Have Fun Learning English without Feeling Guilty

Learning English through music and songs can help you improve in ways you may not expect. 

First, learning and singing English songs can be a lot of fun. Many of you who are studying for high stakes  English tests such as TOEFL, IELTS, TOEIC,  are working very hard., but you are NOT having a lot of fun while you do it. 

Guilt Free Learning 

Here is a way for you to work on many aspects of your English  without feeling guilty that you aren't  putting serious effort into your learning.  

Working with and learning English songs can help you improve your listening - especially for word endings, hard to hear sounds, fast English and any number of other things depending  on what you want to focus on. 

It can also help you to learn and improve your vocabulary, collocations, expressions and idioms - as they are used in the real world. 


Remembering and being able to Use  New Vocabulary  

Even better, it can actually help you to remember  the words and expressions. Learning

words for a few weeks is OK, but wouldn't  you like to be able to remember them and actually use them?  Most of my students complain that remembering new vocabulary is one of their biggest problems. 

Here is a trick to help you remember those words. Choose songs that you like and learn the lyrics (words) by heart. Yes, memorize them.  But be careful! Don't just learn passively. You  must sing the song out loud as loudly and as often as you can. 

You will be amazed at how fast your vocabulary improves. Not only that - you  will sound much more natural and fluent both in your writing and your speaking - because you are not learning words in isolation, but in phrases, the way they are supposed to be used.  

And  that's just vocabulary. 

Learn to Sound More "Natural" in English

Learning English through songs can help also you improve your pronunciation. Think of all those famous singers who sing in English with no accent at all even when it is NOT their first language


Of course,  I have to stress that you have to sing out loud if you want to do this. But, think of it as "studying." 

Focus on specific issues - word endings "s". "ed" / specific  vowel or consonant sounds, word and sentence level stress, phrasing, pausing at appropriate times. 

You do have to put in some effort. After you listen to and learn the song, you need to start analyzing which words are joined together through linking, which words are stressed, where the singer pauses. 

You can do this by speaking the song out loud while you are listening to it.  Use a piece of paper and mark off the pronunciation points you want to work on. 


Songs as Discussion Points  

Songs can be a great way to introduce topics and issues that you can discuss with one partner or with a whole group. They can make you think of ideas and subject matters that make you think, and argue, agree, disagree - even tell stories of your own. 

There are other major activities you can do to improve your English. I will discuss several more in my next post. 

But, just in case you  don't take me seriously, here is a song in which I have included many activities including vocabulary, grammar and discussion questions. 

Have a little fun. Give it a try.  Share it with your friends. Try out the discussion questions. It will give you an opportunity to talk about something.  

 Let me know what you think. Did you enjoy this? Was it useful? Would you like more? 

Leave a comment in the comment box below. 

What's New and Different?

 

Hi there folks!  I;m sorry that I haven't posted in a while. I've been extremely busy, but that doesn't mean I have forgotten you. 

Daily Listening Speaking  Activities  

If you are interested in practicing listening and speaking everyday, but don't have an organized plan or system, go to my  HOMEWORK  page.  

I have been teaching Listening and Speaking classes for the past two terms.  Every day I post a lot of specific listening and speaking activities.  I usually try to include a variety of types of listening activities:

Some of these include: 

• Listening practice ( TOEFL, IELTS,  TOEIC) 
• Listening and speaking skill based practice 
• news quizzes ( ESL News and regular news)
• video quizzes
• songs 
• long and short dialogues
• mini lectures and talks 
• Podcasts 
• weather forecasts  
• TV show recommendations 
• pronunciation activities

I have also started to add focused grammar listening, and grammar drills aimed at specific problems many students have. 


TV. Movie and News Pages To Come :  

Some of my future plans for the blog include setting up a TELEVISION and MOVIE page with a lot of good information and links about TV shows and movies along with some activities.  I also plan to create a NEWS page with a variety of tips, exercises and links on  how to listen to, read and understand both slow ESL newcasts  created specifically for ESL students, and  regular newcasts  with online interactive activities. 


Please Let Me know How I'm Doing  

How do you like the  blog so far?  Is there anything I'm NOT putting on here that you would like to see or read?  

Please let me know what I am doing well and in which areas I could improve. Although this blog is something I do for love of my students and ESL learners all over the world,  I don't get much feedback online. One comment from a reader makes all the work I put into this worth something. 

If you don't know how to leave a comment, go to the left hand side of he page and read the post I wrote on How to Write a Comment 

Earth Day: Canadians Spending Less Time Outdoors

A leafy landsdcape in Toronto's Rosedale-Moore Park (Torstar News Service file photo) 

By Staff Torstar News Service

All  over the world most people believe that Canadians spend a lot of time outdoors. But, unfortunately, they are wrong. 

But, today on World Earth day - a day when we’re supposed to be celebrating the earth -  a new survey has revealed that Canadians are spending less time in our parks and forests.


The 2013 Global Green Space Report, produced by outdoor product manufacturer Husqvarna, interviewed 4,676 people in nine countries, including Canada, Sweden, China, Russia, the U.S., Germany, Australia, Poland and France in November 2012.

More than 90 per cent of the respondents said they believe forests, parks and gardens have a positive effect on quality of life, with 89 per cent going so far as to call them a human right.

Green Space Less Popular Around the World 

But despite this, the time people spend in green spaces is decreasing all over the world, with people in five of the nine countries studies spending less “forest time” than five years ago.

Of Canadians, 36 per cent say the time they spend in forests has decreased during the last five years, with 29 per cent saying the same about parks.

“It’s alarming,” says Scott Ride, president of Husqvarna Canada. “This is Canada … who would have ever thought we’d start ignoring our parks and forests, but we are.”

He says there has been a “sea change” from previous generations and the survey indicates the even the backyard is being ignored, with 74 per cent of the Canadians polled saying their kids spend less time there than they did as youngsters.

Local parks are faring no better, with 79 per cent of Canadian parents saying their kids spend less time in those green spaces than they themselves did as children.  Ride says he believes that the population has become too enamoured with the city and all its entertainment, as well as computers.

Biggest  Obstacle: Distance from Parks

'The study says “distance from a park or forest” is the greatest obstacle to Canadians spending time in green space, with the number two reason being limited time due to workload.


But while some have distanced themselves from nature, many are seeking it out. The study found 39 per cent of Canadians would be willing to move from the big city to be closer to nature.

One who did is Keith Carman, 37, a musician and sales rep who grew up in Milton and couldn’t wait to get to Toronto, which he did in 1994. But after having his fill of hectic city life he moved with his wife and 11-year-old son to a 200-acre farm near Guelph last year.

“I feel grounded being here,” he says of his century farmhouse and surrounding land. “I have these beautiful sunsets that aren’t blocked by buildings and at night I have a dark sky full of bright, shiny stars.”

He says there are three different conservation areas within a 10 or 15 minute drive and that he hikes, canoes swims and explores, not to mention the camp fires and adventures he has on his own land.

How do YOU feel about this? 

 Discussion/writing questions 

• Do YOU spend less time outdoors than you used to?  Why? 

•  Do your children spend less time outside than you did when you were a child? Why? 

•  What effect can this have on your health, your quality of life,  your mood?  Explain

• What effect does this / might this have on your attitude towards the environment in general? Explain 

• What are the benefits/ advantages of spending time outdoors for you and your children? 

•  What specific activities can people do outdoors that they can't do indoors?  Does everything have to be a sport? 

•  What specific steps can people take to increase the amount of time they spend outside? List  them and discuss how you could set up a schedule or program to make sure you do it.  

• Are there any cities or towns in your country that have a lot of parks, or which are close to forests and other green spaces?

•  Should cities create more parks and green spaces? How could they do this?  

•  Would you be willing to move to a smaller place that had more access to the outdoors? 

   Group Speaking/Planning Activity: 

With your group plan a park for your city that would contain areas and activities for all age groups, very young children, children, teenagers, adults and seniors. 

• What would the park look like? 
• What activities could people do?  
• How much would it cost?  
• Give yourself a budget and see if you can stay within that budget. If you can't, decide which items would have to be cut.  

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Women's Day 2013 :Compare Two videos

Most of you know what a commercial, or advertisement is. But how much do you know about Public Service Announcements?

Public Service Announcements look and sound like TV or radio ads, but they are different in one important way.  Instead of selling a product or a service, PSA's as they are referred to, try to sell an idea.  

The idea must be aimed at educating or changing public attitudes about a social issue or problem such as drinks drinking and driving, bullying, taking drugs etc.  

International Women's Day is a day that raises many issues about about issues and problems that affect women all over the world. Some of these include: gender equality, poverty, violence towards women,  child brides, access to education and many more. 

Although women have made major strides in the 100 years since International Women's Day first began, the following Public Service Announcement videos aim to educate people about the problems still facing millions of women around the world. 


Today is no longer International Women's Day, but  March is Women's History month in several countries including Australia and the United States.  The following two activities can create some good speaking, listening and even writing activities  in an ESL classroom, or for any second language student   

Listening Activities:

Which video is the most effective? 

Here are activities for two different Public Service Announcements released for International Women's Day. . 


Both of them contain pre-listening discussion questions, listening comprehension questions and  post listening speaking activities. 

Watch both of them and compare them. Which of the two is most effective? Why? 

Comments? 

 

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New Song for International Women's Day 2013

Today is International Women's Day. 

All over the world women are participating in events to celebrate their achievements.   

and to discuss how much still needs to be done to win the battle for equality with men.  


In honour of International Women's Day,  UN Women, an organization associated with the United Nations released a song, called  "One Woman" to celebrate women from all over the world.

"We Are One Woman: Message of Unity

Recorded by more than 25 artists and musicians from around the world,  the song sends a message  of unity and solidarity to end violent crimes against women and girls. 

To the tranquil sitar playing of Anoushka Shankar, the daughter of famed sitar player Ravi Shankar, male and female artists sing the chorus: "We are one woman, your world is mine and we shall shine".

Focus: Reducing Violence Against Women

This year, International Women's day is focusing on  violence against women in a year where high profile cases like the shooting of teenager Malala Yousafzai  and  brutal gang rapes in India have gained world wide attention. 


The project was created by UN Women, an organization associated with the United Nations and founded in 2011 to empower women and to improve women's lives around the world. 

According  to the UN, 7 out of 10 women around the world are still victims of violence - a major human rights  violation.




For more information on  how the song was made and its artists go to  http://song.unwomen.org/

Background on International Women's Day

For more information, read a previo9us article I wrote on International Women's Day

The day, which originally began on February 28th, 1909 was  started as a campaign for better working conditions by women in New York. In those days, working conditions were so bad that many women got sick and died. The first official International Women's Day was held on February 28, 1909. No one knows for sure why the date changed to March 8, but this is the date when thousands of women started annual marches in New York’s streets.  continue this story here 

 
MORE TO COME: 

Tune in tomorrow for articles, videos and activities on women's issues and International Women's Day

Listening Quiz: RCMP Bullying Problem

 

Just as Canada  was getting ready to celebrate anti-bullying day, the head of an RCMP investigation committee  issued a report saying the federal police force has a serious bullying problem. 

The RCMP stands for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who are often called "mounties."   
These are the people wearing red coats and hats that you see riding horses in parades and whom you often see on postcards from Canada. 

But their role is much bigger than simply riding in parades. The RCMP is Canada's federal police force  and has 19,000 members.  

Currently, 20 per cent of those members are women, and  this year a number of them have accused the RCMP of wide scale sexual harassment. 

Listen to the  story as many times as you need to. Then, answer the questions. 

Take the quiz: Online interactive video quiz 

The High Price of Bullying

 Bullying can cause devastating results that range from making children feel lonely, unhappy and frightened to causing them to commit suicide.  

It can make them feel unsafe and think there must be something wrong with them. 

Children can lose confidence and may not want to go to school anymore. It may even make them sick.
 
Some people think bullying is just part of growing up and a way for young people to learn to stick up for themselves. But bullying can have long-term physical and psychological consequences. 

Some of these include:

• Withdrawal from family and school activities, wanting to be left alone.
• Shyness
• Stomachaches
• Headaches
• Panic Attacks
• Not being able to sleep
• Sleeping too much
• Being exhausted
• Nightmares 

Children who learn they can get away with violence and aggression continue to do so in adulthood. They have a higher chance of getting involved in dating aggression, sexual harassment and criminal behaviour later in life.

Bullying can have an effect on learning 
  

Stress and anxiety caused by bullying and harassment can make it more difficult for kids to learn. It can cause difficulty in concentration and decrease their ability to focus, which affects their ability to remember things they have learned.

Bully Related Suicide

Bullying is painful and humiliating, and kids who are bullied feel embarrassed, battered and shamed. If the pain is not relieved, bullying can even lead to consideration of suicide or violent behaviour.

In recent years, a series of bullying-related suicides in the US and across the globe have drawn attention to the connection between bullying and suicide. Though too many adults still see bullying as "just part of being a kid," it is a serious problem that leads to many negative effects for victims, including suicide. Many people may not realize that there is also a link between being a bully and committing suicide.  

The statistics on bullying and suicide are alarming: 

• Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people, resulting in about 4,400 deaths per year, according to the CDC. For every suicide among young people, there are at least 100 suicide attempts. Over 14 percent of high school students have considered suicide, and almost 7 percent have attempted it. 

•  Bully victims are between 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims, according to studies by Yale University

• A study in Britain found that at least half of suicides among young people are related to bullying 

• A new review of studies from 13 countries found signs of an apparent connection between bullying, being bullied, and suicide. (Yale School of Medicine)

• Suicide rates among children between the ages of 10 & 14 are very low, but are "creeping up." (Ann Haas, Director of the Suicide Prevention Project at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention)

Amanda Todd Suicide 

The recent story of Amanda Todd, a 13 year old Vancouver girl who committed suicide in November 2012 after being bullied, brought international attention to the problem . 

Before she died, Amanda's posted a video on You Tube in which she used a series of flash cards to tell of her experiences of being blackmailed, bullied and physically asssaulted.  The video went viral after her death,  and resulted in an international discussion about the issue and potential laws to deal with it. 

In response to the death, the premier of British Columbia made an online statement of condolence suggesting a national discussion on criminalizing cyberbullying.

Also, a motion was introduced in the Canadian House of Commons to propose a study of the scope of bullying in Canada, and for more funding and support for anti-bullying organizations. Todd's mother, Carol, established the Amanda Todd Trust, receiving donations to support anti-bullying awareness education and programs for young people with mental health problems 

More Resources on Bullying from Michele Henry:

• Student bullying - infographic
  "The statistics show a student is bullied every seven minutes in the U.S.A., and that most of the time, bullying occurs on playgrounds.
  77% of students are bullied and cyber-bullying is rapidly approaching this percentage as well."
  

• The high price of bullying in the US "A global report on school violence identifies bullying as the biggest problem in US school playgrounds...
  It's a short walk from schoolyard bullying to school violence." (BBC)

• Two Teenage Girls Try to Drown Themselves
• Bullying Canada
• Stand Up to Bullying Red Cross Site
• Real Stories About Bullying 

 Roles in Cyber Bullying: The story of a boy ( ESL Video)

Lady Gaga and Oprah Lady Gaga and Oprah Tackle Bullying ( an entire reading and listening lesson) 

Canada Safety Council: School Bullies

The True Effects of Bullying