VERB TENSES THROUGH SONGS

Children, and teenagers too, associate grammar lessons with boring lessons. It doesn't have to be like that any more. As teachers, we should encourage kids to find English interesting and fun. That's why when explaining grammar, we can also include songs to practise, for example, a verb tense. We can play the video in class and give them a worksheet with the gaps for them to complete. Then we should make them think about the lyrics, too, because it can be a good way to learn vocabulary.

Here you have some examples:

- verb to be --> "How does it feel?" by Avril Lavigne

- Present Simple --> "I'm like a bird" by Nelly Furtado

- Present Continuous --> "I'm with you" by Avril Lavigne

- Past simple --> "Paradise" by Coldplay

- Present Perfect --> "I haven't met you yet" by Michael Bubble

Hope you find this useful!

LEARNING ENGLISH CAN BE FUN!

When we think about learning a new language, we always have the same image in our minds: boring grammar books, with boring activities and boring classes. It doesn’t have to be like that. As we already said some days ago, reading and listening activities can be motivating too if we use the Internet. Today we are going to talk about learning English using TV series.

Some days ago, I saw an article on a webpage www.vertele.com where Andrés Moreno, from Open English Academy, pointed out the six best English-speaking series to learn or improve your English. According to him, these are the best series to master your English skills:

DOWNTON ABBEY

It is about the life of a rich British family and their servants and it begins in the years leading up to the World War I. With it, you will be able to learn the correct British language used by the dukes and other rich people. 

SHERLOCK

It is another British series shown on BBC. It is about the adventures of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes and his friend Dr.Watson and with it, you will Be able to learn about the British accent. 

GAME OF THRONES

If what you want is to master the use of different British accents, this series is the one for you. Most of the actors are from Britain, and so they have different accents. The series is quite difficult to understand, because there are a lot of plots happening at the same time, so a good level of English is required.

MAD MEN

It is about Don Draper’s life. He is one of the best publicisers in New York in the 60s. So, if you want to learn more things about the American accent, and therefore, the American culture, this series is excellent for you.

MODERN FAMILY

This is one of the most famous sitcoms in America, and learning English while having lots of fun is worth it. That’s why we recommend you to sit on your sofa and watch it. It is not difficult to understand, specially Gloria, whose mother tongue is Spanish. 

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER

Although it has already finished, the lives of the five friends Ted, Marshall, Lily, Robin and Barney are so funny. It is just 20 minutes long, and you won’t regret it. 

It’s true that watching them in Spanish is easier, and let’s say, lazier, because you don’t have to concentrate as much as with English. But, don’t you think it’s great watching something that you like while learning another language?

USEFUL LISTENING AND READING WEBSITES

Hello!! Today, we are going to mention some webpages to help teachers and learners find useful listening and reading resources and materials.

Let's begin with some listening webpages. Practising this skill is highly important because it is good that children start listening to native speakers in "daily" conversations so as to help them realise how a word is pronounced. There are a lot of webpages on the Internet where you can find different listening activities for different levels of English, from the basic A1 to the difficult C2. Those are some of the websites:

• Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab, where the levels are divided into "easy", "medium" and "difficult". http://www.esl-lab.com/
• La Mansión del Ingles. http://www.mansioningles.com/listening00.htm
• Listen a Minute. http://www.listenaminute.com/
• Saber Ingles, where apart from listening exercises, you can also do grammar and vocabulary activities. http://saberingles.com.ar/listening/

Reading is also very important when learning a new language. It helps you acquire new vocabulary and be aware of grammar structures too. If you are trying to improve your English language, you had better read a book in English. But if you don't have a bookshop around, why don't you try to find activities on the Internet? Here you will find good reading exercises:

• English Exercises. http://www.englishexercises.org/buscador/buscar.asp?nivel=any&age=0&contents=readings
• Five Minute English. http://www.5minuteenglish.com/reading.htm
• English Zone. http://english-zone.com/?ID=6

Hope you find this interesting and useful. Next time more and better!