Happy New Year!

What does "auld lang syne" mean?

What are you looking forward to in 2024?  Do you set goals/make resolutions?

I hope I see you in January!

 What are you doing during the break?

Tomorrow is our last day

We can bring food and have a party!!  If you can't bring food, please come and enjoy the food that's here.

Write about a great party in the past.  

What should we do at this party?

If you love her,

 This video is challenging, but you can do the fill-in-the-blank worksheet!  Repeat as many times as you need.

Describe a person (or people) that you love.  What do they do every day?

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Pilgrims are people who travel for their religion.  

People who go to Mecca or Jerusalem are often Pilgrims.

People who move here because their government doesn't like their religion are also pilgrims.

I'd love to start an ESOL class online cookbook with easy recipes, difficult-but-worth-it recipes, recipes with national pride, and great recipes for good health.  If  you know any good recipes in any of those categories, please write them in a google doc and share them with a link for everyone at my gmail.

The next video is British English, but the only real difference is that I say "frying pan" rather than "frypan."

This video shows a common menu for a traditional Thanksgiving.  Many people buy the pies and cranberry sauce.

Links to Black Friday Deals!
Sales at Springfield Town Center
Sales at Tysons Corner
Deals at Potomac Mills
Sales at Leesburg Outlets

If you shop good Friday sales, please write about the experience!

Thanksgiving is a time to enjoy food, family, and the good things in our lives.  Many people also thank God for all the good things in life.  My job and my students often make me happy.  What are you thankful for? What makes you happy?

Romantic song

 

What songs do you recommend for learning English?

Complaining about household problems

Vocabulary: The Utility Room

Practice Using Maintenance Vocabulary with Learning Chocolate

Tell me about fixing something in your home or getting someone to fix something in your home!

Veteran's Day

Today is a day to recognize everyone who joins the military and serves.

Who are veterans?  Veterans are people who serve in the military and survive that service.  Veterans Day used to be Armistice Day,  People remembered World War I at 11:00 on 11/11.  Now, we honor all the soldiers that serve in the Armed Forces on Veteran's Day.

WE HAVE SCHOOL today!  It's a holiday for federal government employees, but not a day off for us!  

What makes you proud?  Do you know anyone that serves in the military?  Can you describe that person and what he or she does?

The Sweetest Thing

Grammar Practice with Comparative and Superlative

What makes you happy?  What is your sweetest memory?

For Tuesday, November 7 - NO SCHOOL

I am researching the candidates before I go to vote.

In the past, I've recommended Vote 411 and League of Women's Voters -- I still respect the way they show voter information, but I think they are difficult for my students to navigate and read this year.

Ballotpedia may be easier to use than the Sample Ballot on the Fairfax County website that I showed you because it has links to candidate's websites. Ballotpedia probably collects your information.  If the idea of sharing your address bothers you, put in the address of the closest elementary school.

I just saw this Washington Post article about the candidates for school board  So far, it's the easiest to read information I have found. One detail that I find interesting is that two candidates that the Post says are "Republican endorsed" say that they are Independent on their own webpages.

For Monday, November 6: We have school. Many children don't.

Don't forget to turn back time! (Fall back one hour)

Most people in the United States turn the time backwards one hour today.

We are returning to Eastern Standard Time (EST)

If you went back in time, what part of history would you want to see?

What people or stories from history do you like?

longer, stronger

Longer, stronger...when you compare two things with a one-syllable adjective add -er

longer, stronger, bigger*, wider, taller, thinner*, shorter, greater...

(*Spelling: double the last consonant if the word ends in a consonant-vowel-consonant pattern)

Practice with www.gamestolearnenglish.com

When you compare 2 things with two-syllable words that end in w or le, add --er or r-exactly the same as a one-syllable word. For example: yellower, mellower, littler,

When you compare 2 things with two-syllable words that end in y, change the y to i and add er.
        happier. friendlier.  lovelier.  heavier.  prettier.  messier.  noisier.  sillier.

When you compare two things with two syllables that DON'T end in Y or W or R or compare things with three or more syllables, use "more" before.  More foolish.  More interesting.  More comfortable.  More intelligent.  More creative.  More  curious.

Grammar Rules and more practice for using comparatives and superlatives

Today we practiced vocabulary around the house and prepositions

 Language Guide Vocabulary:  House

Practice with Learning Chocolate -- House

Language Guide: Living Room

Language Guide: The bathroom

Practice with Learning Chocolate

Practice bathroom with Learning Chocolate

Learning Chocolate; Prepositions of Place

Kid's story: Monster Hunt

Halloween

 Halloween Advice

Halloween Vocabulary on Quizlet

Is this your first Halloween in the USA?  Did you celebrate Halloween before?  How? Are you going to wear a costume?  What are you going to be?  Are your children going to wear costumes?  What are they going to be?

Picking a costume for Halloween

 

Halloween Vocabulary

As _____(adjective) as comparisons

Do you celebrate Halloween?  What do you do?  Are you taking your children trick or treating?  What are they going to be?

Things will get better

 

New Vocabulary set:  3 Fall 2023 Low Intermediate at Plum

Study ad abbreviations

Fixing mistakes is the fastest way to build neural networks for fluency, but it's very frustrating.  Don't give up.  Your English gets better every week.

What are you happy that you learned?

Traffic Stop Advice

 

Challenge Listening:  Traffic Ticket (bad example!)

Did you ever get a ticket?  What happened?

Driving

Learning chocolate: Practice vocabulary for a driving lesson

Language Guide -- Cars  (After you look at everything, try the listening test!)

Learning Chocolate: Practice car vocabulary

Flash cards for road signs


Write about learning to drive.

Non-action verbs use simple present for now.

 

Practice non-action ("Stative") verbs

What do you see right now?

What do you hear right now?

Do you miss any person or any place?  Who? Where?

Present Continuous is for NOW

 

Use present continuous NOW (or for the future if you say a future time)

What are you doing right now?

My Way

Possessive Adjective Quiz

 

Wonderful Tonight

 

What do you like to wear when you go out to a restaurant?

What do you wear to work?

What do you wear to relax?

Happy Coffee Day!

 Is it true that Dunkin' Donuts is giving away FREE COFFEE TODAY?  I wish I knew earlier!

Around here, we say "take out" not "take away" and Starbucks has its own language for small, medium, and large.  Do you know how to order at Starbucks?

STAY HOME--NO SCHOOL MONDAY!!!

In our "correct proper English dialect," say, "Don't pay any mind to the demons", not "Don't pay no mind to the demons."  Also, don't say "it" in "The trouble it might drag you down."  Last, gonna should be is going to

Describe the place you live now.  Did you do anything to make it feel more like home?  What did you do?

I love you forever now

 

Do you have children?  If yes, describe them.

or

Did you ever experience love at first sight?  If yes, describe that person.

or

Write about the ways someone has made you happy.

You're amazing just the way you are

 

Describe someone you love

A Million Dreams

 

Do you admire any person because they work to make the world better?  Who?  Why?

What do you like to do?

 Most grammar practice is pattern practice. Patterns are things that repeat. If you remember a grammar pattern, you can say hundreds of things correctly.

Today, we practiced

I like food.        vs.      I like to eat.

I like music.    vs.        I like to listen to music.

I like shopping malls.    vs.   I like to go shopping at the mall.

I like soccer vs. I like to play soccer or I like to watch soccer on TV.

What people do you like?

What places do you like?

What do you like to do?

Good Morning!

Good Morning!  Welcome to English Class!!  What do you like to do?  Write about a good day.  What did you do?

Welcome Back returning students!

 

Welcome back returning students!

How are you?

How was your summer?  What did you do?  

How do you want this class to be different from your last class?  

How should it be the same?

Hello!

 If you love a song in English, please listen and sing to it a lot.

Hello!  How are you?  What are you thinking about?

Hello!

This video is challenging for this level because it's really fast.  It repeats a lot, though.  If you like it, watching it repeatedly can help you with listening comprehension.

"You had me at hello" means I liked you instantly.  Tell me about a person that you liked from the first greeting.

Hello!  Write about yourself.  What's your name?  Where are you from?  What do you like to cook or eat?  What do you enjoy?  What do you like to talk about?  How long have you studied English?

Responding to a fire

 

Firefighter vocabulary

Do you want to be a firefighter or a emergency medical technician?

My Girl

 

How can you change your mood when you are stressed?

Marry Me....

How did you meet your partner?  (If you want a partner, describe a great partner) 

Are there any habits that make marriage better?

Taking the bus

 

Crossword with six words from today's class

Learning Chocolate vocabulary practice

Say it like this: bus conversation videos

Hajar is right!! Dash buses in Alexandria are all FREE!!

Do you take the bus to school?  How long does it take?

(Driver's License) You said forever, but

 

Learning Chocolate: Practice vocabulary for a driving lesson

Road signs

Is it easy to get a Driver's License in Virginia?  What do you have to do?

You're going to make it!

\Make it - can be create something, but more often make it means "succeed" or get to a destination after many difficulties. 

Gonna is how we say, "going to" for future.  Please write, "going to _______(base verb)" unless you are texting.

This song is from an old TV show.  What are your favorite TV shows?  What are your favorite TV shows in English?

Space Song -- Beach House

 

Describe someone that's on your side, a person who will help you if you ask.

We're talking now

Use present continuous (be -----ing) to talk about NOW

Study and Practice Present Continuous (=Present Progressive) Verb Tense

What are you doing?  What are you wearing?  Are you making dinner tonight?  What are you eating?

Bookstore Shopping (from Randall's Listening Lab)

 

Easy World of English Dictionary: Classroom supplies

Do you need to buy school supplies? Make sure you get your list from the school, not from the store!

Practicing Past Tense

Past tense time marker practice

More examples and practice (if you scroll down below JJ's)

80 Irregular Verbs on Quizlet

Irregular Verb Hangman

LOTS of irregular verb practice

Please describe yourself when you were younger. (Pick a time that will make you happy to write about.)  Where did you live?  What did it look like? What did you do?  What did you like to do?

Things will get better. Keep trying.

Tell me about doing something hard.  Tell me about a time that you felt like stopping, but you didn't stop.  You kept trying until it got better.  You did it!

I Can Love MYSELF better...

 

(Pop music rarely uses good spelling and grammar, but it will help you understand people here.  

Some translations:  kinda - the kind of / 'til - until/ wanna - want to)

Practice reflexive pronouns

Do you buy yourself flowers or chocolate or anything you really like?  What do you buy yourself?  What do you do when you want to treat yourself very well?

Say you won't let go

 

Practice future with "will" and "won't"

Write about something you will do.

Now that I can dance...

 

Summer 2023 Vocabulary

Can you dance?  Can you cook?  Can you fix things?  Can you hear any phrases with can?  Please write the phrases you hear on paper, in an email to me, or in the comments!

  I love to dance, but I can't dance very well.  I can cook pretty well, but I don't like to.  I can't fix things without YouTube.  What can you do?  What do you like to do?  What skills do you admire?

It's you!

 

Write about a person that you like!

I am enchanted to meet you!

 

Hi!  I am Laurie.  I am from the USA. I am an ESOL teacher.  I came to this area in 1990.  I like to talk about my family.  I was an only child so I don't have any brothers or sisters.  I am married, and we have five children.

Please write about yourself. If you can, write about a classmate you met today!

Happy Summer!

 Did you enjoy your first day of summer?  When I was a child, many ice cream trucks and merry-go-rounds played this tune, but I never heard the words.

What are you doing this summer?

You are the reason...

 

What do you do for your family and/or friends?

Never Give Up

 

I always hope that English classes will help you love the home you make here in the USA.

Please write about a time that you wanted to give up, but you didn't.  Now you are glad you didn't.

A Taste of Nirvana

 

I have excellent English, but I can't tell you what this song means.

It emphasizes the rhythm I want you to practice,

and features past tense verbs...

Do you have any songs or groups that help you remember a happy or important time in your life?

Riddle Song

 

Write about a wonderful gift that someone gave you.

How to Do Common Line Dances in the USA

Many people in the USA only do line dances at weddings.  Some people get together just to do them.  

I think the most popular line dance in the USA is called the "Electric Slide."  Although this video is made for fourth grade children, I think it's good.

The Cha Cha Slide is also very popular because the music tells you what to do!

The Music also tells you how to do the Cupid Shuffle

Instructions....

 and the real music for it!

Fairfax County Public School PE taught all my children to do "Cotton Eye Joe," 

with the touch across version, not the stomp.

Sometimes all the neighborhood kids did it at pool parties at our neighborhood pool.

Most people that lived in the USA during the 1990s know the "Macerena."

Instructions

The Music for the "Macerena" is in Spanish. It looks sexy!

I've heard that "Achy Breaky Heart" is the most common line dance at Southeastern USA weddings,

but I don't know it.

Challenge Listening stand-up comedy:  Don't Line Dance in the Ladies Room (restroom)

The Temptation Cha

Teenagers at my neighborhood swimming pool taught me "The Wobble"

New York, New York! (song)

Study Links

Some of the reading tests we take next week will have some of these  Ad abbreviations.

A grammar test will not determine your level, but I look for good grammar in speaking and writing.

If you want to study grammar, consider these topics.

Pronouns

Bugs Bunny video: Pronoun Trouble (Contains jokes about shooting with guns.  Avoid the link if that might bother you.)

Object Pronoun Quiz

Using English pronoun quiz

This Old Guitar

Google Slides Simple Past Tense

Practice was vs. were

Play Snakes & Ladders

John Denver said his guitar gave him a better life.  Can you play a guitar?  Do you have a hobby that makes you happy?  Do you like to cook?  I think good food makes everyone happy!

Rachel names her new bike!

 

How often do you ride a bike?  Did you name your bicycle or your car?  What do you call it?

Thanks for the Surprise Party!! The food was delicious!! Please text me pictures!

Children's Book for Mother's Day

 

I love to read to children.  Do you have a favorite children's book?  What?  

Never google your symptoms

Symptoms are signs of a medical problem like a headache or stomachache or fatigue (feeling really tired)  Hypochondria is obsessing with the possibility that you have a terrible disease.

Practice Health Vocabulary with Learning Chocolate

Quizlet: Health Problems

Do you have any symptoms right now?  Do you have a good doctor?

I miss you!

 

Today's Dictation and answers in negative.  Write about things you don't miss about a place or person that you miss.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Are you celebrating Cinco de Mayo this week?  What are you doing?  

Many US Citizens celebrate Cinco de Mayo as appreciation for the benefits of many Latino cultures' contributions here in the USA --not the  holiday of military pride for the Mexican victory in the Battle of Puebla de Los Angeles.  Many people wear Mexican-inspired clothes, eat tacos, and drink margaritas. Many businesses that want to celebrate "Latino culture" have no idea that different South or Central American counties are VERY different from each other. 

My children's elementary school always tried to celebrate all immigrants on Cinco de Mayo -- they usually had an international pot luck celebration.

In Japan, today is children's day.  There are many fish flying!!

Are you doing anything to celebrate Mexican, Latino, Japanese, or any culture this week?

I will love you either way (Warning-this song is sad. For me it's not okay if my love leaves.)

 either way=both of the choices are fine.  You can choose to go or to stay.  It will be okay.

Are you decisive?  Write about making a difficult decision.

You'll Never Walk Alone

 

Do you like to watch soccer?  What's you opinion of Liverpool's soccer team?

Do you like to watch musicals?  What's your favorite musical?  This song comes from "Carousel."

Did you ever see a Broadway show?

Happy Earth Day!!

Practice this/that/these/those

Did you celebrate earth day today? What did you do?
When I was in elementary school in Colorado, we often planted trees and picked up litter on Earth Day.

What is litter?  Trash on the ground.   

Do you have a garden? Even when I lived in a small apartment, I had plants on the balcony. My family always grows some plants. Do you like to talk about saving the earth? Is pollution a bigger or smaller problem in your old country or in the USA? Do you have a big or a small carbon footprint?

(VERY difficult English website:  Carbon Footprint Calculator)

I'm Not Giving Up

 

Write about a time you wanted to give up, but you didn't, and now you are very glad that you didn't.

I'll have to

 

What do you have to do this week?

It'll be Okay, you'll see

 Warning: Slow songs are often depressing

Answers to Will the Train Arrive Soon

What'll you do this weekend?

Love you forever now!

 

Write about meeting someone that you care about.

Exclamations!

 Many people show strong emotion by using what or how with NO verb!  

It's very common to hear "What a beautiful day!" on a warm, sunny day like today!

Did you see anything that makes you want to say, "What a beautiful...." or "What a difficult" or "What an ugly..?"  What did you see?  What can you say with what?

Getting to Know You

Do you like getting to know new people?  What do you like about your classmates?

Who loves to play soccer?  Who's a sports fan?  Do you like Barcelona?  Who hates to watch sports on TV?  Who likes to cook?  What do they like to cook?   Who loves music?  What do you listen to?  Who likes to talk about his or her family?  Do you like to travel?  Where are the best places to go?

Sacrifice

 A sacrifice is giving up something valuable in order to get something better.  Chess players often sacrifice good pieces for a better position or to win a game. Parents often sacrifice for their children.

Do you play any games?  Did you ever sacrifice anything to get a goal?  Write about it if you want to.

Do you know anyone with a cold, cold heart?  Describe that person.

We are the World

 Thank you, Yen!  This song is clear and appropriate for us, but I have not used it for several years.

The person who made this video missed a LOT of apostrophes. (apostrophe = ')  Can you write some of the words that are not correct in the comments?

Please answer questions on paper or in the comments:

Did you meet a new person from another country today?  Who? What country?  What do you know about that country?  Where are you from? What do you want people to know about your country?  Where is your favorite place to travel to?

Finding Answers

 WELCOME TO ENGLISH CLASS!  

I have a LOT of questions....

What is your name?  Where are you from?  Do you have a big family?  Do you have a job?

Do you play video games?  Do you like Tiktok or Facebook?  Do you like to play soccer?  Do you like to read? Do you like to cook?

It's nice

 

What did you like to do when you were in school?  Please describe a friend.

Happy Orthodox Easter!

  

Do you have family gatherings for holidays?  What do you cook?

Brave

 

Please write an answer to at least one of these questions in the comments or on a paper to give to me.

Did you ever say something important that the other person didn't want to hear?

Did you ever go somewhere when you weren't sure it was a good idea?  Where?

Did you ever tell a bully or a critic to be quiet?

You are the reason

 

(Same song with words)

Who inspires you to work hard?  Who do you want to act like?  Who makes you happy?

Winston Churchill Day-April 9

 

Do you like to study history?  Who are some of your favorite people from history?

Happy Easter!

Many people in the USA celebrate Easter today.

Non-Christians as well as Christians  celebrate Easter by dying hard-boiled eggs * or buying plastic eggs, putting candy in, and having an Easter Egg hunt.  When I was a child, adults usually hid the eggs.  A long time ago, kids had races and tried to roll uncooked eggs across a field without breaking them. One popular public Easter egg roll is usually at the White House.

*Easter eggs are often boiled for ten minutes.  Vinegar is often added to the water and to the dye cups.  Most people use food coloring or an egg dying kit.  I like to use icing dye in blue, red, and yellow.  My kids mixed the colors.

Easter is a holiday when Christians remember that Christ rose from the dead. 

Many churches usually start their service with this hymn:

Did you celebrate Easter?  Do you celebrate Resurrection Sunday?  How?

Maya Angelou

 April is Poetry month and April 4 was Maya Angelou's birthday.  Maya Angelou is a famous author.

Challenging video:  Maya Angelou's life

Do you have a favorite poem?  What?

Do you have a favorite author?  Who?

Do you have a favorite civil rights activist?

Who?

I am proud of this class!

My level is very big.  I believe my curriculum should be one year, not one session.  We did three units in a ten-unit book. 

I hope you come back. If you need translation to keep up, please make sure you stay in my level.

I am happy with the improvements in this class for everyone who came. You had wonderful attendance and work habits.  I am keeping some excellent students in my level because I think it will be best.  These students worked hard and achieved a lot, and I do not want anyone to feel sad or put down for my decision.

Listening today:  I will return (The video I usually use is not there anymore.)

Spring Forward

Don't forget to change your clock!  

Do you get enough sleep?  Do you sleep well?  Do you know how to treat insomnia safely?

What do you want to do next?

 

How Long

 

Same video with exercises

Night Shift

 

Did you ever work the night shift?  Did you get time and a half?  

Do you like any songs by Marvin Gaye or Jackie Wilson?

You can come to me

 

Pronouncing Ordinal numbers

 Five sounds very different from fifth.  Cardinal numbers are normal numbers (nouns) - one, two, three, four.

Ordinal numbers are numbers as adjectives.  Use ordinal numbers for dates on a calendar.

Pronouncing ed

 

Past tense examples: Long video with some irregulars. Start at 3:50 if you don't have time

Regular verbs -ed pronunciation, an interactive worksheet by DGTS
liveworksheets.com

Flowers

 

After class, Sego told me that watching the house burn actually happened and that Miley's ex did not deserve sympathy.  He very publicly cheated on her.

What are your favorite skills?  What can you do better than many other people?

You are my Sunshine!

 Dance that Ha taught at break time today (Instruction at 3:12)

My best friend loved this song because her parents sang it as a lullaby.  Did your parents have an "I love you song" for you?  My mother sang the Riddle Song as an I-love-you lullaby.  After I got the picture book with the lyrics, I sang A-you're adorable. 

Do you have a favorite love song?  What is it?

When we were young

 

What did you like to do when you were young?  Who was your hero?

When I see you smile

 

What helps you persist when you have to do something difficult?  What makes you feel better when times are difficult?

Weather Words

 

Weather forecast for Springfield

What do you like to do when it's cold outside?

What do you like to do when it's hot outside?

What do you like to do when it's raining?

What do you like to do when it's snowing?

Were you ever in a hurricane or a tornado?

February 1 The snow in my yard looks pretty, but I believe we have school on time.

Tom's Diner

 Do you have a favorite restaurant?  Do you like to watch people?  Where do you go to watch people?

What are they doing?

 

Practice Present Continuous

What are you doing right now?  What is your friend doing right now?

Here comes the sun

 

Practice simple present

Are you looking forward to the weekend?  Do you feel happier on sunny days?  Do you like the Beatles?

It's you

 

What do you like to do with your friends?

Close Your Eyes

 

Describe a safe, healthy relationship.  

Perfect

 

I love this song because we once had a class engagement party, 

and this song was the couple's favorite song.

What do you wear when you want to look good?  

Happy Lunar New Year!!

What is your favorite holiday tradition?  What is your favorite holiday food?

I have a dream

 

When I hear "I have a dream," I think of Martin Luther King's vision of a United States in which all people live together in peace and prosperity.

When you dream good daydreams about the future, what does it look like?

Old hat

 In honor of National Hat Day, I'm posting a story that my children loved when they were little.  This story uses too before adjectives to show that the adjective is very intense.  Remember to only use too before an adjective if that adjective causes a problem.

Do you like to wear hats?  What's your favorite kind of hat?  What's your favorite color?

National Bird Day

Lake Accotink is a great place to watch birds, and there are other local parks with lots of birds.  If your listening is very good, you might enjoy the challenge of learning about winter birds at Lake Accotink   The program is designed for native speakers including children.

 Tuppence means 2 pence-british money

Vocabulary:  Common Birds from Grammar Monster (Hoopoe, Kiwi and puffins are NOT common here)

Do you like to watch birds?  Did you ever have a pet bird?  Can you write about an experience with birds?