Welcome to ESL: Very Well

A daily English study protocol

What is the ESL Very Well Protocol?

The ESL Very Well Protocol is a free daily English study plan designed to assist B1/B2 (Intermediate) English speakers in advancing to a C1+ (Advanced) proficiency level. In short, we help people go from using English well enough to using English very well.

How does it work? 

English learners subscribe to our daily newsletter to receive an email each day containing the practice materials for their study sessions.

The core protocol comprises four video-based practice activities aimed at enhancing learners' speaking fluency, accuracy, and vocabulary. These videos cover a diverse range of engaging topics and themes, ensuring a comprehensive learning experience.

Collectively, these videos offer approximately 20 minutes of practice, allowing learners the flexibility to engage with them at their convenience, anytime and anywhere they have access to the video content.

Can you tell me more about each activity? 

Fluency Waterfall

In this 5-minute activity, the learner engages in three open speaking tasks.

For the first task, which is new to the learner, they are allotted 20 seconds to prepare and 90 seconds to speak. The second task, introduced during the previous day's practice, is repeated, giving the student 20 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to speak. The third task, having been practiced twice before, allows only 20 seconds for preparation and 45 seconds for speaking.

Studies have demonstrated that students who utilize this practice method increase their speaking fluency, speaking more rapidly and comfortably with fewer pauses and interruptions.

Before beginning the speaking practice, students are encouraged to start recording so they can review their performance afterward. This enables them to identify areas for improvement in subsequent practice sessions.

Waterfall Models

This activity lasts approximately 3 minutes. During this time, the learner will watch videos demonstrating model responses to the day's waterfall speaking tasks. These responses are carefully crafted to exemplify C1+ level speech. Each response includes captions and engaging visuals to reinforce the content. Learners can utilize these videos to identify vocabulary and grammar patterns they wish to incorporate into their own speaking responses.

EI Ten

This video introduces a speaking accuracy activity known as elicited imitation, also referred to as 'listen and then speak'. In this exercise comprising 10 tasks, learners listen to a sentence and then, after a beep, repeat the sentence as accurately and completely as possible. The sentences start off short and simple, gradually increasing in length and complexity.

Aligned with the themes and tasks of the Fluency Waterfall, these sentences provide learners with additional vocabulary and grammar practice for future exercises.

Similar to the Fluency Waterfall activity, students are advised to begin recording before starting the activity. To assess their performance, students can compare their recording with the transcript provided in the daily newsletter, identifying any missed or incorrect parts of the sentence.

Vocabulary Connections

Students at a B1/B2 level know a lot of vocabulary. However, to get to a C1+ level they will need more. Vocabulary connections uses the words that students already know to introduce other words related to these words in meaning. 

In this activity's video, 15 sets of three high-value vocabulary words, relevant to the new task and topic introduced that day, are presented. Following the presentation of these word sets, three waves of example sentences are provided. These sentences serve to test the learners' recall of familiar words while reinforcing those they are less familiar with.

What else is in the daily newsletter? 

The daily newsletter has text resources that complement the study videos. These text resources include transcripts of the model videos, text prompts for the tasks from the EI 10 video and the vocabulary connections list for that day with the example sentences and sets of related words. There’s also a bonus cloze exercise related to the 60 second Waterfall Task. Links are also provided for sharing and supporting the ESL: Very Well protocol.

What about the other skills to be successful English communicator?

The basic protocol is a great resource for speaking, vocabulary, and listening development. But reasonably you may ask what about reading comprehension, writing, grammar, and pronunciation?

While the skills and language practice in the basic protocol will help develop general proficiency in English that will help in these other areas too. It’s true that in 4 videos or 20 minutes of language practice we had to prioritize time and effort. 

Nevertheless, we are actively developing a premium expansion set of activities that will incorporate videos focusing on pronunciation and grammar, along with practice exercises tailored for writing, reading comprehension, and listening. Stay informed by subscribing and following along with our updates.

Check out an example of a daily drop-in email.

Want more? Follow along!