I want English over Winter Break!

We only have a few weeks left in the semester before our three-week Winter break. How will you survive without daily study of English?!

Don't fret, my dearies. Today we are going to practice something in the same way you can create your own langauge lesson using the wonderful worldwide web. We're putting our minds to work, right? Just like our chapter has been framing its content.

Today's focus: a recent funny, successful American film. (I hope we have film buffs in class.) First, let's watch the trailer together in case some of us aren't aware of or haven't seen the film yet.

Now, let's hear from director and stars regarding their creative process in making the film by both listening to and reading along to their interview and a wonderful news site I love: NPR (National Public Radio) -- 89.9 FM here in Los Angeles.

Don't leave this blog! Hold down the control button CTRL on your keyboard and click the link above so that the link opens in a 2nd tab instead of navigating away from this page.

At the npr site, we see an article about the film, an option to listen to an 8-minute interview, and an option to see the transcript. First, click play to listen then pause the player. Hold CTRL and click "Transcript" to open that page. Get the transcript in front of you, then play the recording. Listen and read along at your own pace. Pause when you want and look-up any vocabulary you like at http://www.learnersdictionary.com/. Or just listen through without stopping.

This is a wonderful way to practice your listening skills. This site has so many interviews and transcripts to go along with them. You should be listening to the shows on the radio, as well. Hear something interesting? You can come find it here and listen and read more closely to something that interested you.

Need more of a challenge?

Try listening to this more recent interview broadcast this week via the local NPR branch KCRW, which can t be found at their separate affiliate website: http://www.kcrw.com/ or linked to one of their particular programs from its Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/KCRWTheBusiness.

Here, the two co-writers discuss how they began and continued through the writing process. Though they weren't strangers to comedy of comedy, performing or movies, they were somewhat strangers to writing a movie. See how much of the 20-minute interview (which begins right before minute 8) you can follow. No transcript available this time! Hold CTRL and click "more recent interview" above and click "listen" on that website, which opens in a new tab, and in the player that opens in a new window, skip to just before minute 8.

How did you do? How much new vocabulary did you pick up or write down to study? Did you try repeating some of the things you heard? Especially HOW some of the things were said? Pacing...intonation...reductions. Do you think you may try this same kind of activity with a film you are more familiar with? What about these news sites? Would you look around NPR or KCRW's site a bit more to find more interesting interviews or news broadcasts to read and listen to? You could certainly be kept busy for three weeks. ;)