RELO Russia

✨ Teaching Tip Thursday: Teach Choices, Not Just Answers

There isn’t always just one “correct” way to say something!

Instead of teaching students one fixed phrase, give them a few options and help them understand when and why they might choose each one. 💬

Start with a clear model, add one or two alternatives, and talk about the context where each one works best. 

This small shift helps students see that using English is about making choices, not just finding the “right answer.” Over time, it can build confidence and prepare learners for real conversations. 

Join Emily Box, AE Live Webinar presenter, whose webinar "A World of English: Connecting American English with Global Varieties & Classroom Applications" will take place on August 19 at 15:00 and 20:00 MSK!

▶️ Join the session on Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/96503218412

Register and learn more here

🇺🇸 Culture Share Saturday: Pennsylvania

Both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were signed at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, making it one of the most important historic sites in the United States.

Philadelphia's NBA basketball team is called the 76ers (or simply the Sixers) because of 1776—the year the Declaration of Independence was signed. 

Pennsylvania is also famous for chocolate! The town of Hershey is home to one of the world's best-known chocolate companies and is often called "The Sweetest Place on Earth."

🗣️ Language Spotlight: In southeastern Pennsylvania, some Amish and Mennonite communities speak Pennsylvania Dutch English, a variety of English influenced by German (Deutsch). You might hear unique expressions like: • "Outen the lights." = Turn off the lights. • "Dippy eggs." = Eggs with a runny yolk for dipping toast.

🎓 Classroom Activity Idea: Ask students to become "language detectives." Show them the expressions "outen the lights" and "dippy eggs." Have them: 1️⃣ Guess what each expression means. 2️⃣ Match them with their standard English equivalents. 3️⃣ Discuss whether Russian has regional words or expressions that differ from standard Russian. 4️⃣ Finish with the question: What food or place is your region famous for?

📚 Vocabulary Friday: "Apple of Your Eye" 🍎 

Meaning: Someone or something that is especially loved, valued, or cherished. 

Years from now, students may not remember every grammar rule or vocabulary quiz, but they'll remember the teachers who encouraged them, believed in them, and made learning meaningful. 

Many students carry the influence of a favorite teacher with them long after they leave the classroom. It's a reminder that the relationships we build can have a lasting impact. 

📚 Thursday Teaching Activity 

Real-world listening doesn't always go smoothly, and that's exactly what our students need to practice.
This week's activity gives learners the chance to navigate unfamiliar English accents using communication repair strategies they'll use outside the classroom.
The goal isn't perfect listening—it's successful communication. Helping students realize they don't have to understand every word to keep a conversation moving builds confidence and resilience.

⭐ Challenge Option: Award points to pairs each time they successfully use a repair strategy to keep the conversation going.

📚 Wednesday Resource Spotlight

Looking for a fun way to get students talking while reinforcing language skills?

🎲 Activate Games for Learning American English collection is a FREE resource that features interactive board games that help students practice English conversation, vocabulary, grammar, and functional language in a learner-centered, low-stress classroom environment.

🍎 Teaching Tip Tuesday

🎧 Authentic audio is a powerful way to expose students to real-world English—but the success of accent listening isn't just about the audio you choose. It's about how you design the learning experience.

When students know what they're listening for, unfamiliar accents become an opportunity to build confidence instead of a source of frustration. 

📚 Materials Monday with Molodets

Help your students explore the world of university majors and careers with Module 2, Unit 1 from Molodets!

Learners will discover different career paths, expand their career vocabulary, explore the growing gig economy, and practice the Past Progressive through engaging, real-world contexts. The unit also helps students strengthen their reading and listening skills with authentic materials.

🎧 Check out the podcast episodes and short videos to bring the topic to life in your classroom!

🌍 Culture Share Saturday: New York

This week, we're exploring New York State—home to one of the world's most iconic cities!

🚇 New York has the world's largest subway system, with 472 stations. 
🗽 New York City (NYC) is one of the most famous cities in the world, known for its energy, landmarks, and cultural influence. 
🎷 Before NYC became famous for skyscrapers and Broadway, it was already well known for jazz music and horse racing, two important parts of its early culture.

📚 Classroom Activity Idea:
Ask students, "What makes your city or region famous?" Have them share one interesting fact with a partner or write a short paragraph comparing their hometown with New York.

💬 Discussion Question: If you could spend one day in New York, what would you most like to see or do?

📚 Vocabulary Friday: "Get a Second Wind" 💨 

Meaning: To suddenly have more energy after feeling tired or exhausted. 

Summer is a time to rest, recharge, and enjoy a slower pace. By the end of the break, many teachers get a second wind—feeling refreshed, inspired, and ready to welcome a new school year with fresh ideas and renewed energy. 

🤖 Teaching Tip Thursday: Creating AI Classroom Expectations 

This Edutopia article shares classroom AI policies developed by teachers, and one message stands out: clear expectations matter more than blanket bans. Teachers are finding success by helping students understand when AI is appropriate, how to use it ethically, and why their own thinking and creativity are still essential.  

🗓️ Mark your calendars! 🗓️

Join American English Live Teacher Development Series 25 and explore topics related to teaching American English and life in the United States in celebration of the United States’ 250th birthday.  💻🌎🎉

FREE professional development webinars take place on the third Wednesday of each month at 15:00 or 20:00 MSK.

▶️ Join the sessions on Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/96503218412

Registered participants can complete a short quiz in Canvas at the end of each webinar to earn a digital badge for participation!

🔗 Register for the series one time using this link

Tuesday Teaching Activity: Challenge Stations

If you’re looking for a way to keep students active while still focusing clearly on language, this camp‑style activity is definitely worth trying. 

Camp Challenge Stations work well because students move through short tasks as a team, but they keep using the same language target at each station. 

Clear roles, short rounds, and simple task cards help keep students focused, even in larger or mixed‑level classes. The repetition feels natural, not forced, and students often start speaking more confidently by the second or third rotation.

📚 Materials Monday: Using Time Capsules to Create History

Looking for a lesson that combines culture, communication, and collaboration?

The lesson plan "This Is Us: Using Time Capsules to Create History" from the Access teacher community invites students to explore American pop culture in the 1990s through the concept of a time capsule before creating one of their own.

🌎 Culture Share Saturday: Discover Alaska! ❄️🐕🏔️

Did you know Alaska is the largest state in the United States?
Known as "The Last Frontier," Alaska is famous for its breathtaking wilderness, glaciers, mountains, and unique Arctic culture. It is also called "The Great Land" and "The Land of the Midnight Sun" because of its vast landscapes and long summer days.

🐕 One of Alaska's most iconic traditions is dog mushing—a sport and a practical way to travel across snow and ice using a team of sled dogs. Indigenous peoples of the Arctic have relied on sled dogs for transportation, hunting, and carrying supplies for thousands of years. Today, dog mushing is still an important part of Alaskan culture and has appeared in many popular movies and TV shows.

🥾 To stay warm in Alaska's freezing temperatures, people wear mukluks—special boots designed for extreme cold. Traditionally made by Indigenous communities, mukluks are both practical and an important part of Arctic heritage.

🍎 Classroom Activity: "Pack for Alaska!"

• Ask students to imagine they are traveling to Alaska for one week.
• Show pictures of items such as mukluks, a winter coat, gloves, sunglasses, a swimsuit, a sled, and hiking boots.
• In pairs, students choose five items they would pack and explain their choices using English:
- I would pack mukluks because it's very cold.
- I wouldn't pack a swimsuit because the weather is freezing.

Extension: Have students create a short travel advertisement encouraging tourists to visit Alaska using at least three new vocabulary words (e.g., wilderness, sled, Arctic, glacier, midnight sun).

📚 Vocabulary Friday: Top of your game

Although this idiom comes from the world of sports and is often used to describe an athlete's peak performance, it's also commonly used in everyday English to talk about success at work, school, or any skill. 

💬 Classroom Challenge:
Ask students to think of someone they admire—a sportsperson, musician, scientist, teacher, or even a friend—and complete the sentence:
"I think … is at the top of their game because..."

Encourage students to explain their answers using at least two supporting details.

🎧  Teaching Tip Thursday

Once students understand that listening is about meaning, not perfection, the next step is helping them know what to pay attention to.

Encouraging learners to notice stress, intonation, and rhythm helps them follow the message even when the accent sounds unfamiliar. These features often guide listeners to what is important, what is new, and how ideas are connected.

📢  LAST DAY to APPLY! 📢

💻 Want to create engaging online English courses but not sure where to start?

The RELO Office is excited to offer scholarships for the Fall 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.

Creating and Implementing Online Courses (CIOC), delivered by Arizona State University, will guide you through the entire process—from planning and design to implementation and evaluation.

Using the ADDIE instructional design model, you'll learn how to: ✅ Analyze learner needs
✅ Design engaging online lessons
✅ Create assessments and learning materials
✅ Develop an implementation plan 

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

Apply here: https://forms.gle/E3uq6aTb8uLAQXdE6 

Application deadline: July 22

📖 Tuesday Teaching Resource ✨

Are you looking for texts your students can actually connect with?

“American Teens Talk!” is a free classroom resource with short readings about everyday life, school, and real experiences. The topics are relatable, which can make it easier for students to understand ideas and engage with the text.

You can use it to:
• support reading comprehension
• introduce useful, everyday vocabulary
• get students talking about real topics

💡 It is a great option when you want students not just to understand a text, but to connect with it and use the language.

📥Download the resource

📚 Materials Monday: Explore Alaska with Molodets! ❄️🏔️

Take your students on a journey to Alaska, the largest state in the United States, with Molodets!

Learn more about the traditions and way of life of the Inuit, Indigenous peoples of the Arctic who have adapted to one of the world's most challenging environments. 

📖 Discover more in Molodets Module 11, Unit 5