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.