American English Language School

  Monday, October 31st, is Halloween day! What is Halloween? Halloween is a holiday full of costumes, candy, parties, and scares! It is a day that people choose to celebrate however they like.   Why do we celebrate Halloween? The tradition began because of an ancient Celtic festival. The Celtics celebrated the new year on November 1st. They believed on the night before the new year, ghosts would return to the earth. People would light bonfires and wear costumes to scare off ghosts. It was originally called All Saints Day or All Hallows Eve, and later became known as Halloween.   Now, how do we celebrate Halloween? Typically, when people think of Halloween, they think of costumes and candy. Most children dress up in various Halloween costumes. Elementary schools will usually have Halloween parades and parties for students to enjoy and celebrate during the day. During the night, children wear their costumes and go trick-or-treating. Trick or treating is when child...

  Did you know that American English Language School offers a TOEFL preparation course? The course is available for students to take as a class or as private tutoring. The preparation course will go over the structure of the test, the different skill areas, and techniques to help students feel more prepared for their test.   In order to enroll in our TOEFL preparation class, students must have completed Level 5 of our ESL program, or new applicants may choose to take our placement test and receive a sufficient score. However, the placement test is not required if you want to enroll in private tutoring.   Throughout the week, students will work on various reading passages and text-related questions, listen to lectures from teachers and conversations between students, and respond to integrated and independent writing prompts.   Besides honing your reading, listening, speaking, and writing skills, you will also improve your vocabulary. Students will have a...

  Going to class and studying your weekly vocabulary is a very important part of learning English. However, in order to really learn a language to the best of your ability, you need to have other ways of incorporating English into your daily life. Podcasts are a wonderful way for students to learn English because it improves listening skills and gives students more inexperience with conversational English and American culture. Here is a list of three podcasts you should incorporate into your day!   1.     This American Life   This American Life is a weekly public radio program and podcast. Each week we choose a theme and put together different kinds of stories on that theme.   This podcast is a wonderful way for students to learn about American culture and how people live around the United States.   2.     You’re Wrong About     Sarah is a journalist obsessed with the past. Every week she reconsiders ...

  We are now in Autumn! Otherwise known as fall. Fall is the season after summer and before winter. It begins in September and ends in November. It is mostly know as fall since this is the time that the leaves will be ‘falling’ from the trees and temperatures begin to decrease. The colors of fall are orange, green, yellow, and brown. During this fall season, our 4th quarter will begin! Our 4th quarter will start next week on Monday, October 3rd. What should students expect during this quarter?   During the first week of our 12 week ESL course, students will go over the syllabus and class expectations. Students may play some games and participate in fun activities to get to know each other and feel more comfortable   After the first week, students will go over a new unit each week. Students will practice their reading, listening, writing, and speaking skills throughout the week. Then on Fridays, students will take a unit test based on what they learned that week....

  At American English Language School, we know that learning English happens in and out of the classroom. One way we like to encourage our students to practice their English is by reading books. This will also allow them to learn the social situations of our country as well as some slang or vocabulary practice they might not get to experience in their classroom. Here is a list of three English books for ESL learners to try.   1.     Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom   This beautifully written book is the story of a man watching his professor and mentor waste a way to disease. Through this experience the main character gets to see his professor in a new way and gets to learn the life lessons he needs through his mentor’s experiences.   2.     The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon   Christopher is a 15-year-old boy who suffers from Asperger’s syndrome. When his neighbors’ dog is murdered,...