Monday, August 30, 2010
Today we learned that the meaning of the word 'story' is very complicated in English. 'Story' can have many meanings including:
1. an article or report in a newspaper or magazine
2. the events in a book, movie, or person's life
3. an alibi
4. a fabricated description of events
Vocabulary
Make sure you know the following terms. To learn the vocabulary, make flashcards or write your own original sentences.
to make up
to go over
to piece together
to interpret
to alter
to cover
to go after
to verify
to kill a story
to change a story
white lie
Today's Holidays of the World
Afghanistan: Children's Day
Cyprus (Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus): Victory Day
East Timor: Constitution Day
Hati: Agou
Kazakhstan: Constitution Day
St. Lucia: St. Rose of Lima Day
Turkey: Victory Day
Turks & Caicos Islands: Constitution Day
Homework for Monday, August 30, 2010
1. Journal: Retell a popular fairy tale or folklore story of your choice in English. (150 words)
2. Read the packet on the Present Perfect tense
3. Complete the hard copy Unit 1: Lesson A worksheet. Bring the worksheet to class.
4. Complete the online worksheet for Unit 1: Lesson A. To be completed by 9:00a.m. on 9/1.
~Happy Studying!~
Monday, August 30, 2010
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Verbs! Verbs! Verbs!
Friday, August 28, 2010
Lights! Camera! ACTION!
Verbs are all about action. Without action we would not have sentences. It is absolutely essential to become comfortable with the English irregular verb tenses and past participles. Because English has so many perfect tenses (the present perfect, the present perfect progressive/continuous, the past perfect, the past perfect progressive/continuous, the future continuous, and the future perfect progressive/continuous) it is not only important to know how to form these tenses, but it is also absolutely essential to be able to recite the past participle from memory. One needs to be able to recall a past participle as second nature, without having to think about it. True, the past participles for lay, lie, and hang even trip up (definition: confuse) native English speakers, but it is a reason why you as an EFL (English as a Foreign Language) student must work so hard at memorizing this grammar aspect.
Therefore, the rest of this post will be dedicated to online worksheets and quizzes so that you can practice all of your tenses and past participles.
Simple Present
Simple Present quiz with answers
Present Progressive/Continuous
Present Progressive/Continuous quiz with answers
Simple Past
Simple Past quiz with answers
Past Progressive/Continuous
Past Progressive/Continuous quiz with answers
Simple Future
Simple Future (will) quiz with answers
Simple Future (going to) quiz with answers
Present Perfect
Present Perfect quiz with answers
Past Participles
Test your knowledge of Past Participles with this series of flashcards.
Past Participle Flashcards 1
Past Participle Flashcards 2
Past Participle Flashcards 3
Past Participle Flashcards 4
Past Participle Flashcards 5
Tenses Mix
Simple Present, Present Progressive, Present Perfect, Simple Past Quiz with answers. Learn about the historic London Dungeon while you complete this quiz.
Active vs. Passive Voice
Active vs. Passive Voice quiz with answers. Learn about England's historic Hadrian's Wall while you complete this quiz.
This should get you started. Of course, there will be much more posted on the topic of English verbs in the days and weeks to come.
Today's Holidays of the World
Guinea: Anniversary of the Women's Revolt
Moldova: Independence Day
United States of America: Texas: Petroleum Day
Homework for Friday, August 27, 2010
Lights! Camera! ACTION!
Verbs are all about action. Without action we would not have sentences. It is absolutely essential to become comfortable with the English irregular verb tenses and past participles. Because English has so many perfect tenses (the present perfect, the present perfect progressive/continuous, the past perfect, the past perfect progressive/continuous, the future continuous, and the future perfect progressive/continuous) it is not only important to know how to form these tenses, but it is also absolutely essential to be able to recite the past participle from memory. One needs to be able to recall a past participle as second nature, without having to think about it. True, the past participles for lay, lie, and hang even trip up (definition: confuse) native English speakers, but it is a reason why you as an EFL (English as a Foreign Language) student must work so hard at memorizing this grammar aspect.
Therefore, the rest of this post will be dedicated to online worksheets and quizzes so that you can practice all of your tenses and past participles.
Simple Present
Simple Present quiz with answers
Present Progressive/Continuous
Present Progressive/Continuous quiz with answers
Simple Past
Simple Past quiz with answers
Past Progressive/Continuous
Past Progressive/Continuous quiz with answers
Simple Future
Simple Future (will) quiz with answers
Simple Future (going to) quiz with answers
Present Perfect
Present Perfect quiz with answers
Past Participles
Test your knowledge of Past Participles with this series of flashcards.
Past Participle Flashcards 1
Past Participle Flashcards 2
Past Participle Flashcards 3
Past Participle Flashcards 4
Past Participle Flashcards 5
Tenses Mix
Simple Present, Present Progressive, Present Perfect, Simple Past Quiz with answers. Learn about the historic London Dungeon while you complete this quiz.
Active vs. Passive Voice
Active vs. Passive Voice quiz with answers. Learn about England's historic Hadrian's Wall while you complete this quiz.
This should get you started. Of course, there will be much more posted on the topic of English verbs in the days and weeks to come.
Today's Holidays of the World
Guinea: Anniversary of the Women's Revolt
Moldova: Independence Day
United States of America: Texas: Petroleum Day
Homework for Friday, August 27, 2010
- Vocabulary Notebook - Finish your first ten (10) entries. Bring the notebook to class on Monday.
- Journal - Writing Skills Worksheet Practice III. Minimum: Brainstorm and Outline one (1) topic. You may do three (3) if you have time. DO NOT write an essay.
- Study Irregular Verb Past tense and Past Participles.
- Complete Verb Review worksheets.
- Complete Dictionary Skills worksheets.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
We Are Off and Running! Phonetics and 5P Essays
Today's class was really great! Everyone worked so hard in class. We have covered so much material in such a short time. We have discussed student studying techniques, talked about the ASC (Academic Success Center), practiced with dictations, worked on the pronunciation of American vowels, written a diagnostic essay, and last but not least, studied the format of the five-paragraph essay. Wow! Keep up the great work, everyone!
Extra learning materials:
Pronunciation:
This is a great page on the differences between American and British accents. It also includes a chart of the International Phonetic Alphabet. Enjoy listening to the sound files. Can you hear the differences between American and British English pronunciation?
Here is an article about the American accent. It includes a discussion on the regional differences.
Not sure what your mouth should be doing when you pronounce that pesky 'th'? This wonderful page Phonetics: The sounds of American English also includes videos and animations of mouth position and tongue placement. So cool!
The Five Paragraph Essay:
Here is a review of what we talked about in class on the Five Paragraph Essay. You can also look at this guide on the Five Paragraph Essay from a Study Guides and Strategies site.
This is a nice video from YouTube which discusses how to write a Five Paragraph essay.
Learning Vocabulary Tip:
When you read native English writing, you may feel overwhelmed with so many new vocabulary words. How do you know which words you should look up in your dictionary and which you shouldn't? VocabGrabber is a thesaurus that allows you to copy and paste in text you are reading and it will show you which words are the key words from the text. Try it out!
Reading for Fun:
Here is a very famous passage entitled 'To be, or not to be" from the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare. What do you think Hamlet is saying in this speech? What is his mood? Is he happy and carefree, or is he troubled and pensive? Share your thoughts on the passage.
World Festival of the Day:
La Tomatina festival in Buñol, Spain
That's all I have for this afternoon. It is time for me to grab a bite for a late lunch.
Homework for August 25, 2010
Extra learning materials:
Pronunciation:
This is a great page on the differences between American and British accents. It also includes a chart of the International Phonetic Alphabet. Enjoy listening to the sound files. Can you hear the differences between American and British English pronunciation?
Here is an article about the American accent. It includes a discussion on the regional differences.
Not sure what your mouth should be doing when you pronounce that pesky 'th'? This wonderful page Phonetics: The sounds of American English also includes videos and animations of mouth position and tongue placement. So cool!
The Five Paragraph Essay:
Here is a review of what we talked about in class on the Five Paragraph Essay. You can also look at this guide on the Five Paragraph Essay from a Study Guides and Strategies site.
This is a nice video from YouTube which discusses how to write a Five Paragraph essay.
Learning Vocabulary Tip:
When you read native English writing, you may feel overwhelmed with so many new vocabulary words. How do you know which words you should look up in your dictionary and which you shouldn't? VocabGrabber is a thesaurus that allows you to copy and paste in text you are reading and it will show you which words are the key words from the text. Try it out!
Reading for Fun:
Here is a very famous passage entitled 'To be, or not to be" from the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare. What do you think Hamlet is saying in this speech? What is his mood? Is he happy and carefree, or is he troubled and pensive? Share your thoughts on the passage.
World Festival of the Day:
La Tomatina festival in Buñol, Spain
That's all I have for this afternoon. It is time for me to grab a bite for a late lunch.
Homework for August 25, 2010
- Work on your Vocabulary Notebook. The first ten vocabulary words are due on Monday, August 30, 2010.
- Write in your Journal. Topic: What are Ways I can Improve my English Writing Skills? 150 words minimum. (Your journal will be due on Friday, September 24, 2010.)
- Re-write your Diagnostic Essay. 1) Do a new brainstorming exercise. 2) Do a new outline. 3) Write a new draft of your essay.
Happy studying!
Monday, August 23, 2010
Welcome ESL Level 5 Students!
August 23, 2010
It seems almost unbelievable that the summer is over and the fall semester has started. I hope you all had really wonderful summers. I tried to spend as much time outside as the weather was so warm. Some days I would sit at Starbucks and read all afternoon, while other days I would go walk the city for hours and hours. I practiced my French (of course!) and I spent a few days on holiday in Madison, Wisconsin.
What did you do during your summer holiday? If you would like, you can post your comments and share.
Homework for August 23, 2010
It seems almost unbelievable that the summer is over and the fall semester has started. I hope you all had really wonderful summers. I tried to spend as much time outside as the weather was so warm. Some days I would sit at Starbucks and read all afternoon, while other days I would go walk the city for hours and hours. I practiced my French (of course!) and I spent a few days on holiday in Madison, Wisconsin.
What did you do during your summer holiday? If you would like, you can post your comments and share.
Homework for August 23, 2010
- Write in your Journal. Topic: My Summer (minimum 150 words)
- Start your Vocabulary Notebook. Remember, you should write a minimum of 10 vocabulary words a week. You Vocabulary Notebook is due each Monday at the start of class.
- Complete the Questionnaire
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