The large mouth may be a bit intimidating, but this useful pronunciation podcast comes from the UGoEigo.com website. The creator helps viewers work on their pronunciation skills for b, v, f and p words with the use of tongue twisters. The site does not tell us for what age group or level the videos were designed for, but the text makes it obvious that the material is intended for a Japanese audience. Great points? His instructions appear on screen and his students can watch his lips as he forms the words – something all books and worksheets miss (for obvious reasons). It would be better though if he didn’t speak so slowly; its effect makes him sound robotic and monotone.
Play "Language Caster's Euro Cup 2008 Podcast" in Popup
This podcast can be found on the Language Caster website (languagecaster.com) – a site devoted to teaching English to football (soccer) fans through football events. This particular podcast focuses on the Euro Cup 2008 final. A transcript, worksheet, vocabulary list, assessments and links to a fans’ forum can all be found on its original webpage, which helps legitimize the podcast as a wonderful learning tool. I also love the fact that all the material is presented in-context, up-to-date and of the non-fiction variety. However, I wouldn’t use it with beginner/intermediate students without a proper introduce and lots of scaffolding. Other than that, there isn’t much to improve on, but if I could, I would add video. (It’s already got great music.)
Click to access the Rob & Bob Show via iTunes
(Sorry. I didn't know how to embed a podcast I found on iTunes into a blog.)
The Rob & Bob Show gives English lessons via an iTunes subscription and they have one of the most loyal followings out there. Surprisingly, one speaker is British and the other is American, which can be great for students depending on your objectives. This specific podcast is about time and all its associated terminology. They use humor and music to spiff up the lesson, which makes for easy listening. (There’s even audience laughter in the background to help students catch jokes.) Unfortunately, they don’t have transcripts or outlines of the lesson- which a shame really. The show is intended for intermediate and advanced adult students, and it focuses on cultural issues, idioms, grammar and slang. Although its for an adult audience, that does not necessarily make it inaccessible to a younger audience. My only caveat is to listen to the entire lesson before you use it with your students. Occasionally, they may use some adult language.
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