Tales from Earthsea: Movie Review (Scripted)



Video version of an old post (as I explained about HERE)
For the original post, see:
http://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2007/09/tales-from-earthsea.html

Your brother believes that we need to find another planet to live on because its only a matter of time before civilization destroys itself with nuclear weapons. What could anarchists possibly do that is worse than that? https://t.co/OM9Y85dCdP

— Joel Swagman (@JoelswagmanJoel) May 31, 2020

As to what I'm referring to, see HERE for my discussion of Eric Weinstein's quote.

English World 2 Unit 10 Vocabulary

 (Supplementary Material for Specific Textbooks--English World 2)

Google drive folder HERE
Google Slideshow: slides, pub
Quizlet Handout: drive, docs, pub





J2B Unit 10
https://quizlet.com/_1mymm5

J2B Unit 10
https://quizlet.com/_1mymm5

J2B Unit 10
https://quizlet.com/_1mymm5

So, I have this friend, Jorge--someone I know from my Gifu days in Japan.  (I've written about Jorge before on this blog HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE).

One of Jorge's family members recently made some allegations on Facebook about the officers who killed George Floyd.  It was quite serious.
I read the post, and I thought that if these allegations are true, then they should be in the news.  I think it's important information, because it illustrates how deep the institutional problems are.
At the moment, however, I don't believe that these allegations have made it outside of their circle of Facebook friends.  The post has (as of this writing) been shared 68 times, but it hasn't gone viral yet, and I can't find anything about it in the news media.  (I checked with my friend Jorge, and it hasn't been reported in the news.)  I'm worried that this important information might get overlooked.

However, with all the misinformation that is being spread on social media nowadays, I should make clear that I don't actually know these people.  These are friends of friends.

I find myself in a dilemma.  On the one hand, I'm worried that this could be important information that needs to be in the public domain.  On the other hand, I don't want to be guilty of spreading misinformation online.
After some internal deliberation, I've decided to go ahead and try to spread this information.  I know Jorge, and I trust him.  And the emotion behind this story seems to be genuine.

Both of the Facebook posts were on public sharing settings from the beginning, but just to be extra sure I wasn't out of bounds, I contacted the person involved, and she discussed it with her husband and gave me permission to share their posts and use their names.
It would be really great if someone in the media was able to fact check this story and possibly publish it.  Does anyone know a guy?

Link to Facebook Post 1

https://www.facebook.com/applecooker711/posts/10222398618251541

Link to Facebook Post 2:

In 2015, we field a complaint on the exact same officers that killed George Floyd. Nothing was ever done. We were told there would be an internal investigation but that clearly didn't happen.
In 2015 officer Derek Chauvin and his partner Tou Thao tried to kick in the front door to our apartment in South Minneapolis. We didn't want damage to the property so we opened the door. Without any explication, Chauvin pulled my husband into the hall, threw him down the stairs and began choking him. As this was happening, officer Thao was holding me back, shut my door so I couldn't see what was happening and begin telling me that my husband would be arrested for resisting arrest. I tried asking where they were taking him but all they told me he was being arrested.
Hours went by where I had no idea what was happening with my husband. He didn't have his phone and I all I thought was he was going die. For sure.
Eventually my husband came back home hours later with no shoes and bloodied up. He had told me that the cops drove him to an empty alley, put on black gloves, covered their badge and beat his ass. He had to beg and plead for his life before they let him go, 30 blocks away from our home and took his shoes.
I have experienced racism in my life before but nothing like this. South Minneapolis is still very much home to me despite the fact that I live in Texas now. I still send my son to Minnesota, specifically South Minneapolis, every summer because his dads family is there. I have uncle's, aunts and cousins there too.
I hate that I have to fear for my husbands life. I hate that he has to fear for his life. I hate that everything goes unheard. I hate these fucking cops that are ruining so many innocent lives. I hate watching my husband go through PTSD and not knowing what I can do to help.
I'm tired of hating and something needs to be done.

I've been trying to work my limited contacts in the media to see if there's anything to be done about this story getting picked up.  One of them gave me this advice:

Best thing you can do with these is if you think it needs media exposure... Go to the big publications find the writers if the stories for floyd then tweet at them with the link.  New york times, cnn, usa today, msnbc etc

I think I'm going to start doing that next.

June 1st, 2020 Update 1: Why I Believe This Story
Having had a day to think about it, I find myself more and more convinced that this story is true.
The reasons are as follows:
* My friend Jorge knows and trusts these people
* The husband and wife are both collaborating each other's story, which at least gives it more credibility than a story made up by a single person.
* They seem to be trusted by the people in their Facebook community and in their comment sections
* The emotions in that video feel real.  I believe the man is telling something deeply real and personal to him when I watch the video.
* There's nothing that they would gain by fabricating this story.
* This story was only shared on Facebook.  Although the settings were public, there was no attempt by the couple involved to get this to go viral or to gain fame by it.  They did not go to the media. It appears before I contacted them, they had no intentions of sharing this more widely.
* A lot of specific details mentioned in the story--in the video, the man mentions which districts the police officers got transferred to as a result of his complaint.  Strikes me as unlikely to be made up.

Update 2: Why I Think This Story Matters
I think this story is important because it removes all doubt as to the kind of people Derek Chauvin and Tou Thao are.  Up until I saw these Facebook posts, I at least had a small sliver of doubt about the incident.  Maybe Derek Chauvin didn't mean to kill that guy.  Maybe he legitimately thought he needed to restrain like that for some reason.  Maybe he was just a good cop who made a mistake that day, etc.... all of that benefit of the doubt, now completely gone in my mind.
It also illustrates how this is a problem with the system.  You can't just say now that the Minneapolis Police force was a good functioning system with just a few bad apples in it.  This story means they knew they had abusive racist police officers, and they didn't do anything about it.
It also demonstrates the type of abuse that minorities in Minneapolis experience, and so goes a good way to explaining why the protests blew up as they did.

Update 3: Getting this Story Wider Exposure
So, I've done my best to give this story wider exposure.  In addition to writing about it here on this blog, I've posted it on my Facebook page.  I've tweeted it--twice.  I've emailed my old buddies from the college newspaper days to see who is still working in media, and asked them if the're interested.  And I've taken the advice my friend gave me (mentioned above), and tried to tweet this story at people who work in the media and are covering this story.  See HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE,  HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.  (I don't know what the etiquette is.  Are you supposed to just tweet at one reporter, and then give him time to respond?  Or should you tweet it out at as many reporters as possible and hope somebody bites?)
So far, no luck.  It's time to admit what I've always kind of known anyway--I have very little influence on social media.
I'm disappointed no one has shown interest in this story, but I also have to admit that I whenever I get fixated on something, I have a tendency to lose perspective.--That is, now that I've started the process of trying to get this story more attention, I just continue to tweet it at reporters without stopping to think whether or not I've gone overboard already.
Have I gone overboard on this?  If so, let me know in the comments. Or is this legitimately a story that needs to be shared?  If so, consider sharing it yourself.

Update June 15, 2020
A few updates on this.  On June 2, I messaged Lilian Brown.  I wrote:

Hi Lilian, just wanted to update you on what I've been doing.
Since I last messaged you, I've been doing my best to get your story shared to a wider audience.
I emailed all my old college friends who worked in newspapers to see if anybody could use it.
There were no takers, but one of them gave the advice that if I thought something needed media exposure, I should check the big publications, find the names of the reporters who were working on the story, and tweet at them.
So on Sunday and Monday I did that.  I tried to find the names of the reporters from NBC, New York Times, and USA today who were writing about this story, and sent them tweets with links to your facebook posts.
I also posted your story on my own Facebook page, on my twitter account, and on my blog.
I'm not sure what else to do at this point.  I think I may be at the end of my resources.  I'm sorry I wasn't able to get more publicity for your story.  But I thank you for taking the time to message me back.

She replied:

Thank you! Interestingly enough I did have someone from NBC New York and the New York Times reach out to me so we will get our story heard.  

Well how about that? The system does work! I tweeted to NBC and New York Times reporters, and they were in touch with her the very next day.
Since then, however, I still haven't seen this story in the newspapers.  I don't know, your guess is as good as mine.
But, I did hear back from some of my old buddies at the college newspaper.  Someone messaged the email group, apologizing for not having seen the message.  I wrote back on June 12, 2020:

I'm guessing that most people aren't using the same email address that they did in 2002, and that's why I didn't get a reply? Or are the rest of you still out there?
Small update on this story. Someone gave me the advice to tweet the story at reporters for major publications. I tweeted it at USA Today, NYT, and NBC reporters, and NBC reporters and NYT reporters got in touch with the couple involved shortly after.
They have not, however, run the story yet, and at this point it's been a couple weeks.
I'm guessing some aspects of this story didn't withstand factchecking? I don't know though.

And then on the same email group, I got a reply from another friend the same day:

I'm on the edges of journalism yet, but nothing that would pick up a lead like that. There would be a lot of fact-checking to happen, yes. That can take time. It wouldn't just be talking to those folks. My guess is every news outlet already had a FOIA out for the officers' personnel records as soon as the Floyd incident happened, and they may be waiting on that still, although one story recently mentioned there had been 17 complaints against the one officer, so who knows. I'm not knee-deep in the details, to be honest.
Anyway, if there's something that can be responsibly reported out of their experience, I don't doubt it will be. The outlets you tweeted to are decent. But probably would look for a major newspaper near where your friends live; reporters there would have better connections (Star Tribune maybe?).
Sorry I didn't reply earlier! :-D 

Well, in for a penny, in for a pound (as they say), so I tweeted at some Star Tribune reporters: HERE and HERE.   We'll see if anything comes of it.

Update: August 7, 2020
Well, the story is finally in the news.  See my blog post HERE.  I guess my friend was right--it apparently does take a really long time to fact check and prepare the story.

Joy Reid: Just Stop Killing Us; This Isn't A Huge Demand | Morning Joe | MSNBC

Fast Times at Ridgemont High: Movie Review (Scripted)



Video version of an old post (as I explained about HERE)
For the original post, see:
http://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2007/09/fast-times-at-ridgemont-high.html

The Benefits of Extensive Reading: Listening Version

(TESOL Worksheets--Listening, Extensive Reading)
Google: docs, pub, video
[This is a re-working of my previous worksheet on The Benefits of Extensive Reading, which I've reworked to make into a listening exercise.]

The Benefits of Extensive Reading: ESL Listening



Watch the Video: https://youtu.be/MAe7W5Jjp_8
The Benefits of Extensive Reading
Question: What is extensive reading?
Students read a lot and read often.
Students read on a wide variety of topics.
Students only read stuff that is interesting or fun for them.
Students choose what to read.
Reading focuses on: pleasure, information and general understanding.
Reading is its own reward.
There are no tests, no exercises, no questions and no dictionaries.
The reading material is easy for the students--they can understand the meaning of the text easily without having to work too hard.  The vocabulary is also at an easy level for the students.
Students should be able to read and understand the material without any help from teachers or dictionaries.  If the student finds that they need to use a dictionary to understand the text, then it is best for the student to stop and pick something slightly easier.
Reading is individual, and silent.
Question: What kind of things can you use for extensive reading?
Anything and everything, including graded readers (books that are intentionally written with a simplified grammar and vocabulary for English students), novels, adventure or action books, science fiction or fantasy, romance or drama, informative books or articles on topics that interest you, comic books, newspapers, magazines, Internet articles, entertainment news (articles about music, movies, or celebrities), fashion magazines, children's books, teen literature, advice columns, and more.
Question: How will extensive reading help my grammar?
As every student knows, learning English grammar can be very difficult.  There are many different language structures.  It is possible to focus on these and understand them one by one in isolation, but it is very difficult to be able to remember them and use them all at once.  In order to fully learn these, you will need to become familiar with them by repeatedly encountering them over time.  In the limited time we spend in the classroom, there is no way that you can fully develop your English grammar.  Extensive reading will help you with this in two ways:
Firstly, during extensive reading, you will see, and be reminded of grammar structures that you have already learned.  This will help you to cement them more fully in your memory. 
Secondly, extensive reading will allow you to see many types of grammar structures that you haven't yet learned in class.  You may be able to learn some of these structures just through reading.  Other, more complicated grammar structures, you may need to practice more, but reading will help you to become familiar with them so that it will be easier to learn them in class later.

Question: How will extensive reading help me remember vocabulary that I have already studied?

As with grammar, learning English vocabulary can be very difficult.  You have probably realized this already.  In your English classes, you have probably studied hundreds of words.  But how many of these have you really learned?  How many can you remember now?
It is not enough to simply look at a vocabulary word once, and expect to remember it permanently.  In order to fully get the word into your long term memory, you will need to practice it again and again.  In our very short time in the classroom, you will not have enough time to do this. 
Extensive reading, however, will help you review the vocabulary again and again until it is permanently in your brain.  This is why it is useful to be continuously reading in English.  Even if you're not learning new words, you are helping yourself to better remember the old words.

Question: How will extensive reading help me better understand vocabulary that I have already studied?

English vocabulary can be very frustrating for students, because to truly learn a word is often a lot more complicated than simply learning a dictionary definition.  One word can have many different meanings in different situations.  Or two words can mean almost the same thing, but have slightly different nuances (different shades of meaning).  Or words can have different connotations (for example, two words may mean the same thing, but one word would only be used in positive situations, and one word would only be used in negative situations.)  There are also different collocations--for example, some nouns will only be used with certain verbs instead of others.
It is impossible to learn all of this simply by looking a word up in a dictionary.  The dictionary definition will give you only a poor understanding of the word, and you may not be able to use the word correctly.  But extensive reading will help you to get a fuller understanding of what the word means, and how it is used in English.

Question: How will extensive reading help me learn new vocabulary?

Extensive reading should expose you to many new words that you haven't yet learned before.
However, be careful here.  If there are too many new words in the text, the text is going to be too difficult for you, and you will not benefit from it.  You will want to try to pick reading material where you already know 98% of the words in the text.  This means that 98% of the vocabulary will be review for you, but you can still learn new words from the 2% new vocabulary.  This will quickly add up over time if you read enough.
This has been supported by many scientific studies--students who do a lot of extensive reading have a very high level of English vocabulary.

Question: How will extensive reading improve my reading fluency?

Reading is a skill.  Just like any other skill, this means you have to practice it in order to get better.  When you first learn to read in English, your brain has to work very hard to look at all the letters on the page, and match those letters to words, and match those words to sentences, and match those sentences to meanings.  Perhaps you remember how slow and difficult reading English used to be for you when you were a beginning student.
However, as you get more and more practice, these processes begin to become automatic.  Your brain no longer has to think so hard when it looks at all the letters on a page.  Words you have read many times now become familiar and easy.  You no longer have to look at each letter one by one to recognize the word.  And you are able to recognize the meaning from several words together much easier than before.
The more you read, the easier reading will become, and the faster you will be able to read in the future.  This will help you tremendously in your reading tests at school.

Question: How will extensive reading improve my writing?

Reading and writing are connected skills.  When you read, you are learning how to write, even if you don't realize it.  Every time you read, you are looking at something that somebody else wrote.  This is providing you with a good example for your own writing.  Even if you don't realize it, your brain is beginning to understand the common styles in English writing.  Your brain will also have absorbed many of the common sentence structures used for writing.  The next time you sit down to write, you'll find the words and sentences will come that much easier.

Question: How will extensive reading improve my speaking?

All language skills in English are interconnected, because they all make use of some of the same knowledge and processes.  Students who increase their grammar and vocabulary through extensive reading will find that this same increased knowledge is now available in their speaking. 

Question: What does the research show about extensive reading?

The most famous research study comes from Japan.  There was a group of Japanese students whose English ability was far behind the regular students.  The researchers took these students out of the regular English class, and put them in a special class.  In the special class, the students spent the whole time just reading books that were interesting and enjoyable for them.  At the end of one semester, their test scores had improved so much that they were almost as high as the regular students.
Somewhat surprisingly, the research on extensive reading has shown that it not only improves the students' reading scores, but also their listening, speaking, grammar, and writing scores.

Question: What about if I don't like to read?

It's important to remember that nobody likes to read everything.  For example, I don't enjoy reading motorcycle repair manuals in my spare time. 
For informative reading, I enjoy reading about subjects that are interesting to me.  I enjoy reading when it gives me information about something that I want to know. 
For fiction, I enjoy reading when I am interested in the story.
If you're reading something that is not interesting for you, stop reading it and find something else to read. 
It's also important to remember that reading is a skill that gets easier the more you practice it.  (Remember the section on reading fluency.)  When you first start to read, it will be very difficult for your brain to translate the words into meaning, and you will get tired quickly.  As you read more and more, your brain will begin to get used to this process, and it will begin to happen automatically.  You will find that reading is becoming easier and easier for you, and that you are enjoying it more and more.
It's also important to choose books that are not too difficult for you.  Nobody likes reading things that are difficult.  This is not enjoyable.  Choose books that you can read easily.
Watch the video, and make notes about each question.
video: https://youtu.be/MAe7W5Jjp_8
Questions
What is extensive reading?

What kind of things can you use for extensive reading?

How will extensive reading help my grammar?

How will extensive reading help me remember vocabulary that I have already studied?


How will extensive reading help me better understand vocabulary that I have already studied?


How will extensive reading help me learn new vocabulary?


How will extensive reading improve my reading fluency?


How will extensive reading improve my writing?


How will extensive reading improve my speaking?


What does the research show about extensive reading?


What about if I don't like to read?

To Have and Have Not: Movie Review (Scripted)



Video version of an old post (as I explained about HERE)
For the original post, see:
http://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2007/09/to-have-and-have-not.html

Needs Analysis: High Level Teens class

(TESOL Worksheets--Needs Analysis)
Google: docs, pub
[Note: Some of the questions on here were borrowed from colleagues.]

Name of your partner:

Why is your partner studying English?  What are their goals for using English in the future?



What is your partner’s strongest English skill?



What is your partner’s weakest English skill?



Does your partner enjoy using the textbook in class?


What kind of homework does your partner prefer?


What is one activity that your partner really enjoys doing in class?  Make sure to describe it in enough detail so that your new teacher will know how to run the activity.  (You can write on the back if you need more space).


What is one activity that your partner really hates doing in class?  Why?


Complete these sentences:
My partner enjoys it when…
My partner gets bored when…
My partner finds _______________ easy because ...
My partner finds _______________ difficult because ...

Write down 3 things that your partner wants to improve on by the end of the course.


What topics do you like learning about?

Key Largo: Movie Review (Scripted)



Video version of an old post (as I explained about HERE)
For the original post, see:
http://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2007/09/key-largo.html

I found this video HERE and these worksheets HERE useful when supplementing a lesson on vocabulary about the family. 
In my own class, I used this to supplement lesson 1B: A Family in East Africa from Life Elementary Textbook.

Speaking skills practice: Talking about your family (Elementary - A2)



(I am posting this on my blog so that I can keep track of it for later use. I am also indexing it with my TESOL Worksheet materials, and my Vocabulary materials).

From Vnexpress:
HCMC lacks the parks its population requires
Definitely true, not enough parks in this city.  Although it's much worse in Phnom Penh.  When I first came to HCMC from Phnom Penh, the first thing that struck me was all the trees in parks in HCMC.  And whenever I have friends visit from Phnom Penh, it's usually the first thing they mention as well.

Still, it is sad how much green spaces HCMC has lost.  Every now and then, photos of Saigon from years ago will make their way onto Facebook, and everyone will marvel at how much green the city used to have. 

An article recently appeared on Tuoi Tre News:
Colorized photos show Saigon’s green coverage 100 years ago

Look at this picture of Saigon in 1920.  The Cathedral is still there nowadays, but all the trees have been turned into McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts.

https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/lifestyle/20200518/colorized-photos-show-saigons-green-coverage-100-years-ago/54633.html

There was a similar thing going on when I lived in Phnom Penh.  People would often post videos of Phnom Penh from the 1960s on Facebook or chat forums, and then lament about how the city has lost its beauty.  (People say that in the 1960s, Phnom Penh used to be known as the Paris of South East Asia.)

Kampuchea 1965 1/3

(If you go to the comments section on this video, you can see a lot of Cambodian people lamenting about how beautiful the city used to be.)

It's a reminder of how beautiful cities can be transformed if city planners are not careful.  Businesses and the shopping malls don't care about preserving the green spaces and urban beauty.  If you let them just build wherever they want, then you'll lose these beautiful cities.  As happened to Saigon and Phnom Penh

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre: Movie Review (Scripted)



Video version of an old post (as I explained about HERE)
For the original post, see:
http://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2007/09/treasure-of-sierra-madre.html

Good Will Hunting | 'My Boy's Wicked Smart' (HD) - Matt Damon, Ben Affleck | MIRAMAX



The 90s were before I started reviewing movies on this blog, but I remember how popular this movie was when it came out.  I wasn't quite as big a fan of it as some of my friends were, but I remember liking it well enough when I saw it.
...saw this clip on Youtube, though.  (Randomly popped up while I was surfing).  And I realized how incredibly stupid this whole movie was.  I remember this scene, and I remember thinking even at the time that it was vaguely unrealistic.  But now 20 years later, re-watching it, I'm struck by how unbelievably stupid this scene is. The screenwriters (Affleck and Damon) have no sense of how people actually interact with each other in the real world.  In what world do history grad students try to humiliate townies at bars by showing off how much they know about history.  How did this movie win so many awards?

Supporting Students on Reading Comprehension

(TESOL Worksheets--Workshops, Reading)

Google Drive Folder HERE
Critical Case Study: docs, pub
Reading Support Strategies for low level students: docs, pub
Suggested Answers: Reading Support Strategies for low level students: docs, pub
Strategies and Suggested answers together in one document: docs, pub

[Note: This is an uncompleted workshop I prepared as an assignment for a class.  It could probably use a lot of fine tuning before being used in real life, but since I'm not sure whether or not I'll actually get around to doing that fine tuning, I'm just going to post it here for now as a work in progress.  The impetus for this workshop was based on some reading lessons I observed where the students were struggling with reading comprehension, and the teacher didn't know how to support them.  Easy enough to identify the problem, of course, but what is the solution?  This is my attempt to come up with some ideas to help the teacher help the students.  But if anyone else has any other good ideas, let me know in the comments.]

Below is a list of reading support strategies for low-level students.  Some of them are good ideas, and some of them are bad ideas, and some might depend on the circumstances of the individual class.  Read through the strategies, and discuss which ones you think could work well in your classroom:

* Pre-teach some difficult vocabulary from the text
* Pre-teach all the difficult vocabulary from the text
* Make sure the students are familiar with the situation before reading the text
* Have students predict what they are going to read beforehand
* Tell students to note parts of the text that they could make no sense of. (They can later ask the teacher or another student to explain it to them.)
* Read the text out loud yourself, and have the students follow along
* Ask the students to read the text out loud
* Read a portion of the text out loud, and do a think-aloud while reading to show what kinds of things the reader should be thinking about while reading.
* Break the text into smaller units, and have a stop-and-check activity to ensure that students have understood the reading up until then.  (e.g. comprehension questions, asking students to summarize the reading).  If the students have not understood, they must re-read the section before moving on to the next.
* Paraphrase the text yourself by explaining the text to the students using simpler words
* Highlight the key sentences in the text that contain the answer
* If the students are having difficulty comprehending the assigned reading texts for their level, then disregard the assigned reading and for the rest of the term give them simpler reading texts instead.  Focus on building up their reading fluency with easier texts for the rest of the term
* Keep the assigned texts, but change the comprehension questions to make them easier
* For complex sentences, ask students to identify the main subject and main verb in each sentence.  * * Check that the students have identified correctly. Clarify any sentences if needed
* Check that the students understand the meaning of all the reference words (e.g. he, she, it, which) in the text.  Clarify if needed.


Here are some suggested answers.  Please note that for some of these strategies, opinions differ, so it is possible to disagree.  Do you disagree with any of the suggested answers?

* Pre-teach some difficult vocabulary from the text. 
This is a common strategy, and it can help a lot in some situations.  Sometimes a single unknown word can interfere with the student’s ability to complete the task.  Important things to keep in mind, however.--Only pre-teach a small amount of unknown vocabulary (5 words maximum).  Teach only the words that will impact the reading comprehension tasks. 

* Pre-teach all the difficult vocabulary from the text
This is not a good idea. It takes too long, and will distract from the main aim of a reading lesson.  Also, students need to develop their own strategies for dealing with unknown words from context.

* Make sure the students are familiar with the situation before reading the text
This helps a lot.  Not understanding the situation is a common reason why students cannot comprehend the text

* Have students predict what they are going to read beforehand
This helps.  If students can successfully guess what will be in the text, it will make it easier to comprehend.  Even if their guesses are wrong, thinking about the text ahead of time will prepare them for the content of the text.

* Tell students to note parts of the text that they could not make sense of. (They can later ask the teacher or another student to explain it to them.)
This is recommended by some teaching websites.  It needs to be used with caution, however, because often our goal is not for the students to understand everything in the text, but for the students to understand just enough to complete the reading comprehension task. However, if the students are unable to complete the task, this could be a useful way for the teacher to find out what is going wrong, and decide how to support the students. 

* Read the text out loud yourself, and have the students follow along
This will not help their comprehension of the meaning of the text

* Ask the students to read the text out loud
This is not helpful as it may increase student nervousness and confuse their skills in pronunciation with their skills in reading

* Read a portion of the text out loud, and do a think-aloud while reading to show what kinds of things the reader should be thinking about while reading.
This is recommended by several literacy experts.  It may not be useful to do this all the time, but it is useful to demonstrate this technique once or twice to the students.

* Break the text into smaller units, and have a stop-and-check activity to ensure that students have understood the reading up until then.  (e.g. comprehension questions, asking students to summarize the reading).  If the students have not understood, they must re-read the section before moving on to the next.
This could be useful for longer texts

* Paraphrase the text yourself by explaining the text to the students using simpler words
This is sometimes necessary as a last resort for students, but it should be used with caution.  It’s better to ask guiding questions to help the students’ arrive at the meaning if possible.

* Highlight the key sentences in the text that contain the answer
This is a useful support if students are struggling.

* If the students are having difficulty comprehending the assigned reading texts for their level, then disregard the assigned reading and for the rest of the term give them simpler reading texts instead.  Focus on building up their reading fluency with easier texts for the rest of the term
Possibly.  Building up confidence with easier reading texts is important, but it may be better to supplement the assigned reading texts rather than replace them.  We want to challenge the students sometimes too.

* Keep the assigned texts, but change the comprehension questions to make them easier
If you have the flexibility to do this, this is a good strategy.  Don’t be afraid to challenge the students a little bit, but remember the challenging questions should come last.  First give the students an easy set of comprehension questions, then after those have been completed, you can increase the level of difficulty.  A gist question should always be one that the students can complete easily.

* For complex sentences, ask students to identify the main subject and main verb in each sentence.  Check that the students have identified correctly. Clarify any sentences if needed
This can be a useful exercise occasionally.  Students will get bored with it if it is overused.

* Check that the students understand the meaning of all the reference words (e.g. he, she, it, which) in the text.  Clarify if needed.
As above, this is also something that is useful occasionally, but it can also be overused.  Most reference words are obvious from context, even for lower level students.  But difficulties arise in some cases when the reference is ambiguous, when the reference is an abstract concept, when the reference is referring to more than one thing, and when the reference word is not close to the word it is referring to.

Sources
Helping ESL students understand written texts http://esl.fis.edu/teachers/support/commun.htm
What to Do When Students Don’t Understand What They Read: Tips for Improving Poor Reading Comprehension in K-3 https://learningattheprimarypond.com/blog/poor-reading-comprehension-skills/,
Nation, I.S.P. (2009). Teaching ESL/EFL Reading and Writing. Routledge.
Focus on Reading by Susan Hood, Nicky Solomon, Anne Burns (2002). Macquarie University

Contact Tracings Show Risk Of Coronavirus Spread Through Churches | Rachel Maddow | MSNBC

Started: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien [Note: This is actually a re-read.  I read this once before back in 5th grade.  Our teacher read it with us in class.  I'm now attempting to use it in my own class as an extensive reading project with a group of upper-Intermediate teens.  Whether or not I continue all the way to the end of this book will depend on how engaged the teens end up being with this book.]

Video HERE



Addendum:

Ha, funny you guys should mention that. Just started using Mrs Frisby in my ESL class here in Vietnam. Using it with high level teenagers, but they're still struggling with the vocabulary. 4 year old sounds very ambitious. Can she understand it?

— Joel Swagman (@JoelswagmanJoel) May 24, 2020

Words with -tch

(TESOL Worksheets--spelling)
Crossword Puzzle: drive
Crossword Puzzle Answers: drive
[In my class, I used this with English World 7 Unit 11 Working with Words p.111]

Adjectives ending with -ous

(TESOL Worksheets--adjectives, spelling)
Crossword Puzzle: drive
Crossword Puzzle Answers: drive

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934): Movie Review (Scripted)



Video version of an old post (as I explained about HERE)
For the original post, see:
http://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2007/08/man-who-knew-too-much.html

More linking to Steve Donoghue:
Your Daily Penguin: The Once and Future King!



For my own review of the The Once and Future King, see HERE.  I later put this book on my 10 best list.

The Maltese Falcon: Movie Review (Scripted)



Video version of an old post (as I explained about HERE)
For the original post, see:
http://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2007/08/maltese-falcon.html

The Big Sleep: Movie Review (Scripted)



Video version of an old post (as I explained about HERE)
For the original post, see:
http://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2007/08/big-sleep.html

Story Listening in the Style of Beniko Mason--The King of the Golden Mountain

(TESOL Worksheets--Listening, Comprehensible Input, Story Time ESL Listening, Delta Lessons)

Google Drive Folder HERE
This lesson is meant to go together with this essay: Story-Listening by Beniko Mason
There are two versions of this lesson.  The first is my attempt to duplicate Beniko Mason's style exactly, including her avoidance of a lot of extra materials.  That version is here: Lesson plan: drive, docs, pub
The second version is an expanded lesson plan that includes extra material that Beniko Mason herself might not approve of.
Expanded lesson: drive, docs, pub
Script: drive, docs, pub
Writing follow up: docs, pub
Pictures: drive, docs, pub
Slideshow: slides, pub
A video of the lesson is here: The King of the Golden Mountain: Story-Listening (in the style of Beniko Mason)
This is an experimental lesson trying to copy the Story-Listening Technique of Beniko Mason.  See here for an example of what I was trying to copy: https://youtu.be/PvynPXIs3b8
The video quality isn't great.  Sorry.  Sorry about the squeaky markers.  Sorry that the whiteboard isn't visible.  Sorry that the video cuts out after 30 minutes, and leaves the story unfinished.  (Hopefully this gives an idea of what I was trying to do even though it cuts out early.)



It should also be noted that the length of this story is not ideal for illustrating Beniko Mason's method.  A shorter story would have been better.

(I'd previously posted a StoryTime ESL Listening of this same story.  Although I had posted that version first, this is the original lesson.)

...you know, back in 2016 or 2017 I might have believed that Trump's tax returns would undo him.  But it's 2020.  Can we all wise-up a little?  Whatever these tax returns will expose, it will just make Trump more popular with his base. 
"Look how triggered the liberals are by the awful thing our President has done!  Isn't it great how triggered they are?"

The Long Good-Bye by Raymond Chandler: Book Review (Scripted)



Video version of an old post (as I explained about HERE)
For the original post, see:
http://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2007/08/long-good-bye-by-raymond-chandler.html

Steve Donoghue answers one of my questions on his Q&A video

7K Answers - Part 2!



I discovered Steve Donoghue years ago (via Phil's recommendation) back when Steve was primarily writing reviews on his website.  Since I've discovered his Youtube channel, I've gotten addicted to watching it (as I've mentioned here), and particularly enjoy his Q&A sessions.

The fun of the Q&A sessions is that Steve has read everything, has strong opinions on everything, and is a very intelligent guy.  (Which is not to say I agree with him all the time--I frequently disagree with his assessment.  But I recognize his intelligence nonetheless).
So ask Steve about any obscure subject, and he'll have read about it, and have strong opinions on it.  Which is why people love querying him about his thoughts on all kinds of varied subjects in the Q&A section, and is what makes these Q&A videos so fun to watch.

After watching several of these videos, I decided to jump in on the fun when Steve announced his next Q&A.  After pondering which obscure subject I wanted to hear his opinion on, I settled on the Chinese Classics of Literature.

I had mentioned in a blog post 5 years ago that I thought it was an interesting omission that these books don't get talked about at all in literature classes at university. 
In my experience, when we talk about diversifying the educational curriculum, opponents often have this image of getting rid of Shakespeare and replacing it with the folk tales from some hill tribe nobody has ever heard of.  But China isn't some hill tribe that nobody has ever heard of.  And especially when you consider that these Chinese classsics are also influential in many other South East Asian countries, it's almost half the world's population.  It probably deserves a place in the curriculum.
I thought this would make an interesting question especially since I often watch Steve talk about essentially reading on his channel, but have not heard him mention the Chinese Classics.  (Although I may have missed it.  The guy puts out a lot of videos.)
So I asked my question.

Steve hits my question at 2:29

Joel Swagman says "I never read the four great Chinese classics but have been debating adding them to my TBR (The Romance of the Three kingdoms, Journey to the West, Water Margin and Dream of the Red Chamber.) Have you ever read them?" ... I have. In translation, in English. "If so what are your thoughts? Are they necessary reading for a Western person, or can they be skipped?" They're not necessary reading, there's no necessary reading, there's no wrong way to read. So they can be skipped. Anything can be skipped. But they're really good. They're really entertaining reading and they give you a wide open door to a totally alien literary culture. Those two things alone are worth... I mean "Can they be skipped?"...is like there's some sort of... is this going to be on the exam or something like that and that's not how this works. So you can skip them of course, but I don't recommend that you do. I recommend you find a really spirited English language translation and read them. Who knows if you might not love them. I love The Water March. Just love it.

As you can see, Steve disagreed with the premise of my question somewhat.  But in my defense, I think he does often talk about essential reading on his channel, so that is what I was going for.

Collocation with Delexicalised Verbs Daily Routines

(TESOL Worksheets--Vocabulary, Delta Lessons, Collocations)

Google Drive Folder HERE
Lesson Plan: drive, docs, pub
Slideshow: slides, pub
Daily Routine: docs, pub
Picture Cards with Delexicalised Verbs: drive, docs, pub
Delexicalised Verbs with Daily Routine Story and Grid: drive, docs, pub
Challenge Task (extension): drive, docs, pub
Delexicalised Verbs Guessing Game: drive, docs, pub
Human Bingo Delexicalised Verbs: drive, docs, pub
Based upon this essay--Collocation with Delexicalised Verbs
[Note: I've since made a simplified version of this lesson for an online lesson HERE.  But even though I'm posting this one later, this is the original.]

My Super Ex-Girlfriend: Movie Review (Scripted)



Video version of an old post (as I explained about HERE)
For the original post, see:
http://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2007/08/my-super-ex-girlfriend.html

English World 2 Unit 9 Grammar p.94 (in front of, behind, next to, between)

 (Supplementary Material for Specific Textbooks--English World 2)

Google Drive HERE
Slideshow: slides, pub (The second half of the slideshow contains some material that I took from my colleagues.)
Match the blanks to the words: docs, pub (based off of the previous page, but used as a transition to the grammar on page 94)

Marie Antoinette: Movie Review (Scripted)



Video version of an old post (as I explained about HERE)
For the original post, see:
http://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2007/08/marie-antionette-2006.html

Finished: Being Wagner: The Triumph of the Will by Simon Callow... Review will appear sometime, although probably not this week because I'm really busy.  Possibly not next week.  We'll see?

Video Review HERE

Reading Lesson: Identifying Reference Pronouns

(TESOL Worksheets--Reading, Pronouns, DELTA Lessons)

Google Drive Folder HERE
Lesson Plan: drive, docs, pub
Slideshow: slides, pub
Pictures: The Boy Who Cried Wolf: drive, docs, pub
Story: The Boy Who Cried Wolf: drive, docs, pub
Pictures: The Man the Boy and the Donkey: drive, docs, pub
Story: The Man the Boy and the Donkey: drive, docs, pub
The Man the Boy and the Donkey: Pronouns Missing--Landscape View: drive, docs, pub
The Guardian French Cell Phone Bans: (This one is not my creation, but taken from the Guardian website): drive
French Cell Phone Ban (my re-working of the above): docs, pub
This lesson goes together with this essay: Developing the Subskill of Identifying Reference 
[Notes: I later reworked this lesson to use as a CELTA style demonstration lesson, and I have previously posted that reworked version.  However, even though I've delayed posting this lesson online, this lesson here is the original, and the lesson I posted back in December is the reworked version.]

52: The Novel by Greg Cox: Book Review (Scripted)



Video version of an old post (as I explained about HERE)
For the original post, see:
http://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2007/08/52.html

English World 2 Unit 9 Vocabulary p.92-93

 (Supplementary Material for Specific Textbooks--English World 2)

Google drive folder HERE
Slideshow: slides, pub
Listening comprehension questions: docs, pub
Match the blanks: docs, pub
Wordsearch: drive
Wordsearch answers: drive

Waterboys: Movie Review (Scripted)



Video version of an old post (as I explained about HERE)
For the original post, see:
http://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2007/08/water-boys.html

Freddie Deboer is asking people to read and share his 2016 essay on Louis Farrakhan--“The Last Radical Conservative.”

I read it back in the day, and I found it interesting.  Worth your time if you missed it the first time around
From Harper's Magazine: The Charmer: Louis Farrakhan and the Black Lives Matter protests

English World 2 Unit 9 Vocabulary

 (Supplementary Material for Specific Textbooks--English World 2)

Google drive folder HERE
Google Slideshow: slides, pub
Quizlet Handout: drive, docs, pub





Study at home: J2B Unit 9 Vocabulary
https://quizlet.com/_1k7d61

Study at home: J2B Unit 9 Vocabulary
https://quizlet.com/_1k7d61

Study at home: J2B Unit 9 Vocabulary
https://quizlet.com/_1k7d61

Study at home: J2B Unit 9 Vocabulary
https://quizlet.com/_1k7d61

An Anarchist's Story: The Life of Ethel MacDonald: Movie Review (Scripted)



Video version of an old post (as I explained about HERE)
For the original post, see:
http://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2007/08/anarchists-story-ethel-macdonald.html

This Film is Not Yet Rated: Movie Review (Scripted)



Video version of an old post (as I explained about HERE)
For the original post, see:
http://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2007/08/this-film-is-not-yet-rated.html

Yet another article about Vietnam and the Coronavirus:
From the Guardian: Vietnam crushed the coronavirus outbreak, but now faces severe economic test: Strict quarantining and widespread testing have helped the country avoid disaster, but with tourism on hold the nation’s future is uncertain

This is similar to the articles I linked to a couple days ago, but also does a good job of highlighting the future uncertainty.  Vietnam has seemingly eradicated the Coronavirus for now.  But they need the international tourist money.  And as soon as they re-open their boarders to tourists, what is going to happen?

"If that Mocking Bird won't sing"

(Grammar Questions I Couldn't Answer)

So, my wife (L1 Vietnamese) continues to find problems with conditional sentences in children's books.  (For the previous one she spotted, see HERE).
According to the rules of the first conditional, (as presented in textbooks for students of English as a second language) the form is "if+ present simple, will + base form" e.g. "If it's nice tomorrow, I'll go to the beach."  In other words, the present simple should be used in the if-clause, and the will future in the result clause. (See my worksheets on the first conditional, and on conditionals).  (Other future forms like "going to" can also be used in the result clause).
However, in the nursery rhyme "Hush Little Baby", there are two examples of won't being used in the if-clause.  See below.

Hush, little baby, don't say a word.
Papa's going to buy you a mockingbird
And if that mockingbird won't sing,
Papa's going to buy you a diamond ring
And if that diamond ring turns brass,
Papa's going to buy you a looking glass
And if that looking glass gets broke,
Papa's going to buy you a billy goat
And if that billy goat won't pull,
Papa's going to buy you a cart and bull
And if that cart and bull turn over,
Papa's going to buy you a dog named Rover.
And if that dog named Rover won't bark,
Papa's going to buy you a horse and cart.
And if that cart and bull fall down,
You'll still be the sweetest little baby in town

I've read in some grammar books that the ESL textbooks are actually over-simplifying the conditionals, and in reality a lot of different structures are possible. So this was my first response to my wife.
Upon looking at this poem more carefully, my second response is that "will" here is not being used as a future marker, but as a marker of intentionality.
And that's my best guess at it. Anyone else have further thoughts?