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Last week, we talked about how to start and organize your English Club.  This week, we share ideas for effective and fun activities to do with your English Club.
The age and language level of your English club members will make a difference in what activities you should choose. For clubs with younger participants, more organized activities might work better. But for clubs with older members, informal meetings that encourage discussion are effective. It is important to know your club members and the kinds of interests they have.
Warm-up
Warm-up activities are good ways to start any club meeting. They help people relax and prepare them to start speaking English. Here are a few warm-up activities that can be used with any age or skill level.
Two truths and a lie
The first is called Two Truths and a Lie. This activity can be done in pairs, small groups, or the whole English club. One person comes up with three facts about themselves. Two of the facts are true, and one is a lie. They tell the group the three facts, and the group must decide which one is the lie. Each participant takes a turn with this activity.
Salad bowl
Another warm-up activity is Salad Bowl. For this activity, tell everyone to think of a person, place or thing and write it down on a piece of paper. Collect the pieces of paper and mix them around in a big bowl. Then, divide the club into two teams. Each team then takes turns having one person go to the front of the room to take a piece of paper. The person must then describe the word to other team members. As soon as a team member correctly guesses the word, the person then selects another word from the bowl. Each team has 30 seconds to guess as many words as possible.
Discussion questions
Finally, for groups that do not like activities, you can simply start a club meeting with a warm-up discussion question, or by sharing a word or quote of the day.
​
Primary Meeting Activities
After a warm-up activity, it is time to begin the main meeting activities. These may be organized activities or less formal ones.
Debates and discussion
Club debates or discussions are the most popular type of English club activity. They let people use English in a more natural way than in a classroom.
It helps to have a new discussion topic for each meeting. This helps keep conversations from being too repetitive. It also encourages club members to learn new vocabulary words.
Debates are good ways to keep participants interested. They create excitement, and make the speaker practice using new words. If your club has many members, it is a good idea to divide the group into several smaller groups. If possible, each of the small groups should be given a different discussion or debate subject.
Every 15 to 30 minutes, people can move on to the next subject.
You can encourage club members to come up with debate subjects for future meetings.
Guest speakers and presentations
You can also invite people to give presentations in English. They may be politicians, non-profit workers, teachers, police, and so on. Participants can ask the presenter questions. Your participants can also take turns giving presentations on subjects that are important to them, as well.
English-language songs and readings
Another fun club activity is to listen to popular songs in English. To make this more effective, you can provide the words of the song to the club members. Participants can then use the song’s message as a discussion topic. You can also select a section from an English-language book to read and discuss as a group.
Skits
Or, if your participants enjoy acting, creating short skits or plays in English are fun language exercises.
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Special Activities
While having interesting club meetings is important for keeping participants motivated, you should avoid too much repetition. Doing special activities with your club from time to time gives participants something to look forward to, builds friendships, and provides new ways to learn.
Group trips
You can organize a short trip. Your club can see an English-language movie together at a theater, go on a hike, or attend a concert to watch an English-language band. Another idea is to visit a museum with an English-speaking guide.
Newsletter
If club members enjoy writing, collect English-language essays, stories, or poetry that they write. You can publish their work together in a newsletter.
Competition
Another idea is to create friendly competitions with your club’s participants or between other English clubs. Poetry, speech, or debate competitions are especially effective.
Scavenger Hunts
For a scavenger hunt, you can create a list of items that club members must find or photograph around their city or neighborhood. But instead of directly saying what the items are, give them hints about what they are.
Film Viewings
Another idea is to host English-language film viewings during a club meeting or at other locations.
Club Party
Finally, have a party to celebrate a holiday or just for fun. This is a way to help create a friendly, informal environment for club members. Remember to encourage English-only conversations at such events, however.
There are hundreds of possibilities for English club activities. This list provides you with a good start. The important thing to remember is to keep things fun and keep your club members motivated.
 
Phil Dierking wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.
Are you in an English club?  What advice do you have for starting a club? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.
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Words in This Story
 
hint – n. a small piece of information that helps you guess an answer or do something more easily
informal - adj. having a friendly and relaxed quality
motivate – v. to give (someone) a reason for doing something
relax – v. to become or to cause (something) to become less tense, tight, or stiff
skit – n. a short, funny story or performance(2017/07/26 07:05)

 
Wang Jianlin is one of Asia’s richest men. He is chairman of Dalian Wanda Group, a large property business which owns many foreign companies.
However, Wang is now facing a number of actions from Chinese authorities.
The latest actions include Chinese authorities asking banks to stop financing Wanda Group’s purchases of foreign companies.
Wanda Group currently owns a studio in Hollywood and AMC Theaters, among other foreign businesses. AMC Theaters has the most movie theaters in the United States.
Earlier this year, Wanda Group faced an investigation into its finances. Soon after, Wanda Group sold part of its business for $9.3 billion to a real estate developer based in Tianjin.
Wang Jianlin, the founder of Wanda Group, is known for his strong connections with the Communist Party. The Chinese government’s actions have surprised some experts.
Christopher Balding is an associate professor of economics at Peking University. He said, "That is a surprising development in a lot of different ways. Wang Jianlin has many friends all through the political establishment in China."
While some people believe the government targeted Wang, other people believe the government was taking action against many companies.
Peng Liu is a professor of real estate and hotel management at Cornell University. He said the government actions were consistent with the desire to control financial risks.
In the past few years, Wanda Group has bought Nordic Cinema Group, a theater operator in northern Europe, for $930 million, and Carmike Cinemas for $1.1 billion. Carmike Cinemas is the fourth-largest theater operator in the United States.
However, earlier this year, Wanda Group was unable to buy Dick Clark Productions, a company that develops television shows. The deal was valued at $1 billion.
The government is asking companies to cut their financial risks. But it is unclear if there are other reasons it wants companies to limit the buying of foreign companies.
Balding said, “It is not far-fetched to say that there is definitely a political message being sent, and they are using Wanda as an example to other companies, (to say) 'don't do this'."
He added that the actions involving Wanda could be a sign of hidden political disputes.
Yue Su is an economist with The Economist Intelligence Unit. She said the government is also investigating Fosun and Anbang. Those two companies have bought overseas businesses.
She said, “The government is also worried that these companies are trying to move assets abroad and keep their debt within the country, which is worsening domestic economic conditions.”
Christopher Balding said that in the past few years, regulators were encouraging Chinese companies to buy foreign companies.
He said, “So while Wanda may have pushed the limits, they were doing nothing more than what they were being encouraged to do by Chinese regulators.”
Currently, the Chinese government appears to not want companies to buy foreign businesses. However, Liu said that he believes they will allow overseas investments under the Belt and Road program. That program is a development project that supports trade across countries in Asia and Europe.
“The Belt and Road program is the government's strategy. I think that is different.” he said.
I’m Olivia Liu.
And I’m Mario Ritter.
 
VOA's Saibal Dasgupta reported this story from Beijing. Olivia Liu adapted this story for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor. 
We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.
___________________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
 
authorities – n. people with power to give orders or make decisions
far-fetched – adj. unlikely
regulators – adj. officials who enforce rules for a public activity or industry
encouraging – adj. to cause something to be more likely to happen
strategy – adj. a plan for reaching a larger or long term goal
 (2017/07/26 07:00)

 
American Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is examining federal guidance on how schools should deal with sexual assault.
The guidance was written during the presidency of Barack Obama. It advises school officials on a U.S. law known as Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972. The law requires schools to take action to deal with issues like hostile educational environments and illegal sexual contact. 
On July 13, DeVos spoke at a conference in Washington, D.C.
DeVos said she is considering how to balance the interests of sexual assault victims against those accused unfairly of sexual assault.
Demonstrators warn about weakening federal rules
The education secretary met at the conference with sexual assault victims and people who said they were falsely accused of sexually attacking others.
At the same time, Maya Weinstein, 23, and others demonstrated outside the headquarters of the Department of Education. Weinstein was raped by another student during her first year at George Washington University.
“It is interesting to me how sexual assault is viewed as a different issue than any other crime,” Weinstein told VOA. “The false reporting statistics are comparable to that of someone saying they were robbed and we don’t question those who come forward to say they were robbed.”
The National Sexual Violence Resource Center reports that between two percent and eight percent of sexual assault charges are proven false. It says those rates are comparable to other crimes.
DeVos told the conference that existing rules might not protect the rights of people falsely accused. She spoke about meeting with students who say they were falsely accused.
Devos said, “It was clear that their stories have not often been told, and that there are lives that have been ruined and lives that are lost in the process.”
DeVos also said that sexual assault is a serious problem.
“We can’t go back to the days when allegations were swept under the rug,” she said. 
​
Last year, the company International Student Insurance made a video about sexual assault for international students at American colleges. It said countries have different ideas about what is acceptable and what is not.
In the United States, a sexual relationship requires consent, the video says. It describes consent as when both people agree to sexual activity “without feeling pressured or intimidated and without being under the influence of drugs or alcohol.”
Sexual assault victim says not enough done for victims
Alyssa Peterson was a victim of sexual assault while attending Georgetown University in Washington. Like many victims, she decided not to bring charges against her attacker because she was not sure the process would be fair.
In 2015, the Association of American Universities said that half of college students did not report incidents of sexual assault because they did not think it was "serious enough." Others said they were embarrassed or thought "nothing would be done."
Even with the stronger federal guidance, punishment for sexual assault remains weak, Peterson said. She said few students are removed from college for sexually assaulting fellow students.
Peterson is now a Yale University law school student. She works with a group called Know Your Title IX, which supports victims of sexual assault.
Before the July 13 conference, the Education Department’s acting assistant secretary for civil rights apologized for comments she made about sexual assault.
The official, Candice Jackson, had spoken to the New York Times newspaper. She said that 90 percent of sexual assault cases involve two drunken students and a student deciding “our last sleeping together was not quite right.”
In her apology Jackson said, “What I said was flippant, and I am sorry.” Jackson also said that she was a rape victim.
University settles case brought by student accused of rape
Columbia University in New York recently settled a case dealing with allegations of sexual assault. The case was brought by a former international student.
The former student, Paul Nungesser of Germany, had accused Columbia officials of failing to protect him.
The German man had been accused of raping another student, but the university cleared Nungesser of wrongdoing.
Nungesser’s lawyers said the university permitted his accuser to carry a mattress around on Columbia’s grounds as part of a school-approved art project.
The accuser said the mattress represented the school’s failure to punish Nungesser for raping her. She even carried it to her graduation ceremonies in 2015.
The university said Nungesser’s time at Columbia had “become very difficult for him and not what Columbia would want any of its students to experience.” It added that Nungesser is now attending a film school in Germany.
The woman who accused Nungesser of rape had criticized Columbia for being “more concerned about their public image than keeping people safe.”
I’m Caty Weaver. And I'm Bruce Alpert.
 
Bruce Alpert reported on this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and share your views on our Facebook Page.
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Words in This Story
 
assault - n. the crime of trying or threatening to hurt someone physically
toll – n. the price for a service; a tax paid for some right
view - v. an opinion or way of thinking about something
statistics - n. number that represents a piece of information such as information about how often something is done, how common something is
allegation - n. charges against someone
swept under the rug - expression to hide something unpleasant or embarrassing
intimidate - v. to make someone afraid
embarrass - v. to make someone feel confused and foolish in front of other people
flippant - adj. lacking proper respect or seriousness
mattress - n. a cloth case that is filled with material and used as a bed
 (2017/07/26 07:00)

 
This is What’s Trending Today…
Almost 20 years ago, Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio starred together in the film Titanic. They played the movie’s two lovers, Rose and Jack.
Ten years later, they appeared together in the 2008 film “Revolutionary Road.”
This week, Winslet and DiCaprio are coming together again. But it is not for a film. It is for a dinner. And one lucky fan will get to join them.
The prize of a private dinner is part of the yearly fundraising event for the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation. The organization gives money to environmental causes. Last year’s auction raised $45 million. Famous guests like Bono, Mariah Carey and Bradley Cooper attended the event.
This year’s gala takes place on July 26 in southern France.
The person who offers the most money will win the dinner with the Titanic co-stars. The dinner reportedly must take place in October or November in New York City, because of the two stars’ busy schedules.
News of the dinner made DiCaprio and Winslet trending topics on social media. Many said they were excited at the idea of Winslet and DiCaprio being together again.
But some posts described the costly prize as a chance to be a “third wheel” on a romantic dinner date.
A “third wheel” is a person who is not needed or is ignored in a situation.
And that’s What’s Trending Today.
I'm Ashley Thompson.
Ashley Thompson wrote this story for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. 
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Words in This Story 
 
dinner - n. the main [evening] meal of the day
fan - n. ​a person who likes and admires someone (such as a famous person) or something (such as a sport or a sports team) in a very enthusiastic way​
gala - n. ​a public party or celebration​
schedule - n. ​a plan of things that will be done and the times when they will be done​(2017/07/26 07:00)

Researchers say a pilot program that paid Uganda landowners to not cut down trees, successfully reduced deforestation.
For the program, researchers from Northwestern University and Porticus, a Dutch organization, studied 121 villages over two years. In 60 villages they offered landowners $28 a year for every 10,000 square meters of forest they did not cut down.
To collect their data, the researchers used interviews, site inspections and satellite images to monitor forests around the villages.
Uganda had one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world. It loses about 2.7 percent of their forest each year between 2005 and 2010.
The study, published in the journal “Science,” found that villages in the payment program had saved 55,000 square meters of forestland more than other villages. In addition, there was not a rush to cut down trees after the program ended.
However, because the study was small compared to the size of the timber and charcoal markets, researchers were not able to see its effect on the markets. Without that information, they were not able to demonstrate that reduced deforestation in the study region didn't lead to increased deforestation elsewhere.
Reasons for the program
The researchers hope that this study will provide options for governments trying to meet their carbon emission targets under the 2015 Paris Agreement.
A carbon emission is a gas caused by the combustion of carbon.  The gas is released into the atmosphere, and is considered harmful to the environment. Researchers say more carbon emissions contribute to global warming.
The Union of Concerned Scientists say deforestation causes about 10% of global carbon emissions. They say that not cutting down trees is one of the least expensive ways of capturing carbon. Trees absorb carbon and need it to grow. This helps keep the carbon levels in the air low.
Seema Jayachandran is one of the study leaders from Northwestern. She feels that the program will be most effective in partnership with others to address the reasons for deforestation.
One example could be helping people in cities get stoves, so they are not cooking with charcoal. Another idea is teaching farmers how to grow more food in less space, so they don't need to clear as much forest for land to grow food.
I’m Phil Dierking.
 
Ben Thompson reported this story for VOANews.com. Phil Dierking adapted his report for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.
Do you think landowners should be paid to not cut down their trees? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.
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Words in This Story
 
deforestation - n. the act or result of cutting down or burning all the trees in an area​
combustion - n. a chemical reaction that occurs when oxygen combines with other substances to produce heat and usually light​
charcoal - n. a hard black material that is made by burning wood with a small amount of air​
timber - n. wood that is used to make something​(2017/07/26 06:10)