English Central Thanksgiving Videos

Now time for some fun!

English Central The History of Thanskgiving

How did Thanksgiving start?  Time for a history lesson.

English Central - Thanksgiving

This Thursday November 22 is an American Holiday called Thanksgiving.    Everyone gets together with their family for a big traditional meal and to give thanks for all the good things in their lives.  Over the next few days I'll share videos about Thanksgiving from English Central.  

The first video gives you the basics.  Enjoy!

3 Reasons to Fist Bump

whitehouse.gov

Here are 3 situations you might want to use a fist bump instead of a handshake.

1.  Friendly Greeting
Shaking hands is not the only way to say hello.  The fist bump is now gaining popularity as an alternative greeting.  It's more informal and a little more personal and friendly.  

2.  Say "good job!"
Besides being a greeting, a fist bump is a way to show support and congratulations to a friend, co-worker, or teammate.  Your teammate just hit a homerun, give 'em a fist bump.  Roommate aced their test -  fist bump.  Your mother cooked your favorite dinner....  OK fist bumps don't work in all situations.   but you get the idea.    

3.  Avoid Germs
No one wants to shake hands with someone who is sneezing and coughing.  During cold and flu season germs can spread easily from person to person.  Limit your contact to germs by doing a fist bump instead of a handshake.   

So, get out there and try a fist bump.  It's easy to do.  You make a fist, the other person makes a fist, and the two of you bump them together.  Just remember it's a bump.  Not a punch.  A soft tap or a light touch on the knuckles is all you need.  It's a fist bump, not a fist fight.  

English Central Videos on Handshaking

Here are 2 videos on handshaking the first one is rated easy and the second one is medium.

5 Dos and Don'ts for Shaking Hands

Here are a few things to keep in mind when you want to shake hands with someone.

DO extend your right hand and grasp the other person's hand palm to palm.
DON'T grab the fingers of the other person's hand.

DO grab the other person's hand firmly and confidently.
DON'T grab too hard.  You want to leave the person with a good impression not broken bones.

DO shake from the elbow up and down.
DON'T shake from the wrist or shoulder.

DO shake 2 or 3 times and then let go.
DON'T hold the other persons hand too long.  It's awkward.

DO shake with 1 hand only.  The right hand.
DON'T place your other hand on the person's hand or arm.  This feels too personal or controlling.

Topic of the Week - The Handshake

This week we will be talking about Handshakes.  In the US people often shake hands when they meet for the first time.  That's fine for people but what about cold soft drinks?  Is Sippy too cold to shake hands?  Check out the latest video to see.
Shake My Hand by Cbrenn on GoAnimate

Video Maker - Powered by GoAnimate.



Language Link 
Cold has 2 meanings.  It can mean a low temperature such as it is cold outside in the winter.  Or it can mean someone's attitude is unfriendly.  She was very cold to the new cook.  She wouldn't even shake her hand.

Victory Speech

This week I am featuring famous words by famous Americans.   Well, I'm sure you have heard by now that the US election is over and President Obama has been elected to a second term as President of the United States.  

After the election was finished,  President Obama gave a Victory Speech.  You can watch it at the New York Times website.  The link below has the video of the 20 minute speech broken down into key moments.  So, you can watch the whole thing or just a small part.  It also has the transcript so you can read a long with the video.  

NY Times Interactive Victory Speech

I'm a not so famous American and people don't normally ask me for a quote.  However, I recently won an award for talking about American Culture and English.  I have to give my own victory speech at the award ceremony.  I only have 1 minute to talk though.  I wonder what I should say.  Any ideas?  Leave your suggestions in the comments.  

Quotes from Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs' Greatest Quotes from Effect Works

Another Quote Riddle

Oops!  I did it again. My fingers were all clumsy typing up this quote.  All of the words got out of order.  Can you put the words back in to the correct order so that they make sense in English.  The first word and the last word are correct.

Leaders who empower those are others.

answer Leaders are those who empower others.

This quote is paraphrased from Bill Gates founder of Microsoft.  See the original quote here.

Quote Riddle

Oops!  I had a problem typing up today's quote.  All of the words got out of order.  Can you put the words back in to the correct order so that they make sense in English.  The first word and the last word are correct.

To it something believe in becomes with a to such you passion that succeed a have reality.

answer To succeed you have to believe in something with such a passion that it becomes a reality.

This quote is by Anita Roddick founder of the Body Shop.

Quotes

This week we will look at the quotes of famous Americans.  

Reading quotes is a good way to learn new ideas that can inspire us to be more successful in our own lives.   But it’s also important to judge each idea against our own situation, experience, culture and values to see if we agree or disagree with each statement.  Remember even though they are famous, they are also human and capable of bad decisions and mistakes.  That is why it's really important to think deeply about the words and ideas of others before making them our own.  What’s right for them, might not be right for you.  You have to decide for yourself.

Here is our first quote of the week -

"Stuff your eyes with wonder, live as if you'd drop dead in ten seconds.  See the world.  It's more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories."
-Ray Bradbury, author

Do you agree or disagree?  Leave a comment.