Hi everyone.  This is a reminder to read the Form 7 page.  Check the summary of the examiners report.  Also ….. your homework for the next class.  You must have an article from a recent paper and be willing to tell others what it is about – in two – three sentences and your own words.

In many classes this week, we have talked about the importance of listening to others during discussion.  We have also seen that looking at websites, watching TV and reading newspapers can help us in developing new ideas on different topics.   One website that has some good listening activities is : ello. 
There are hundreds of short interviews and discussions as well as short presentations by  people on different topics.  The text of the recording is online so you can check any words and phrases you are not sure of.  There is also an explanation of some phrases and idioms for some of the material as well as a short quiz.   Try the one on tai chi or the one on finance. There are even short ones like “a perfect day”.     There are many different speakers so you can listen to speakers from Australia, Canada, the USA, UK and more.

In class, we have talked about the importance of improving knowledge of vocabulary. This will improve your fluency.  Recently, I came across an article called “Effective Ways to Improve Vocabulary: Ten Tips for Adults”.  While this is written for English speaking adults, most of the tips are just as useful for all of us.  Some tips from the article you can all use include:

1. Study words in context.  Learning lists of words by themselves is not the best way to understand how to use those words.

2. Read a lot.  This will increase the numbers of words you see.

3. Read different sorts of writing.  The SCMP is good, but you should also read magazines, The Standard, web sites, fiction and non fiction.  Read widely and read often.

4. You should read some English every day. It is something that is ongoing and will improve over time.  Make it a habit to look for new words and learn them

5. Use a dictionary to look up the meaning of words you do not know.  You can do this with class materials by reading over the articles we have discussed in class.

6. Find ways to use the new words you have learned.  You can do this in your writing as well as during the discussions in class.