Anzac Biscuits for Anzac Day

Anzac Biscuits

Anzac Day is coming up on April 25th, so I decided to tell my students about Anzac Biscuits.

I bought a packet of biscuits from Coles and prepared an information sheet with  my recipe.

Blinded by the Light

 

Blinded by the Light is a song by Bruce Springsteen but better known by the recording by Manfred Mann’s Earth Band  in 1976. (Wikipedia)

I am most intrigued by the lyrics and what they mean!  Watch a live performance of the song, and read Springsteen’s words.

Gary Wright – Dreamweaver – Symphonic Rock

Dreamweaver is a song by Gary Wright released in 1975. It has a symphonic rock style created by the exclusive use of keyboards and synthesisers.

In this video you can see Gary playing Fender Rhodes piano. Other instruments include Hammond Organ, Minimoog and ARP String Ensemble (from Wikipedia).

Watch the video, enjoy this music and follow the lyrics. You probably remember this music used in Wayne’s World.

Nights in White Satin – Moody Blues -Symphonic Rock

“Nights in White Satin” was released in 1967 (and later reissued in 1972) and was one of the first “symphonic rock” songs I heard. The other is the Procol Harum’s “A Whiter Shade of Pale”.

The song uses an orchestra to provide lush string sounds.

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Whiter Shade of Pale – Procol Harum – Symphonic Rock

Procol Harum’s single “Whiter Shade of Pale” was released in 1967 and was one of the first “symphonic rock” songs I heard. The other is the Moody Blue’s “Nights in White Satin“.  I particularly like the sound of the Hammond organ.

There is a lot of discussion of how the music was influenced by J. S. Bach and you can read more on Wikipedia about this.

So let’s hear the original song, follow the lyrics then watch a more recent live version.

Rawson Street Epping – 2 minute film

I made this film this afternoon. Two minute video with music. Enjoy!

Rawson Street in Epping.

33 ways to speak better English without taking classes

Here is a list from the British English coach with 33 tips for speaking better English. Read the article for full details.

Text message abbreviations – which ones do you use?

How many of these abbreviations do you use in your messaging? Which abbreviations are not on my list?    TNX M8!

Bear Eats Porridge – enhancing an English lesson

I was recently teaching English (as a second language) to a class of Pre-Intermediate level (B4) students when  I encountered a short listening task. It was a news story titled “Bear Eats Oatmeal” which immediately made me think of the children’s story “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”.

I asked the students if they were familiar with the children’s story but only the young man from Switzerland knew the tale. The Japanese girls did not know about Goldilocks. I decided to use the Internet to enhance this learning experience!

What do I mean when I say I teach English?

I teach English in Australia to adult students from other countries. I work in language schools in the city and I occasionally teach individual students in person or on video calls.

I have been thinking about the ultimate goal of this teaching and this is to help people to communicate in English for their daily life and their future.