Online learning during lockdown!

We are truly living through a bizarre and frightening time. 

I hope you are managing to stay stay safe, healthy and positive as much as possible!

It is so important during these times to keep our bodies and minds active even though we are trapped within the four small walls of our homes for most of the time.

As a result of the Coronavirus outbreak, we have moved all our courses online using the Zoom learning platform. While we prefer to be in the classroom, we have really enjoyed using this platform to deliver our language classes and to stay in touch with each other.

It is now the start of the 'Easter holidays' though I don't think it is going to feel like much of a holiday this year.  To keep all our students busy during these weird times, I thought it could be useful to share a selection of amazing websites and video channels that you can use to keep practising your English while in lockdown.

If you have any more recommendations, please add them in the comments at the bottom of the blog :)

---

Practise your Speaking & listening at home

This is always one of the hardest things to practise when you're not in the classroom. However, with the wonders of modern technology, there are now some very clever ways for you to work on your speaking with your computer and to get some feedback on how clearly you are speaking!

Try this amazing website where you can watch videoclips and then you have to imitate the video clip and you get feedback on how clear your speaking is. There are quite a few free clips, but then to access everything there is a monthly subscription fee: 

• www.englishcentral.com/browse/videos

If you like learning from authentic media but want to avoid paying a subscription, there is this nice YouTube channel: 

• Learn English with TV series.

It is not as structured as English Central, but is a great way to practise listening and improve your comprehension skills. ​Try out the Harry Potter clip on the home page of the channel:
​

• www.youtube.com/channel/UCK

Another brilliant YouTube channel is: 

• English Speeches
  

​
They have chosen some inspiring speeches and added clear and accurate subtitles to help you follow the speech. Just to get you started, this one from Steve Jobs is a brilliant, inspirational video...​

If you are keen to focus on listening activities which also include comprehension activities, then ELLLO is a fantastic library of free graded listening activities for you to listen to and complete linked activities. A really nice aspect of this site is the fact that they use speakers from all over the world so you really get to hear a wide range of accents which is an important aspect to work on to improve your listening skills:
​

• www.elllo.org

If you prefer watching more authentic video clips, then TED Talks are a must. There are so many great websites out there in the world but TED must rank up there as one of the best for the amount of valuable information it shares with the world.

One of the truly fantastic things about the TED website is firstly, the quality of the speakers and the speeches they have uploaded. And then, secondly, the surrounding content that supports the speeches. Many of the speeches have been translated into multiple languages and often with a range of educational activities to support a particular speech. This is a must subscribe website.

​Here is one of my favourite videos to get you started.

It seems particularly apt in our current situation... (best viewed on this link on the TED website) 

And so, lastly in this section of the blog on Speaking & Listening, let's get back to a couple more ways to develop and improve your speaking skills online.

A great website to hear examples of natural speaking by students preparing for the Cambridge or IELTS exams is on the Splendid Speaking website.

This website has been created by Cambridge examiners to give lots of examples of natural speaking with tips and techniques for the Cambridge & IELTS exams. This page in particular gives you lots of examples for different style of speaking for different parts of the speaking exam:
​

• www.splendid-speaking.com/category/splendid-speaking-interviews/

OK, my final link for you in this section is an interesting YouTube teacher who really gets you to focus on improving your pronunciation.

She is a British English speaker and she gives lots of great tips and strategies for improving your pronunciation focusing on specific words and thinking about phonetic sounds :)

---

Focus on Grammar & Vocabulary

OK, so we've looked at some fun stuff with lots of video clips, but of course I am sure you also want to do lots of grammar and vocabulary practice too! 

Well here are some recommendations for you to help work on these aspects of your English too: 

• ​www.perfect-english-grammar.com - This website has lots of focused grammar practice with quick and easy to complete grammar exercises online.
• elt.oup.com/student/headway - This site is based around a slightly old version of the Headway course book. However, it is still a great source of grammar and vocabulary activities for you to do at home with exercises at all levels from Beginners to Advanced.
• a4esl.org - While this is quite an old fashioned looking website, it is home to lots of quick grammar and vocabulary tests including lots of bilingual tests which can be great for beginners.
• www.engvid.com - OK, moving to a more modern website and a more video orientated way of practising grammar. This website links you to a team of great teachers who have uploaded hundreds of YouTube videos covering virtually all areas of grammar. The style of the videos is really clear with a teacher presenting in front of a white board. As well as covering grammar points, the teachers on this site cover a huge range of vocabulary and useful topics to improve your English language skills.

​Here's an example video on the present perfect, hopefully by the time we get back to school, you will have all perfected this frustrating aspect of English grammar ;)

Lastly, in our grammar section, here is a link to download the bible of grammar practice:
​

• ​Murphy's Grammar in Use - Intermediate

​By following this link you can download a digital version of this amazing grammar book that every student should own. I would recommend actually buying the real book from Amazon or you can download an app version for your phone!

---

Get your exam practice here...

I know a lot of students will be preparing for important English exams and this will be a particularly worrying time as lots of exams have been cancelled around the world.

You can find out more about whether the exams are going ahead in your country during the Coronavirus outbreak by following this link: www.cambridgeenglish.org/cmp/novel-coronavirus-2019/ - you are also advised to contact your local examinations centre for the most up to date news. 

In these times, it is still really important to keep up your exam practice so you are familiar with the exam activities and you are keeping your language alive and active. 

We all know what happens when you stop practising for a few weeks! So here are some amazing sites where you can keep up with your exam practice for free.

Most of the students at Language Tree prepare for the IELTS exam or the Cambridge English exams (FCE / First & CAE / Advanced), so all the links here are focused on these exams:  

• www.ieltsbuddy.com - This fantastic site provides you with hundreds of pages of materials to help you prepare for IELTS. The writing section on this site is particularly useful as they have webpages focused on all the different styles of writing you could be asked for. Then, there is a paragraph by paragraph guide to help you see how to structure that type of writing. 
• www.ielts-exam.net - This is a similar website of IELTS practice materials. The amazing thing on this website is the volume of materials. There are literally hundreds of tests to complete and with loads of model answers too which can be really useful to improve your skills for the exam.
• ieltswithmelinda.com, ielts-simon.com and ieltsliz.com are all amazing websites produced by teachers and examiners with lots of experience with the IELTS exam. Their websites are full of really useful tips and strategies to help you get the best score possible in your IELTS exam.

Moving on to the Cambridge exam, our favourite website is:

• www.flo-joe.co.uk - This website has been produced by Cambridge examiners and, as a result, it is full of really relevant and useful exam practice, tips and techniques you can use in the exam. As I mentioned above, in the speaking & listening section of the blog, they also have a website to practice your speaking skills too: Splendid Speaking
• www.cambridgeenglish.org/learning-english/activities-for-learners/ - this is the official Cambridge Exams website and they have some fantastic materials available to help you prepare and practise for all parts of the Cambridge exams. There are loads of great interactive clips here that are really useful and easy to use.

Although, all the links above are focused on a specific exam, there is no harm in following all the links regardless of which exam you are preparing for.

Below is a video from the Cambridge English website showing a real example of the Cambridge First (FCE) exam. You can also download the examiner feedback from the exam. On their YouTube channel you will find lots of really useful videos to help you prepare for the Cambridge exams. You can also find a similar channel for the IELTS exam here.

---

Try a complete course online!

For our final section of the blog, we've put together some links to a few websites which provide complete courses.

One of the best ways to really push your English level forward - especially if you are at that B2 - C1 level - is to do a real course - not one just focused on English language learning.

Online learning is becoming more and more popular and it seems the current lockdown has provided a real opportunity (and need) for people to actually be able to study exclusively online.

One of the leading providers of high-quality, free online courses is:

• Future Learn

​
​Many of the biggest universities in the world are offering free courses through this website platform.

The site has a really easy to use, two-stage subscription service. You can access all the courses for free and participate in them fully.

However, if you have a paid subscription, you get more time to complete the course and you qualify for full certification. 

If you are looking for something interesting and challenging to do, choose a course on Future Learn, just click on the subjects at the top to find something that interests you (personally I would recommend avoiding any courses on Coronavirus - I am sure you are hearing enough about it from all the other aspects of your life!). 

If you prefer to focus your learning specifically on English, then here are a few final recommendations: 
​

• www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/ - A key remit of the BBC has been about spreading English language around the world – they have some great materials on this site including complete courses for all levels up to Upper-Intermediate.
• learnenglish.britishcouncil.org - As one of the most important language schools around the world, the British Council also provide some fantastic learning resources for students of all levels. All their resources are really clearly organised for different levels and they also offer full courses for a subscription fee.​

---

Stay active!

I hope you have found this blog article useful and that there are some links here that will really help you practise your English both now and in the future.

Last but not least, as well as keeping your mind active, it is just as important to keep your body active too!

If you are in the UK, you have probably heard about the online sensation Joe Wicks, who is offering morning PE (Physical Education) lessons for the nation. The initial focus was to provide a sport's lesson for children who are not at school. However, his sessions have been really popular with the whole nation and every morning millions of families in the UK are doing his morning workout.

​Here is a link to start your day with Joe Wicks and millions of people in the UK! ....

p.s. For all you English language learners, one of the extra benefits of doing one of Joe's workouts is that he doesn't stop talking! So not only are you exercising but you are also getting to practise and listen to lots of authentic English connected to the topic of PE, sport, kids, online learning and life in the UK!

Best wishes and ongoing good health to you all :)