Where has the week gone...?

Its Friday already!That seems to have happened quickly..

This morning, in this part of the UK ,we had a sharp frost.Which makes a change from the incessant rain.But its still overcast....and snow is predicted for parts of the country.The weather-we love to talk about it all over the world and my students are no different.They want to learn new vocabulary to describe the weather....this little picture shows some weather conditions..

Not only do students wish to be able to describe the weather they are experiencing in their country but they also want to be able to discuss weather related topics.

For example,the topic of Global Climate Change is a common one in exams as well as in everyday conversation.The type language we use when discussing this topic is complicated at times and also sometimes difficult to explain.The vocabulary can come from science or geography,for example,and so is less commonly used among students.But if you wish to speak like a native ,a student needs to know how to use the vocabulary plus the numerous idioms,slang words/phrases and so on ,that we ,as native speakers use. 

Most students I speak with talk about how the climate in their home country is now completely unpredictable.No longer do my Russian students ,for example,expect to have sub zero temperatures for months of the year.And they have begun to notice how their changing climate is effecting the health and well being of the nation.And,in my opinion,this in turn is changing peoples attitudes to the concept and reality of Global Climate Change.

To use my lovely Russian students again as an example-when I first started to teach people from former USSR countries ,including Russia, a number of years ago ,the general attitude to how natural resources are used was one of ..'well we have a lot so we can more or less use them as we wish '

Nowadays ,it is much more common when speaking with students from this part of the world to hear statements about how 'we must start to recycle/reuse ' or 'we need to deal with the problem of industrial pollution because of its effect on our water systems'.There is a greater awareness of what we as a planet are facing from an environmental point of view and therefore more of a demand from students to be able to freely and intelligently discuss the topic.

Here are some quotes on climate change...

'There is no question that climate change is happening; the only arguable point is what part humans are playing in it'.

David Attenborough

'As human beings, we are vulnerable to confusing the unprecedented with the improbable. In our everyday experience, if something has never happened before, we are generally safe in assuming it is not going to happen in the future, but the exceptions can kill you and climate change is one of those exceptions'.

Al Gore