Monday, May 27, 2013

Practice every day!


Here are some suggestions for practicing English every day and balancing the skills you'll need


  • Go to theproproom.blogspot.com - this website offers many interesting articles with questions and writing activities (click on a level on the right side of the webpage, choose a subject, and simply follow the instructions). Try to do at least one a day!
  • Read an article (bbc.com, nytimes.com, Hurriyet Daily News, voanews.com, http://www.cnn.com/studentnews, etc)
  • Watch and listen to Voice of America news. This is real news specifically designed for learners of English (http://www.youtube.com/user/VOAvideo)
  • Watch a movie or tv show in English with English subtitles
  • Go to ted.com/talks and find a video of your interest (these academic talks have English subtitles and transcripts). Listen to the talk, take notes, and write a summary/reaction
  • Read a book! Visit the library for a number of English language novels for you to choose from. If this seems challenging at first, don’t get discouraged. Gradually increase the number of pages you read, day by day.
  • Pick or find a song in English. Write down or research the lyrics and memorize it!
  • Listen to a podcast or radio show online. Some suggestions:
o    This American Life - interesting and personal stories about people in the USA. Transcripts are available for all shows – a personal favorite! (http://www.thisamericanlife.org/)
o     Radiolab - very nice show about science, psychology and people (http://www.radiolab.org/)
o    The Moth – true, personal stories told live by the people who lived them (http://themoth.org/)
o    Selected Shorts – stories of fiction read out loud by the authors, actors, or celebrities (http://www.selectedshorts.org/)
  • Many universities have their own youtube channels. Go find some lectures from professors from all over the world. Try searching “lecture” on youtube, or searching a famous university. Here is the Harvard youtube channel, which is just one among many! http://www.youtube.com/user/Harvard?feature=watch
Click on the video below to see an example of a lecture you can watch for free online


  • Devise your own activities. Investigate things that truly interest you!

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