Americana | English Teachers Everywhere

2 Feb

It’s Ukulele Time

February 2nd! What a day! It’s Groundhog Day, and World Wetlands Day, and World Ukulele Day! A song is a nice way to celebrate ukin‘ — playing the uke or ukulele, isn’t it? See the audio below. Give your students...
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25 Oct

History Of American Song: Shevchenko National University, Kyiv, October 2014

Recording of “What a Wonderful World” sung during a lesson on the History of American Song at Shevchenko National University in Kyiv,...
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10 Dec

John Quincy Adams, 200 Years Of Russian-American Relations

2007 marked 200 years of US-Russian diplomatic relations. Learn about John Quincy Adams who lived in Russia for several years and served as a sort of...
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5 Dec

American Views Of Chinese Immigrants

Here is a text about Chinese in America. I think my father Mac McCaughey does a fine job as the voice of Mark Twain. The Chinese have been in America a long time. They came in the 1850s during the...
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5 Dec

All About Nerds

Step 1 First take this true/false test to see if you have an understanding of nerds. Guess if you are not sure. Discuss. ______ 1. Nerds like books or computers, possibly both. ______ 2. Nerds bump into things and are...
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1 Dec

Benny, An Athabascan Native-Speaker

Benny is a Navajo and works as a guide, taking visitors into Canyon de Chelly (pronounced Canyon de Shay) in eastern Arizona. Benny grew up in the canyon, and didn’t begin to learn English until he was twelve. Benny’s native language...
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1 Dec

Kevin’s Favorite Food Waltz

Here is another list song. That means you can just play it, and students will write as fast as they can, trying to list all the favorite foods that are sung. You’ll also learn a bit about cuisine in America...
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14 Nov

The Slavic Influence On American Music

There are American songs that nearly everyone in Russia (and in countries of the former USSR) seems to know, songs like “Summertime”, and “Puttin’ on the Ritz.” But not everybody knows that the composers of these very American-sounding songs had...
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