RELO Russia

Here is an easy classroom activity that works well with short movie trailers, pictures, or even a teacher‑read description. 🎬✨

This idea guides students through prediction, listening, and speaking in a clear and simple way–with any lesson topic and any English level!.
This activity builds several skills at once: prediction, listening, speaking and writing.

Bright idea! For low‑resource classrooms, you can read a short paragraph or show printed pictures instead of a video.

✨ Wednesday with Virtual English Language Educator Keith Boswell✨

A language educator at Daytona State College, Keith has taught around the world — from Hungary to Peru, Egypt, and Switzerland 🌍 He speaks English, Spanish, and Arabic and is passionate about intercultural communication and practical language learning.

✨ Fun fact: he’s a big sci-fi fan (especially Star Wars)!

🎄 Favorite tradition: On Christmas Eve, Keith and his family exchange “regifts” — funny or useful items from around the house instead of buying new ones.

📣 Teachers, don’t miss this opportunity!

Join FREE online professional development course: Using Educational Technology in the English Language Classroom 💻✨

Discover practical tools and strategies to enhance your teaching, engage your students, and bring technology into your lessons with confidence.

🔗 Learn more and register here: https://www.openenglishprograms.org/MOOC

New Molodets posters are now available! 

Download U.S. maps in A1 size, divided by region and featuring icons connected to the Molodets curriculum.

• Help visualize cultural themes
• Connect geography to learning
• Ideal for classroom or online use

Download and make your classroom walls pop with excitement!
https://loom.ly/6QZqDCs 

🌍✨ Culture Share Saturday: Arizona

Arizona is a nature lover’s dream! Around 85% of the state is covered by national forests, parks, and protected areas — including the breathtaking Grand Canyon 🏞️

☀️ In Arizona, people often talk about “dry heat” — very high temperatures with almost no humidity. It might sound easier than humid weather, but it can still feel intense!

🌵 Did you know? Arizona is home to the densest populations of saguaro cacti in the United States. These iconic plants can live for over 150 years and grow up to 40 feet tall!

🌪️ And here’s a new word: “haboob” — a powerful dust storm common during the summer monsoon season (June–September). These storms move quickly and can reduce visibility to almost zero 😮

Classroom Activity Idea:
“Weather & Survival Challenge”
• Teach key vocabulary: dry heat, humidity, cactus, desert, dust storm, visibility
• Show students photos of Arizona landscapes (desert, canyon, storms).
• In pairs, students answer:
- What would you wear in Arizona?
- What would you take with you in a haboob?
- Would you prefer dry heat or humid heat? Why?

Speaking task: Students imagine they are tourists visiting Arizona and record a short video or dialogue: “Today we are in Arizona. The weather is… We can see… We feel…”

🎯 Goal: practice weather vocabulary, speaking skills, and cultural awareness.

Looking for a simple assessment tool that supports clear, student‑friendly feedback? ✏️📊

This new English Teaching Forum article by Melanie C. González introduces single‑point rubrics, an easy way to highlight success criteria while giving personalized comments that guide learner growth.

Read the full article here: https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/63_4_article_single_point_rubric.pdf                                          

Access this issue here: bit.ly/ETForum-63-4 

Adapting popular media does not need to be complicated. 🌟

The CLC Formula gives you an easy way to plan a short activity with one picture, one sound, or a tiny clip.

Here’s how it helps:
• Context keeps the task simple and familiar.
• Language helps students practice one clear target.
• Challenge makes the activity active and fun without extra prep.

This formula works for all levels and teaching situations, including low‑tech classrooms. 📚✨

AI fanatic? Mark your calendar for a special session on May 5, at 15:00 MSK! 

Rachelle Dené Poth, the author of How to Teach AI: Weaving Strategies and Activities Into Any Content Area, will provide you with possibilities to
- Connect with global educators
- Ask an expert your burning questions about AI, and
- Gain practical, ready-to-use strategies!

Register here: Webinar Registration - Zoom

Get ready to learn! 💻📚 Teaching English to Young Learners MOOC introduces the theory and practice of teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) to young learners 3-10 years old. This FREE facilitated course is open till July 6! 

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

🌟 Opportunity for Educators from Alumni Community 🌟

🎓 Pro2Pro Platform Official Launch & Learning Cycles Kick-off 🗓 April 22 (Wed) | 5:00 PM (CET) / 6:00 PM (MSK) Learning from Each Other in the Era of AI How can peer-to-peer learning help us grow, adapt, and build meaningful professional connections in the era of AI?
🎤 Special guests:
• Matthew Manos — Associate Dean & Associate Professor, University of Southern California
• Jason Cranford Teague — Creative Technologist, Author, and Educator

Join the official launch of the Pro2Pro platform — a space for peer learning, experience exchange, and professional networking. At this opening event, we’ll introduce the platform, share how the Learning Cycles work, and invite participants to join the first round of collaboration.

1️⃣ Register for the event: https://luma.com/j955wz8c
2️⃣ Register on the platform: https://pro2pro.study/register

Teachers: You told us and we listened!

You want new resources to motivate elementary level students, U.S. culture from a nuanced perspective, ready-to-use materials, and FUN. 
If you join the Molodets Teacher workshop, you will get all of this and more – saving your time and expanding your teaching superpowers. 

Registration is FREE, and you will receive a digital badge and become an official Molodets Teacher.

Session 1: Wednesday, April 22 — 12:00 VLAT
Session 2: Wednesday, April 22 — 17:30 MSK

🌍✨ Culture Share Saturday: Minnesota

Minnesota 🌟 knows how to celebrate BIG! 🎡 The famous State Fair runs for 12 amazing days from late August to early September, ending on Labor Day 🗓️. With nearly 2 million visitors each year 👥, it’s truly called the “Great Get-Together”!

🛍️ Love shopping? Minnesota is home to the Mall of America—the largest shopping and entertainment complex in the U.S.!

🍲 Food spotlight: “Hotdish” is a local favorite! Made with simple ingredients like canned soup and tater tots, it’s a warm, comforting meal that brings families together.

🌊 Nature highlight: Minnesota is home to Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in the world—known for its stunning views and peaceful shores 🌅.

Classroom Activity Idea: “Plan Your Minnesota Day!” Have students work in pairs to create a one-day itinerary in Minnesota. They must include: • One event (e.g., State Fair 🎡
• One place to visit 🛍️
• One food to try 🍲
• One natural site 🌊

Students present their plan using future tense (e.g., “We will visit… We are going to try…”). This builds speaking skills, creativity, and cultural awareness! 💬📚

✨ TODAY ✨

Don’t miss the chance to create a tailored professional development course for your teaching community. Join us today, April 17 at 12:00 MSK to learn more! 

It’s not too late–register now! 
https://statedept.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_L3SoDswFRguNSKmUGWaLIg

Are you interested in professional development—or do you know someone who could benefit from expanding their English language skills?

Enroll in a FREE OPEN MOOC!

For English language learners:

• English for Career Development
• English for Tourism Professionals
• English for Business and Entrepreneurship

For English teachers:
• Using Educational Technology in the English Language Classroom
• Teaching English to Young Learners

These courses offer engaging strategies, real-world applications, and flexible learning you can fit into your schedule—or recommend to your students.

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

🌟 Join us TODAY! 🌟

Molodets invites you to a special online event for English superheroes!

Ready to power up your English skills? Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, this event is made for you. Join the global Molodets community for a fun, interactive session filled with games, connection, and real English practice.

What to expect: an exciting special announcement, interactive games, fresh “teaching superpower” ideas, opportunities to practice English with an international community, and plenty of energy, inspiration, and great conversation.

The event is FREE, but registration is required.

Session 2: Wednesday, April 16 — 17:30 MSK 

Here are a few simple ways to use popular media in short warm‑up activities. These tasks work well because they are quick, need very little preparation, and help students activate prior knowledge before learning a new language. 🧠💡

These ideas also support speaking, vocabulary recall, and prediction skills. 💬📚🔎 You can use images, short sounds, or tiny clips. Even without internet access, you can describe a scene or read one short sentence.

✨ TODAY ✨

Join American English at 15:00 and 20:00 MSK for the fourth webinar in American English Live Series 24. 
During this session, "Game On! Adapting Popular Media and Games for English Language Classrooms," Grace Allely will share how to adapt popular American media and games to help students learn English and explore authentic aspects of American daily life.

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

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

Have you dreamed of creating a tailored professional development course for your teaching community? Have you always wanted to lead collaboration with American teaching professionals?

Submit a Virtual English Language Specialist or Virtual Educator project proposal!  

Attend the 2026 proposal webinar on April 17 at 12:00 MSK to learn how to prepare a proposal. The recording link will be shared with all registered participants via email following the webinar.

Register here: https://statedept.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_L3SoDswFRguNSKmUGWaLIg