Practice Speaking Online 🌟🎤

November 17, 2024 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

Hi everyone! 👋

Are you looking for an easy and fun way to practice your speaking skills after class?

Look no further! Let me introduce you to Speak and Improve, an amazing online tool designed to help you improve your English speaking.

What is Speak and Improve? 🗣️

Speak and Improve is an online platform where you can:
✅ Practice speaking English by answering questions or describing pictures.
✅ Receive instant feedback on your pronunciation, grammar, and fluency.
✅ Track your progress with a score called the “CEFR level” (A1 to C2).

It’s free, easy to use, and perfect for students of all levels, from beginner to advanced.

How Does It Work? 💻

1️⃣ Go to Speak and Improve.
2️⃣ Choose a speaking task, like describing a photo or answering a question.
3️⃣ Record your response using your phone, tablet, or computer.
4️⃣ Get feedback and see suggestions to improve.

Why Use It? 🌟

Practice Anytime: Use it at home, on the bus, or during a break!
Boost Confidence: The more you practice, the more confident you’ll feel.
Prepare for Exams: Great for tests like IELTS, TOEFL, or Cambridge PET!
It’s Fun: You’ll enjoy trying different tasks and topics. 🎉

Tips for Success 📚

🔹 Use headphones and speak clearly.
🔹 Repeat tasks to see your improvement.
🔹 Try out topics you find challenging.
🔹 Set a daily speaking goal (e.g., 5 minutes).

Your Challenge! 🚀

💬 This week’s goal: Spend at least 10 minutes practicing on Speak and Improve and share your experience with the class. How did it help you? What did you enjoy most?

Start your speaking journey today! 🌟 Remember, the more you practice, the closer you’ll get to fluency. Let’s keep improving together! 💪

Happy learning!
Teacher Julieta 😊

The Power of your Native Grammar 📑

May 3, 2023May 4, 2023 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

Dear English learner,

I know that learning grammar in English can be challenging and confusing. However, I know for sure that if you have a basic understanding of your native grammar, you can learn English grammar easier and faster. Let’s take a look at why this is important for English learners.

Having a basic understanding of grammar patterns in your native language is important when learning a foreign language because it helps in several ways.

🌠 Transferable skills

Learning grammar in one language can help in the acquisition of grammar patterns in another language. This is because many languages share similar grammar structures, and understanding the grammatical concepts in one language can make it easier to recognize and learn them in another language.

👍 Comprehension

Knowing the grammar patterns and syntax of your native language can help you understand the structure and function of sentences in a foreign language. This will allow you to better comprehend what you are reading or hearing, and make it easier to remember the new language’s grammar patterns and vocabulary.

💬 Communication

A basic understanding of grammar in your native language can help you better express yourself when speaking and writing in a foreign language. This is because you will have a better grasp of sentence structure and be able to construct more complex sentences.

🚩 Error correction

Knowing the grammar of your native language can help you remember grammar patterns easily and identify errors in the foreign language you are learning. This is because you will be able to recognize when a sentence in a foreign language does not follow the grammatical structure you are accustomed to.

🚀 Freedom

Knowing the basic grammar of your own language can help you use a new language on your own. You will know more about how languages work and understand grammar patterns and syntax better. This will make it easier for you to speak and write the new language with more confidence, and you won’t need to depend on a teacher or dictionary all the time.

So, if you’re learning a new language, don’t forget to *brush up on your grammar skills in your native language! It can make learning the new language much easier and help you communicate with more confidence.

Plus, you’ll be able to identify errors and correct them on your own, without always needing a teacher or dictionary. Good luck on your language-learning journey!

With love,

P.S. *brush up on is a phrasal verb. It means to review or refresh your knowledge or skills in a particular subject or activity that you have learned before. It’s like giving yourself a quick reminder of what you already know.

How to Give Feedback

October 25, 2021October 25, 2021 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

Listen to the audio

Giving and getting feedback is part of effective communication. Giving feedback is a good way to encourage and motivate others. Getting feedback gives people the opportunity to reflect on their learning/ teaching process or their performance at work.

What does feedback mean?

According to Cambridge Dictionary, feedback is:

“an opinion from someone about something that you have done or made”

If there are things that need to be improved you can provide constructive criticism to help others advance in their learning/ teaching process or careers.

The purpose of giving feedback and constructive criticism is to lead others to improve in the longer term. Therefore, when giving feedback it is important that you avoid judging or giving negative comments or remarks.

Here you have some sentence starters that you can use to give positive feedback:

Download PDF

PRACTICE TIME

Imagine that you are a manager in a tech company. One of your assistants has developed a software that will help the company save a lot of money. However, the software is not user friendly (difficult to use). Your assistant has presented his/ her project in the last weekly meeting. Give him/ her some feedback.

Write your feedback in the comments below.

Useful English Phrases for Better Communication

July 5, 2021October 20, 2021 teacherjulieta3 Comments

Play the Audio

If you don’t understand what other people say, it’s a good idea to ask for clarification instead of saying:

“I don’t understand” or “Sorry, my English is very bad”

Here there is a list of useful expressions for asking for clarification. These expressions will help you speak fluently and communicate better with your classmates or colleagues. It’s important that you learn how to pronounce each of the phrases correctly. There is an audio below each phrase so you can check the pronunciation that will help you learn them easily.