The English Blog

Video: Kal Draws Trade

"Kal Draws Trade" is one of a series of six videos explaining economic concepts by Kevin "KAL" Kallaugher, the resident cartoonist for The Economist. Other videos in the series include "Taxation", "Hyperinflation", and "Dumping".

TRANSCRIPT
From the time we are children, we swap things with others. We give and take for mutual benefit. This same principle of exchange and enrichment is what motivates trade between countries. Trade is widely regarded as a spur for economic growth. It encourages countries to specialize in certain areas of strength. This enables the world to produce more goods, and more kinds of goods than it otherwise could. Since World War II international trade has increased seventeen fold, helping to ignite economic growth around the globe. Despite the obvious benefits of free trade, there are many who are motivated to limit it. Tariffs, trade bans, and quota restrictions can be used as weapons to punish competing and opposing nations. This could lead to retaliation and a devastating trade war. Some critics argue that not all trade is good trade. Trading with poor developing countries, where wages are usually lower and working hours longer than in developed countries, can create an imbalance. The result can be a loss of jobs in high-wage economies. Despite these concerns free and open trade should be embraced. Embracing the alternative is child's play.

COMMENT
These videos would be useful for teachers of Business Studies or Economics classes. I found the sound effects a bit over-intrusive though ...

Related articles

60 Second Adventures in Economics - 1. The Invisible Hand

Can Free Trade be in the interest of the world´s poorest countries, given the competitive disadvantages in virtually every sector?

No timeline on free-trade talks with EU: Harper

Speaking Frog: Videos of Famous Speeches

Despite what you might think, Speaking Frog has nothing to do with French people learning English; it's a site which features videos and transcripts of speeches by famous people, past and present, real and fictional. The nice thing about the site is that the videos and transcripts are presented side by side, so that you can read the transcript, or refer to it, as you watch. Here, for instance is Barack Obama's Second Inaugural Address from January 2013.

You can find a list of recent posts here.

ALSO SEE
• 10 famous speeches in English, and what you can learn from them (English Trackers)
• Famous Speeches (History.com) 
• Great Speeches of the Twentieth Century (The Guardian) 
• American Rhetoric  

Related articles

Cartoon: Great Political Speeches

Historical Actor Portrays Patrick Henry's Famous Speech

Michael Burry's Famous UCLA 2012 Speech [TRANSCRIPT]

Online Magazine: TeaTime-Mag

The online magazine TeaTime-Mag gives readers access to English language and culture in the realms of business, economy, new technologies, fashion, urban life, arts, music etc. – domains in which the English-speaking world plays a pioneering role. Watch the video to find out more.

COMMENT
I've only just come across the excellent TeaTime-Mag, but it's been going for at least a couple of years. As it's published twice a month, there's a big collection of articles in the archive. One thing they don't mention in the video is that there are three versions of the magazine: for speakers of French, German, and Spanish, which is great is you are ... French, German, or Spanish. It's a pity there isn't an all-English version, but even if you don't speak any of those three languages, don't be put off — there's still plenty of interesting material to read and watch in English. There's also a Teacher Edition with extra content including texts with MP3 versions, and vocabulary lists. All in all, an impressive resource — and it's free.

OTHER ONLINE MAGAZINES FOR ENGLISH LEARNERS
• Hot English Magazine (subscription-based but with free lessons)
• Postscript (for Business English)
• Business Spotlight
• Newsacademic (free issue available)

Interview with Shayna Oliveira, founder of Espresso English

Last week I reviewed Espresso English, a website that provides self-study learners with a wide range of resources to improve their speaking, listening, vocabulary, and grammar. I was very impressed with the site, and thought it would be interesting to contact Espresso English founder Shayna Oliveira to have some more information. Shayna kindly agreed to answer my questions ...

ENGLISH BLOG: Can you tell us a bit about your background? You're from the US originally. How did you end up in Brazil?

SHAYNA: My interest in Brazil began with capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian martial arts and dance that I’ve practiced for over 10 years. I had traveled to Brazil several times to train with masters of the art and learn the language and culture, and on one of those trips, I met and married my Brazilian husband. I had received a CELTA certificate in the U.S., so once I was settled in Brazil it was pretty easy to find teaching work.

ENGLISH BLOG: What's it like teaching English in Brazil?

SHAYNA: Brazilians are wonderful to work with – they tend to be warm, personable, and enthusiastic about learning English. Native-speaking ESL teachers are in high demand, and it’s common for teachers to give both group classes at English schools and private lessons to individual students. The pay is so-so: enough to get by, but it’s not easy to put away extra savings. However, the quality of life – tropical climate, delicious food, a rich culture – can’t be beat.

ENGLISH BLOG: When did you start Espresso English, and what gave you the idea?

SHAYNA: I launched Espresso English in January 2012 after noticing that many of my students – who typically had demanding jobs as well as family and social commitments – missed or canceled 30-40% of their English classes. This really hindered their progress, and they often expressed frustration at not having enough time to study. That gave me the idea to launch a website with quick, easily understandable English lessons posted online and delivered by e-mail – so that even if students are extremely busy and only have 15 minutes of free time, they can get a daily “espresso shot” of English to continue learning and developing their skills.

ENGLISH BLOG: Do you create all the materials yourself, or do you have some help?

SHAYNA: I create all the materials myself, although I’ve gotten help from a voiceover artist in recording some dialogs.

ENGLISH BLOG: What percentage of your time is devoted to Espresso English?

SHAYNA: When the site first started, it was a side project that took about an hour a day to write each new post. Now I spend a total of about 20 hours a week creating new material, improving the existing material, and corresponding with students.

ENGLISH BLOG: What have you done to promote the site?

SHAYNA: Primarily Facebook and Google ads, as well as encouraging current visitors to share the lessons if they enjoy them.

ENGLISH BLOG: What sort of feedback have you got from users or other EFL teachers?

SHAYNA: Most of my readers are students who enjoy the clarity of the lessons and the fact that many of them are available in video, audio, and text forms. Last year, I focused quite a bit on grammar; several subscribers have requested more lessons on spoken English, listening, and vocabulary – as well as more advanced material – so I’ll be focusing on those areas going forward.

ENGLISH BLOG: You offer a lot of free materials on the site. What's the take-up like for the paid courses and ebooks?

SHAYNA: The take-up for the paid courses/e-books is small, but it’s enough to make it worthwhile. It’s great that even a small percentage of paying students can provide enough resources to fund the continuing development of both paid and free material.

ENGLISH BLOG: What are your future plans for the site?

SHAYNA: I plan to creating courses that help students with their major “pain points” in English. One of the first e-mails that new subscribers get includes the question, “What’s your biggest difficulty in learning English?” – I then create courses based on the most common answers. The next ones will likely focus on listening, pronunciation, and vocabulary.

ENGLISH BLOG: Do you have any other projects in the pipeline?

SHAYNA: Both my online and offline students cite listening as one of their biggest challenges – so I’d like to start an ESL podcast that focuses more on learning conversational English.

ENGLISH BLOG: Well, good luck with that; we look forward to seeing the results. And thank you for answering our questions.

Video: Toyota Super Bowl 'Wish Granted' Commercial

This 2013 Super Bowl ad from Toyota is a good resource for teaching the construction "I wish" + past tense to express an impossible or unlikely wish (e.g., I wish I had more time to go to the gym).

LESSON IDEA
Give your students three wishes. Put them into groups and get them to present and explain their wishes to the others in the group.

NOTES
1. In more formal English, we use the subjunctive form 'were' and not 'was' after 'wish'. See here for a discussion of this.
2. See here and here for grammar notes on talking about wishes.
3. You can watch all the 2013 Super Bowl ads here. Many of them provide useful material for English teaching activities (comprehension, discussion, grammar, vocabulary, etc.).
4. You can find a detailed synopsis of the Toyota commercial, including an explanation of the 'tire' joke, here. 

TRANSCRIPT
KALEY CUOCO: Hey there Henderson family. I'm your RAV 4 genie. Your wish is my command.
DAD: I wish the old spare tire was gone.
KALEY CUOCO: Really? Out of everything? Well, okay.
DAD: Oh no, I meant...
DAUGHTER: I wish animals could talk.
KALEY CUOCO: Much better.
SQUIRREL: I wish the old spare tire was gone.
MOM: Oh I wish I could eat as much chocolate as I want.
DOCTOR: Well, your chocolate levels are dangerously low. Gladys is going to start you on a chocolate IV, and here's some free samples.
DAUGHTER: I wish I was a princess. I want you to avenge my father's death!
DAD: I'm right here!
SON: I wish I was an astronaut.
MOM: I wish...
DAD: May I please have a turn? I said infinite wishes.
KALEY CUOCO: I heard witches.
DAD: Can I just have my first wish?
RADIO: Now with Sirius XM.
DAD: Is the dog really necessary?
KALEY CUOCO: Yep. Knees up.
VOICEOVER: The all-new RAV4. Toyota, let's go places. 

Related articles

Kaley Cuoco: Toyota Super Bowl Commercial - Watch Now!

Kaley Cuoco Grants 'Witches' in Toyota Super Bowl Ad

Super Bowl Commercials 2013: Watch Kaley Cuoco Grant Wishes in Toyota's New Ad

Toyota Super Bowl Commercial 2013: Kaley Cuoco Stars In 'Wish Granted' Ad

Kate versus Kaley, Mercedes versus Toyota: Why Kate Upton and Kaley Cuoco Will Score the Most Points on Super Bowl Sunday

Christmas Ad Activity

Here's another activity based on Christmas ads I did with my EM Normandie students (see here for an earlier one). 

INSTRUCTIONS
Put the students in pairs. Tell one student in each pair to turn around or cover their eyes as the first ad is played. The student who watched the ad then has to tell their partner what happened in the ad, giving as much detail as possible. When they've done that, show the ad again with everybody watching. Change roles, and repeat with the second ad.

The ads are only about 30 seconds long, so are ideal for this type of activity. They also contain some unusual sound effects which should make things more interesting for those not watching. And, of course, there's plenty of useful vocabulary you can focus on. 

FIRST AD - EBAY PONY

SECOND AD - HALFORDS BIKE

NOTE
You could also show this version of the Halfords ad with a funny spoof ending.

Asda Christmas Ad

It's a long-standing tradition in the UK for major retailers to produce a TV commercial for Christmas (you can see a selection of this year's of the best and worst 2012 Xmas ads here). Some of these are good lesson material. I used this one from Asda as part of a lesson about Christmas customs in the UK. I showed it to my EM Normandie students and got them (in groups) to make a list of all the actions that the mum carries out (see list here). I then played it again, pausing to check their answers, and highlighting vocabulary. We finished with a discussion about  whether the ad was sexist or not (see 'Related articles' below).

TRANSCRIPT
DAD: Perfect. 
MUM: No, sorry. Could we just have a look at that one? 
VOICEOVER: It doesn't just happen by magic. Behind every great Christmas there's mum. And behind mum, there's Asda.  
DAD: What's for tea, love? 

Related articles

Twitter backlash over 'sexist' Asda Christmas ad is not justified

Just How Sexist Is The New Asda Christmas Advert?

ASDA "Behind Every Great Christmas There's Mum" TV Ad

Sexist? No, every mum knows the Asda ad tells the not-so-jolly truth about Christmas

A Christmas Crossword

Here's a Christmas crossword I produced for my EM Normandie students. Unfortunately, I couldn't embed it, so you'll have to click on the image above, or here, to actually do the crossword. Alternatively, you can download a PDF version here.

2012 Person of the Year

Person of the Year 2012 from Jeffrey Hill

As a follow-up to my earlier 2012 News Quiz lesson, I did this Person of the Year activity, based on TIME Magazine's annual POTY feature.

You can either get your students to choose their own POTY, or give them a list to choose from. The TIME Magazine website has a gallery of 40 candidates, each with a short bio, which should provide inspiration if necessary! TIME will be announcing its own choice tomorrow (13 December). My money's on the Higgs Boson (not a person, I know, but neither was the computer back in 1983).

2012 News Quiz

A good idea for a lesson at this time of year is to look back at what happened around the world over the previous 12 months. This slideshow forms the basis of a quiz about people and events that made the news in 2012. I created it for use in class with my EM Normandie students. The quiz is in two parts. To see the questions and answers for the first part (and get the hyperlinks to work), you'll have to download the PowerPoint version and check the Comments for each slide.

I put the class into teams of three students. For Part 1, I asked each team in turn to choose a question, and gave them a maximum of three points depending on how complete their answer was. If they couldn't answer, I threw it open to the rest of the class. In Part 2 (Who Is It?), the first team to give the correct answer got a point. The winning team won a packet of Hobnob chocolate biscuits (it is Christmas, after all).

The Movember Song

This is the song I used in my lesson about the Movember moustache growing charity event (see previous post). I transcribed the lyrics myself, and you can download them here as a Word file.

The song is by South African comedy-pop duo Derick Watts & The Sunday Blues and is, of course, a parody of Carly Rae Jepsen's mega-hit, "Call Me Maybe" (watch original here).

COMMENT
Some parodies are better than other, but I thought this one was really hilarious—both the film and lyrics (see below) are spot on. 

LYRICS
Last year I tried but I failed
Halfway through the month I bailed
Watched the hair wash down the drain
And I felt so ashamed
My upper lip felt so bare
People would stop and they’d stare
An upper lip without hair
What would our parents say?
But it wasn’t growing
Bum fluff skin was showing
Taking shape very slowly
But this year it’s ours for the taking
Hey, we can do this
It should be easy
This Movember, we won’t be shaving
It’s hard to look back in the mirror lately
With your moustaches, so thin and patchy
Hey, it’s only Day Two, so don’t be lazy
This is Movember, the days are plenty
But all the other boys with mos a’blazing
Don’t let them throw you, you must be patient
What style do you think we’ll grow?
Handlebar, pencil or ‘fro
We could look like a Mario Bros
There’s just no way to tell
Day Twelve and things don’t look good
Starting to think that we should
Seek out professional help
Doctor, is there no hope?
Wait, don’t get disheartened
Have you tried Bob Martin’s?
My dog eats them daily
And his moustache covers his body
OK! Time for phase two, Bob Martin’s daily
It’s doctor’s orders, they’re not that tasty
But think of all the chicks, they’ll want us daily
Let’s up our dosage, soon we’ll be hairy
OK! It’s been a week now and not much progress
I’m no Tom Selleck, I’m feeling depressed
There’s two more days left, we’re cutting things fine
Let’s call this number, Movember helpline
From the first day of the month, things have gone so bad
Our growth is so bad
Our mos are so, so bad
Everyone’s making fun of us, we need this so bad, we want this so bad
We need this so, so bad
Hey, what’s that feeling?
My lip is tingling
Did someone pinch me?
I must be dreaming
Can you believe it?
This is amazing
Woke up this morning
Moustaches blazing
Filled with testosterone
I feel so manly
Let’s chop some firewood
And drink some gravy
Before the hair grew on our lips our lives were so sad
Our lives were so sad
Now they are so, so rad
With the moustache here on my face, I am a real man, feel like a real man
Now we are real, real men

POSTSCRIPT
Hey everyone, thanks for watching our video. At the end of the day, Movember’s not just about growing a kickass mo, but it’s about raising funds and awareness for cancer.

Visit Movember.com, or read the descriptions below this video to find out how you can get involved and donate money to help us punch cancer in the face.

Video: Electing a US President in Plain English

A short guide to understanding the U.S. election process from Common Craft. You can find the transcript here.

DESCRIPTION
This video discusses the basic ideas behind the U.S. electoral process. It follows the chronological steps from voting to election day, focusing on each state's role, including:

• Comparisons of popular vote vs. state votes 
• Impact of state population on the number of electors 
• How electors are counted 
• What is required for a president to be elected

COMMENT
With the US election taking place tomorrow, this would be a great video to use in class to explain to your students just how the election process works. 

Bonfire Night - November 5th

In 1605 a group of English Catholics, angry because the King of England, James the first, was treating them badly, made a plan to blow up the Houses of Parliament. An enormous explosion was planned for November 5th, the day that the King was due to open parliament. The plan is known as the ‘Gunpowder Plot’ and the leader of the group was a man called Guy Fawkes. On November 5th people remember the plot by celebrating ‘Bonfire Night’. All over Britain there are firework displays and bonfires with effigies of Guy Fawkes, which are burned on the fire. This video from The British Council's LearnEnglish site explores the origins of the festival and looks at how it's celebrated now.

You can find a transcript of the video and some comprehension tasks on the British Council website.

BONFIRE NIGHT RESOURCES
• British Council worksheets and PDF downloads
• Bonfire Night Lesson (British Council)
• Bonfire Night - 5th November (Woodlands Junior School)
• Gunpowder Plot Game (BBC)
• Gunpowder Plot's Paintings (BBC) 
• Bonfire Night - 5th November (BBC Schools) 

Video: Halloween Shopping Trends 2012

TRANSCRIPT
REPORTER: When it comes to Halloween, it seems consumers won’t be afraid to dish out a little extra cash this year. The National Retail Federation estimates the average American will spend $79.82 on costumes, candy, and decorations for the holiday, up from $72.31 last year. Every fall, specialty stores like Spirit Halloween move into their temporary locations and get ready for holiday shoppers. Although Halloween is still weeks away, they’ve already seen a steady stream of customers and say it will only go up from here.
CHASE LOFTI, STORE MANAGER, SPIRIT HALLOWEEN: “Our business next week will triple and it’ll just keep going that way until we get to Halloween.”
REPORTER: And it’s not just specialty stores already seeing the traffic, Target clears out a number of aisles and fills them with candy, decorations and of course costumes. So just what are the hottest costumes this year? Movies like The Avengers and Batman have made superhero costumes fly off the shelf. Lofti says another hot trend for both kids and adults are skin suits that come both puffy and skinny. 10-year-old Dominic seems to agree with that choice.
DOMINIC, 10: “I’m wearing a morph suit. I’m wearing it because I’m going with my friends as it.”
REPORTER: Traditional decorations like skeletons, ghosts and pumpkins continue to be a top seller, but at Spirit Halloween, it’s their creepy animatronics that they can’t seem to keep on the shelves.
CHASE LOFTI: “The number one seller that we have this year is the jumping spider which is new, and it’s a big spider, it sits on the ground and when it’s activated it jumps up at you and they’re very popular and another item that we have trouble keeping in stock.”
REPORTER: While some people are getting in the Halloween spirit, others are skipping ahead a few months and getting ready for the Christmas season. They don’t have the entire selection out yet, but Target already sells a few winter holiday classics. The National Retail Federation expects winter holiday sales to rise 4.1% this year.

LESSON MATERIALS
I used this video with my EM Normandie final year marketing students this morning and produced a questionnaire which you can find here. I also did a PowerPoint with Halloween images, statistics, and a data presentation activity, which you can download here. Happy Halloween! 

Eton Style: Public Schoolboys Do Gangnam Style

Without doubt the biggest viral video hit of the past week has been the Eton College students' hilarious parody of Korean pop star Psy's incredibly successful Gangnam Style.

While the Eton version has a long way to go before it matches the half a billion (and counting) YouTube views of the original, it has achieved a very respectable score of 989,192 at the time of writing. One YouTube commenter claims that, with this Eton spoof of Gangnam Style "572 years of hate from the general population turned into respect". I don't know about that, but it did strike me that Eton Style would make a very good centrepiece for a lesson about England's most famous, and most exclusive public school (David Cameron and Boris Johnson are Old Etonians).

You'll find the lyrics on YouTube (just click on the Show More tab beneath the video), and The Guardian has helpfully provided a guide to some of the arcane lingo used (based on a much longer glossary on the official Eton College website).

Depending on the level of your students you could do a gapfill (boring, I know), work on some of the articles listed below, produce a web quest based on the Eton website, have a discussion about public schools (which, despite the name, are independent fee-paying schools in the UK), or even get your students to produce their own Gangnam parody (now there's an idea!). Feel free to add your own suggestions in the comments section below. Yah!

ARTICLES
• Eton's Gangnam Style lingo explained (The Guardian)
• Eton Gangnam style: the story of a viral sensation (The Guardian)
• Rapping, Eton-style: Now pupils at Britain's most exclusive school make a Gangnam parody for YouTube (Mail Online)
• 'Eton Style:' British Students Parody Psy's Smash Hit In Hilarious Music Video (Huffington Post)
• Yah, we’ve got Eton style! Posh pupils poke fun in hilarious Gangnam spoof (The Sun)