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1. Further Down

   In: American Rhythms Format(s): MP3, Text

   In the indie folk song "Further Down," singer Kris Gruen combines catchy lyrics with the soft sound of the acoustic guitar. Download the MP3 or listen online.

2. The Lighter Side: Silent Letters

   In: English Teaching Forum 2011, Volume 49, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   “Silent Letters” expands on the silent “K” in knitting, giving students practice with silent letters. The activity requires students to fill in missing words from a dialogue on the topic of knitting. Some letters of the missing words are provided.

3. The Lighter Side: Winter Sports Word Search

   In: English Teaching Forum 2010, Volume 48, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   This winter sports word search gives students clues to the name of a sport they need to find in the puzzle.

4. The Lighter Side

   In: English Teaching Forum 2008, Volume 46, Number 4 Format(s): Text

   This is a word game that asks the reader to fill letters in spaces to create words. Cues are provided.

5. Guess What?- You Don't Say

   In: Activate Games for Learning English - Guess What? Format(s): Text

   "You Don’t Say" is a game that encourages students to use alternative sentences and descriptions as they describe a topic without saying certain words – an excellent activity for vocabulary and fluency practice.

6. Story 13: York en Nueva York

   In: Why English? Comics for the Classroom Format(s): MP3, Text

   The stories in Why English? Comics for the Classroom – written by teenagers and young adults – will appeal to learners of all ages. These stories provide an enjoyable opportunity to increase vocabulary, reading comprehension, listening, speaking, and writing.

7. The Time is Now

   In: American Rhythms Format(s): MP3

   Travis Haddix’s song 'The Time is Now' is another soul-searching examples of blues music. Download this song or listen online.

8. Localvore

   In: American Rhythms Format(s): MP3, Text

   In the folk song Localvore, Zach Ladin sings about supporting local foods, businesses, and communities. Download the MP3 or listen online.

9. Spot the Problem! (reprinted from Teaching Pragmatics)

   In: English Teaching Forum 2003, Volume 41, Number 3 Format(s): Text

   This lesson plan considers pragmatic violations of openings, closings, and requests. These humorous role plays involve continuing a conversation when one person is trying to end it, being overly direct, and providing an overly informative answer to the greeting “How are you?” Textbooks may lack complete openings and closings, so it is worthwhile to spend time on post-openings and pre-closings. Politeness in English may be problematic for EFL learners because of the lack of grammatical forms that mark it.

10. An Integrated Skills Lesson Plan for "Just Off Main Street" by Elmaz Abinader

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

    This lesson plan is designed for high intermediate to advanced English language learners. Based on an authentic, contemporary essay by an accomplished American writer, the lesson plan includes tasks and activities designed to improve students’ English language skills as well as increase their understanding of American culture. The lesson includes pre-, during, and post reading activities to improve comprehension, learn new vocabulary, and make connections beyond the text. Websites of interest and useful questions for discussion or writing are included.

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