 Welcome to ESL Progress
Dear EnglishClub.com Member,
Welcome to ESL Progress! for April 2009. This month I am delighted to announce the release of Stories from Morocco, the first video film in Daniel Emmerson's 7-part series The Learning English Video Project (details below). You'll also find the winners of the My Page contest in My English Club, latest English Club Site of the Month Award, and a short lesson on the words optimum and optimal. You can also take part in our Talking Point Discussion--on the important subject of bullying. Test yourself too with Quick Quiz. As always there is the latest news; and lesson plan, jobs and business opportunities for teachers and schools.
Happy Progress!
Josef Essberger, Founder
EnglishClub.com
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NEWS FOR ESL LEARNERS 
COMING 21st APRIL!
Stories from Morocco
 Stories from Morocco, the first episode of Daniel Emmerson's The Learning English Video Project, is set for free release next Tuesday 21st April 2009. The independent UK filmmaker and his co-producer Joel Carr are excited to share the first of their 7-part series, which looks worldwide at core aspects of the ESL (English as a Second Language) industry from a learning perspective. Emmerson (seen below) and Carr were inspired to film the series after completing Talking TEFL, a documentary focusing on the teaching side o f English. Like all parts of The Learning English Video Project, the Morocco installment will be available for free online viewing with and without subtitles. The remaining six parts, featuring Romania, the USA, Spain, China, Brazil and the UK, will be released monthly, all supplemented by photocopiable lesson plans and worksheets, as well as online quizzes, and available free on EnglishClub.com which is sponsoring the entire series.
Stories from Morocco features footage and interviews focusing on key questions such as "Why are people learning English?" and "What tips and advice can learners offer?" Staff and learners discuss the advantages and challenges of English langu age learning in Morocco. Interviewees touch on a variety of topics including British vs. American accents, multi-level classrooms, and the similarities of English to French and Spanish. Reflecting on his own experience as a student, school co-director Ali Gharbi shares his most important tip for learners, saying: "Everything is possible as long as you put your mind to it."
"I really enjoyed my time in Morocco," says Daniel Emmerson, "because it was just that much different from everywhere else we went. Everything from the climate to the people, the environment, the markets, the beautiful streets, the people that we met - some of the students took us into their homes and gave us vegetarian food! It was absolutely superb. I felt really, really welcome in Morocco."
Free teaching and learning aids accompany each film, and include photocopiable lesson plans and online quizzes
See the official blog of The Learning English Video Project for full details and the actual release.
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My English Club Winners!
We're happy to announce Stefi and English Coach as the winners of the My Page Contest. Congratulations to the runners-up Ruzan, Hardi, and HubertHsu's Blog for developing excellent My Pages that caught our attention. See the Winners and why they won!
Site of the Month Award
Grammar Bytes
Grammar Bytes, "the instruction with attitude," offers well presented explanations of the most common English grammar terms and rules. Site creator Robin Simmons uses simple examples and...
Read on > |
This Month's Lesson  Optimum or optimal?
Is there a difference between optimum and optimal?
Read on to find out |
Latest Talking Point 
Bullying
What is bullying?
People of all ages can be cruel to one another when they are in a bad mood, but this in itself does not constitute bullying because it is usually a 'one-off'. Bullying, on the other hand, is repeated relentlessly. It involves either physical intimidation or verbal abuse, or both, and thanks to modern technology it does not even need to be face-to-face - cyberbullying through chat-rooms, emails and mobile phones is becoming increasingly common. Psychological bullying involves gossiping about the target or starting a cruel rumour about them. Verbal bullying includes teasing and taunting the victim.
Who are the bullies and why do they do it?
Both boys and girls can be bullies. Boys will bully both boys and girls, whereas girls tend to bully girls rather than boys. Bullies are people who take pleasure in belittling and scaring others cruelly so that they can dominate them. The bullies are often not happy people, but may have...
Read on...
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Each month we have a new Talking Point and invite your views and opinions. Just follow the link below to say what you think.
This month's Talking Point is:
"Bullying is just a normal part of growing up"
Say what YOU think! |
Quick Quiz 
A tiger's coat has
a) buttons
b) spots
c) stripes
See end of newsletter for answer
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NEWS FOR ESL TEACHERS
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This Month's Lesson Plan 
Talking Point: Bullying
A stimulating lesson on a serious subject. Explore the vocabulary of words beginning with "bull" (from bullseye to bulldozer) before practising them in a question and answer activity. Encourage fluency with questions specifically about bullying such as "What exactly is bullying?" and "What can a person do if s/he is bullied?"
Download lesson plan...
Each Talking Point worksheet is available for download as a PDF file that you can view in the free Adobe Acrobat Reader. Each worksheet can be easily printed and is freely photocopiable. |
Latest ESL Jobs 
Find the latest job offers for English teachers posted by schools around the world.
Also in the Job Centre:
- Subscribe to JobAlert FREE
- Resumes bank where you can post your resume
- Schools can post ESL vacancies
- ESL Jobs FAQ
- ESL Jobs Forum
- Resume Tips for ESL Jobs
- Top 10 Interview Questions for Teachers to Ask
- Transferable Skills for ESL Teachers
- The Functional Resume
- Now What? Climbing the ESL Ladder
- Don't Forget Your Toothbrush
- ESL Job Satisfaction
- What Kind of Teacher Are You?
- 7 ESL Job Interview Tips
- Finding the Perfect ESL Job
ESL Jobs Centre... |
Schools For Sale
 - Italy: Well-Established Language School for Sale
- Spain: Established language school for sale nr Barcelona
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Answer to Quick Quiz
This is a level 3 question and answer from Word Up, the ESL board game that's fun to play at home or at school.
Learn more about Word Up
Buy Word Up from eslDepot.com
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