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1. Michigan: The Great Lakes State

   In: English Teaching Forum 2009, Volume 47, Number 4 Format(s): Text

   This article describes Michigan, a US state also known as the “Great Lakes State.” It presents its geography, climate, history, commerce, industry, symbols, and tourist attractions and activities. The article also provides useful websites. It ends with a text about Motown, a legendary music label from Detroit.

2. Lesson Plan: Exploring Michigan

   In: English Teaching Forum 2009, Volume 47, Number 4 Format(s): Text

   The lesson plan “Exploring Michigan” provides information on things to see and do in Michigan. It has three parts: a warm-up, the main activities that cover the four skills, and follow-up activities to further practice the content of main activities. The lesson aims to practice expressions of preference and persuasion. At the same time, the learners plan things to do on a trip to Michigan while creating and presenting an itinerary for a trip to Michigan, and then for a visit to their own country.

3. Great Nicknames of Jazz

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

   The last of a three-piece article describes many of the nicknames that leading American Jazz musicians had. A nickname is a name that a person earns in addition to their given name. For example, Edward Ellington was called “Duke” by his friends and family when he was a child because he acted like a member of a royal family. Musicians like Lady Day, Duke Ellington, and Dizzy Gillespie were leaders in the Jazz music culture.

4. Poetry Corner: Reading and Reacting to a Michigan Poem

   In: English Teaching Forum 2009, Volume 47, Number 4 Format(s): Text

   “Poetry Corner: Reading and Reacting to a Michigan Poem” consists of activities targeting reading, listening, speaking, and writing skills using a Michigan poem called “How Is It That the Snow,” written by poet Robert Haight, who lives in Michigan.

5. Growing Up with TESOL

   In: English Teaching Forum 2008, Volume 46, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   This article describes influences on the development of English language teaching since the 1970s. It discusses two types of influences. The first influence is external: The increasing demand for efficient TESOL programs as a result of the international role of the English language, which has brought more professionalism and accountability to the field through standards. The second influence is more internal: The desire to expand TESOL’s goals and concerns to better understand the concept of English language teaching, teachers, and their education.

6. A Rough Guide to Language Awareness

   In: English Teaching Forum 2008, Volume 46, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   This article discusses the need to focus on form while learning language in context, and names this method of teaching grammar as “language awareness.” It connects this method of learning grammar with the concept of input processing, searching for examples of grammar in context, noticing the linguistic features and themes, deducing a rule, testing it against further data, and finally producing it in short tasks. The article provides teachers with practical techniques on how to teach grammar in a communicative lesson.

7. The Lighter Side

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

   This "Lighter Side" begins with a contest to name a Jazz song. The answer is "Georgia On My Mind." Although there is an American state called Georgia, Georgia is the name of a girl for whom the song was written in 1930. In the second section of "The Lighter Side," definitions and uses of the word Jazz are given.

8. Applying Reading Research to the Development of an Integrated Lesson Plan

   In: English Teaching Forum 2008, Volume 46, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   This article discusses whole language and phonics approaches to teaching L1 reading. It argues to bring these two perspectives together under an integrated approach to better teach second language reading. The article offers an integrated lesson plan with adaptable activities and techniques that show how to apply the integrated approach.

9. Some Suggestions for Academic Writing Instruction at English Teacher Training Colleges

   In: English Teaching Forum 2008, Volume 46, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   This article presents practical suggestions and tasks to make it easier to teach second language academic writing at the college level. It discusses the necessity of a warm-up period in which learners produce first drafts in pairs or small groups and do peer error correction. The article offers tasks such as reacting to an academic review, comparing two academic articles, and summarizing academic articles.

10. Noun Compounds and Compressed Definitions

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

    This article discusses the difficulty of understanding noun compounds in professional texts in science and technology, business, medicine, law, and other areas of English for Specific Purposes (ESP). It provides techniques and activities to teach students how to decode noun compounds to see the link between definitions, which are usually familiar, and noun compounds, which are usually not familiar. These strategies can help students overcome this difficulty in reading advanced and specialized texts.

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