Tag: reading comprehension

  • 14 Do’s and Don’ts of Making English Anki Cards

    14 Do’s and Don’ts of Making English Anki Cards

    Vocabulary memorization is the foundation of English language learning, and Anki is the best way to memorize vocabulary. There are good ways to use Anki, and bad ways to use Anki. Let’s get better at memorizing new words and look at 9 do’s and don’ts of making English Anki cards! If you don’t know how…

  • How to Make Anki Flashcards for Difficult English Vocabulary

    How to Make Anki Flashcards for Difficult English Vocabulary

    You should know by now that using pictures to learn vocabulary is far better than the translation method because it builds direct connections in the brain and improves memory, so every flashcard you make ought to have a picture. Now, that’s easy if the word is “ball”, but it can be quite a challenge with…

  • ESL Trends: Authentic Content and CLIL

    ESL Trends: Authentic Content and CLIL

    This is our first ever post on ESL trends, so let’s start by discussing what this is about.  A “trend” is something that is becoming a commonly discussed topic and becoming popular to do.  An “ESL trend” is a recent movement or change in the way English is taught around the world.  As ELLs, it’s…

  • Waiting for the Train

    Waiting for the Train

    Warm on the inside, cold on the outside.  Cold on the outside, and cold on the inside.  The people standing on the platform at the Briercrest train station had very different feelings waiting for the train. The common feeling amongst them all was the anxiety of waiting for the train. Blink and you’ll miss it,…

  • Where’s my house? (My Neighborhood)

    Where’s my house? (My Neighborhood)

    Can you find my house?  I’m going to describe my neighborhood, and you have to look at this top-down view of it to figure out which house is mine.  You think that’s easy?  Well, let’s see how easy it is.  Pay attention to the clues! My house is in a new neighborhood.  Our neighborhood has…

  • 5 Fun Ways to Practice Speaking English

    Are you looking for some fun ways to practice speaking English? Do you want to improve your pronunciation, vocabulary and fluency without getting bored? If you answered yes, then this blog post is for you! Here are some enjoyable ways to practice speaking English simply. Don’t get confused with our recent post on practicing speaking…

  • I Spy: Cluttered Mechanic’s Shop (A Vocab Game)

    I Spy: Cluttered Mechanic’s Shop (A Vocab Game)

    It’s time again to play a round of I Spy, a favorite vocab game!  Last time, we found things lying around our desks, this time we’re looking through the clutter in a mechanic’s shop! I can’t say I am impressed by this mechanic’s organizational skills, but I must say that he obviously has been working…

  • My Grandfather’s Memorabilia

    My Grandfather’s Memorabilia

    This is a short story of a young man who goes through some of his grandfather’s things after he dies for the first time, followed by practice activities for English learning.

  • 7 Free English Learning Tools You Aren’t Using (but Should!)

    7 Free English Learning Tools You Aren’t Using (but Should!)

    We are lucky to be born in the modern age and have a broad selection of language learning tools.  Gone are the days of only being able to learn language in-person.  We can develop our language skills using primarily online tools.  There are free English learning tools everywhere! The traditional tool is a dictionary, but…

  • I Spy: Messy Desk

    I Spy: Messy Desk

    See full sized photo. Man!  What a messy desk!  How could any one get any work done like this? … Wait, this is what my desk looks like. (facepalm) Let’s make the most of it and play a game of “I Spy”.  What? You don’t know how the game works?  Let me tell you.  It’s…