An Activity for Each Vacation Day

July is vacation time for most students of languages. It's really important to give the brain a break of too much systematic study. However, we've selected a fun activity per day so that you can keep in touch with the language throughout this period, but with pleasure, of course. They're just suggestions, feel free to modify or adapt the way you want. Enjoy!!

July 1st – Choose a TV series to follow during your vacation and watch 1 or 2 episodes. (Have you ever heard about Once Upon a Time?) There are lots available on Netflix or PopCorn Time. - remember to watch it subtitled!

July 2nd –  Click here to practice the Simple Present. Would you like to know what's going on around the world? Click here and see news in different English levels, from basic to advanced with audio, text, and video.

July 3rd – Practice your vocabulary with a Crossword game clicking here. Also, get to know Duolinguo, a fantastic app for language students.

July 4th – Click here to watch Vincent, a short film by Tim Burton. Try some Duolinguo.

July 5th – Watch more 1 or 2 episodes from the TV series you decided to follow. (Have you tried watching it with English subtitles?)

July 6th – How about practicing your listening with some conversations? Just click here. 

July 7th – Read the article “There is/ There are” by clicking here and here.

July 8th – Choose a song you like and study it. Collect the vocabulary you don't know, check the translation if you really think it's necessary. Sing it over and over again. 

July 9th – Watch the movie Night at the museum I. Pay attention to the vocabulary! It's a good idea to take notes of the new words.  It's available on PopCorn Time.

July 10th – Read more about Present Perfect here. If you have more time, check this short video about common mistakes in spoken English.

July 11th – Select a section of your New Headway book and review what you have studied in class so far. Try some Duolinguo.

July 12th – Watch the new Disney’s animation: Big Hero 6 (How about trying it with English subtitles!) It's available on PopCorn Time.

July 13th – Read “What Happened, Then?”  to discover what happened in your birth year! Click here to see the magic. After that, choose another song you like and study it. Sing out loud!!!

July 14th – Practice English Tenses here. Try some Duolinguo.

July 15th – Watch as much episodes as you can from your TV series.

July 16th – Shall we practice Can X Can’t? Click here. 

July 17th – Read this “Let it go” article and watch its music video. Try some Duolinguo.

July 18th – Select a section of your New Headway book and review what you have studied in class so far. Have you studied them all? So, why not another song from here?

July 19th – Watch Night at the Museum II. I'm sure you can use English subtitles now. Let's try?

July 20th – Practice Time Expressions here. If it's too hard, google "Time Expressions" first!

July 21st – Find the pair of opposites with these Marble Game. Did you like this game? Check these!

July 22nd – Vacation is time to...Write Letters!!! See how to do it here and write a letter or an e-mail for a friend of yours that speak English too. (I'd love to receive news from you...hehehe) 

July 23rd – What's the difference between I x ME ? Check it here if you are right, and then learn specific vocabulary about how to behave at an AIRPORT!

July 24th – Let's practice Possessives. There's more about here and here.

July 25th – Watch “How to train your dragon”, “Rio”, or "Matilda". Most available on Netflix or PopCorn Time.

July 26th – Study Comparative vs. Superlative here and after see how many examples you can find in this song by Counting Crows or in this one by Kelly Clarkson. Maybe in this other by Justin...Bieber.

July 27th – Are good at finding things? Whatever...try this adjective wordsearch and have fun! Try some Duolinguo.

July 28th – Read this movie review of “Letters to Juliet” and in case you like it,  watch  it! You didn't like it or have already watched? Choose another movie you want to see. There are lots available on Netflix or PopCorn Time.

July 29th -Select a section of your New Headway book and review what you have studied in class so far. Have you studied them all? So, follow Amigo Gringo on Youtube and get real cool tips on the language.

July 30th – Read and watch the videos of “How good are you?”. Try some Duolinguo.

July 31st – End your vacation watching more of your TV series or watching “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” available on Netflix or PopCorn Time.

July is over! It's time to go back because your teacher is missing you =)

PRACTICING ENGLISH THROUGH MUSIC

Learning English doesn't have to be dry and boring rote memorization, Lyrics Training sharpens your skills through the music videos and the lyrics of your favorite songs.

It's a really fun approach to help you pick up your foreign language. All you have to do is choose a YouTube-hosted music video and select one of four mastery levels; Beginner; Intermediate; Advanced, and Expert. As the video begins to play, the song's lyrics appear underneath with lots of words missing. Your job if filling these blanket spaces with the words as they're sung.

If you get lost during the song or don't understand what was said, the video stops playing and give you time to figure out what the missing word is. But, if you really can't guess it, there's a "Give up!" button to see the words that confused you.

The site is free and don't require registration for use!!!! There's nothing better than descovering that learning can be fun and free at same!!

 LYRICS TRAINING

By Luiza Gomes

Good Evening X Good Night

As in Portuguese there's only one way to say "Boa Noite!", always happens a misunderstanding on choosing between "Good Evening!" or "Good Night!".

• GOOD EVENING is more commonly used to greet the hosts and guests at the moment you arrive at an event. To say Hi!

• GOOD NIGHT is used when you are leaving the event, to say Goodbye!

Follow the examples:

• Hello, good evening and welcome to our new store. 
• [...] Thank you so much for your attention. Good night everybody.

• - Good evening Mr. Banner, would you like some coffee?
• - I would love it, but I really have to go now. I'm sorry, good night!

By Luiza Gomes

HOME or HOUSE?

HOUSE:

Used to describe a particular type of bulding.

• We stayed overnight at Mike's (Mike's house)
• I'm going to buy Emma a doll's house for Christmas
• Maria paid someone to paint her house

HOME:

Is where you live and feel that you belong to. Used in a more sentimental way.

• It's not very big but it's my home
• Why don't you phone her? I think she's at home
• We were at home in bed when our car was stolen from outside the house

By Luiza Gomes

Street and a Road?

Although both terms are often applied to the same thing, a Road is different from a Street, at least in theory.

Streets: paved roads lined with houses and other buildings. They are defined for the street life that comes with them.

Roads: run between two distant points - two towns, for example. You're not likely to find people walking their dogs, having lunch in a sidewalk cafe or waiting for a friend on the corner on Roads.

The term street, then, should be specifically applied to urban roadways. Streets connect people for interaction, while roads connect towns and cities for travel.

In the real world, though, these textbook distinctions aren't always made

OTHER PLACES ON THE MAP

Point: usually dead ends at a hill

Park: enclosed area of nature in a city

Branch: divides a road or area into multiple subdivisions

Crossing: where two roads meet

Highway: major public road, usually connecting multiple cities

via Mental_Floss       

By Luiza Gomes

FRUIT or FRUITS?

The noun FRUIT is na exception where it is both countable and uncountable. So its plural can be either FRUIT or FRUITS.

 (1) When fruit refers to a group in a non-specific way, we tend to use the noun in its singular form:

• You should eat fruit every day.
• Would you like some fruit?
• There isn't much fresh fruit available in winter.

(2) When we are emphasising the different kinds of fruit, we use the noun in its plural form:

• My favorite fruits are bananas, apples and strawberries.
• I love oranges and other citrus fruits.
• The juice is made from a variety of fresh fruits.

A piece of fruit: used ro refer to one fruit without specifying which one is it:

• She Always has a piece of fruit for her breakfast.

The fruit of something: expression meaning the good results that you obtain:

• The award she received is the fruit of her hardwork. 

By Luiza Gomes

 

How do you say DAR AS CARTAS in English?

Dar as cartas can have two different meanings, so it has also two different translations:

Meaning (1)  "to take the decision, detein the power"

Dar as cartas: TO CALL THE SHOTS

>> If you want to talk bussines, you have to see Jerry. He is the one who calls the shots around here.

      Se você quer falar de negócios, precisa se encontrar com Jerry. É ele quem da as cartas por aqui.

Meaning (2) "in a card's game"

Dar as cartas: TO DEAL THE CARDS

>> You're cheating, and I won't let you deal the cards again!

       Você está roubando, e não vou deixá-lo dar as cartas de novo!

Other card's game vocabulary:

Suit: naipe

To shuffle the cards: embaralhar as cartas

To have a good hand: ter uma boa mão (boas cartas)

The Deck: o baralho

By Luiza Gomes

American Slang

Slang: informal language consisting of words and expressions that are not considered appropriate for formal occasions. It's the characteristic language of a particular group.

As every country, Americans have also their own way of speaking, some of the common slangs are:

What's up: How are you?

To ace (test, exam): To pass an exam

A dime a dozen: something so easy to find that it don't have much value

As if: used to suggest that something is not likely to happen

Awesome (adjective): great, fantastic

A piece of cake: when something is really easy

Break a leg: to wish good luck, especially between actors

To cost an arm and a leg: to cost really expensive

You can check INFOSQUARES for more commonly-used American Slang
or Watch this video:

By Luiza Gomes

COMPARATIVE vs. SUPERLATIVE

COMPARATIVE
Is used to compare differences between two objects.

e.g.: Maria is smarter than Joana.

SUPERLATIVE

Is used to describe an object which is at the upper or lower limit of a quality. It's used in sentences where the subject is compared to a group of objects.

e.g.: Maria is the smartest of the class.

FORMING COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE

1 syllable adjectives: add -er (comparative)  or -est (superlative)

This bag is cheaper than the other.

This bag it the cheapest in the store.

1 syllable adjectives ending in consonant-vowel-consonant: double the last consonant and add -er (comparative)  or -est (superlative)

My house is bigger than Maria's.

My house is the biggest on the street.

2 syllable adjectives ending in -y: change the -y to -i and add -er (comparative) or -est (superlative)

Are you happier today?

My mom is the luckiest person I know.

Adjectives with 2 or more syllables: use more (comparative) or the most (superlative) with the unchanged adjective

My sister ir more careful with her writing than I am with mine.

She is the most careful person I know.

Yet, some adjectives are irregular and require other rules:

Examples:

My grades are better than yours, but Jo's is the best in our class.

Today might be the worst day in my life. At least it started worse than yesterday.

This store sells less than the others because it's the least known.

Let's practice? Click on Superlative or Comparative and download free exercises.

MAKE vs. DO

There aren't any restricted rules about the use of "make" or "do" but some tips may help!

 'MAKE' is used to create or construct something:

• Last night, we made a cake.
• He made me a cup of tea.
• Did she really make the dinner?

'DO' is used for general activities, often used with 'something', 'nothing', 'anything' or 'everything':

• She does her own clothes.
• Yesterday, my mom did all the work by herself.
• Did she do the dishes?
• Are you planning to do anything cool today?

Some games can be usefull to the learning process:

Click on Teachers Invaders and have fun!

By Luiza Gomes

A Day Made of Glass

Corning, one of the world's leading innovators in materials science, created videos showing how glass will shape the world. The company gives us a preview of what future technology may be like.

Inovations goes from simple transition windows (no more need for curtains!!) to medical appointments and treatments made all with the use of holograms.

Architecture, medicine, electronics and also the way people relate to each other will all be changed by one material: glass!

And the most incredible news: part of that technology (which seems too futuristic) already exists!! Obviously, it now costs an arm and a leg and it's privilege for rich countries, but knowing that it exists already gives the feeling of beeing each day closer to the future we've been waiting for.

by Luiza Gomes

Popcorn Time - FREE Filmes Online

Professor sempre descobre mil e uma ferramentas que o auxiliem nas aulas. Como eu sou uma pessoa que ama filmes, e trabalhar com filmes, minha aluna Elaine Manarin me indicou um site que eu fiquei MARAVILHADO: o Popcorn-Time. 

Logo do Popcorn-Time

Para quem conhece o Netflix, a proposta é basicamente a mesma. É uma locadora de filmes online, mas você não precisa baixar os filmes para ver, e nem precisa pagar, pois é FREE! Mas ainda melhor que Netflix, o Popcorn-Time tem os filmes mais recentes, que acabaram de sair do cinema, alguns que ainda estão lá. 

A qualidade dos filmes é espetacular e embora você não possa mudar o áudio (sempre original), você pode escolher a legenda que quiser. Sim, a língua que quiser pois o site oferece muito mais que simplesmente Inglês, Português e Espanhol. Ou seja, numa dessas você pode praticar o idioma que estuda livremente. Ah, e você pode baixar o filme por torrent, se quiser.

Basta clicar aqui e instalar no seu computador. Não precisa preencher cadastro nenhum, nem sequer colocar informações bancárias, etc.

Há quem diga que depois de algum tempo eles pedem para você se inscrever e pagar, mas eu uso há 1 mês e não me foi pedido nada. E mesmo que peçam, valerá a pena, eu garanto!

I Study English. So What?!

Studying English is not only beautiful but essential. Do you agree?  Think about your history as student of English and consider the topics below. Write a 90-150-words entry that make me understand and get to know you better.

1) The importance of English in Brazil

2) The quality of schools where you were taught English

3) The importance of English for yourself

Good job!

Practicing Speaking

Learning English or any other language involves much more than simply going to classes and doing homework. Since language is complex and is in constant change, it's really important that the learner looks for further practice outside the classroom. This is what motivated me in researching and creating this post, once one of my students, after a deep conversation, decided she needed to reinforce her speaking practices. 

When learning a language, there are 4 basic skills that must be worked simultaneously in order to become a fluent student. Of course each student has one or the other more evolved; however, the weakest of the 4 skills (reading, speaking, listening, and writing) is what mostly needs deep practice.

For us, Brazilians, what is usually difficult to develop is the speaking ability. I attribute this to the fact we don't live a culture that motivates foreign language practice, and thus, we as learners are the ones responsible to create opportunities to practice. 

Practice speaking is not only speaking to other people. It is totally connected to reading. The more you read, the larger your vocabulary and then, consequently, the higher your confidence while speaking. A good reader is more likely to be a good speaker than others, specially when it comes to foreign languages. Well, there's always an exception.

Before practicing, it's good to understand a bit of what happens to introverted people as they decide to learn a foreign language. Click here and read this article. It explains why some people fear speaking in public and it gives some nice tips to overcome this negative feeling.

After asking may colleagues from Facebook groups that I participate (BRELT, Brazilian English Teachers, etc.) I collected some websites that help students create those aforementioned opportunities to practice oral English. I hope this post helps many English learners.

For all the suggested sites you may need a good microphone and earphone.

ENGLISHCENTRAL.COM is an amazing website in Portuguese but directed to English learners. There, you find videos according to daily situations. It's also an amazing resource for people who want to travel and, therefore, learn specific vocabulary. In a very nice way, you may have your pronunciation corrected. For further information or help, contact Cristina Cesar via e-mail at cristina.cesar@englishcentral.com.

TALKENGLISH.COM is a free website with very nice tips on how to practice and develop your oral skill. For Portuguese instructions, you may click here. 

BYKI.COM is also free. After registering, you can have access to native audio, followed with scripts that will help you associate pronunciation to reading, increasing vocabulary and self confidence to speak and think in English.

My special thanks to Danilo Pereira, Cristina Cesar, Russell Kurts, and Rogerio Almeida for the contribution. 

Now, it's time to practice! 

In case you know any other website, please, leave your comment. Thank you!