This is an audio recording from our Vocabulary Bootcamp course on Udemy.com. The recording discusses traditions around an American holiday. Listen to the recording and take notes. Try to summarize the speaker’s point of view in the comment box.
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Even if you’re not preparing for the TOEFL, TOEFL Cafe can be a great resource. Here are three ways I like to use it with students.
1. Assess Your Speaking Speed. Since TOEFL Cafe has a timer for your response, it can give you a better idea of how quickly you speak. Of course, speed doesn’t necessarily equate to clarity, but it can indicate some other problems, like inadequate vocabulary or pronunciation issues. If you constantly run over the time limit despite having a well-focused response, you might want to think about asking a tutor to help you with intonation because it can help speed up your speaking. 2. Use the Prompts as a Jumping Off Point. Many of the prompts ask questions about your opinions or beliefs. Students can use these questions to design interviews for peers in order to practice their speaking and listening skills. After picking a question they are interested in, students can do research and conduct interviews to assess public opinion on the topic. Once they are done with their research, they can develop it into a presentation. 3. Develop Your Note-taking Skills. How do you organize information into easy-to-read notes? If you take notes, can you understand them the next day? With short listening and reading passages, TOEFL Cafe can be a good tool for practicing note-taking. Some questions, like prompts #3, 5, and 6 are particularly useful because they involve different speakers and sources of information. TOEFL Cafe can help you create a note-taking system to help you in other situations later on. What do you think? How would you use this free resource? In the last blog post, you heard a little bit about TOEFL Cafe. Today, I suggest you try it out. Visit the website and choose a series of questions to answer. Try all six of the speak prompt challenges. When you’re done, come back and share your experience in the comment box below.
The Moth can be a useful resource for students, especially those who live or work in the United States, because it can expose students to regional accents and cultural attitudes of the United States. Here are a few ways I encourage students to use The Moth.
1. Record Unfamiliar Words or Phrases. Since most of the participants in The Moth are native English speakers communicating with other native English speakers, you will hear a wide breadth of words and phrases. Taking notes on new words and looking them up in a dictionary (or, for slang, on urbandictionary.com) can expand your vocabulary and introduce you to words people really use. 2. Create Questions for the Speaker. Even though you can’t speak with them, you can practice your small talk skills by creating imaginary questions for them. In social situations, people often tell stories about their life. If might be difficult for you to come up with questions or related stories on the spot, so you can practice that skill with The Moth. Imagine what questions you could ask to keep the conversation going. 3. Summarize the Story. Summarizing is a skill you can’t practice enough. What was important in the story? What was a turning point? What lesson does the story teach? Don’t repeat phrases directly from the story. Rather, try to paraphrase. Share your summary with another student and see if you agree. All three activities can help you improve your English, but don’t forget to listen to the stories for pleasure as well! In the last blog post, you heard a little bit about The Moth. Now, you can experience one of their stories. Follow this link and you will hear a story by Tim King. In the story, Tim describes a decision he made and how it change the direction of his life. The story lasts about 15 minutes.
After you listen to the story, think about the following question. What if you were you in Tim’s position? What would you have done? Share your answer below. TED Talks are a fabulous resource for ESL students because they are very versatile. I like to use them in the following ways.
1. Try a Dictation. Pick a few minutes of the talk to listen to and write down exactly what the speaker says. You can repeat the same section a few times before you check your writing. TED Talks have a transcript of exactly what the speaker said, so you can easily check your work when you are ready. 2. Respond to the Speaker. You can try to do this in writing or orally. TED Talks usually make a claim. Try to agree and support or disagree and debate the claim. It is good practice for your conversation skills. Alternatively, you can test your comprehension by trying to summarize the presentation. In either case, share your ideas with a friend to check your skills. 3. Practice Intonation. The best thing about listening to speakers is you get to hear accurate pronunciation and the rhythm of different statements. Do questions sound different than facts? Does the speaker change how fast he or she speaks? Print out a copy of the transcript to highlight the words he or she stresses or simply stop and repeat phrases to enjoy natural pronunciation. Finally, even if you don’t attempt any of these activities, listening to TED Talks will expand your vocabulary and your understanding of the world, so it is probably worth trying. |
AuthorEast Bay ESL is an English language school for learners in the San Francisco East Bay. Archives
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