A Big Pronunciation Mystery

English pronunciation has a reputation of a weird and confusing puzzle.
Enjoy the poem and pay attention to spelling and pronunciation of some words (BTW, enrich your vocabulary:)

"The Chaos!" - A poem about English by Gerard N. Trenité - American English Pronunciation

National Teacher Appreciation Day

People in many countries honor their educators. UNESCO declared October 5 the World Teachers' Day. There are some national holidays to celebrate  teachers' contribution to the progress of our societies. In the USA May 7 is National Teacher Day  which is Tuesday of the first full week in May - Teacher appreciation week. Students, their parents and all people want to thank teachers who made a difference in their lives. Don't they deserve it?
Find out more about different dates and ways of celebrating this holiday HERE

Easter around the World

This year Easter is celebrated in Russia on the 5th of May. Do you know why it doesn't fall on a set date every year and is observed on different days in different countries? You can find answers to these and other questions connected with this holiday if you visit www.history.com
and watch the video about Easter traditions around the world.
In the UK Easter was celebrated at the end of March. We happened to be in London during our holiday and now we'd like to share some pictures of Covent Garden beautifully decorated at this time of the year. I hope it can help you feel the atmosphere of this wonderful holiday. Happy Easter to you!
More Easter pictures

iAPPreciate

As soon as many of you have already become or are planning to be happy owners of Apple devices, you asked me about the most helpful apps. I can give you some examples of really good apps that can be very useful for your studies. I won't put them in the order of importance. If you already have these apps, I would appreciate if you rate them and write your reviews or simply tell us how you use them.

  iBooks

Watch a short VIDEO with its description

iTunes U

You can always browse popular Education apps in App Store HERE

April Fool's Day

How do you feel about this special day when people play jokes? Have you ever been caught up on pranks? What are the most unusual jokes you have invented? It's funny that I always remember about this day in March, but when April, 1 comes, I forget about it.
Do you like it when teachers have fun at the lessons?

I liked this Math teacher's idea:

The Future of Books?

Once the invention of printing became a really great event in the history of our civilization and gave rise to a faster progress in all spheres of the modern society. Printed books have been the symbol of learning for many centuries, but now it's time for the new generation of books.
Watch this short video where software developer Mike Matas presents the first interactive didgital book for the iPad and demonstrates the options it offers for its readers.
What are your reactions and ideas about it? Do you fancy reading this book? Would you like to make predictions whether you're going to have such interactive books at school? What are the possible advantages and disadvantages of such books?
P.S. If you are interested in what is being done in this direction in Russia, you can check out this news.

St. Valentine's Day

Watch the video about the history of this famous holiday and how it is celebrated now. What are your associations with this day?

DIGITAL LEARNING DAY

Living in the 21st century we're getting used to technology
 integrated in almost all spheres of our lives. Digital learning
 has become part of educational process. How has it
changed learners' and educators'
 lives? Are these changes positive?

I'm taking a Coursera MOOC E-Learning and Digital Cultures offered
 by the University of Edinburgh. And one of my classmates
 Madhura Pradhan created a video where students from the future
 time travel into the 21st century classroom.

Watch the video and share your impressions and ideas that it
 sparkles.

Future students by Madhura Pradhan on GoAnimate

Animated Presentations - Powered by GoAnimate.

Learn Languages with native speakers!

The global community is embracing the new communication technologies to learn languages. The world seems so small when people from different countries can easily find friends,  teach and support each other and share their cultures. I hope you'll enjoy this video:)

What's YOUR English?

Watch this entertaining video. Do you find it thought-provoking? What are your ideas?

HISTORY OF THANKSGIVING

Happy Turkey Day! When do people in America say it to each other? When and how did this holiday appear?

Watch the video about the history of Thanksgiving and find out more facts about this holiday.



What do you know about this holiday? Test your knowledge with National Geographic for kids - 
Thanksgiving Quiz

WILL PAPER DICTIONARIES BECOME OBSOLETE?

Almost all spheres of our lives are going digital. Print versions of one of the most important components of language studies - dictionaries - are going to be totally replaced by online ones.
Macmillan Editor-in-Chief Michael Rundell:
“Dictionaries have found their ideal medium. The traditional book format is very limiting for any kind of reference work. Books are out of date as soon as they’re printed, and the space constraints they impose often compromise our goals of clarity and completeness. There is so much more we can do for our users in digital media.” 
Watch the video representing the reasons for this substitution. Which would you opt for: online dictionaries or good old paper ones? What are the reasons of your choice?

WORDS and REALITY

Election Day is an important event in political life of every country. In the United States it was held on November 6, 2012.
Here is an amazing speech about the transformation of the meaning of the word PRESIDENT. It makes us start wondering how words and reality influence each other. Who knows what interersting facts can be discovered next time when we have a closer look at common words that we use every day?

Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot

Remember, remember the fifth of November!
Why should we remember this date? Watch one of the high quality BBC videos about this event in the history of Britain. When and where did it take place? And what exactly happened? Search for more information and report about your findings.

Trick or Treat?

Halloween is round the corner. It's time to remember what you already know about this holiday and to find out something that you haven't heard before .
Watch this video from History.com and report about things that appeared new to you.

COLUMBUS DAY - A CONTROVERSIAL HOLIDAY

To Celebrate or Not
Today, Columbus Day is among the most controversial holidays in the United States. Some see Columbus as a hero, the courageous explorer whose discovery led to the settlement of North and South America. Others see him as a villain, a ruthless conqueror whose discovery led the the destruction of countless Native American people and cultures. (Quoted from http://www.theholidayzone.com/columbus/language.html) Which opinion do you support and why?

Combining celebration and learning can be useful!

European Day of Languages on PhotoPeach

European Day of Languages

Language skills are a necessity and a right for EVERYONE - that is one of the main messages of the European Day of Languages which is celebrated on September, 26.
What is more normal for the human condition - monolingualism or plurilingualism? Why could the value of English decline in a globalised world?
If you want to answer these questions and find much more useful information,
visit the official site of the European Day of Languages
Would you like to find out your
level of language skills? Take this self-evaluation!



Have you changed your mind concerning language learning after our dicussion of the post about English mania?
What other languages
and how many would you like to learn? And why?

WHY DO PEOPLE LEARN ENGLISH?

Watch this short video and try to answer Jay Walker's question: "Is English mania good or bad?" Why do people need a common language? Why has English become so popular? What is YOUR reason for learning English?

Ready to change the World... but don't know how to start?

Here is another kid who wants to be a part of the process transforming the world around us, making it a better place to live. Hope this speech can set an example for those who would like to make improvements in the life of their class, school or community.