LRNGO ESL EFL User Posts

Choosing Lesson Plans for ESL

Jim Collins

2014-06-16

Whether you’re a teacher, a tutor, or a language exchange partner, lesson plans are a fundamental part of the classroom—not as a rigid constraint, but as a way to guide the session in the most beneficial way possible. With this in mind, it can be difficult to distinguish how to choose and construct these lesson plans. Follow these easy steps and you’ll be on your way to choosing the lesson plan that’s right for your session in no time.

Meet Students Where They Are
It’s obvious that you have a better understanding of English than your students do, so meeting them where they’re at is essential. Be sure to communicate with your student and find out where they stand in their learning so that you can help lead them to the next step. Don’t try and make them leap too far; building on prior knowledge is the best way to learn.

Make Sure Lesson Plans Are Well-Rounded
Be sure that when choosing or creating a lesson plan that you have all of the aspe...

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ESL Dictionary List for Travel

Roger Hughes

2014-06-16

Going abroad and not being completely familiar with the language can be a bit overwhelming, but have no fear! ESL dictionaries are the perfect way for you to figure out how to say what you want to say, the right way. Fortunately for you, the world of Internet and smartphones make it a cinch to keep a dictionary filled with thousands of words in your pocket or briefcase at all times. Take a look at some of the best ESL dictionaries out there so that your travel game remains fun and stress-free.

WordReference is my personal go-to site for all things language translation. With fifteen different languages to choose from, you have a good chance of finding your native language on the list. The site offers standard dictionary definitions as well as forums so that you can ask more specific questions about phrases or grammar and get feedback from learners and speakers.

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Top Five Ways to Learn English Free in Houston

Lucia Rodriguez

2014-05-21

As a Houstonian who moved to the city speaking predominately Spanish five years ago, learning English for me quickly became a priority. I knew that my ability to speak Spanish was a skill that many English-speakers in the area would like to learn. So instead of paying a tutor to teach me lessons, I began to do some research about how I could use my skills to teach others who could teach me in return. I found a variety of these opportunities right here in the Houston area.

Language Exchange Websites
These websites are designed specifically for the purpose of connecting people who have a desire to exchange skills. Say what you can teach, what you would like to learn, and your zip code, and the site will generate a list of matches. You can review your matches’ profiles and start a conversation about meeting up! Many of these websites provide online learning exchange opportunities as well. Check out sites like Continue Reading

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Two people having a conversation on the beach

ESL Conversation Practice

Jill Kent

2014-06-19

If you’re trying to better your English language skills, you’re going to have to work on English conversation. The truth is, when it comes to speaking practice, there is no better way than with someone who already speaks English. Not to say that there aren’t ways that you can improve your conversational skills on your own, but practice makes perfect, and you can’t practice on a robot (I’ve tried, and it generally turns out to be a pretty useless conversation). Real people will be able to comment on your pronunciation, help you with tricky words, and encourage you to think on your feet as you would in real-world situations.

Connect with someone you know who speaks English and ask them to set aside some time to talk with you in English, or if you don’t know anyone who that would work with, try finding a learning exchange partner.

Language exchange partners are useful tools in your journey of English learning because they fill in that gap that all the YouTub...

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Top 10 useful Bisaya Phrases in English

Katherine Rios

2014-06-10

If you are planning to visit the central and southern islands of the Philippines, it would be in your best interest to know a few common phrases in the native language, Bisaya. Before I show you these common phrases, however, here are a couple of general tips about how to read and pronounce words in the Bisaya language.

What makes Bisaya fairly simple is that the way that the word is spelled is the way that the word is pronounced. Words in the Bisaya language are pronounced by sounding out each syllable of the word. A majority of vowel sounds in the Bisaya language are what an English speaker would refer to as short vowel sounds.

For example, in the Bisaya phrase "Kumusta man ka?" (which in English means "How are you?"), the vowels are all pronounced with short vowel sounds. The "u" is pronounced the way it is used in the English word "up" and the "a" is pronounced the way it is used in the English word "apple."

There are some exceptions to this rule...

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Man listening with earphones while sleeping

Practice English In Your Sleep

Jordan Terrell

2014-07-11

You’re looking to learn English, but you’re struggling to find time in your already hectic schedule to really practice it. You may have heard a thing or two about practicing languages while you sleep and you sure would like to know if it works because, if it does, that would make your life a whole lot easier.

Let’s start off by saying that no conclusive data was found supporting or defying the notion that you can learn a language by listening to it in your sleep. That being said, there is quite a difference in the various types of learning being done when you aim to learn while awake versus while you’re asleep.

Learning while awake is considered active learning. That means that your brain is actively involved in connecting the new information you’re learning to your previous knowledge, making a figurative learning web so that the information sticks in your memory more concretely.

When you listen to English while you sleep, you are participating in pa...

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How to Find Teaching Jobs and Improve Your Teacher Resume

Cheryl Thompson

2014-07-02

Your teacher resume is always going to be one of your main door openers for your career in teaching. Your presentation of your skills and experience is the first impression your future employers will get of you. If you are looking for teaching jobs, you should also be looking for ways to improve your teacher resume.

One way to go about this is to kill two birds with one stone. Many start out as teacher aids working in classrooms. This adds experience to your teacher resume, and is one of the easiest teaching jobs to get. Another way to accomplish the same thing is to accept a teaching position overseas. Many schools all over the world have teaching jobs available to native English speakers. Accepting one of these positions is a great way to gain experience and improve your teacher resume, as well as travel.

If you are already employed as an educator, continuing your study is a great way to enhance your skills, as well as add to your teacher resume. There are many...

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DIY Sharpie Mug Big Bang Theory Soft Kitty Warm Kitty Sheldon Cooper

Best College Graduation Gag Gifts

Tom Nelson

2014-10-03

Are you trying to find an interesting gift for graduation? It is good to give something nice and useful, but a couple graduation gag gifts can bring some laughs as well. Gifts like these work well as a supplement to your main gift. Graduation is a time of moving on with your life, and for many people it means going to college. The gifts you get people should try to reflect this process – you can get people some funny things that in some cases will also be useful.

Thankfully, there are many great sites on the internet that provide graduation gag gifts. Dorm room gifts are some of the most popular for students leaving high school. Some of the best gifts are toilet paper emblazoned with the favorite sports team of the recipient, or getting the logo of their most hated team might be a good ideas as well. Some gummy shot glasses will make a nice gift for drinkers – they are edible and come in several different flavors. Can you think of a better chas...

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