THE HUSBAND: Intermediate ESL Play by Asli Ogulcuklu-Cevik

The story "The Husband" is taken from the ESL reading book, "More True Stories".

I turned the story into a play for my adult ESL students.

PHONETICS 101

Phonetics is the study of the characteristics of speech sounds. 

As second language learners, most of us have had difficulties in pronouncing certain sounds in English. When I was an ESL student, it was quite difficult for me to pronounce the [θ], [r], as well as [ð] and [æ] sounds because they either don't exist in Turkish sound system or are produced differently. With the help of my undergraduate phonology course, I became more aware of all the individual sounds in English.

Therefore, as an English instructor, I believe that teaching pronunciation explicitly is vital in an adult ESL class. Although there are biological, socio-cultural, and personality factors as well as the effects of the native language, it is the teacher’s responsibility to design his/her lessons for students to practice their pronunciation both through drills and meaningful context. That way, the pronunciation of the target sounds can be more salient for students.

In the video, I work with one of my Chinese students, Hua, to pronounce /s/ sound in combination with /w/ sound. Before our practice, she pronounces the verb "swept" as /ʃwept/. Although Hua can distinguish /ʃ/ and /s/ sounds and pronounce them individually in a correct way, she has hard time to pronounce the /sw/ sound. 

In such circumstances, it's important to inform the student that it is not a failure but a result from the fact that these two sounds do not used together in Chinese. After the student practices combinations of /s/ and different vowel sounds, she can produce the /sw/ sound. It is just a matter of practice. Please don't keep it from them!

MY WHITE BOARD

After I taught the nine English tenses (times) in five months, my ESL students requested me to show them all of those tenses in one picture!

                                          I have never seen them more motivated and excited!!! 

An incredibly creative way to inspire kids to engage in their learning!

Dave Eggers talks about how his 826 Valencia tutoring center inspired others around the world to open.

Five days a week, dozens of students of all skill levels and interests come to 826 for free, one-on-one tutoring. Most of these students are from the predominately Latino neighborhood, and few speak English at home. When their homework is finished, some children work on extracurricular writing projects; others prefer to grab a book off the shelves and do some quiet reading.

APPLY to be one of 2013's SLI Facilitators!

CYI's Summer Leadership Institute (SLI) is getting ready for its THIRTEENTH annual summer session and we're looking to assemble our strongest team yet! 

If you...
- are passionate about social issues,
- believe in community mobilization through youth empowerment,
- and want to be a part of a kickass for-youth-by-youth organization,

consider applying to be part of this summer's SLI staff!

The program consists of a series of weekly workshops, in which high school youth engage in exploratory activities and discussions. These workshops aim to facilitate identity and leadership development, as well as to enhance awareness of issues affecting underrepresented communities.

If this speaks to you, we encourage you to apply!

Applications can be downloaded here:
http://db.tt/XrXyyVnK

Please send us a cover letter and a resume to apply@cyinyc.org by Monday, February 25th, 11:59pm.

TO GET MORE INFORMATION, CLICK HERE

"Education needs to work by pull, not push.” (Charles Leadbeater)

A RIVETING TECHNIQUE TO TEACH/ REVIEW PRESENT PERFECT TENSE