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1. PBS Learning Media

   Format(s): Website

   PBS LearningMedia™ is the go-to destination for instant access to tens of thousands of classroom-ready, digital resources including videos, games, audio clips, photos, lesson plans, and more!

2. VOA Podcast: Music Would Not Be The Same Without the Guitar

   In: VOA Podcasts: Shows in Special English Format(s): MP3, Text

   From Voice of America Podcasts in Special English. Learn how guitar just may be the most popular instrument in the world! Download the MP3 or listen online.

3. VOA Podcast: Words and Their Stories: Dog Talk

   In: VOA Podcasts: Shows in Special English Format(s): MP3, Text

   From Voice of America Podcasts in Special English. Americans use many expressions with the word dog. Learn about their love for the animal and how they use the word. Download the MP3 or listen online.

4. VOA Podcast: Making of a Nation: The Heart of the Constitution

   In: VOA Podcasts: Shows in Special English Format(s): MP3, Text

   From Voice of America Podcasts in Special English. Take a look at the Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Download the MP3 or listen online.

5. VOA Podcast: Words and Their Stories: Colorful Expressions

   In: VOA Podcasts: Shows in Special English Format(s): MP3, Text

   From Voice of America Podcasts in Special English. Take a look at expressions that Americans use that include colors . Download the MP3 or listen online.

6. America

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

   What is a road trip? Why are road trips popular in the United States? Find out more with this set of activities based on music by the award winning ukulele player Victoria Vox.

7. The Prisoner’s Dilemma – A Game of Decision-Making

   Format(s): Text, Website, Image / Poster / Maps

   How do people make Decisions? This game, presented by The National Science Foundation, is an example of decision science called “Game Theory”.

8. An Integrated Skills Lesson Plan for "A Postcard from America" by Robert Olen Butler

   In: English Teaching Forum 2004, Volume 42, Issue 1 Format(s): Text

   This lesson plan is based on the feature article, “Postcards from America” by Robert Olen Butler. It is appropriate for high intermediate to advanced students. The lesson integrates the four skills and has five parts: Preparing to Read, Reading the Text, Understanding the Text, Making Connections Beyond the Text, and Integrating Language Skills. The lesson includes group discussion of comprehension questions, scanning for vocabulary, and using the dictionary.

9. An Integrated Skills Lesson Plan for "Maps and Legends" by Michael Chabon

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

   This lesson plan is based on the article “Maps and Legends” by novelist Michael Chabon and is for high intermediate to advance students. The lesson includes group and pair work. Students discuss the neighborhood where they grew up. They read the text and identify unfamiliar words, then answer comprehension questions in writing or discussion groups. Post-reading activities include scanning, inferring meaning from context, dictionary practice, and discussion questions. The lesson ends with questions to make connections beyond the text and project ideas.

10. The Making of a City

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

    This article about urban planning is appropriate for advanced learners. The content discusses city planners, planned cities (e.g. Chicago), zoning laws, and high-rise residential districts. There are many images, a glossary, and a list of related websites. There are two short sections. One is about Columbia, Maryland, the subject of another article in this issue (“Maps and Legends”). Columbia was a completely planned, experimental community. The second section is about rebuilding Cabrini Green, a Chicago neighborhood well known for its poverty and crime.

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