Overview

"Compelling American Conversations: Questions and Quotations for Intermediate American English Language Learners from Chimayo Press helps American immigrants and international students develop their fluency skills and academic vocabulary through conversation exercises. Each chapter includes two sets of conversation questions, vocabulary review, short writing exercises, paraphrasing exercises with proverbs, a discussion activity around pithy quotations, and an online ""Search and Share"" activity. Focusing on both daily experiences and American culture through proverbs, quotations, and speaking exercises, the materials help intermediate English language learners explore their lives, learn common American sayings and expressions, and develop vital discussion skills. The 15 topical chapters include: Opening Moves; Going Beyond Hello; Making and Breaking Habits; Studying English; Being Yourself; Choosing and Keeping Friends; Playing and Watching Sports; Talking About American Television; Celebrating American Holidays; Being Stylish; Handling Stress; Practicing Job Interviews; Valuing Money and Finding Bargains; Exploring American Cities and Seeing Our World With Photographs. The ""Resources and Notes"" appendix includes the academic word list, supplemental worksheets, bibliographical references, author biographies and indices to proverbs and quotations. Designed primarily for community college ESL and adult education students, this flexible ESL textbook can be used by high school English language learners (ELL) and intensive English programs. Compelling American Conversations, is the third title in the Compelling Conversations series, most known for the original fluency-focused advanced ESL textbook, Compelling Conversations: Questions and Quotations on Timeless Topics (2006)."

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9780982617892

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Reviews

Compelling American Conversations fills an important gap in adult ESL where speaking skills often receive too little attention. Students want to speak more English in classes, and learn how to have real conversations with their American neighbors and co-workers. Compelling American Conversations not only gives adult ESL students many chances to discuss their lives in their English classroom, but it helps immigrants create quality conversations in English outside of school too. I strongly recommend this book for English teachers looking to add more conversation and online exercises to their intermediate ESL classes. Luis Coloma Adult ESL specialist, www.SpringESL.com ...benefit to ESL teachers It is the day-to-day language skills that newcomers to the country need more than anything and it is the authors understanding of this premise that makes Compelling American Conversations so successful. Compelling American Conversations is a benefit to ESL teachers as it provides them with an interesting, useful and social tool to teach their students the essential conversation skills necessary to conduct day-to-day lives. The opportunities for interaction and the homework exercises provided give students the necessary exposure to the American English language, which will continue to assist them for years to come. GoodbooksToday.com September 2012 ...Recommended Teaching English as a second language (ESL) can be a demanding profession... Like all good instructors they have modified their curriculum to better serve their readers, and their extra effort has resulted in one of the best ESL textbooks on the market today for non-beginners. For instance, while the average curriculum often focuses primarily on grammar, usage, and vocabulary building at the expense of realistic conversation tools, even for intermediate and advanced students, the authors have flipped this approach on its head, concentrating instead on thought-provoking questions and discussion starters that cajole students into taking risks and talking more, thus giving instructors better opportunities to correct errors as they occur. There will never be an ESL textbook that will give every student the confidence to converse, but this one makes a valiant attempt. RECOMMENDED John Roper U.S. Review of Books How can so much learning be in just one book? Compelling American Conversations is all that an ESL teacher or student needs to use in their course. With clear, easy to follow directions, students learn necessary details about American English and culture, practice critical thinking, expand vocabulary and idioms, as they converse in real. natural adult English. Included in the Search and Share component are marvelous lessons on using the Internet. An extra bonus is that any of the conversations, quotes, etc. can be used as writing prompts. The book is fun and stimulating and, fortunately, very accessible for the intermediate learner. Planaria Price author Life in the USA and Realistically Speaking ...a gold mine For English teachers who wish to help students improve their communication skills, Compelling American Conversations (like Roth's previous book, Compelling Conversations), is a gold mine-a rich, stimulating learning environment providing virtually endless possibilities for lively conversation which will enhance students' communications skills quickly and enjoyably. While the focus is on conversation, Compelling American Conversations is much more than a list of conversation starters-it's an excellent vocabulary book as well. The combination of compelling conversation topics, which students enjoy; new vocabulary, which students crave; and brief grammar reminders, which students need, will get students talking and learning! Compelling American Conversations is the book I needed when I was a conversation group organizer. Carl W. Hart Author, The Ultimate Phrasal Verb Book

Author Information

"Eric H. Roth teaches international graduate students the pleasures and perils of academic writing and public speaking in English at the University of Southern California (USC), and holds the title of ""Master Lecturer"". He also consults English language schools on communicative methods to effectively teach English, and writes and edits ESL/EFL books for English language learners with Chimayo Press. Given a full scholarship as a Lilly Scholar, Roth studied philosophy and American history at Wabash College (1980-1984), and received his M.A. in Media Studies from the New School (1988). Since 1992, Roth has taught English to high school, community college, adult, and university students. Highlights of his career include: teaching the first Saturday morning citizenship class in Santa Monica (1994); directing the CES Adult Education Center (1995-1998); working with international students in summer IEP programs at UCLA Extension (1997-2000, 2003-2005); teaching USC engineering students in Madrid, Spain (2007) and Paris, France (2008); and directing the APU International High School in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (2009). USC promoted Roth to the title of Master Lecturer in 2013. Roth co-authored Compelling Conversations: Questions and Quotations on Timeless Topics in 2006 to help English language learners increase their English fluency. Recommended by English Teaching Professional magazine, the advanced ESL textbook has been used in over 50 countries in English classrooms and conversation clubs. Easy English Times, an adult literacy newspaper, has published a monthly column, ""Instant Conversation Activities,"" based on the book since 2008. The first specific version for a particular country, Vietnam, was published in 2011. Compelling American Conversations: Questions and Quotations for American English Language Learners, designed to help American immigrants develop both academic vocabulary and strengthen speaking skills in English, came out in 2012. A member of the USC faculty since 2003, Roth is a member of numerous professional organizations including: California Association of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CATESOL); the International Communication Association (ICA); the International Professors Project (IPP); and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). Roth has given several CATESOL and TESOL conference presentations and led many English teacher training workshops. He writes short reflective essays, reviews ESL/EFL related books and apps, and shares teaching tips for English teachers at CompellingConversations.com/blog. Roth looks forward to learning something new today, tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow. After 35 years of teaching English and supervising English teachers, Toni Aberson (M.A. English; M.A. Psychology and Religion) believes that a lively classroom is the optimal learning environment. ""If people are thinking, sharing, and laughing, then they're learning,"" notes Aberson. ""The mere fact that those adults are in an English classroom attests to their courage and their determination to learn."" ""Adult English students bring a wealth of interesting experiences with them,"" continues Aberson. ""They bring the world into the classroom. The challenge for English teachers is to put students at ease and encourage them to practice English. What better way than to ask students about their lives? I love teaching English."" Aberson wrote It's a Breeze: 42 Lively ESL Lessons on American Idioms (2012). This collection of 42 short English lessons focuses on specific American idioms and common phrases. The thematic chapters are organized into seven categories: Let's Get Started, Fun with Food, Body Language, Animal Wisdom, Colorful Language, How's the Weather?, and Where Are You?. Each concise self-contained chapter explores a single American idiom with clear definitions, sample sentences, short readings, comprehension checks, vocabulary lists, writing activities, and conversation questions for adult students. ""The key in a classroom is engagement,"" Aberson says, ""and English students become interested and excited when they're learning about the daily stuff of life. When they are thinking and writing and talking about their real lives-food, jobs, family, homes, sports, movies-that's when they learn the language. Learning English is not easy. It can be a real challenge, but it can also be fun and stimulating. That's what I'm aiming for-the real life and the fun that stimulates ESL students so they want to learn more. They want to jump in."" Hal Bogotch teaches English as a Second Language at Nexon America in El Segundo. He is a proud graduate of U.C. Berkeley. Since 1996, Bogotch has taught ESL to adult immigrants, international high school students, and California middle schoolers. He has also taught Computer Skills to senior citizens, nurses, exceptional/special needs children, and garment industry entrepreneurs. Bogotch is pleased to have co-written and edited Compelling American Conversations, the first widely published book to carry his name. As a poet, Bogotch has contributed to periodicals such as Rattle, Campus Circle, the Free Venice Beachhead, as well as to a blog, Back Room Live. Bogotch is married to award-winning children's book author/illustrator, Laura Lac�mara. Laura and Hal live in southern California with their daughter, Annalisa."

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