RELO Russia

📚 Teacher2Teacher Series: Frameworks for Teaching English

RELO Russia and the American Center in Moscow invites you to join a FREE online professional development series focused on practical frameworks for teaching English.
Designed for teachers working with teens, adults, mixed-level groups, and academic English, this series explores modern, widely used frameworks that help make lesson planning more efficient and learning more accessible.

📅 Biweekly Thursdays, starting February 5
🕔 17:00 MSK
💻 Online | Zoom

👉 Full schedule and registration details: https://amc.timepad.ru/event/3791542/ 

❄️ Recharge with the RELO Winter Newsletter! ❄️

New year, new opportunities! We’re kicking off the season with a fresh batch of events, resources, and programs designed to spark inspiration during the colder months. Whether you’re looking for professional development or new classroom tools, we’ve got you covered.

 📩 Don’t miss out — check out the latest RELO Winter Newsletter and get inspired for the season ahead!

 🔗 See the Newsletter here :https://bit.ly/4k6XUw1 

📩 Would you like to receive future newsletters in your inbox? Sign up here: https://forms.gle/FAFeE58ZGixTdBTg9 

🌟 Scholarship Opportunity for English Teachers! 🌟

The RELO Office is excited to offer scholarships for the Spring 2026 course through the Online Professional English Network (OPEN)! This fully funded course is a fantastic chance for you to expand your skills, strengthen your impact, and grow professionally.

This fully funded course explores contemporary principles in English Language Teaching (ELT) and helps educators:
✔ Develop communicative teaching techniques
✔ Integrate essential 21st-century skills
✔ Strengthen classroom management and student engagement
✔ Build an international online professional learning community

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

Apply here: https://forms.gle/H8bVr8KabCkHkBkB6

🧠👂✋ Teaching Tip Tuesday!

Pop music isn’t just fun; it’s a powerful tool for engaging young adult learners! 🎤✨ When students connect with a melody, they connect more deeply with the language.
This resource offers practical tips to turn popular tunes into meaningful lessons. From vocabulary building to natural speech patterns, these strategies help students hear and feel the rhythm of English.

🎧📚
Ready to bring the music into your classroom? Check out these free ideas: 👉 https://bit.ly/UsingPopSongsToTeachEnglish

✨ MOOCs Monday: Fostering Student Motivation and Engagement ✨

Looking to boost student motivation and engagement in your classroom?

The Fostering Student Motivation and Engagement MOOC will help you spark curiosity, build a positive learning environment, and keep learners actively involved.
Whether you’re looking to refresh your teaching approach or explore new ways to motivate students, this free course offers practical strategies you can use right away.

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

🎶 Culture Share Saturday: Singing for Change

Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream of equality and justice was echoed not only in his speeches but also in the music of the Civil Rights Movement. Songs like “We Shall Overcome,” “A Change Is Gonna Come,” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing” became anthems of hope, solidarity, and courage, inspiring millions to imagine a better future.

💬 Discussion Questions:
• How can music help us express ideas and values in your culture?
• How do words, melody, and rhythm communicate important messages?.

Classroom Activity: Invite students to write a short verse or chorus reflecting their own dreams for their community, inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.

🎉 Forum Friday: Repeated Reading with Retelling

Looking to boost fluency and multi-skill development in your language classroom? Check out “Repeated Reading with Retelling: A Multi-skilled Fluency Activity” by Tim Stoeckel! This engaging activity combines the power of “4/3/2” and repeated reading techniques to give learners at almost any level meaningful practice across reading, speaking, comprehension, and fluency—and it works with all kinds of texts! 📚🗣️

👉 Read the article here: https://bit.ly/3ZaE7lt

Bonus: Read the entire issue 63.3 of English Teaching Forum here: https://americanenglish.state.gov/resources/english-teaching-forum-2025-volume-63-number-3  

🧠👂✋ Teaching Tip Thursday!

Word stress can be tricky… but it doesn’t have to be boring! 🎶 This tip combines music, movement, and visuals so learners can see, hear, and feel the rhythm of English words.

Try it with a song like “Imagine” by John Lennon—and get your students clapping, tapping, and highlighting stressed syllables. From color-coding to body movement, these strategies make pronunciation practice fun and unforgettable!

Looking for free ideas for teaching with songs? Check out these resources from American English!

📢 Your Opinion Matters! 📢

Share your expertise, provide valuable input on future initiatives, and apply for the 2026 RELO advisory board by filling in our survey. 

RELO Russia advisors will: 

✔️ Connect with Regional English Language Office
✔️ Be able to submit a priority proposal for an American Educator
✔️ Receive Certificate of Appreciation 
✔️ Make a lasting impact!

Your feedback is crucial in helping us improve and tailor our programs to better meet the needs of educators and students. 

👉 Take the survey by February 6 and make a difference: https://forms.gle/ctob4qpdyBBXMt7D6

🎶 TODAY: Join AE Live! 🎤

Don’t miss the first session of AE Live Series 24 at 16:00 and 21:00 MSK Time! In “Gonna, Wanna, Gimme More: Teaching Listening and Pronunciation through American Music,” Tiffany Lao will share practical strategies and adaptable ideas for using music to boost your learners’ listening comprehension and pronunciation skills—perfect for all levels.

Register and learn more here: https://bit.ly/4r1Je3F 

Join via Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/96503218412

✔ Develop communicative teaching techniques
✔ Integrate essential 21st-century skills
✔ Strengthen classroom management and student engagement
✔ Build an international online professional learning community

🌟 Scholarship Opportunity for English Teachers! 🌟

The RELO Office is excited to offer scholarships for the Spring 2026 course through the Online Professional English Network (OPEN)! This fully funded course is a fantastic chance for you to expand your skills, strengthen your impact, and grow professionally.

This fully funded course explores contemporary principles in English Language Teaching (ELT) and helps educators:
✔ Develop communicative teaching techniques
✔ Integrate essential 21st-century skills
✔ Strengthen classroom management and student engagement
✔ Build an international online professional learning community

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

Apply here: https://forms.gle/H8bVr8KabCkHkBkB6

🎤 Meet AE Live Presenter! 🎶

We are thrilled to welcome AE Live webinar presenter Tiffany Lao! Her upcoming webinar, “Gonna, Wanna, Gimme More: Teaching Listening and Pronunciation through American Music,” will take place TOMORROW Jan 21 at 16:00 and 21:00 MSK Time.

Register and learn more here: https://bit.ly/4r1Je3F 
Join via Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/96503218412

📣 Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! ✨

Today we honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a leader whose words and actions helped change history and continue to inspire people around the world. 🕊️

Here are some lesson ideas for your students:

📌 Watch & Discuss: Use video resources like excerpts from MLK’s speeches (e.g., the I Have a Dream speech) and have students reflect on vocabulary, key ideas, and personal reactions. 
📌 Text Study: Analyze I Have a Dream as a work of literature — focus on imagery, repetition, and persuasive language.
📌 Creative Response: Ask students to write their own “dream” paragraph or poem about the future they hope to see.
📌 Discussion Activity: In small groups, talk about what equality and justice mean in students’ own communities.

Explore these FREE ready-to-use classroom resources for more lesson plans and videos: https://bit.ly/3Lx6fMs 

🎸 Culture Share Saturday: Rock ’n’ Roll & American Youth Culture 🎶

Rock ’n’ roll emerged in the United States in the 1950s, blending rhythm and blues, country, and gospel music. Artists like Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, and Little Richard helped create a bold new sound that quickly became popular with American teenagers.

More than just music, rock ’n’ roll symbolized freedom, rebellion, and self-expression. While some adults found it shocking, young people embraced it as a way to express emotions, shape their identity, and challenge social norms. Its influence can still be seen today in music, fashion, and youth culture around the world.

✨ Classroom Activity Idea: “Rock ’n’ Roll Mood Check” • Play a part from a classic rock ’n’ roll song.
• Ask students:
How does the music make you feel?
Is it fast or slow? Energetic or calm?

• Then share a few lyrics, highlight 3 key vocabulary words, and have students write one sentence describing a feeling that matches the music.

A simple way to practice listening skills, vocabulary, and cultural awareness—while keeping students engaged! 🎶✨

For more songs and ideas for teaching English with music, check out this FREE resource: https://thelyricsproject.org/ 

🌟 Forum Friday: “Wordplay Runway” 🌟

Want to turn phonology practice into a high-energy classroom celebration?

This week, we’re featuring Brittany Gnau’s article from the English Teaching Forum, using the classic song “Down by the Bay” to get students moving and rhyming!

The "Wordplay Runway" approach includes:

• Rhyme Creation: Students pair silly words (like a goat in a boat) to build phonics skills.
• The Dance Runway: Inspired by the Soul Train "strut," students practice English rhythm through movement.
• Artistic Bridge: Drawing rhyming scenes to connect sounds with visual meaning.

By combining music, dance, and art, this activity lowers the "affective filter" and makes mastering English intonation a blast!

📖 Read the article here: http://bit.ly/4bpn9Ht

🎨 Don’t Miss This Opportunity!

Learn more about American history, values, and civic ideals through art in the Smithsonian’s Cultivating Learning series, “Celebrating America at 250.” Discover practical teaching ideas and digital museum resources you can use in your English classroom to explore both well-known and lesser-told American stories. Join Phoebe Hillemann on Jan 21 from the Smithsonian American Art Museum as you explore artworks as visual metaphors, interpret art together, and discover how it can deepen students’ understanding of civics.

✨ A great chance to enrich your lessons and engage students in meaningful discussions about the U.S.

👉 More details here: https://bit.ly/457zgFo 

American English Live: Series 24 Begins! 🌐✨

Join a new series of six free professional development webinars starting January 21, 2026. Explore creative ways to teach English through media, games, and storytelling.

Save the dates and add them to your calendar! 
Every third Wednesday of each month from Jan 21 to Jun 17 January-March sessions will be at 16:00 and 21:00 Moscow time.

🎓 Earn Your Badge: Register to access attendance quizzes on Canvas. Earn a digital badge for each session, or attend 4 out of 6 for a series-level certificate!

Register and learn more here: https://bit.ly/4r1Je3F 

Join via Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/96503218412 

🌟 Exchange Opportunity 🌟

We are excited to share an opportunity for non-technical students and young professionals (ages 18-30) interested in space, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

BeyondSpace is a virtual incubator, followed by an exchange program in the United States, designed for participants from non-tech fields who want to explore how their ideas can contribute to the future of space and space-adjacent industries. 
The program focuses on creativity, problem-solving, and interdisciplinary thinking. No engineering or programming background required. Participants develop ideas, learn from experts, and collaborate with peers from diverse academic and professional backgrounds. 

Applications are open through February 16, 2026. Learn more and apply at beyondspace.global

🌟 Wednesday with Virtual English Language Specialist Woomee Kim 🌟

Dr. Woomee Kim is a Postdoctoral Fellow at George Mason University with over 25 years of global teaching experience in the U.S., South Korea, and Myanmar. A specialist in online teacher education and STEM for English learners, she has developed curricula for the U.S. Departments of State, Education, and Defense, focusing on how digital platforms can better serve culturally and linguistically diverse learners.
Currently, Woomee is pioneering the use of Generative AI as a "4-skills" practice partner for language development. Drawing on her experience as a bilingual educator and a mother of a son with special needs, she champions AI as a vital assistive technology that breaks down barriers to knowledge and provides personalized support for individuals with diverse learning needs.