I've got a feeling/On the Floor (Challenge: fast danceclub music)

 I got a feeling= I've got a feeling
gonna= is going to=future plan

This next video is fast, it needs a LOT of commas, it deliberately contains bad grammar,  and it features drug references that I don't completely understand. Even so,  I think it's good for listening and speaking.  I particularly like the rhythm in the collocations.

We gon' be it on the floor = we are going to be the most special people on the floor.
cos or cuz=cause=because  cuz is becoming really common on lyric videos and in texting.
Don't use "cos" in a formal letter or job application.
If your an animal should be you're.  You're = you are.  Your is possessive for you.

Do you like to dance?  What kind of dancing do you enjoy?  Do you ever go to clubs to dance?
Do you have a favorite club in this area?

I Think It's Going to Rain Today

This next video was sung at a fundraiser to help people recover from hurricane damage.

The lyrics don't make sense in English

If they are hard to understand,

it's the writer, not you.

Practice listening to and using the grammar for the verb tense "future with going to"

What are you going to do this year?

The world we're going to make

 

When you think about a good future, what does it look like?  

What makes you smile?

Patience

 

English often takes time.  Thank you for working hard.  Thank you for your patience when I do things for other students. 

Write about a time when your patience worked for you.

A Thousand Years

 

Practice Future with "Will" ___(base verb)

Describe a person or an activity that you love.

Rocket man

Gonna=informal spelling that shows how we say "be going to" to indicate future tense.

Practice future with going to.

Do you like rockets?  Do you like science fiction shows?  Write about an experience with flight or about a show that you like.

F R I E N D S

 This song uses a different North American dialect than the one I teach, but it's very fun!

 

What do you like to do with your friends?

How did you meet your best friend?

Friendzoned is a new verb/adjective that means you wanted to have a romantic relationship, but the person you want to have it with firmly says, "No - I don't want romance with you, but I want to stay friends"  What makes you feel that someone should be your friend, but not be your romantic partner?

Write to introduce yourself

 

gonna is informal pronunciation for be going to (future verb tense)

What's your name?

Where are you from?

Do you have a big family?

Do you work?

What is your occupation?

What was your occupation before you moved here?

When did you come to Virginia?

What do you want to practice in this class?

Write about yourself!  What do you want me to know about you?

I want to grow old with you

Goals are things we want to do.  Last week, we practiced saying, "want to _____."

When people text, they write, "wanna _____"

Always use a base (simple form of the) verb (action word) after want to.

Don't use to before nouns.  I want some chocolate. I want to eat candy.

(I don't want to cry, but sometimes I cry when I watch this video)

What are some things you want to do when your English is excellent?

 

I wonder (Lemon tree)

 

Practice Present Continuous

What are you doing today?  Are you working?  Are you relaxing?

Are you spending time with anyone?

Are you doing chores?

No School Friday, January 19

In Fairfax County, snow usually means a delayed opening for the children (NOT us adults) or a day off of school.  When the children don't have school, we don't either.

Did you have snow days when you were in school?  Did you have snow?  Do you like snow?

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

Martin Luther King Jr. worked to make laws equal (the same/similar) for everyone, rather than different for people who were not white.

On Martin Luther King day, some people work for NO $(volunteer) on this National Day of Service.  Martin Luther King Jr. Day is the only federal holiday for volunteer work.

People who protested that the United States Laws were not good for everybody often sang this song while they walked.  Shall = will.  "Shall" is an old word . We usually say, "will" now.  Overcome -- means "win" or "keep going" when it's very, very hard to win or keep going.

You will overcome the difficulty of learning English soon.

Children's Video about Martin Luther King Jr. Turn on subtitles

Challenging Video that shows Bloody Sunday -- King's followers did NOT fight back when physically attacked, and got a LOT of white people's support for changing the constitution to say that there could not be different laws for different skin colors

Another Video about Martin Luther King Jr.'s life -- also difficult...

Vocabulary from Martin Luther King Reading and Video

What are you doing this weekend?  What helps you keep going when you need to do something difficult?