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To the Man on Trail

In: To Build a Fire and Other Stories Format(s): Text

In this story from To Build a Fire and Other Stories, a stranger seeking to get back the money that he lent to another man visits a group of revelers in their cabin. The stranger has been on the trail for 12 hours with no rest. The revelers take him in and listen to his story.

Love of Life

In: To Build a Fire and Other Stories Format(s): Text

In this story from To Build a Fire and Other Stories, a man who was abandoned by his teammate struggles to survive in the wilderness and stave off hunger.

Using L1 in the L2 Classroom

In: English Teaching Forum 2003, Volume 41, Number 4 Format(s): Text

There may be more to the use of L1 in the L2 classroom than previously thought. Recent findings show that L1 usage values the native culture and language of the students, allowing them to feel comfortable taking risks in English. The author distributed a questionnaire on Spanish usage to English language students and professors at a Puerto Rican university. Results showed that both students and teachers felt there were clear instances where Spanish would help understanding. The author also shares his own personal experiences as a Spanish-speaking English teacher.

Chinese New Year

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

Chinese New Year is one of the most important and festive Chinese holidays. More than 2.5 million people of Chinese descent live in the United States and Chinese New Year's celebrations provide an important connection to Chinese culture and heritage.

Abstracts from Other Journals

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

“Abstracts from Other Journals” provides information on articles from CATESOL Journal, Language Testing, RELC Journal, and Prospect: An Australian Journal of TESOL. Topics include the professional development of non-native teachers of English (addressing cultural differences); the impact of the interviewer on the test results of oral interviews (like IELTS); a look at how the field of TEFL/TESL has changed over the past 30 years from the point of view of Jack C. Richards; and implementing standards (reforming curriculum and evaluating teachers).

A Postcard from America

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

This feature article for learner use is by author Robert Olen Butler. It briefly describes the history and cultural aspects of postcards. The author provides detail about several postcards in his personal collection. He values the images and the glimpses into people’s lives as written on the postcards. A glossary of terms and images of postcards accompany the article. Appropriate for high intermediate to advanced students.

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.

Extra Work or Work Extra: Five Steps for Studying Vocabulary

In: English Teaching Forum 2004, Volume 42, Issue 4 Format(s): Text

An instructor shares a plan for extra study that helped struggling students learn vocabulary. Students selected five words from each unit of their class text. A sample of words from the text “Raise the Issues” and reasons for choosing them are included. The five steps used to learn the words were learning pronunciation, recognizing other word forms, using the dictionary, reading the word in context, and using the word in context. Scaffolding for writing with the word is provided. This method was more successful and more popular than extra quizzes for low-achieving students.

Growing Up With English

Format(s): Text

Growing Up with English is a teacher-training guidebook that focuses on methods, techniques, and materials that are suitable for teaching English to younger learners.

Teaching Jazz Chants to Young Learners

Format(s): Text, Video

Teaching Jazz Chants to Young Learners is a video-based teacher training resource available on DVD that presents one compelling technique for teaching English pronunciation, intonation, and sentence stress: the jazz chant.