Languagelab.com Blog

Hi Everyone,

So 2009 is coming to an end and 2010 is beginning.

Some great things that happened in English City this year.

1. We had a fantastic  student photo exhibition in our gallery.

2. An interesting BBC Reporter came in to be part of our chat show and talk to our students.

3. A flying squid escaped in the city, Lane have you found it yet ?

4. Students dressed up as Turkeys for Thanksgiving in the theatre with Pebbles.

5. Students meeting and making friends with lots of interesting people from all over the world.

6. The Michael Jackson karaoke tribute sing-a-long, what a great afternoon!

7. One of our students making a documentary about his life in English City – keep watching the blog for news.

8. Scary fun killing aliens in Dark Mines, I need to get a better spacesuit.

9. Amusing art discussions about Damien Hirst’s shark.

10. Jason playing his saxophone on the beach at Gertie’s beach party.

Here is a little video I found showing some of the highlights of the year.  The music is by The Temper Trap a great band that I have discovered this year.

What has been your favourite moments of 2009?

Happy New Year ! See you in 2010 !

Jessie Teacher

Hi Everyone,

As 2009 ends and 2010 begins lets think about how you can improve your English.  Make it your New Years Resolution to practice for a few minutes every day at English City.

I have a few articles here and videos for you to watch to help you practice over the Christmas holiday.

Culture:
There have been some great pop videos in the last decade.  Here is one of my favourite videos !

Fat Boy Slim – Weapon of Choice

Questions:
1. Who is the actor dancing in the video?

2. How would you describe him at the beginning of the clip?

3. Where is the man dancing?

4. What does he look at quickly at the beginning of the clip?

5. How would you describe the man at the end of the video?

If you want to talk about music and also learn to sing in English, you can visit Griffin in English City. He is a composer and also teaches students how to pronounce words correctly.  If you want to see the top 20 videos that were voted in the Guardian website, click here.

Fashion:
In 2009 there have been a lot of different styles and trends.  Some of them have been cool, others crazy and some just very strange.  People Magazine have put together a list of different trends for 2009 on their website.  Here is one trend that I would like your opinion about.
Fingerless gloves !  These gloves don’t have any fingers so they are not designed to keep you warm.
1. Where would you wear gloves like these?

2. What material are they made from?

3. Would people wear these gloves in your country ?

4. What adjectives can you think of to describe them?

In English City we have several clothes shops, my favourite is Perwinkles.  Donatella one of my friends works there and she always has the latest fashions.

Sports:
It has been a great year for sports all over the world especially in China with the Olympics hosted there in 2009.
In the UK we have an award for best Sports Personality of the Year.  Watch this video and answer the questions.

1. Who won the award?

2. What sport is he famous for and which team does he play for?

3. Who does he mention as his heroes?

4. Who does he thank in his speech?

5. Who are the Sports Stars in your country ?

6. Tell me about your favourite sport and why you like it.

To read more about the Sports Personality of the Year 2009 visit the BBC website.

If you write back to me with your comments I will correct them all for you.  Good luck with the questions !

See you soon,

Jessie Teacher