RELO Russia

🦃🥖 Culture Share Saturday: Stuffing vs. Dressing

Did you know that Americans have two names for a classic Thanksgiving side dish? Stuffing and dressing look almost identical, but the difference comes from how they’re cooked and where you are in the U.S.

✨ Stuffing Traditionally cooked inside the turkey, which makes it softer and very moist. The name comes from the verb “to stuff.” It’s commonly used in the North and Midwest.

✨ Dressing Baked in a separate dish like a casserole. It often has a crisp top and firmer texture. The term “dressing” is especially popular in the American South, where cornbread dressing is a favorite holiday dish.
Even though the ingredients are similar—bread cubes, onion, celery, herbs, broth—the different cooking methods and regional traditions give each version its own identity.

📚 Teaching Tip: Use this topic to teach cooking vocabulary (bake, roast, chop, mix), regional differences, and holiday traditions. Encourage students to compare food-related words across cultures.

🌍 Culture Share Question:
In Russian cuisine, are there dishes that can be prepared two ways—stuffed or baked separately—depending on the family or the region?

🧩 Forum Friday 🧩
How often do you use puzzles in your English classroom?

Puzzles are a fun and effective way to build vocabulary, critical thinking, and collaboration skills! 📚✨
If you're looking to add more playful learning to your lessons, don’t miss this puzzle from The Lighter Side in the latest English Teaching Forum journal:

 🕵️‍♀️📝 Read the puzzle with answers here

📖 Access the full journal here: bit.ly/ETForum-63-2 

Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃🍂

Today is a day when Americans pause to celebrate gratitude, connection, and the small moments that make life meaningful. We extend that same thankfulness to our Regional English Language Office community. You create possibilities for learners and inspire all of us. For that, we are grateful!

Thank you for being part of this community. 💛

🌟 Call for Participants: FLASH: Multimedia Design and Use in the English Classroom 🌟
Are you a teacher in your first five years of teaching? Are you ready to bring more creativity into your English lessons? 🎧📱🎬✨

FLASH is a dynamic online training series featuring 15 hands-on sessions that explore how digital tools—mobile learning, storytelling, open-source content, music, video, podcasts, and more—can transform your classroom. You’ll learn practical strategies to boost engagement, fluency, collaboration, and student expression.
Throughout the program, you’ll create your own classroom-ready materials and build confidence working with text, sound, image, and performance.

💡 Plus: Participants are paired with experienced TESOL coaches from the United States for personalized guidance, professional growth, and international collaboration.

✔️ Certificates awarded upon completion

📍 Where: Fully virtual (Russia ↔ USA) 📅 When: January–June 2026 Sessions every Tuesday at 19:00 MSK

📝 Apply by December 19, 2025: 🔗 https://forms.gle/8VZ31a7rRhH6ED887

✨ Join FLASH and discover new ways to inspire your learners through creativity, technology, and multimedia! ✨

🌐✨ Free Online Courses for English Learners!

Do you know someone who wants to improve their English AND build real career skills?
Share these two free Massive Open Online Courses with them — they’re perfect for students, job seekers, and young professionals.
✔ Free ✔ Self-paced ✔ Designed for English learners

💼 English for Business and Entrepreneurship
Learn key business vocabulary, pitching, and how ideas become businesses.

🚀 English for Career Development
Practice résumé writing, interview language, and professional communication.

🔗 Learn more & enroll: https://openenglishcommunity.org/page/massive-open-online-courses-moocs

🌟 Scholarship Opportunity for English Teachers! 🌟

The RELO Office is excited to offer scholarships for two Winter 2025 courses through the Online Professional English Network (OPEN)! These fully funded courses are a fantastic chance for you to expand your skills, strengthen your impact, and grow professionally.

1️⃣ Professional Development for Teacher Trainers

✨ Design and deliver engaging workshops ✨ Promote continuous professional growth ✨ Strengthen your training and facilitation skills
🔗 Apply by December 1: https://forms.gle/52G7kDuex3WzgAWMA

2️⃣ Teaching Grammar Communicatively

✨ Blend grammar instruction with real-world practice ✨ Improve student fluency and accuracy ✨ Motivate learners through meaningful, interactive activities
🔗 Apply by December 1: https://forms.gle/xQKiqKUdjZswL3779

📢 Please share widely! Don’t keep this opportunity a secret – share it with teachers in your networks today! 

🌟 Looking for an amazing professional development opportunity? 🌟

Don’t miss out! Our FREE OPEN MOOCs are starting this October, offering you the chance to enhance your skills and advance your career—all at no cost! 📅✨

Choose from exciting courses like:
📘 English for Career Development – Designed for learners at the intermediate level who want to build language skills to boost their job prospects
📗 Teaching English Academic Writing to Speakers of Other Languages – Perfect for educators wanting to expand their teaching toolkit
📙 English for Business and Entrepreneurship – language skills for learners at the intermediate level to explore English in the business world

Ready to take the next step? Enroll today and start learning with a global community of motivated professionals! 🚀
👉 https://openenglishprograms.org/MOOC

🌟 Teaching Tip Tuesday: Paragraph Pass 🌟

Looking for a fun and interactive classroom activity to boost student communication? Try Paragraph Pass! 📝

In this dynamic exercise, students collaborate to create a well-structured paragraph while practicing essential language skills. It’s perfect for developing writing fluency and fostering peer collaboration.

How it works:
1. Each student writes the first sentence of a paragraph.
2. After a set time, they pass their paper to the next student, who continues with the second sentence, and so on.
3. The final student reads and edits the paragraph, ensuring it makes sense.

✅ Benefits:
✔️Promotes teamwork and communication skills
✔️Encourages creativity in writing
✔️Builds writing fluency in a low-pressure environment

Watch this fun activity in action! 🎥 👉 Watch on YouTube

Ready to get your students writing and talking? Give Paragraph Pass a try this week! ✍️🎤

🚀 Course starts TODAY! 🚀

Ready to boost motivation and create engaging classrooms? Don’t miss the FREE course "Empowering Educators to Motivate Students" starting TODAY at 12:00 or 18:00 Moscow time!

In this research-based course, you’ll learn how to:
✔️ Motivate students effectively
✔️ Support social-emotional learning (SEL)
✔️ Manage mixed-ability classrooms with confidence
✔️ Create engaging, low-anxiety learning spaces

Ready to transform your classroom? Secure your FREE spot now! 🎓✨

🔗 Register here: https://amc.timepad.ru/event/3573682/

🥞 Culture Share Saturday: Pancakes & American Traditions 🇺🇸

In the U.S., pancakes are more than just food — they’re part of a beloved weekend and holiday tradition! Many families enjoy "pancake breakfasts" on lazy Sunday mornings or at community fundraisers.
Why not bring this fun cultural element into your English classroom?

💡 Teaching Tip: Use the topic of pancakes to practice sequencing, food vocabulary, or imperatives (e.g. first, next, then, finally). It’s a great way to combine language learning with cultural exploration!

Here’s a simple pancake recipe you can use for a reading or writing activity:

👉 Classic American Pancakes Ingredients:
1 cup flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 egg
2 tbsp melted butter
1 tsp vanilla (optional)
Instructions:
1️⃣ Mix dry ingredients.
2️⃣ Mix wet ingredients.
3️⃣ Combine both mixtures.
4️⃣ Cook on a hot pan until bubbles form, then flip!
5️⃣ Serve with maple syrup or fruit!

📚 Classroom Ideas:
✅ Practice writing or giving cooking instructions
✅ Introduce new food vocabulary
✅ Discuss food traditions in different cultures
✅ Compare American pancakes with local breakfast foods in Russia

🚀 Friday with Virtual English Language Specialist Donita Grissom! 🚀

Meet Dr. Donita Grissom — Senior Lecturer at the University of Central Florida, international TESOL consultant, and passionate advocate for teacher wellness and effective classrooms. With over six years of global experience, Donita empowers educators with practical strategies to support multilingual learners and build thriving, low-stress learning environments. 🌍📚
Her secret? Integrating social-emotional learning into daily lessons with minimal prep — because when students feel supported as whole people, they flourish academically and emotionally. 💡✨

🚀 Ready to boost motivation and create engaging classrooms? Don’t miss her upcoming course "Empowering Educators to Motivate Students" starting September 29!
In this FREE research-based course, you’ll learn how to:
✔️ Motivate students effectively
✔️ Support social-emotional learning (SEL)
✔️ Manage mixed-ability classrooms with confidence
✔️ Create engaging, low-anxiety learning spaces

Ready to transform your classroom? Secure your FREE spot in this course today! 🎓✨

🔗 Register here: https://amc.timepad.ru/event/3573682/

📚 Teaching Tip Thursday 📚

Want to boost your students’ vocabulary in fresh, effective ways?

Check out this article from Edutopia: Doing It Differently: Tips for Teaching Vocabulary by Rebecca Alber.
Discover practical strategies that go beyond rote memorization—helping students truly understand and use new words in context!

Here are some key takeaways:
✨ Focus on deep understanding
✨ Use context-rich examples
✨ Incorporate multisensory techniques—visuals, gestures, and physical activities
✨ Differentiate instruction to meet diverse learner needs

🔗 Read more here: https://www.edutopia.org/blog/vocabulary-instruction-teaching-tips-rebecca-alber

🚨 Don’t miss the second session of American English Live Series 23! 🌍📚

Join TODAY for Empowering Students: Techniques to Promote Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) in the Classroom — a FREE professional development webinar designed especially for English language teachers.
In this session, Linh Phung will share practical approaches to promote SRL in your classroom—helping students build independence and lifelong learning skills.

🗓 TODAY and every other Wednesday, Sept 10 – Nov 19
🕗 Sessions at 15:00 & 20:00 Moscow time
🔗 Join on Zoom here: https://zoom.us/j/96503218412
Participants who register in advance will also receive email reminders with links to pre-session readings and online discussions.

Register here: https://openenglishcommunity.org/page/registration

🚀 Teaching English for Academic Writing MOOC — Now Open for Enrollment! 📝

Ready to enhance your skills in teaching academic writing? This free, self-paced MOOC gives you the chance to explore different approaches, course types, and key components of academic writing instruction.
Whether you’re a teacher, tutor, or aspiring educator, this course is designed to help you succeed!

👉 Learn more and enroll today:
https://www.openenglishprograms.org/MOOC

✨ Meet AE Live Webinar Presenter ✨

We are excited to welcome the second AE Live Webinar presenter, Linh Phung!

Linh will be sharing her expertise as she leads the webinar, "Empowering Students: Techniques to Promote Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) in the Classroom."

Join the webinar to discover practical strategies that help students take ownership of their learning and build lifelong skills.

🔗 Join on Zoom on September 24 at 15:00 or 20:00 MSK here: https://zoom.us/j/96503218412

Participants who register in advance will also receive email reminders with links to pre-session readings and online discussions. Register here: https://openenglishcommunity.org/page/registration

Don’t miss this opportunity to empower your students and enhance your teaching toolkit!

🍕 Culture Share Saturday: Let's Talk Pepperoni Pizza! 

Did you know that pepperoni is one of the most iconic pizza toppings in the United States — but it’s actually an American invention?
While the word sounds Italian, pepperoni as we know it (a spicy, cured sausage) was developed by Italian-American butchers in the early 20th century.

Today, pepperoni pizza is a staple of American food culture — served at parties, school cafeterias, sports games, and family dinners.

🗣️ Classroom Idea: Ask students:
• What kinds of pizza are popular in Russia?
• If you could invent your own "Russian pizza," what toppings would it have?
• How do you eat pizza — with your hands, fork and knife, or something else?

Food is a great way to explore culture, compare traditions, and build vocabulary — all while making students hungry! 😄🍕

📚 #ForumFriday: Teaching Real-Life Decision-Making Through English

Looking for an engaging way to build critical thinking, budgeting vocabulary, and persuasive language skills in your classroom?

This article from English Teaching Forum presents a hands-on activity where students take on the role of decision-makers with a limited budget.

Their challenge: allocate funds to improve their college — will they choose to build a garden or upgrade the student lounge? 🌿🛋️
This scenario invites students to: ✔️ Analyze needs and priorities ✔️ Use persuasive language to justify their choice ✔️ Practice teamwork, speaking, and writing in English ✔️ Apply language in a real-world context
📝 Perfect for project-based learning, this task also supports social-emotional skills like empathy, compromise, and responsibility.

📖 Read the article here: https://bit.ly/4mRLt7K
📘 Full journal issue: bit.ly/ETForum-63-2 

Bring language learning to life with meaningful, student-centered tasks!