Clark College GED (for ESL)

Summer Quarter, Week 4, Day 3

2009-07-23T08:43:00.001-07:00

Good morning!

Yesterday, we began class with "foot the bill." That led us to our short discussion on our problems with the phone company. Never let a company take advantage of you. If you don't feel comfortable advocating for yourself over the phone, be sure to ask a friend or family member to help you. As I said in class, phone companies had the highest number of consumer complaints when I looked at the Attorney General web site a few years ago.

We reviewed the grammar yesterday. I expect most of you to do quite well on the test. We have spent a lot of time on grammar so far this quarter, so we will need to take a short rest next week to catch up on Social Studies.

Then, we talked about connectors (we will follow up on Monday). The reference sheet (on green :)) that I passed out is one way to connect ideas. Although there are lots of ways to connect, I think it's best at this level to give you the basics so you can master one way. The important thing for me is that you are connecting ideas because our writing style needs more connecting words than some other cultures.

We began talking about the causes of the American Revolution (again, we'll follow up on Monday) and had another presentation. As you can, each presentation has been unique and interesting. Find a topic that works for you. Work with a friend if that makes you feel more comfortable!

I was talking to some of the students after class yesterday about CASAS scores and what to do next quarter. If you are curious about your testing history, tell me-- I can print it off in (literally) seconds for you. It is never to early to begin planning next year. Talk to me/send me an e-mail if you have questions.

I'll see you very, very soon!

Summer Quarter, Week 4, Day 3

2009-07-21T22:03:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed this beautiful summer day! Right after class, a friend of mine came over with her son and we went to a couple of parks in Camas. There was lots of shade, so the heat wasn't so bad. I never realized how many parks Camas has until this summer. If you haven't checked them out, I recommend them!

We began class with a "The Far Side" cartoon. We got some new vocabulary (ex. I've had it), but I was really hoping you'd get the joke and laugh. Maybe you feel that way with English? I know that's how I've felt in situations when the main language wasn't my native language!

After that, we returned to adverb clauses (meaning of cause) and added more ways to express cause. Yesterday, we worked on prepositions (due to/because of) and added due to the fact that. Today, we included so and therefore/consequently/thus/as a result to connect the ideas. The difference is that these words match up with the effect instead of the cause. Also, the grammar is different. So is a conjunction and will be found in the middle of the sentence with a comma. Therefore, etc. will be found at the beginning of the sentence (my preference), between the subject and verb, or at the end of the sentence. Commas are needed for each. EX. Because we are having hot weather, I will not exercise in the late afternoon. Because of/Due to the hot weather, I will not exercise in the afternoon. We are having hot weather, so I will not exercise in the late afternoon. We are having hot weather. Therefore, I will not exercise in the late afternoon./I, therefore, will not exercise in the late afternoon. I will not exercise in the late afternoon, therefore.

We finished up the test-taking practice-- when you are taking the CASAS/Compass/GED, be sure to narrow down the choices if you can (just like what you did when you wrote your questions). We also finished up our final social studies GED reading. The GED readings introduce the general ideas very well. Now, we can use this foundation to focus on the specific causes and effect of the Revolution.

Thanks again to our Storytime readers. We still have a few more weeks to read. Consider participating-- it's speaking practice!

See you in the morning!

Summer Quarter-- Week 4, Day 1

2009-07-21T08:12:00.000-07:00

Good morning! Yesterday was a fun day...we began class with "chicken"...don't chicken out, you'll do fine on our quizzes on Thursday!

We moved on a bit in the grammar even though yesterday and today's lessons won't be on Thursday's quizzes. I want to keep moving on in the grammar because our schedule will be getting tighter and tighter as the quarter continues with presentations, service project, etc.

The grammar point was short, but important because students do make errors using because of/due to. Because of and Due to show causes, but only a noun can follow. Remember that you need a subject + verb when using because & due to the fact that. EX. Because of/Due to my bad knee, I can't go jogging anymore. Because/Due to the fact that I have a bad knee, I can't go jogging anymore.

Marguerite brought up a good question on suffixes and changing back and forth among the different parts of speech. We do this informally almost every day. With my quick examples on the board, I hope I showed you that you already can do this somewhat. Since a few students have never had such a lesson on suffixes (and it's an important part of vocabulary building), we will do a lesson on it this week or next.

After the break, we returned to social studies and finished the test-taking practice. We'll go over the questions that you made today and the reading.

I hope you're staying cool! Summer has definitely returned!

Summer Quarter-- Week 3, Day 4

2009-07-20T08:03:00.000-07:00

Good morning! Our last class was a busy one! We began with a few idioms/slang from a clip from Everybody Loves Raymond. We had a tune up, to loosen up & to check this out.

We returned to adverb clauses/phrases with an article on the Missouri Family (whose picture ended up life-size in a grocery store in the Czech Republic). There were lots of good vocabulary in that article. We had a few adverb clauses/phrases. In newspaper articles, there tends to be a lot of noun clauses (reported/direct speech) and adjective clauses/phrases, so it can be difficult to figure out which is which. It seems to me that you should do well on the upcoming quiz.

After break, Marisol gave a fantastic presentation on Folkloric Ballet of Mexico. Many thanks to her models (Mayuko, Roeuk, Crystal) and her technical assistant (Jose). After you have seen two presentations, I hope you are feeling more comfortable with the goals of the assignment.

We concluded class with the test-taking practice on the Social Studies reading. Today, we will go over the examples and I will collect your questions and make them into an exercise for tomorrow.

I hope you're enjoying this beautiful weather. See you very soon.

Summer Quarter, Week 3, Day 3

2009-07-16T06:29:00.000-07:00

Good morning! Here's my recap for yesterday! We began class with "Every cloud has a silver lining", meaning (more or less) when everything looks bad (dark and gloomy), something good will eventually happen. I was a reading a newsletter and found the same idiom yesterday afternoon, so I will bring it in as another example.

We returned to reviewing the grammar. You seem to have a strong grasp of it, so I feel confident that you will perform well on next week's quizzes. We owe Marguerite a thank you for being the first presenter of the quarter. What an interesting topic. I hope that she can bring one of her dresses later this quarter.

After that, we returned to social studies and did our last timed reading. In the next class, we will finish up the vocabulary and then do a test-taking practice exercise.

It certainly seems that summer has returned! See you very soon!

Summer Quarter, Week 3, Day 3

2009-07-14T23:45:00.000-07:00

Hello again!

Now for today's rundown! We began class with "You brighten my day". The image I used was actually from a greeting card (I will fit in that request-- what to write in a card?-- later this quarter). I hope that English grammar brightens your day :)!

After that, we had a great discussion on the rules. Because I was able to elicit the rules from Thursday/yesterday so easily, it seemed to me that you "got it". We did a short exercise today to allow me to catch up on some other aspects of the class (goal sheets, writing, etc.). Tomorrow, we will review once more.

Then, we did our goal sheets. They are required by the progam and I need to turn them in at the end of the quarter. I think they are helpful because they can help you focus your goals. I bring up your goals throughout the quarter in my many ways-- the information sheet from the first day of class, choosing listening topics, the goal sheets, journal writing, etc.

After break, we finished up the vocabulary from the reading. We have one more reading (in this format) to do this week and then we will be focusing specifically on the 13 British colonies.

Finally, we began thinking about topics. I gave you yesterday's brainstormed list for you to consider and an outline to fill in. I want you to know that we do writing very slowly for the first 3-4 weeks in class. I strongly believe that once you "get" the format, you can apply it to other contexts fairly easily.

I hope you've enjoyed this beautiful afternoon we had. See you in the morning-- hopefully, we won't oversleep tomorrow! :)

Summer Quarter, Week 3, Day 1

2009-07-14T23:20:00.000-07:00

Good evening! Here's Monday's class in a nutshell (short summary). We began class with to spill the beans. A similar idiom is to let the cat out of the bag. Every once in a while (occasionally) was also new for some of you.

After our introduction, we returned to adverb phrases. I used the dictation for you to concentrate on spelling/sounds and introduce the grammar. We reviewed the phrases for the meaning of time, and introduced the 2 possibilities for while (when while means "at the same time") and the rules for cause/effect. When using while, remember that "while" is optional (when the phrase is at the beginning of the sentence.) EX. While I was driving/While driving/Driving by the park on the corner of Ft. Vancouver Way and Mcloughlin Blvd,I saw my friend and her son. As for cause/effect, the rules are basically the same, but you also have to take out the connecting word (because/since/now that). You can completely take out "be" if it is followed by an adjective + another phrase. You also show the meaning of before when you use having + participle. EX. Wanting to become a pharmacist, the student decided to volunteer at the hospital. Having moved just two weeks ago, I still have a lot of things to organize.

After the grammar, we talked about the presentation rubric and how you'll be checked. Keep in mind that even though the presentations are more informal this quarter, they might even give you a better speaking opportunity because you do all of the speaking by yourself and you are in complete control of the topic. I think we have some interesting topics and I'm lookin forward to them.

You voted again for guest speakers-- the student (U.S. & former ESL) speakers were the winners, so I have begun setting them up. One day, I'm sure I'll be asking some of you to return to our program and tell about your success after ESL!

We got to brainstorm some topics (to be used in the next class) for essays. I think this is important to give you the chance to find a topic that you really want to write on. Also, we finished up the questions on the reading.

Monday was a busy and good class. Everyone seemed to be able to follow along quite well.

Summer Quarter-- Week 2, Day 4

2009-07-09T22:41:00.000-07:00

Good evening! Our cloudy morning turned into a clear and sunny afternoon after all! What good luck.

This morning's class began with "run down". This is how you feel when you are feeling tired and possibly starting to get sick. This usually happens to me once or twice during the academic year when I get too busy with civics projects, my teaching and, of course, my other full-time job (being a mom).

Then, we moved on to adverb phrases, specifically of time. I'm sure that you have seen, heard and/or used adverb phrases before, but you didn't realize it. When changing the adverb clauses to phrases, first you need to make sure that the subjects are the same. If they are the same, you need to take out the subject and change the verb to the -ing form (gerund/present participle). You seemed to have a strong grasp of the concept. We will continue working on adverb phrases on Monday (but with different meanings, not just time).

We then held our first vote (for guest speakers) of the quarter. I will tabulate them before Monday to see if we need to vote again or not. We also talked a bit more about the presentations. It sounds like we'll have some interesting presentations this summer! I'm already looking forward to them. Next week, I will pass out the presentation rubric, so you understand how I will be checking you.

After the break, we returned to writing. I used the "Why do we lie?" essay for you to analyze the format of an essay. The green handout on the basic format of an essay is one that you can always use. As I said in class, if you can catch the basic format now, you will find your future writing classes to be easier because you will already understand the basics and can focus on your grammar, punctuation and vocabulary.

We then finished up with another timed reading. Again, I time the reading for test preparation. We'll go over the answers on Monday.

I hope you have a very good weekend. Keep your fingers crossed that it will be sunny!

Summer Quarter-- Week 2, Day 3

2009-07-09T08:24:00.001-07:00

Good morning! Here is a quick recap of yesterday's class.

We began class by talking about "cheesy"! Of course, you can eat a cheesy pizza (with lots of cheese), but you can also have a cheesy smile (that's a big smile that seems insincere) or be cheesy (fake, insincere). This slang is very common!

We returned to conditionals and finished up with unless and only if. Only if is a little different-- remember, when it begins a sentence, the subject/verb order changes. EX. Only if I get a raise, will I be able to take a long vacation this year.

Next, we talked about our mini-presentations. My intention is that the presentations give you speaking practice, so I can check your eye contact, body language, voice (loud/soft), pronunciation & grammar. I want this to be a positive experience for you. Since you have a lot of control over what you present and how, it should work out well.

We returned to essay form. As I said in class, the essay is a good example, so you can pick out the formal, but not get hung up on the vocabulary. We apply this format to different types of writing as the quarter progresses.

It's hard to believe that we only have one more day of the week! Time flies when you're having fun :)! See you in a half an hour!

Summer Quarter-- Week 2, Day 2

2009-07-08T08:37:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was another busy day. We began class with the slang "thinking caps". Then we wore our thinking caps for the whole class period as we analyzed the grammar and began to think about writing.

Yesteday we began discussing "true" conditionals in the present/future. If, of course, is what is used to express a condition. The lesson continued as we tlaked about even if/whether or not and in case/in the event that. Today we will review these meanings and continue with unless and only if. Remember that even though and even if are similar, but even if expresses a condition that hasn't happened yet. It is easy to confuse the two, but I will continue to remind you of the difference this quarter.

Thank you to Crystal, Valentina and Hien for volunteering as our first readers for story time. It seemed to be a positive experience for them as well as the children. If you need speaking/pronunciation practice, take advantage of this opportunity!

After the break, we began talking about writing. Although we will be focusing on a sample essay, we will be using the format to apply it to the writing product (letter, e-mail, essay) that you need most.

After class, I changed our slang/idiom study to "cheesy" (resulting from class) and found Pink Floyd for the break song. See you shortly!

Summer Quarter-- Week 2, Day 1

2009-07-06T22:51:00.000-07:00

Good evening!

We had a busy morning today--didn't we? We began class with "all decked out" our "decked out". This is what you would say to describe someone who is dressed up or even a place that is decorated (such as for Christmas).

We began our grammar with a short dictation. As I said, I wasn't focusing on any specific sounds, but just wanted to introduce the grammar in a slightly different way and give you the chance to really concentrate on spelling. I had errors in the sentences to 1) make sure that you would right down what you heard (without correcting them) 2) see if you could find the errors based on the rules we discussed last week. You seemed to have a good grasp of the basics and could follow the new rules on direct contrast (opposite) with while/whereas. These adverbs clauses follow the same rules, but a comma is used when the while and whereas are at the end of a sentence, too.

I had you work to brainstorm ideas for listening so that the note-taking component of our class is as relevant to you as I can make it. We'll be voting soon, so I can arrange the speakers. It can take awhile to set up the presentations, especially in summer (when people are taking vacations). We returned to our first text and were able to finish the questions (with the time pressure).

Tomorrow, we'll continue with the grammar and social studies as well as begin essay form.

Hope you've enjoyed this cloudy day! It was a refreshing change from the hot sun over the weekend!

Summer Quarter-- Week 1, Day 4

2009-07-05T22:41:00.000-07:00

I am finally catching up on my blogging! Since we are now moved in (though we still have boxes to unpack), I will be able to blog daily from now on!

We began class with the Welcome Back Kotter clip. I chose the clip because 1) it was fun 2) I hoped you could hear the New York accent 3) Kotter did mention Independence Day 4) I could tie it into our grammar lesson. I hope you enjoyed it! If you have any ideas for movie/TV clips, let me know. Last quarter, a couple of students suggested some great ones to me.

After going over your sentences based on the clips (and emphasizing the punctuation again), we moved on to adverb clauses with the meanings of cause/effect and unexpected result. Marguerite asked a good question on verb tense use with adverb clauses of time (how we do not use the future tense) and I will bring this point up again tomorrow when we review the basic rules and move on to the next section.

Next, you signed up to read for story time at Cannell Library. I have had students read to elementary school children for a special story time event at Harney Elementary and also read to students at Martin Luther King Elementary. Each time, the students enjoyed themselves, so I am optimistic that it will go well at Cannell Library, too.

We got to do our first text reading on Thursday. I think this reading (and other similar ones that I will use this quarter) provides the basic facts to let us discuss history. Again, I timed you to add the time pressure (hopefully to help you as you take future tests whether they are the CASAS, GED, COMPASS or in-class assessements).

I hope each of you enjoyed the weekend with your friends and families. Boy, has it been hot, but, fortunately, it hasn't been humid. I look forward to hearing how you spent your first weekend of summer quarter! See you tomorrow!

Summer Quarter: Week 1, Day 3

2009-07-05T22:30:00.000-07:00

Wednesday was another busy day in class. We began class with a cartoon to give you the vocabulary "side-effect". Then, we began using the grammar book to work on our focus of the quarter, adverb clauses. I had students read the questions aloud to give different students the chance to speak. Plus, this activity draws the focus away from me, the teacher, so you (the students) focus on your classmates, too. Then, we used the information that you gave me to form the grammar. The big focus of Wednesday's lesson was the use of commas and placement of the adverb clauses. We talked mostly about adverb clauses of time and also touched on the meanings of cause/effect.

We did our first journal entries today. As I emphasized in class, the main purpose for the journals are to give you grammar/spelling/vocabulary practice with time pressure. Though you may not be 100% accurate, you will be working to increase your fluency (in writing) through this activity. I also like the journals because it provides the opportunity for you to have a conversation (in writing) with me on the topic of your choice.

Finally, we moved on to social studies by looking at the map of the Native American tribes (before the arrival of the Europeans). The map is far from complete, it shows that there many established cultures living in what is now known as the United States.

A lot of what we did on Wednesday (just like every day in the first week) provides the foundation for the rest of the quarter. We continue building on the knowledge each day.

Summer Quarter-- Week 1, Day 2

2009-07-01T08:40:00.000-07:00

Good morning! Unfortunately, this will be a short post. I am beat. I spent yesterday afternoon and night moving and cleaning (and cleaning and cleaning).

We began yesterday's class with our vocabulary (side effect). Then we introduced the general concepts of adverb phrases (connecting word + subject + verb; 2 subjects & 2 verbs per sentence; comma use-- only when the adverb clause begins the sentence).

Next, we did our 4-minute quick write to brainstorm ideas on social studies. Since several groups mentioned the pilgrims and Columbus, I will incorporate short lessons on them into this summer's curriculum. We followed that with map work. Though we still haven't done reading on a text, the map is still reading, just in a different form. We'll get to our first text tomorrow after working on maps today.

I hope yesterday afternoon was more relaxing for you than mine! I'll see you very soon!

Summer Quarter-- Week 1, Day 1

2009-06-30T08:42:00.000-07:00

Good morning! Here is a quick recap of yesterday's class.

It was great to meet all of you yesterday! The purpose of the first day of class is to introduce you to the quarter and what we'll be doing. We began the grammar-- adverb clauses through the speaking exercise. It is my goal for you to see that you are already using the grammar in your everyday life though you may not know all of the rules that apply.

For me, it is most important that you felt comfortable in your new class yesterday with your new teacher and classmates, have a general understanding of what is expected this quarter, and are excited to learn!

We have a busy quarter ahead. See you very soon!

Summer Quarter: Welcome

2009-06-28T00:11:00.000-07:00

Good evening everyone! I hope you have had a blast over the break! Time flies-- our class will be starting before we know it!

I will be using a blog again this quarter to reflect on our class time together. Just as in the spring, the blog will allow me to explain our lessons in class and why we do certain activities. I also use the blog to provide you with new vocabulary (slang, idioms) and follow up on questions and comments from class.

I'm looking forward to summer quarter. For the very last GED (for ESL) class, I have lots of exciting things planned! We will be studying the 13 colonies/the Revolution for social studies and reading Three Cups of Tea (the shorter version) for literature. If you have a Costco membership, Greg Mortenson is on the cover of this month's magazine! If you don't know who Greg is or haven't heard of his book, check out his web site here: http://www.gregmortenson.com/ We will also be studying adverb clauses/conditionals in grammar and apply essay form to emails and business letters. As every quarter, you will vote on guest speakers to invite to our class. The speaking component will be different this quarter as we will 1) be readers for Cannell Library's story time 2) visit seniors at Luepke Senior Center 3) give mini-presentations (you choose the topic with/without partners).

I hope you are enjoying this gorgeous weather! See you very soon!

Week 10--- Day 37

2009-06-09T19:53:00.000-07:00

We made it! We finished up our last day of class today!

We began with "bookworm"-- are you a bookworm? As I said in class, I was definitely a bookworm as a kid. If I find the video of me on TV when I was ten years old, I'll bring it in next quarter. Remind me if you remember!

We got to have out last presentation on the hypnotist show. Reiko's demonstration of Japanese Zen was an excellent way to relax before the tests.

Finally, we got to the assessments. The reading assessments I checked so far were very good. The assessment is checking to see how your reading skills are-- by asking you different types of questions. By including the advertisement, Iwas checking your ability to understand a different type of reading material.

The writing assessment checks your writing skills in a slightly different context. We seemed to have run out of time this quarter, but I think if you truly understand the argumentative essay form, then you can apply it to a business letter.

I look forward to meeting with each of you individually. The appointments give me a chance to help you one-one and get to know you better. See you tomorrow, Thursday or Friday!

Week 10-- Day 36

2009-06-08T18:36:00.000-07:00

Good evening!

It's hard to believe that we had our "end of term" party today! Where did the time go? The time has gone so fast. Thank you for a wonderful quarter. I know that I have had a blast teaching you. Every day brings something new-- new English (grammar, vocabulary, etc.), but also new memories. We have had so many good laughs as we have worked on this crazy language, English!

Today's class began with "think outside the box/law". I decided to use it because I thought it was a good review of an idiom we used earlier this quarter. I also mentioned the slang was going to use "a steal", but couldn't find an appropriate cartoon. I have a shirt that was a steal. It was only 37 cents at JCPenney.

Then, we did a quick preposition review and I passed out the reference sheet on articles. Please check out the link from my web page. It is much more clear than what I typed up.

After that, we had 2 more presentations. The MLK Elementary school presentation was a good reminder of how important reading is. The book that Jane explained is a perfect example of teaching reading/spelling through phonics. If you go to any festival at Esther Short Park in Dowtown Vancouver this summer/fall, you may run into the One of a Kind Drumline. They play around the area. They are an exciting and energetic group of kids to watch! The presentation on the writing classes (DVED 094 & ENGL 097) gave you an idea of what comes next. This year, I've had students leave my class and move into DVED 094, ENGL 098, and ENL 101. It really depends on the individual student. If you are studying next quarter, you might want to consider observing a class in a different program. It's the perfect chance to see for yourselves what the next step is. For myself, it is better for me to know exactly what would be expected because my imagination can make up all sorts of crazy things--and none of them may ever come true. I can easily set up such an observation (even next year when I'm at the other campus

Week 9-- Day 35

2009-06-08T05:52:00.000-07:00

Good morning! I hope you have enjoyed our cloudy Northwest weekend! I got up bright and early to post to the blog and make couscous salad for class this morning. I decided that I had to show you that I really can make something from scratch since I have brought in berries all quarter.

Thursday was a busy day. We had our idiom "pop the question". I thought I had found the idiom that Ruslan was referring to, but this wasn't it. Hopefully, he'll have the clip for us today.

After the idiom, Selina showed us proper tea etiquette with her presentation. I will always remember "b" and "d" now, especially on June 20 at my parents' golden anniversary party. I'll have to let you know how I do!

Finally, we had our 2nd vocabulary quiz and 2nd grammar quiz of the quarter. If you have been in class, done the homework and reviewed your notes, they should have been a piece of cake. If you have been absent or unable to work on your English at home, your results probably won't be as strong as you might like them to be.

See you in a few hours!

Week 9-- Day 34

2009-06-03T17:48:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon!

Thank you for another enjoyable class! Sometimes it's even hard for me to focus on the grammar when we have such good conversations! We had a lot of good vocabulary introduced throughout our class time today (ex. cold turkey).

I started today's class with the word, prop (from yesterday), to show you all of the different meanings. That's the really hard thing about English-- so many words have so many meanings! I decided to do the adjective clause/phrase review from the homework because it really is the best review I have. Because of the good discussion and questions, it seems to me that you have a strong understanding of the grammar. I expect to see lots of competents and exceptionals when I check your quizzes this weekend.

Ater that, we finished up the worksheet on the provisions that the pioneers needed on their journey to the end of the Oregon Trail. I think it's interesting information-- it's hard for me to imagine attempting such a trip. I had you fill in the chart with the vocabulary to see if you could figure out from the context where the words fit. Then, I said the totals very quickly to check your ability to catch the numbers.

Then, we had our second presentation of the quarter. I was really impressed how everyone was so interested in the presentation and asked so many good questions. Here is a link to the history of Earth Day: http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/earthday/articles/index.asp?article=history&topic=0 It's from scholastic.com, so it should be a little easier to read.

Tomorrow, Selena is giving a short presentation and then we'll have our second vocabulary and grammar quizzes. Our last conversation lunch will be tomorrow. I'll have an end-of-the-term schedule for you, too.

I hope you're enjoying this beautiful evening.

Week 9-- Day 33

2009-06-03T07:12:00.001-07:00

Good morning! I woke up at 5:00 AM, wired (without caffeine), so I am already in my office (it's around 7:15 am). I think I walked in my sleep last night. I'll tell you the funny story in class.

Yesterday's class had a few last-minute changes, but it all worked out ok! We started the class with "A picture is worth a thousand words." In a nutshell, this is my rationale for using cartoons, pictures and video when illustrating idioms/phrasal verbs/slang at the start of class.

Then, we reviewed adjective clauses/phrases again with the article on Susan Boyle. I chose the article because it is current and up-to-date. In my opinion, it was a great example of the grammar and was interesting because Susan Boyle has been in the news for a couple of months now. I think it also forces us to question society's values because Susan Boyle has been ridiculed because of her physical appearance even though we all know that "beauty is only skin deep."
I thought the exercise gave us a good chance to review the grammar rules, but also the opportunity to learn new vocabulary and discuss the bigger issues behind the story.

After the break, we returned to the Oregon Trail and did the cloz reading. I scrambled the words to give you spelling practice along with the reading skills you need to use to figure out where the words go in the passage. We began the worksheet on the provisions for the journey on the Oregon Trail. I hope to finish it it today. I will be sure to tell Hannah, my daughter's friend, that we all appreciate her loaning us her covered wagon.

I look forward to seeing you soon!

Week 9-- Day 32

2009-06-02T06:29:00.001-07:00

Good morning again!

Yesterday definitely wasn't a typical class. We started out with a couple of new vocabulary: reach for the stars and movie star. We also did another quick activity on run-on sentences. Then, we headed over to the commerical. What happened was that Simon started filming earlier, around 8:30, so he didn't need so many extras. He felt bad about that and made sure to use a few of you in the Gaiser Hall footage. Looking on the bright side, it was certainly a beautiful morning for a short walk.

We returned to class and began the preposition work. I'll take your sentences and use them later this week.

I decided to let you know of the program changes because most of the class was there and yesterday was Kim's last day. I wrote everything in a letter to you, so you could translate what you needed to and I know that reading is often an easier skill than listening. It has been a difficult decision for many reasons. As I wrote in the letter, I sincerely hope that many of you will stay in touch with me after summer quarter.

We'll talk more about what you will do next at your final appointments and in summer. I promise will find a good fit for each of you.

Emma has just woken up, so I must close now. See you in a couple of hours!

Week 8-- Day 31

2009-06-02T06:16:00.000-07:00

Good morning. My recap of last Thursday is long overdue. We had 'to try' meaning 'to taste' to begin class. The commercial for Life Cereal is a very famous one. Youtube is funny because you can find all sorts of surprising and interesting videos!

We continued with our review of the grammar and also did a short exercise on run-on sentences. Everyone seem prepared for the quiz in a week. I was glad to see that everyone seemed to be able to recognize where the periods are needed. The next step, if run-ons are difficult for you, is to find them in your writing. Of course, this is a hard task.

We also had a chance to finish up the scanning activity from the day before. Our classtime was cut a little short because of the class evaluations. They are now required once per year for all teachers, full-time and adjunct faculty.

Hope you're still snoozing!

Week 8-- Day 30

2009-05-27T22:30:00.000-07:00

Hello again!

Now I am caught up and can begin today's post! Today, I was ready to burst with excitement, so I had to tell you my big news. Surprisingly, we found a house over the weekend. It looks like we'll be moving the very end of June/first of July. My husband no longer has cold feet. He took down all the pictures we have and fixed the holes on Monday. When I came home yesterday afternoon, he had packed up all the books in my home office and all of the clothes in the dressers in our bedroom. I feel very thankful that everything is falling into place. Sergey asked when the party will be. I know he was kidding, but I'm up for it. I'll have an email sign-up list and if enough students are interested, let's have a potluck picnic at a nearby park at the end of the summer. By waiting awhile, hopefully some of you will have returned from your summer trips.

Our vocabulary was count on me-- the same as depend on me/rely on me. I puposefully chose the song "Lean on Me" because it is another way to express the same idea.

Then, our grammar review was awesome. I was so excited about our discussion on run-ons and fragments. I strongly believe that punctuation errors in English often result from applying the rules from the native language. The same thing happens in pronunciation-- especially intonation. It also happens in pargraph/essay structure. We will definitely be going over this with a specific activity before the end of the quarter. My best advice for run-on sentences: After you write, check over your sentences. Find the subjects and verbs. If you have several subjects and several verbs with several commas, try changing the commas to periods. If you have a subject and a verb for each new sentence, you have probably corrected your run-ons.

The review seems to be going well for the grammar. You seemed to understand how to connect the sentences in different ways in the textbook exercise. You also identified most of the grammar in the Oregon Facts exercise. You seem to be ready for next week's quiz!

Next, I had you do the 4-minute quick write and follow-up discussion to begin thinking about the pioneers' move to Oregon. I will look for common themes in your writing to use when discussing the pioneers in more detail.

We finished the scanning activity quickly. We'll go over the answers tomorrow. This activity gives you practice in reading with time pressure, an important skill when taking a test. It is also a way to get the main ideas efficiently and, in this particular exercise, gives you practice reading a map.

I hope many of you will be able to stay after class tomorrow to say goodbye (though I'd rather say "see you later") to both Angie and Kim as they travel to their native countries, Mexico and Vietnam. It has been a special quarter for me as I have been very fortunate to have been given such a great group of students.

See you in the morning!

Week 8-- Day 29

2009-05-27T18:36:00.000-07:00

Good evening! Here I am recapping Tuesday's class. I was in la-la land yesterday. Yesterday after class, I flew out of my office to pick up some papers at home and then went to the bank to begin the process of the paperwork.

Let's see. Tuesday was the first day of the week-- I kept thinking that yesterday was Monday! Was anyone else confused? We began class with tune in, tune out, stay tuned. Everyone seemed to be tuning in when we were talking about the different phrases related to "tune".

Then, we returned to adjective clauses and phrases by looking at the Mt. St. Helens article. The article gave me a good reason to explore the vocabulary a bit with you and show you the video clip. As I said in class, Mt. St. Helens is really one of my favorite places in the Pacific Northwest. I like it so much because every time you go, it looks a little different. Everything, the plants, trees, etc., is growing more and more each year. Go to this website for more information: http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/mshnvm/. It wasn't an easy exercise to identify the grammar in the news article, a real-life, authentic context. However, I thought you were successful and demonstrating understanding.

After the break, it was CASAS day! The test is so important because it is a requirement for our program to continue receiving federal funding (which makes it such a great bargain). The CASAS test is a standardized test that is used across the country. It focuses on life skills, but students do demonstrate progress even if we don't talk about those specific topics in class. The idea is if you have strong reading skills, you can apply them to any context. I'll have your results for your final appointments. I can access your testing history (since you began the ESL program) any time. Just ask!

I'll close now and begin my next post! Stay tuned!

Week 7-- Day 28

2009-05-25T00:07:00.000-07:00

Hi! I'm usually an early bird, but tonight I guess I'm a night owl, too! I hope you're enjoying this very beautiful Memorial Day Weekend. We have been very busy (looking for a new home), but we're still having fun. On Friday night, we decided to go to the Rose Festival Fireworks in Portland. We haven't been to a fireworks display for a couple of years, so the girls got kick out of seeing them. Yesterday, we hiked up to the top of Multnomah Falls with the girls. My husband and I were so proud of them. They're in good shape-- they weren't breathing hard and could keep up with us. They were so excited to realize how high they had gone all by themselves! We also went on a nature walk and had a picnic in Camas today. I never realized that Camas has so many parks and trails! We haven't decided what we'll do tomorrow!

I'll review Thursday's class now. We began the morning with a couple of cow idioms. I used them to introduce the Wendy's commercial from the 1980s that was mentioned in class on Wednesday (cow-beef sort of relates, right?) Then, we returned to adjective clauses/phrases with the dictation. I have found that dictations are an efficient way to introduce the grammar, especially because several skills are being worked on at the same time (listening, spelling, grammar). On Tuesday, because you have a foundation of the rules, we'll be taking the grammar out of the textbook and into the real world by analyzing the adjective phrases/clauses in a news article. I will be giving you information about one of the most beautiful places in the area (and a personal favorite of mine) as we study the grammar! Any guesses of what place it is? I'll give you a hint: Something big happened at this place in the month of May years ago.

After the grammar, I explained the presentation rubric, so you understand how you will be assesed. You also had some time to talk in groups. It seems that most groups are organized. I have appointments scheduled with some groups this week. If you have a question, be sure to ask-- I want this to be a fun (and educational, of course) experience for you.

Since we had a few minutes left, we were able to do the on-line quiz. Since you aced it, it is now time to move on to the Pioneers/The Oregon Trail. We'll begin the in-class work on Wednesday.

Be sure to check out my web site for resources. I made quite a few updates before leaving work on Friday afternoon.

I hope you are all enjoying the sunshine. I look forward to hearing about your weekends on Tuesday. See you then!

Week 7-- Day 27

2009-05-20T17:42:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon! It seems that the summer weather has returned! I'm sure you're thinking the interjection: Hurray! right now.

This morning, we began class with the idiom, cold feet. You could have cold feet right before you need to do something very important such as move somewhere new, take the Compass placement test, etc. The cartoon was funny because there were 2 snowmen talking-- of course, snowmen must have cold feet! It was also a perfect way for me to bring up the topic of the Clark commercial! I'm so glad that some of you volunteered to be extras. I also thought Philip had a great suggestion that we all go to the filming.

After that, we returned to grammar and moved on to the next section: adjective phrases. I know that advanced grammar might seem a little irrelevant sometimes, so I want you to know a few things. 1) I have purposefully chosen the chapters that we use in class, so we are studying what you will see in your real-life reading and writing. 2) By using adjective clauses and phrases, your writing becomes more sophisticated, which is important in academic and work writing. 3) Next week, I will bring in more authentic examples (as I did with the traffic news article), so you can see the grammar in context.

These are the basic rules for adjective phrases. Remember, adjective phrases describe nouns, just like adjectives and adjective clauses. They will follow the noun being described, just like adjective clauses. In order to turn adjective clauses into phrases, you need to: 1) Check that the noun being described is the subject of the adjective clause 2)Take out which/who/that 3) Take out be OR change the verb to the -ing form. Here's an example: My friend who lives outside of Detroit sent me an e-mail yesterday. My friend living outside of Detroit sent me an email yesterday.

Finally, we took a break and returned to Lewis & Clark. The activity we did today had you match the main idea to the short passages. It was a quick and new way to work on main ideas while learning some new vocabulary. By the way, I linked a page about Seaman, the dog, on my web page. It wasn't a typo-- he was really worth $20. I also double-checked the pronunciation of extraordinary. You can listen to it at: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/extraordinary People may pronounce the word as 2 separate words and, as a result, change the stress. They may do that in order to add emphasis, but I am not sure. I can not come up with an example that illustrates this. If anyone comes across such an example, please let me know.

Tomorrow, we'll revisit the adjective phrases, check out some new idioms/culture/song that I promised to find today in class, finish up Lewis & Clark, etc. We'll be very busy!

Have a good night.

Week 7-- Day 26

2009-05-20T08:15:00.000-07:00

Hi there!

I had a packed afternoon yesterday and didn't get a chance to publish a post, so here it is!

We began class with School House Rock-- Interjections! School House Rock was on TV in the 70s on Saturday mornings. Kids would see the short lessons when they watched cartoons. You see, back then, cartoons were the thing to watch on Saturday mornings. This is before cable, video tapes and dvds. I thought it was a fun clip. You could read along and the cartoon illustrated the grammar point well. Moreover, you got some new words/phrases: That smarts, eek, Rats, to play hard to get, etc. By the way, I woke up this morning with the Interjections! song in my head! Yikes-- I'm singing it now too!

We returned to the comma rules one last time. I used the news article, so you could see how they are used in "the real world." Also, traffic is always an issue even though the article is a few years old. I had you tell me what you would google to quickly illustrate how you need to be careful when googling and may need to try different combinations of words/phrases until you get what you're looking for. I realized a while ago that there was a Clark County in Nevada, so I always put Washington or WA when I search. I was surprised to see that the word traffic had lots of hits referring to Internet traffic (how many people visit your web site).

Then, you had some focus practice in the textbook. I felt again yesterday that you have a strong understanding of the comma rules (stronger than previous classes). I feel comfortable moving on to adjective phrases today.

After the grammar, we talked some more about Lewis and Clark. I had you search for the questions you had on Monday to give you that practice in class. We'll go over the answers today. Filling in the timeline is not a piece of cake. You had to look for the clues in the other events and use your previous knowledge to help you. I have the original linked on my website if you want more details about their trip.

Today, we'll finish up Lewis and Clark, so we can move on to the other main points of the Movement West. See you very soon!

Sara

Week 7-- Day 25

2009-05-19T06:26:00.001-07:00

Good morning!

We began yesterday's class with our idiom , go for it. I think everyone knows Snoopy and Woodstock (his friend, the little yellow bird). If you're thinking of moving on to GED or full-tuition classes, I strongly recommend that you go for it and reach your goals! We will talk more about this at then end of the quarter when we meet together individually.

After that, we returned to the comma rules in adjective clauses. I began the lesson with the true/false exercise to focus on the meaning of the rules. I purposefully described things in the classroom, so you could "see" the difference in commas. The examples about the clock or and window are clear examples because you can see them in the room! Remember: You use commas for clauses that you don't really need to understand the complete meaning. With singular nouns, commas show that there is only 1 of them. With plural nouns, commas show that all of them are being described; you don't need to identify/distinguish some of them. To be honest, I notice that you seem to be catching on to the meaning of these rules better than classes in previous years. I changed my explanation a little and am thinking that this has helped in your understanding.

Next, you took the listening assessment on Dolly's presentation. Again, it is the most efficient way for me to assess you on your comprehension. You also voted for the last time. Results coming soon! Then, we need to decide what to do with this information.

After the break, we returned to Social Studies, Lewis & Clark. We watched the trailer to get you started thinking about their expedition west. (I will never forget how to enlarge the video now-- thank you for your patience and help!) I had you make questions, so you had a chance to think about the topic on your own and for me to find out what you want to know. Today in class, I will incorporate those questions in the lesson by having you find the answers on-line. It should be fun, but also help you work on your research skills a bit.

We moved on to the dictation. This activity allowed me to give you some details, but also have you practice spelling while learning new information about the expedition.

I returned writing assessments at the end of class. Your writing assignment this week will be to rewrite the assessment. The key to improvement is in the rewrites. Our next step in writing will be writing an essay, based on an article that we've read.

Today will be another packed day. I'll be explaining how your presentations will be graded. Our first is tomorrow!

See you very soon!

Week 6-- Day 24

2009-05-16T07:13:00.000-07:00

Good morning! I am up bright and early today! As you all know, my husband and I have been using a lot of elbow grease for the last month or so to get our house ready to put on the market. Well, the house has been up since Wednesday night and 4 people have looked at it so far and 2 more are looking at it today. My realtor said we should have at least 1 offer by Monday. Wow. My husband and I are shocked. I'll keep you posted.

Thursday was our 3rd guest speaker, chosen by you. Dolly is a wonderful resource. She sincerely wants you to contact her if you have further questions. In my opinion, she gives an organized, informational and relevant presentation. I saw her in the fall, too, and I learned new things since then! We will have a listening assessment on Monday to check your comprehension. These quizzes are important to check to see if you can follow the speaker and if you can pick out the important points. This is my way of beginning to prepare you for future lectures in college classes. However, even if you are not moving on to college classes, all of us (native speakers included) can use practice in focusing our listening skills.

After that, I snuck in my idiom-- 2 peas in a pod and the song of the day. We had lots of great discussion at this point about the idiom. (Thank you for your questions. I learned something new,too. I didn't know all the details of the idiom.) You also learned the word, goon. Please continue to ask questions on slang/vocabulary you heard-- this is the most meaningful and relevant way for me to help you with the vocabulary you hear in your daily life.

We did get to our writing assessments. I will return them to you on Monday. The homework for the week will be to rewrite them. The only way to improve your writing is by writing (and rewriting). If you are thinking about transitioning on to GED at Town Plaza or a college program, I strongly recommend that you work on your writing skills in our class. You will save yourself time and money because you will place higher on the placement test.

I hope all of you are still snoozing and will have a wonderful weekend. See you on Monday.

Week 6-- Day 23

2009-05-14T07:10:00.000-07:00

Good morning!

Yesterday's class was a busy one. We began with the accounting cartoon-- some new words, but it wasn't exciting as others. I promise today's will be better!

We did a dictation to see if you could hear the pauses (commas) when I read the sentences. Of course, this exercise gives you practice in listening for specific sounds and spelling. Basically, you use commas with common nouns when the information isn't necessary to recognize/identify the noun. It is difficult to recognize this is our own writing. Here are two examples. My dad, who lives in Michigan, will turn 72 in September. I don't get to see my cousin who lives in Myrtle Beach very often. My dad needs commas because we know that I have one. My cousin doesn't need commas and the information is necessary to identify my cousin in Myrtle Beach instead of my cousins in Michigan, Ohio, or Kentucky.

After that, we started to organize our group projects again. Fortunately, it seems that all the activities have worked out. A few students still need to do their activities, but they will be able to finish them early next week. I hope you will find the group project to be a good experience to learn outside of the classroom and have the opportunity to speak in front of others. We will talk more about the speaking/presentation rubrics next week.

We returned to history with our scanning activity on the Lousiana Purchase. I timed you to give you the time pressure to have you answer quickly. The questions in the activity were all comprehension (detail) questions. You could find all the answers in the passage/on the map. On the other hand, the follow-up activity on the NYC-sized ice focused much more on inference, a much more difficult reading skills. Even though they are both reading activities, they work on very different skills.

We finally finished the error correction from the journals. As I said at the end of class, if your biggest grammar difficulties are articles and prepositions, that's a good thing. I find them to be the most difficult grammar topics to teach and learn because there many, many exceptions to the basic rules. We will be following up on these topics with lessons in the coming weeks.

See you very soon.

Week 6-- Day 22

2009-05-12T16:10:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon!

Welcome to our new students! Andrea, Asia and Veronica have joined us at the midpoint! We're happy to have you study with us. Be sure to ask me or any of your classmates when you have questions. We want you to feel comfortable in class.

This morning's phrasal verbs were introduced with a cartoon-- to take apart, to put together, to think ahead. It was good to see that the meaning seemed clear to you. You were able to identify them and recognize that to take apart and to put together are antonyms (words with opposite meanings).

Then, we continued our work on adjective clauses. I gave you the Portland/Seattle chart + "fill in the blank" worksheet for a few reasons. I wanted to use a more meaningful context than what the book offers. I also wanted to see if you could figure out the adjective clauses. In many ways, this activity was a review that allowed me to see if you have been able to catch the gist of the rules up to this point. The worksheet also allowed you to look for the pattern relating to commas. Today, I emphasized that proper nouns always use commas and never use that. The commas are used to indicate that the adjective is not necessary to identify the noun being described. The second point is that common nouns usually don't need commas and can use any of the connecting words including that. The sentences you made at the end of the lesson showed that you could apply these comma rules in your own writing. Tomorrow will be a bit tricky as I show the meaning differences when commas are used with common nouns. Again, this lesson is especially important in formal writing.

After the break, we did one more brainstorm on global warming. When I get all the results tallied, as a class, we need to decide what we will do with our ideas.

We got to begin history (one of my favorite subjects as a student!). I had you sort the vocabulary to get you to think about the topic and share your knowledge with your partners. I didn't expect you to know all the words; I just wanted to introduce the concepts to you. Dictation is a great way to focus your listening and have spelling practice. I used the dictation to further introduce the general topics we will talk about: The Lousiana Purchase, Lewis & Clark, Native Americans and the Pioneers.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow's class and I hope you are, too. I have a cartoon for you to start the class and a new song for the break-- requested by one of your classmates. Have a great night!

Week 6-- Day 21

2009-05-12T05:52:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone! I was dead tired last night and crashed when my daughters went to bed. I think I did too much cleaning over the weekend-- :).

Well, yesterday we began class with the slang, broke-- not having any money. Ruslan introduced us to another meaning of broke (ugly) that he showed me on in an on-line dictionary. He has a good method of increasing his vocabulary. I'd like him to explain to you what he does sometime this week.

We moved on to adjective clauses-- reviewing the basic forms and then introducing whose/where/when. The difficult part about whose is remembering that whose is for both people and things. I'm sure that you are already using where/when in your writing/speaking. You seemed to breeze through the exercises, so I will start the work with commas this morning. The comma work is confusing, but it is very important if you are planning to move on to classes at Clark. Comma placement is very important when you get to English Composition courses.

I returned your assessments and gave you a chance to reflect on them in your journals. Overall, the class seemed to perform as I expected on the assessments. Be sure to check off your assessment scores on your Accomplishments page (green paper), so you can easily see your progress in the class so far.

We are basically done with the environmental unit of our class (except for voting) after finishing yesterday's news article (NYC-sized ice...). This lesson was very interesting to me. I realized how rich the activity became because I had asked you to create questions based on the headline. By answering the questions yesterday, you had a fantastic opportunity to work on inferencing. Inferencing is when you have to draw your own conclusions or guess about the topic. We do this all the time in our daily lives, but don't realize it. I don't think I could have come up with better questions on my own.

Thank you for a very exciting 5 weeks. We've had lots of interesting discussions and opportunities to reflect on the environmental issues and our own actions. I'm looking forward to better weather, so I can begin riding my bike to work again. I've also decided to change my cleaning habits and be greener. What will you do?

My homework for this week and next is to prepare lessons on articles/prepositions/infintive-gerund (meaning change). I promise to fit them in this quarter. Be sure to tell me what you need. I sincerely need your input to put together the most relevant and meaningful class for you.

I hope you are having a relaxing morning-- perhaps you're still snoozing or enjoying a cup of java? My house is still peaceful and quiet. The girls will wake up around 7.

See you in a few hours.

Week 5-- Day 20

2009-05-07T18:14:00.000-07:00

Good evening. Guess what my daughters just put in the dvd player?? The Wizard of Oz. For some reason, Anna decided to dress up as Dorothy (Anna was Dorothy for Halloween) and Emma put on a fancy sundress. They will definitely be disappointed when they have to turn it off as soon as this post is published!

We began class with Think outside the box. Go to Taco Bell's web site: http://www.tacobell.com/ and you will see Think outside the bun. Remember, in this case, bun means bread for hamburgers. There area lots of other meanings, including hot dog bun (bread for hotdogs).

Then, Jen arrived before we could go over the error correction that we haven't gotten around to finishing. I'll find a way to finish it Monday for sure! Everyone seemed to be able to follow Jen's presentation. You asked good questions and seemed engaged. You chose a great topic-- I thought it was an excellent way to wrap up our environmental work. Our last day on the environment will be Monday. Then, we will move on to history: The Movement West.

Then, you took your first reading assessment. The assessment is testing your reading skills; it's not a memory test (like the vocabulary quiz). I'm excited to see how you did because you have been doing well on our in-class activities over the last 5 weeks. We've worked on reading in many different ways-- timed readings/news articles/internet/charts/ged readings/test prep/main ideas-details-vocabulary-opinion, etc.

Have a great weekend!

p.s. I will buy my first box of Borax tomorrow. I'll let you know if it really works on water marks/stains on Monday!

p.p.s. I thought of all of you on the way home when I saw a bright orange sign saying Litter crew. A group either will be or had already picked up the trash on the street.

Week 5-- Day 19

2009-05-06T19:07:00.000-07:00

Hi again! Here's today's recap-- I don't like to be behind in my work!

We started class with Pomp & Circumstance-- a classic that is played at graduations. Every time I hear it, I get goosebumps thinking about my own graduations. From there, we moved on to our idiom of the day "We're not in Kansas anymore." I introduced it with a photo from Kansas for you to get an idea of what Kansas is like. Then, I showed you the clip and meaning from an on-line dictionary. The Wizard of Oz is full phrases that we commonly use. Another famous one is "There's no place like home". I've also seen several bumper stickerss related to the movie. Anyways, next time you're feeling a little lost in the grammar lesson, you can say "You know, Sara, I'm feeling that we're not in Kansas anymore" :)

We did the game to make adjective clauses for a few reasons. I wanted to do a different kind of grammar activity than what the book has. I think all of you learned at least one new vocabulary word. This also gave us a chance to practice some pronuciation that you asked about yesterday: litter, little, leader, liter. Plus, it's a good brainteaser to figure out what the words had in common. Overall, I thought you did quite well, so I didn't feel that I needed to rewrite the rules on the board again. Your success on the grammar exercises also showed me that you are ready to move on to the next section. Your homework will be on the next section even though we probably won't have time to do grammar tomorrow. Our schedule is going to be a little bit strange in the morning. We will begin class with our song and idiom. Then, we will have our green cleaning presenation and reading assessment. I have to go with the dates that the speakers have open. Even though this isn't the best day, I didn't want to wait for a couple of weeks when we have finished all of the environmental lessons.

After the break, we finished going over the answers to the reading on the effects of global warming. I thought it was the perfect lead-in to the article, New-York sized ice collapses off Antartic. When I saw this article last week, I knew I had to use it in class. It directly related to Marguerite's comments on the glaciers/sea level when we began our work on the environment. I mixed up the headline for you to unscramble to catch your attention and get you to think about the grammar (where is the verb? subject? etc.) Then, I had you write down questions that you wanted answered to get you to think about the article some more. We'll answer those questions on Monday when we finish this lesson. You can definitely identify the main ideas in a new article quickly and accurately. I was impressed by your list of adjectives that you chose to describe your feelings on the article. When I was in high school or college (I can't remember which-- maybe both?), my teachers never wanted us to use words like good, bad, or nice. They wanted us to stretch our vocabulary. This is exactly what I wanted you to do, too.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow. The green cleaning presentation should be fun, interesting and informative. I'm confident you'll do well on the reading assessment, too.

I hope you are all enjoying your evening. See you in 13 1/2 hours! How time flies!

Week 5-- Day 18

2009-05-06T18:45:00.001-07:00

Good evening!

Here I am, a day late, in recapping Tuesday's class. I have no good excuse. I was procrastinating and then I blanked on it completely-- I completely forgot!

Anyways...Tuesday was fun. I took Ken's idiom to get out of Dodge to begin class. I found the youtube clip from Gunsmoke, a classic western TV show, to show you the roots of the idiom. Then, I showed you the headline about "The Big 3" (Chrysler, GM & Ford) to demonstrate how it is used in present-day English. We also did get to hear the rest of our song of the day, Stand By Me, and see photos of Jane's granddaughter's graduation. (Those photos prompted me to mention how much I like graduations and Pomp & Circumstance to become Wednesday's class song.)

I have one request for all of my students. If you graduate from Clark College &/or a university here in the United States, please let me know. I promise that I will do my best to attend (of course, Clark is NO problem) if at all possible.

After that, we went back to our grammar: adjective clauses. I had different students read the example sentences with the clauses to correct for a few reasons. It gives individual students a chance to speak loudly and practice pronunciation. Everyone is listening carefully, so I can analyze your speech more easily. Also, the other students need to focus their attention one of their classmates and understand their pronunciation. Of course, it's very important to understand native speakers of English, but it's also very important to understand people whose native language is not English. It is a reality of today's society that so many residents in this area speak English as their second language. I noticed that you seemed to do well with the basic rules. I saw this when we went over the examples and the exercises in the text. I believe that adjective clauses are key to advanced writing skills. If you start looking for them, you will find them all over, especially newspaper articles.

After finishing the grammar, we took the assessment on Ken's visit. You did extremely well. Actually, I wasn't sure how you would do because he spoke fast, has an East Coast accent and didn't write very much on the board. Since you were able to pass the quiz, this shows me that your listening skills are strong!

We finally finished up recycling with the short quiz and writing down your list of ways to support recycling (you'll be voting again tomorrow). We transitioned into global warming by refreshing our memories with the meanings of global warming and climate change. The scanning that we did was based on An Inconvenient Truth's website. I timed you to give you the pressure of a test-taking situation. Though we didn't finish going over the answers, I was ok with that because I thought a lot of good questions and points (especially on pronunciation) were brought up.

Every day, by participating, asking questions, and making comments, you contribute to the evolving curriculum of our class. Thank you!!

I must go now...I have Wednesdays' post to publish!

Week 5-- Day 17

2009-05-04T13:54:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon!

Today was not a typical class. We started out with our song, Stand by Me, (which we'll have tomorrow, too because we didn't have a "normal" break time). I invited Porter's students to join us because 1) his class was going to join us for the guest speaker anyway 2) the students would have the chance to have class since they came all the way to Clark for class.

We started adjective clauses with a short dictation to give you spelling practice with reductions. As we discussed today, adjective clauses function like adjectives. They describe nouns. Just like a noun clause, they need a subject + verb. Unlike an adjective, an adjective clause will come after the noun being described.

We were able to finish most of the rules: That is for both people and things. Who/whom is only for people; which is only for things. When the noun being described is the subject of the adjective clause, you need to use that/who for people; that/which for things. The teacher who/that has an office next to mine is Priscila. The purse that/which is on the floor is mine.

When the noun being described is the object of the adjective clause, you need to use that/who/whom/[nothing] for people. You need to use that/which/[nothing] for things. The person that/who/whom/ [nothing] I saw on the bus is over there. The coffee that/which/[nothing] I had this morning was too strong.

When the noun being described is the object of a preposition, you have 1 more option: preposition + which (things)/whom (people). The friend that/who/whom/[nothing] I talked to over the weekend lives in Portland. The friend to whom I talked over the weekend lives in Portland. The museum that/which/ [nothing] I went to was interesting. The museum to which I went was interesting.

We'll be going over these rules tomorrow and practice them too. We'll also have our listening assessment for you to check how much you could understand from today's presentation. Ken spoke quickly with a bit of idioms/slang. I decided to use one of his phrases for tomorrow's class-- go to the class web site for a preview.

See you in the morning!

Week 4-- Day 16

2009-05-04T08:32:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday. Here is my late recap.

Our idiom for the day was poker face-- when you don't show any emotion on your face. I also decided to add music at Kim's request. Thursday's song was "Don't worry be happy," specifically chosen because of our vocabulary and grammar quizzes.

Results for both quizzes were strong-- you'll get them back today. If you want an extra quiz to take home for practice, please ask. You're definitely ready to move on to our new grammar section, adjective clauses, today!

A little after 10:00, we'll be having our first guest speaker, Ken Pacheco, come to our class and talk with us about personal safety and campus security. Take notes during the presentation to use while you take the listening assessment. We'll take the assessement today if there's time. Remember the only way to really check your understanding is by taking an assessment of some kind.

See you very soon!

p.s. Here is the link to the Oregon Coast Aquarium: http://www.aquarium.org/ . This is where I went with my daughter for her overnight trip with her class. It's interesting. You might want to check it out if you get a chance!

Week 4-- Day 15 (p.s.)

2009-04-29T15:38:00.000-07:00

Here's an answer to "not/no less than". http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=340875

Other examples:
I will pay no more than $30 for a new pair of shoes.
I will accept no less than $20 for the bike I'm trying to sell on Craig's List.

I'm thinking that people probably say "not" instead of "no" in casual speech though I have no proof.

Hope this helps!

Week 4-- Day 15

2009-04-29T14:07:00.000-07:00

As promised in yesterday's post, we began class with a new turkey idiom-- to talk turkey (to talk seriously about a topic). Our class seemed to have become a music class today with all of our different songs. The Gobble Song is really silly, but fun. If you listen to it again, you might catch the word, gobbler (a turkey). Note that I have put all the noun clauses in purple again.

I received so many emails on swine flu yesterday and Monday that I decided to use the topic to review reported speech. Thanks to Marguerite for giving me the idea to introduce the lesson with the pronunciation of swine vs. swan. You seemed to easily recognize and identify the direct/reported speech in the article. It seemed a piece of cake for you to change the speech to direct or reported speech. I'm optimistic that you will do well on tomorrow's quiz! I ended the lesson with the NPR story because 1) I wanted to talk about prevention instead of focusing on the current news stories [it's difficult to know how true the news stories are (how many people are sick, have died, etc.)]. 2) I wanted to give you listening practice 3) I thought the article was fun-- it's imporant to have fun when you study English, you know! Anyways, you all caught the main ideas and were able to write your reported speech examples. That was another indication that the class is ready to move on to adjective clauses next week.

By the way, I did find a song for tomorrow. It's perfect for a quiz day! (You can take a sneak peak by going to my web site before tomorrow's class.)

A class video might be fun. Let me investigate the possiblity of reserving some sinks somewhere. I'll let you know tomorrow.

After listening to Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond during the break, I had you write in your journals. The time pressure forces you to write quickly. I know that if I had given you an hour to answer those questions, you would have written a lot with few grammar errors. You need this skill in college-level classes.

Then, we finished up the GED reading and did one more vocabulary preparation exercise for tomorrow. Remember, all of the links to The Story of Stuff is on my web site. Pass on the information. It is information that all of us need to know. I've sent it out to all ESL faculty. Who will you send it to?

I googled and found that there are tons of articles on trash and where it is sent. Here is one on trash sent specifically to China. It is interesting and a little scary, too.
http://www.worldwatch.org/node/4986

Tomorrow is our quiz day. I will look up some good examples of no less vs. not less.

Before I forget, it's still possible to apply for the GED scholarship this quarter. Think about it! It's $600 to use on tuition!

Have a good night. Be sure to study hard, but take time to veg out, too!

Week 4-- Day 14

2009-04-28T12:47:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon!
I have gobbled up my lunch and am ready to recap today's class! For starters, we had lots of good idioms related to turkeys: to gobble up (to eat it all/quickly), cold turkey (to stop a bad habit all at once), and turkey (a silly person-- not necessarily negative; it can be used in fun). We also shared how turkeys "talk" around the world. If you check my website, you'll see that I'm following up all this talk about turkeys tomorrow!

We reviewed yesterday's grammar. I wanted to go back over it, so I could show you how we express this subjunctive meaning in other ways too. I want you to know that Crystal was actually tested on this grammar when she took the GMAT (standardized test to enter graduate programs in business). In the second exercise, we went over noun clauses from various e-mails I had written. (Just like yesterday, all the noun clauses in the post are purple.) I wanted to show you how common it is to use noun clauses. Also, by having you change the noun clauses to questions (opposite of what we have been doing), I can see how well you really understand the rules.

There was also a question about pronouns with phrasal verbs. The pronoun must be placed between the verb and preposition. Look at these examples:
Throw the trash away. Throw away the trash. Throw it away. Throw away it-- NO!
Turn the TV off. Turn off the TV. Turn it off. Turn off it-- NO!

After that, we moved on to recycling. The 4-minute write gave you a chance to brainstorm ideas on your own. Thank you for taking the recycled pads of paper. I have gotten at least 1,000 pads made for the program, so if you need more, please let me know! I showed you the information on the new recycling procedure in parts of Clark County (outside of Vancouver) to follow up Kim's question from yesterday. Then, we did our last GED reading. I timed you to, hopefully, force you to answer the questions faster. We'll finish going over the answers tomorrow.

We all learned something new today-- Washington has 39 counties, but remember that Washington County is in Oregon :)!

Let's keep our fingers crossed that the sun returns tomorrow!

Week 4-- Day 13

2009-04-27T17:37:00.000-07:00

Good evening! I have to tell you that I used our idiom/slang of the day to veg out several times today! Remember: I'll only teach you ones that we really use in real life! Other slang we talked about included couch potato and to be glued to the TV. I hope you had a good day and get a chance to relax and veg out tonight, so you're all ready for tomorow's class!

We talked about our last grammar section that you will be quizzed on Thursday. Basically, the rule is that you use the simple form of the verb in the noun clause that follow certain verbs/phrases such as: it is important/essential/imperative, advise, ask, suggest, recommend, etc. We'll practice it again tomorrow. Your observations were correct-- there are other ways to say this same grammar. For example: She asked me to call her soon. She asked that I call her soon.
We will review today's rules tomorrow with a short exercise. Then, we will analyze noun clauses taken from authentic writing-- e-mails. One of the reasons for this particular practice is to show you how often we really do use noun clauses. If you read these posts carefully on our class blog, I'm sure you can find many. (I've put them in purple in this post.)

After that, we finished up the connectors exercise. It can be confusing to remember the different meanings (opposite, chronological order, effect/result, etc.).

We moved back into recycling with a ged reading exercise. We will continue tomorrow by looking at some other resources and another ged exercise. I found the information on recycling that Kim mentioned. I linked it to my web page for you to see. Clark County has changed recycling instructions, but the City of Vancouver hasn't decided whether or not to change.

Hope you're enjoying a relaxing, rainy evening! See you soon.

Week 3-- Day 12

2009-04-23T15:16:00.000-07:00

Class started with a cartoon with our slang: scapegoat. It was interesting to find out that in so many different languages, goat is used in the same way (a person who takes the blame for someone else).

It seems that you got the grammar. I am confident you will ace next week's quizzes. The Story of Stuff was a new way to introduce the theme of garbage/recycling through listening (and more reported speech practice, too!). Because the narrator speaks quickly, it really is a great listening exercise. You can alway go back to the site and listen to it again and again!

I hope you enjoyed our chocolate chip cookie taste test. I thought it was a fun way to introduce the writing rubric-- I did this in a workshop I attended during spring break. Basically, a rubric is used, so the student (and the teacher, too) know exactly why a grade is given and how to improve. I know it looks complicated, but I promise it will become clearer as you work on your writing this quarter. I had you grade the sample essay, so you had a better idea as to how they are used. I'm asking you to e-mail your essays to me, so you have a chance to work on your computer skills, too. If you aren't sure how to send an attachment or have questions on formatting, please let me know.

Remember, we will have our quizzes on Thursday. I suggest that you create original sentences to practice the vocabulary. For the grammar, review your notes, textbook rules/exercises and handouts from me.

Have a great weekend! Hopefully it will stay sunny!

Week 3-- Day 11

2009-04-22T13:26:00.001-07:00

Squeeze was our slang of the day. It can be a noun or verb, just like hug. We also had embrace (formal for hug) and to take a liking to (to like; also formal).

It seems that everyone has a fairly good understanding of reported speech. We've done a lot of different kinds of practice-- book exercises, authentic listening (yesterday), and a short news article.

We finished up our section on water. I will tally your votes and keep track of our top choices for the different environmental themes. The test-taking practice showed how difficult it is to make clear test questions and gave you a chance to see how much you really understood from the readings. Although the reading assessment will not be a memory test of content (it tests your reading strategies instead), the vocabulary quiz is. You will need to study the vocabulary in order to pass the quiz.

I gave you an example of an argumentative essay (written by a former student) so that you would have a reference for format. I had you find the thesis statement, topic sentences and concluding statement quickly. By doing this, I could see if you remembered where to find them. In addition, we were able to get the main ideas fast (without having to read the entire essay). The reference handout will come in handy as you write this quarter (and beyond). As I said, the first error that students tend to do is not include any (or enough) connectors. The second error (which is a bit more complicated) is that students will mix up the meanings of the connectors. That's why this handout is so important. We'll go over your answers tomorrow.

Have a wonderful partly-sunny day!
Sara

Week 3-- Day 10

2009-04-21T18:11:00.000-07:00

Wasn't it a beautiful day? (Don't you notice the negative question? I'm just giving you the chance to see it in "real English". Of course, I expect you to agree with me!)

I introduced you to the slang, pack rat. I feel I'm definitely a pack rat-- I save baby clothes, old pictures, cards, etc. You name it, I save it! Then, we listened to a story from Story Corps. I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I do. NPR airs the program once a week and you can find them on the web site. I used the story for listening practice (native speaker/radio show) to practice reported speech. Tomorrow, we will have one more focused activity on reported speech and then we'll move on.

The drip calculator was interesting-- it's hard to imagine how much water the drips amount to. I took your ideas to conserve water and made a ballot for you. I'll keep track of our top choices (water, garbage, etc.). It looks like we'll be having a green cleaning demonstration on May 7. I'm still working on getting the other speakers. You created comprehension questions on the pre-ged readings for test preparation. I took some of your questions (and some of my own) and developed a worksheet for tomorrow's class.

You're also doing well with the error corrections. Sometimes, they're difficult to spot.

Tomorrow we'll get back to writing, but the exciting rubric activity won't be until Thursday. Have a good night!

Week 3-- Day 9

2009-04-20T18:04:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful day! It feels like summer!

Today's class started with a cartoon related to the environment. Some of you might have gotten new vocabulary (revolutionary, podium) and hopefully you got the joke, too. We practiced the sounds with meanings-- hmm, I think it's fun and funny to practice this. The dialogue gave us practice with casual conversation and some new vocabulary too: long time, no see (I haven't seen you for a long time), to be busy as a bee (busy), moonlighting (working a part-time job when you already have a full-time job), you can say that again (I strongly agree with you.). Thank you to our actresses for reading the dialogues-- Marguerite and Kim!

We finished up the grammar exercise that we started last week. We focused on the exceptions to changing verb tenses to the past form (general truth, immediate reporting, commands, reporting verb in present (say) /future (will say)/present perfect (have said).

Then, we did our goal-setting activity. We set goals in lots of different ways-- the lime green introduction sheet from the first day of class, this required program sheet, journal entries, your appointments with me outside of class, etc.). If this is the first time for you to study in my class, be sure to sign up for your first appointment! One interesting difficulty that came up is how to react quickly in an unexpected situation (I'm referring specifically to Peggy's post office example. She explained very well how she felt upset with herself in the situation, not the postal clerk). I need some time to think of an activity to tackle this.

Finally, we returned to reading. We are using a pre-GEd reading to give you a chance to work on answering detail questions quickly.

Tomorrow, we will do a listening as part of our grammar work. It is one of my favorite stories from one of my favorite NPR shows, Story Corps, http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4516989. I strongly suggest these stories for listening practice. They're short, you'll hear "real" people speaking and you can read a summary of it it, too. We'll also finish up the vocabulary and finish our environmental section on water.

I hope you are enjoying this beautiful evening.

Week 2-- Day 8

2009-04-19T19:31:00.000-07:00

Good evening! What a gorgeous weekend we have had! I hope you were able to enjoy the springy weather! We spent most of our weekend packing and cleaning, but did manage to squeeze in a bike ride along the Burnt Bridge path.

Let's see...Thursday we began class with our idiom/slang-- the computers are down. Then we practiced reported speech, with our fast food dialogue (practicing some pronunciation, too). I'll have to check and see if you remember all the funny sounds that have meaning in English. We'll be continuing these same grammar rules tomorrow-- it is tricky to remember all of the changes that you need to do (follow rules for wh- & yes/no questions or that).

Then, we finished up the introduction to argumentative essays. The twist when writing these essays is the final support paragraph-- the counterargument. I'm looking forward to introducing rubrics to you as I have a fun (really, it will be fun) new introduction.

If you are free on Thursday after class, I hope you will attend the Conversation Lunches. It was a lot of fun last week. If we are lucky and have nice weather this week, we might try to go outside for a Conversation Picnic.

See you in the a.m.

Week 2-- Day 7

2009-04-15T17:47:00.000-07:00

Our idiom/slang of the day was hand-me-downs. Ex. Since I'm the oldest in my family, my youngers sister had to wear my hand-me-downs. Other words and phrases from today's class include: Many moons ago (a long time ago), kids (baby goats), tend (likely to; probably).

We did it-- we got through probably the most complicated grammar lesson of the quarter. We took the basic noun clause rules that we've been discussing for over a week and applied them to reported speech. I introduced the lesson with the dictation to once again give you focused spelling practice. This time I purposefully used some difficult sounds (th, can/can't). We talked about direct/quoted speech. These punctuation rules are especially important if you will continue on at Clark College and take English composition classes. The focus for our class is the reported speech. The tricky thing to remember is changing the tenses to the past forms in most cases (except might/should/ought to/past perfect/general truth/immediate reporting or when the reporting verb is in the present/future/present perfect).

We voted for guest speakers again, too. We'll have to talk about it again. It looks like it might be a good idea to have 3 speakers if possible: personal safety, green cleaning & health insurance.

We got started on group projects. I gave you lots of choices, so you are more likely to find something that interests you. Remember, you can take advantage of the opportunities even if you it's not part of your group project. I have already e-mailed 9-1-1 to set up a sit along for 3 of our students.

We also (finally) got back to essays. We will go over the format by filling in an outline based on the sample essay. We will also brainstorm topics.

See you in the morning!

Week 2-- Day 6

2009-04-14T14:21:00.000-07:00

Today we began class by talking about all the different meanings of green-- "good for the environment; being environmentally conscious", "inexperienced" or "green with envy-- jealous".

Then, we worked on noun clauses starting with that. We started with a dictation to focus your listening and spelling. In that exercise, some of you got a new word: chamomile tea. The main point of today's grammar lesson is to remember that "that" is necessary when the noun clause begins the sentence. Otherwise, it is optional and more often used in writing.

I thought we had some good discussion on the similarities and differences in schools (U.S. vs. your native country). I showed the pictures of schoolchildren, so we all had an image of unforms in our mind. We started the sample essay by doing a vocabulary exercise. I gave you another clue for your vocabulary quiz: Remember that "a" tells you that the next word begins with a consonant and "an" tells you that it will begin with a vowel. I will give you the answers to the vocabulary right away, so we can get started with essay form right away.

I've decided to have one more vote to choose guest speakers. This will be in addition to a conversation with American students.

It looks like the clouds have returned-- hopefully the sunshine will be back in the morning!

Week 2-- Day 5

2009-04-13T16:27:00.000-07:00

Today was another good day. We didn't goof off :) and completed the next section of grammar-- using infinitives (to + simple form of verb) in noun clauses. They have the meaning of "can/could & should". You seem to recognize this grammar in your own speaking. Tomorrow's grammar should be a piece of cake. The confusing grammar will start on Wednesday.

We voted for our guest speaker--results to come. Depending on the results, we may have a 3rd vote. Or we can add campus security as a 3rd opportunity. We'll have to see what happens.

As I said in class, I wasn't planning to use the "water" reading in class this spring, but changed my mind because the focus of your environmental topics (from your 4-minute quick write) was water for many of you. We went over the vocabulary and questions carefully to prepare you for the next GED reading we'll have this week. I will still time the questions to add pressure for you to answer them quickly. We'll also do the questions before the vocabulary to see how you do with a reading that you don't get to see first.

We also had some new vocabulary throughout today's class:

It's raining cats and dogs.: It's raining hard.
to be in a pickle: to have a dilemma
desert (dry land: stress on 1st syllable); dessert (ice cream: stress on 2nd syllable)
wedding reception: party after the wedding ceremony
wedding ceremony: when the bride & groom say their vows
wedding party: bride, bridesmaids, maid/matron of honor, flower girl & groom, groomsmen, groom, ring bearer.
to be tongue-tied
Cat got your tongue?

Here's the link to the article on the New York shooting: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/04/nyregion/04hostage.html?emc=eta1
How do you get your news? If you want to try something new, I suggest suscribing to the New York Times (on-line edition) via your e-mail. It's free! You can sign up to get the headlines sent to your inbox. Then, if you want to read the whole article, you can click on the headline. The New York Times is a credible news source.-- it's not sensational like the nightly news can be. Go to: http://www.nytimes.com/gst/regi.html

Have a good night!

Week 1-- Day 4

2009-04-09T14:59:00.000-07:00

This first week has flown by! I can't believe it's already over!

We've been very busy. In grammar, we have focused on the basic formation of noun clauses. Changing wh- and yes/no questions to noun clauses. The yes/no questions follow basically the same rules as the wh-. The difference is that you need to add "whether" or "if" because a yes/no question has no question word (what, where, etc.). Also, "if" can not begin the noun clause if the noun clause starts the sentence.

You wrote your first journal entry today. This gave you a chance to apply your grammar/spelling/vocabulary knowledge. The journals also give me the opportunity to better know each student. I will create an error-correction exercise based on your journals for next week.

We also worked on vocabulary-building by identifiying parts of speech in the sentence. This can help you when you come across new words when reading. You can also use this technique when you take your vocabulary quizzes in class.

We ended up watching the trailer for "An Inconvenient Truth" in response to your questions/comments. If you haven't seen "An Inconvenient Truth ", I highly recommend it. I believe it is a movie that everyone needs to see once. You can rent it from Blockbuster or Netflix. The library may even have it. If you can't find it anywhere, Susan T. may let you borrow it. As I said in class, I plan to focus on the topic of global warming and climate change by looking at it proactively- how can we make a difference?

I have typed up our second ballots for our guest speaker-- you'll vote today, so I can start making contacts.

I hope you have all enjoyed our rainy Northwest weekend. See you very soon.

Week 1-- Day 3

2009-04-08T12:12:00.000-07:00

It seemed to me that everyone has a better understanding of the basic rules of noun clauses (beginning with question words). I thought we had another good discussion as we reviewed the basics by checking for errors in the example sentences and going over the exercise in the grammar book.

I dictated the questions on the pie chart to give you spelling/listening practice. The questions on the pie chart were to work on different skills-- comprehension, opinion, analysis. Tomorrow, we will continue our work on the environment with a vocabulary activity. We will be working on vocabulary strategies/clues.

I want you to know that I looked up the word "data" on an on-line dictionary. The entry said that data can be used in a singular form. Look it up for more information by going to: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/data. I also double-checked by typing a sentence in a Microsoft Word document-- my grammar wasn't underlined in green. When your sentence is underlined in green, the grammar is incorrect.

Great ideas for listening! We'll vote on guest speakers tomorrow. Since "telephone" was mentioned a few times, I will include that in homework assignments this quarter. This week's homework assignment gives you the choice of calling on the phone or using the Internet. You need to decide which skill is most important for you to work on (Internet or telephone). Of course, you can do both!

As I mentioned quickly in class, if you want to sit with a 9-1-1 dispatcher for a 2-hour shift, I can arrange that for you. If you're interested in sitting with a police officer for a couple of hours during his/her shift, I will have the applications tomorrow. I will pick them up from police headquarters this afternoon.

Have a great afternoon & evening!

Week 1-- Day 2

2009-04-07T14:40:00.000-07:00

I hope all of you are enjoying this gorgeous weather we are having! I just got back to my office after running a couple of errands.

To recap today's class...

Today's grammar lesson was a little longer than it usually is. I felt it was a good lesson-- lots of thoughtful questions. It seemed to me that you are understanding the basic rules-- "Noun clauses act like nouns (subjects or objects) in a sentence. They always need a subject + verb (in this order). " We will continue to work on noun clauses with question words tomorrow morning. I hope you find it to be a review for you as we talk about the rules once again.

I introduced Conversation Journals quickly this morning. (We will do an entry later this week.) We did the 4-minute quick write in order to 1) find out what interests you about the environment and environmental issues 2) give you an opportunity to write (with time pressure). I noticed that the groups were engaged and brought up a lot of good points. The main issues we came up with are: pollution , save energy, chemicals in food, garbage/recycling, not wasting resources, how to protect the environment, wind/water/solar power (clean energy), water (save, pollution, drinking water quality,waste water), effects of global warming, climate change, keeping green, keeping our forests rich.

To further introduce the topic of the environment, I used the "U.S. Global Warming Emissions" pie chart. To help you think about the topic more, I had you guess where the categories belong. To have you analyze the amounts, I asked you to guess the percentages for each (instead of giving you the answers first.) Tomorrow, I will dictate questions (on the pie chart) for you to write. After correcting the spelling, we will answer the questions to check your understanding of the chart.

I look forward to tomorrow's class! Have a good night!

Week 1-- Day 1

2009-04-06T12:46:00.000-07:00

Today was a busy first day! You filled out the "very bright green" information sheets, so I have a little bit of background information before I meet with you at your appointment. We did the "pink quiz" to introduce you to my teaching style and what you can expect in class this quarter.

I tried a new syllabus activity this time, so you had the chance to read a section of it more carefully. I'm always trying to make the syllabus a more enjoyable learning activity.

Then, we introduced our first grammar section of the quarter-- noun clauses. Noun clauses act like a noun (subject or object) in a sentence. They always have a subject + verb (in this order).

As you will see tomorrow, we will begin learning about noun clauses by changing wh- questions (who, what, where, why, when, how) to clauses. It is very common to use these types of noun clauses in polite questions.

Ex. "What time is it?" "Could you tell me what time it is?"

I hope you are enjoying this very beautiful April afternoon! See you in the morning!

Welcome to Spring Quarter!

2009-04-06T08:18:00.000-07:00

I hope you have all had a restful and fun break. I am looking forward to the next 10 weeks and I hope you are, too!

I've decided to use a blog this quarter. I will be posting after class to recap what we studied. I will also be using the blog to further explain the goals of the lessons. As computer skills become more and more important at school, work and home, I thought this would be a good experience for all of us (me, too)!

I'd also like you to post comments throughout the quarter. It will be much more fun if others are writing too!

See you very soon!