Yvonne Hynson's Podcast

August in New Zealand

Yvonne Hynson — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 20:19:17 GMT

This is a dictation. Listen and write then check with the text below: What do you know about New Zealand in August? August is the last month of our winter. It usually rains, there are lots of rainbows and it snows in the mountain areas. Sometimes it is fine with a beautiful clear blue sky but it's always cold and sometimes freezing! Some introduced trees, especially fruit and nut trees, start to show bud growth and birds start mating and making nests from now on. There are no public holidays in August but Daffodil Day is at the end of the month. Rugby, netball and skiing are still important but indoor sports like badminton are also popular.

July in New Zealand podcast

Yvonne Hynson — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 21:22:00 GMT

Listen and write. When you finish check your work with the answer. Listen and repeat with me. Learn to say the words in groups and listen to the stressed words eg July, rains, more, snows.... What other words have stress? What do you know about New Zealand in July? July is the first month of our winter. It rains a lot more, there are more rainbows and it snows in the mountain areas. Sometimes it is fine with a beautiful clear blue sky but it's always cool or cold.

Dictation for June in New Zealand

Yvonne Hynson — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 19:58:32 GMT

Listen and write. Check your result with the text below after you have listened. Here is one word to help you: Tongariro. It is the name of a National Park in the centre of the North Island. Here is the dictation for June. Winter in New Zealand is in June, July and August. In Auckland it does not snow but it usually rains a lot and on cold clear mornings from now on there are frosts. Further south it snows and the ski fields and ski resorts are popular e.g. in the Tongariro National Park, in the centre of the North Island and Queenstown in the South Island.

May in New Zealand

Yvonne Hynson — Tue, 25 May 2010 02:11:01 GMT

Listen and write. When you finish check with my words below: Here is the dictation for May in New Zealand. May is the last month of our autumn and in the north, the weather is still warm but cooler at night and more showery. You usually need a jacket or a jumper and in the south you need winter clothes. Netball and Rugby start from now on. Subtropical fruit are in the shops: kiwifruit, feijoas and persimmons. Mother’s Day is on the second Sunday every year. This year is it the eighth of May.

January 2010 dictation MP3 file

Yvonne Hynson — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 20:20:40 GMT

Useful cultural information for New Zealand in January. Go to www.englishteacher.co.nz for the text.

January 2010 dictation

Yvonne Hynson — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 19:24:06 GMT

This is a wav. file and it very big! I will upload the MP3 file later today! Dictation: What do you know about New Zealand in January? January is the second month of our summer. It's hot at times and you can get sunburnt. It also still rains but there are usually long fine periods between showers. Occasionally there are tropical cyclones. Some workers with families go on holiday now because students go back to school late in the month. The camp grounds are full of tourists and the beaches become crowded, especially at the weekend. New Zealanders love gardening and the lawnmowers are noisy too. See the January photo quiz for useful vocabulary. Auckland's Anniversary Weekend is the last weekend of the month and the sailing regatta to celebrate it is in the Waitemata Harbour on the Monday - February 1st this year.

December Dictation MP3

Yvonne Hynson — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 21:07:39 GMT

This is the same dictation but a smaller file!

December dictation

Yvonne Hynson — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 01:12:35 GMT

You can just listen or you can listen and write. Here is a dictation for December in New Zealand. December is the ‘silly season’ in New Zealand. It is the start of Christmas shopping and preparation, the end of exams, the start of the holidays for most students and the end of the year. There are lots of work parties and the festive season lasts until after the January New Year Holiday break. The longest day is on the 22nd , Christmas Eve is on the 24th, Christmas Day is on the 25th, Boxing Day is on the 26th and of course there is the New Year’s Eve party on the 31st. Most Kiwis sleep in after the party the next day or stay up all night to see the sunrise. (Go to the beach! This is also a popular activity in December! This photo is of Narrowneck Beach in Auckland.)

Second Bushwalk

Yvonne Hynson — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 04:31:38 GMT

Bush walk 2 with Yvonne Anzac Valley bush, Auckland, New Zealand and it’s Saturday September 26th 2009. The powerpoint (15MB)is only on Ning Elementary 2 at the moment if you want to follow with the slides. Slide 1: Here is the start of our bush walk. This is the valley floor and it is wet. It has a small stream flowing though it all year round. We are standing in front of 2 Kahikatea trees, which are about 60-70 years old. Perching epiphytes like them and grow on the side of them. It looks a bit like a jungle. Slide 2: They are beside the little stream, which becomes very wide and shallow in winter but just narrow in summer. There are a lot of Kanuka, Manuka, tree ferns and young trees in the understorey (all those young small trees under the really tall trees). The valley floor has another reddish green fern, which loves the wet, damp conditions beside the stream. New Zealand has hundreds of ferns because we have a subtropical climate. Slide 3: Nikau ferns and Kahikatea roots also love the stream and grow in it. There are three little rock pools at the head of the stream and at the foot of the Anzac Valley this little stream then becomes the Kumeu River. When you go over the bridge at Waitakere, think of the start of this river! Slide 4: The Rewarewa is in the middle of the bush. It has unusual flowers young or old. It often flowers in September but this tree is very high so you only get to see the flowers in the forest floor litter (all the old leaves from trees…on the floor …of the forest). The Rewarewa tree is ancient and was alive in early New Zealand about 50 -80 million years ago. I guess it is one of my favourite trees because I can see it from the kitchen window. Slide 5: This Rewarewa is only about 30 years old so you can see it takes a long time to grow one of the New Zealand giants - Kahikatea, Rimu, Rewarewa and others. Well that’s all I have time for so come back soon for bush walk number 3….

NZ bushwalk 1

Yvonne Hynson — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 03:43:35 GMT

There is a Powerpoint with photos and names of trees on my website www.englishteacher.co.nz. Go to this months activities. TEXT without photos: Bush walk with Yvonne Anzac Valley bush, Auckland, New Zealand Sep 20th 2009 Slide 2: Here is the start of our bush walk. We are standing in front of a Kowhai Tree. It has yellow flowers at this time of the year. Tui love the nectar (flower juice) in the flowers and sing loudly to show its their tree. The Kowhai and Tui are native to New Zealand. Behind is the bush we are going into. It is young - only 60 to 80 years old. There are a lot of Kanuka, Manuka, tree ferns and young trees in the understorey. Slide 3: When Kanuka die, young tree ferns and other small trees fill their spaces in the bush. Kanuka usually come down in storms. The jazz chant ‘A Bad Day’ has the photo of a broken trunk from last year. Now we are in the bush and here is the trunk of a Rimu with the silver fern (ponga) on the left. A possum ate the Rimu 60 years ago, when it was young so now it has three trunks. Slide 4: This is in the middle of the bush and the valley floor. It is wet and there is a stream I will show you in another bush walk later. Kaihikatea love this environment (the valley floor) and grow tall and straight. These young trees are only about 40 to 50 years old. They can grow for hundreds of years and are the tallest trees in the New Zealand forest. Slide 5: Their bark is rather beautiful too. Well, that’s all I have time for today. I hope to take you on another walk soon.

I'm sorry but....

Yvonne Hynson — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 23:43:03 GMT

This is last week's jazz chant and it helps you to remember comparison with as...as and -er and the best. I hope you are all working as hard as you can! It sure looks like you are!

Well, he eats like a pig

Yvonne Hynson — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 23:38:19 GMT

The jazz chant from a week ago. It helps you to remember 'like a' for uncountable nouns and using 'like a' for comparison. There is also 'dearest' which means very close to you or a loving person.

It's like winter today!

Yvonne Hynson — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 23:32:31 GMT

This is the jazz chant we did a few weeks ago. New Zealand spring often has days like winter and days like summer. It helps you to remember like means similar to.

September dictation for NZ ESOL

Yvonne Hynson — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 23:26:55 GMT

Listen and write the words. You can find the text on www.englishteacher.co.nz. Go to activities and click podcasts.

Breakfasts around the world

Yvonne Hynson — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 23:16:10 GMT

This is listening practise and you can get the activities from Forum on our Elementary 2 Ning site. The last page is the text (answer sheet).