Phonics: Theories and teaching approaches

Should you be teaching phonics? Are you teaching the right kind of phonics? Do you even know why you are teaching it?

The inclusion of phonics teaching in the classroom, be it in a native language class or a foreign language class, has educators strongly divided, with many - to put it bluntly - simply clueless as to what phonics teaching is and why it is used. It is further confused by the varying schools of thought and studies, but perhaps the emphasis is in the wrong place.

Writing prompts: a letter to your younger self

What advice would you give your younger self in retrospect?

Use any ideas you have, be they funny, serious, philosophical or mundane, and make a list of the things you consider important.

Then write your younger self a letter and offer a bit of wisdom.

あなたの若い自己をどのようなアドバイスを与える?

あなたが重要であると考えることのリストを作る：　持っている任意のアイデアを使用してください (変なこと大切なこと、なんでもいい）。

それから若い自己に手紙を書く。

New course: The Creative Instinct

I'm very happy to introduce a new three-part course on writing, marketing and creativity called The Creative Instinct.

The course has been developed over the last few years through working with students and clients and has been condensed into three main components:

Poor grammar costs you money: Part two

I asked people from various backgrounds and countries the following questions:

1) Would poor grammar and spelling errors in promotional material affect your choice to use, purchase or endorse products and services?

2) Would the industry matter?

In this part, I look at the whether the industry is important and, first, whether writing in a foreign language would influence opinion.

英語で長い文章を作ろう！

先週は'connecting words'の記事を書きました。

今週は'and'と'but'の使い方を教えます。

二つのことが同じような意味を持っている場合、'and'を使います.例：

It is hot today. It is sunny (fine). (今日は暑い。今日は晴れ。)

→ It is hot and sunny today. （今日は暑くて晴れです。）

The food here is delicious. It is cheap. (この店はおいしい。この店は安い。)

→ The food here is delicious and cheap. （この店はおいしくて安いです。)

今週の単語：例文３ Struggle

I hope that this helps people who are struggling with English.

 

Other ways to say it:

- I hope this helps people who are having problems with English.

- I hope this helps people learn English.

- I hope this helps make English easier to learn.

今週の単語：例文２ Struggle

- This decision is something I've been struggling with for a long time.

 

Other ways to say it:

- This has been a hard decision to make.

- I have had to think about this a lot.

- It took me a long time to make this decision.

今週の単語/Word of the Week: Struggle

Struggle (struggling): contend with something, fight

 

例文１：　Since losing my job, I've been struggling to pay the bills.

 

Other ways to say it:

- Since losing my job, it has been difficult to pay the bills.

- I've found it hard to pay the bills since I lost my job.

英語で長い文章を作りたい。どうすればいい？

英語で長い文章を作りたいですか？難しいと思いますか？

実は可成り簡単です。

 

この二つの文章を読んでください：

1) I want to study English. It is difficult. I don't like grammar.

2) I want to study English but it's difficult and I don't like grammar.

どちらの方が分かりやすいですか？

どう違いますか？

今週の単語：例文３

Strong

- Whiskey is a strong alcoholic drink.

 

ニュース：

Heavy rains and strong winds closed ports and disrupted shipping in the Suez Canal on Sunday. Flights have also been delayed in many airports in the region. (Press TV: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/155221.html)