Why should I worry?

What is your favorite city?  What should I do if I visit your favorite city?

Ellii on Should and other common modals

Modals are helping verbs.  They are never used in continuous tenses and they have their own way to do past tense.

Should I put more grammar on the class website?  Should we do less grammar in class?

Our class is on time on Tuesday, February 24, 2026

PLEASE COME TO SCHOOL if you can get here safely

We are on time in Trailer 4! (Actually, we had to move to Trailer 2)  If it takes a while to get your car out, come whenever you can.  20 minutes is better than 0 minutes.

When you were a child, did you like school?

Write one thing you liked and one thing you didn't like about getting your education.

Did your teachers teach you the "Golden Rule?"

 

NO SCHOOL TODAY (Monday, January 23, 2026)

NO SCHOOL TODAY

The grammar in the next kid's video is terrible,

but it may be a good video for training your ear to listen.

Remember-- wanna = be want to

gonna = be going to (future)

Don't want no = don't want any

Don't want no company no way= I don't want any company anyway

What are you doing today?  Are you cooking? Are you reading?

Are you enjoying time with your family?

Did you enjoy watching the snow?

Read all about it

Our school gives reading tests mostly to show people who give us money that we are a good program.  The tests are completely different than our curriculum.  It often takes 100 hours of reading to move up 5 points on the test.  Last summer, however, three people moved up almost 10 points in only 5 weeks, possibly because they committed to reading one hour every day.  Don't worry if you don't have that kind of time, but please read as much as you can.  

Reading specialists say it's best if you feel interested in the reading and understand most of the words -- no more than 7 new words per page, but at least 1-4 new words every 2 pages.  

I subscribe to Ellii.com to get reading materials for our class.  My subscription allows me to have online "classes" with their materials.  Sign up requires your information, but doesn't require payment because I already paid.  There's no requirement that you use Ellii for our class.

You are welcome to join any of my online reading groups, but I have recommendations.

If you talked to my volunteer, Mary Ann on our first reading day, you should probably join ellii.com/students 82449N

If you talked to Jennifer on our first reading day (working with the sounds of C), or me after break, you should go to  Green Group on Ellii.com or Phonics Awareness Class  If reading or listening is difficult, try to point to words of YouTube songs while you listen or sing with them.

If you are interested in citizenship, you can try:  Online Citizenship on Ellii.com  -- it may be very  difficult.

If you are interested in driving, look at my class for Driving -Including Trucks.

If you are interested in medical English, try English for Medical People

What is your favorite genre?  What are your favorite books?

I should probably go to bed...

 

Challenge Reading: 3 ways to Health

Practice should ___(base verb) and shouldn't ____(base verb)

Today's Kahoot

What time should you go to bed?  What time do you go to bed?  What time did you go to bed last night? What do you like to do at night?  How much sleep do you usually get?

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?

Why Should I Care?

Singing this song should help you pronounce questions with should.  Be careful to say "Should I?"  Not "I should" in a question.

Who do you look like?

What do you care about?

Can you write about a time that your own emotions surprised you?  

Ramadan is Here (Skip if you don't like religious information)

Many English students are Muslim.  Every day during Ramadan, they fast during the day -- they don't eat or drink anything, not even water -- for one month.   They get together with family and friends to feast at night.  

Islam is the third largest religion in the USA.  More than 4,400,000 people in the USA are Muslim.

 

What's your favorite holiday tradition? Do you celebrate Ramadan?  What do you do?

What is Ash Wednesday? (Skip if you don't like religious information)

Approximately 65% of people in the USA say they are Christian.  Ash Wednesday is a Christian Holiday.  Many Christians fast (don't eat) on Ash Wednesday.

Ash Wednesday is a time to remember and regret any bad things you did.  It's a time to think about the fact we are all going to die and that we may want to be better people right now.

There is an organization called "ashes to go" run by the Episcopal Church (Anglican (British English) Church in the United States)  Ministers impose ashes at the METRO, in the streets, and in coffee shops.  This custom has only been around for about ten to fifteen  years.  Many old-fashioned Christians dislike it.

Is your religion important to you? Does religion help people have good habits?. What are your routines? What are your best and worst habits?

The US Buddhist Walk for Peace

 About 1% of the people in the US (Much more than 3,000,000 people) say they are Buddhist.  Many more practice Buddhist-inspired meditation. 

Song inspired by the walk

Do you think that this walk has made life in the US better? 

When do you feel peaceful?

How can I promote peace?

What makes people more peaceful?

Happy Tet!

Tet is a big holiday in Vietnam!  It's lunar New Year!

 Are you celebrating Lunar New Year?  What are you doing?  What are your New Year's traditions?

Korean New Year

February 17, 2026 is Korea's Lunar New Year!

What are your favorite New Year's traditions?  Are they similar to the ones in this video?

What are you going to do this year?

Doing and Making on Fat Tuesday!!

The biggest Fat Tuesday celebration is Carnival in Brazil.


How to do the Samba

Class Expressions with DO

How to make mini king cakes with cinnamon roles

Class Expressions with Make

What are you doing or making today?  Did you or your children make Valentines?

Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras Webquest

Gap Fill "Take me to the Mardi Gras" --- 

Lyric Video-- Mardi Gras Mambo

Do you like parades?  Did you ever go to a Carnival or Mardi Gras Celebration?  

(Please write about it!)  Do you ever eat pancakes on "Fat Tuesday?"  Are you going to a pancake supper tonight?

President's Day! NO SCHOOL TODAY!

What are you doing today?

Don't come to school!

We have school tomorrow, Tuesday, February 17.

Mt. Vernon

George Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria

Sales at Potomac Mills

Sales at Tysons Corner

Sales at Springfield Mall  

Do you like to go shopping?  Many people in the USA celebrate President's Day by shopping for good deals.  If you see any bargains, write about them!!

Nirvana Day

 

 

Where did you see a statue of Buddha? Did you ever go to a temple?  

Write about a time when you felt peaceful and relaxed.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Nobody usually gets off work or school for Valentine's Day.

While named for a Catholic Saint, Valentine's Day is not a Christian holiday.

When  preschool or elementary school kids go to school, they often make or buy (a big pack of)

little paper valentines for everyone in their classes.  Some children will add lollipops.  

Many children will wear red and/or hearts.

Side by Side video:  Talking about emotions

Another gap-fill exercise with a Valentine's Day song

Do you celebrate Valentine's Day?   What do you do?  

Using Like

Learning Chocolate: Characteristics (Personality Adjectives)

Learning Chocolate: More words to describe Personality

 Write about a person or some people you like.  What do they look like? What are they like?  What do they like?

My Valentine

 

Did you ever enjoy Valentine's Day?  What did you do?

Are you going to enjoy a Galentine's Party?  What are you going to do?

Do you have any friends that make you feel everything is going to be okay?  Describe a friend who can do that.  How do they do that?

Friday the 13th

Are you superstitious?  Are you extra careful on Friday the 13th?

 Juan Carlos made a lot of sense when he said that a live cat should be better luck than a dead rabbit.

How is today going for you?  What brings good luck? 

Can you write any examples that show that a superstition is true or not true?  (Faride wore pearls on her wedding day and has a wonderful marriage.  Reham's sister was born on the 13th and is a very lucky person.)

Remember When

This country song has great examples of past "to be."  

Remember:  Was for 1, were for 2 but always were for you (1 or 2!) 

Study and practice simple past

Some of my best memories were meeting you and talking with you.

Write about a pleasant memory.

Make or Do

Woodward English Presentation Make or Do

Woodward English Printable Chart

Make or Do Expressions on Quizlet -  some common expressions to "collo"

Make or Do flashcards -pick the make or do

English online make or do game

similar blog post with a few more links

Mixed Tense Make vs. Do game from Woodward English-- really challenging, but easy to change your answer!!

Brrrrrr...Love in the cold

 

Learning Chocolate: Practice weather vocabulary

What do you like to do in cold weather?  How do you truly get to know people?

Pronouncing ed

 

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

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

Pronouncing -ed

 

Which words are easy to say in past tense?  Which words are difficult?

I'll always remember...

 Write about a pleasant situation that you'll always remember....

Our class is on time Thursday, February 5

Please come as soon as you safely can!

This Old Guitar

Google Slides Simple Past Tense

Practice was vs. were

Play a game to practice past tense

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!

NO SCHOOL MONDAY, FEB. 2

Stay home and learn about Groundhog Day!

Happy Groundhog Day!!

Prognosticate means predict

Prognosticator is someone who predicts the future.

Practice with basic weather words

EL Civics

ESOL Courses GH day Explanation Video listening quiz

Groundhog Day Movie Listening Quiz

Is this your first Groundhog Day in the United States?  Are there any superstitions about weather in your native country?