Recently we invited language teacher Ilona Sostronek to introduce us to Brno, the Czech Republic.
Shelly: Which event is a must for visitors?
Ilona Sostronek: Visit the Spilberk Castle in Brno or attend the International Film Festival in Karlovy Vary.
Shelly: What are popular local dishes?
Ilona Sostronek: Dumplings, cabbage, and roasted pork and carp with potato salad for dinner on Christmas Eve.
Shelly: Describe activities your English learners enjoy.
Ilona Sostronek: My students enjoy creating country quizzes. If somebody visits a foreign country, they prepare a quiz about it from what they have seen, and where they have been. It is done as a type of a competition. They also enjoy creating presentations about a place or country they visited. They are asked to focus on pictures depicting anything typical of that particular place or people. There are five groups of photos we are interested in- people, culture, nature, cuisine, and extras. Students prepare two pictures for each category and others are asked to prepare questions from/about the place. To differentiate the task for higher levels, the students are encouraged to put down questions they don’t think will be discussed during the presentation. This gets them motivated to search for info and listen to the presenter. Then we give feedback. This way we learn about the place as well as its history or something special about the place. Thus, we broaden our horizons as well as practice and enrich our vocabulary and recycle grammar forms. Students enjoy it.
Shelly: Thank you Ilona Sostronek for introducing us to the Czech Republic!
Ilona Sostronek is a teacher who loves her job despite the difficulties. She has been a teacher for over 15 years, and works with diverse target groups of students from young learners to adults at all fluency levels. Her greatest experience so far has been working for DLI, the Defense Language Institute in Czech Republic, where she taught both professional soldiers and civilians. She would love to teach abroad, and has been to Slovakia.
Learn more about living and working in the Czech Republic.