Tag Archives: learn
Free MP3 Class to Download! Free Online Speaking Course: Lesson 1.1
This is the latest free English speaking class on EnglishSpeaking.Tips! The text for the lesson is here. Feel free to download and share this MP3, which is in the Public Domain:
FREE ESL Lesson Plan: Mode 1 Vocabulary Session
This is a free lesson plan from You Are The Course Book – Lesson Plans by Matt Purland. You can download the complete book for free here. (.pdf – 6 MB) This book is in the public domain, which means that anybody can use it for commercial and non-commercial purposes.
Mode 1 Vocabulary Session
Method:
1. T asks each group to write down 8 interesting and random words or phrases. They must be content words, not function words. They could be completely random, or begin with the same letter (elicited from a SS), or from a particular topic, e.g. Music. SS work together – one list per group. SS can use dictionaries. One SS from each group reads out their words and T selects the most interesting and random words to write on the board – 8 in total. T does not allow boring words, e.g. table, chair, book… SS write down the whole list.
2. T checks that everybody knows all the words and leads a pronunciation drill with the words. SS have to listen and repeat each word after T.
3. T asks SS to work as a team and write down the type of each word, e.g. noun, verb, adjective, etc. When each group is ready T asks for a SS to come to the board and write the word types on the board next to the vocabulary words. T elicits whether they are correct or not. If not, T elicits the correct answer and the SS writes it.
4. Repeat 3, except with number of syllables in each word.
5. Repeat 3, except with the stressed syllable in each word, which is underlined.
6. Repeat 3, except with the stressed vowel sound in each word. SS writes it with Clear Alphabet, if possible. If not, T elicits it from SS who use the Clear Alphabet chart (p.107). SS could also write each word in Clear Alphabet.
7. Repeat 3, except with whether the stressed vowel sound is short, long, or diphthong. T models the stressed vowel sounds and SS repeat.
8. Repeat 3, except with schwa sounds circled. By the end of the session, your board might resemble something like this (with words from the topic of Music:)
…and so on.
Tip:
- Try not to spend too long doing the vocabulary session. Remember to put together a lesson that provides a balanced ‘meal’ – where different skills are practised and different student needs are met. For example, while one SS might be happy to work with vocabulary for the whole lesson, another SS might prefer free practice activities, and so on.
All learning resources on EnglishBanana.com are now in the public domain! :)
Let’s compare two English Banana.com worksheets:
This is Worksheet A:
…and this is Worksheet B:
Did you notice the difference? Yes, they are the same worksheet, from the Big Grammar Book. But there is a crucial difference. The first one belongs to the past and the second to now and the future. The removal of the tiny copyright symbol makes a big difference to what you can now do with English Banana.com resources – all 4,000+ pages of them!
FREE Elementary English Class! Fun with Vocabulary #1 – Shopping
NEW! Online Grammar Course with Matt Purland: Learn English Tenses
You can now buy hard copies of 4 English Banana.com books!
We are really pleased to announce that we are now selling hard copies of 4 fabulous English Banana.com books:
Big Grammar Book, Big Activity Book, Big Resource Book, and Talk a Lot Elementary Book 1
Free EFL/ESL Lessons for Busy Teachers at EFL Sensei
EFL Sensei.com
Check out this great resource site for EFL teachers: EFL Sensei. There you will find free printable lesson plans, speaking activities, board games, conversation cards, grammar activities, and more!
Why not try this exciting jigsaw speaking activity for starters? Bourbon Street: http://www.eflsensei.com/Bourbon-Street/?path=52
Looking for Specialised Targeted English Instruction?
Try Dr. Ray’s English Clinic!
Dr Ray’s English Clinic
More about this service:
“Our study philosophy at Dr .Ray’s English clinic caters specifically to the student who is busy, and focused on RESULTS.
“We deliver targeted instruction aimed directly at what you need, and never waste your time on exercises or instruction designed to use up time for which you pay.
“STRAIGHT TO THE POINT – NO WASTED TIME – DIRECTED SELF-STUDY FOLLOWS EVERY LESSON.”
Why not find out more today, either via Facebook or through the dedicated website?
http://drraysenglishclinic.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Drraysenglish/498216636920718
New FREE Online Course for English Teachers – Starting Next Monday!
From next Monday 4th November 2013 Matt Purland will be running a free on-going teacher training course for teachers of English and ESL. Enrolment is now open so you can sign up from today! You can get all of the details here:
http://www.wiziq.com/course/36615-free-teacher-training-course-for-english-teachers
Title: Free Teacher Training Course for English Teachers
Goal: Learn how to teach English without a course book
Live classes: Mondays at 8.15pm CET & Thursdays at 10am CET
Main Benefits:
* FREE live classes twice a week
* Learn with an experienced English teacher and teacher trainer
* Professional development certificate when you attend 10 live classes
* Learn techniques that will help your students be more productive
* FREE access to recordings and group material (pdf, ppt, doc)
This is a course for English teachers; if you are studying to become a teacher, you are also welcome. This course is for teachers who want to learn and discuss ways of teaching English without formal material, e.g. a course book or handouts.
This course is on-going. You don’t need to attend every class – attend when you can; if you attend 10 live classes you will receive a FREE professional development certificate.
This course is based on You Are The Course Book Method. You can find out more about it and download the FREE material here: http://englishbanana.com/resources/free-books/teacher-training/
Hope to see you there!
Try Mega Mega English.com – an interactive new approach to listening practice!
There are lots of websites that have interactive quizzes for testing your English, but Mega Mega English is the first I have seen where you get to join in a conversation with an online character via listening. It’s ideal for practicing your listening and reading skills!
Webmaster Matthew Baxter told us:
“Mega Mega English is a great way to learn real English conversations skills. Players interact with a variety of characters in places such as hotels, restaurants and shops. They must answer and ask questions. The virtual characters then give unique responses. Some choices are correct, some are wrong, and some will make you laugh!”
Why not check it out and let us know what you think?
http://www.megamegaenglish.com/
Screenshots from Mega Mega English.com:
English Banana free resources featured in The Guardian this week!
English Banana free resources featured in The Guardian
English Banana free resources are featured in The Guardian newspaper this week, as part of a special article for teachers entitled: “How to teach… English as a foreign language”. Emily Drabble reviews a range of English Banana books, including Big Grammar Book, the Talk a Lot series of books, and the new release You Are The Course Book 2. You can read the article here:
Teaching English without a Course Book – Week 7
NEW from i to i – 20 Free Classroom Activities!
Whether it’s your first day in the classroom or your fiftieth – every ESL teacher is in need of a little helping hand every now and then.
Here are 20 free classroom activities from i-to-i which include classroom tips and accompanying handouts which you can photocopy for your lessons!
Get yours here!
FREE English Vocabulary and Pronunciation Workout! (Video of online lesson)
This is a recording of a free class I taught on WizIQ.com on 28.02.13: http://www.wiziq.com/online-class/1140564-free-english-vocabulary-and-pronunciation-workout You can download the free material that we used here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/127589616/Auto-Mode-3-Example
Auto Mode 3 – Practise vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation skills together!
FREE English Class on the topic of “Clothes”! (VIDEO)
You are welcome to join us for this FREE pre-intermediate English language class on the topic of “Clothes”. It was a pleasure to teach this class last night in partnership with MySchoolo.com
The First English Banana Trust Summer School was a Great Success!
Last week the first English Banana Trust Summer School was held at Greshams School in Holt, Norfolk. The focus was on teacher training and how to teach without a course book, and we were pleased to welcome four English language teachers from Russia, Hungary, and Serbia. Course tutor Matt Purland focused on training the teachers to teach without using a course book, based on methods from his recent manual You Are The Course Book. The teachers thoroughly enjoyed the week, which was sponsored by English Banana Trust. Apart from five hours of lessons per day – and plenty of homework! – the participants were able to enjoy a diverse number of outings ranging from a visit to the famous seal colony at Blakeney Point, a guided tour of Norwich with an experienced historian, and several delightful shared meals and get-togethers with trustees and friends of the Trust.
Here are a few comments from some of the participants at the end of the course:
‘I feel I’ve gained enough confidence to teach without materials. I also feel that my creativity has been exposed to the higher level and that’s really good and exciting.’ – Marija
‘I feel the passion to continue my self-education in this area which I consider to be really innovative…’ – Nadia
Course tutor Matt commented: ‘I would like to thank the Trust for all their hard work and dedication in staging the summer school this year. We have all really gained a lot out of it. It was wonderful to watch our teachers in action and to see them grow in confidence and be able to teach their own lessons without a course book – or any printed material.’
If you would like to get involved with next year’s EBT Summer School – as either a participant or a tutor – please contact English Banana Trust at: ebtrust@englishbanana.com
Or if you would like to book Matt to run a similar week-long training course at your educational establishment, please do get in touch at: info@englishbanana.com
Here are some photos of the participants hard at work in the classroom, and (in bottom picture) with tutor Matt after the final session of the course:
Planning an English Class without a Course Book to Hold your Hand
Talk a Lot English Invites You to Discover… YOU ARE THE COURSE BOOK!
You are very welcome to join me for my next FREE online lesson on WizIQ.com next Tuesday evening at 8pm CET:
For full details, please click here:
Two Free English Lessons this week on WizIQ.com!
This week I’m doing two free lessons on WizIQ.com. You are welcome to sign up below! Hope to see you there. 🙂
How to Teach English without an Expensive Course Book Public Class
Wed, Mar 07, 2012 | 8:30 PM (Central European Standard Time)
http://www.wiziq.com/online-class/778438-how-to-teach-english-without-an-expensive-course-book
* * * * *
English Banana Trust Free Summer School – Q&A Session #1 Public Class
Sat, Mar 10, 2012 | 5:00 PM (Central European Standard Time)
http://www.wiziq.com/online-class/779030-english-banana-trust-free-summer-school-q-a-session-1
English Banana Trust is Featured in the North Norfolk News (02.02.12)
Membean for Students and Teachers (FREE VIDEO)
Extend Your Vocabulary Easily with Membean.com!
We’ve recently been trying out a brand new web service which aims to help you to extend your vocabulary. Membean is a really fun way to “lock in” new words – through a variety of methods.
We asked Membean Founder and CEO Ragav Satish to explain more about the goals of this valuable site:
“Membean is a unique web-based vocabulary learning environment that has its roots in research on human memory and learning. At Membean vocabulary comes to life through engaging video, rich imagery, interactive visualizations, quirky memory devices and unforgettable passages. Once a word is learned it must be maintained in the memory. This is where Membean’s unique Adaptive Reinforcement Engine comes in. Based on your interaction with the tool, it knows when to show you a new word, what questions to ask you and when you need to re-learn a word.” It really is fantastic! Here is an example of a word definition page, for the word “panache”:
The other great thing about Membean is that it really motivates you to learn – plus it is totally addictive! You can sign up for a free membership today, and find out what we mean!
English Banana.com ESL Blog 
