Celeste Headlee: 10 Ways to Have a Better Conversation

Celeste Headlee is a bit worried about our flaws when engaging in a conversation (a real face-to-face one, I mean). I do believe that what she has to say comes in very handy when you have to interact with other fellow English students. Plus, we can all feel identified in one way or another, can't we? Watch her talk (11 minutes only!), we will be discussing about this in class.

Multiple Choice Comprehension Questions

Shadowing: Let's Start with a Loving Revolution!

Yesterday in class, as we were discussing the different goals and strategies for this year, some of your classmates suggested shadowing as a nice way to start working effectively on listening, speaking, and pronunciation, all at once! I thought that was an awesome idea, so... here's my proposal: listen to Patch Adams, an American physician, social activist, clown, and author who has some really interesting ideas to share with us about living in a healthy world. Just listen to him talking, and repeat his very own words immediately (so that you become his shadow). You should do this as you stand up or even walk around, trying to put the same energy as he does in your speech. Please, don't do this for more than 1-2 minutes, we should start doing this little by little to avoid frustration, ok? Ah! Thanks a lot, David and Marisa, for explaining this technique to all of us!

"I want a world where no one alive can remember what the word war means..."

Input - Output Processing: Smart Phones versus Smart Kids

Click on the link below to watch the talk by Dr. Jonathan Haidt up to minute 40, and gather ideas on your notebook to participate in our next class debate (beginning of February): So what is your take on this pressing issue? 

Smart Phones vs. Smart Kids, by Jonathan Haidt

Now find some time to read this follow-up article on The New Yorker:

Jonathan Haidt Wants You to Take Away Your Kid's Phone - The New Yorker

And finally, to round off this input-output process, please write an opinion essay on the following quote (200 words):

"The use of smart phones has made young people more vulnerable to mental health issues". 

Reported Speech oral practice with Wordwall

Reported Speech Match Up

Reported Speech Match Up 2

Time Changes Match up

Reported Speech: requests, orders, and questions

More free practice (no answers) below: 

 Random Cards

Reported Speech Wheel