ESL L5: Things that Go Bump in the Night...(Spooky!)

Friday, October 29, 2010

Gothic Literature

I have to admit. I'm biased. My absolute favorite genre of literature is Gothic Literature, so all the spookiness of this time of year makes me smile.

To expand from today's lesson, if you like all things creaky and creepy, here is a list of authors and their most notable works of art:

1. Ann Radcliffe. The 'Godmother' of Gothic Lit. My favorite author.
• The Mysteries of Udolpho - will Emily St. Aubert end up with her true love Valencourt, or will evil Venetian rouges or ghosts carry her off in the night, never to be heard from for all of eternity? I'm not telling...you will have to read the book! If you like Jane Austen, then you must read Northanger Abbey which is her gentle ribbing of Radcliffe's tale.
2. Mary Shelley. Legend says that on a miserable night while on holiday in Switzerland with Lord Byron, Polodori, and Clairmont, these famous authors dared each other to write a 'scary story.' Frankenstein was Shelly's offering. The rest is history...
• Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus - I can still see myself at age twelve, reading this novel in the library for homework with my best friend. There is a scene in this book that is so brilliantly frightening, that upon leaving the library on a gloomy, spooky October night, the two of us ran the entire way home -- least we encounter any such fiendish creatures. This novel is a classic and ever popular as it comments upon mans desire to control nature, and details the dangers of science.
3. Bram Stoker. 
• Dracula - I did like reading this novel for the details of the scenery because my Transylvanian ancestors were still living in this region when the book was written. However, it is very, very creepy! I did have to put it down a few times as it was a bit too 'intense' for me. But maybe its just the Romanian in me warning myself to take heed to carry garlic in my pocket on nights of the full moon...:D 
• Since vampires are all the rage at the moment, you should also know about Polodori's (name ring a bell? reread the entry on Mary Shelly...) The Vampyre, Le Fanu's Carmilla, and Keats' Lamia or La Belle Dame Sans Merci so that you understand the roots of Twilight, The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, Sunshine, The Interview with the Vampire and The Reformed Vampire Support Group. 
4. Edgar Allen Poe - The Raven.

Homework for Friday, October, 29, 2010

1. Journal: Topic 1) Halloween or 2) Gothic Literature or 3) spooky things from your country/culture (150 words)
2. Vocabulary Notebook due on Monday, November 1, 2010
3. No Unit 7 test!

~Happy Halloween!~

Boo!

ESL L5: A Great Job with the Speeches!

Wednesday, October 28, 2010

The Joys of Public Speaking

You all did a really nice job with your Wuthering Heights speeches yesterday. On Friday I will give you your grades and your feedback from your peers. I was really pleased to see that so many of you want to try giving a speech again before the end of the semester. I will plan another speaking project for sometime after Thanksgiving.

The Joys of Learning

I know your paper grades for Wuthering Heights are a lot lower than what you are accustomed to receiving. I decided to 'raise the bar' and grade them with the expectations of a sheltered (EFL only) English Rhetoric course. We only have about five and a half weeks left in L5, so it is very important that I start transitioning you into a sheltered or more likely native speaker English course and with this comes the expectations of such a class. (There is a sheltered ESL only ENG 085 course offered on campus. When you are ready to register for your courses, come see me and I will let you know which section this is in the English department.)

Thus, don't be upset by your low scores. As I explained yesterday, in class essays -- most especially ones written under exam conditions -- are first drafts. First drafts are messy. This is why I am giving you the option of writing a final draft. For your final draft, I will base it on the points you missed. (e.g. if you received a 56% on your essay, you final draft is worth a possible 44 points. You can only improve your score!) The point is to completely rewrite your essay. You start with all new brainstorming and of course, a new outline. Spend a lot of time with these two components before you even think about rewriting your essay.

Points don't really matter. At the end of the day, what is a 92% vs. an 88%? Besides, your course is 'Pass' or 'Fail'. My goal for you is that you feel comfortable with your writing skills. So comfortable in fact, that in the 'real world' if you boss or teacher asks you to write a report, you smile to yourself and think "I know how to do that." This is the point of all the writing we have been doing for the last ten weeks. Repetition builds confidence. You really don't think about the simple present tense anymore do you? Exactly. Soon, you will feel the same way about writing paragraphs and five paragraph essays. They will just come to you naturally.

Homework for October 27, 2010

1. Work on your Vocabulary Notebook
2. Study the Past Perfect
3. Optional: Rewrite your Wuthering Heights essay. Due: November 3, 2010. You must turn in: 1) new brainstorming, 2) a new outline (review your notes on outlining), 3) your final essay (typed or hand written)

~Happy Studying~

ESL L5: Public Speaking Tips

Monday, October 25, 2010

Tips for Giving a Speech
Tips and Suggestions on Public Speaking
10 Tips for Public Speaking

Past Perfect

Remember, the trick with the past perfect is that there must be TWO verbs in the past in the sentence. The action that happens first is in the past perfect. The interrupting or latter action is in the simple past.

Until I moved to Montana, I hadn't seen a bear in the wild.

Grammar study sheet on the Past Perfect
Past Perfect quiz with answers
Tale of famous musician Arlo Guthrie's story using the past perfect

Homework for Monday, October 24, 2010

1. Final preparations for Wuthering Heights speech. Remember, all of your notes should fit on a 3x5 index card. If you do not have an index card, use a ruler and measure out a piece of paper that is 3x5. DO NOT write your speech word for word on the card! Speeches written out will receive a 0 (F).
2. Start next entries for your Vocabulary Notebook
3. Journal: Topic of your choice (150 words)

~Happy Studying!~

ESL L5: Business Cover Letters

Friday, October 22, 2010

Perfecting Your Business Cover Letter Writing Skills

It is very important that you practice writing cover letters both within the classroom and at home for your future employment prospects depend on your fluency when writing these letters. You will be writing cover letters as long as you are in this country and the more comfortable you become writing them, the more you will feel positive about your chances of getting the job when applying.

Here are some sources to help you:
Finding a Job for ESL Learners
ESL Business Letter Writing - How to Find a Job
Job Letters in English
Job Search Letters from one of my favorite writing websites. I used this site extensively when I was in graduate school -- both for my ESL students and for myself!

Homework for Friday, October 22, 2010

1. Study for the Unit 6 exam. You will be responsible for phrasal verbs and business cover letters.
2. Vocabulary Notebook: Due on Monday, October 25, 2010
3. Continue to work on the Wuthering Heights speech for Wednesday, October 27, 2010

~Happy Studying!~

ESL L5: Placement Test

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Compass Test

The test you will be taking in about one month is the Compass test. This will test your abilities in reading, writing, and math. I am waiting for our test date. As soon as I know, I will announce it to the class.

Here is the website with all of the practice questions for you: www.act.org/compass/sample/index.html

Phrasal Verbs
Many phrasal verb worksheets with answers
Many phrasal verb worksheets with answers II

Homework for Wednesday, October 21, 2010

1. Work on your Wuthering Heights speech per the handout. We will do a first practice on Friday in class. You will evaluate each other in your peer groups.
2. Take the 14 terms from the textbook p. 64 B and write an original sentence for each phrasal verb
3. Vocabulary Notebook next ten entries due on Monday, October, 25, 2010

ESL L5: Phrasal Verbs

Monday, October 18, 2010

Phrasal Verbs

Being fluent in English means that you have command over your phrasal verbs. Remember, a phrasal verb is a verb + particle, NOT a preposition. They need to be memorized for definition. You cannot tell the meaning from the context in which it is used.

Here is a great workbook you can purchase on phrasal verbs to supplement your learning.

Check back to this post for phrasal verb worksheets!

Today's Holidays of the World

Homework for Monday, October 18, 2010

1. Journal: Write a summary of one article from the Triton College newspaper (150 words)
2. Journal: Write a summary of Wuthering Heights (300 words)
3. Unit 6: Online Worksheet
4. Study for Wuthering Heights in class essay exam. Think about the following
1. Look at the characters relationships with each other. What could they have done to improve/change the way things turned out?
2. Why is this novel popular today?
3. What types of love are there in this novel?
4. Who is your favorite character? Why?
5. Who is your least favorite character? Why?
6. What is the moral of this novel? What do you think Emily Brontë was trying to say in this novel?
5. Start your Vocabulary Notebook for next Monday, October 25, 2010

~Happy Studying!~

ESL L5: Halfway Up the Mountain

Friday, October 15, 2010

Facing Your Fears and Challenges Head On

I hope you all enjoyed your conference with me as much as I enjoyed talking with all of you. It is very exciting to see how all of you have progressed in the last two months. Language learning is a fascinating thing; no two people learn exactly alike. Some of you are stronger in speaking/listening and some of you are stronger in reading/writing. The goal of the next eight weeks is to challenge yourself and work on your weakest skills. It takes a lot of guts and courage to work on things that either scare us or that we think that are not good at (Note: I said think. Everyone can be fluent in a second language. The key is believing that yourself). However, you might be absolutely amazed by your results. Sometimes language learning is like finding that one difficult piece of the jigsaw puzzle; by finding it, all the other pieces fall into place. For example, if you are weak in writing, you might just find that if you have a breakthrough in writing that suddenly you can also read with less difficulty and that you have more confidence when speaking. This might in turn give you sudden clarity with your listening comprehension.

On the other hand, sometimes we don't want to be successful (in this case fluent) because it scares us. We are frightened that if we can no longer classify ourselves as ESL students that people will have too great of expectations upon us or that we can't fall back on this label when we think we need to. Remember, you will be learning English for you whole life and that to be fluent in a language is a fluid topic. You might be fluent at the end of L5, but how will you label yourself in five years, or ten or twenty? The point is, don't be scared about becoming fluent. Fluency will make you life easier, not more difficult.

Stepping out into the unknown is scary. The good thing to know is that we all have to in the course of our lives and that there is always support. For example, when L5 ends I don't suddenly stop being your teacher. I will always be your teacher. You can always read this blog, or e-mail me pieces of writing that you would like me to help you with editing. So if the fear of not having support at the end of L5 has been worrying you, don't worry about it. I'm not going anywhere.

Step into the unknown. Challenge yourself by setting what may seem to be an insane goal for the next eight weeks:

I will be fluent in English by December.

See what happens...

Prepare for the journey of a lifetime...

Today's Holidays from Around the World
Australia: International Day of Older People: World Rural Woman's Day
Burkina Faso:
French Guiana: Cayenne Festival
Sri Lanka: National Tree Planting Day
Tunisia: Evacuation Day
United States of America: Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day

Homework for Friday, October 15, 2010
Finish reading Wuthering Heights. Review the entire book. We will have a comprehensive test on Monday to test your reading comprehension.
Study the spelling word list. Test is on Monday too.

Here are the links for all of the Online Worksheets and Quizzes for Units 1-5. Take a moment this weekend to turn in any missing homework. Remember, each assignment is worth 5 points!  

Unit 1 Worksheet
Unit 1 Quiz
Unit 2 Worksheet

Unit 2 Quiz

Unit 3 Worksheet

Unit 3 Quiz

Unit 4 Worksheet

Unit 4 Quiz

Unit 5 Worksheet

Unit 5 Quiz

~Happy Studying!~

ESL L5: Midterm Exam II

Monday, October 12, 2010

Midterm Exam
Please:

1. Come to class on time. We will start promptly at 9:15 a.m.
2. Come into the classroom and put all of your belongings on the wall against the blackboard. I will assign you a seat. 
3. Take your pencils, erasers, dictionary, tissues and drink/snack to your seat.
4. Sit and wait for more instructions. You may talk to your classmates before we begin.
5. Take a deep breath and relax. If you have been keeping up with all of the materials in class and studying, you should have no problems with the midterm!

Studying for the Midterm

Here are the answer keys to the worksheets you have:
Simple Past and Present Perfect Answer Key
Mixed Modals 2 Answer Key

More lessons and practice:
Simple Present, Simple Past, Future Test with Answers
Simple Past vs. Present Perfect Test with Answers
Adverbial Clauses
Overview of Adverbial Clauses
Active Voice vs. Passive Voice
Active Voice vs. Passive Voice Quiz with Answers
Slideshow on the Modals of Possibility
The Modal Can
The Modal Could

For writing the five paragraph essay information, please read this.

Homework, Monday, October 11, 2010
Study for the Midterm Exam. Review all of your notes on grammar and writing the five paragraph essay.

~Happy Studying!~

ESL L5: Writing a Summary

Friday, October 10, 2010

Writing a Summary

To summarize is to highlight the main points of a text. We have been practicing this week with summarizing the main ideas of paragraphs and small essays. Here are some helpful hints to writing concise summaries.

1. Read the entire article, document, or book before jumping to conclusions about what to summarize.
2. Ask yourself "What was the main idea of what I just read?" On a piece of paper, write down your thoughts in one sentence.
3. Look for the thesis statement or topic sentence. Does it match what you have written? If not, ask yourself why. It might be necessary to reread the text to reformulate your one sentence summary.
4. When you are sure you have your own topic sentence, reread the text looking for all of the main ideas that support this topic sentence. 
5. Write down each supporting idea as a bullet point. Try not to write in full sentences. Write down key details. Do not copy more than three words in a row from the text. Write each bullet point in your own words.
6. With only your bullet point list in front of you, write your summary.

Process for Writing a Summary

Summarizing: An Interactive Activity

Today's Holidays from Around the World

Croatia: Independence Day

Haiti: Death of Henri Christophe

Peru: Battle of Angemos; Navy Day

Homework for Friday, October 10, 2010

1. Review for the Unit 5 test
2. Complete you ten (10) entries for your Vocabulary Notebook
3. Read Wuthering Heights Ch. 13
4. Continue to study for the Midterm on Wednesday, October 13, 2010

ESL L5: Midterm Exam

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Midterm Exam

Next week on Wednesday, October 13, 2010 we will have our midterm exam starting promptly at 9:15a.m. As we discussed in class, the midterm will cover: 1) listening skills, 2) grammar skills, 3) reading skills, and 4) writing skills. In order to study for the exam, read this sheet.

Today's Holidays from Around the World
Egypt: Armed Forces Day
Syria: October Revolution War
United States of America: National German-American Day; Physician Assistant Day
Turkmenistan: Remembrance Day

Homework for Wednesday, October 6, 2010

1. Unit 5 Online Quiz
2. Work on Your Vocabulary Notebook
3. Descriptive Paragraph Worksheet (To turn in on Friday.)
4. Wuthering Heights Ch. 12
5. Remember, I have granted amnesty on all old online homework assignments until next Wednesday, October 13. Please do them, you all need the practice and the points in order to pass the class!

~Happy Studying!~

ESL L5: The Mysteries of Life

Monday, October 4, 2010

Unexplained Mysteries
Unexplained mysteries are found all around the world. All cultures love to tell tales that have strange or unknown endings.

Some very famous mythological examples include:
The Loch Ness Monster
The Yeti
The Chupacabra

Unexplained mysteries can also be about real events or people. Some examples include:
Amelia Earhart
Jack the Ripper
Anastasia

Modals of Speculation
To form the modal of speculation in the past, use:
subject + modal verb + have + past participle + object

The Loch Ness Monster might have been seen in Scotland last year.

An overview of Modals of Speculation in the Past I
An overview of Modals of Speculation in the Past II
Practice forming Modals of Speculation in the Past while watching a film clip from Premonition (it's very spooky!)
Modals of Past Uncertainity

Today's Holidays Around the World
International: World Animal Day
Italy: St. Petronius Day
Lesotho: Independence Day
Mozambique: Peace Day
Sweden: National Cinnamon Bun Day (Yum!)

Homework for Monday, October 4, 2010

1. Unit 5 Online Worksheet (I'm sorry. Somehow I had the wrong link here earlier today!)
2. Vocabulary Notebook
3. Journal: An Unexplained Mystery (150 words)
4. Review vocabulary from today's lesson
5. Wuthering Heights: Ch. 11

~Happy Studying!~

I Hope to See You There!

Don't forget that tomorrow is Fall Family Fun Fest at Triton College. My husband and I will be there at 10am for about an hour so do find us and say hello! 

When: Saturday, October 2, 2010 ~ 10a.m. until 2p.m. ~ Triton College's Botanical Gardens (East side of campus)

ESL L5: Dear Editor...

Friday, October 1, 2010

I hope you all had an enjoyable time meeting with Linda this morning. I am away from my desk at the moment, but I will put her information for you online later today.

Have a Voice: Write a Real Letter to the Editor

You expressed that you were unfamiliar with reading Letters to the Editor in English. The following are several newspapers that traditionally print Letters to the Editor.

Chicago Tribune: Letters to the Editor
L.A. Times: Letters to the the Editor
N.Y. Times: Letters to the Editor

Would you like more information on writing a Letter to the Editor? Here is a lovely page in which the United Nations Association of the United States of America teaches you how to write this type of letter.

Here is an article from a New York Times editor on how to be successful in writing a Letter to the Editor.

If you ever want to write a real Letter to the Editor, you are always welcome to bring your letter to class (or sent to me via e-mail) and I will be more than happy to proofread your work.

Find your cause. Find your voice. Take action.

Today's Holidays from Around the World

Cameroon: Unification Day
China: National Day; People's Republic of China's Birthday
Cyprus: Independence Day
French Polynesia: Stone Fishing Ceremony
Hong Kong: National Day
International: International Day for the Elderly; International Raccoon Appreciation Day; International Music Day
Macau: National Day of the People's Republic of China
Nigeria: Independence Day
Palau: Independence Day
Tuvalu: Tuvalu Day (Independence Day)

Homework for October 1, 2010

1. Study for Unit 4 Quiz
• Vocabulary
• Modals and Phrasal Modals
• Writing a Letter to the Editor
• Wuthering Heights Ch. 4-9
2. Read: Wuthering Heights: Ch. 10
3. Optional Homework: Textbook: pp. 50-51; Workbook pp. 20-23 (This will help you study for the quiz!)

~Happy Studying!~