Great IELTS Resource

For teachers preparing students for the IELTS exam, Cambridge - who writes the tests - offers a great resource online.

First, register to create a free account to access the information online.

Second, just choose IELTS from the list of tests in the drop down box and then the skill area you plan to review in class.

For example, for my upcoming class, I  found an exercise complete with the audio files to accompany the text. Super!

Teachers are allowed to upload their own creations to share with our colleagues.

You will notice the galaxy of Cambridge exams in the drop down box.

A smorgasbord of classroom material awaits to enhance your lesson planning!

*** If you are in São Paulo and need English lessons, or Elite English Services including translations (Spanish/French/Portuguese to English), please contact Professor Winn by sending an email to mrenglish101@gmail.com for a prompt evaluation. Buy your English-language texts today!

Bring the Bard into your English class today!

Using Shakespeare in EFL Class
While sometimes controversial for whatever reason, even his detractors must concede the Bard on both the English language and literature.

If one can understand the literature of a second language, one can derive a deeper understanding of that language.

Even for some English speakers, William Shakespeare may be a challenge. As an EFL instructor, you have a choice among tragedies, comedies, and histories. His sonnets may be a tougher assignment.

Julius Cesar's Assassination
Julius Cesar is one of my favorite tragic-histories of the Bard.

One the more memorable scenes is the assassination of Cesar on the Ides of March in the Roman Senate (Act III, Scene I).

So, here is a suggestion. Take a popular scene. If there is video, all the better. Have students take turns reading the parts - all the better with passion of a Shakespearean actor if possible. Then play the video for students to follow the scene if necessary with the texts they just read.

Resources
For the assassination scene in Julius Cesar, enotes.com and youtube.com are handy. Enotes has a split-page showing the original text and the ''modern interpretation.'' Youtube has this scene as a short video.

You have all the elements for introducing students gently to the Bard in the classroom!

Have you used Shakespeare in your class already? Do you have more suggestions or tips?

*** If you are in São Paulo and need English lessons, or Elite English Services including translations (Spanish/French/Portuguese to English), please contact Professor Winn by sending an email to mrenglish101@gmail.com for a prompt evaluation. Buy your English-language texts today!

Famous People in English Class

Are you looking for an exciting addition to your latest lesson plan?

There appears to be, at least in elementary and intermediate level English textbooks, an emphasis on using movie stars and other celebrities for instructional material.

A great website you may want to consider for celebrity material is Famous People Lessons.

You get a short story about a star's life (reading), an MP3 (listening), and exercises (writing).

So, you have already covered three of the four basic language skills.

You can easily slip in a discussion (speaking) to elicit the opinions of students about the person's life.

Now that is a complete lesson all from one website!

*** If you are in São Paulo and need English lessons, or Elite English Services including translations (Spanish/French/Portuguese to English), please contact Professor Winn by sending an email to mrenglish101@gmail.com for a prompt evaluation. Buy your English-language texts today!

CELTA Update

I am progressing in my CELTA certification while teaching my regular classes throughout the week.

The first writing assignment is due next Friday when we meet again. There are four pairs of sentences and we must choose one from each to do a thorough MFP - Meaning, Form, and Pronunciation analysis.

I must say that is a useful however tiresome exercise to conduct before presenting a lesson.

I have begun to adopt tips and tactics learned already in the CELTA course in my own classes. Teaching is about experimenting and the learning never stops even as an instructor!  ha.


The intellectual rigor leaves the old teacher tired by the weekend, but greatly gratified at the same time.
***
If you are in São Paulo and need English lessons, or Elite English Services including translations (Spanish/French/Portuguese to English), please call Professor Winn at 6214-1511 or send an email to mrenglish101@gmail.com for a prompt evaluation.

Buy your English-language texts today!