Showing posts with label skills. Show all posts
Showing posts with label skills. Show all posts
Monday, July 1, 2019
Saturday, June 29, 2019
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
8 sites that will help you improve your listening skills
If you want to improve your listening skills, here are some sites that will help you in the process:
- YouTube. This popular site will let you choose videos of any genre and about any topic you may be interested in: tutorials, movies, documentaries, movies, etc. If you can understand most of what is being said, no problem, you may slow the video down to make it easier to understand or check the most difficult words. If your level is lower and you need subtitles, you can either choose videos with subtitles or add your own using this YouTube tool.
- Speech Notes is a speech recognition text editor. You can read or tell your own texts for the
computer to convert them into text. It will let you know when your speech is easy or difficult to understand.
- Natural Readers is a complementary service. You can write or paste any text that will be read aloud to you with the accent and voice you choose. This will let you know how to read or pronounce some difficult words or expressions.
- British Council Listening Skills Practice. This site has a good number of videos and audios with a number of activities to follow. The texts have been designed for students of English and are quite easy for a foreign student.
- Lyricstraining is the best site for those who love music. There are lots of different activities at different levels about the latest songs. First you select your level (beginner, intermediate, advanced or expert) and then you choose the song you are going to complete the lyrics of. The higher your level, the more words that are missing and you will have to supply.
- Podcasts in English has a large number of podcasts at different levels and about different topics. Although the worksheets and other extras are only for subscribers, you can find many interesting audio files about a lot of topics.
- Audio Lingua is also a site for podcasts. You can find them in a number of languages and you can search them by your level (A1-A2-B1-B2-C1-C2), language, key word, and length. You can even download the podcasts. You can submit podcasts for other learners of your own language. If you have a website or blog, these podcasts can be embbed in it.
- BBC Learning English. This popular site has a good number of interesting features and sections. My recommendation is 6-Minute English, a series that contains short audio files about hot topics. You can listen to the podcasts and the site also contains the transcripts and the key vocabulary you will hear.
Sunday, August 13, 2017
Saturday, August 12, 2017
Thursday, September 8, 2016
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
News in English for EFL students
- Breaking News English. The latest news linguistically adapted for foreign students.
- BBC Learning English News. The news section of this website, especially designed for EFL students.
- News in Levels. World news for students of English, even for children as topics such as politics are not dealt with. Each article is written at 3 or 4 different levels, the highest of which as a video.
- VOA Learning English News. The news in American English.
- Simple English news.
Saturday, April 18, 2015
Reading Comprehension text: Liberland
You are going to read a text about Liberland. Try to find out:
- Where it is
- What it is
- Why it was founded
- How long it has existed
TEXT
(taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberland)
Liberland, officially the Free Republic of Liberland (Czech: Svobodná republika Liberland) is an uninternationally recognized country situated on an unclaimed parcel of land at the western bank of the Danube river between Croatia and Serbia, sharing a land border with the latter. It was proclaimed on 13 April 2015 by Vít Jedlička.
The official website of Liberland states that the nation could be created due to the ongoing Croatia–Serbia border dispute. Since the Yugoslav Wars, some borderland territories have been disputed, such as the Island of Vukovar and the Island of Šarengrad; however, this area (also known as Gornja Siga) has remained unclaimed.
HISTORY
As described by Jedlička, neither Serbia, Croatia or any other nation claims the land as their own (terra nullius). The border is defined in accordance with both Croatian and Serbian border claims and does not interfere with any other state sovereignty. Jedlička has stated that an official diplomatic note shall be sent to both Croatia and Serbia, and later to all other states, with a formal request for international recognition.
Vít Jedlička is a member of the Czech Party of Free Citizens, which bases its values on the classical liberal ideology. The flag raising on Liberland was performed by Jedlička and some of his associates at the day the republic was proclaimed.
In an interview with Parlamentní listy (cz), Jedlička said that he has received positive reactions for his initiative, mainly from his own party, but also from some members of the Civic Democratic Party and the Pirate Party.
STRUCTURE
 |
| Liberpolis - picture from Wikipedia |
Administration
A government with "ten to twenty members" has been suggested for the administration of Liberland. An electronic voting system will be used to elect members.
Borders and immigration
Liberland will operate on an open-border policy.
Citizenship
The official motto of Liberland is "To live and let live". The goal of the state is to create a society where righteous people can prosper without inefficient state regulations and taxes. The founders are inspired by countries like Monaco and Liechtenstein. Jedlička accepts requests for citizenship, and according to the official website, only communists, neonazis, and other extremists are ineligible for citizenship.
Constitution
At the time of the founding of Liberland, the constitution was still in the planning stage, although it has been described as inspired by Switzerland.
Economy
There are plans for an official cryptocurrency system, although all other currencies will be allowed.
The politicians will be constitutionally forbidden from indebting the nation.
HOW TO BECOME A CITIZEN OF LIBERLAND (from http://liberland.org/en/about/)
Do you want to become a citizen of Liberland? Liberland is currently accepting applications for citizenship, which will be processed in due time.
Who is needed in Liberland?
Liberland currently needs people who:
have respect for other people and respect the opinions of others, regardless of their race, ethnicity, orientation, or religion
have respect for private ownership which is untouchable
do not have communist, nazi or other extremist past
were not punished for past criminal offences
How to apply?
Online form will be available in next few hours. For now you can register HERE on this site. You will be noticed by e-mailem, when the form is ready.
QUESTIONS:
- Why does the wikipedia article start with: This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedia's deletion policy?
- What is different from any other country?
- In your opinion, what will happen to this country in the future?
- If you want to become a citizen of Liberland, what should you do?
READ MORE:
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Reading Comprehension Text: Ten Study Methods That Work
Studying effectively is not a matter of chance. Educators and psychologists have researched study methods for years. Some of the best studies come from the top universities: Stanford, Indiana, and Chicago where precise experiments with student groups have shed light on the most effective study methods. Students who follow these methods learn more easily, retain material for longer periods of time, and save themselves hours of study time. The ten study methods researchers have found that work are:
1. Making and Keeping a Study Schedule
Set aside certain hours of each day for study just as you do for nourishment and sleep. Keep the same schedule faithfully from day-to-day. The amount of time needed for study will vary for each individual based on skills with the subject matter. An average of two hours of study each day for each hour in class is recommended. Going to class is only the beginning; the real work begins afterwards!
2. Studying in an Appropriate Setting — Same Time, Same Place, Every Day
If concentration is your problem, then the right surroundings will help you greatly. Your study desk or table should be in a quiet place – free from as many distractions as possible. You will concentrate better when you study in the same place every day. It’s a mind set. For example, when you sit down at the kitchen table, you expect to eat. When you sit down in an easy chair, you watch TV, etc. Developing the habit of studying in the same place at the same time everyday will improve your concentration.
3. Equipping Your Study Area With All the Materials You Need
Your study desk or table should be equipped with all the materials you might need to complete the assignment, e.g., pencils, pens, erasers, paper clips, stapler, dictionary, snacks, and liquid refreshments, etc. For some assignments, you may require a calculator or other supplies. With your materials at hand, you can study without interruption. If you have an answering machine, let it do its job during your study time. You can return the calls after you have finished studying. Taking your snack food and drinks to the study location will eliminate those endless trips to the kitchen which break your concentration.
4. Not Relying on Inspiration for Motivation
Can you imagine an athlete-in-training waiting for inspiration to strike to practice in preparation for an event? Of course not. They train daily to stay competitive whether they want to or not. Like the athlete, you must get in training for tests and examinations by doing the assignments and preparing daily through review to be ready for the action.
5. Keeping a Well-Kept Notebook Improves Grades
Researchers tell us that there is definitely a relationship between orderliness and high grades. Knowing where to find your materials when you need them is crucial. Keep a special section for each subject in your notebook as well as a semester calendar so that you can write down all important assignments as they are announced. Having all of this information together in one place is vital to your success. A well-kept notebook is a part of good time management. If you’ve ever misplaced an important assignment, you know how much valuable time can be lost looking for it.
6. Keeping a Careful Record of Assignments
Put it down in black and white—including the details—and keep it in your notebook. Knowing just what you are expected to do and when you are expected to do it is the first giant step toward completing important assignments successfully and on time.
 |
| students - picture from Banco Imágenes INTEF |
7. Making Use of “Trade Secrets”
Flash cards aren’t just for kids! They are a legitimate study tool. Use the front of the card to write an important term, and on the back, write a definition or an important fact about that term. Carry your flash cards with you. Use them during “dead time,” such as standing in a check-out line, waiting in a doctor or dentist’s office, riding a bus, or waiting at the Laundromat. Keep a set in the glove compartment of your car for long lines at your favorite fast food drive-in restaurant or bank. Post them on your bathroom mirror to review while shaving or applying make-up. You’ll be surprised how much you can accomplish during those otherwise “dead times.” Think about developing your own “trade secrets” that will improve your study skills.
8. Taking Good Notes as Insurance Against Forgetting
Learn to take good notes efficiently as your instructors stress important points in class and as you study your assignments. Good notes are a “must” for just-before-test-reviewing. Without notes, you will need to reread and review the entire assignment before a test. This may require you to read anywhere from 100-300 pages of material in one sitting. With notes, you can recall the main points in just a fraction of the time. The time you spend in note taking is not lost, but in fact, is a time-saver.
9. Overlearning Material Enhances Memory
Psychologists tell us that the secret to learning for future reference is overlearning. Experts suggest that after you can say, “I know this material,” that you should continue to study that material for an additional one-fourth of the original study time. The alphabet is an example of overlearning. How did you learn it? Probably through recitation which is the best way to etch material into the memory trace. Manipulate the material as many different ways as possible by writing, reading, touching, hearing, and saying it. In an experimental study, students who overlearned material retained four times as much after a month than students who didn’t overlearn.
10. Reviewing Material Frequently
A student who does not review material can forget 80% of what has been learned in only two weeks! The first review should come very shortly after the material was first presented and studied. Reviewing early acts as a safeguard against forgetting and helps you remember far longer. Frequent reviews throughout the course will bring rewards at test time and will alleviate pre-test anxiety.
Although these ten study methods do work, there is one other component needed when using all of them – taking responsibility for studying by following through on assignments. All the study methods in the world won’t help you if you don’t help yourself. As with most everything in your life, your motto should be, “I’m responsible for my success!”
If you put forth the effort to study effectively, the improved skills will soon become a habit and be just as natural as breathing. The result can be better grades, greater knowledge, and higher self-esteem. These skills will also serve you well in your professional and personal life.
Comprehension Questions:
- Choose the most important three techniques in your opinion.
- Which other technique or techniques would you add?
- Which is the least important? Why?
- According to the text, what should you do in class?
- And, what should you do at home?
- What will happen to a student who does not work after school times?
- How can ICTs (Information and Computer Technologies) help you follow the advice given in the text?
Monday, February 2, 2015
Choose your favourite NGOs
Have a look at these adverts for NGOs, choose your favourite and write a passage stating the reasons for your choice.
1) Breastfeeding
2) Make a Wish
3) Red Cross - Against Landmines
4) Red Cross - Against Landmines
5) Red Cross - Against wars / For human rights
6) UNHCR - Rights for Refuges
7) UNHCR - Rights for Refugees-2
8) UNHCR - Rights for Refugees- 3
9) UNHCR - Rights for Refugees-4
10) WWF - Against fishing bluefin tuna
11) WWF - Campaign for forests
12) WWF - Down the drain
13) WWF- Fish in Indonesia
14) WWF - Rainforest -1
15) WWF - Rainforests-2
16) WWF - Save the plants; save the planet
17) WWF - Save the plants-2
18) WWF- Rainforest
19) Pals of the Planet-1
20) Pals of the Planet-2
21) Pals of the Planet-3
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Learn English with your mobile phone
The British Council has selected a series of apps that will help you learn English while using your mobile phone:
- LearnEnglish Audio and Video
- Lots of features unique to the app.
- Offline access to your favourite content.
- Click any part of the audioscript to jump to that section or listen again.
- If you're finding the audio too fast, slow it down using the pitch control (iOS only).
- If you don't know a word, use the built-in glossary.
- Test how much of the episode you've
- LearnEnglish Elementary Podcasts
- Three series of LearnEnglish Elementary Podcasts to directly download and enjoy on your phone
- Syncronised audio script
- Comprehension activities
- Once downloaded the content is available offline.
- Free.
- Big City Small World
- Big City Small World is an audio soap for learners of English. Set in London, it follows the lives of a group of regulars in Tony's cafe.
- Syncronised audio script.
- Over 30 episodes.
- 10 cartoons with notes on language.
- Once downloaded the content is available offline.
- Free.
- Learnenglish Grammar (UK Edition)
- Interactive grammar practice with thousands of questions.
- Wide variety of activity types, taking learners from noticing to production.
- Follows EAQUALS Core Inventory for General English.
- In app content for purchase to extend practice.
- Japanese and Spanish language support.
- US Edition also available with American English.
- MyWordBook2
- Interactive vocabulary learning tool
- Create flashcards for the words your learning
- In app content from Cambridge University Press for purchase creates an interactive dictionary
- Adaptive learning moves words from practice area into review area
- Sync and share flashcards between devices and with friends.
- Johnny Grammar's word Challenge
- Test yourself against our grammar expert Johnny Grammar
- Spelling quizzes to improve your accuracy
- Grammar quizzes on different grammar topics
- Vocabulary quizzes on different themes
- Collect all the awards as you learn
- Compete against other learners from around the world.
- LearnEnglish Sports World
- LearnEnglish Sports World is a hidden object and word game with a sports
- theme.
- Find hidden sports objects in a beautifully illustrated sports scene and correctly spell the hidden sports objects to earn medals.
- Improve your vocabulary
- Available for iPhone and iPad.
Monday, April 14, 2014
Dialogues in English for EFL students
This blog has an interesting page with lots of dialogues in common situations we may come accross if we visit a foreign country. Just have a look.
 |
| http://blogpara-aprenderingles.blogspot.it/p/dialogos-en-ingles.html |
Thursday, December 5, 2013
How to create a Curriculum Vitae online
A Curriculum Vitae (CV) or Resume is easy to write if you use the Europass Website, where you just have to fill in the fields given.
Even though you may choose any language for the website, or even change from one language to another during the process, you should use English at the end so that the final CV is generated in that language.
This is the link to the Europass CV page.
 |
| CV created at the Europass website- http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/es/home |
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
ESO-3 revision for your exam
This term our first exam paper will correspond to the first two units in our text book plus the additional activities carried out in other classes. So you have to revise:
Finally remember to revise last year's exam to get an idea of what you might expect this year.
- be
- have got
- present simple
- present continuous
- how to get personal information
- how to describe people
- how to compare people and things
 |
| Happy Verby Gang-www.isabelperez.com |
Finally remember to revise last year's exam to get an idea of what you might expect this year.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
ESL / EFL Audio-lingua.eu
 |
| www.audio-lingua.eu |
This site looks like a perfect place to find interesting audio files to practise listening skills and comprehension about everyday topics: myself, my house, my routines, etc.
Files are classified according to the Common European Framework levels: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2. Levels A1 and A2 are those that correspond to ESO levels even though some of you might be able to understand certain B1 audios.
Just have a try!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)