returned from a trip to New York City. It was my first time in The Big Apple, and it was very exciting to see this historic city. I've created a Word Cloud of memories (this time I tried a different word cloud tool).If you're interested in learning all about my trip, come and play along!

Your Task:

1) Choose a word from my memory page Wordle (see above).

2) Guess why I included the word you chose. Write your guess in the comments.

How to guess:

a) Ask a question (direct): Did you play with Lego on the plane?

b) Use "I think" + past tense: I think you bought your kids Lego.

c) Use "I bet" + past tense: I bet Tara saw a Lego structure of The Statue of Liberty in New York City.

d) Use "I wonder if" + past tense: I wonder if Tara's hotel had Lego in the lobby. (No, it didn't, but that would be fun!)

3) Read my responses. I will unravel the story of my trip by sharing a memory (and sometimes a photo) related to each word after a guess is made. I'll respond in the comments too.

Watch the Video

Related: 

TESOL Wordle Reflection

IATEFL Wordle Reflection

My Summer Vacation Word Cloud

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Today I am handing my blog over to a long-term member of MyEC. This guest post is for #ELTChat's May Blog Challenge. #ELTChat is a twitter group for English language teachers. Once in a while, we challenge each other to blog on a specific topic. This month, I presented the blog challenge: My Learning English Journey: Invite a Learner to your Blog. I was inspired by Beyza, a teacher in Turkey who had invited a student to write a guest post on her blog. When I thought about who I would invite to my blog, Rajesh quickly came to mind. As you will see in this post, Rajesh's learning journey extends far beyond the classroom. Not only is he active in many MyEC Groups, I've seen him using and recommending plenty of other sites and tools, including Audioboo and twitter. Prepare to be inspired...

My Learning English Journey

It was the time of 2010, when I moved to my city for my graduation. It won't be easy for me to forget the moment, when I couldn't understand the native language of my teachers, some classmates, and many more people. I had just passed my schooling from my native language, where, there was no more use of English language. Because, I couldn't understand the native language of my new city, I started looking for English class in my city, and I went to an English class for about four months, but after that four months course, I was not satisfied with the improvement of my English, because I was not able to speak confidently and properly. I started looking for another English class and went to one more English class for 3 months, although that didn't give me more confidence to speak in front of my teachers and others. I was not satisfied with my real English class. And, then, finally I connected my computer to the internet. I looked for many sites over the internet to practice my English, but I was tired, I couldn't find a website as I was looking for. I was looking for some English websites, where, I could practice all my English skills and someone can help me with my English. Accidentally, I came to a website "EnglishClub.com" which gave something more than what I'm looking for. It'd be really very little for me to talk about what I have been learning from this site. And, today, I prefer online English learning more than a real class room.

What I have been doing outside the classroom for my English skills.

Well, as I prefer online English learning more than a real classroom, so, off-course, I'll count my online English learning as outside of the classroom, and I also do many things except online learning for improving all my English skills, like:

For listening: Mostly, I listen to podcast, news from TV channels, and except that I listen to some of my online teachers and friends on audioboo.fm and on their posts on EnglishClub.com and so on.

Some of my listening resources are here:

www.eslpod.com/

www.dailyesl.com/

http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/

http://edition.englishclub.com/category/listening-news/

www.YouTube.com/

www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/

For Speaking: Speaking is not a little bit difficult skill in English for me only, but for many English students. But, I didn't face a lot of problems like my other friends. How I'm making my speaking skill easier: I have many friends with whom I talk online, on many topics. Record my voice and post it on EnglishCulb's groups and voice blogs really helping me a lot to improve my speaking and I always encouraged by teachers and advanced learners there. In addition to that, talking to myself gives me more confidence. In self speaking, I do things, like: think in English and repeat anything I do in my daily life, what I learn in my subject and many more.

I also focus on my speaking skill while reading anything, anywhere, like: I read aloud while doing my homework to any subjects, reading advertisement boards on the roads, reading blogs on the internet and many more. I always come to many words, which I can't pronounce correctly and then I look to my dictionary.

Some of my resources which I use most for improving my speaking skill:

I love recording my voice and sharing on EnglishClub's groups:

http://my.englishclub.com/group/audiospeakinggroup/

http://my.englishclub.com/group/voice-bloggers

I'm practicing English sounds from BBC:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/pron/

http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/english/frameset.html (Suggested by many teachers, but I'm following British accent)

Dictionaries I use: 

http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/

http://dictionary.reference.com/

http://www.vocabahead.com/

Voice recorders I use:

http://audioboo.fm/

http://vocaroo.com/

http://voicethread.com/


For reading: I love reading blogs, short stories, dialogs, and some English magazines. But, I can't give enough time to these always, because of my other subjects. So, I took reading challenge while I read my other subjects, and I focus more on my English reading skill while reading/studying my other subjects.

Some of my online resources which I use most for improving my reading skill:

http://improveenglishonline.com/

www.englishclub.com/reading/

http://www.britishlingua.com/content/introduction-lingua-bulletin (Lingua Bulletin: My English magazine)


For writing: It's a problem for me as I'm not focusing more on my writing skill these day. However, I do many things like: writing blogs, diary sometimes and so on, and that helps me to improve my writing skill. I'm always thankful to the teachers and friends, who always correct my writing on EnglishClub.

My English grammar resources:

http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/

http://www.englishpage.com/


By the end of this post, I'd like to say that learning English language is a long process and learners should "never show hurry" and "never say no". Take interest in learning English and don't do the things that make you feel uncomfortable else you might run away from your learning goal or might not reach to your destination(soon).

We all do many things in our daily life which can be changed into English learning process and that can change our habit into English, like: we visit social network sites, use computer, mobile phone, video games and many things, for English learners they must change their settings into English language which can be really very helpful.

Thanks, and very happy learning! :-)

Rajesh

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MyEC Video Gallery Volunteer

Dear MyEC Members, 

Today I have a special request! We need a few volunteers to help out in the MyEC Video Gallery. As I mentioned a few months ago, the video gallery needs to be cleaned up! I truly believe that this space has great potential. Videos such as this one and this one can be very useful for practising English. 

Nadiyah has done an excellent job with the MyEC Photo Gallery. Most photos on MyEC have appropriate titles. They often have descriptions and tags, too. Nadiyah comes up with interesting photo challenges to help keep this space a place for practising English. 

Now we are going to work on categorizing our video collection!  We are going to categorize the videos by topic or use, such as Grammar, Music, Pronunciation, MyEC Introductions, Challenges, Vocabulary, Culture, Comedy, How To etc. We need a few volunteers who can help us do this. Are you interested in helping? Volunteering in a club is a great way to practise your English. You can even mention this kind of experience on a resumé. Please send me a message if you would like to help. I'll be choosing two or three members very soon!

We also need a NEW video moderator. This person has a few important jobs: 

  • featuring videos that are useful for learning and teaching English
  • adding new useful videos to the MyEC Video Gallery
  • recommending top videos for the MyEC newsletter
  • encouraging members to use appropriate titles, descriptions, and tags in their videos
  • leaving comments on videos
  • creating video challenges
  • deleting inappropriate videos

If you are interested in becoming MyEC's video moderator, please send a note to my inbox. The video mod will help us categorize our current and future video collection! You should be passionate about videos. It would also help if you have a webcam/video camera and are comfortable using it.

Thank you,

Tara

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Here is a fun contest that all MyEC bloggers can enter! Review the "How to Learn English" Bloggers Competition here. Follow the rules and you could win an English course in San Francisco or an iPad 3. (Note: This contest is not associated with EnglishClub in any way.)


Infographic via the
KIC Blog.

My Entry(I'd like to win an iPad 3!)

I've reviewed Kaplan's "How to Learn English" infographic (above) carefully. I recently became interested in infographics thanks to Pinterest. Pinterest is a new social media site. According to CNN, Pinterest is the third most visited social media site right now. Facebook and Twitter come first and second. On Pinterest, you pin inspiring images to boards. Infographics make great pins! The ones I made for MyEC get repinned often from my English board. Social media sites are very useful for English learners and teachers. 

The first statistics in Kaplan's infographic reflect similar findings that were presented in EnglishClub.com's Learning English Video Project. Students get the most from studying abroad! I absolutely agree, and I wish that all MyEC learners had the opportunity to do this. Our very own Expector Smith is living proof of how traveling to a foreign country can help your English. He is a doctor who recently came to Canada for a temporary placement. He blogged about his experience in an English speaking country.  I found it interesting that the number of students who want to study in the UK equal those who want to study in the US. Don't count out Canada! Vancouver is the perfect place to study English (if you can affordit). 

The "Harry Potter" statistic in the infographic doesn't surprise me. If you check out EC's forums, you'll see that this is a popular topic with learners from many different countries. Isn't it ironic that JK Rowling was once an English language teacher? I laughed when I saw the "Star Wars" statistic. Just for fun, my kids and I watched "Return of the Jedi" with subtitles the other day. I told them that it would be excellent practice for English learners. 

I'm glad that English learners recognize how useful music is! This is why we have an official MyEC DJ and a Karaoke group. Learning English should be a fun journey. Music can make you forget that you are studying a language. It can also improve your mood.

One thing that seemed to be missing from the infographic was apps. Do you use apps to learn English? My daughter and I started using the Google Translate app to brush up on our French. Like most translation tools, it's not perfect, but it is fun. You can even listen to the words and sentences you translate.   

Finally, I think the best way to learn English is to set mini-goals and follow through! If you fall off the wagon, jump back on. Blogging is a great way to stay motivated! Now let's see your entry. Use the writing prompts Kaplan provided in the contest instructions. Good-luck!

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This weekend I am going to be talking to teachers about the "Learning English Video Project". This is a set of 7 short films about learning English. Each film takes place in a different country. I am going to show teachers an example from the film "Thoughts from Brazil".

I think MyEC members will like "Thoughts from Brazil".  It features some teens who use sites such as Facebook or MySpace to practice English. 


Will you take part in an online video lesson with me? 

Feel free to do all 5 activities + the BONUS quizzes. Or, just watch the film and leave a comment. 

1. Before watching the film, answer these questions in the comments below. Write Activity 1 beside your responses. (eg, Activity 1: 1-True

2. Before you watch, find a partner! Discuss the questions below in the MyEC chat room, on Skype, FB, or in the Audio Speaking Group. If you can't find a partner, record an answer and place it in the comments. 

3. Watch the video below (If you can't see the video, you can watch it on YouTube or Tudou). Do Activity 3 in the comments of this post.

4 and 5. Answer the following questions. Are they True or False? Respond in the comments or on your own blog post. Be sure to note that your answers are for Activity 4 and 5.  

If you have any questions about this activity, please let me know! 

BONUS You can also try the online questions: 

Vocabulary Review 1
Vocabulary Review 2
Comprehension Questions
Quiz

Finally, please take the survey and check out my interview with director Daniel Emmerson.

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I will be doing a presentation on The Learning English Video Project next week, and I need YOUR help. I need some feedback about the films and materials. My presentation will be in an online conference called The Virtual Round Table. If you teach English, or are interested in TLEVP, please come to the presentation! Check out the program to see some of the other presentations too. It's all FREE!

Here are some questions for you:

You could also respond via VoiceThread! I've participated in VoiceThreads before, but have never created my own. I'm still learning, but this could be fun! Check out Rajesh's tutorial.

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TESOL Wordle Reflection

The last time I went to a teaching conference I wrote a blog post called IATEFL Wordle Reflection. I created a Wordle with a bunch of words that came to mind from my trip. Then I invited MyEC members to guess why I had included each word. It was a fun post for three reasons:

1) It became a memory page for me to visit regularly. 

2) It provided useful practice for English learners. 

3) It inspired other teachers to try a new activity in class. 

I've just returned from another teaching conference, and I thought I'd try this exercise again. Will you participate?

Your Task:

1) Choose a word from my memory page Wordle (see below).

2) Guess why I included the word you chose. Write your guess in the comments.

How to guess: 

a) Ask a question (direct):  Did you go on a roller coaster in Philadelphia?

b) Use "I think" + past tense: I think you went on a roller coaster in Philadelphia. 

c) Use "I bet" + past tense: I bet Tara went on a roller coaster in Philadelphia. 

d) Use "I wonder if" + past tense: I wonder if Tara's hotel had a roller coaster in it. 


3) Read my responses. I will unravel the story by sharing a memory related to each word after a guess is made. 

Teachers: 

Try this exercise with your students! You can use Wordle: Unravel the Story for reflections on field trips, weekends, holidays, childhood etc. Have them practise asking direct and indirect questions and statements when guessing. 


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