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1. Reading Up-Close and Personal: Connection-Making and the Classic American Short Story

   In: English Teaching Forum 2024, Volume 62, Number 4 Format(s): Text

   Authors Spencer Salas and Bernadette Musetti use the O. Henry story “Transients in Arcadia” (available on the American English website) to illustrate how readers can make a text more meaningful by connecting it to themselves, to other texts, and to the world.

2. Casey

   In: American Teens Talk! Format(s): MP3, Text

   What would it be like to be homeschooled? Read and listen to Casey tell her story of going to school at home.

3. Landry

   In: American Teens Talk! Format(s): MP3, Text

   In this interview, Landry discusses learning to drive a car to get a driver’s license.

4. Lesson Plan: Going Green

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

   The lesson plan, “Going Green,” allows students to develop research and problem-solving skills on the theme of environmental conservation. The lesson includes a glossary of environmental terms. It uses a learner-centered approach as learners work in groups to determine their topic, the vocabulary they want to learn, how to collect information, how to report it (qualitatively or quantitatively), and what action to take based on the results. Students report their findings and action plan in a poster presentation. Creative writing, a debate, or a "green fair" are optional extensions.

5. Maps and Legends

   In: English Teaching Forum 2004, Volume 42, Issue 2 Format(s): Text

   The author of this student-directed reading, Michael Chabon, shares his experience as a pioneer of the Columbia Experiment. Columbia’s renewal was the dream of James Rouse, who put together a team of city planners to design a lovely, convenient, modern city where races lived together in harmony. Chabon writes about the impact of living with the dream and vision of the city’s development. Since the late 1960s, Columbia has grown from a few thousand people to the second largest city in Maryland.

6. Practical Applications for Critical Thinking in English Language Teaching and Learning

   In: American English Webinars Format(s): Text, Video

   This session offers an easy way to determine how much Critical Thinking (CT) is already part of existing your materials and practical ways to weave more CT into them on a regular basis.

7. Classroom Activities

   In: English Teaching Forum 2011, Volume 49, Number 4 Format(s): Text

   This section presents three stand-alone learning activities related to the theme of bowling. A game for upper beginners is useful for sentence formation and vocabulary review on any topic. Intermediate learners can practice with imperatives by giving and following instructions on how to bowl. The final activity asks intermediate learners to engage in focused listening or reading. Extension possibilities are included for each of the three activities.

8. Beyond Proficiency: Nurturing Critical Thinking Skills in the EFL Classroom

   In: American English Webinars Format(s): Text, Video

   Develop a shared understanding of what it means to “think critically," and examine why teachers should devote time to helping students develop a critical thinking mindset.

9. The Lighter Side

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

   The theme of this issue's "The Lighter Side" is the old west. It includes the song “Home on the Range,” history related to the tune, and a word find puzzle. This activity is appropriate for intermediate to advanced learners. Answers are included.

10. 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.

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