ESL Class Blog

SIELI summer 2007 first recordings.

Hi everyone!  This is my first blog entry for our summer 2007 SIELI class.  We're experimenting with creating and posting sound files for our Speaking and Listening ESL class.  I've recorded an introduction, and I also recorded pronunciation examples of some of the words we practiced in class today.  I hope you enjoy these recordings.

Download terrieday1.wav

Download vocab1.wav

Future Tense Listening Exercise #1

Hello,

This is a listening exercise based on a podcast from "Future Tense," a daily report on current trends in technology.  Below is a list of vocabulary that appears in the podcast.  Look these words up and make sure you understand their meaning before you listen to the recording.  After you listen to the recording, answer the questions just below the link to the recording by clicking on "comments" and typing your answers there.

to snap (a photo)
to click (the shutter)
in the past 30 years
for a number of years
portability
on the fly
technological breakthrough
(this is) far and away best
a curved surface
curvature
the sighted

Here's a brief description of this audio report:

July 05, 2006

Talking camera converts print to audio

A new handheld device snaps digital photos of text and reads it back to users in a synthesized voice. The device, which went on sale this week for about $3,500, was developed by inventor Ray Kurzweil and the National Federation of the Blind.  The Federation's James Gashel says the reader is the most significant new technology for blind people in the last 30 years.

1.  How high does he hold the reader (the camera) above the page?
2.  Why is this camera useful to the blind?
3.  What does "on the fly" mean?
4.  What does "portability" mean?
5.  Where did the speaker say he can take this reader (the camera)?  He named 3 places.
6.  Whare are the digital pictures converted to?
7.  How did he say the sighted can use this camera?
8.  Would you buy this camera (if you had the money)?  How would you use it?

If you want to download this sound file, click here:

Download talking_camera_converts_print_to_aud.mp3

Future Tense Listening Exercise #2

Hello,

This is aanother listening exercise based on "Future Tense," the daily report on technology.  Below is vocabulary that appears in the podcast.  Look these words up and make sure you understand their meaning before you listen to the recording.  After you listen to the recording, answer the questions just below the link to the recording by clicking on "comments" and typing your answers there.

to reach a new high
debuted
to upgrade
an older demographic
downloaders
sourced from
ripped from
pulled from
file sharing
way down
fee-based music services
wide-range
the youth (of America)

Here's a brief description of this audio report:

June 30, 2006

MP3 player ownership hits new high

Research firm Ipsos says one in five Americans ages 12 and older owns a portable digital music player. That's up from about one in 10 Americans in 2003, the year that online music store iTunes debuted. The Ipsos study says a strong consumer interest in video and other new content should drive ownership even higher.

1.  What percentage of the U.S. population own more than one mp3 player?
2.  How does this compare to the percentage of people in your own country that own mp3 players?
3.  What teenage population age range (in the U.S) has the greatest porportion of mp3 player ownership?  Is this similar to your country?
4.  What percentage of Americans aged 35 to 54 own an mp3 player?  Does this surprise you?
5.  Where do the majority of the songs on all these mp3 players come from?
6.  Has the amount of music downloaded from free file-sharing websites increased or decreased in the past few years?  What is your idea about why this has happned?
7.  What to Americans ages 12 - 24 want to see more of in downloadable content for their mp3 players?

If you want to download this sound file, click here:

download mp3_player_ownership_hits_new_high.mp3

Two great escapes from the tension of the city

Listen to this recording of a woman's favorite places in Chicago and then write (in complete sentences) answers to the following questions in the "comments" section to this posting:

1. What are the two places she likes?
2. What is the first reason that she gives for liking both of these places?
3. What does she say she can get away into when she goes to Garfield Park?  What is she trying to get away from?
4. Why does she like the library so much?

Download garfield_park.mp3

Two wonderful islands to visit

http://www.kiawah.com/

Listen to this recording of an interview about a woman's favorite places in the world to travel to, and then write (in complete sentences) your answers to the following questions in the "Comments" section of this post.

1. Why does she like the Kiawah Islands in South Carolina? (She gives a lot of reasons.  Name at least 3 of her reasons.)
2. Why did she like Irelahd? (Name at least 3 of her reasons.)

Download south_carolina.mp3

Shedd Aquarium and Cafe Gelato

Listen to this recording of an interview about a woman's favorite places in Chicago, and then write (in complete sentences) your answers to the following questions in the "Comments" section of this post.

1. What is the woman's name?
2. Where is Cafe Gelato?
3. Why does she like the Shedd Aquarium?

Download shedd_aquarium.mp3

Vocabulary from NPR movie review podcast

                           In today's class we discussed a movie review podcast from NPR that reviewed the movies "The Lake House" and "Wordplay."   Overall the review for The Lake House was pretty negative, and the review for Wordplay was a bit more positive.  Essentially, the "sap factor" in the The Lake House was less interesting than the "geek factor" in Wordplay.  Despite this, almost everyone in the class said they still would like to see "The Lake House," mainly because of its two charismatic actors, Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock.

Words and phrases to study from this podcast:

puzzling,
to be touchy
some pretty convoluted post twists
lost in translation (not the movie title :-)
in the "Twilight Zone"
to have chemistry
charismatic, charisma
sappy, sappiness factor
off the chart, (the sappiness factor is off the chart)
the geek factor

Our NPR podcast

Here is the podcast that we are all listening to for practice with movie reviews.  Listen to the first 5 minutes and focus on the reviews for the movies Lake House, Wordplay and Loverboy.

Download npr__movies_for_friday_16_jun_2006.mp3

Your Cool Words files for Week 3

Hi everyone.  Here's the files you made today of your new set of cool words.  Please download your own file and then post it on your own blog with a short written explanation of what you said in your mp3 file.  Also, listen to the file you made last week and compare it with the file you made for today's set of Cool Words and then write a few sentences in your blog entry of what you think about how you sound.  Do you hear any improvement?  If you don't hear much difference, did you at least feel a little more confident making your second recording?

Tiger, you didn't include a definition of your word in your recording....make sure you type the definition in your blog entry when you post your mp3 file.

Hidy, I've included your recording for the word "Smart Ass" from the Cool Words list for week 2 in this post for you to download and put on your own blog.

Download eun_bin.mp3

Download Hidy.mp3

Download hidy2.mp3

Download Lani.mp3

Download haeryeong3.mp3

Download Maki3.mp3

Download Yusuke3.mp3

Download miyako3.mp3

Download Tiger3.mp3

Individual recordings of Cool Words from week 2

Hi everyone.  I've attached the individual student recordings of last week's Cool Words so each student can download and save their recording....and then post that recording on their own blogs.

Download eun_bin_kim.mp3

Download grazyna.mp3

Download haeryeong.mp3

Download kyoko.mp3

Download maki.mp3

Download min_young_choi.mp3

Download miyako.mp3

Download sun_bun_kim.mp3