ESL: Charlie Brown Christmas Listening Speaking Activities

50 years after it was created, the animated cartoon  "A Charlie Brown Christmas continues to be one of the most beloved Christmas holiday TV specials. "  

Why is it so special? According to Robert Loyd, film critic for the Los Angeles Times, " it isn't about any invented crisis in the life of an imaginary  creature. There are no elves, no reindeer, no Santa. It's just about us. 

The Spirit of Christmas 

 Charles Schulz, the creator of "Peanuts"  wrote a little fable  about how a meaningful  holiday such as Christmas has become so commercialized that it has  lost any meaning. 

The only magic Christmas now allows is the kind we create ourselves when we pay attention to someone besides ourselves.  

"A Charlie Brown Christmas" remains true to both the spirit of Christmas and to the spirit of "Peanuts."

Although it t emphasizes the need for hope and love, it still reminds us that  the Christmas season can bring anxiety and a feeling of being alone and unloved for many people

 "I know nobody likes me," sighs Charlie Brown in the animated special.  "Why do we have to have a holiday season to emphasize it?"

The Charlie Brown Christmas Tree 
The sad little Christmas tree Charlie buys for the school play represents all the world's underfed, unseen, unloved, ( trees, animals, people...) .However, it can still be rescued. 

In fact, with a little love, care and attention, it can truly become something special and even magic. 

Watch the special and learn about one of the most popular idioms about Christmas that comes from the story: "A Charlie Brown Christmas Tree. " 

Can you figure out what it means?

How Well did you Understand? 

Watch the film as many times as you need to. Then see how  many questions you can answer in the quiz below. 

Now, can you answer the question: What is a Charlie Brown Christmas tree?

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Read and Listen  Charlie Brown Christmas Transcript 

PRACTICE THE VOCABULARY  New 

• Vocabulary Practice and quizzes from charlie Brown Christmas 
• Vocabulary Charlie Brown Christmas 
• Vocabulary Quiz Charlie Brown Christmas Quiz
• Quizlet Vocabulary Quiz with pictures 

The True Meaning of Christmas:  A Listening Quiz 

More Comprehension Quizzes to Try

• Charlie Brown Christmas Quiz 1 (easier) 
• Charlie Brown Comprehension Questions
• Quizlet Trivia flashcards New 
• Charlie Brown Quiz  New 
• 25 Charlie Brown Chrismas questions New 
• Timed Charlie Brown Quiz

Now, try this song.

VIDEOS: New

The Making of a Charlie Brown Christmas  a 15 minute documentary on the story behind the making of A Charlie Brown Christmas featuring interviews with the people involved in the special.  

       

Celebrating 50 Years Canadian jazz musician Jerry Granelli opens up about recording the now-iconic score to the beloved TV special

It's Your 50th Birthday Charlie Brown  In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the beloved tale, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Kristen Bell will hosts a 30 minute TV special. which includes live performances, from the memorable music of Vince Guaraldi, to Kristen Chenoweth singing “Happiness” from the “Peanuts” Broadway hit, and a performance from Matthew Morrison of an original song, “Just Like Me.” Other guests are Sarah McLachlan, Boyz II Men, Pentatonix, David Benoit and The All-American Boys Chorus. D

ABC Celebrates 50th anniversary of Charlie Brown Christmas radio
National Public Radio ( NPR) explores what makes this ageless special endure in interviews with experts. 

READING: NEW 
Find out more about the history and little known facts about Charlie Brown's Christmas. Read opinions for its success as well as about recent controversies surrounding its "religious" tone. 

• Charlie Brown Christmas at 50: the Making of a Classic Soundtrack 
• Factors Why Charlie Brown Christmas is So Well Loved : 
• Charlie Brown Christmas: The Flop That Wasn't
• Five  Things You Don't  Know About Charlie Brown Christmas
• 50 Years Later Charlie Brown Christmas Turns Out to be a Winner After All 
• Re Think review Charflie Brown Christmas True Meaning of Christmas
• 14 Blockheaded Facts ab out Charlie Brown's Christmas
• 29 Moments of Charlie Brown
• Kentucky School District Censors Charlie Brown Christmas
• Dear-lexington-editors-if-Linus-Doesnt-Say-You-Know-What-then-What-Does-He-Say?

Discussion Questions

   1    What did you enjoy most about the special?

   2.    Why is it that Charlie Brown as well as ourselves feel like we should have a certain 
          type of feeling at Christmas? 

   3.   Why  is there more pressure on us to feel happy during the Christmas season than 
        at other time of year? Why is it we feel that there is something wrong  with us if we 
        don't  feel this way? 

  4.    Studies show that a lot of people get depressed during or just after holidays like
          Christmas ? Why do you think this happens?  

  5.  What should depressed people do about this " depression" or sadness?

  6.  According to Charlie Browns' friend Linus, what is Christmas all about? 

   7.  Do you think Christmas has become too commercial? Explain. How could they make
         it more  meaningful? 

   8.  Charlie Brown refused to "go along  with" ( agree with what everyone else thought
        was  normal when he was sure there was something better or more meaningful 
        available. When is it good to go "along"  with everyone  around you and when is it
        better to make your own way? 

5 New Years Resolutions for ESL Learners

One important New Years' custom in North America is to make New Years Resolutions.

A New Year's resolution is a a promise or commitment you make to yourself  to improve your life, or to achieve a personal goals. 

Some ways you can improve your life include: breaking a bad habit, doing something completely new,  or working harder to reach a specific goal. 

New Years resolutions are usually related to your own personal goals, your career, your health, your love and family life, or even your good or bad habits. 

My own New Years resolutions for this year are: 

• Swimming three times a week in order to get more fit and to lose weight. 
• Spending more time with my adult children by setting up specific weekly dates. 
• Spending more time with my husband  by setting up a weekly date night that can not be cancelled unless there is an emergency. 

Here are a few of the Top 10 Resolutions for 2012 . from Slide share. I don't think they have changed much for 2013.

• losing weight
• getting organized
• spending less, saving more  
• enjoying life more 
• staying fit and healthy  

One important thing about New Year's Resolutions that makes them different from other types of resolutions is that people make them in anticipation of the New Year and new beginnings. 

  New Years Resolutions to Improve Your English 

Since this is an ESL blog aimed at helping you, have thought about  making some New Years' resolutions to improve some specific English skills? . 

Listening:  

1. Why not promise to listen to English for 30 minutes a day, even on the weekends.  

You can listen to the radio, television, Internet listening activities with scripts (especially now that you can download them onto SMART phones and Mp3 players.

2. Why not promise to listen to 15 or 30 minutes of English music a day (with  or without the lyrics. You'll have fun, and you'll remember both the rhythm, the vocabulary and the phrases much better than through dry exercises.

Speaking: 

3.  Why not promise to speak English for 15 to 30 
 minutes a day. 
If you live in a country with few English speakers this can be difficult, but not impossible.

• Try using a specific website focused on speaking such as English Central , or joining a meet up  group. 

• While doing your English alone or in your room do them out loud, speak the complete sentences and vocabulary. It will triple your ability to remember what you learn AND in some "muscle memory"  of how to use the correct grammar when you speak. 

Sign up for  Google + .  Then set up your own  hangout page   and  invite your friends to practice English conversation. Then, make sure you actually do it at least once a week -with a topic you have prepared for. 

• Try using any of the software , or programs that allow you to speak and monitor your speaking such as:  Voice Thread , Vocaroo or Voxop.

• If you live in country where people speak English,.you can still use all of the above methods, but you can force yourself to speak English to people at work,  go to a park, a community centre or any other available place to practice making small talk.  

• Try to make English friends through volunteering, a social or professional organization, or a church.

 Oral Grammar

4. Why not promise to work on one specific aspect of grammar when you speak. For  example you could focus on using past tense consistently when you need to, working on he/ she pronouns or adding "s" at the end of words that need it.   

Vocabulary: 

5. Why not promise to improve your vocabulary by learning 5 new words a day, or 50 new words a week.

You can also promise to improve your vocabulary by going out and using the new vocabulary you learn each day in any possible way you can: speaking it out loud, writing sentences or paragraphs, creating your own games and flash cards, recording yourself.... .. 

 

Setting Achievable Goals 

There are MANY more specific resolutions and goals you can make to help yourself speed up your English learning. But, the main thing is you must know what is the most important area for you, and how you can accomplish it.

Early in January, I will discuss some ways to make your New Years resolutions realistic AND achievable. In the meantime, if you hare having trouble choosing resolutions that DON'T involve learning English, try this  Resolution Generator from Monin Verlarde.

In order to get ready, try reading or listening to:  

• The Voice of America: Five New Years resolutions for English learners 
• The BBC New Years Resolution dialogue
• Video: How to Stick to a New Years Resolution 

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Improve your English Fluency

A few days ago I posted an article from the Toronto Star about a study indicating that  Chinese speakers continue to struggle with English fluency and pronunciation for many years after they have moved to their new country.

As a long time instructor of both immigrants and international students I believe teachers should be supportive and encouraging towards their students. But, I also believe we have a responsibility to be honest, even when the truth is painful.

During the past 20 years, I have noted that many Asian students do indeed struggle more with fluency than students from other language groups - even after living in Canada for a long time. In fact, a large number are reluctant to speak English at all outside of class.

Note that I'm using the word Asian because I do not want to limit this discussion only to  Chinese speakers. Also note that I use the word many, not all.  

Multicultural members of the a dragon boat team

On a positive note, some Asian students try to do  everything they can to become more fluent and comfortable in English. They make English-speaking friends and join English-speaking organizations like churches and social or athletic groups such as  dragon boat teams. They often become an active part of their English-speaking community.

As a teacher, I am delighted with these  kinds of students. I know that even though they make mistakes, they will be more successful. And I believe their children have fewer problems feeling caught between two cultures as they grow up.

 

Teachers can't do it all 

There's an old saying, "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink." In this case, English teachers can provide their students with guidance, strategies and in-class practice to help them improve their speaking and pronunciation, but the rest is up to the student. 

Some students think they'll absorb English through their skin simply by sitting in class and listening to teachers or fellow students talk. Sadly, there is no easy or magic solution. You have to work at it. 

The only way to improve English listening, speaking or pronunciation skills is: practice,  practice, practice. If you live in an English-speaking country, you must actually speak to English-speaking people.

If you live in China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Vietnam etc., join English conversation clubs, watch/listen to movies, YouTube videos, podcasts, and talk to tourists, Internet speaking partners, etc.

English is NOT just a school subject.   

Anyone who plans to live, study or work in an English-speaking country, must stop thinking of English as a school subject like math, biology or economics.

English is a living language. It is NOT  just a bunch of rules you study for a test.

I frequently tell my students that life is NOT a multiple choice test.When you need to talk to friends, customers, co-workers, bosses, clerks or anyone else, you will never have the opportunity to choose one out of four answers and answer a, b or c. 

When you must listen to and understand an English-speaking friend, customer, boss, etc.  you will never be able to respond a,b, or c . You will have to produce meaningful words and sentences.


This means you'll need to learn how to speak comfortably without struggling. It also means your words and sentences must  be clear enough for someone else to understand what you are saying. Finally, it means that you must prove that you understand what someone has said by responding appropriately.

So......if you really want to increase your English fluency and be understood by others, you have to go out and actually live your life in English. 
This means finding ways to use it as many ways as you can every day, even at home with members of your family.


"But I don't have the chance to practice out of class" 


One of my students' biggest excuses to explain the lack of improvement in their English listening and speaking skills is that they don't have the opportunity to practice outside of class.

"It's not my fault that my English speaking is so weak," they often say. "My family doesn't speak English and I don't have any English-speaking friends."


I realize that in cities such as Vancouver, Toronto, San Francisco, London, Sidney etc.
there are  very large Asian communities. Immigrants or international students can avoid speaking real English to real English speakers for years, even for their entire life.


This is because they can shop for food, clothing, household items, rent or buy apartments or houses, or even cars in their own language. They can go to the doctor, have their car fixed, see an accountant, go to  the bank, get a prescription, take their driver's test, or eat in a restaurant without speaking a word of English.  


If you are one of these people, even after five, ten, 15 years in Canada, your spoken English may still sound as if you just arrived last week. Your  understanding of the culture you live in will be limited and you'll have the same misconceptions about native born Canadians, Americans, Australians, New Zealanders and Britons. 



I personally know a number of people, including my next door neighbours, who fall into this category. Although they've lived here for more than 20 years, they only use about 500 English words with great difficulty.                                                                                               
Their children, who were born in Canada, speak perfect English and often have to translate for their parents. I've often heard their18 year old daughter fighting with her mom in English,  shouting that it's frustrating to have a mother who speaks so little English and how she can't bring her English-speaking friends home.

Make the Choice to Practice and Use English  


To improve your English speaking and listening skills you must make an active, conscious choice. This involves stepping outside your own safe community, and participating in the English community. Remember, Canada, USA, Britain, Australia and New Zealand are mainly English-speaking countries.

There are many opportunities to listen to and speak English. I will discuss listening opportunities in another post, but let's talk about speaking opportunities for a minute.

Step Outside your Comfort Zone - you'll be glad you did! 

Speaking English to others involves stepping outside your comfort zone and being willing to take risks, to make mistakes, to be embarrassed.

If you always play it safe in order to avoid feeling foolish, you will be just as terrible a speaker in five years as you are now.  You will also have no one to blame except yourself.

Earlier, I mentioned that not ALL Asians fail to improve their fluency. I've known and  taught many Asians who DO take risks. They volunteer at English-speaking organizations, join parent committees at their children's schools, join English social, sports or youth clubs, or even business associations such as the Rotary Club.

I've even had students who have left good jobs for lower paying ones where they have to speak a lot of English. They did this specifically to improve their English fluency.

These students have no intention of spending their lives in low-paying or boring jobs. They are making a choice to work where they must speak English because although their previous job paid a higher wage, they were only using their own language.


The students who try and make small talk with English speakers or set up English practice time with their children have dramatically increased their English fluency, often faster than  they ever expected.


Yes, they still have an accent, but they can be understood, and that's all that matters. Yes, they still make grammar mistakes, but they're working to improve their oral grammar.

There is no question that sometimes native speakers will be rude to you because you don't speak English well. Learn how to ignore them and focus on those who are not only polite, but willing to engage in real conversation, simply because you started talking to them in English.


Many native English speakers are angry at people who don't even want to try speaking English to them. They feel that those people choose to ignore the language of their new  country. When native speakers find themselves surrounded by people who only speak Chinese, Korean, Japanese etc., they feel very defensive and offended.


Develop a Plan and a Schedule

If you actually want to improve your English fluency, you must develop a real plan and a daily schedule that involves setting specific goals, and building in specific times to practice. It also involves practicing some of the "conversational skills" you learn in class, or online. 

One way to become a little more comfortable with speaking or listening to English is to use some of the information in the SPEAKING  page,  LISTENING, PRONUNCIATION or  MUSIC page.

In the SPEAKING PAGE, watch the videos on the Art of Conversation and Communicating effectively. Also check out common expressions we use for different situations. We call these "conversation management" expressions. 

You may also want to read the following previous posts:

• How to Make English Speaking Friends
• Improve Your Speaking: Use Your Cell 
• How to Join a Conversation  

Pronununciation Tips For ESL Speakers

Pronunciation Makes an Impression!

How well do people to understand you when you speak English? Do they often have to ask you to repeat things? 

Speaking clearly enough to be understood MUST be one of your most important priorities if you live in an English country. 

Real communication involves two parties: a speaker and a listener. If the listener can't understand you, you are NOT communicating. 

 It doesn't matter how interesting you are if people have to struggle to get the point.  In fact,  if they have to keep working hard to understand you, they eventually simply stop trying.   

If you are an adult, you will probably never sound like a native speaker. NO ONE expects you to, so don't worry about it. What IS important is that you speak clearly enough for people understand you. This does NOT require getting rid of your accent. It does involve making a real effort. 

You CAN take steps to speak more clearly. I have previously written about some of the steps you can take to improve your pronunciation,  but the following article by Suzanne Bennett offers some excellent advice. Make sure you read the tips section. 

Article: 

Pronunciation  is always a big challenge when speaking a language that is not your own. No matter how hard you try, there are always some sounds in a foreign language that your tongue and lips simply will not want to make! What can you do to sound as native and natural as possible.continue reading

New Pronunciation Links, Videos and Activities

I have also added some new links to the Pronunciation Links on the right hand side of the page, as well as new videos and practice activities on the PRONUNCIATION PAGE.


Of course, as you know, singing English is also a terrific way to practice, so why don't you try out a few songs on the MUSIC PAGE.