- ESL: Very Well
- Posts
- ESL: Very Well Protocol | Week 9 - Day 51
ESL: Very Well Protocol | Week 9 - Day 51
10 April 2024
New here? Or just checking us out? Here’s a How-to guide for our approach.
Today’s Themes and Tasks
Architecture | Traditions | Fashion |
---|---|---|
Why is it important to keep old buildings, and what problems do we face when trying to fit them into modern cities? | What happens to traditions when people move far away from their culture centers? | Are everyday clothes becoming more casual or more formal? How does this affect society? |
Workout of the Day
Complete the Workout of the day. Click on the images to be linked to the videos hosted on YouTube.
1. Fluency Waterfall
2. Waterfall Model
3. Vocabulary Connections
4. EI. 10
Waterfall Model Transcripts
Review these transcripts to see other ways of responding to the Waterfall tasks and to look for grammar patterns and vocabulary that may be useful for you in your response. The example responses are C1+ in their level. How do your responses compare? What can you do to improve your responses during the next Fluency Waterfall?
90 Second Task
Why is it important to keep old buildings, and what problems do we face when trying to fit them into modern cities? |
Keeping old buildings is really important for lots of reasons, but it's not always easy to fit them into modern cities. First up, old buildings are like our connection to the past. They tell us stories about how people lived, worked, and thought back in the day. Like, there's this old market in my town that's been around for centuries. Just walking through it, you can almost feel the history buzzing around you. It's a cool reminder of our roots.
But, trying to keep these old places up-to-date can be tricky. They often need a lot of work to make them safe and comfortable with things we take for granted now, like Wi-Fi or air conditioning. Plus, doing that without ruining their old-world vibe? That's a tough balancing act. My city's library had to be rewired for the internet, and it was a big deal trying to hide all those cables without changing the look of the place.
And then there's the space issue. Cities are getting more crowded, and there's always a push to build new stuff. Sometimes, it feels like a fight to keep these old buildings from being knocked down to make room for something new. I've seen beautiful old houses get torn down for parking lots, and it's such a loss.
So, saving old buildings gives us a link to our history and adds character to our cities. But we've got to be smart and creative to keep them around, mixing the old with the new to make our cities cool places full of stories.
60 Second Task
What happens to traditions when people move far away from their culture centers? |
When people move away from their cultural roots, traditions evolve but stay important. For instance, my Mexican friend throws a Dia de los Muertos party annually, turning a family tradition into a celebration with friends from all walks of life. It's her way of keeping her heritage alive and sharing it with others.
Adapting traditions is common too. My family, hailing from India, couldn't find the traditional flowers for Diwali here, so we started using colorful paper crafts instead. It's different but keeps the essence of our tradition alive.
Interestingly, being far from home often makes these traditions stronger. Wearing traditional clothes or celebrating special days becomes a bold statement of identity in a new place. It transforms personal customs into public expressions of pride and connection.
So, even far from where they started, traditions adapt, survive, and sometimes, become even more meaningful, blending the past with the present and enriching our shared cultural tapestry.
Are everyday clothes becoming more casual or more formal? How does this affect society? |
Clothing is getting noticeably more casual, impacting work and social norms. Offices are ditching the stiff suit-and-tie dress code for business casual, creating a more relaxed atmosphere. On my first day at a startup, my formally dressed self was met by a boss in jeans, symbolizing a breakdown of traditional barriers and promoting approachability.
This shift towards casual wear signifies a broader societal trend towards valuing comfort and authenticity over formality. It encourages genuine interactions and fosters a sense of community by allowing people to express their true selves without pretense.
Overall, the move to casual attire is making environments more laid-back and inclusive, promoting personal expression and facilitating easier, more authentic connections between people.
EI - 10
Compare your recording to the transcript below. What did you miss? What did you mess up? Don’t be afraid to do the task again.
1. Clothing is getting noticeably more casual.
2. Old buildings gives us a link to our history.
3. We started using colorful paper crafts instead.
4. Beautiful old houses were torn down for parking lots.
5. Personal customs can become public expressions of pride.
6. Being far from home often makes these traditions stronger.
7. This shift towards casual wear signifies a broader societal trend.
8. When people move away from their cultural roots, some traditions evolve.
9. How hard is it to update old buildings without losing their classic look?
10. Cities are getting more crowded, and there's always a push to build new stuff.
Vocabulary Connections
Here’s the vocabulary for today. This vocabulary is connected to the new topic and task introduced in the Waterfall today (90 second task). What words would help you better express your thoughts tomorrow? Which words could you substitute for more precise expression.
Cloze Exercise
Read the response out loud trying to remain fluent while filling in the gaps.
What happens to traditions when people move far away from their culture centers? |
When people move away from their cultural roots, traditions evolve but stay important. For instance, my Mexican friend throws a_ Dia de los Muertos party annually, tu_____ a family tradition into a celebration wi__ friends from all walks of life. It__ her way of keeping her heritage al___ and sharing it with others.
Adapting traditions is common too. My fa_____ hailing from India, couldn't find the tr_________ flowers for Diwali here, so we st_____ using colorful paper crafts instead. It's di_______ but keeps the essence of our tr_______ alive.
Interestingly, being far from home often ma___ these traditions stronger. Wearing traditional clothes o_ celebrating special days becomes a bold st_______ of identity in a new place. I_ transforms personal customs into public expressions o_ pride and connection.
So, even far from where they st______, traditions adapt, survive, and sometimes, become ev__ more meaningful, blending the past with th_ present and enriching our shared cultural ta_______.
Help ESL: Very Well Grow
This newsletter has all of the resources that you need for the protocol. If you’re on Facebook follow ESL: Very Well to participate in our growing community and access other news and events.
Some people are shocked to hear that we produce ESL: Very Well 100% coffee-free. However, I do eat a lot of broccoli and we use AI tools that are not free. If you’d like to fuel our efforts, we’d very much appreciate that.
If you’d like to donate money to get out the word about ESL: Very Well to a targeted group that is close to your heart. Say people interested in soccer in Sao Paulo Brazil venmo us any amount of money with that description and we’ll see that it happens.