Plenary Presentation on Coherence and Cohesion in Academic Writing

I've included a link to a plenary talk I gave on coherence and cohesion in EAP writing at a conference honoring the 50th anniversary of the Foundational Sciences Department and the 10th Anniversary of the Linguistics Department at Bauman State Technical University. The presentation can be found: here

American English

I've mentioned this resource to many of the participants at my most recent workshops and talks and I wanted to include a link to the site here on my blog. The AE "American English" website is a wonderful online resources for both English language teachers and learners. There are always great activity ideas, thoughtful articles, professional development opportunities and chances to continue your English language learning journey.

The site can be found at: http://americanenglish.state.gov/

Be sure to check out the games featured in the section about International Game Day (here)

Other highlights include:

1. A Cool Color Vowel Chart (here)
2. The Voice of America (here)
3. English Teaching Forum magazine (here)
4. "Trace Effects" computer game (here)

And there's much more to be found, so take some time and enjoy exploring the American English website.

EAP Writing: Introductions & Conclusions

I'm including the materials I created for a workshop I facilitated yesterday at the American Center here in Moscow. The topic was: Introductions and Conclusions (for English for Academic Purposes Essay Writing). That last part is important. This workshop, along with the workshop I did in October on the PIE-C structure for body paragraphs, deal with academic writing. Also, it should be noted that, even within the field of academic writing, there are many different task types (problem/solution essays, persuasive essays, analysis essays, research papers, literature reviews, IMRD-style scientific articles, proposals, abstracts... the list goes one). The approach to writing introductions and conclusions outlined in this presentation is but one of many. 

That being said, feel free to use, adapt and/or ignore any and all of the materials provided. I hope you find something helpful/useful to you! 

1. Introductions & Conclusions (ppt)
2. Introductions & Conclusions (pdf)
3. EAP Introductions (Overview)
4. EAP Conclusions (Overview)
5. Thesis Statements Workshop

English Grammar Terms & Expressions

In order to clearly explain the way English grammar works, we need a clear understanding of the terms and expressions used to talk about grammar. The following websites are online glossaries for expressions used to talked about English grammar. They have easy to understand definitions and even often a few examples. If you (or a student) gets stumped over just how to explain what a dangling modifier or elliptical clause is, try consulting one of these sites.

I've also listed them on the right side of the website, under the 'Grammar' links.

1. UsingEnglish.com Glossary
2. About.com "100 Key Grammatical Terms"
3. EnglishPlus.com Grammar Glossary

Happy Hunting!

Halloween 2014!

Tomorrow is Halloween. I'm not sure if you'll have time to do something fun with your students, but I'm including a few fun ideas here. As always, feel free to use, adapt or ignore. Happy Halloween! 

1. Halloween Jokes
2. Monster Mash (animated video) (lyrics) (fill-in-the-blanks)
3. Charlie Brown & The Great Pumpkin
4. Halloween Vocabulary Quiz
5. Halloween Questionnaire
6. The Origins of Halloween (comprehension questions)

Motivation & Language Learning

Below I have include links to the PowerPoint presentation on the role that motivation plays in the language learning process that I created to support the plenary speech I gave as part of the Moscow English Language Teacher's Association 10th Anniversary Conference, "Facing Challenges in the Changing World". Holy run-on sentence! 

Again, please feel free to use, adapt or ignore this presentation. If you have any questions or comments, send me an email at: jk.esl.uiuc@gmail.com

MELTA Website

Motivation & Language Learning (PPT)

Motivation & Language Learning (PDF)

PIE-C Structure for Body Paragraphs

Example

Here is a presentation I just gave at the American Center here in Moscow. It is on the PIE-C Method for structuring body paragraphs and promoting coherence in academic writing. It is a basic rhetorical structure taught in many Freshman Rhetoric/Composition courses at US Universities.

I've included the presentation as well as additional handouts. Please let me know if you have any questions, comments or suggested improvements!

PIE-C Presentation
PIE-C Presentation Notes
PIE-C Practice (Answers)