Friday, September 4, 2026
Sunday, August 16, 2026
2026-2027 Registration Is Open
Click here to go directly to our webpages and read the Update and other pages.
Click here to listen to and follow our podcast "Sorry! What Did You Say?" on Spotify in your browser
Hello, Friends.
It is time to go back to school. Our classes and meetings begin after Labor Day (September 7, 2026).
Sign Up Today!
International Friends Registration - Cornerstone Lutheran Church
Summer Conversations
We had some visits and meetings over the summer with some awesome notes and observations. Words in American English can be pronounced in unexpected ways. "Sounding words out" does not always work for listening and speaking. Spelling "rules" are not consistent. Here are some of our finds over the summer.
Seeing and Saying
- Listen: Use your tech to hear the following words. Say them.
- Comment below to share words you have discovered.
Why this works: Seek and find, say, share.
- Seek and find: Your search work helps you remember.
- Say: Your speaking helps train your ear to hear others and your muscles to speak the words.
- Share: Language learning is a social activity. Telling others (even as a comment) add what you learned to your
- chorus: group of singers, repeating part of a song/music
- choir: a large group of singers
- chore: a routine task (usually household)
- say: speak
- said: spoke
- sad: not happy
- stay: do not leave
- stayed: did not leave
- staid: respectable, not adventurous
- play: take part in a sport or game; a performed story
- played: took part in a game or sport
- plaid: a pattern of alternating colors
Words and Phrases
awesome: noteworthy
finds: discoveries
tech: phone, computer, tablet
Sunday, July 19, 2026
Speaking About Sports in the Summer
42 Summer Sports List (sorted by Popularity) Click here to go directly to our webpages and read the Update and other pages.
Hello, Friends.
Summer fun and fests continue. The World Cup ends July 19, but there is plenty to do. In the U.S. most schools start back in August (although locally, we have a district or two beginning the end of July). Take advantage of the festivals and music. There are county and state fairs to enjoy the best of the local farmers. Farmer's markets feature fresh crops and other delicious treats.
Some American Professional Summer Sports:
- NASCAR
- IndyCar
- Baseball
- Women's Basketball
- Tennis
- Golf
There is plenty more to participate in and to follow 42 Summer Sports List (sorted by Popularity).
The Sports Front
Continuing to look at sports...American sports leagues include different levels of commitment. Amateur play includes:
- Middle School, High School, and Collegiate teams
- Recreational (Rec) teams
- Travel teams
- Club teams
Listening Practice
While we are on break from our classes, we are still recording and posting episodes to Sorry! What Did You Say? on Spotify. Hearing native and non-native speakers in conversation can help you understand American English and Culture. Listen to the differences in the speakers as well as the content of the conversation.
Tips:
- Speed up or slow down the recording. Sometimes you need to slow down to catch nuance or just what is being said. Sometimes you need to speed up to focus your attention and get the gist.
- Read along. The episodes have transcripts that are automatically generated. Do the transcripts match what you hear? Is it your ears or is it the AI?
- Notice the differences in pace and cadence of each speaker. Part of this is personal "style" and part of this is carry over from original language. Singing is a great way to learn the cadence of a language, even if you don't know all the words (and who knows and sings all the right words...no one You've Been Singing These 30 Songs Completely Wrong).
Words and Phrases
Friday, July 3, 2026
Happy Independence Day, U.S.A.!
Click here to go directly to our webpages and read the Update and other pages.
Hello, Friends.
We are so excited and thrilled to share our 250 birthday. Every city and state has special celebrations planned. The weather is predicted to be hot, but this is not unusual for summer.
Welcome to FIFA Fans. You have brought your patriotism and your love of the sport. We hope you have a great Independence Day on top of your World Cup celebrations.
The Reader's Digest always is spot on with memes that express conventional wisdom and American Culture. Enjoy!
Supreme Court Opinions
Before the Independence Day holiday, the Supreme Court weighed in on a number of issues this last week.
This last week a good number of rulings were decided by the Supreme Court. The outcome of these decisions are called "opinions" and provide guidance for the lower courts. There were a number of issues that are critical to the American public. Once decided, the ball is back in the court of Congress to pass laws or Constitutional Amendments or to the Executive branch (the president and staff) to fulfill the requirements of decisions. The Supreme Court does not make laws or execute (follow up with action), it decides the legality of the cases placed before it.
Read the decisions for yourself. The justices consider the Constitution as well as prior rulings and cases presented to the court. The court is thorough in explaining the written status of the opinions:
"Opinions are posted on the website upon release in slip opinion format. Slip opinions remain posted until replaced with opinions edited to reflect the usual publication style of the United States Reports..."
This YouTube from TED-Ed Talks from 2016 (notice the president is Barak Obama in the drawings) provides an explanation for how justices are appointed and more about their service.
Saturday, June 27, 2026
Welcome July and Happy 250 Birthday U.S.A.!
Click here to go directly to our webpages and read the Update and other pages.
Happy Independence Day, Friends.
Welcome to the United States' greatest Federal holiday of the year! This year we are celebrating 250 years of freedom. Pregame celebrations began earlier this month, but the main event falls on a Saturday this year. In our local area, the different townships are staggering their parades which allows us to watch and participate. So, if your band is marching in the morning, you can watch a neighboring town's parade in the afternoon.
Fireworks, Concerts, Parades, Picnics, Fairs, and Festivals
Every community hosts events a party for Independence Day (or the Fourth of July). Pick one or two or more! The Indiana Farm Bureau offers a nice article and schedule with links to the various events including festival sites. If you are elsewhere, search "fireworks" to see where to go for the show nearest you, or just ask around.
Comment to add your tips or opportunities.
Here in Indiana, the sunsets and it does not get fully dark until after 10:00 PM. Be ready to stay up late to see firework shows. There are tricks and tips for parking and the best views that are different for every community. Regardless, here are tips for the day:
- Be prepared to wait in traffic when you leave.
- Watch in a safe location and be respectful of private property.
- Stay hydrated. We have had some wonderfully cool weather leading up to next week, but the Midwest summer heat and humidity are sure to show up for the Fourth.
- Use sunscreen.
- Be prepared for people in parade to throw candy. (Sometimes you get more candy than Halloween!)
- Watch for flyovers.
- Be safe with you own fireworks and clean up afterwards.
- Be safe as you drive home and enjoy other people's personal fireworks.
FIFA Hospitality:
We love our more than 3.6 million soccer fans! We are so glad that you are enjoying your time here and posting your impressions of our country. We love your stories and totally agree that Ranch Dressing is a food group of its own. Thank you for singing your patriotic songs and sharing your fan customs.
They came for the World Cup. They fell in love with Buc-ee’s and ranch dip. is an article from NBC Tic Toc, X, and Facebook are all featuring stories of people experiencing what Americans find common. It is great to see our Walmart, Taco Bell, Target, Costco, and other stores and restaurants enjoyed.
Words and Phrases
ask around: ask a variety of people for advice and for information
pregame: parties before the main event
Sunday, June 14, 2026
Welcome June, FIFA, Summer Vacation
Click here to go directly to our webpages and read the Update and other pages.
Hello, Friends.
It's summertime and the living is easy! Here in the states, we take our summer seriously. Seriously, let's go to the pool, take a road trip, go to camp, read a summer novel, bar-b-que, street fairs, fests, outdoor concerts. Take the plunge and jump in with both feet!
This summer we get to host the FIFA 2026 World Cup.
International Friends is on break, but you might notice some meetings pop up here and there. Most of our Friends, though, are busy with kids and vacations and heading back to home countries for a visit. Carving out time to meet over the summer is not easy.
America 250 and the National Archives in Washington D.C.
Free and Independent: Special Major Exhibition Opens as a “Celebration of the Declaration” shares the riveting story behind America’s most important founding document.
The Charters of Freedom are the documents of, by, and for the American people that are documented in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. The handwritten documents are on display in the National Archives. Take a virtual peek. These documents were quickly drafted during dramatic times.
Read the history of the Declaration of Independence straight from the Archives. The story of the people that worked to define and preserve the ideals and freedom that we enjoy today.
Citizen Voice on the Hill
I had a fantastic opportunity to go to Washington D.C. and meet with Indiana congressional members or their staff to advocate for funding to be included in our federal budget for international initiatives. Since Congress had just convened, many of the members were in meetings. In some cases, we met with a staffer who took notes, answered questions, and directed us to further contact and opportunities to meet.
While all of the meetings were relatively brief, we all found that we were welcomed into the offices of the representatives and listened to. Meeting as a non-partisan group gave our message a that could be carried across the aisle.
Football or Soccer?
We hope that you have a great time! Excuse us if we say, "soccer". We won't change our "football".
Casual Business Conversation
American culture follows a certain pattern that is used in many conversational situations both socially and formally.
General, polite greeting: Hello. Good to see you. How have you been? What have you been up to? (not specific to our "work" topic).
A back and forth about general health and life for a couple of sentences.
During this part of the conversation, find out about your colleague's current projects, needs, direction.
Introduce the specific topic about the meeting. This is for you to introduce. Please change the topic to the point of this meeting to the focus or goal of the meeting.
Begin with some general information
Lead your target colleague to ask questions and learn details.
Include personal details for to add memorable interest and focus. Use "interesting" language like adjectives.
Wrap up and summarize the content in a couple of sentences (main points or ideas).
Ask if your colleague has any questions.
Set the next action which could be the date/time and agenda for the next meeting and the purpose.
Thank you and goodbye statements.
Try this formula out in different situations. Observe whether simple or more complex sentences structures work the best in this type of conversation.
American English for Kids Summer Program
Email International Friends for the restricted summer link.
This summer we are meeting on Zoom, 8-8:30 AM Eastern Daylight Savings Time on Zoom
- Wednesday, June 24.
- Wednesday, July 1
- Thursday, July 30
Words and Phrases
advocate: speak in behalf of or support
back and forth: giving and sharing in a conversation
carving out time: making time, adjusting a schedule to do something
Congress: the law-making branch of the U. S, government that includes the Senate and the House of Representatives
convened: assembled or come together as a body
initiatives: legislative actions
staffer: one of the group of people appointed to support or assist a member of congress
While all of the meetings were relatively brief, we all found that we were welcomed into the offices of the representatives and listened to. Meeting as a non-partisan group gave our message a that could be carried across the aisle.
Saturday, May 30, 2026
Congratulations and Happy Semiquincentennial
Click here to go directly to our webpages and read the Update and other pages.
Hello, Friends.
It’s summertime, and the language is easy.
This summer it is back to basics with a twist (presented in a different or unusual way). Fire up (get excited or start something) some new techniques to kick up (get stronger) and crank up (get more intense or louder) communication skills and language learning. Understand language and language learning to grow.
We are going to go back to basics in honor of 250th anniversary of the United States. Learn the language of our founding documents and compare the words and styles to today's (current) language.
Words for a Reason. Words for a Season.
Vocabulary is what vocabulary is.
What is vocabulary? A list of words specific to a person, situation, or topic. So, what words do you need and what words do you use. And then how do you find and use them?
There are words you use for times of fun.
There are words you use to get stuff done.
May is for graduations and congratulations.Say congrats to the kids throwing their hats.
Play with your words:
Repeat a phrase and end with a rhyme
Count the beats to keep the time.
Semiquincentennial, Bisesquicentennial, Sestercentennial
The Declaration of Independence
