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Music and Art at the Ukrainian Institute of America
Posted by Bohdan A. Oryshkevich on May 25, 2003 at 23:42:31:
In Reply to: LEARNING ENGLISH posted by Ihor on May 24, 2003 at 20:38:29:
I run a program to help gifted children in Ukraine earn scholarships to leading American colleges and prep schools. This year we had one of the six English language Olympiad winners of Ukraine in our group.
Learning English depends upon a variety of parameters. CD-ROMs are risky and not necessarily better. People in Ukraine may not have access to computers. Compatibility remains a problem. I would recommend something that is a bit more difficult than what the student knows now. Otherwise it may be a bad investment. People in Ukraine are eager to learn English so any material if it is too difficult or of no interest could be bartered or sold easily.
Reading: Classic English or American literature is the easiest here: Jack London, Robert Louis Stevenson, Mark Twain, Alice Munro from Canada. There are websites for high school systems that provide recommended reading. I would suggest a variety of materials: non-fiction prose and fiction depending upon whether you have boys or girls.
Listening: There are many things you can buy. But a radio which catches the BBC may be the best investment. One can buy TOEFL practice books which contain CD or tape audio with questions to respond to. Any large book store has audio tapes or CDs of books.
Grammar or Exercises: The TOEFL exam books should be accessible.
Reseources: Longman and the Oxford University Press come up with dictionaries and thesauruses for students. The Oxford Advance Learners Dictionary is truly excellent and pretty. Longman has both an advanced learners dictionary and an intermediate one. Oxford also has an excellent pocket thesaurus which is dirt cheap.
Good luck.
Bohdan Oryshkevich
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