Baseball is for all ages!

Are you a baseball fan?  Most of us are.  There is something about baseball that brings out the best in people.  Maybe we just enjoy being outside.  We like the sights, sounds, and smells of the ball park.  In the United States, we have a seventh-inning stretch. It’s a great time for all the spectators to stand up, stretch their legs, and sing a song together.

The food sold at ball games are concessions.  In the US, we buy a lot of hot dogs, soda, peanuts, popcorn, and cotton candy at baseball games.  What kinds of concessions are sold at baseball games you attend?

I found this great video on YouTube that shows a funny fight at a Korean baseball game.  What do you think is happening here?

Use a thermometer to take your temperature

First, how about the word FEVER.  A fever is when your body is hotter than usual.  We measure temperature in Fahrenheit, so a normal temperature is 98.7 degrees.  If my child’s body temperature is over 102 degrees, I usually take them to the doctor.

When we measure someone’s body temperature, we say that we “take” their temperature.  So I might say to my child, “Come here, I want to take your temperature.”  And if it is too high, then I say, “You have a fever.”

When my child has a fever, I give them medicine, such as Tylenol or Motrin.  This medicine helps reduce their fever and it helps them to sleep (which is VERY good).

If you have a fever, you might get the “chills.”  This is when your body temperature is rising rapidly, and so you feel very cold.  You might even begin shaking.  We call this “the chills.”

When the fever ends, we say the fever “breaks.”  Often my child’s fever will end suddenly, and so I know their fever has broken.  I am always relieved.

I hope you survived this past winter without having a fever.  What is a high fever in Celsius?  How do you stop a fever?

Adding up all your income and expenses brings you to the bottom line

The Bottom Line’ is an accounting term used with money.  When you add up all the income and all the expenses of a business, the total is shown on the bottom line.  We use ‘the bottom line’ to  mean ‘the most important information.’  Forget all the little details and go right to most important information.  Check out my post where I use this idiom and keep practicing!

You are going to use the board.  If you don’t have a board (white board, chalkboard, blackboard, or overhead), you must get one.  The board is going to be your favorite tool.  You need to use it to your best advantage.  So here are my

Top Ten Ways to use the Board:

Number 1:  Use it to get the students’ attention.  Writing on the board immediately draws their attention to you.  We are just naturally curious.

Number 2:  Keep it clean.  When you finish a “section” of the lesson, clear the board.  Not only will it draw interest again, but the students will be able to see what you are writing without becoming confused.

Number 3:  Write legibly.  Easier said than done.  But you still have to do it.  No whining.

Number 4:  Write in an appropriate size.  If you have a small board, you’re going to need to scale down the size of your writing to fit.  You don’t want to be erasing too often.

Number 5:  Use different colors.  With chalk, dry erase markers, or overhead pens, you can use different colors.  Colors are exciting, interesting, and help point out different parts of speech easily.

Use lots of colors and make sure they have plenty of ink in them

Number 6:  Ask students to write on the board.  They usually like it, and it’s good writing practice.

Number 7:  Draw pictures.  Again, easier said than done.  Have students draw pictures too.  It’s like a no planning, no supplies game that’s available at all times.

Number 8:  Write your name on the board.  Most foreign names are hard for people to remember.  Keeping your name up on the board will help students feel comfortable calling on you for help.

Number 9:  Make sure you bring the proper supplies to class.  The board is of no use if you don’t have chalk or dry erase markers.  Similarly, it doesn’t last long without a proper eraser.  Come prepared.

Number 10:  Turn your back to the class as little as possible.  Sometimes teachers fall into the habit of facing the board instead of the class. Don’t do it.

Try to face the class even when using the board.

Following these tips will help you use the board to its fullest potential.  It’s a tool.  Use it!

Just for kicks, I included a few idioms in this post.  Can you name the movies and songs?

It’s great to be back.  Thanks for waiting.

Today we’re going to focus on the  common mistake of pronouncing ‘th’ like ‘d.’   When you make this mistake, the sentence, “I hope that they are there,” sounds like, “I hope dat day are dare.”  This is an absolute no-no and makes it very difficult for native speakers to understand you.

To correct this problem, practice making the ‘th’ sound.  Extend your tongue and lightly bite it with your teeth.  The ‘th’ sound is sometimes made with air and sometimes with your vocal cords.  If  ‘th’ is at the beginning of a word, you will usually make the sound with your voice.  If  ‘th’ is at the end of word, you will only use air - no vocal cord vibration.

Again, practice makes perfect, so practice, practice, practice!  Here are several words to work on.

TH at the beginning of a word:          TH at the end of a word:

The                                                               With

That                                                             Health

There                                                          Path

This                                                             Fourth

They                                                            Wealth

Three                                                         Tenth

Today, I want to work on the two sounds made by the letters ‘F’ and ‘V’

Mouth formation is the same for both letters… place your front teeth lightly on your lower lip with your mouth slightly open.

Now place your hand on your throat.  As you make the ‘F’ sound, do not use your vocal cords to make the sound.  Only allow air to pass through to make the ‘F’ sound.  You will not feel any vibration with the hand you have placed on your throat.

To make the ‘V’ sound, keep your mouth in the same position.  This time, use your vocal cords as you push air.  You will feel the vibration in your throat.

I recommend you practice this everyday for a week or two.  Try it lots of different ways:  in front of a mirror, with your eyes closed, with your hand on your throat, or without.  Say lots of words that start with F and then with V.  Here’s a list you can try.  Keep practicing!!!

F                                                 V

Fan                                            Van

Fly                                             Violin

Fluff                                          Vegetable

Fight                                         Very

Four                                          Vision

From                                        Volume

Foot                                          Vast

Fun                                             Vent