The ESLPod Blog (page 166)
- Language & Terms
1500 = Fifteen Hundred or One Thousand Five Hundred?
QUESTION : Mitch in Italy wants to know how to express quantities (amounts; numbers) by using “hundreds” and what is the largest quantity that can be expressed in this way.
- News and Current Events
Did I mention I’m reading Shakespeare to my friend, Nelson Mandela?
I saw a report recently on the BBC about a survey of 1,500 adults and teenagers on their reading habits, and it had a very interesting finding (result): Almost half of all the men and about one-third…
- Life in the United States
The Hokey Pokey
The Hokey Pokey is a song and a dance that first become popular in the U.S. in the 1950’s as a novelty (for fun; not serious) dance for adults. Since then, it’s become a song and dance that children…
- News and Current Events
Shoveling Money
This week, President Obama signed (approved) a law that will spend $787,000,000,000.00 ($787 billion) to help the US economy. The new law is being called a stimulus package . A stimulus increases…
- News and Current Events
Happy Birthday, Abe!
Today is the 200th anniversary of the birth of the United States’ 16th president, Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln is perhaps the most famous president in US history, and certainly someone who has received…
- Life in the United States
Signs of the Times
There’s an old idea among American economists that the stock market and hemlines are correlated. The hemline refers to the length of a woman’s skirt (technically, the hemline is at the very bottom of…
- Recommendations
Historical Fiction About the American Frontier
F iction refers to stories not based on true events. Historical fiction is made-up (not real) stories that are set (located) in the past and may be based on real events, real situations, or real…
- News and Current Events
Woman Gives Birth to Octuplets
It’s unusual enough when a woman gives birth to twins (two babies) or triplets (three babies). This week, a woman living near Los Angeles gave birth to octuplets –that’s 8 babies !
- News and Current Events
President Obama’s Inauguration Speech Explained
Barack Obama became the 44th President of the United States on Tuesday. All presidents deliver (give, say) a speech after they are sworn in (take an official oath or promise). These speeches are…
- News and Current Events
The Oath
Today Barack Obama becomes the first African American president of the United States. Standing before the U.S. Capitol building – which was built by black slaves – he will swear an oath (make a…
