I am sorry that this post is a bit late in arriving to you. I was feeling a bit under the weather (meaning: not well) and was unable to write yesterday. I'm feeling a bit better today so hopefully I will not get the nasty cold/virus that seems to be plaguing everyone in Oak Park. :D
Today's Holidays from Around the World Hati: Manman Aloumandia International: Inventor's Day Paraguay: Boqueron Battle Day Spain: St. Michael's Day United Kingdom: Michaelmas Voudon: Manman Aloumandia
Homework for Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Unit 4 Online Quiz Note: The vocabulary section would not load properly when I checked this quiz at 4:00p.m. I will give everyone who attempts the quiz 5 points for effort, so don't worry if it will not load properly. Do the best you can with what you can answer.
Wuthering Heights Ch. 9
Announcement: Remember, we are meeting as a class from 9:00a.m. until 9:30a.m. in R 301A on Friday, October 1, 2010. If you take notes on the lecture and write a paragraph (minimum 150 words) you will receive 15 extra credit points. If you arrive late for class, please wait for us in our regular classroom (E 314). We will return around 9:45a.m. If you have any questions, please call or e-mail me.
Banned Book Week September 25 - October 2 The American Library Association is celebrating Banned Book Week. The purpose of this week is to educate the country on the precarious (meaning: about to fall; uncertain) nature of the freedom of speech/intellectual freedom. While we live in a democracy that protects our rights to read any book, there are those in the country who feel that they have a right to tell others what or what not to read. There is an online map where you can see where most of the challenges came from in the United States from 2007-2010.
Optional: If you own a textbook, you can do the Unit 3 Supplemental Pages and the Unit 1-3 Review (1 & 2) for practice to test your learning. Also, you may do the Unit 3 Online Worksheet and the Quiz for review.
Going to school at a college or university comes with a list of expectations.
Students need to come to class on time
Students need to be prepared for the lesson
Students need to do their homework
Students need to have time management. Writing a paper at 5:00 a.m. the day before a class is irresponsible
Students need to have materials organized and accessible
Students have to be willing to learn
Students need be responsible and pro-active. If a student misses class, they need to ask when returning what was missed, not wait for the Instructor to tell them.
Taking an ESL class at a college isn't just about learning how to speak, listen, read, and write fluently in English. It is also about being motivated, being positive, being organized, and being responsible. The goal of ESL L5 to to prepare you for the world beyond ESL. You will need to have all of these skills in addition to English in order to be successful in the United States.
Today we began our exploration of the Chinese art of using five elements to identify one's personality.
I found a more detailed Five Element Personality Test. I think you should take this, because it has many, many excellent vocabulary words for you to describe someone's personality. It is a great way to test your knowledge. For each word you need to look up in your dictionary, make a flashcard, or enter it in your Vocabulary Notebook. Here is more information about each personality type.
For the record I took the test. Here are my results:
Fire 20 %
Water 25 %
Wood 22 %
Earth 7 %
Metal 24 %
I found another test with a lot of additional vocabulary for you. My results were: Wood Archetype: The Pioneer.............................. 8 Fire Archetype: The Wizard.................................... 16 Earth Archetype: The Peacemaker......................... 7 Metal Archetype: The Alchemist.............................. 11 Water Archetype: The Philosopher......................... 14
My results are a bit varied but taking into consideration my class results (Water/Metal), it is safe to say I am quite strong in Water and Metal. I would have to do more analysis to determine how Fire and Wood play into my personality.
Today's Holidays Around the World Bulgaria: Days of Liberation International: World Car-Fee Day Mali: Independence Day Norway: Birthday of Princess Martha Louise United States of America: American Business Women's Day
Homework for September 22, 2010
Journal: How I Think I am Doing in this Class (150 words)
All Journals from August 23 to September 22 are due.
Is the Wuthering Heights book too easy or too hard for you?
Learning English is like any other skill, the more time you put in, the easier it becomes. Also, you can have great leaps of knowledge. What was difficult the week before can suddenly become very easy. The brain works in mysterious ways.
Curious to see if you are reading below level, at level, or above level?
Are you an early riser or a night owl? Are you someone who thinks outside of the box or do you prefer to be led by another? Are you a risk-taker or a go-getter? Would you rather be surrounded by books or by people?
You all have been working so hard in class. Keep up the great work everyone! Can you believe you have just finished your fourth week of ESL Level 5? Time is flying; very soon the leaves will be off of all the trees.
I just looked at the weather forecast and it seems that this weekend will be quite rainy and a bit on the chilly side. Do get outside today and enjoy the sunshine. Sitting outside on a nice fall day with a cup of coffee and something fun to read in English would be a nice way to pass the afternoon.
What's that you say? Read for fun in English? Yes, of course you should read for fun and you should do so every day. For example, if you like to read the news from your home country in your native language, google the headline and find the article in English and test your knowledge of the article. If you love gossip columns, then read the latest on the celebrities. If you like sports, then read about your favorite sport. It just doesn't matter what you read in English, what matters is that you do read!
Here are some helpful strategies for improving reading comprehension that I have modified from English for Foreign Language Speakers the Easy Way:
Be positive. Don't get down upon yourself for what you don't understand. Feel proud of what you do understand. Simply keep reading. It will become easier and easier with practice.
Be motivated. Visualize yourself reading in English your favorite book, magazine, or website in the future. Picture yourself reading without the aid of a dictionary because you are now fluent in English. Picture how happy you are that you have achieved this momentous goal. Think this is simply a dream? Re-read this post every month. You will be amazed by the results of this simple affirmation...
Create a movie in your head. Visualization while you read helps you with comprehension.
Read words in thought groups. Try to get the main idea of clauses and sentences. Do not read word for word.
For practice, underline the topic sentence. Can you identify the topic and the opinion? When you finish a paragraph, test your comprehension by writing one sentence that summarizes the paragraph.
Read a healthy balance of fiction and non-fiction. Fiction will help you with dialects and writing styles. Non-fiction will help you with current English terminology/vocabulary terms.
Today's Holidays of the World
Angola: Hero's Day
United States of America: Citizenship Day; National Stepfamily Day
Homework for Friday, September 17, 2010
Study for the Unit 2 Quiz. Make sure you review:
Vocabulary terms
Grammar: Present Perfect Continuous
Grammar: Passive Voice vs. Active Voice
Grammar: Irregular Verbs: Past Tense and Past Participles (side one of the handout)
Reading: RFID Chips
Reading: Wuthering Heights Ch. 1-3
Writing: The pros and cons of technology
Writing: How to express abilities
Writing: Identifying topic sentences and supporting information
Read: Wuthering Heights Ch. 4
Writing Paragraphs Handout: Practice II
Vocabulary Notebook: Ten (10) entries are due Monday, September 20, 2010
Writing: Unit 2: Lesson B: Workbook: p. 13 C, D, and E to hand in
This article brings up many interesting issues, including:
the politics of languages
the culture of languages
language preference based on generational demographics
Do you think that this is a good idea? Do you think that it is potentially dangerous, in that forcing children to learn English will be as unpopular as it was for children to learn Russian under Communism? Should the parents be allowed to choose the language their children learn?
What's the Frequency, Kenneth?
We had a very productive conversation about the pros and cons of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) chips. This should help you write your paragraph on the pros and cons of using RFID chips on humans. Remember to incorporate the phrases which indicate advantages and disadvantages into your writing. Also, make sure you have very strong topic sentences and conclusion sentences. :D
METRO Group Future Store
The shop from your textbook readings really does exist in Germany. Here are the links to their sites: METRO Group Future Store Initiative This link is about the company. (in English) Real- The actual store's site. (in German)
Reading Skills: Skimming
Continue to practice your skimming skills as you read Chapter 3 of Wuthering Heights.
First, skim the chapter, looking for important ideas and vocabulary words. Remember, you should focus on the main ideas in the paragraphs, not reading the text word for word.
Next, read the chapter, now reading each and every word but not using your dictionary for help. When you read a word you don't know, finish reading the end of the sentence. Can you guess the word? If not, read the next sentence. If you still cannot guess the word, look at the sentence previous to the sentence with the mystery vocabulary word.
Now can you guess the meaning of the word? If not, mark the vocabulary word in your text. Continue reading the text, guessing vocabulary words and marking those that you cannot figure out. Finally, read the chapter a final time. Maybe your marked vocabulary words will now make sense to you. If they do not, now is the time to look up any vocabulary terms you don't know.
Try to spend no more than 30 minutes total looking up vocabulary words. If there are many words you don't know in any text that you read, do the following: first, select those words that prevented you from understanding a passage (meaning: section of text), then if you have the time, continue to look up less major vocabulary words from the text.
Today's Holidays of the World Australia: International Day of Peace Bolivia: Cochabamba Local Festival Costa Rica; El Salvador; Guatemala; Honduras; Nicaragua: Independence Day International: Software Freedom Day Slovakia: Our Lady Mary of Sorrows Spain: Nuestra Senora de la Bien Aparecida
Homework for Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Reading: Read Wuthering Heights Ch. 3
Writing: Write ex. C from your Texbook on a loose leaf sheet of paper. Make sure you use the statements of pros and cons you learned in class. Make sure the paragraph has a topic sentence and a concluding sentence. You will hand in this paragraph to me after an in class activity.
Grammar: a) Do both sides of the Present Perfect Continuous Worksheet. b) Do pp. 2-3 (and first three sentences at the top of p. 4) from your Passive Voice Worksheet packet.
Putting it all together: Take the Unit 2 Online Quiz. Test your current knowledge of the chapter!
Future Homework Due Dates
Study for Unit 2 quiz. Monday, September 20, 2010
Continue working on your Vocabulary Notebook. You will turn in ten (10) entries. Due Monday, September, 20, 2010.
Continue working on the Technology Essay. Work on your outline. Due Wednesday, September 22, 2010.
All Journal entries due Friday, September 24, 2010
We all survived Monday, yea! :D My next poll on this blog will be a survey on who is a morning person and who is a night owl. I am definitely a night owl myself. I think technology has made me more of a night owl too. Many nights I will decide to 'see what is happening in the world' (Jennifer English for: to surf the 'net) and find that it is well after midnight when I finally look at the time! Does this happen to you too?
Passive Voice
The passive voice can be a bit tricky. Remember, it is formed with:
'to be' in the correct tense + the past participle
It is used when we want to emphasize the object of an active voice sentence.
For example, I could write:
The tsunami killed 10,000 people. (active voice)
However, I do not want to emphasize the wave; I want to emphasize all of the poor people who lost their lives when the wave hit them. Thus, I would write:
10,000 people were killed by the tsunami. (passive voice)
Here is some online practice to help you with the Passive Voice:
Kate Bush was a very popular English pop artist in the 1980's. Her most popular song was Wuthering Heights, her take on this beloved English novel. Here is one of the versions of this video. I will post a copy of the lyrics tomorrow. In the meantime, try to understand what she is saying. Enjoy! :D
I hope you are really excited about reading Wuthering Heights. As I mentioned in class, Wuthering Heights is all the rage (meaning: really hip and trendy) at the moment because of Twilight. Wuthering Heights is Bella and Edward's favorite book, and of course in real life, anything tied to Twilight is popular at the moment. Wuthering Heights is so popular in fact, that in the United States and the United Kingdom, one can purchase special editions of Wuthering Heights with covers that are Twilight inspired.
It does make sense that the two books would be tied to each other. Twilight is a modern day gothic tale of forbidden love between a vampire and a mortal, while Wuthering Heights is a gothic tale of tragic love which is considered one of the finest stories ever written in English. Wuthering Heights has many elements (meaning: aspects) which are of the genre (meaning: type) Gothic Literature. To learn more, watch this video on the hallmarks (meaning: traits) of Gothic literature.
How to be Able to Painlessly Read the Native English Language Version of Wuthering Heights
Your goal for the next year should be to move from the L5 version to the native English language version. This can be done in three easy steps:
First read the L5(B1/2) version, which we will cover in this class. This version of Wuthering Heightsisavailable at Amazon.com.
After we read the ESL shortened version, you goal should be to read the Advanced ESL (L6/C1/2) version of Wuthering Heights. This version includes a full version of the book plus a dictionary of the most difficult words to your own native language at the bottom of each page! Here are the links to the Advanced ESL versions Wuthering Heights for Spanish speakers, Polish speakers, Chinese speakers, Bulgarian speakers, Albanian speakers and Portuguese speakers. (Note: If you are interested in any other versions, post your request as a comment and I will add the link!)
Today's Holidays of the World
Gibraltar: Gibraltar National Day
Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Chad, Comoros, Cyprus (Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Dijibouti, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Maldives, Mali, Mauritius, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Yemen: Id al Fitr (End of Ramadan)
Belize: St. George's Caye Day
China: Teacher's Day
Homework for Friday, September 10, 2010
Journal: Go online and read about the life of Emily Brontë. Write a summary of her life story. Do not copy from the Internet. Each sentence needs to be in your own words! This is how you practice your writing skills. It does not matter if it is not as 'fancy' or eloquent (meaning: well stated) as the online version. The goal is to find your own voice as a writer! (150 words)
Present Perfect Continuous worksheet - English Bananas.com do first side of the page only!
Read the Wuthering Heights handouts. Stop reading at the start of Chapter 2.
Start the next ten (10) Vocabulary Notebook entries. Remember, to follow the format from the handout. The most important part is the sentence in your own words. The next ten entries are due September 20, 2010.
I hope you all felt very comfortable taking your reading diagnostic test. Testing is a very important part of the American education system. Many companies use similar tests for employment too. Remember when taking tests to follow these helpful hints for a good test taking experience.
Get plenty of rest the night before any test. Partying the night away in a nightclub is not recommended the night before any test.
Eat a well balanced meal the day before a test and the morning of a test. It will give your brain the necessary energy to help you think clearly.
Drink plenty of water. A hydrated brain is a happy brain.
Get exercise. Taking breaks while studying is important. As a matter of fact, when you exercise during a break, it gives your brain time to 'digest' all of the information you have crammed into it when studying. Your brain is actually studying the material even while you take your breaks!
Homework for Friday, September 9, 2010
Study for your Unit 1 quiz. Make sure to review vocabulary words, simple past vs. present perfect, writing paragraphs, writing using time expressions and The Monkey's Paw.
Writing Paragraphs handouts. Read the first two pages. Complete Practice I.
Do p. 10 A, B, C, & D. You do not have to turn your work into me. It is for practice only.
Review the first 20 irregular verb conjugations from your handouts.
Q: I really want to read more in English. What can I read that is written for my level?
A: Many publishing companies take classic novels and re-write them so that they are at different English reading levels. In this class, we will start to read the English Gothic classic Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë.
Here are some resources for reading at the Upper-Intermediate level, Level 5 (B2).
Penguin Readers Level 5
Choose from classic novels such as: Jane Eyre ~ Phantom of the Opera ~ Sherlock Holmes ~ Tale of Two Cities ~ Tales from Shakespeare ~ World Folktales, and many more!
On the days off from class, I will now start posting a column called Just for Fun. Why? Because I believe that practicing English should be enjoyable! :D
I was visiting an online news site yesterday and I came across this adorable video that I wanted to share with you. It is of a baby pigmy/pygmy hippo that just made his debut at the Wroclaw zoo in Poland.
Awwwwwww...he's so cute!!! :D
Vocabulary: pigmy (Am. English); pygmy (British English) = smallest of creatures debut = first appearance
I do hope you enjoy reading the The Monkey's Paw for homework. If you like creepy stories, you are sure to enjoy this scary tale. This tale was written by W. W. Jacobs and was published in England in 1902. As we talked about in class, horror tales were extremely popular in America and the United Kingdom at the turn of the last century. This story has been so influential in popular culture and literature that there are now many adaptations of this tale.
When speaking or writing about stories, it is very important to use the right vocabulary words. Please review the following terms. Try to write a sentence in your own words using the new vocabulary word(s) and then read it out loud so that you can practice your pronunciation. When you read The Monkey's Paw, keep in mind how these vocabulary terms relate the story. Can you identify the characters? Can you describe the action of this tale? Who (hint: or what) is the villain?
characters
hero/heroine
villain (pay extra attention to the spelling of this word as it stumps (meaning: confuses) most native English speakers!)
setting
episode
action
punch line
ghost story
bedtime story
stormy night
family
visitor
magic charm
wish
fate
karma
Good Luck/Bad Luck
People around the world believe in specific good luck objects, symbols, and traditions.
A belief in bad luck that is based on ominous objects, situations, or actions is called a superstition. A person who believes in superstitions is said to be superstitious.
Expressions to Use to Show Time when Telling or Writing a Story
As you write or tell as story, make sure to incorporate these useful expressions. You audience will be able to understand the chronological order of your tale.
Introducing the story: I'll never forget the time.../Did I ever tell you about the time.../First... Giving general background information:A couple of years ago.../Last summer.../It happened when.../One night.../Then... Introducing the action:All of a sudden.../Suddenly... Ending the story:What happened in the end was.../In the end.../Finally... Reflecting back on the story:Looking back on it.../In reflection...
Today's Holidays of the World Eritrea: Start of the Armed Struggle Libya: Evacuation Day (Italian) Luxembourg: Luxembourg City Kermesse Mexico: Informe Predidencial (Predident's Address) Marshall Islands: Worker's Day Peru: Reincorporation of Tarata Sikhism: First Parkash (Nanakshahi) Slovakia: Constitution Day Syria: United Arab Republic's Day Uzbekistan: Independence Day
Homework for Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Journal: Good Luck/Bad Luck (150 words)
Vocabulary Notebook. Start on your next ten (10) words. Due next Wednesday, September 8, 2010.
Read Unit 1: Lesson B p. 9 The Monkey's Paw
Complete hard copy Unit 1: Lesson B Worksheets. Bring to class to hand in.
