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1. U.S. National Parks: Protecting Nature and Providing Enjoyment

   In: English Teaching Forum 2007, Volume 45, Number 4 Format(s): Text

   This feature article on national parks is appropriate for use with higher intermediate or advanced learners. It offers vivid photos and describes the history of national parks, their creation, management, and expansion. The author discusses features of parks from different regions of the country: Acadia National Park (Maine), Denali National Park and Preserve (Alaska), Everglades National Park (Florida), Glacier National Park (Montana), and Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona). Information about the national parks conservation association and the national park foundation is also included.

2. Fast Food and Globalization

   In: English Teaching Forum 2002 (Volume 40, Number 1) Format(s): Text

   “Fast Food and Globalization,” an article within “The Hamburger Comes of Age,” shares the story of a group of French people who demolished a McDonald’s restaurant in protest, which drew international media attention. The short article expresses how fast food is representative of the globalization process. The author provides examples of how a multitude of fast food restaurants have attempted to accommodate local tastes.

3. Rodeo: A Uniquely American Sport

   In: English Teaching Forum 2004, Volume 42, Issue 3 Format(s): Text

   The feature article, “Rodeo: A Uniquely American Sport,” includes sections about the history of rodeo, classic rodeo events, the growth of professional rodeo, the making of a rodeo cowboy, rodeo heroes, and rodeo and fine arts. Websites of interest and a glossary of rodeo terms accompany the article, as well as many images.

4. Teaching Refusals in an EFL Setting

   In: Teaching Pragmatics Format(s): Text, Video, Website

   The goals of this lesson in Teaching Pragmatics are: raising awareness that misunderstandings can be caused by differences in performing speech acts between Japanese and Americans; making learners aware of what they know already and encouraging them to use their universal or transferable L1 pragmatic knowledge in L2 contexts; teaching the appropriate linguistic forms that are likely to be encountered in performing speech acts.

5. Lesson Plan: Quilting with Language

   In: English Teaching Forum 2006, Volume 44, Number 3 Format(s): Text

   This lesson plan contains four activities based on the cultural content of quilts. It includes activities for teaching vocabulary and grammar, speaking, writing, and a dicto-comp activity (in which there is both dictation and composition).

6. Women in Sports

   In: English Teaching Forum 2001, Volume 39, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   This article outlines the history of women in sports. It includes a discussion of important female athletes, female participation in the modern Olympics, and Title IX in the United States. The piece concludes by giving sketches of the accomplishments of several important female athletes-- "Babe" Didrickson Zaharias, Wilma Rudolph, Joan Benoit Samuelson, and Jackie Joyner-Kersey.

7. Quick Start Guide

   In: Trace Effects Teacher's Manual Format(s): Text

   The Trace Effects Quick Start Guide instructs teachers and players on how to play Trace Effects, the exciting, collaborative English language learning game developed by the Department of State. The guide provides information on logging in, gameplay, and installing the Trace Effects DVD for use in home and lab environments.

8. Speakers and Task Type: Increasing Awareness of Factors Involved in Speech Act Production

   In: Teaching Pragmatics Format(s): Text

   The goal of this article is to increase awareness of the factors that affect the linguistic realization of speech acts in American English.

9. VOA: English in a Minute

   Format(s): Video, Website

   Looking for ways to improve your listening skills and learn English idioms? Check out Voice of America's English in a Minute and listen to brief video clips that explain American English colloquialisms.

10. Boats, Boats Everywhere

    In: English Teaching Forum 2013, Volume 51, Number 4 Format(s): Text

    Boats are the subject of this feature article, which explores such topics as the age of steamboats, commercial boats, recreational boats, boating vocabulary, and the Mississippi River in American literature.

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