RELO Russia

📚 Forum Friday!

What if a simple shift in reading instruction could transform students from passive readers into active participants in the story?

This week’s English Teaching Forum article explores how encouraging learners to make predictions, test their ideas, and revise their thinking as a narrative unfolds can build curiosity, engagement, and deeper comprehension.

Looking for practical ways to help secondary and postsecondary learners connect with literature and stay invested in the reading process? This adaptable strategy can be used across a variety of classroom contexts.

🔗 Read the article: https://bit.ly/ETForum-64-1

🌐 Visit the NEW English Teaching Forum website

⭐ Professional Development for English Teachers ⭐

The American Center in Moscow invites English teachers to join a professional development series on teaching soft skills to students of all ages and backgrounds, led by English Language Specialist Marie van Romburgh.

Through interactive activities, discussion, reflection, and practical teaching tips, participants will explore how to integrate soft skills such as critical thinking, communication, collaboration, self-management, research, and resilience into their existing curriculum or create new lessons.

The series will focus on practical strategies that teachers can use in the classroom and adapt to real-world situations, helping students develop skills that support success in learning, work, and everyday life.

Learn more and register: https://amc.timepad.ru/event/4148991/ 

Meet Lawrence Berlin, Virtual English Language Specialist and the instructor for “Choosing, Using, and Evaluating Educational Technology.”

This course will help teachers develop the knowledge and practical strategies they need to make informed decisions about selecting, using, and evaluating educational technology in their curricula.

With more than two decades of experience in higher education, English language teaching, intercultural communication, academic program development, and teacher training, Lawrence brings extensive international expertise to the course. He is Professor Emeritus in TESOL at Northeastern Illinois University and has held senior leadership positions at universities in the United States and Latin America.

Interested in joining the course? Learn more about the online course and apply here: https://forms.gle/tL7SnQeNZmwrcvedA

As teachers, we often see students write different parts of a text but still feel unsure about what each part is supposed to do.

Helping students focus on communicative goals encourages them to think about what each part of their writing is meant to do, such as explaining, persuading, or connecting ideas. 
In the Teaching English Academic Writing to Speakers of Other Languages MOOC, teachers explore ways to design tasks that help students write with clearer purpose and structure.

📘 Enrollment is open and closes September 28.

🔗 https://www.openenglishprograms.org/MOOC 

📚 Materials Monday: Get “In the Loop” with American English Idioms! ✨

Idioms are everywhere in everyday communication, but they can be challenging for English learners to understand and use confidently.
In the Loop: A Reference Guide to American English Idioms is a useful resource for ESL/EFL educators looking to bring authentic language and cultural context into the classroom. 🎯

This resource can help learners:
• Understand common American English idioms
• Build vocabulary and figurative language skills
• Strengthen listening and reading comprehension
• Explore the cultural context of language use
• Build confidence in real-world communication

🔗 Explore the resource: https://americanenglish.state.gov/resources/loop

Culture Share Saturday: Maryland 🇺🇸

This week we’re exploring Maryland — the “Old Line State”!

📚 Where does “Maryland” come from? The name means “land of Mary” and honors Queen Henrietta Maria, the wife of King Charles I of England.

🌎Have you heard of Harriet Tubman? She was one of the most famous “conductors” of the Underground Railroad. A conductor is someone who drives or operates a train, but the Underground Railroad was not a real railroad. It was a secret network used in the 1800s to help enslaved people escape to freedom. “Conductors” helped guide people between safe places.

🦀 Crabs are an important part of Maryland culture, especially around the Chesapeake Bay. Maryland’s regional vocabulary includes lots of words and expressions connected with catching, cooking, and eating crabs.

⚾ Babe Ruth, one of the most famous baseball players of all time, was born in Maryland.

Fun fact: Many people believe the Baby Ruth candy bar was named after Babe Ruth, although the company that created it denied the connection. The candy appeared as Babe Ruth was becoming famous, which certainly helped fuel the association!

📰 Forum Friday: Volume 64, Number 1 is now available!

Dive into the newest issue of English Teaching Forum, where fresh ideas meet classroom creativity. Explore engaging approaches to American short stories, student goal-setting, poetry, and language, plus a practical technique called Language Anchors. This issue also launches exciting new features: “On the Cover,” spotlighting a National Parks–themed scanning activity, and “FORUM Flashback,” a look into the journal's rich history and American culture. Inspiring, innovative, and ready to use—this issue brings energy to every lesson.

English in the Real World: Small Talk at Museums 🖼️

Small talk is an important part of everyday communication in American culture. It helps people connect, build relationships, and feel more comfortable in social and professional situations.

Museums are a great context for practicing small talk with English learners. Talking about an exhibition, asking about admission, or sharing an opinion about a work of art gives students a natural reason to start and continue a conversation.

⭐ Professional Development for English Teachers ⭐

The American Center in Moscow invites English teachers to join a professional development series on teaching soft skills to students of all ages and backgrounds, led by English Language Specialist Marie van Romburgh.

Through interactive activities, discussion, reflection, and practical teaching tips, participants will explore how to integrate soft skills such as critical thinking, communication, collaboration, self-management, research, and resilience into their existing curriculum or create new lessons.

The series will focus on practical strategies that teachers can use in the classroom and adapt to real-world situations, helping students develop skills that support success in learning, work, and everyday life.

Learn more and register: https://amc.timepad.ru/event/4148991/

Tuesday Teaching Activity: Communication Stations

Looking for a simple way to help students move beyond controlled practice and use English more spontaneously? Try Communication Stations!

Students rotate through different situations, such as asking for clarification or making a polite request. At each station, they read a prompt, create a short dialogue, and adjust their language, tone, and level of formality to fit the situation.

📢 New Online Professional Development Opportunity for English Language Teachers!

RELO Russia is excited to offer Choosing, Using, and Evaluating Educational Technology, an online professional development course led by Virtual English Language Specialist Lawrence Berlin.

💻 The course will help teachers develop the knowledge and strategies they need to make informed decisions about selecting, using, and evaluating educational technology in their curricula.

🗓️ Choose the day and time that works best for you and apply!

Sessions will be held online via Zoom every other week:
• Thursdays at 18:00 MSK, beginning October 8
• Saturdays at 07:00 MSK, beginning October 10

Learn more and apply: https://forms.gle/tL7SnQeNZmwrcvedA 

Application deadline: Sep 14, 2026

📍 All sessions will be held online via Zoom.

Participants who attend at least 80% of the sessions will receive a certificate of completion.

Culture Share Saturday: Massachusetts! 🇺🇸

What do baseball, New England, and chocolate chip cookies have in common? They can all help us discover something about Massachusetts!

Massachusetts is a state in the northeastern United States and one of the six states that make up New England. The region got its name in the early 1600s, when English colonists named it after England.

⚾ Baseball is an important part of American culture, and Massachusetts is home to one of New England’s professional sports teams. Going to a baseball game is about more than the sport itself — fans may enjoy classic ballpark snacks such as hot dogs and peanuts while cheering for their team.

🍪 Did you know? The chocolate chip cookie was invented in Massachusetts in the 1930s by Ruth Wakefield of the Toll House Inn. Her simple idea of adding chocolate pieces to cookie dough became one of America’s most beloved treats! 

💡 Classroom Activity: Explore Massachusetts through food, sports, and geography. In groups, students choose one topic, find three interesting facts, and give a short presentation in English. 

Vocabulary Friday: “Music to My Ears”

Meaning: Something you hear that makes you very happy or pleased.

For teachers, some words are truly music to our ears: “I understand it now!”, “I really enjoyed this lesson!”, or “I used English outside the classroom!”

Teaching isn’t only about helping students learn grammar and vocabulary. It’s also about creating those moments when students gain confidence, discover something new, or realize how much they’ve improved.

The Original Cut: Books Behind Iconic Films 

Join American Center Moscow and host Jon Spurney for The Original Cut, a new bi-weekly club exploring the novels behind iconic films. Each session takes a closer look at the story on the page and how it was adapted for the screen. Sessions will take place over Zoom on Fridays at 19:00 MSK. 

This week, we’re exploring Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, and Greta Gerwig’s acclaimed film adaptation.

You can find the digital book in the American Center Moscow library

More information: https://amc.timepad.ru/event/3991594/ 

⭐ TODAY ⭐

Join American English at 15:00 or 20:00 MSK for the second session in AE Live Series 25! In this session, “A World of English: Connecting American English with Global Varieties & Classroom Applications,” Emily Box will introduce key features of American English and explore how awareness of language use and communication styles can enhance communication with American English speakers. 
 
▶️ Join the session on Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/96503218412

Register and learn more here

✨ Teaching Tip Tuesday ✨

Have you ever noticed that when students communicate in real situations, misunderstandings are a normal part of the process? 🤔

Before starting communicative tasks, it can help to give students a few simple language tools they can use when meaning is unclear or needs to be adjusted. 

These small strategies make interactions smoother and help students stay confident while expressing ideas, responding to others, and checking understanding in real time. 

📚 Materials Monday with Molodets

Take a journey through the Northeast and discover its fascinating places, culture, history, and educational traditions with Molodets Module 8.

As part of this journey, discover Massachusetts, home to world-famous universities such as Harvard University and MIT. Students can learn more about these iconic institutions while exploring the region and expanding their knowledge of the United States. 

Culture Share Saturday: New Jersey

Baseball, diners, the U.S. Constitution, and confusing roads are all part of life in New Jersey! 🗽⚾🍔

Here are a few facts to share with your English learners:

⚾ Both New Jersey and New York claim to be the "birthplace of baseball" for different reasons. New Jersey points to the first recorded modern baseball game played under standardized rules. New York has its own claim because the rules and teams involved came from New York. And what about the famous story that Abner Doubleday invented baseball? Historians have largely discredited that story.

🚗 If you drive in New Jersey, you may encounter a jughandle — a type of road design where you sometimes have to turn right and make a loop in order to turn left. It can be confusing if you're seeing one for the first time!

⛽ New Jersey is the only U.S. state where drivers are not allowed to pump their own gasoline. A trained attendant does it for you. So if you visit New Jersey, just stay in your car and wait for the attendant!

📜 The first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution are known as the Bill of Rights. They protect important freedoms and rights, including freedom of speech and religion and the right to a jury trial in certain cases. And if you’ve ever heard a police officer in a movie say, “You have the right to remain silent,” you’ve heard a phrase connected to these constitutional protections.

🍔 New Jersey is often called America’s diner capital. American diners are places known for features such as red booths, counter seating with stools, and sometimes jukeboxes — machines that let customers choose and play songs by inserting coins.

💡 Classroom Activity: Design a Diner
Students design their own American diner and describe the food, seating, music, and atmosphere. 

Join American English on August 19 at 15:00 or 20:00 MSK for the second session in AE Live Series 25!

In this session, “A World of English: Connecting American English with Global Varieties & Classroom Applications,” Emily Box will introduce key features of American English and explore how awareness of language use and communication styles can enhance communication with American English speakers. 
 
▶️ Join the session on Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/96503218412

Register and learn more here

📚 Bring Real-Life Communication into the English Classroom! 🗣️

Looking for engaging speaking and listening materials for your English learners?

Dialogs for Everyday Use features short situational dialogs designed for students of English as a Foreign Language, helping learners build confidence with practical, everyday communication. 🌍✨

These ready-to-use dialogs can support: 
 ✅ Speaking practice
 ✅ Listening activities
 ✅ Pronunciation development
 ✅ Role-plays and pair work
 ✅ Real-world language use

🔗 Explore the resource: https://www.americanenglish.org/resource/dialogs-everyday-use