London 2012 Olympics: Michelle Henry Does It Again

Whether you're an English student or English teacher, perhaps you've come to learn you can count on Michelle Henry to produce a site with useful, informative, fun material you need on the most current of topics. If you're on the hunt for material on the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games which begin this Friday, you should visit Michelle Henry's site. You'll find facts, maps, images, videos, music, and much more. There's no shortage of teaching resources. If you want to check out her London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic site, click here or on the London 2012 logo above.

One of these days I have to track down Michelle Henry for and interview to post here.

Happy Canada Day!

Click on the image below for a quick lesson on the history of Canada Day. The transcript including vocabulary and phonemic assistance is provided. Students can have a little fun practicing reading and getting a grade on how well they handle the transcript.

Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee

Well everyone the big weekend is here. It's the celebration many have been waiting for. June 2 - June 5 is the central weekend to celebrate sixty years of Elizabeth  as monarch. If you're a teacher or student looking for more information you can visit the official website of The Queen's Diamond Jubilee. 

Official Diamond Jubilee Portrait of Her Majesty

If you're looking for a Diamond Jubilee website with an ESL focus click here. There's vocabulary, listening, lesson plans, images and much more.  

Let's now practice a little highly appropriate subjunctive mood grammar. God Save the Queen!

The Power of Words

I've been an awful slouch neglecting this blog. My attention has been elsewhere lately and I know I've lost many readers here. Now I'm going to get everyone back.


Here is a beautiful and highly inspirational video about words. The words you choose can drastically alter your message. Students and teachers alike, if you want to change your world, change your words.

Accent Reduction is Paramount for English Learners

No ESL student wants to hears this but foreign accents undermine a speaker's credibility and make him or her appear untruthful in the eyes of native English speakers. Shiri Lev-Ari and Boaz Keysar of The University of Chicago published these findings in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. According to their research, accents make it difficult for native speakers to understand non-native speakers and this “processing difficulty” causes non-native speakers to sound less credible. The heavier an accent the less credible and truthful the person is perceived. According to the research, even the most trivial of statements are judged to be less true when spoken by a non-native than by a native speaker. Click here if you would like to download a copy of the Shiri Lev-Ari and Boaz Keysar article.

So what's the take away for ESL students? I'd say it's working long and hard to improve your pronunciation. It means becoming a better listener. Listen not only for comprehension but listen also for sound, stress and intonation patterns. When you notice you say a word or expression one way and you hear a native person say it another way, alarm bells of change should be going off in your head. We both know you're credible and truthful but there's a little bit of a battle you face before others know it too.

New Year's Greeting

Christmas and Chanukah 2011

The Ultimate Minimal Pairs Source

A minimal pair is a pair of words that differs in a single phoneme or speech sound. For example, the contrast between [p] and [b] could be shown through pairs such as pat - bat or lab - lap. Teachers love to use minimal pairs to show contrasts and check student listening and learners love minimal pairs to practice pronunciation and master challenging contrasts.


If you're a teacher or student searching for the ultimate source for minimal pairs, then you have to visit Minimal Pairs for English RP: Lists by John Higgins. John Higgins now boasts a total of 92,253 pairs divided into vowels and diphthongs and consonants look-up tables. Users simply click on the two sounds to be paired on the look-up tables and a list of pairs is returned. At times, there is some minor phonetic transcription to pinpoint the sounds but the easy to use transcriptional table simplifies the task.  Student and teachers alike will enjoy this worthwhile site.

Vowel and Diphthong Minimal Pair Look-up Table

Consonant Minimal Pair Look-up Table

'RP' in the site title means Received Pronunciation also called the Queen's (or King's) English. Be forewarned the site is based on British not American pronunciation.

What's Your ESL Level?

I always tell my students they should be more concerned with learning than with their ESL benchmark levels. Benchmarks are just numbers, but they do provide a common set of standards for measuring language learning. There are four types of benchmarks and each describes ability within a specific area of language skill or combination of skills. The four skill areas of listening, speaking, reading and writing. The Canadian Centre for Language Benchmarks (CCLB) offers "Can Do Checklists" to help students informally assess what they can do or need to learn at a particular benchmark level. If all you want is to get an idea of your ESL level, have a look at the checklists below:

Canadian Centre for Language Benchmarks

Can Do Checklists

Level 1     Level 2     Level 3     Level 4     Level 5

  Level 6     Level 7     Level 8     Level 9     Level 10

Remember a checklist assessment is no substitute for a proper benchmark test administered by an expert practitioner.

Close Encounters of the English Kind

Founded in Toronto in 1910, University Settlement is a multi-service agency with the distinction of being the first community-based social service centre in the city. University Settlement strives to meet the social, economic, and cultural needs of its downtown Toronto newcomer neighbours and users through its many programs and services. University Settlement Language Department, it seems, has a well-kept secret more ESL students should know about to help improve speaking and self-confidence.

 

University Settlement English Corner offers perhaps one of the most unique ESL speaking practice programs you’ll ever find.  English Corner is unique in that it offers free, authentic, one on one, tailor-made, speaking opportunities for students. Students are paired with local volunteer teachers who assist with pronunciation and accent reduction. Under teacher guidance, each student, regardless of eloquence, must do one minute of public speaking. New topics are set for each class and teachers help students prepare presentations. The program also requires a more involved final presentation.  Classes are each an hour and half and run for six weeks. University Settlement, in this case, proves the adage 'with age comes experience and wisdom.'  Click here or on the logo above to visit the University Settlement website.

For more information on English Corner or to register contact: University Settlement at 416/977-8325 Ext. 229

'Swinging The Alphabet' Pronunciation Contest!

The Three Stooges have always been a part of my life. In fact, it may have been the Three Stooges who inspired me and perhaps many others to teach English. Watch the very inspirational video of the Stooges teaching the ABC's and vowel sounds in their own special way.  Click here to download the lyrics to Swinging the Alphabet.

To practice your pronunciation and exercise your vocal chords, why don't you sing Swinging the Alphabet? Get those vowel sounds just right. Make a video of yourself singing the song and Email it to the following address:

frsqdwk8lfry@m.youtube.com

All entries must be submitted by December 15, 2011. Be sure to state your name, where you're from and your first language. More than one entry is allowed. Once all entries are submitted, they will be posted publicly and voted on by everyone.  The contest is not open to Native English speakers. The winner will be eligible for a $25 prize.