Here's another 'picture talk'-style story from the comic The Little King (1938). It's quite difficult to find videos suitable for B1 learners, so I thought, I'll just make some of these. Do you find them useful? Remember that you can watch with or without subtitles. There are 2 more videos to come in this mini-series. If you have enjoyed them so far, let me know and I'll make some more B1 content like this.

ACCENTS Voiceover/First speaker: Ireland Male expert: RP (Southern England) Female participant: North West England VOCABULARY & PRONUNCIATION 00:41 – to cloud your outlook (verb phrase) Definition: To negatively influence how you see a situation or the world. Example: Past experiences can cloud your outlook and stop you seeing things clearly. 01:25 – flea market (noun) Definition: An outdoor or informal market selling second-hand or cheap items. Example: I bought an old jacket at a flea market last weekend. 01:43 – to focus on / to focus in on (phrasal verb) Definition: To give attention to something specific. “Focus in on” adds emphasis. Example: She focuses on small details instead of the bigger picture. 02:35 – to devise (verb) Definition: To plan or create something carefully. Example: The teacher devised a new method to help students understand accents. 02:49 – try on (phrasal verb) Definition: To put on clothes to see if they fit or look good. Example: You should try on the jacket before buying it. 06:26 – stewed (adjective) Definition: Cooked slowly in liquid for a long time. Example: We had stewed apples with yoghurt for dessert. 07:29 – talk yourself through something (phrasal verb) Definition: To explain steps to yourself so you can understand or manage something. Example: She talked herself through the process to stay calm. 08:12 – to kick in (phrasal verb) Definition: To start to have an effect. Example: The medicine kicked in after about twenty minutes. 08:23 – to ground something (verb) Definition: To base something on facts or real knowledge. Example: You need to ground your opinion in evidence. 08:42 – to work at something (phrasal verb) Definition: To make a strong effort to improve at something difficult. Example: He’s working at understanding different British accents. 09:26 – to strike a chord (idiom) Definition: To create a strong emotional response or agreement. Example: Her story struck a chord with many viewers.

Who says you need a lesson plan to teach English? After all, language researchers and teachers much cleverer than me have said that "the language is the curriculum". I put that theory to the test in today's video. With only 1 randomly selected word as the basis for my lesson, I attempt to create a useful video lesson with no script, and no idea what direction the lesson could take! Was I successful? You can be the judge. As usual, the vocabulary guide is best viewed on my blog

Here's a little 'picture talk'-style telling of a story from the comic The Little King (1938). The pictures should help you understand the meaning of any new words. In this video, you have a choice of listening with or without subtitles. Let me know which option you chose.

ACCENT Irish (county Mayo). SUBTITLES Yes. I managed to explain most of the vocabulary in the video, but after recording I checked what 'diffing' means. I know it as 'drifting', but 'diffing' apparently is when you deliberately skid the rear wheels of a car as you go round a corner. I've attached an image as it's 100x easier to explain this way. 😉