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ESL Vocabulary & Conversation Club (Certified Instructor)

In this club, students will meet weekly to develop their English skills by engaging in conversation about a variety of fun, planned topics!
Rachel Hoffman
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:
(159)
Class
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What's included

1 live meeting
25 mins in-class hours per week
Assessment
The instructor will guide students in conversation, correcting pronunciation and grammar as needed.

Class Experience

US Grade 1 - 4
In this club, students will meet weekly to develop their English skills by engaging in conversation about a variety of fun, planned topics! Students will converse about topics by asking and answering questions using key vocabulary words. This club is a great way to meet other students studying English and practice speaking.

Preparing for an English Exam?
Each week's discussions will feature a different topic with a vocabulary list that is appropriate to the B1 level on the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for those who might be preparing for the B1 Preliminary exam. 


UPCOMING CONVERSATIONS:

SHOW & TELL
Wed 10/9, Thu, 10/10, Fri 10/11
In this class, students will tell us about an object, experience, book or movie that they enjoy or has special meaning to them. They should prepare to tell us what it is, what it does, where it is, or what it is about. We will learn about each other's interests in this fun class!

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STUDENT REQUEST: LET'S TALK ABOUT THE USA!
Wed 10/16, Thu, 10/17, Fri 10/18
In this class, students will have a conversation about the people, places, food, animals, plants, and experiences in the United States of America. Rachel lives in the USA.

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STUDENT REQUEST: WRITING FUNNY STORIES
Wed 10/23, Thu, 10/24, Fri 10/25
In this lesson students will help create funny stories by choosing nouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbs (in the style of the popular game Madlibs). Students should review the definition of nouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbs to be prepared for this discussion.

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STUDENT REQUEST: LET'S TALK ABOUT COSTUMES
Wed 10/30, Thu, 10/31, Fri 11/1
In this lesson students will talk about costumes. There are many reasons that people wear costumes. Some people wear costumes when they are participating in a dramatic play. Others wear costumes as part of a holiday celebration (Chinese New Year, Halloween, Carnival, Purim). Sometimes costumes are worn to teach about history and how people dressed in the past. Have you ever worn a costume? Why did you wear one? Students are welcome to wear a costume to class but this is optional. No costumes are required.

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STUDENT REQUEST: LET'S TALK ABOUT HAWAII!
Wed 11/6, Thu, 11/7, Fri 11/8
In this class, students will have a conversation about the people, places, food, animals, plants, and experiences in Hawaii.

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LET'S TALK ABOUT NEEDS AND WANTS
Wed 11/13, Thu, 11/14, Fri 11/15
In this class, students will have a conversation about needs (things that are necessary or essential) and wants (things that we desire but are not essential).

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STUDENT REQUEST: LET'S TALK ABOUT INDIA!
Wed 11/20, Thu, 11/21, Fri 11/22
In this class, students will have a conversation about the people, places, food, animals, plants, and experiences in India.

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STUDENT REQUEST: I'M THANKFUL
Wed 11/27, Thu, 11/28, Fri 11/29
In preparation for the American Thanksgiving Holiday, students will discuss what they are thankful for. We have so much to be thankful for.

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SHOPPING USES MATH
Wed 12/4, Thu, 12/5, Fri 12/6
Shopping is a necessary chore. Without math skills, it would be impossible. In this class, students will review the vocabulary used in a typical shopping experience and discuss their own shopping experiences.
 

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PAST LESSONS:

STUDENT REQUEST: LET'S TALK ABOUT DINOSAURS!
(Wed 1/3, Thu 1/4, Fri 1/5)
In this class, we will have a conversation about dinosaurs. 

Vocabulary to review: bones, carnivore (an animal that eats meat), cold-blooded, dinosaur, extinct, fossil, herbivore (an animal that eats plants), meat, omnivore (an animal that eats plants and meat), paleontologist, plant,  predator, prey, skeleton, warm-blooded
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STUDENT REQUEST: LET'S TALK ABOUT AIRPLANES!
(Wed 1/10, Thu 1/11, Fri 1/12)

Vocabulary to review: airplane, airport, arrival, to arrive, to board, boarding pass, country, departure, to depart, destination, fare, flight, flight attendant, to fly, gate, helicopter, jet, luggage, passenger, pilot, speed, travel, to travel, trip
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STUDENT REQUEST: LET'S TALK ABOUT BALLET!
(Wed 1/17, Thu 1/18, Fri 1/19)

Vocabulary to Review: ballet, ballet slippers, body parts (arms, hair, hands, heels, hip, legs, knees, feet, fingers, toes), count (to count beats in a measure of music), to dance, fast, to jump, to leap, leotard, to lift, movements, on pointe, pointe shoes, position, to slide, slow, to stretch, to throw, tights, to turn, tutu
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STUDENT REQUEST: LET'S TALK ABOUT FAMILY!
(Wed 1/24, Thu 1/25, Fri 1/26)
In this activity, we will answer questions about the people in our family. Since every family is different, this may include mom, dad, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, cousin, grandma, grandpa, great-grandma, great-grandpa or myself! 

Sample Sentences/Vocabulary:
Who is the youngest person in your family? I am the youngest person in my family.
Who is the oldest person in your family? My great-grandma is the oldest person in my family.
Who is the quietest person in your family? My grandpa is the quietest person in my family.
In your family, who reads the most? My aunt reads the most. She reads a new book every week.
Who is the best cook in your family? My dad is the best cook in the family. He could be a chef.
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STUDENT REQUEST: LET'S TALK ABOUT SANRIO!
(Wed 1/31, Thu 2/1, Fri 2/2)
In this class students will review vocabulary and learn new vocabulary based on the popular Sanrio characters. Students do NOT need to know anything about Sanrio to participate in this class.

Vocabulary to Review:
animals (bird, dog, cat, rabbit, fish, penguin), colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, white, grey, brown, black), gift, toys, paper, pencil, pen, shirt, jacket, shorts, pants, theme park. 
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STUDENT REQUEST: COMMON VOCABULARY MISTAKES
(Wed 2/7, Thu 2/8, Fri 2/9)

Vocabulary to Review: anybody/nobody, for/since, plural/singular, do/are, was/did, enough, told/said, quite/quiet, use/used, wear/put-on, fun/funny, borrow/lend, on/in, on this/this, floor/ground, better/more better, firstly/at first, specially/especially, prices/costs


SAMPLE SENTENCES: 
Did you see anybody in the classroom? 
Correct: I didn’t see anybody in the classroom. Incorrect: I didn’t see nobody in the classroom.
How long have you been here? 
Correct:  I’ve been here for two hours. Incorrect: I’ve been here since two hours.
What do you need? 
Correct: I need some information. Incorrect: I need some informations.
How curly is her hair? 
Correct: Her hair is quite curly. Incorrect: Her hair is quiet curly.
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STUDENT REQUEST: Introducing Ourselves
(Wed 2/14, Thu 2/15, Fri 2/16)

Students will practice introducing themselves using sentence frames as suggestions.

Sample sentence frames:
Hello, my name is ____.
I am __ years old.
I live in __ (country). DO NOT SHARE YOUR PERSONAL ADDRESS.
When I have spare time, I like to ___. 
My favorite color is __.
My favorite animal is __.
My favorite class at school is __.
My friends would describe me as __.
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STUDENT REQUEST: LET'S TALK ABOUT INSECTS!
(Wed 2/21, Thu 2/22, Fri 2/23)
In this class, we will have a conversation about insects. 

Vocabulary to review: abdomen, adult, ant, bee, beetle, bug, butterfly, cicada, cockroach, crawl, cricket, dragonfly, egg, flea, fly (noun), to fly (verb), grasshopper, head, insect, jump, ladybug, larva, mosquito, moth, numbers (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10), pest, pet, pupa, termite, thorax, venomous, wasp.
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STUDENT REQUEST: ASK TEACHER RACHEL
(Wed 2/28, Thu 2/29, Fri 31)
In this class, students will practice asking questions. They may ask Teacher Rachel any question and she will try to answer their questions. 

SAMPLE QUESTIONS:
What is your favorite color?
What is your least favorite food?
Do you live in a house?
Do you drive a car?

What do people eat in the U.S.A.?
How big is the U.S.A.?
Do children in the U.S.A. have homework?
What is considered rude in the U.S.A.?
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STUDENT REQUEST: How is Tissue Made?
(Wed 3/6, Thu 3/7, Fri 3/8)

Vocabulary to review:
to cut, to dry, fibers*, to glue, hard, ink, machine, pulp*, recycle/recycled, soft, tissue, tree, to wash, water, wood 

*These words are advanced words.
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NO CLASSES WILL MEET MARCH 13, 14, & 15
(This is Teacher Rachel's Spring Break.)
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STUDENT REQUEST: How to Tie Knots (Using Prepositions!)
(Wed 3/20, Thu 3/21, Fri 3/22)

Vocabulary to review:
Prepositions: around, between, behind/in front of, on/off, over/under, through

STUDENT REQUEST: STREET DANCE
(Wed 3/27, Thu 3/28, Fri 3/29)

STUDENT REQUEST: COMMON ENGLISH MISTAKES
(Wed 4/3, Thu 4/3, Fri 4/5
In this activity, students will work together to determine whether sentences are correct or incorrect. Each sentence will feature content that is a common English mistake.

• VOCABULARY
to lend/to borrow, since/for, eat/take (medicine), lay/lie, nobody/anybody, me too/me either, and using "the" when making general statements
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STUDENT REQUEST: LET'S TALK ABOUT REPTILES!
(Wed 4/10, Thu 4/11, Fri 4/12)

Vocabulary: alligator, cold-blooded, crocodile, eggs, lizard, lungs, reptile, scales, skeleton, snake, turtle
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STUDENT REQUEST: LET'S TALK ABOUT CUPCAKES!
(Wed 4/17, Thu 4/18, Fri 4/19)

Vocabulary: bake, butter, cookbook, cupcake, eat, eggs, flour, invent, measure, milk, mix, recipe, salty, savory, sour, spicy, sugar, sweet

In this class, we will learn who invented the cupcake and how the first cupcake was made. We will look at a large variety of cupcakes and discuss what they look like, how they would taste, and if we would like them.
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STUDENT REQUEST: LET'S TALK ABOUT KOREA!
(Wed 4/24, Thu 4/25, Fri 4/26)
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STUDENT REQUEST: LET'S TALK ABOUT FISH!
(Wed 5/1, Thu 5/2, Fri 5/3)
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STUDENT REQUEST: LET'S TALK ABOUT PETS!
(Wed 5/8, Thu 5/9, Fri 5/10)
Vocabulary: alpaca, baby, bird, cat, chameleon, chicken, chinchilla, cow, crow, to do, dog, donkey, to drink, duck, to eat, fish, gecko, hamster, hedgehog, iguana, miniature horse, pet, possom/opossom, orangatan, penguin, puma, rabbit, raccoon, reptile, snake, turtle

Sample Sentences/Questions:
What do cats like to do? Cats like to play.
What do dogs drink? Dogs drink water.
What is a baby chicken called? A baby chicken is a chick.
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STUDENT REQUEST: LET'S TALK ABOUT SLOTHS!
(Wed 5/15, Thu 5/16, Fri 5/17)
Details to come!
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STUDENT REQUEST: LET'S TALK ABOUT PYRAMIDS!
(Wed 5/22, Thu 5/23, Fri 5/24)

Vocabulary: Egypt, gold, hieroglyphs/hieroglyphics, mummy, pharaoh, pyramid, rectangle, robbers, to steal,  tomb, treasure, triangle
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STUDENT REQUEST: LET'S TALK ABOUT TAIWAN!
(Wed 5/29, Thu 5/30, Fri 5/31)

Vocabulary: animals, baseball, boat, country, forest, island, market, mountains, museum, plants, port, ship, skyscraper, Taipei 101, Taiwan, temple, weather, 
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STUDENT REQUEST: LET'S TALK ABOUT TRIVIA!
(Wed 6/5, Thu 6/6, Fri 6/7)
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STUDENT REQUEST: LET'S TALK ABOUT JAPAN!
(Wed 6/12, Thu 6/13, Fri 6/14)
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STUDENT REQUEST: LET'S TALK ABOUT HONG KONG!
(Wed 6/19, Thu 6/20, Fri 6/21)
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STUDENT REQUEST: LET'S TALK ABOUT CROATIA!
(Wed 6/26, Thu 6/27, Fri 6/28)
Students will discuss photos of places, plants, animals, food, and activities enjoyed in the country of Croatia!
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STUDENT REQUEST: LET'S ASK RACHEL QUESTIONS!
(Wed 7/3, Thu 7/4, Fri 7/5)
Students will practice asking questions and discuss the answers. Teacher Rachel has many interests so most questions are welcome. (To avoid disagreements, let's avoid religion and politics.) Ask about life in America, English, education, music, animals, hobbies, food, etc. 
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STUDENT REQUEST: LET'S TALK ABOUT ICE CREAM!
(Wed 7/17, 7/18. 7/19)
Students will discuss facts about ice cream including strange flavors from around the world.
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STUDENT REQUEST: LET'S TALK ABOUT THE CAT FAMILY!
(Wed 7/10, Thu 7/11, Fri 7/12)

Students will discuss the many cats in the cat family, Felidae. We will talk about where they live, what they look like, what they eat, how they play, how their bodies move, and more!

Vocabulary you might use: cat, claws, domesticated, eat, eyes, fur, hunt, jump, lineage, nose, mouth, pads, paws, run, species, teeth, whiskers, wild
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SUPER SUPERLATIVES
(Wed 8/7, Thu 8/8, Fri 8/9)
Grammar:  
Superlatives: Superlative adjectives are used to describe an object which is at the upper or lower limit of a quality (the tallest, the smallest, the fastest, the highest). They are used in sentences where a subject is compared to a group of objects. Noun (subject) + verb + the + superlative adjective + noun (object). 
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STUDENT REQUEST: SHOW & TELL
(Wed 7/31, Thu 8/1, Fri 8/2)
Students will bring an item to show the class. They will explain tell about the item and answer questions about it. Items could be toys, books, a trophy, a pet, collector cards, a favorite food or beverage, a friend or a family member.
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STUDENT REQUEST: WRITING FUNNY STORIES
(Wed 8/14, Thu 8/15, Fri, 8/16)
In this lesson students will help create funny stories by choosing nouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbs (in the style of the popular game Madlibs). Students should review the definition of nouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbs to be prepared for this discussion.
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STUDENT REQUEST: TONGUE TWISTERS
(Wed 8/21, Thu 8/22, Fri 8/23)
A tongue twister is a sequence of words or sounds, typically of an alliterative kind, that are difficult to pronounce quickly and correctly, as, for example, tie twine to three tree twigs.

We'll test our pronunciation skills by exploring a variety of English Tongue Twisters. Be ready to laugh with me!
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LET'S TALK ABOUT BIRTHDAYS!
(Wed 8/28, Thu 8/29, Fri 8/30)

In this lesson students will discuss how they celebrate their birthdays. People from different cultures often celebrate differently.

VOCABULARY:
age, birthday, cake, candles,  celebration, decorations, gift, guests, how many, party, present, months [January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December], tradition

to bake, to be, to blow, to celebrate, to come, to decorate, to eat, to open, to light, to make a wish, to sing, to want 

SAMPLE SENTENCES: 
When is your birthday? My birthday is in [June]. 

What do you do on our birthday? I eat cake on my birthday.

Do you put candles on your cake? Yes, I put candles on my cake. 

Do you celebrate with friends or family? I celebrate with my family.

Do you have a birthday song? No, I do not have a birthday song.

Do you have a party? Yes, I have a party at the park.

Do you invite guests? Yes, I invite my family and a few friends.
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LET'S TALK ABOUT SCHOOL!
(Wed 9/11, Thu 9/12, Fri 9/13)


LET'S TALK ABOUT FALL/AUTUMN!
(Wed 9/4, Thu 9/5, Fri 9/6)

NOUNS TO REVIEW: autumn, blow, breeze, Celsius, cool, colors [red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, white, black and brown], degrees, leaves, fall, food (apple, chestnut, mooncakes, persimmon, pumpkin, savory pancake) Fahrenheit, holidays (diwali, halloween, mid-autumn moon festival, Thanksgiving).  season, temperature, wind, windy, weather

VERBS TO REVIEW: 
to be, to change, to fall, to feel, to do, to like

SAMPLE SENTENCES: 
What season is windy? [Fall/Autumn] is windy. 
Do the leaves change colors in fall? Yes, the leaves are [brown/yellow/orange] in fall. 
How is the weather? It is cool. 
What is the temperature? It is 55 degrees Fahrenheit. It is 12 degrees Celsius.
What holiday do you celebrate in fall? I celebrate Thanksgiving.
What foods do you eat in the fall. I eat persimmons.
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STUDENT REQUEST: LET'S TALK ABOUT AUSTRALIA!
Wed 10/2, Thu, 10/3, Fri 10/4
In this class, students will have a conversation about the people, places, food, animals, plants, and experiences in Australia.

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POSSIBLE FUTURE TOPICS:
-Animals
-Birthday Celebrations
-Clothing
-Colors/Colours
-Education
-Family and Relationships
-Feelings
-Foods and Drinks
-Health and Exercise
-Hobbies
-Hobbies and Leisure
-Holiday Celebrations
-House and Home
-Landforms
-Seasons (Spring/Summer/Fall/Winter)
-Shopping
-Technology
-Travel
-Weather
-Work and Jobs
and more!
Learning Goals
Students will practice English conversation with other students studying English. The instructor will guide discussions and correct pronunciation and grammar to encourage language accuracy.
learning goal

Other Details

Supply List
Students may find an English dictionary or translation device helpful as they are learning new vocabulary.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Sources
Students might find this information helpful when reviewing for classes: https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/Images/506887-b1-preliminary-2020-vocabulary-list.pdf
Joined February, 2021
4.9
159reviews
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
Bachelor's Degree in Music or Theatre or Arts from Berklee College of Music
Rachel Hoffman grew up in a musical family. She began studying music formally at the age of five and has honed her skills through many years of voice lessons, piano lessons, choirs, ensembles, solo performances, vocal competitions, and by studying at the prestigious Berklee College of Music where she received her Bachelor of Music degree with honors. As a Professional Music major, she specialized in Songwriting, Vocal Performance and Private Studio Instruction.

Rachel moved to Nashville, TN in 1998 to work for Warner-Chappell Music Publishing. Since that time, she has taught private lessons, performed in and around town, taught songwriting, music theory and performance techniques in high schools and homeschool cooperatives and runs her award-winning, research-based early childhood music business. She believes that music benefits everyone and strives to keep lessons and classes accessible to all whether they are 100 minutes or 100 years old.

Music is just one language that Rachel loves. She has also studied English, Chinese, and Spanish. She completed the TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) program in 2019 and has taught English to more than 500 young English learners since! When she is not teaching, you might find her baking, engaged in a DIY project, or playing with her dog, Lewis.

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$8

weekly
1x per week
25 min

Completed by 528 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 5-10
1-4 learners per class

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