WEBSITES THAT MAY HELP WITH YOUR STUDIES

DETERMINE YOUR LEVEL

Use the level test on the Exam English Homepage to determine your level. Thanks are due to Ecem Baykus for introducing me to this site
https://www.examenglish.com/
CONVERT TEXTS TO SPEECH
Use the following site to convert any text to speech: https://ttsreader.com/
PRONUNCIATION
Forvo is a wonderful pronunciation dictionary you will find useful: https://forvo.com/ Thanks Ali Eren
SHORT STORIES AND NOVELS

·         Classic short stories http://classicshorts.com/

·         Page by page books  http://pagebypagebooks.com/

·         American literature  http://americanliterature.com/

·         Free e-books by Project Gutenberg  http://www.gutenberg.org/

·         Stack room  http://www.beststackroom.com/
       English E-Books http://english-e-books.net/elementary/  (Thank you Ali Eren)

AUDIO BOOKS: UNSIMPLIFIED

·         Loyal Books http://www.loyalbooks.com/  

·         Audio Books http://www.audiobooks.org/

·        Short stories advanced: http://www.theguardian.com/books/series/short-stories-podcast

·       Short stories,  advanced http://tunein.com/audio-books/Eleven-Classic-Short-Stories-p413014/

      Short stories, advanced  http://www.thestoryplayer.com/tag/listen-to-short-stories/  

       Audio books: Crime http://theproproom.blogspot.com.tr/2015/11/audio-books-unsimplified-crime.html

      Audio books http://www.openculture.com/freeaudiobooks  

      AUDIO BOOKS: SIMPLIFIED

·         Short Stories: http://esl-bits.net/ESL.English.Listening.Short.Stories/ESL.Listening.Short.Stories.html

       Learning English through story: http://theproproom.blogspot.com.tr/2015/10/learn-english-through-story-listen-and.html

DOCUMENTARIES

·         Top documentary films  http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/  

·         Films for action http://www.filmsforaction.org/

·         BBC documentaries with English subtitles  https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bbc+documentary+english+subtitles+hd&oq=bbc+documentary+english+subtitles+hd&gs_l=youtube.3...0.0.0.6835.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0...0.0...1ac..11.youtube

·         BBC History cold case https://www.google.com.tr/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=BBC+history+cold+case+documentaries

·         Documentary Heaven http://documentaryheaven.com/
      Crime Investigation Australia
https://www.google.com.tr/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=Crime+Investigation+Australia&tbm=vid
      Forensic investigators https://www.google.com.tr/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=forensic+investigators&tbm=vid

LISTENING PLUS QUESTIONS

·         The British Council http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/skills/listening-skills-practice  

·         Randall’s ESL cyber listening lab http://esl-lab.com/   

·         Lyrics training http://lyricstraining.com/

·         ESL lounge  http://www.esl-lounge.com/premium/listening.php

·         Listening comprehension and note taking http://www.uefap.com/listen/exercise/exlis.htm
     Voscreen http://www.voscreen.com/ 
     Listen A Minute https://listenaminute.com/  (Suggested by Fırat)

LISTEN AND READ

·         Slow English http://slowenglish.info/

·         Buzzle   http://www.buzzle.com/  

·         VOA learning English http://learningenglish.voanews.com/
     Quick and Dirty tips http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/health-fitness/mental-health/how-to-tell-if-someone-is-lying 
     LISTEN, TAKE NOTES AND SUMMARIZE 

      Famous speeches delivered by President Barrack Obama http://www.americanrhetoric.com/barackobamaspeeches.htm

       Speeches http://www.americanrhetoric.com/  
     Educational videos to base writing on https://www.youtube.com/user/crashcourse/playlists 
     LISTEN TO POETRY

·         Poetry out loud http://www.poetryoutloud.org/poems-and-performance/listen-to-poetry

·         Poetry foundation http://www.poetryfoundation.org/features/audiolanding

·         Listen to poetry https://www.englishclub.com/listening/poetry.htm

      LISTEN TO REAL LIFE EXPERIENCES
      ·         Story Corps https://storycorps.org/  
      FUN WITH LISTENING

·         Jokes in levels http://www.jokesinlevels.com/  

LISTEN TO ACADEMIC LECTURES

·         TED talks  http://www.ted.com/talks
      Ted ed originals https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rpy9Qp7NAaw&list=PLJicmE8fK0EiEzttYMD1zYkT-SmNf323z

·         The Royal Society of Arts https://www.thersa.org/discover/videos/

·         BBC Radio podcasts http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02nrtpm/episodes/downloads
      TRT World http://www.trtworld.com/  (Suggested by Yahya Doğan)
     LISTENING PLUS GRAMMAR

·         Learning English with Jennifer https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0A0C8CFFE9712B76

·         Learning American English online https://www.youtube.com/user/learnamericanenglish/videos

·         James ESL English lessons https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwA7Aepp7nRUJNa8roQ-6Bw

·         Check the ribbon on the right in the third link for more video lessons on engVid
      Fun with grammar  http://theproproom.blogspot.com.tr/2015/10/fun-with-grammar-watch-listen-and-learn.html
      READING MATERIAL WITH VOCABULARY LISTS
      SCIENCE NEWS FOR STUDENTS https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/us-army-developing-high-tech-underwear (Suggested by: Müge Uysal, my assistant)
      Free reading passages and tools https://www.commonlit.org/  
      Breaking News English https://breakingnewsenglish.com/  

FREE COURCES

·         Memrise http://www.memrise.com/courses/english/english/
     ESSAY TOPICS
        ·         Debatepedia: writing topics and points http://debatepedia.idebate.org/en/index.php/Welcome_to_Debatepedia%21

·         The learning network

http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/05/301-prompts-for-argumentative-writing/
  WRITING TOPICS WITH PROMPTS
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/12/learning/over-1000-writing-prompts-for-students.html?em_pos=small&emc=edit_ln_20180412&nl=learning-network&nl_art=0&nlid=78300720emc%3Dedit_ln_20180412&ref=headline&te=1
     ·  Suggest a topic
http://www.procon.org/view.background-resource.php?resourceID=001465
     ·         Argumentative essay topics with points https://www.procon.org/
  MATERIAL FOR GRAPH WRITING
Pew Research Center http://www.pewresearch.org/
BEGINNER AND PRE INT READING PLUS QUESTIONS AND GRAMMAR

·         National geographic life http://www.ngllife.com/content/reading-texts-word

Test center http://www.ngllife.com/content/test-centre; Student zone: http://www.ngllife.com/student-zone

·         English Online:  http://www.english-online.at/  Explore the options on the site

·         VOA Learn English http://learningenglish.voanews.com/p/5610.html

Scroll down to the bottom of the page and explore

·         ESL lounge http://www.esl-lounge.com/level1breadwrite.php  Explore the site; there is lots you can do

       Breaking News English http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/  

·         BBC Learning English http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/multimedia/london/   

·         CNN Student News http://edition.cnn.com/studentnews

·          Easy reading for ESL beginners http://www.rong-chang.com/ne/

·        English for intermediate learners http://www.rong-chang.com/qa2/

·         University of Victoria study zone http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/index.htm

·         Teach Ya English for free  http://www.teachya.com/

READ MAGAZINES AND NEWSPAPERS

·         News in levels  http://www.newsinlevels.com/

·         Times in plain English http://www.thetimesinplainenglish.com/wp/
       Research Digest  https://digest.bps.org.uk/

·         AEON http://aeon.co/magazine/science/  

·         Wired  http://www.wired.com/

·         Scientific American  http://www.scientificamerican.com/

·         Nature  http://www.nature.com/  

·         Psychology Today https://www.psychologytoday.com/

·         The Guardian http://www.theguardian.com/international

·         The Daily Telegraph  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

·         The Wall Street Journal http://www.wsj.com/europe

·         The Atlantic  http://www.theatlantic.com/world/

·         The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/  

·         Huffington Post  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

·         BBC  http://www.bbc.com/news
       CNN http://edition.cnn.com/
 
      VOCABULARY TESTS

·         VS Test Your Word Knowledge http://my.vocabularysize.com/  (This site enables teachers to prepare vocabulary tests and students to learn and practice through vocabulary games)

        Learner’s Vocabulary Quiz http://learnersdictionary.com/quiz/vocabulary-start 
      How words are used: Fraze.It, https://fraze.it/   
     SUMMARY WRITING

·         How to write a summary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGWO1ldEhtQ

·         Summary writing: Learn how to write a summary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwEl-MiZH0E

      NOTE MAKING

·         Note making https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKKi0UlrHsk

        Note making: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9jgHocI5Zw
      CHECK WORD USE AND COLLOCATIONS

      Online Collocation Dictionary http://www.freecollocation.com/ 

ONLINE COLLEGE COURSES

·         Coursera https://www.coursera.org/

·         EdX  https://www.edx.org/home

·         Future Learn  Join 5,744,331 people learning together at Future Learn. Try high quality online education – enjoy free online courses from top universities and specialist organisations.

https://www.futurelearn.com/

·         Udacity https://www.udacity.com/  

RESEARCH BASED ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY: CAN TV JOURNALISM SURVIVE THE MEDIA REVOLUTION?

The ongoing social media revolution is changing the realities of classic journalism as evidenced by the new trends in television programs like i-report on CNN or invitations to individuals to contribute to the news. Does this development mean the end of classic journalism? The facts on the ground as far as proponents are concerned are as follows:

1.       Social networking sites like Twitter are much faster; news spreads like wild fire (For example, President Obama hugging Michelle Obama)

2.       This form of reporting is fun

3.       Reporters and the public are all part of a global conversation

4.       It leads to the creation of a more culturally, politically and socially aware society

This being said, opponents do have certain reservations the most important of which are as follows:

1.       Faster isn’t always better

2.       Faster isn’t always right

3.       Some important issues may get sidelined

At this point, it is suggested that you research the topic – both videos and written material. Having done so write an argumentative essay on the subject.
Refer to my second blog, The Essay Archive, for sample essays: https://theessayarchive.blogspot.com.tr/  

THE EMERGING DOCTRINE OF THE UNITED STATES

By: George Friedman

Published: Stratfor, October 12, 2012; www.stratfor.com Alternatively,just google the title and writer’s name.

Level of Difficulty: ****

BEFORE YOU READ

It is suggested that you watch a few videos on current American foreign policy and take some notes before tackling the text.

QUESTIONS

1. What does “it” refer to in the phrase “it is real”  at the end of paragraph 1? Be explicit.
2. What do the threats listed in paragraph 2 have in common?
3. What does “such a prospect” in the phrase “even though such a prospect appears possible” in paragraph 3 refer to?
4. In hindsight, the US might have been wrong to topple Saddam Hussein for the following two reasons: ....................................................................................................................................
5. How did Iran benefit from the conflict?
6. The writer says that at the beginning the US wanted to stay out of the conflict in Libya despite the arguments of the French because ...........................................................................
7. The US later went back on this policy of noninterference for fear of .........................................
8. What pipe-dream was seen to be wrong as a result of Libya and Iraq?
9. Campaigns designed to topple brutal dictators can ultimately negatively impact the US because .......................................................................................................................................
10. The Us is declining to interevene in Syria specifically because ...................................................
11. What change in the status quo in the Middle East does the US not desire?
12. What, in the US view, would make intervention by Turkey or Saudi Arabia more Practicle?
13. Efforts to resolve the conflict in Syria have reached a stale mate bacause ...................................................................................................................................................
14. We understand from paragraph 14 that ............................................... is a last resort for the US.
15. What does “this doctrine” in the phrase “if maintained, this doctrine will force the world...” in paragraph16 refer to?
16. What is the contradiction in the attitude of many to the new US doctrine?
17. What does “this” refer to in the sentence “This is a maturation of US policy not a degredation.”?
18. This change in US foreign policy is taking place due to the fact that  the Us is .....................
19. What exactly is it that “will upset the international system, especially US allies”
20. Read the last two paragraphs. Will the next president of the US  continue such a foreign policy or revert to the former one? How do you know?

WRITING TASK

To what extent do you support the change in US foreign policy? Discuss. Refer back to the text and the notes you made while watching videos.

THE EMERGING DOCTRINE OF THE UNITED STATES KEY AND TEACHER’S NOTES

This very topical text should lead to plenty of discussion. A video beforehand to start the ball rolling would be a good idea.

1. A doctrine in which the US doesn’ take primary responsibility.
2. They are threats that challenge the US fundemental interests.
3. A direct imposition of US naval power.
4. The US destroyed the regional balance of power with Iran; the US miscalculated the consequences of the invation and faced substantial resiastance.
5. It gained power and a greater sense of security.
6. Libya did not represent a threat to the US.
7. Breaking with its coalition.
8. That campaigns designed to topple brutal dictators yield better regimes.
9. Intervention can unleash virulently anti-American forces.
10. Any US intervention in Syria would constitute both an effort and a risk disproportinate to those interests.
11. Tehran’s influence streching through Iraq to the mediterranian.
12. They had far greater leavers to determine the outcome in Syria.
13. No country was prepared to use conventional military force.
14. War with Iran
15. Not everything that happens in the world requires or justifies US intervention.
16. Many who condemn US hegemony also seem to demand it.
17. Moving from military domination to more sbtle manipulation and more important allowing events to take their cource.
18. Overextended.
19. Controlled engagement on the part of the US based on a realistic understanding of the national interest.
20. He will continue it. No one decides this new doctrine; it is emerging from the reality the US faces.

INTERESTING WEBSITE

Füsun Savcı has alerted me to the following website: imdbfree.com where you can watch movies with English subtitles for free. It looks fabulous. Enjoy...

INTERESTING LINK PROVIDED BY A REGULAR TO THE WRITING CENTER

Furkan Alpay, a student in pre-intermediate H this year, has provided the following links for free audio books he says he downloads and listens to during his long commute to school.

audiobooks.org
openculture.com/freeaudiobooks

INTERESTING LINK

Betty Caplan has sent in the following link which will interest all of us. Take a look:

http://adultesljobs.com/blog/dr-stephen-krashen-on-language-acquisition/?goback=%2Egde_131430_member_178986201