Listening and Reading

Here is a story you can read and listen to:

https://elt.oup.com/student/englishforlife/elem/b_stories?cc=us&selLanguage=en

You can listen to the story and write the missing words.

You can read the complete story and listen at the same time. You can read aloud while you listen. This will help you improve your pronunciation and your reading speed.

You can listen to or read the story and then write the story from memory. How much do you remember? You can use the pictures to help you. Then give your writing to the teacher in the study centre and they will check it for you.

Reading websites

Here are some links to some websites where you can practise reading:

1. http://www.eslfast.com/
2. http://www.agendaweb.org/reading/comprehension_easy_interm1.html
3. http://www.esl-lounge.com/student/reading-elementary.php

Vocabulary: Holidays

There are lots of exercises about holidays here: http://www.esolcourses.com/topics/holidays-and-travel.html You can practise vocabulary, grammar, reading and listening.

Here is a short reading test: http://www.esolcourses.com/uk-english/elementary-course/travel-and-holidays/travel-and-holidays-reading.html

There are many more exercises on their homepage:
1. Elementary http://www.esolcourses.com/content/topicsmenu/elementary.html
2. Lower Intermediate http://www.esolcourses.com/content/topicsmenu/pre-intermediate.html

Elementary Reading Website Links

Here are the links to the websites we talked about in class today.

First, here is a link to the Cambridge online dictionary:
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/essential-british-english/

English Test Store has 35 reading tests. Do one every day:
http://englishteststore.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33&Itemid=31

News In Levels has easy to read news stories every week. Listen to the recording and try and write the first few sentences. Check your spelling and sentences with the reading text. Do one every week:
http://www.newsinlevels.com/

There are lots of graded readers in the Study Centre. Read one every week and complete the activities:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=graded%20readers%20level%202&sprefix=graded+readers+level+2%2Caps&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Agraded%20readers%20level%202

Reading: People and places

In the class, we read about Isabel from Peru. She lives in Arequipa:

(image: http://www.ucsp.edu.pe)

A News Website: Reading, Listening, Vocabulary

Here is a news website which might help you:

You can read and listen to the same news article at three different levels. Read level 1 first and listen to the recording. If this is too easy, read level 2 and listen to the recording.

Then you need to read more texts at the same level. The texts use the same group of words, so the more you read at the same level, the more words you will be able to remember.

Most of the recordings use an American accent, but you may still find them useful.

If you like the website, tell the owners! I'm sure they will appreciate it.

http://www.newsinlevels.com/

Study skills: Reading Practice

We read every day. The material we read is always different. What material can you think of?

Here is some common reading material we read:
a bus timetable       the menu in Costa         the school timetable      the teacher's writing on the board
your coursebook    the Kaplan website        this blog            a text message    a Whatsapp message      a Facebook post          an email        a free newspaper         an article on the internet     a study book

Why do you read? Do you read for pleasure and enjoyment? Do you read to find out facts and information?

When we read, we use different skills. These skills are:

skimming What is the article about? We skim a text for a general understanding. For gist.
scanning  We scan a text for specific information. For example, what time does the film start? When does the bus leave?
reading for detail We want to know more information and detail. For example, what colour was the man's jacket? How did James Bond feel?

Look at the reading material above. Which would you skim, which would you scan, and which would you read for detail?

Holiday vocabulary

Look at the picture below:

In English we go on holiday. What kind of holiday is this man on?
What's he wearing on his head? He's wearing a bandana and a pair of sunglasses.
He's holding a stick in his left. He's using the stick to help him walk. He's carrying a rucksack or backpack with red straps, and you can see his walking boots dangling from his backpack. Where do you think he is?

An anagram is a word puzzle. You change the order of the letters and ask someone to find the word. For example, hldiaoy is an anagram of ..... holiday Here are some anagrams of words we associate with backpacking holidays:

stneci plrelente
gleepins abg
dogkubedio
nett

Remember, try and use the words in a sentence. Every time you learn a new noun, what verbs do you use with it?

to wear sunglasses      to use/ to spray insect repellent    to wear suncream   to carry a backpack
to ski      to read/ to use a guidebook       to wear gloves     to pack/ to unpack/ to carry a suitcase
to put up/ to sleep in a tent     to wear a swimming costume    to put on/ to wear make-up

Practise the new vocabulary by writing a short paragraph:

I went on a backpacking holiday last year. I went to Australia. I had to spray a lot of insect repellent because there were many mosquitoes. I read a guidebook before I went. I can't put up tents, but my friend can. So he put up the tent every night and we slept in sleeping bags under the stars.


Think about these questions:
What kind of people usually go on backpacking holidays?
Where do they go?
Why do people choose backpacking holidays?
How long do they go for?
Have you ever been on a backpacking holiday? would you like to? do you know anybody who has?
What do you need to pack for a backpacking holiday?

You can find some answers and more information and vocabulary here:

http://www.purpletravel.co.uk/community/Holidaytypes/backpacking-holidays.html

Practise your speaking:
Use the questions above to interview a partner.
Prepare a short talk using the questions above.
Read the information on the purpletravel website aloud: think about your pronunciation.
Where do people go backpacking in the UK? Visit the Tourist Information Centre in Piccadilly Gardens and talk to the staff there.