Merry Christmas!

Hi everyone. I just want to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a wonderful holiday season. Feel free to leave a holiday or other end-of-year message for other visitors here. What holidays or other traditions do you, your family, or your friends celebrate during the month of December? What do you celebrate these days? Please share your thoughts on this topic.

 

You can listen to this Christmas listening activity to practice your English: http://esl-lab.com/santa/santard1.htm.

Randall

 

 

Restaurant Orders

My oldest daughter does it again with another great listening activity. This one focuses on ordering at restaurants, and my other wonderful children (now adults) have been in many great conversations as well. Since I am fortunate to have had their voices in so many activities over the past 18+ years, it almost seems to some listeners that I must have 20 children. Give this one a try:

http://esl-lab.com/restaurantorder/restaurantorderrd1.htm

Water Conservation

I often can't stop laughing when my daughter, Aubrey, is the voice in some of my listening conversations. In my newest activity, she plays the role of a woman who is trying to save water, but her brother (me) can't seem to get the message. Give it a try:

http://esl-lab.com/conservewater/conservewaterrd1.htm

Snow Camping

Camping can be a fun family activity, but it can be double "fun" or cold in the middle of winter. In this video, I talk about a camping trip I went on with my daughter. Give it a try:

http://esl-lab.com/camp/wintercamping-video.htm

Black Friday is HERE!

One of the biggest shopping days of the year is almost here. Take a look at my video activity on the topic. Randall

http://esl-lab.com/shop1/shopping-bf-video.htm

MEXTESOL 2016 - Monterrey, Mexico

Last week, I attended and presented at MEXTESOL in Monterrey, Mexico, a convention for teachers of English. It was a wonderful experience to speak on vulnerability and courage, and I shared my own journey in making mistakes and learning from them. Here is the organization's Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/MEXTESOL/

Clothing Styles

With fall upon us in Utah, I'm now wearing a jacket in the morning to work. I like this time of year because of the fall colors and great running weather. In this conversation, I talk about clothing styles. Give it a try:

http://esl-lab.com/clothing/clothingrd1.htm

ESL Learning Guide - esl-lab.com

I've updated my topic guide on my Web site, so visitors can find conversations AND my videos by topic. This is very helpful in finding conversations, let's say, on travel, education, shopping, and so on. Give it a try:

http://esl-lab.com/guide.htm

Identity Theft

In my newest listening activity, a man is about to get into real hot water (real trouble) when his sister saves him from a huge mistake. Give it a try:

http://esl-lab.com/identitytheft/identitytheftrd1.htm

Driving in the United States

I often have students who want to drive in the United States, and specifically Utah, but don't know the rules of the road. This is particularly true at the beginning of a new school year when everything is new to them. In this video, I talk about some basic rules of the road. Take a look:

http://esl-lab.com/police/speedlimits-video.htm

First Day School Activities

Here is a helpful conversation about the first day of school. Often, teachers introduce themselves, the class, their grading systems, and their class policies. This might help you with your own class:

http://esl-lab.com/class/clasrd1.htm

First Day at School

Here is one of my all-time favorite listening activities with our son, Josh. We recorded this over 17 years ago, but it is a fun one to learn about our son's experience at a Japanese elementary school.

http://www.esl-lab.com/elem/elemrd1.htm

Using Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab

At the beginning of every new school semester or year, it can be helpful to review what my site offers teachers and students. Here are some tutorials that might help.

http://www.esl-lab.com/firstvisit.htm

ESL Listening Activities with Children's Voices

For many language learners, understanding the English of children can be very challenging because they aren't are so concerned about grammar, they don't slow down because they know that non-native speakers are listening to them, and they have their own unique vocabulary. To hep students practice this unique language, I have created a number of listening activities with children's voices, and you can see a list of these activities here:

http://esl-lab.com/lists.htm

Good luck!

Airport English - esl-lab.com

Many students who travel to new countries have a difficult time finding their way through airports. This listening activity will help you practice some vocabulary and pronunciation on this topic.

http://esl-lab.com/vocab/v-airplane-travel.htm

English Listening Activities by Topic

 Many teachers and students are beginning new classes as we enter the fall, and you might be looking for listening activities. Try using my Self-Study Guide. It lists my listening conversations by topic. Give it a try:

http://esl-lab.com/guide.htm

Gourmet Cooking

Do you want to see how angry a woman can get with her husband? Well, try my newest listening activity and find out!

http://esl-lab.com/gourmetcooking/gourmetcookingrd1.htm

Summer Vacations

With summer here, I'd decided to make a new listening activity on travel plans. In this conversation, the man (me) is SOOOO boring when it comes to planning his vacation. The woman (my wife), on the other hand, has some great and exciting. Check it out. What type of person would you rather travel with in this situation?

http://esl-lab.com/summervacation/summervacationrd1.htm

Fishing Vacation

Announcing my newest listening activity . . . and certainly one of my new favorites. In the conversation, my wife and I go fishing, and she shows me up and humbles me to the core. Give it a try:

http://esl-lab.com/fishing/fishingrd1.htm

 

 

Recycling Old Food

Do you "recycle" your food waste such as old banana peals, lettuce, and other old vegetables, or do you throw them in the trash? See what our family does in Utah:

http://esl-lab.com/enviro1/composting-video.htm

Independence Day

Today is independence Day (July 4th) in the United States. Take a look at my video activity on how some people decorate their streets on this day.

http://esl-lab.com/tradition/usflag-video.htm

Professional Babysitting

Summer is a time when many students in the US look for part-time job and for some people, babysitting might be option. Now, listen to this conversation and see how some people might take the job to the next level. My daughter does a great job at playing this role in the conversation.

http://esl-lab.com/sitter/sitter.htm

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is here in the United States, and here is my video activity on the topic:

http://www.esl-lab.com/insurance/memorialday-video.htm

Traffic Safety - www.esl-lab.com

From time to time, I almost get hit by distracted drivers as I run, and in my newest video, I discuss how to stay safe:

http://esl-lab.com/drive/trafficsafety-video.htm

Smart Phones

Smart phones: students love them, and some people (including teachers) hate them. However, other teachers find plenty of room for them in the classroom. So, how do we handle the relationship between phones and people? In my newest video activity, I discuss this issue. Enjoy and feel free to share you ideas on the topic:

http://esl-lab.com/smartphone/smartphones-video.htm

 

 

Speed Limits - www.esl-lab.com

Over the years, I have seen some wild drivers in many different parts of the world, and people sometimes drive as if there weren't any speed limits at all. Sound familiar? In my newest video activity, I talk about speed limits where I live to save you the trouble of getting a speed ticket.

What are the speed limits in your country? Please share your ideas.

http://esl-lab.com/police/speedlimits-video.htm

University Housing - www.esl-lab.com

Here is my newest video activity on the living options for international students at universities in the United States. Give it a try:

http://esl-lab.com/universitydegree/universityhousing-video.htm

Recycling and Composting

So, would you throw your trash into your garden to grow fresh vegetables? Well, we do. Watch this video and find out how.

http://esl-lab.com/enviro1/composting-video.htm

Part-Time Jobs

With summer on the way, many high school students start looking for part-time jobs. Watch this video on our family experience:

http://esl-lab.com/sitter/parttimejobs-video.htm

Learning Through Difficulty

Life is sometimes wild and crazy, and when I participate in races, I just have to laugh, scream, and jump for the race photographers. It doesn't help me move any faster, but it let's me act out a bit in the middle of the pain. Here is a picture at the end of one of my races with my wife. So, if you ever feel a little frustrated with learning English, just jump and shout. It might feel good for a minute or two.

Weekly Plans: What are your days like?

What are some of the things you do throughout the week? Share your ideas.

Randall

Security Systems

Sometimes, people do some of the craziest and most unbelievable things in the world. Some of these things are just plain stupid. In my listening conversation, Security Systems, I play the role of a bank robber in which nothing goes his way. Give it a try:

http://esl-lab.com/securitysystems/securitysystemsrd1.htm

Winter Sports with Family

We had another good snowfall last night, and I spent the morning shoveling in front of our house. Fun, fun! This time of year is great for winter activities as shown in this DANGEROUS video (not really dangerous, but fun):

http://esl-lab.com/kinder/wintersports-video.htm

 

 

 

 

Culture Videos at esl-lab.com

One of the parts of my site that I enjoy the most is my culture videos section. I've tried to introduce different aspects of language and culture in these short clips. Do you have a favorite? Please suggestion ideas for future videos. Add love to add them if I can:

http://esl-lab.com/videoclips.htm

New Vocabulary Activities

I've been adding vocabulary activities to my Web site that work on portable devices such as the iPhone and iPad. Give these a try:

       
• Airline Safety
         
• Alcoholics Anonymous
         
• Acting Schools and Movie Stars
     
• A Student Credit Card
     
• Cyberbullying
  
  
• Great Apartment Living
  
  
• 72-Hour Emergency Kit
     
• Smart Phones
  
  

Happy New Year 2016