Every time I get an email from a friend with a video recommendation, I find a great new video to share with my students. Some are hilarious, some are cute, others are clever. Every week I post my top video here, for my students to enjoy and study. Usually they are not for English study per se, they are useful regardless for English studies. Though not always easily understood, I know my students will work hard to understand as best they can. I believe the variety of accents and colloquialisms help to teach students more and more, helping them to build their vocabulary banks and become better listeners and thus communicators. Don’t worry if you can’t understand all of it- it usually takes years of intense study to be able to understand all of what you hear or see in these clips. Cultural differences and local concepts also add to the difficulty in understanding, so don’t worry and do your best. I’ve been studying French and Japanese for many long years and I don’t expect to understand everything I hear in either of these languages, nor do I expect to be able to catch every word I hear. For increased learning potential, please watch each clip at least 3 times- the 1st time just to get the overall picture, the 2nd time for better detail, the final time to piece it all together and get the full picture. Taking notes while watching and using your dictionary can also be helpful, and for many of us a necessity. Gambatte!
Today’s video is a cute little animation, maybe from a series, I’m not sure. Regardless, it’s cute and funny and I think you’ll enjoy it. It’s called “Tooned” and it seems to be a McLaren sponsored F1 racing cartoon, with 5 or 6 main characters. The story is quite simple and easy to follow, with limited dialogue. The accents make it a little harder for English students to catch, but as it is short and cute, students will likely enjoy watching it over and over again until they get it fully. The competitive spirit of the 2 racers is the basis for most of the jokes. Try not to laugh too hard.
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