English Online with Speak Method

500 Words Extra Practice: R Sounds

These reading passages have many words with R from the 500 words list. Use these to practice English pronunciation of R sounds.

Art Classes for Children

For early learners, art classes vary between those that have directed activities and those that have free form activities. An example of a directed activity would be drawing a rabbit with circles that indicate parts of the rabbit's body. Another example would be to draw a road by a rocky river in rainy weather.  Even harder yet, learners could draw a still life of a room with a round rug and bread on a nearby table or a horse that runs through the morning fog. Such realistic classes teach the patterns of lines and the power of working with dimension. When art teachers prefer more free form activities, there are many choices. You can ask learners to respond to a mathematical problem with interesting colors and clear pictures, but no numbers. You can ask learners to produce a short story in pictures that show characters both near and far. Children can draw dreams that they remember or vacation travels from their early years.

Girls in America

It is difficult for girls in America to prepare for the future. Many girls watch too much TV and as a result believe that dressing well, driving a great car, having a lot of friends and being pretty will guarantee success in life. However, they are too young to realize that these values arise from the wealth of TV actors. As they become more grounded and grow up, they can see that product-advertising clearly dictates the appearances on TV. Of course, some girls have a hard time accepting reality and carry their dreams of material fortune into adulthood. Only later do they realize how a person can be strong through moral character.