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Everyday Expressions: Exploring Common Phrases Defying the Dictionary

Native speakers use expressions frequently to represent ideas or paint pictures with words. While every culture has it's own expressions, American expressions appear in normally conversation along with everyday speech. Because you can not use an average dictionary to look up expressions it may be helpful to examine a conversation using expressions to consider how phrases are used and what these phrases are used to mean. For more information please consult the blog attached to this podcast.

Tackling Tipping

Tackling Tipping: A Discussion of Paying for Service
In this two-person podcast English Language Learners living in the United States will hear differing opinions on the act of tipping. Speakers, Aja Gorham and Jesse Ackles, present two different views on popular American practice of tipping to rouse class debate/discussion amongst beginning and intermediate students about tipping practices and beliefs in the classroom. These opinions do not represent rules about American practices, but two viewpoints on a large scale.
For more thorough, researched facts regarding tipping practices please consult the independent website listed below:
http://www.tipping.org/tips/us.html
http://www.essortment.com/all/tipping_rdef.htm
This podcast can be incorporated as the cultural competency component into a restaurant-themed lesson: set-up by the restaurant subject matter, used the crux of a listening activity with the question serving a follow up activity.
Vocabulary
While this podcast is intended for cultural competency purposes, students may need to know the following words:
Waitress
Job
Service