Understanding American Halloween Vocabulary

 
Let's be honest...Halloween is a weird American holiday!  The rest of the world celebrates something somewhat similar called Carnival.   Costumes are adorned and parties are plentiful.  So what makes Halloween different than Carnival? Well, for starters, we add the creepy, spooky element to the festivities.  Carnival usually occurs in the spring, while here in America, we often need coats or umbrellas to protect our costumes in the crisp fall when we celebrate.

Anciently, the Celts celebrated their new year during this time, marking the end of the warmer weather harvest and the beginning of the cold, approaching winter months.  They believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and dead was blurred.  They also believed that as they surrounded a big bonfire, dressed in costumes, that they could predict the future, as well as protect themselves in the upcoming year against bad fortune.

In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1st as "All Saints Day", a day to honor all saints and martyrs, possibly as an attempt to veer Christians away from the Celtic pagan traditions.  The night before the holiday, October 31st, was known as "All Hallows' Eve" which eventually became more secular, including parades and sweet treats for the children.

Today, Halloween festivities involve community events, trick or treating, and an attempt to focus on the fun party atmosphere, rather than on the religious tones, although death and superstition are definitely still part of the mix.

Here are some Halloween words for our dear ESL students who are trying to make sense of it all:

* apparition - an unusual or unexpected sight, a ghost

* macabre - grim, horrific, repulsive

* cackle - to laugh, especially in a harsh or sharp

manner

* Jack-o'-lantern - a lantern made of the rind of a

pumpkin in which holes are cut to represent eyes,

nose, and mouth

* poltergeist - a noisy, mischievous ghost

* bloodcurdling - arousing fright or horror

* ghastly - terrifyingly horrible to the senses

Be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter, where you can learn more interesting fun facts, brush up on your own English skills, and find out about our latest steals and deals when you sign up for classes.

Have fun out there this year!  Wear a costume, share treats, create your own fun traditions, and be safe!   Workplace ESL Solutions teaches language skills, but we also teach international students what it is to be an American.  In fact, we offer Citizenship classes!  To find out more, check out all of our services at www.WorkplaceESL.com 

Happy Halloween!

Ronna Gets Interviewed About ESL Teaching

Ronna Timpa, Founder of Workplace ESL Solutions, was recently invited to participate on a panel about ESL products.  Below are some excerpts from that interview.

Question: How does your organization incorporate

technology into the teaching of ESL?   

Answer: With ESL, we don't use technology in the

classroom. We use a flipchart as the only teaching

medium. Some of our customers have purchased our

new product: Hotel English Online and we are 

offering a blended learning approach. They do the 

online learning at home and we meet every two 

weeks for a "lab" of sorts. We practice role plays and
answer questions.

Question: Do your students have access to computers

(either their own or use of your organization's)? 

Answer: Some of the organizations have computer labs. Our largest customer adds a 

computer training at the end of our workplace ESL class. These students have very 

limited experience with computers. Probably half of them don't have an email
account. Most of them do not have internet at home. They use computers at the 

library. 

Question: Do your students use their cell phones for studying or
communicating in English? 

Answer: Most of our students (housekeepers, public area workers, kitchen workers) 

do not have a smart phone. Probably about 20% have an iphone and the rest have

older flip phones. I would say 5% of our students would use the dictionary app, 

but that's it.

Question: If you have used online programs for teaching ESL, what were the
main challenges? 

Answer: We just started using our Hotel English Online and
our biggest challenge was the LMS. Vegas PBS is working on our own
portal right now because the procedure in which students get into the
program is too difficult for them. Too many screens and not easy
enough to navigate. Once they are in, they are good, but getting in
and signing up is the challenge. 

Question: What were the benefits? 

Answer: Being able to listen and repeat a million times. 

Question: How have you addressed speaking (including pronunciation) and writing

online, given that such activities generally require feedback or interaction?  

Answer: They listen and repeat. We have pronunciation videos
with practice exercises. Our goal for Hotel English Online is oral
communication.

Question: What are some of your favorite resources (online and print) for
teaching ESL? 

Answer: Of course our products - that's why we wrote them in
the first place. Textbooks: Hotel English and Workplace English. Our
online program (partnership with Vegas PBS) Ronna Timpa's HotelEnglish Online. 

I also love Betty Azar's Basic English Grammar - her
entire series. Great interactive exercises for teaching contextualized
grammar. I also like all the picture dictionaries - I have used Word
by Word the most. Otherwise, I develop all our curriculum based on
needs assessments and job shadowing for each company we teach at. We
often use one of our books as the core, but other times we only use
customized material. It depends on the needs of the company.

Question: Do you use translations when teaching beginning-level students? 

Answer: No, we teach ESL only, not a bilingual program. 

Question: If not, how do you address direct instruction? 

Answer: The theories of second language acquisition answer that question. All 

of my teachers have studied these methodologies. I have a master's degree in

TESOL and this is a question I get a lot from company presidents and HR directors:

"How do you teach English if you don't speak all of those languages?" I love
that question! First of all, you rarely have all Spanish speaking
learners in a workplace ESL class. Perhaps in construction or some
kitchens, but in the hotels, it's rare to have all Spanish speakers.
In the last graduation we had last week, we had 9 different countries
and 5 languages spoken.

Question: Do you find that most students are adept at
using technology to find their own translations? 

Answer: In my experience, my adult students have their children translate for 

them when needed.

To learn more about Workplace ESL Solutions and the classes we teach, as well 

as the material we offer for sale, please visit our web site at  

www.workplaceesl.com  

Language Books and Audios To Help Your Students Succeed

                    We've got the tools you need to succeed!

Workplace ESL Solutions assists community colleges and adult schools across the nation by providing support materials for their own programs.  Our textbooks and study materials are essential pieces in the development of fast and efficient workplace English and workplace Spanish programs.

Perhaps you’re taking an Enlish or Spanish course at your local community college or adult school.  Our texts will not only support your current class work, but provide you with a reference for the classroom and beyond.

Individuals also utilize our textbooks and study materials when organizing their own Workplace English or Workplace Spanish courses.  Our materials help them develop efficient courses with proven methods, taking the guess work out of program design.

Small companies with a designated training individual also order our books for employees to enhance their in-house training programs.  Their trainers attend our Train-the-Trainer programs to make their Workplace ESL/Workplace SSL courses as effective as possible.

Language Books & Audios We Currently Offer:

Workplace English

Comprehensive ESL specifically designed for the workplace
. 

• Workplace English Student Book
  A comprehensive ESL textbook specifically designed for the workplace.  ($14.95)
• Workplace English Teacher's Guide
  Lesson plans and extra activities to help the teacher prepare teaching ESL in the workplace. ($16.95)
• Workplace English Audio CD
  Listening/Speaking practice for the ESL learner ($12.95)

Learn more and buy

Hotel English (2nd Edition)

Comprehensive ESL for the hotel and hospitality industries.
 

• Hotel English Student Book
  With Hotel English, housekeepers, public area attendants, and kitchen workers will learn to communicate with hotel guests, co-workers, and supervisors through authentic workplace conversations.  ($17.95)
  
• Hotel English Teacher's Guide
  A great resource for the teacher to use before and during a HOTEL Workplace ESL course. ($21.95)
  
• Hotel English Audio CD Set
  The Audio CDs contain all the listening, speaking and pronunciation portions of the Student Book. ($21.95)

Learn more and buy

Workplace Spanish (2nd Edition)

Comprehensive workplace-focused Spanish.

• Spanish-English Hospitality Glossary
  English to Spanish Hospitality Glossary ($4.95)
  
• Workplace Spanish Student Book
  A Workplace Spanish Student Book that facilitates Spanish language usage in the workplace. ($17.95)
  
• Workplace Spanish Teacher's Guide
  The teacher's guide gives the facilitator lesson plans and activities to use with each chapter. ($21.95)
  
• Workplace Spanish Audio CD Set
  The 2 CD-SET contains all the listening and speaking portions in the Student Book. ($21.95) 

                                                    Learn more and buy!

Keep Those Happy Testimonials Coming!

For over 20 years Workplace ESL Solutions never did any advertising because terrific word-of-mouth referrals kept us so busy!   Our excellent reputation is what continues to make us grow and succeed, but now with all this fun social media like this blog and Facebook, we just have to share!

Here are just a few kind words some previous customers had to say about us.  We'd love to hear from YOU too!

The classes were very well structured and provided great information and study materials. The instructor was magnificent and very engaging with our entire staff.

Sherri Ohanian-Ulrich
Vice President of
Human Resources
Monte Carlo Resort & Casino

The level of competence and professionalism displayed by your instructors while presenting both Workplace Spanish and Intermediate Workplace Spanish is certainly noteworthy. You and your staff should be applauded as you are truly deserving as one who “exceeds” the standards.

Eddie V. Bryant
HR Training Manager
City of North Las Vegas

Some of our corporate clients who highly recommend us are:

• MGM Resorts International
• The Cosmopolitan Hotel
• The City of Henderson
• The Station Casinos in Las Vegas
• The Aladdin Hotel and Casino  
• Par 3 Landscaping
• Cover-All Flooring
• Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors
• LeapFrog
• Mirage Hotel & Casino
• Ryland Homes
• Hampton Inn
• Terra Contracting
• The Palms Hotel & Casino
• Lake Las Vegas
• Aristocrat Technologies, Inc
• City of North Las Vegas
• PBS
•  Monte Carlo Casino

 Thank you to all of our wonderful customers!  What can we do to add YOU to the list?  Check out our services and feel free to call us for a free consultation on how you can improve your company with our help!  We also offer FREE workshops of various kinds so you can watch us in action and decide if our style is right for your company or business. 

Train Your Trainers to Teach English

If your workplace or adult school/community college is considering implementing a workplace ESL program, send your designated trainers to Workplace ESL Solutions’ Train the Trainer course. They will learn how to teach English as a second language.
 
With this certification, you and/or your designated training staff will gain the expertise, credibility and confidence to develop and/or teach a Workplace ESL course to employees at your company. 
Our intense one-day course delivers instruction from an industry leader in workplace ESL programs and methodology, allowing you to implement the most effective program possible.  Better training makes for better teachers – Workplace ESL Solutions makes it possible.

 Topics Include:

• Needs Assessment – employee and employer 
• Marketing to employees 
• Selling to management 
• Workplace ESL methodology 
• Second Language acquisition theories 
• Course content development and lesson planning
• Assessment 
• Resources and material selection for your program

Who Will Benefit From This Course?

• Human Resources staff who plan on starting a Workplace ESL program at their company
• Individual ESL teachers who plan on starting their own Workplace ESL Company
• Adult schools who want to start a Workplace ESL component
• Housekeeping staff who plan on starting a Workplace ESL class in housekeeping
• Language Schools who want to begin offering Workplace ESL courses as a part of their business

Course Duration:

One full day, 9:00am to 5:00pm

Course Take-aways:

• A zest for language training 
• An understanding and appreciation of different cultural backgrounds 
• 120-page resource binder with all course materials
• Student book and teacher’s guide
• Email and phone support from Workplace ESL Solutions for 6 months following your course

To learn more or register your company for this training, visit us at:
 http://workplaceesl.com/course_train_the_trainer.asp

Workplace ESL is getting even more social!

Learning a foreign language is a very social enterprise.  It involves the desire to communicate with others, and then lots and lots of practice!  Our classes are VERY interactive because you just can't learn a language effectively out of a text book.  Each class is filled with games, contests, discussions, role-plays, songs, and all kinds of fun activities to keep the students SPEAKING their new language!

I love that our theme is "Making Success the Common Language."  Our goal is to get students speaking and communicating fast!

Workplace ESL Solutions is now even more social because you can find us everywhere online!

We'd love for you to LIKE us on Facebook!   https://www.facebook.com/WorkplaceESL 

If you work in a hotel, you know how crucial it is to be able to communicate with customers, vendors, and staff.  Workplace ESL offers language courses in Spanish and English.  We've also created a fun new LinkedIn group to discuss the  challenges that are unique to the hotel industry.  We'd love to have you join in on the discussion at:    http://www.linkedin.com/groups/HotelESL-4397121?trk=myg_ugrp_ovr

Check out our new YouTube channel, where you can learn more about what Workplace ESL Solutions is all about, plus see some of our teachers and students in action!

To learn even more about us, check out our home page at www.WorkplaceESL.com

Congrats Spanish Class Graduates!

                  Congratulations to the most recent graduates of our Workplace Spanish class!

Here in Las Vegas we have a very large Hispanic population, joining us from every Spanish-speaking country in the world!  Hotel supervisors, managers, and corporate trainers are offered an opportunity at WorkplaceESL Solutions to learn Spanish so they can better communicate with their staff as they learn English, as well as with Spanish-speaking guests and vendors.

This fun Spanish I course is short and sassy - just eight weeks of targeted Spanish vocabulary to increase workplace communication and increase cultural appreciation of the Hispanic world.

Each lesson features:
* Workplace vocabulary for the hotel industry
*  Interactive games to get students talking
*  Lively conversation to practice new skills
*  Funny videos that inspire confidence to learn a new language
*  Spotlights on Spanish-speaking countries
*  Homework assignments and projects to encourage students to continue learning outside of the classroom
* Weekly handouts to reinforce learning
*  PowerPoint presentations to aid in visual learning
* "Pre-show" presentations to help language learners think outside the box
* Small class size to guarantee individual attention
* Fiesta graduation ceremony to celebrate accomplishments
* Lots of laughs, because learning should be fun!

To learn more about Spanish workshops and training courses, be sure to check out:
http://workplaceesl.com/courses.asp?type=spanhttp://workplaceesl.com/courses.asp?type=span