Emojis and Stories?

 Hey!

It's the second week for my students from the Integrated Communicative Course (a combo of what-used-to-be Extensive Listening and Extensive Reading courses). They have their first individual reflection, and it's related to emojis! 🤩🥳

It's not the first time I use emojis in my classes. I still like to add feedback and invite my students to respond to my messages in Google Chat with emojis too. Indeed teachers can use emojis as one of their language learning-teaching resources. This website lists ten interesting ideas of how to use emojis in the classroom, and British Council adds other nine ideas.

Specifically, the report my students had to write requires them to find an emoji that best describes what the story is about or represents their opinion or feeling after reading or listening to the story. 

Last year, I wrote my post too, with these two emojis, 🤩😅 , I used to talk about the stories.

Here's the list of my students and their blog updates, plus the emojis they used, 


By on

A new semetser, a new episode

 Hola!


It's been a while since I last updated this blog. I know. My mistake. 

It's gonna be a bit busy semester. I'm teaching several courses, including the new Integrated Communicative Course. Basically, it's a combo of Extensive Reading and Extensive Listening. Whoa!

So, I have new students that hopefully will enjoy their reading-and-listening journey—and eventually love English more!

This week, my students and I started by sharing experiences about learning languages, not just English, and our reading and listening stories so far. I invited them to reflect on their memories and stories.  


I myself first learned English at elementary school. Back then, I hated it, seriously. 

While somewhat I liked to learn topical words, I knew nothing about why I had to memorize all the irregular verbs, for example. The teacher, who happened to not master English (yes, we had no teacher majoring in English at that time), simply write down the words or structures that she copied from the coursebook. I failed at understanding English.

It was my tutor—guru les—who made me fall in love with that foreign language. He taught with a grammar-translation method. Lots of grammatical points to learn, but I did enjoy it! Plus, he gave us those short (funny) texts to read from Hill's collection of reading texts. And I won't forget that I grew up with those silly stories of Nasreddin Hodja. My cousin and I studied with the same tutor. Sometimes a few new friends joined in. 

Hill's reading comprehension book and Murphy's grammar book

Since then, I got more and more curious and eager to learn English. My EFL teacher in junior and senior high school also did well in teaching the language! They're among those who inspired me to be a teacher. I even remember once I asked my teacher if she knew anything about TOEFL, while I wrongly understood it. LOL. When she finally gave her copy of TOEFL, I was puzzled. 

I bought a few books on English trivia and quizzes, fun ones to do. And I did buy Murphy's legendary grammar reference book when I was in high school. 

As I grew with my grammar-translation-influenced teachers, I was rarely confident to speak in English. Even when my tutor invited me to discuss things in English, I was reluctant to respond to his questions. My cousin was more challenged to answer those questions. And speaking classes were not my cup of tea when I was studying at uni (I got a BC for my Speaking 3 course. #sad)

Now that I am an EFL teacher, I always try to challenge myself to read and listen to more things in English. Oh, I still love Bahasa Indonesia, too. After all, I love language and learning languages (and I'm learning Spanish too: soy Daniel y soy un maestro de Ingles!). 


What about my students' reflections? Well, you might be interested in their newest blog updates.

  • Aldila, who found inspiration for learning English from a Korean film.
  • Alex and his 'English Hut'. What a creative name!
  • Kezia, who fell in love with English after reading Franklin the Turtle!
  • Arba`Ul. She was introduced to English in her elementary school.
  • Arin, #TeamPessimistic here. LOL
  • Axl and how he learned English from playing games! Haha
  • Betty; she watched some English films and started to like the language more and more.
  • Dwi, who began to love English from watching Narnia!
  • Enya and her dream to be an English teacher. Woohoo! 
  • Jessica, who enjoys writing for her self-expression
  • Tegar. He started to love English in his fourth year at elementary school!
  • Tita, who thinks that speaking is easier than writing.
  • Widhi and her experiences on learning English
  • Viza, who enjoys reading in English.


By on
Labels: , , , , , , ,

ER: A different ending

Have you ever regretted reading a story (or watching a film) because you wish the ending were different? You then complained about why the main character died or why the couple could not live happily in the end. Or perhaps, on the other hand, you wish the ending could be darker with a few characters dead and a cliffhanger of the villain winning the battle and continuing the evil mission. 

This week's assignment on my Extensive Reading class asks students to think of and create a new, different ending to a story they have read. They can either narrate the new ending or write a summary of that. 


I have read Jaws, written by Peter Benchley. It's a 29-page, A2-level horror story, with a total of 10,888 words. Jaws is actually a popular thriller film, released in 1975, and I can remember how scared I was as I watched the film on TV in the 90s.


The book narrates the terror caused by a giant shark, preying on visitors on Old Mill Beach. It killed more and more people, and that forced the local police chief, Brody, to close the beach area. He also sought help from Hooper, a shark scientist, and Quint, a shark hunter, to capture and kill the creature. The three made a few attempts and always failed. 

Hooper decided to dive in a shark cage, trying to get a closer look at the beast and kill it. However, the shark managed to ruin the cage and killed Hooper. Quint was furious, no longer interested in hunting the shark to get any money, and he vowed to kill the giant fish. In the end, Quint harpooned the shark several times, badly wounding the shark, but he was dragged deep into the dark sea as the shark tried to escape. The shark eventually died,  and it was only Brody who survived.

I had to write my new ending too. So, here's the ending, 

To be added soon.

What about my students? Are you interested in reading their original endings to the stories they have read? Here's the list of my students' blog updates on this project. I mention the book titles, so perhaps you are also interested in reading some familiar titles.


What do you think of this assignment? And do you like my new ending? Share your ideas in the comment box below.


By on
Labels: , , , ,

ER: That Perfect Song

I introduced my students to English e-Reader, another free source of graded readers. While ER Central has several levels in numbers, English e-Reader uses CEFR Levels. The texts or stories are longer on English e-Reader. Once students log in to the site and read a story, their progress will be automatically recorded and they can check their track of which story they are still reading and which they have finished reading. 

Another thing I like about this site is that English e-Reader has that feature that allows me to customize the reading view. I can adjust the font size and color as well as the layout of the text. I'm a visual learner, so that lets me enjoy the reading experience more. 

I have also tried reading a few stories there. One is an A1-level (or Starter) story, titled Sister Love. The site categorizes it as a crime story. It is written by John Escott, consisting of 7 pages with a total of 2,704 words. It is surely a short one; still, the story is interesting.

Sister Love, by John Escott

It tells the story of Marcia and his partner, Howard. They loved each other, but things got more interesting when Howard began to meet Karin, Marcia's sister, more frequently. Apparently, Karin was also interested in that man and cunningly-plus-secretly flirted with him. Things went fishy and of course, Marcia learned the bitter truth about their affair. She surprisingly did something to her sister to get Howard back to her in the end.



My students' assignment this week is to choose and write about a perfect soundtrack for the story they have read. I want to pick a soundtrack for that story I have read also. 

For this love triangle, considering Marcia's effort to win Howard back, I'd like to use Jason Mraz's I Won't Give Up.

When I look into your eyes,
it's like watching the night sky
Or a beautiful sunrise;
Well, there's so much they hold

It was Marcia who first met and loved Howard. Then, Karin started to see the 'beauty' in Howard and fell in love with him. I'd agree that what Karin did was mean. Wicked. Both Marcia and Karin made their effort to win Howard, regardless Karin's evil intention to steal Howard from her sister. Neither of the sisters gave up on their struggle to get the man's attention.

Well, I won't give up on us
even if the skies get rough
I'm giving you all my love;
I'm still looking up

Marcia could have confronted them when she secretly found out their affair, but she didn't. She pretended that she knew nothing. She still hoped that Howard would turn back to him and somehow, she let them meet each other while waiting and preparing her best move. 

And when you're needing your space
To do some navigating
I'll be here patiently waiting
To see what you find

I'm imagining this part of the song being played with a piano, no vocal, as Marcia stealthily witness her lover and sister affair behind their back. She was heartbroken and I guess she must have been angry, but she decided to hold her back and wait. Haha.

I don't wanna be someone
who walks away so easily
I'm here to stay and make
the difference that I can make

So, I guess the Mraz's song is suitable to accompany the story. It beautifully articulates both sisters' effort to win Howard's affection and their not giving up. 

Want to check what my students pick for the story they have read? Well, here's the list of their blogs and the songs they chose. Go, check their updates.

Do you want to share any story you have read? Can you think of a soundtrack that perfectly suits the story?
By on
Labels: , , , , ,

ER: My Special Gift for X

One of the students' assignments in the extensive reading class is that they need to think as if they were preparing a special gift for a character in the story. I love this assignment!

Years ago, back then when I was sitting in my extensive reading class as a student, I had to present my gifts in front of my friends. I picked The Prince of Egypt. 

It is an easy one, Level 2, and actually an adaptation of Spielberg's animated film. The book narrates the story of Moses and how he grew up as a prince in Egypt, once saved by the Egyptian queen when he was still a baby. Appointed by God, Moses was tasked to lead and free his people from slavery in Egypt, standing against his stepbrother, Ramses. 

I had to think of what gift was special for Moses. I remembered my favorite scene in that book, that is when Moses stood before the river/sea, prayed to God, raised his staff, and let his people witness the powerful God split the sea before them. It is that scene that I always imagine when I read the same story told in the Bible. I thought of giving him this item. 


A wooden walking cane

So, instead of walking with that old, curvy wooden staff, Moses could walk and move more elegantly with this new wooden staff. And that scene would be way cooler when he raised this stylish staff! And he could do more miraculous things later with his staff, too!


The next person I chose was from the same story: Ramses. Well, it would not have been fair if I had treated Moses but his stepbrother. After all, I would like to make the story more interesting. Haha. 😎 

I knew Ramses .was the wicked one. Although Moses had reminded him how omnipotent God is--remember those ten plagues, Ramses was headstrong and ignorant. Even when he seemingly let Moses and his people walk away from his land, he tried to chase and capture them back. Then, they were riding their chariots but got stopped--and trapped--when the sea closed. 

Forgive me for my being 'naughty', but here is what I would like to give Ramses (and his army). Tadaaa!

A jetski!

The chase would not have ended right there when the sea closed. I would love to see how this stubborn Ramses kept chasing Moses and his people. And what next would God show to those people? I would love to witness more miraculous things to happen and let Moses utilize his new staff too! Haha. 

What about my students? Well, let me tease the gifts they have prepared for the characters. Please check their blog updates, too.

What about you? Who is your favorite character? And what special present would you like to give him/her? Mind sharing your ideas? 😉
By on
Labels: , , , , ,

Reading Journal #5: Emoji Stories

Emojis are not only fun to use but also resourceful. I use it in my English classes too. Besides using memes or animated GIFs, I use emojis—a lot. Btw, check this article that discusses how you can have fun with emojis in your teaching. 

I remember that meme of how a mother misused that crying-LOL emoji. So, instead of using the appropriate crying emoji to respond to a tragedy, she used a Face-with-Tears-of-Joy emoji that got her kid to protest! Funny. 

One of the assignments in my extensive reading class also uses emojis. I asked my students to pick and read two stories in ER Central. Then, for each story, they needed to choose an emoji that best represents their opinion on the story or what they feel after reading the story. You may check my student's update in the list below. 

Star Struck Emoji, from Emojipedia.org

I also read two articles. I chose this star-face/star-struck emoji to describe how I felt after reading my first text. It's a non-fiction one, 'Sign Language,' written by CompassMedia. It is a Level-8 text with 299 words—an easy one. As the title suggests, this text discusses sign language, particularly American Sign Language. The text briefly introduces how people who cannot hear make different finger-shapes, move their hands, and use facial expressions to communicate. I always want to learn how to sign, but I haven't got the chance to do so. I love watching some signing clips on YouTube, even those songs sung in sign language!

Grinning face with sweat, from Emojipedia.org

The Monster is the second text I read, still written by CompassMedia. Surprisingly, because I didn't notice it, although it is a Level 16 fiction text, it only contains 60 words. A super short one! Haha! So, it's about a kid lizard and his/her mom. The kid reported to her mom that he/she had seen a monster, which turned out to be a train--with a big noise and many round feet! I love reading and watching fantasy stories, including the ones about monsters. I chose that grinning face with the sweat because I was quite surprised to find out that the story only has few words. Whew!

What about you?  What's your favorite emoji? And have you read a story recently? What emoji will you use to describe the story or your feeling after reading it? Why don't you share your emoji in the comment box below? 

Btw, here's the list of my student's recent blog posts with their emoji stories. And I would like to invite you to read their writings by teasing the emojis they used. 

By on
Labels: , , , ,

ER Assignment #2: I think, I don't think...

Even when we're talking about the same thing or topic, we might have a different opinion from others--and that's okay actually. That also applies to the discussion on reading interest and habit.

Smoking scandal quit GIF - Find on GIFER

Some might think that reading is fun, while others don't really enjoy it. I might prefer a particular genre or topic to read, but my friends might roll their eyes when they find out that I love reading a certain book. Many can read texts quickly and fast, while others, including me, often need to read and reread a sentence to really grab its meaning. 

Today's online discussion I had with my students is about our opinion on reading. We need to respond to these eight statements. 

  1. Reading in my first language is fun. 
  2. Reading English is difficult. 
  3. I should usually look up new words in my dictionary.
  4. Reading English is boring. 
  5. It is easier to read about sports than science. 
  6. If I read very fast, it is hard to understand the meaning. 
  7. Reading out loud is a good idea. 
  8. Reading English is fun.

I think I'd agree with the first statement. Of course reading in Bahasa Indonesia is (still) fun, although I do enjoy reading English books, too. I would carefully choose what I want to read, which includes selecting the topics and the authors. I am easily interested in an article when I know who writes it. I fall in love with certain authors or writers, whose writing is systematically composed and style is both engaging and convenient to follow. 

Nothing To Do But Read GIF - Bored Crazy Reading - Discover & Share GIFs

Reading in English can also be difficult for me, again, based on the authors and the topics. Even if the language is difficult, with complex structures of sentences and unfamiliar words, I'd still love to read the material if it's written by a certain author or it discusses a topic I love. And when I come across difficult words, I sometimes need to consult an online dictionary (I have a dictionary app on my phone too). I'll write about online dictionaries next time. 

And when I have to read those 'challenging' books or articles, I often have to slow down my reading speed. Rereading a single sentence or a paragraph and even reading out loud helps me much in understanding those tough materials!

Talking about my favorite genre or topic, I'd easily (and proudly) say that I always enjoy reading sci-fi or fantasy stories (Magic always excites me! I'm not into occultism, tho. LOL). I used to read many novels. Nowadays, I'd rather read non-fiction: self-help, personal development, communication, or even psychology. And I'd admit that I enjoy reading books or articles on Christian spirituality too. Sports? That's not my cup of tea. 

25 Literary GIFs for Book Lovers | Book memes, Icarly, Why book


A few weeks ago, there's this challenge I joined on Facebook. I was asked to share seven book covers, without providing any explanation or reason. But of course, I picked those seven books because I love them and I want to encourage my FB friends to read them too. Here are those books, 

  1. How to Talk so Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk
  2. Boundaries
  3. Mere Christianity
  4. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
  5. Talk Like TED
  6. Matinya Kepakaran, or originally The Death of Expertise
  7. Judy Moody Menaklukan Dunia


Wanna read what my students think of those eight statements related to reading? Check their recent blog posts below.


What about you? Please leave your comments below.
By on
Labels: , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Popular Posts

  • ER: My Special Gift for X
    One of the students' assignments in the extensive reading class is that they need to think as if they were preparing a special gift for ...
  • ER: That Perfect Song
    I introduced my students to English e-Reader , another free source of graded readers. While ER Central has several levels in numbers, Engli...
  • ER Assignment #2: I think, I don't think...
    Even when we're talking about the same thing or topic, we might have a different opinion from others--and that's okay actually. That...