Michelle's independent resources for ESL Students at Vancouver Community College

This is a Canadian ESL blog for Intermediate and Advanced Students who want to learn and improve their English. Each PAGE above contains thousands of free English lessons, tutorials and practice exercises to help you learn and improve your English grammar, reading, listening, pronunciation, speaking, writing and editing. Some of the resources are Canadian. Others are from around the world.

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Sunday, December 13, 2015

ESL Christmas Vocabulary and Reading Activities


Understanding some of the most common vocabulary will help you enjoy the Christmas carols you listen to and sing along to during the holidays.

Here are a few vocabulary flashcards, quizzes, games and activities to help you learn and remember some of the important Christmas words you should know. 

This first item is actually a reading, but it is an interesting one that I hope you will enjoy. 

Mistletoe, the kiss of Christmas"It;s a vintage year for the legendary mistletoe berries." In Britain's mistletoe-growing regions, a branch would be brought in to protect the house.any woman walking underneath could not refuse to be kissed, or she would remain an old maid." " (telegraph.co.uk) continue reading





Advent Calendars 



Advent Calendar ( Interactive)  with questions about Christmas from around the world (\Project Britain./com)


December Advent Calendar  with pictures and poems
 ( Smile- a-day.com)
Easy Vocabulary Quizzes 

Christmas vocabulary  (learningchocolate.com)


More Difficult Vocabulary and Quizzes 

( by learningenglishwithmichelle)
MORE DIFFICULT VOCABULARY 
 

Christmas and New Year's Vocabulary Vocabulary ( BBC) A  lot of Christmas vocabulary can be used with or without the word ‘Christmas’ in front of it. For example we can talk about ‘Christmas crackers’ or just ‘crackers’:   lot of Christmas vocabulary can be used with or without the word ‘Christmas’ in front of it. For example we can talk about ‘Christmas crackers’ or just ‘crackers’: 
- with a QUIZ


Christmas Expressions 
INTERACTIVE games : 
 Christmas Crossword #1 
"Click here to download a PDF version with solution, and here for an interactive web version which should work on smartphones and tablets. Have fun!"(englishblog.com)

A Christmas Crossword - interactive or printable (englishblog.com)
Christmas hangman - "Explore the picture and play the hangman game..."Created by Renée Maufroid. (Ac. Lille)
Presents for Xmas (and the rest of the year!)

Matching - Flashcards (Java / non-Java) - Concentration - Word Search- with a list of terms used in these activities (with pictures)Activities created by: Renée Maufroid


    Holidays from Different  Cultures  at Christmas Time 

    Christmas Around the World (New)
    Christmas in Italy                            Christmas in Ireland
    Christmas in Japan                         Mexican Christmas  
    Christmas in  Netherlands             Christmas in Poland                     
    Christmas in Russia                     Christmas ion Scotland
    Christrmas in Spain                      Christmas in Sweden 

    Christmas in Ukraine                   Christmas in the U.S.

    Christmas in the U.K.                   Christmas in Wales
    Christmas Short Stories  New
    Story Nory is a website where actors read famous stories and myths  You can rerad and listen to the story at the same time or download the story to listen to as an mp3 file. 
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    Monday, November 9, 2015

    Poll: Youth don't Appreciate Veterans Enough

    Canadians overwhelmingly find Remembrance Day as relevant today  as when it began nearly a century ago, but are split on whether younger generations properly appreciate and honour the country’s veterans, according to a new survey released days before the ceremony.
    The poll commissioned by Historica Canada found that 82 per cent of Canadians believe the annual tribute is as important now as it was shortly after the First World War. 
    Only slightly more than half (54 per cent), however, feel today’s youth “do a good job” of honouring veterans, and slightly fewer than half (46 per cent) think young people understand the sacrifices of those who have died in conflict.
    Even those under 35 are torn, with only 54 per cent saying young people recognize veterans’ sacrifices — in itself a sign of engagement ,Historica Canada’s president said.
    “When the answer among youth themselves is split as to whether they sufficiently care or not, if you’re saying ‘Yeah, I don’t actually know if I care as much as I should,’ in effect you’re really saying, ‘I do care because I’ve taken the trouble to think about that,’” Anthony Wilson-Smith said.
    Overall, the importance Canadians attribute to the Nov. 11 commemoration has risen slightly in the decade that Historica Canada has been polling on the topic, Wilson-Smith said.
    “The further that we get from (the Second World War) . . . the more reason there would seem to be for interest to lessen , but actually I think there’s a tremendous awareness among all Canadians that our veterans from that war in particular are now generally in their 90s.It's an open question as to how much longer we will have them and their memories and the ability to celebrate them while they’re here.”

    How  People Commemorate Remembrance Day 
    Wearing a poppy remains the most popular way for Canadians to mark the event, with 79 per cent of respondents saying they will wear one of the traditional pins.
    More than 77 per cent say they will observe two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. on Remembrance Day, and 32 per cent say they will attend a service.
    But many say they would support other ways to pay tribute to those who have fought for their country. Eighty per cent say Canada should build a memorial similar to the Vietnam War monument in Washington, D.C., which would bear the names of all Canadian military personnel who died in combat during modern times.
    And the vast majority (91 per cent) believe Canada should do more to honour its veterans.
    Support for making Remembrance Day a national holiday has remained steady since 2012 at 85 per cent. While it is currently a federal statutory holiday, only six provinces deem it a day off.
    But some believe the switch would turn Remembrance Day into another holiday spent shopping or socializing and detract from the date’s significance.
    One thousand Canadians were interviewed online by Ipsos Reid between Oct. 22 and 26. The sample’s composition was weighted to reflect the country’s adult population according to Census data.
    The poll is accurate to within plus or minus 3.5 percentage points 19 times out of 20 had all Canadian adults been surveyed.

    DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:  
    • Do you think young people honour and appreciate veterans enough? Why or why not?
    • Do you think it's important to honour veterans with a special  day? Why or why not? 
    • Do you personally do anything special to pay tribute to veterans? What do you do? 
    • Should Remembrance Day/Veterans Day be a national holiday? Why or why not? 
    • What other object(s) would be good symbols of remembrance?
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    Sunday, November 8, 2015

    ESL Song Quizzes for Remembrance Day

    Enjoy the following Remembrance Day Songs.

     A Pittance of Time 

    On November 11, 1999 Terry Kelly was in a drug store in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. At 10:55 AM an announcement came over the stores PA asking customers who would still be on the premises at 11:00 AM to give two minutes of silence in respect to the veterans who have sacrificed so much for us.

    Terry was impressed with the stores leadership role in adopting the Legions two minutes of silence initiative. He felt that the stores contribution of educating the public to the importance of remembering was commendable.

    When eleven oclock arrived on that day, an announcement was again made asking for the two minutes of silence to commence. All customers, with the exception of a man who was accompanied by his young child, showed their respect.

    Terry's anger towards the father for trying to engage the stores clerk in conversation and for setting a bad example for his child was channeled into the following song called  work called, A Pittance of Time. 
    A Soldier Cries 

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    Monday, October 12, 2015

    Gratitude Song Quizzes for Thanksgiving

    "In ordinary life we hardly realize that we received a great deal more than we give and that it  is only with gratitude that life becomes rich. " 
    Dietrich Bonhoeffe

    One of the best ways to express our gratitude to the people, places and things in our lives  is in song. Here my three favourite songs expressing thankfulness. 

     Grateful: A Song of Love to the World  

     " Musicians Nimo Patel and Daniel Nahmod brought together dozens of people from around the world to create this beautiful, heart-opening melody. Inspired by the 21-Day Gratitude Challenge, the song is a celebration of our spirit and all that is a blessing in life. For the 21 Days, over 11,000 participants from 118 countries learned that “gratefulness” is a habit cultivated consciously and a muscle built over time. As a famous Roman, Cicero, once said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” This soul-stirring music video, created within a week by a team of volunteers, shines the light on all the small things that make up the beautiful fabric of our lives.”  See more at karmatube.org 




    Thanks A Lot by Raffi


       



    Thank You by Dido


       
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    Sunday, October 11, 2015

    20 Gratitude Questions for Thanksgiving





    Nothing that is done for you is a matter of course.  Everything originates in a will for the good, which is directed at you. Train yourself never to put off the word or action for the expression of gratitude.
    --Albert Schweitzer

     It can be challenging to create rich and meaningful family conversations about gratitude.  I know I’ve felt disappointed when my “What do you feel thankful for?” questions are met with quick, predictable responses that bring the conversation to a close soon after it’s begun. 
    This Thanksgiving season, I’m taking a different approach by coming up with 20 gratitude questions to help enliven our sharing.
    May these questions help to spark the spirit of Thanksgiving! 

    1)     What teacher are you most thankful for and why?  What did you learn from him or her?

    2)      What season are you most thankful for, and what is your favorite part of each season?

    3)      What electronic device are you most grateful for, and what does it add to your life?

    4)      What musician or type of music are you most thankful for?

    5)      What are you most grateful for that brings beauty to your daily life?

    6)      What form of exercise or physical activity are you most thankful for?

    7)     What foods are you most thankful for?

    8)     What local store or restaurant are you most grateful for?  How does it contribute to
             your quality of life?

    9)     What book are you most grateful for, and why?

    10    What act of kindness has made the greatest difference in your life?

    11)    What challenging experience has ended up changing your life for the better?

    12)    What form of art are you most thankful for: music, acting, writing, painting, drawing .  
             something else?

    13)    What place do you feel most grateful for and why?

    14)    Name three days in your life that you feel especially grateful for.

    15)    What color do you feel most thankful for—is there a color that you can’t imagine living  without?

    16)    Is there a personal limitation or flaw that you’ve come to appreciate?

    17)     What vacation are you most grateful for?

    18)     What philanthropic cause or organization do you feel thankful for?

    19)     What product do you use on a daily basis that you most appreciate?

    20)     What, from this year, do you feel most grateful for?

      

    Feel free to borrow these questions or come up with your own. 

     Download the what are you thankful questions as question cards   and invite family members or friends to each choose one for everyone to answer.

    This article has been published with permission. Karen Horneffer Ginter is co-founder of the Center for Psychotherapy and Wellness and the author of 'Full Cup, Thirsty Spirit: Nourishing the Soul When Life’s Just Too Much'.



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