Words of the Year

The New York Times has published their pick of Words of the Year. Buzzwords in 2010 were vuvuzela, Belieber, double rainbow, inception, and many more.

Read all about it in this thorough article and grab the chance to update your English vocabulary with the newest words and expressions.

We remember... in 2010

The BBC has just released this slideshow where they review outstanding politicians, actors, sportspeople who have died in 2010. The slideshow is eight minutes long and optional captions to accompany the audio are available.

H/T  to Free Technology for Teachers.

Using Menu Psychology to Attract Customers

Although this The New York Times article is a year old, its content is fully dated. Find out about the tricks restaurants use to attract customers on these special dates throughout the year. A good read, although a bit lengthy.

My snowman's been stolen

This is a lesson by Mike J. Harrison that I have adapted here for people studying online.

Have a look at this Wordle about the theft on a snowman and try to make a sensible story with the vocabulary provided.

This is another Wordle with the story headline. Can you try and make a sensible headline with the vocabulary provided?

The full story is developed on the BBC site.

Watch this YouTube video where a police officer offers the underlying reasons that forced them to make the call public.



You can read a full transcript of the video together with the telephone call here.

A home for the future

A Home for the Future is an interactive display for The New York Times about a solar-powered home. Click on the photo and sound icons on the interactive image to learn about the features of a solar-powered home.

You can read the full article here.

John Lennon

The John Lennon site is full of surprises. News, articles, videos... and there are plenty of offers to buy his CDs as we may well expect.

Don't miss, though, the BBC2 interview with Yoko Ono on the Imagine Peace site.

How to build an igloo

Video from the NFB channel about how to build an igloo.

Should you google at dinner?

Read The New York Times article about the more and more widespread influence of the new technology, so much so that it is becoming a kind of addiction for some people.

Creative problem solving

We are all more likely to be successful in solving tasks if they are described as 'fun'. Some days back, The New York Times published a special edition on puzzles, including the article Tracking the Spark of Creating Problem-Solving.

As part of that special puzzle section, The New York Times has also included an intriguing interactive on sight.

Many thanks to Larry Ferlazzo for drawing my attention to this article.

Woody Allen

Listen to Woody Allen read his stories.

The Disunion Blog

Next year the 150th anniversary of the start of the US Civil War will be commemorated. In preparation for the event, The New York Times offers The Disunion Blog. The blog offers images, maps, timelines, diaries, and some other material to illustrate the causes of the US Civil War and the ensuing war.

60 Seconds Civic

60 Second Civics is a daily podcast produced by the Center for Civic Education. Each 60 Second Civics episode offers a short lesson about US Civics. Along with each episode is a one question quiz about that day's episode. Currently, the podcasts are focused on a comparison of British Parliament and US Congress.

I learn about 60 Second Civics from Free Technology for Teachers.

Google Talks

The Google Talks channel in You Tube offers a wide range of videos where lots of renowned personalities of culture and politics give talks or are interviewed.

A lot of the videos are also subtitled in English.

Take your pick, improve your English and learn.

Interactive tour of The Galapagos

NOVA offers an interactive tour of the Galapagos Islands as they appear today and as Darwin saw them. The tour of the islands highlights the unique animals and geologic features on the islands. As visitors progress through the tour they can view view videos and images and listen to audio tracks about the islands. In contrast to the modern imagery of the islands, visitors can select the "What Darwin Saw" tour to view Darwin's sketches, excerpts of his writings, and listen to experts talk about what Darwin saw.

What does an A mean?

This article form The New York Times on the marks or grades students are awarded at school has a number of gaps.

Fill in the gaps with a word of your choice or take your pick from the options given.

Spelling matters?

Is English spelling a problem for you? It won't be after you have watched this video, believe me.

Obsessed with the Internet?

Are we obsessed with the Internet? Very few people will go as far as acknowledging it, which doesn't mean the internet doesn't take pride of place in today's life.

Watch this The New York Times video and judge by yourself.