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1. Words and Their Stories

   Format(s): Website

   Etymology and stories related to specific words in American English, produced by Voice of America.

2. Smithsonian History and Culture

   Format(s): Text, Website

   Lesson plans and resources for teaching and learning about American culture, art, and history.

3. New Years Eve

   In: Celebrate! Holidays in the U.S.A. Format(s): Text

   In the United States, people begin celebrating the New Year on December 31, New Years Eve.

4. Board Game: Name 3

   In: Activate Games for Learning American English: Board Games Format(s): Text

   The board game Name 3… gives students a variety of prompts to talk about things they know about.

5. Picture This – Pass It On

   In: Activate Games for Learning American English: Picture This Format(s): Text

   In Pass It On, students use the vocabulary words on a Picture This card to create a story. Download cards and instructions.

6. The Red Hot Blues

   In: English Teaching Forum 2003, Volume 41, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   This is the first in a four-part series of essays on the American musical style called “Blues.” This music grew out of the musical traditions of African slaves in the United States between 1619 and 1863, blended with the musical styles of Europe. It is closely related to Jazz. Blues and Jazz are the only two completely unique musical styles created in the United States. This article covers the history of the Blues, its influence on other musical styles, and the current state of this uniquely American music.

7. All That Jazz

   In: English Teaching Forum 2003, Volume 41, Number 2 Format(s): Text, Image / Poster / Maps

   This article is the first of three to introduce Jazz music, which was born in the United States over a period of 200 years. Jazz was influenced by African, Latin American, and European music. It is generally accepted that Jazz was first recognized in New Orleans, Louisiana, the southeastern United States. This mostly historical article features many Jazz musicians including Ferdinand “Jelly Roll” Morton, Buddy Bolden, Joe “King” Oliver, and Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong. A list of Web sites is included.

8. The Cotton Club

   In: English Teaching Forum 2003, Volume 41, Number 2 Format(s): Text, Image / Poster / Maps

   This one-page piece details The Cotton Club, one of the most glamorous dance and music clubs in New York City in the 1920s and 1930s. The Cotton Club was located in Harlem, which in the 1920s was an African-American residential and cultural business center in New York. The club had 30 to 50 chorus girls who danced and sang and were only hired if they were beautiful and very tall. Although the singers and dancers were almost all black, the audience was almost all white, which was a sign of the racial American society at the time.

9. Independence Day

   In: Celebrate! Holidays in the U.S.A. Format(s): Text

   Americans celebrate Independence Day on July 4 because on July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence, officially breaking bonds with England and forming a new independent nation, the United States of America.

10. Let’s Play Ball: Using Cultural Themes to Teach English

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

    This webinar will demonstrate how teachers can use one theme in American culture and society, Baseball, to give learners a toolkit for deciphering and using messages that contain a deep cultural context, no matter their source.

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