Thursday, March 26, 2020

What You Should Know About Playing Games For Learning English Vocabulary

What You Should Know About Playing Games For Learning English VocabularyWhen it comes to finding games for learning English vocabulary, the Internet is full of titles you can download and play online. Since so many people are looking for these types of games online, you will find a lot of places where you can get them.When you are looking for games for learning English vocabulary, there are some things you want to consider. These include what type of games you are looking for, whether they are free or paid, and what language you are interested in.You will find that many of the free online education classes are geared towards teaching grammar. This is great for students who have a hard time memorizing vocabulary. You can even use these games for learning English vocabulary.If you are interested in learning Spanish, an online language education course can help you do this. There are online vocabulary games you can play for both Spanish and English vocabulary. You can use these games to practice your new vocabulary and grammar.If you want to learn English but are not quite sure what kind of games to play, you can always use a free word game. These games allow you to play the 'word' game which works great for those with learning disabilities. These word games can be very educational for children with autism.Another thing you can do to enhance your learning English is to play free flash games. These type of games are so exciting you will want to play as much as possible. By playing flash games, you can actually improve your skills.So, when you are looking for games for learning English vocabulary, think about the language you are interested in. There are lots of fun games you can download that will make learning English fun and interesting.

Friday, March 6, 2020

What is it Like to Attend Smith College

What is it Like to Attend Smith College The tutors behind Varsity Tutors are not just here to teach theyre sharing their college experiences as well. Molly is a Washington D.C. tutor specializing in ACT prep tutoring, PSAT prep tutoring, Linguistics tutoring, and more. She holds a Bachelors degree in Linguistics from Smith College, a womens liberal arts school, where she graduated from in 2012. See what she had to say about her alma mater: VT: Describe the campus setting and transportation options.How urban or safe is the campus?Are there buses or do you need a car/bike? Molly: Smith is located in the cute, quiet town of Northampton, near Springfield and Amherst, Massachusetts. Boston is about 2 hours away by car or bus. There are 4 nearby colleges, part of the 5-college consortium, that are very easy to get to by bus, and all of the local and university buses are free with a college ID! Some people bring a car to school, but parking can be difficult, and for most people, theres no need for one. Lots of people bike around campus, though campus is small enough to walk anywhere in less than 15 minutes. Except when theres snow, biking is fun, easy, and safe and there are beautiful trails that run through campus and into the nearby neighborhoods. Campus is very small and safe and quickly comes to feel like home. The Campus Police officers are easy to reach in case of trouble, very friendly, and quick to respond (even if youre just locked out of your room). VT: How available are the professors, academic advisers, and teaching assistants? Molly: There are almost no teaching assistants at Smith. All professors schedule office hours when you can visit them. Most professors are very approachable and respond quickly to emails or drop-by visits. Academic advisers may be harder to keep in touch with particularly before youve chosen a major. Most professors double as academic advisers, and in my experience they take their teaching more seriously than their advising. VT: How would you describe the dorm life rooms, dining options, location, socialization opportunities with other students? Molly: Smith has a very special and unique on-campus housing situation. Most students live on campus all four years, and the houses (thats what we call our dorms) are very mixed with students from all class years. Students live in houses with large communal areas living rooms with couches, desks, TVs, games, books, fire places, free boxes, pianos, pool tables, and whatever other items the house acquires over the years. Most first-years and sophomores share doubles (or triples), but almost all juniors and seniors live in single rooms. Students have the option to move to a new house at any time, but many students live in the house they were first placed in for all four years. There is a strong sense of community in the houses, and there are many events and opportunities throughout the year to show your house pride! There are kitchens in about 10 different houses, and each offers a different menu and slightly different dining hours. For example, there is a vegetarian kitchen, a kosher kitchen, an Asian kitchen, and a healthy options kitchen; and each one offers breakfast, brunch, or lunch and dinner. Dinner ends early, which can be frustrating when youre up late at night finishing a paper, but the options are very good. VT: Which majors/programs are best represented and supported?What did you study and why? Did the university do a good job supporting your particular area of study? Molly: Smith takes special pride in its Engineering program. Other popular majors are Philosophy, English, Art History/Studio Art, and SWAG (Studies of Women And Gender). If someone is interested in a major that is not well supported at the school, students have the opportunity to create their own major and incorporate classes from the other 4 colleges in the consortium (Amherst, UMass Amherst, Hampshire, and Mt. Holyoke). In fact thats how I completed my major in Linguistics, which is not a supported major at Smith yet! VT: How easy or difficult was it for you to meet people and make friends as a freshman? Does Greek life play a significant role in the campus social life? Molly: There are no sororities on campus though your first house might start to feel like one! Many people meet their best friends in their houses, but there are also a variety of student orgs and events where you can meet people with similar interests. And of course, you can meet some great, intelligent people in class! Students participate very actively in their House Counsels, and there are many upper-classwomen available to support the new students as they arrive and throughout their first year. The ResLife on campus is also very supportive, and there are regular, organized house activities that anyone can participate in, such as a field trip to the apple orchards, a house game night, a kayaking trip on the pond, or a popcorn and movie night. VT: How helpful is the Career Centerand other student support services?Do many reputable companies recruit on campus? Molly: The Career Development Office is very active on campus, and their services are available to all alumna of the college as well. I never took advantage of these services, but maybe I will in the future! VT: How are the various study areas such aslibraries, student union, and dorm lounges? Are they over-crowded, easily available, spacious? Molly: There are many comfortable places to study in all different kinds of environments. The libraries are large and comfortable, and its usually easy to find a seat except during finals. The Campus Center also has couches and study lounges that are a bit brighter and noisier than the libraries, but lots of people have study sessions there. When the weathers nice, many people choose a quiet lawn as their study spot; and in the winter people can spend time in the botanical gardens (green house) especially a good spot for reading. There are also a number of computer labs and studios around campus for science and art students. And the common spaces in the houses are also great areas to study. VT: Describe the surrounding town. What kinds of outside establishments / things to do are there that make it fun, boring, or somewhere in between?To what extent do students go to the downtown area of the city versus staying near campus? Molly: Northampton is a cute, small town that some might call hippie and Smith is right on the edge of it. Its literally a five-minute walk to downtown. There are a number of great cafes with alternative food options (gluten-free, vegan, etc.) and open-mic nights. Many people spend time in town to escape the relatively small campus. There is also some good shopping, though its a bit expensive. Its only a twenty-minute bus ride to get to any of the other colleges, so theres always something to do. There is also one club in town that can be quite popular on Wednesday nights. VT: How big or small is the student body? Were you generally pleased or displeased with the typical class sizes? Molly: There are about 2,600 students at Smith. Each graduating class is between 600 and 700 people. The student body is big enough that I never felt like there was not anyone new to meet, but small enough that you run into people you know just about everywhere. Class sizes are great I never had more than 50 students in a class, and most of my classes were between 8 and 20 students. If you know you want to end up at a big school, Smith is not it. For me the size of the school was perfect. VT: Describe one memorable experience with a professor and/or class. Perhaps one you loved the most or one youregretthe most. Molly: Throughout my career at Smith, the best class I took was an astronomy class calledThe Big Bang and Beyond. There are no Gen Ed requirements at Smith, and I took this class completely on a whim, since it had nothing to do with my major. It was a theoretical class about the nature of the universe and different theories that led up to and have followed the Big Bang.While I cant claim to remember the details of the theories we studied off the top of my head, I find my thoughts still often drift into vast space, wondering whether our universe is expanding, contracting, or situated snugly in scalar field valley, one of many in a series of universe pockets. I am still awed by how this professor presented complex theories in such a way that they were accessible to me and still resonate in my post-college life. VT: Anything else a prospective student should know? Molly: If you are hesitating about attending a women's college, Smith or otherwise, my advice is: go for it!My sister and I both attended women's colleges - mine on the East coast, hers on the West.There are so many opportunities to participate in anything and everything in an amazingly positive environment. It's an amazing experience. And I promise you will meet men (...if you want to!) Check out Mollys tutoring profile. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

How to Get Your Child Thinking About The Future

How to Get Your Child Thinking About The Future Not all children know exactly what they want to be when they grow up. And while its perfectly fine if your child doesnt talk about potential careers right now, it cant hurt to encourage him to start exploring possibilities. In high school, it becomes especially important to have these conversationsdont assume your child will discover the path for him without a little research along the way. Here are a few tips on how to get your child thinking about the futureboth college and career: Start asking questions. Ask your child more than just what subjects she enjoys most in school. How about jobs that sound intriguing or fun, or topics that pique her curiosity and make her want to learn more? If your child doesnt have ideas, help her brainstorm a bit. Go online together to check out possible careers that might blend your childs love of math and music. Talk about the pros and cons of working in different fields and jobs. Talk about college as a definite plan. You want to make sure your child goes to college? Talk about it like its not optional. That way, your child will believe that college is on the horizon and begin making plans to get there. This is also a good opportunity to impress upon your child the importance of working hard in school to get into a good college and prepare for the rigors of college academics. Visit colleges. If there is a college in your town or close by, take your child there for strolls or picnics, to sporting and theater events, or any opportunity to expose your child to the collegiate environment. Check out any camps or classes for children. Take your child to visit your alma mater if feasible, and point out your dorm and the buildings where you spent time learning and taking classes. Try lots of different things. You never know what activity or pastime will light your childs fire. Get your child involved with a nonprofit. Have him shadow family friends at their jobs. Go to music concerts, lectures and movies as a family. If your child has the chance to do something unique, encourage him to go for it. Get involved in extracurricular activities. Encourage your child to try out different clubs and activities in and outside of schooleven those that seem like a departure from his usual choices of pastime. Debate team, student government and the school newspaper are obvious career-relevant options, but your child might discover his passion as a peer tutor, in the choir or the recycling club, or working as a teachers aide. Take a strengths finder. College career centers are a great resource to help students explore their strengths, determine career-related interests, and find career choices. But there are all kinds of different strengths finders out there that will help your child understand herself and guide her in a direction even earlier. Do an online search to see what you find. Remember: you are your childs greatest influence and can help guide him toward promising college majors and career pathsor at least help him formulate ideas. Talk about college in your home. Make it sound exciting and worthwhile. Invite your child to try new things, delve into ideas, ask big questions and seek to find the answers. Start early, and by the time your child reaches high school, hell be eager to plot his future.

Thursday, March 5, 2020

Listening Exercise The Incredible Ghost Shark

Listening Exercise The Incredible Ghost Shark The wildlife in the deep ocean never ceases to amaze me.  It seems that we have so much  to explore and discover.  Its also dark, mysterious and pretty creepy down there.  I recently stumbled across this video of a species captured on film for the first time.  As you watch the clip  about this strange Rat Fish, improve your listening skills by completing  the exercise below.  Wed love to hear from you, so write your answers, comments and questions below!This species was named in honor of Alaskan artist, Ray Troll, whose fascination and appreciation ___  this weird group of fish has inspired some of his artwork.What do you have appreciation ___?They ___  sometimes _____  informally as Rat Fish or Ghost Sharks.What are they formally known as?It can be difficult to distinguish between species due to ______ differences in these characteristics.What does subtle mean?This species ___  only ____  identified by specimens caught in the Southwestern Pacific, off Australia,  New Zealand a nd New Caledonia until the MBARI _______ them off the West coast of HawaiiWhat do they need to do  in order to confirm the identity of this animal so they can compare it with other known species?__ further analysis ____ to reveal that these fishes are not Hydrolagus Trolli, they most likely represent a new species.Something(s) never cease(s) to amaze someone means that youre always impressed or surprised by someone/something.  What never ceases to amaze you?To stumble across means to discover something unexpectedly.  What have you stumbled across recently?Our instructors at LOI provide fun, relevant English lessons over Skype.  Sign up for a free trial class today!

Tips From An Orange County private Tutor Too Much Homework

Tips From An Orange County private Tutor Too Much Homework Tips From An Orange County Private Tutor: How to Handle Massive Amounts of Homework Tips From An Orange County Private Tutor: How to Handle Massive Amounts of Homework One of the most common complaints an Orange County private tutor receives from parents and students involves the massive amounts of homework given at a younger age (even as early as 1st and 2nd grade). More homework means less time for socializing, family time, extracurricular activities, and exercise which leads parents to wonder how they will be able to help their children achieve a study-life balance and still keep their education and grades on par with their peers. 1. Get organized Although organization won’t make homework go away, it can certainly help make it easier. Young kids generally spend too much time digging through papers from months past and are confused as to which assignments are due tomorrow and which are not due until next week. Maintaining an organized backpack and homework folder can make the transition from school to homework easier and more effective. Although it’s important for children to learn how to organize on their own at some point, younger children may need help from a parent or tutor to organize their backpack once a week or so (READ: 10 Study Tips From an Irvine History Tutor). 2. Conference with the teacher Its always a good idea for parents to take the opportunity to speak with their childs teacher during conference time. This is an opportunity to ask the teacher why they are assigning large amounts of homework. Is each piece of homework essential to the childs education? Some teachers will provide take-home packets that build upon a concept to be covered later in the month, making the assignments paramount, while others will hand out busy work to help keep kids out of trouble (sometimes at the request of parents). Additionally, some teachers give out more homework than they used to in order to help children succeed on their standardized tests later in the year. Regardless, at the end of the academic year, teachers look back at what worked in a classroom and what didnt. If they received overwhelming feedback that there was too much homework, they might adjust their syllabus and curriculum for the following year. However, if they dont receive feedback from parents they may not know their students are overly stressed. Communication between teacher and parent is essential for continued success (READ: SAT and AP Exam Survival Guide). 3. Prioritize Parents should look at what their child needs to do most and what they might be able to do later in the day when they are a bit tired. For instance, if a child is struggling in English but is an expert in science, it’s better for them to do their difficult English homework right after school while their mind is still fresh. On the other hand, if they know their math times tables like the back of their hand, they may be able to quickly and successfully complete his homework later in the evening even if they are feeling mentally fatigued. 4. Hire a tutor Second to test prep, homework help is probably the most requested subject for tutors. Many private tutors can provide help with any subject up to a certain grade level, meaning that they might be able to help a 3rd grader with any topic they happen to need help with on a given day. Private Irvine academic tutors can also help a student get organized and help them streamline their homework to make sure theyre not doing more than is required. For example, if a child has done questions 1-50 in their math text book, but later find out that they only needed to do all of the even numbers from 1-50, they will have spent twice as much time as was necessary. Homework help tutors know to look for these types of issues right away. Bottom Line At the end of the day, parents know whats best for their children and they know how much homework their kid can handle and how to help them find a study-life balance. However, it never hurts to consult a tutor or conference with their childs classroom teacher to find out new and innovative ways to complete the large amounts of homework expected of young children these days. All blog entries, with the exception of guest bloggers, are written by Tutor Nerds. Are you an education professional? If so, email us at pr@tutornerds.com for guest blogging and collaborations. We want to make this the best free education resource in SoCal, so feel free to suggest what you would like to see us post about.

This Future Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt Applies Discipline and Repetition In-and-Out of the Classroom

This Future Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt Applies Discipline and Repetition In-and-Out of the Classroom This Future Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt Applies Discipline and Repetition In-and-Out of the Classroom Jake, 10-years-old, Math Level I 10-year-old Jake is far from your ordinary 5th grade student, as he’s currently working on algebraic concepts such as the multiplication of polynomials and quadratic functions in the Kumon Math Program. Jake began his Kumon journey five years ago, and since then his tenacity and commitment have been a driving force in his academic achievements. Studying above his peers, Jake finds that he can now complete his schoolwork with ease. He has already set a long-term goal of becoming a future dermatologist. As a practitioner of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Jake knows that there’s a level of discipline and repetition required to become stronger. That same level of discipline and repetition he applies in his practice of jiu-jitsu, is what he has learned from Kumon. “Kumon requires a lot of discipline and I apply that to my practice of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu,” said Jake. “Some days I don’t feel like training, but it’s the discipline I’ve learned through Kumon that gets me to practice every day. When I learn a new jiu-jitsu technique, I drill the same move repeatedly until my body can do it without even thinking. This is like the repetition in Kumon and how it helps increase my speed and agility in math.” Jake has been practicing the art of jiu-jitsu for just over four years and has competed in various local tournaments. In the last year, Jake competed in five local jiu-jitsu tournaments. His commitment to daily practice has helped him place first in nine of the ten matches. Outside of the classroom, and aside from competing in his next jiu-jitsu tournament, Jake is an accomplished pianist. He is proud to have received the recognition of “Top Talent” in 2018 from the National Guild of Piano Teachers audition. The National Guild of Piano Teachers is the world’s largest non-profit organization of piano teachers and students. The guild provides musicians with various levels of experience goals and awards through non-competitive auditions. In Jake’s audition, he had the challenge of performing ten memorized pieces. The elements that were judged included accuracy, technique, dynamics, and tone quality. Jake’s hard work and discipline didn’t go unnoticed, as he was one of 55 students selected to attend the 2018 Kumon Student Conference in Calgary, Canada. We had the opportunity to speak to Jake about his Kumon journey. How has Kumon helped you academically? Kumon has improved my speed and accuracy in math so much that I can now complete my school assignments more efficiently. This allows me to spend more time with subjects I want to improve in, such as language arts and social studies. What do you enjoy most about Kumon? I really enjoy the feeling of progressing through each level in Kumon. Getting through each level takes time and hard work, so it’s a huge accomplishment to get to the next level. If you could sum up your Kumon experience in one word, what would it be? Challenging. What’s the most beneficial thing you’ve learned from Kumon so far? The most beneficial thing I’ve learned in Kumon is to never give up. I’ve learned that because I didn’t give up during challenging moments, I worked through them instead. I will always continue to improve in math as time goes on. What did it mean to you attending the Student Conference? I am so happy that I had the opportunity to attend the Student Conference because it showed my family how well I am doing in Kumon. It showed me that Kumon will take me to far and great places! What advice do you have for other Kumon Students? Don’t give up! You will be ahead in school, and that’s such a great feeling! Discover even more student success stories. You might also be interested in: THIS KUMON STUDENT HAS A BLACK BELT IN TAEKWONDO AND APPLIES SELF-LEARNING IN HER EVERY DAY ROUTINE This Ballerina Applies Discipline And Perseverance On And Off The Stage Accomplished Pianist Applies Focus and Discipline in Her Everyday Routine This Black Belt in Karate is Driven by Perseverance This Future Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt Applies Discipline and Repetition In-and-Out of the Classroom This Future Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt Applies Discipline and Repetition In-and-Out of the Classroom Jake, 10-years-old, Math Level I 10-year-old Jake is far from your ordinary 5th grade student, as he’s currently working on algebraic concepts such as the multiplication of polynomials and quadratic functions in the Kumon Math Program. Jake began his Kumon journey five years ago, and since then his tenacity and commitment have been a driving force in his academic achievements. Studying above his peers, Jake finds that he can now complete his schoolwork with ease. He has already set a long-term goal of becoming a future dermatologist. As a practitioner of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Jake knows that there’s a level of discipline and repetition required to become stronger. That same level of discipline and repetition he applies in his practice of jiu-jitsu, is what he has learned from Kumon. “Kumon requires a lot of discipline and I apply that to my practice of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu,” said Jake. “Some days I don’t feel like training, but it’s the discipline I’ve learned through Kumon that gets me to practice every day. When I learn a new jiu-jitsu technique, I drill the same move repeatedly until my body can do it without even thinking. This is like the repetition in Kumon and how it helps increase my speed and agility in math.” Jake has been practicing the art of jiu-jitsu for just over four years and has competed in various local tournaments. In the last year, Jake competed in five local jiu-jitsu tournaments. His commitment to daily practice has helped him place first in nine of the ten matches. Outside of the classroom, and aside from competing in his next jiu-jitsu tournament, Jake is an accomplished pianist. He is proud to have received the recognition of “Top Talent” in 2018 from the National Guild of Piano Teachers audition. The National Guild of Piano Teachers is the world’s largest non-profit organization of piano teachers and students. The guild provides musicians with various levels of experience goals and awards through non-competitive auditions. In Jake’s audition, he had the challenge of performing ten memorized pieces. The elements that were judged included accuracy, technique, dynamics, and tone quality. Jake’s hard work and discipline didn’t go unnoticed, as he was one of 55 students selected to attend the 2018 Kumon Student Conference in Calgary, Canada. We had the opportunity to speak to Jake about his Kumon journey. How has Kumon helped you academically? Kumon has improved my speed and accuracy in math so much that I can now complete my school assignments more efficiently. This allows me to spend more time with subjects I want to improve in, such as language arts and social studies. What do you enjoy most about Kumon? I really enjoy the feeling of progressing through each level in Kumon. Getting through each level takes time and hard work, so it’s a huge accomplishment to get to the next level. If you could sum up your Kumon experience in one word, what would it be? Challenging. What’s the most beneficial thing you’ve learned from Kumon so far? The most beneficial thing I’ve learned in Kumon is to never give up. I’ve learned that because I didn’t give up during challenging moments, I worked through them instead. I will always continue to improve in math as time goes on. What did it mean to you attending the Student Conference? I am so happy that I had the opportunity to attend the Student Conference because it showed my family how well I am doing in Kumon. It showed me that Kumon will take me to far and great places! What advice do you have for other Kumon Students? Don’t give up! You will be ahead in school, and that’s such a great feeling! Discover even more student success stories. You might also be interested in: THIS KUMON STUDENT HAS A BLACK BELT IN TAEKWONDO AND APPLIES SELF-LEARNING IN HER EVERY DAY ROUTINE This Ballerina Applies Discipline And Perseverance On And Off The Stage Accomplished Pianist Applies Focus and Discipline in Her Everyday Routine This Black Belt in Karate is Driven by Perseverance

Family Time! 8 Easy Tips to Learn a Language as a Family

Family Time! 8 Easy Tips to Learn a Language as a Family Family Time! 8 Easy Tips to Learn a Language as a Family Family can be the greatest gift you ever receive.It can also be the reason you have to ask what the puddle in the corner of the living room is (please say apple juice, please say apple juice) and who left it there.But can family really be your secret to language learning success?We think so.If you  want to get into language learning, but havent managed it on your own yet, learning with your family might be just the extra motivation you need.And merging bonding time with learning time is a great recipe for more quality time.So try out the eight easy tips below to start learning a language as a family tonight! Why Learn Language as a Family?First, learning a language as a family can help add motivation. Since youre learning as a group, youre accountable to multiple people, so you wont want to get caught slacking. Plus, if your family is competitive, the desire to outdo each other might make you study even harder than you otherwise would.Plus, learning as a family gives you built-in c onversation partners. Practice is essential when learning a language, but you cant always have a native-level  language exchange partner at the ready. However, if you have a household full of other language learners, you can work in a little conversation practice whenever you have a moment.Learning a language as a family is also a fun group activity. Everyone loves a  game night  or  movie night. Theyre a fun way to break up the daily routine and reconnect with those you love. But when a fun group activity also helps you learn a language, the experience is that much better.Finally, if youre learning a heritage language or language already spoken by some of your family, it can help you connect with loved ones and/or your roots. Not only will it show your relatives that you have an interest in your family history, it will also give you a new medium to communicate with them, and possibly to look over old family documents.Family Time! 8 Easy Tips to Learn a Language as a FamilyGet the f amily involved in picking a language.Giving everyone a say can help ensure that everyone feels invested in the new family project.As you decide what language to pick, discuss benefits of different languages. For instance, you might consider learning a widely spoken language (like Spanish or Chinese) in order to communicate with more people.Otherwise, you might consider if you have relatives who speak another language who youd like to be able to communicate with better.Or maybe you have a particular vacation destination you love where another language is widely spokenâ€"learning that language could make your next vacation even more enjoyable.Still not sure which language to learn? Have everyone gather round and read about the worlds languages at world-language resource Ethnologue.Regardless of your reasoning,  try to get everyone on the same page to ensure everyone is motivated and excited to learn the language.Use fun, authentic media.Using fun, authentic media to learn a language i s wise for any learner. Its more engaging than studying a textbook; plus, it teaches language in context, making it easier to apply what youve learned.But while authentic media is great for any learner, its particularly great for families. Since each person will have different interests and attention spans, you need an activity that can appeal to everyone. And unless someone in your house hates entertaining TV or movies, authentic media is a great choice.FluentU is one very convenient source for authentic media. FluentU offers real-world videos, like music videos, movie trailers, cartoons and more. It converts them into powerful learning tools by providing annotated captions that give you easy access to any words definition, example sentences and associated images. Theres even a quiz mode you can use to test your learning together.Plus, theres material and quizzes for all levels, so even if youre all complete beginners, you can start using FluentU as a family right now!Netflix  is a nother helpful option. Netflix offers tons of international TV and movies, all of which are captioned in English. Some even offer captions in the same language as the audio. Once youve learned a language, Netflix is great for listening practice and learning new vocabulary. However, even beginning learners can benefit by listening to native speakers, since this can help you get a better ear for pronunciation.Once you all have enough vocabulary, you might even discuss what you just watched in your target language for a little extra speaking practice.Establish a daily and/or weekly learning schedule.Coordinating learning with multiple people could be challenging, so its important to set a daily and/or weekly schedule.You might have a set study time each day or schedule different activities on different days of the week. For instance, vocabulary study everyday from 6:00 pm to 6:15 pm. Grammar lessons from 6:15 pm to 6:30 pm. Movie night in your target language from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm ev ery Friday.Regardless of what schedule you choose, be sure to write it down somewhere everyone can see it and/or post and share it on Google Calendar.This will help everyone anticipate whats happening and remember when to ensure theyre present and ready to learn.Set group goals.Setting goals in language learning is an important motivational tool. It can help give you direction and a sense of accomplishment.When learning a language with your family, though, its important to set group goals together. If every family member has different goals in mind, you might wind up learning different skills at different times, making it more challenging to continue learning as a group.Try to make your goals ambitious but realistic. You want to have goals that are challenging enough that you must work together meet them, but you also dont want goals that are so hard that your family starts to feel demotivated.For instance, starting out, you might consider making it your goal to learn 15 common word s within two days. With a little effort, this goal should be reachable by both children and adult learners alike. Once you learn more and more, you might make your goals increasingly ambitious.If youre using FluentU, theres a simple feature that helps you set daily goals around how much time you want to spend learning each day. As you learn, youll get points for extra motivation!Label items in your home.Labeling items in your home is a tried-and-true method for language learners, but for families, it opens up even more opportunities.The basic idea is that by labeling items in your target language, you can easily learn vocabulary for common, everyday items. This remains true for families, as well.However, for families theres an additional opportunity to make the creation of the labels a fun and educational experience.  Especially if kids are involved, you might consider making the labeling an event.Get some craft materials and make the labels together. Everyone knows glitter glue aid s learning! As you make each label, each say the word and its meaning aloud. This will give you some familiarity with the word, making you much more likely to remember and recognize it when you see it around the house.Play games.There are plenty of games out there for language learners, and if youre learning a language as a family, youll finally have someone to play with.If you like pre-made games, there are quite a few out there. For instance, you might find bingo for a variety of languages, like Spanish, French  and Chinese.However, whats perhaps even more exciting is that you can create your own family language game out of existing games with whatever rules you deem fit.For example, one game thats easy to adapt to language learning is 20 Questions. To play 20 Questions, one person thinks of an object. Then, other players ask yes or no questions (up to 20), and the person thinking of the object responds. To make this game great for language learning, simply limit it to groups of v ocabulary youve already studied.For instance, if youve studied food and animals, then the object must fall into one of these categories. If you dont have enough words to ask clear questions, you can piece them together with what you do know until you learn more vocabulary. This can be a fun and engaging way to reinforce vocabulary and practice asking questions in your target language.Have authentic dinners.One way to increase motivation to learn a language is to connect with the culture(s) that use it, and food can be an amazing tool to do so. As youre learning your language, try to have authentic dinner nights whenever possible.To do so, plan a menu around authentic dishes from a country or region that speaks your target language. If you have family members who speak your target language, ask them for their favorite recipes. If youre not sure what to make, though,  Allrecipes is a good place to start.Once you have your recipes in hand, look up words for the various dishes, ingredie nts, utensils and serveware, and study them as a family. Then, as you have your dinner, try to use as many words in your target language as possible. Even if theyre interspersed with plenty of English, this is a good way to reinforce your food vocabulary while connecting with a relevant culture.Turn everyday excursions into language lessons.Any shopping trip, visit to the zoo or even leisurely drive around town can easily be converted into a language lesson.To do so, you might prepare a vocabulary list ahead of time and try to use as many words from the list as possible. For instance, if youre visiting a zoo, you might all try to name each animal in your target language.Perhaps even more fun, though, is to appoint someone to be in charge of your translator or dictionary app. Then, as you go through your day, you can make it a game to shout out words for that person to look up. For instance, if youre on a long road trip, you can just spot things along the trip to look up, like street signs, roads, cars, trucks, etc.After looking up a word, the person in charge should play the translation repeatedly to ensure correct pronunciation. Then, you can all say the word together until you have it down.If you have family members who speak your target language, you have an even better opportunity. Invite them along on your next outing and ask them to supply key vocabulary words. Not only is this a fun way to connect with a relative, it will also help you learn native-level pronunciation.With these eight easy tips, family time could turn into fluent time!And One More ThingIf you want authentic language learning material for the entire family, its time to check out FluentU!FluentU takes real-world videosâ€"like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talksâ€"and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.With FluentU, you hear languages in real-world contextsâ€"the way that native speakers actually use them.Just a quick look will give you an idea of the variety of FluentU videos on offer:FluentU really takes the grunt work out of learning languages, leaving you with nothing but engaging, effective and efficient learning. It’s already hand-picked the best videos for you and organized them by level and topic. All you have to do is choose any video that strikes your fancy to get started!Each word in the interactive captions comes with a definition, audio, image, example sentences and more.Access a complete interactive transcript of every video under the Dialogue tab, and easily review words and phrases from the video under Vocab.You can use FluentU’s unique adaptive quizzes to learn the vocabulary and phrases from the video through fun questions and exercises. Just swipe left or right to see more examples of the word youre studying.The program even keeps track of what you’re learning and tells you exactly when it’s time for review, giving you a 100% personalized experience.  That means you, your 15-year-old and 10-year-old ca n all have completely unique language-learning practice!Start using FluentU on the website  with your computer or tablet  or, better yet,  download the FluentU app from  the  iTunes store  or  Google Play store.