🍺📚 BOOKS ‘N BEER: ‘WIT’ PLAY SUMMARY (MARGARET EDSON, 1995) 🎭
WIT PLAY SUMMARY (MARGARET EDSON, 1995) 🎭 This week in Books ‘n Beer, we read Wit, a serious and surprisingly funny play by Margaret Edson. 🎭 Here is a quick Wit play summary, just as an FYI. 🍺 The play first appeared on stage in 1995, and it won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in […]
🎬🌹📚 SENSE AND SENSIBILITY (2026) MOVIE: NEW RELEASE IN THEATERS 🍿💕
Sense and Sensibility: A Jane Austen Masterpiece: again! 🔥 The Sense and Sensibility 2026 movie is a new romantic drama based on Jane Austen’s famous 1811 novel. 📖 It opens in U.S. theaters today October 16, 2026. 🎟️ What Is the Sense and Sensibility 2026 Movie About? 💌 The story follows two sisters, Elinor and […]
🍕🎤LEARN ENGLISH WITH “THAT’S AMORE”: A SONG THAT WON THE WORLD 🌍🎶❤️
Why Karaoke Fans Love It: Learn English with “That’s Amore” You can learn English with “That’s Amore,” one of the most famous songs of the 1950s. 🎶 Dean Martin released it in 1953. 🎩 Harry Warren and Jack Brooks wrote it for the film The Caddy, and it earned an Academy Award nomination. 🏅 Today, […]
📊🗣️ CEFR TEST LIMITATIONS: WHAT THE LEVELS CAN’T MEASURE 🧠
CEFR and standardized English test limitations are real, and one of my best students proves it. Every new student of mine takes the Preply CEFR test. I want a baseline, and a score gives us a starting point. Still, CEFR test limitations are real, and a number never tells the whole story. 📝 A2 on […]
📚🍻BOOKS ‘n BEER: GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS
🏢 GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS 💼 This week in Books ‘n Beer, we discussed Glengarry Glen Ross, both the play and the 1992 movie. Honestly, it is fantastic! I give it five out of five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and two thumbs up! 👍👍 What Is Glengarry Glen Ross About? David Mamet wrote Glengarry Glen Ross in 1983. […]
🏹🔥 HUNGER GAMES: 8 ENGLISH IDIOMS FOR TALKING ABOUT IT. ⚔️
These common idioms fit the Hunger Games story perfectly. Learn them, and you will sound more natural in English! 🗣️ 1. Against all odds 🎲Meaning: Succeeding when it seems almost impossible.Example: Against all odds, Katniss survived. 2. Beat the odds 🏆Meaning: Do better than people expect.Example: Nobody thought she would win, but she beat the […]
👻🏚️📚 THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE (1959) 🕯️🌙
It’s October in the USA so its Halloween season! One of my all time favorite horror books is the 1959 classic, ‘The Haunting of Hill House.’ (The Netflix series is inspired by the book and also quite different) Shirley Jackson’s classic ghost story follows Eleanor, a lonely and shy young woman who joins a paranormal […]
🍂📚😉IT’S READING SEASON!
🍂IT’S READING SEASON! It’s getting to be that time of year! The weather is getting cooler and more crisp. Autumn/Fall is on its way! So, find a comfortable chair and maybe a nice fireplace. Grab your favorite ‘comfort clothing’ (a pullover?) ‘comfort drink’ (Latte or a Coffee?) and a favorite book, The HUNGER GAMES? 🏹😉
📚🍻BOOKS ‘n BEER: ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Spoilers)
Okay, so this week’s story started as a play. Edward Albee wrote it in 1962. It was a big deal on Broadway in the USA. Shocking. Raw. People didn’t know what to do with it. Then in 1966, they made it into a movie. Same story. Same brutality. But now you could see their faces […]
🗣️ WORKING ON MY BRAZILIAN ACCENT! 🙂🎤✨
In classes, I sometimes use accents to help students practice listening to different people from around the world. I do it with respect, NOT to make fun of people! It is good learning and also fun. I have several accents that I have learned over the years: British, Spanish, German, Italian, Indian, Russian, French, and […]
🎃👻 TREEHOUSE OF HORROR VII: A SPOOKY SIMPSONS CLASSIC 🦇🕸️
A student and I are watching and analyzing the English and cultural references in, ‘Treehouse of Horror VII’! It’s almost October and Halloween is just around the corner in the USA! A student and I are watching a famous Simpson’s episode. Halloween season means one thing in the Simpsons universe: it’s time for “Treehouse of […]
📺👁️🚨BIG BROTHER (Is watching YOU)
A lost and great old song by Sheldon Allman. ‘Big Brother Is Watching You. Just a cool tune that is more important now than EVER. This song is a reference to the book 1984 from the lyrics “big brother is watching you” to “unless you can double think” and “remember they work both ways” in […]
📚🏁READING SPEED: A RACING ANALOGY from Ford vs Ferrari (2019)🏎️
A reading and racing comparison: ‘Ford Vs. Ferrari’ 2019 🎬 How fast should you go when reading something? THAT is a good question. The answer is, you should read as fast as you can while still understanding what you are reading. So, how do you know exactly how fast is best for YOU? 🤔 Let’s […]
📘 🏹WHY THE HUNGER GAMES IS LEVEL B2
The Hunger Games is rated B2 on the CEFR scale. This means it is suitable for upper-intermediate English learners. Here is why. 1. 📚 VOCABULARY The book uses everyday language for most of the story. Words like “hunger,” “survive,” “district,” and “tribute” are repeated often, which helps learners remember them. However, the book also uses some difficult words that are not common in […]
📚🍻BOOKS ‘n BEER: A LONG DAYS JOURNEY INTO NIGHT (2026)
We read and watched an old school play this week, ‘A Long Days Journey Into Night. I absolutely loved it! It is extremely rare for me, but I knew this one was a 5/5 star when I was only half finished! It is an amazing one day journey into human relationships, behavior and emotions. And, […]
🎬🍿 GLADIATOR (2000) MOVIE QUOTE
🎬🍿 GLADIATOR MOVIE QUOTE TODAY: Today, we did a quote from a favorite scene of mine from Gladiator. Emperor Commodus is entering Rome for the first time as Emperor. After riding into the city to the cheers of the crowd, he meets Senator Falco on the steps: FALCO: “Rome greets her new emperor. Your loyal […]
🤴🎬STUDENT GETS HOOKED ON ‘THE TUDORS’ ON NETFLIX🍿
A student recently got hooked on the Netflix series, ‘The Tudors.’ Watching series in English or with subtitles is a fun way to learn some English. Discussing it in class is a great way to practice and internalize the language! The Tudors is a historical drama series on Netflix that tells the story of King Henry […]
🗣️PRACTICING PRONUNCIATION USING PASSWORDS B7k#L2m$Q9x!R4t@P8w
Below is a new activity I recently created. Using passwords for pronunciation practice. The long password below is quite a challenge. Try it. Use the ‘Name’ and ‘Pronunciation Tip’ columns for help. Do you think someone could understand you as pronounced all these symbols over a phone or in person??? 😉 🔐 The Long Password: […]
📚🏹STUDENT FINISHES ‘THE HUNGER GAMES’ IN 11 DAYS. ⚔️
Well, the Hunger Games Book Challenge continues — and yesterday, we had our first finisher! She managed to complete the book in just eleven days. (She is level B2/C1.) Since most students started the book at different times, we don’t know yet who will finish the quickest overall, but eleven days will be hard to […]
1.🎬🎥🍿MOVIE LINE- THE HUNGER GAMES- PRESIDENT SNOW
Part of this month’s game in the Whatsapp group: Recite President Snow’s welcome to the Hunger Games! Give it a try!: Be sure to speak loudly, like you are presenting to a crowd. Also don’t forget your pauses “…” for effect and drama! AND: May the odds be ever in YOUR favor! : President Snow: […]
⚾ THE L.A. DODGERS: TEACHING ENGLISH ONE INNING AT A TIME🧢
Sometimes the best lesson plan isn’t a traditional lesson plan at all — it’s baseball. ⚾ One of my students recently moved to Los Angeles from Japan, and like a lot of newcomers, he’s still finding his footing in a new city, a new culture, and a new language. But he found something that made […]
📚😴 READING BEFORE BED VS. SCROLLING BEFORE BED: What’s Better for Sleep?
‘The Hunger Games’ can help you sleep, believe it or not! 🛌 Right now, 10 of my students are reading The Hunger Games — some of them right before bed! And this made me think about something important: what we do before sleep really changes how well we sleep. 🌙 When you read a book […]
📚🍻BOOKS ‘n BEER: HUNGER GAMES DISCUSSION 2
Had another discussion at the bar for ‘The Hunger Games’ this weekend. It was a good time AND: of course, my rating of 5/5 Stars still stands! Typically, the more I talk about a book, the more I like it. The Hunger Games is no exception. I am looking forward to further discussion with my […]
📝✅SAME SPELLING, DIFFERENT SOUND: The Wild World of OUGH😵💫
English has one letter combination — “ough” — that can be pronounced at least six different ways. That’s exactly why this list looks scary at first glance: the spelling never tells you how to say it. The only real fix is grouping words by sound, not by spelling, and drilling each small group until it […]
⛪CHURCH SERVICES DURING CLASS???🙏👼
For the first time ever, I did a bit of a church service in class the other day. I have a student that moved to a new country and town for her job. She went to church and did not understand the English. So, I made a dialogue with AI and we actually read the […]
💼TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF: Still the king of interview questions🤴
If I had to bet on one question showing up in a job interview, it would still be this one. “Tell me about yourself.” These are simple words, but they still trip up more candidates than almost anything else. That includes plenty of native English speakers, not just ESL learners. Why is it a problem? […]
📚🍻BOOKS ‘n BEER: 🏹🔥🍞THE HUNGER GAMES
🍞 May the Odds Be Ever in Your Favor 🍞 The Hunger Games… I had been meaning to read it for years. I just finished it for the first time. I do like a good dystopia. The book was interesting, action packed and the it is well written. But, how good was it? I have […]
🏹🏅8 STUDENTS READING ‘THE HUNGER GAMES’!
I am happy to report that eight of my students are reading ‘The Hunger Games’ this month. I say ‘this month’ but there is no time limit. Or is there??😉 Perhaps this will turn into a ‘Hunger Games’ kind of competition to finish reading, ‘The Hunger Games.’ I recently finished the book and it is […]
🗣️💬 YOUR TEACHER DOESN’T NEED YOUR LANGUAGE — THEY NEED SKILL! 🎯✨
It has always been a funny thing to me. Many students think their English teacher should also speak their native language. They say it’s just in case they need help understanding something. This makes sense — but it’s actually a kind of trap. 🪤 Here is the truth: when a student reaches A2 level or […]
💼STUDENT WORKING UNDER AN O-1 VISA🏆
I am proud to say that I have a student working under an O-1 Visa! She started a company here in the USA and she is writing a book about it! (I am now supporting her English fluency journey.👍🏼) What is an ‘O-1’ VISA?: The O-1 visa is a nonimmigrant work visa for individuals with […]