ESL Charlie Brown Christmas Activities

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

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 for many people around the world the Christmas season can bring anxiety and a feeling of being alone and unloved. 

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

Learn English with the 2012 Olympics

Welcome to the 2012 Olympics ESL style. Whether or not you think the Olympics are an important world event, or a waste of money, there is nothing you can do about it. The 2012 London games officially began with last night;s opening ceremony.

Since many of you are interested in the games, I thought it would be fun for you to practice a little English at the same time as you cheer for your favourite athletes, or teams  and enjoy enjoy your favourite sports.  

ESL Olympic Resources 

During the next few weeks, I will be posting a variety of resources from and about the 2012 Olympics to help you practice English. Hopefully,you can have fun learning some facts and new vocabulary about the Olympics and Olympic sports, watching some videos and reading different articles about the events at the Olympics.

I will also include many links to different websites where you can get more information as well as play games and do other Olympic related activities.


How about a little Olympic music? 

To get you in the mood, I have uploaded the official song of the 2012 Olympics, "Survival," by a British group called "Muse."  Try the listening exercise below to see how well you understand it.  After you have finished, try the vocabulary activity,. 

The song  "Survival"  was written specifically for the Games and will be played at various sport sessions at official Games locations. Four other songs have been specially composed for the games, and recorded by Elton John vs. Pnau, Delphic, Chemical Brothers and Dizzee Rascal.

People seem to have strong feelings about this song. They either hate it or love it. 

What is YOUR opinion?   Do you think it is a one to be the official Olympic song, or can you think of another one that would be better? Why?  I would love to read your comments.

Practicing Grammar and Vocabulary in Sentences

Here are 50 words that we are studying. Write sentences with at least 15 of them. Try writing more sentences, just to practice.  Use some of the verb tenses I indicated: simple present, 

present continuous, simple past, past continuous, present perfect, present perfect continuous. 

If you are having problems, answer some of the sentences below, using exactly the same tense and part of the sentence itself in your answer. Don't make the sentences too long. What you are aiming at is perfect sentences with a variety of verb tenses and vocabulary 

Make sure you use the actual word in the sentence, even if you are answering one of  the questions below.

Here are the 50 words 

Vocabulary Power 2: Chapter 3 Handout

1.         Accurate, accuracy                                                    26.   opportunity

2.         Classic                                                                     27.    tremendous, tremendously

3.         Critic/critical/ or criticism                                           28.    stabilize, stable. unstable,

4.         Encourage, encouragement, (be)                                29.     household

5.         encouraged, encouraging                                           30.     remain

5.         Exhibit (as a noun or a verb)

 6.         Firm, firmly                                             Vocabulary from Living to an Old Age        

7.         Label, to label                                                           31.   to enable

8.         Prejudice or (be) prejudiced                                        32.   diagnose, diagnosis, diagnostic

9.         Proceed                                                                   33.   forgiveness, forgive, forgivable 
10.       Tempt or tempting                                                     34.   inheritance,  inherit

                                                                                           35.  urban, urbanize

Changes in the Family                                                        36.  industry, industrialization,   

11.       Consists of                                                                    industrialize, industrial, industrious

12.       Grow up. (be) grown up)                                              37.  survivor, survive, survival 

13.       Blended family                                                           38..  intention, intend, intentional  

14.       Extended family                                                         39. a  reward, to reward, rewarding

15.       Relatives                                                                    40.   remarkable, remarkably

16.       Task                                                                           41.  contribution, contribute,contributing

17.       Socialize, society, social or socially                              42. moderate, moderately

18.       Majority                                                                      43. environment, environmental  

19.       Afford or affordable                                                       44. foreign 
20.        (un)controllable                                                           45. estimate, estimated 

21.       Separate, separable                                                    45. pressure,pressuring

22.       Limit, limited, or unlimited                                           46. factor

23.       Depend, dependence, dependable,                              48. genetic 

             dependably                                                              49. isolation, isolate, (be) isolated 

24.       Finance, financial, financially                                                                     

25.     Emphasis, emphasize

SOME QUESTIONS TO HELP YOU WRITE SENTENCES:

USE THE NEW VOCABULARY IN YOUR SENTENCES   

1.         How much prejudice  have you seen  or experienced in Vancouver since you moved here?  Give one example.

2.         What do you usually do when someone says  something about you that is not  

            accurate?

3.         When a teacher is trying to help you improve, should he or she be firm, or gentle? 

            Why?      

4.         When was the last time someone criticized you for something? What was it for?

5.         What are the washing instructions on the label of the shirt or pants you are  wearing

6.         Are you cooking a classic  meal from your native     
              country tonight? What is it?

    

7.         Did you parents encourage you to read or   
           improve  your skills when you were a child? 

             How  did they encourage you?

8.         Is your former country making any changes to the driving
                                                                 process  involved in getting a driver's license?

9.         Is there anything trying to tempt you away from studying or doing your homework this

            weekend?  What is it?

10.       When is the last time you went to an art exhibit in Vancouver , or your own country? 

 What   was showing?  What did you  think?

11.        Do you think children have been growing up too quickly recently? Why? 

13.       Do you think the government should build more affordable housing in Vancouver? Why?

14.       How long should children depend on their families financially? Why?

15.       What should I be emphasizing in this class?  Why?

16..      What factors contribute to an unstable marriage or family?  

17.       What kind of household tasks did you have to do when you were a child?  Are your

             children doing the same kind of  tasks as you did?

18.       If you had an unlimited amount of money to spend , what would you buy?                                 

19.       Blended families have become very common in Canada. Are they becoming more   

            common in  your native countries?

20.       Do you think teenagers often feel isolated from their parents? Why?

21.       What are the most useful methods students can use to enable them to improve their     

            vocabulary and remember it? List as many as you can?

22.      What is the most remarkable thing you have observed or heard about in your life?

23.      Have you ever been diagnosed  with a serious disease?

24.      How much pressure do parents in your culture put on children?  Why?

25.     What kind of  living environment   is the most suitable for raising a family? Explain.

26.      Have your ever  survived something terrible? Explain.    

Vocabulary

Finding my recommended dictionary:

Go to there dictionary links on the side. Choose the one that says Your Dictionary - My favourite. This is the dictionary that has wonderful example sentences in which you can see how specific words are used and what other words they are used with. 

Below you will see that I am asking a few questions with your new vocabulary. See, if you can answer them in writing in the comment box. 

In order to post a comment,  go to the very bottom of the post. If you see a box that says comment, simply post a comment. 

If you don't see a box that says comment. Look at the very end of the post where you will see a few words. Click on the actual word" comment"  and wait for a box to pop up. 

The comment section is not as obvious as it should be.  

I    What factors contributed to your decision to move to Canada?  

2   Are there any Canadian actions or behaviours that are foreign to you?  What are they? 

3.  What is the most rewarding activity you have ever done?

4.  Do you prefer an urban lifestyle or a rural one. Why? 

5. What kind of study environment works best for you? Very quiet, a little noisy, the kitchen   

     table,  a quiet desk in the corner? 

6.  How much homework do you intend to do this term? 

 

7.  Do you feel isolated from the mainstream (local) Canadians as an immigrant, or are you 

    beginning to  adapt and interact with them?