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English Teaching Forum 2021, Volume 59, Number 1
This issue offers advice for accommodating students with learning disabilities, helping learners visualize texts, and using movie dubbing to aid students’ pronunciation, along with tips for understanding fast speech, creating interesting multiple-choice questions, teaching narrative elements … and much more.

ON THE COVER: Within 70 miles of Washington, DC, in Rappahannock County, Virginia, an early 1900s house, barn, garden, and farmland face westward to the Blue Ridge Mountains. This oil painting, The End of Summer, is an eastern view of the garden, barn, and silo. Artist Ruthie Windsor-Mann, having painted in Europe and the eastern United States, now lives outside the village of Washington, Virginia. Her paintings are featured in many public and private collections in the United States and abroad. More of her work can be seen online at https://ruthiewindsormann.com.

Format: Text
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U.S. Subscriptions: English Teaching Forum is exempted from the Congressional restriction on distribution of Department of State-produced materials in the United States. U.S. residents who want to order the printed edition can order from the U.S. Superintendent of Documents.

Table of Contents

Accommodating Learning Disabilities in the English Language ClassroomExpand

The authors discuss the complexity of identifying learning disabilities in the English language classroom, then offer four methods of instruction to support students with learning disabilities, with clear descriptions of effective strategies, and provide an extensive list of useful resources.

Author: Jimalee Sowell and Larry Sugisaki
Format: Text
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International Subscriptions: English Teaching Forum is distributed through U.S. Embassies. If you would like to subscribe to the print version of English Teaching Forum, please contact the Public Affairs or Cultural Affairs section of the U.S. Embassy in your country.

U.S. Subscriptions: English Teaching Forum is exempted from the Congressional restriction on distribution of Department of State-produced materials in the United States. U.S. residents who want to order the printed edition can order from the U.S. Superintendent of Documents.

Reading Eyes Wide Shut: Visualization, Language Learners, and TextsExpand

Using an excerpt from a Jack London story as an anchor text, the authors describe five strategies designed to help students “see” what they are reading; the visualization strategies can “promote active engagement [with the text] both for enjoyment and for learning.”

Authors: Spencer Salas, Brian Keith Williams, Maryann Mraz, and Soufiane Adrane
Format: Text
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International Subscriptions: English Teaching Forum is distributed through U.S. Embassies. If you would like to subscribe to the print version of English Teaching Forum, please contact the Public Affairs or Cultural Affairs section of the U.S. Embassy in your country.

U.S. Subscriptions: English Teaching Forum is exempted from the Congressional restriction on distribution of Department of State-produced materials in the United States. U.S. residents who want to order the printed edition can order from the U.S. Superintendent of Documents.

Using Movie Dubbing to Improve Natural English Pronunciation SkillsExpand

The article describes ways that having students dub their own voices into English language movies can improve their pronunciation and intonation; the author presents a dubbing project that helps students focus on pronunciation in a way that is both challenging and enjoyable.

Author: Tran Thi Hai Yen
Format: Text
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International Subscriptions: English Teaching Forum is distributed through U.S. Embassies. If you would like to subscribe to the print version of English Teaching Forum, please contact the Public Affairs or Cultural Affairs section of the U.S. Embassy in your country.

U.S. Subscriptions: English Teaching Forum is exempted from the Congressional restriction on distribution of Department of State-produced materials in the United States. U.S. residents who want to order the printed edition can order from the U.S. Superintendent of Documents.

Reader’s GuideExpand

This guide is designed to enrich your reading of the articles in this issue. You may choose to read them on your own, taking notes or jotting down answers to the discussion questions below. Or you may use the guide to explore the articles with colleagues.

Format: Text
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International Subscriptions: English Teaching Forum is distributed through U.S. Embassies. If you would like to subscribe to the print version of English Teaching Forum, please contact the Public Affairs or Cultural Affairs section of the U.S. Embassy in your country.

U.S. Subscriptions: English Teaching Forum is exempted from the Congressional restriction on distribution of Department of State-produced materials in the United States. U.S. residents who want to order the printed edition can order from the U.S. Superintendent of Documents.

Understanding Fast Speech with Online Videos and QuizzesExpand

The author notes that “understanding fast speech can be an ongoing challenge for English learners of all levels” and presents online videos and interactive quizzes that help learners deal with blending, flap, H elision, syllable elision, and common phrases; the article includes a description of a lesson for using the suggested resources in class.

Author: Stephanie Hanson
Format: Text
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International Subscriptions: English Teaching Forum is distributed through U.S. Embassies. If you would like to subscribe to the print version of English Teaching Forum, please contact the Public Affairs or Cultural Affairs section of the U.S. Embassy in your country.

U.S. Subscriptions: English Teaching Forum is exempted from the Congressional restriction on distribution of Department of State-produced materials in the United States. U.S. residents who want to order the printed edition can order from the U.S. Superintendent of Documents.

One of These Does Not Belong: Creating Interesting Multiple-Choice Questions for Teaching and TestingExpand

The author presents a simple, clever way to make all kinds of multiple-choice questions more interesting and more challenging for learners. Teachers can use the technique with both online and face-to-face instruction.

Author: Matthew Miklas
Format: Text
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International Subscriptions: English Teaching Forum is distributed through U.S. Embassies. If you would like to subscribe to the print version of English Teaching Forum, please contact the Public Affairs or Cultural Affairs section of the U.S. Embassy in your country.

U.S. Subscriptions: English Teaching Forum is exempted from the Congressional restriction on distribution of Department of State-produced materials in the United States. U.S. residents who want to order the printed edition can order from the U.S. Superintendent of Documents.

My Classroom: North Carolina, USAExpand

Learn how Youa Thao teaches English and does much, much more at a school in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg district. The article explains how the school district’s support system works and describes Ms. Thao’s approach, classroom environment, and teaching life.

Author: Amy Hanna
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Identifying Narrative Elements in Literature: A Poster ProjectExpand

The author presents a detailed, step-by-step procedure for helping students become familiar with and identify narrative elements; the article describes a project in which groups of students create posters that use narrative elements to make stories of their own.

Author: Nicholas Gordon
Format: Text
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The Lighter Side: … 20, 21 …Expand

The clues in this puzzle lead to pairs of consecutive numbers. Can you find them all?

Format: Text
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