What’s New in American English – Week of September 27, 2021

This last week of September on the American English at State Facebook page we wrap up our theme of Language Learning and language point of phrasal verbs. On the American English for Educators Facebook page we close out our September theme of Back to School. The Teacher’s Corner Facebook group concludes September’s theme of Establishing and Supporting English Clubs. Feel free to download our graphics and use them on your U.S. Government associated Facebook pages. They can be found in Box and SharePoint.

On the American English for Educators Facebook page the American English LIVE Teacher Development Series 12 will have its second session on Wednesday, September 29. The second session, “ACTIVATE 21st Century Skills with Board Games in the Classroom” will take place at 8am and 1pm ET. Promotional graphics and discussion posts are included with this week’s materials.

The Teacher’s Corner Facebook group finishes the September theme of Establishing and Supporting English Clubs and will focus on Club Challenges and Problem Solving. We’ll introduce our new October topic: The Sustainable Classroom and our October Expert Jennifer Williams.

Be sure to check out our new American English Materials. You can find copies of our most recent materials at the following links. The Global Guide to English Language Programming in American Spaces can be found in Box and on the American English Website. The updated Picture U.S. edition 2021, is in Box and on the AE website. The Online Program Material Guides – Teacher’s Guide to Creating Lessons with MOOCs, MOOC Camp Guide for Facilitators, and Virtual Watch Party guide is in Box and on the AE website.

The American English YouTube channel has a new featured animated video about Phrasal verbs. When you are learning a language, how do you prepare for a test? Listen to the conversation in this video to learn about some phrasal verbs related to language learning.

The current issue of English Language Forum is available on the American English website. The (Vol. 59, No. 2) issue contains articles about finding heterogeneity in cultural homogeneity, using peace education as a basis for writing about a peacemaker, using an asynchronous video app to stimulate oral interaction, starting with “placemats” and progressing to writing essays and much more.

The Materials Catalogue for English language teachers and learners is available.  These resources are aimed at supporting teachers of English outside of the United States. This catalog provides information on publications that are produced by the U.S. Department of State’s Office of English Language Programs and distributed through U.S. Embassies and Consulates around the world. Please see below for ordering information.

Online Professional English Network (OPEN) MOOCs: Integrating Critical Thinking Skills into the Exploration of Culture in an EFL Setting, English for Tourism Professionals, English for Media Literacy for Educators, Assessment of English Language Learners,  English for Business & Entrepreneurship, English for Journalism and more are open for enrollment. More details about all MOOCs and links can be found below.

American English for Educators Facebook Page

Description: The American English for Educators Facebook Page is aimed toward engaging English language teachers around the world.

September’s Theme: Back to School

October’s Theme: Culturally Inclusive Teaching

Graphics that are in the Box and SharePoint for you to cross-post/use:

·  Back to School: administer, vocab quiz,

·  Our #MotivationMonday graphic shares a quote: Education is not the filling of a pot but the lighting of a fire.

·  #WordyWednesday features theme-related vocabulary; this week’s term is classroom routines

·  Our #SolveThisScenario series this week is about name pronunciation 

·  Teaching Tip: creating a virtual background

·  #ThoughtfulThursday: virtual community

·  PDTT MOOC Vocabulary: impact, feedback

·  YouTube Professional Development Playlist: Cultural Competence

·  We will continue sharing teaching tips from English Teaching Forum, classroom management techniques, and additional resources from americanenglish.state.gov. This week’s graphic is about the latest issue.

·  Holidays: World Tourism Day, International Podcast Day, International Day of Older Persons

·  American English LIVE Teacher Development Series 12 will have its second session on Wednesday, September 29. The first session, “ACTIVATE 21st Century Skills with Board Games in the Classroom ” will take place at 8am and 1pm ET. Promotional graphics and discussion posts are included with this week’s materials.

Teachers’ Corner Facebook Group

Description: The Teacher’s Corner Facebook group is primarily to support teachers who work with English Access Micro scholarship Students.  All Access teachers (and other educators) are welcome! Please invite educators in your area to join.

September Theme: Establishing and Supporting English Clubs

This Week’s Content:

·  Establishing and Supporting English Clubs with a focus on Club Challenges and Problem Solving.

·  We will brainstorm some common club issues and think about how to solve them.

·  Our Expert Kathy will present several potential club problems and her suggestions for combating them.

·  We’ll share an activity for empowering our English club leadership teams by showing them how to identify potential problems and to resolve them on their own.

·  We’ll introduce our new October topic: The Sustainable Classroom and our October Expert Jennifer Williams.

       Link to group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/AccessTeachersCorner/