Our rainy last week....

Last Tuesday we FINALLY took our fieldtrip to the Renton Library and Renton History Museum!
We had a scavenger hunt at the Library for various items, and discovered how to reserve and print on a library computer.  The Renton History Museum highlighted the background of the area, and tied in well with some of the readings we have been doing.
THIS WEEK;  PLEASE FINISH the Journal story if you haven't yet, and also please listen to and read Part One  of the TRUE ADVENTURE STORY: The Open Boat.  In class we will discuss vocabulary and talk about travel adventures.

Week of Nov. 30th....

HOMEWORK: 
FINISH READING THE HANDOUT, The Journal of Wong Ming-Chung.
Please think about the writing style of this book as you read. Make notes about:
1.  What makes the book seem realistic?  Write at least 3 things.
2.  As an immigrant, in what ways is this similar to your experience?  Write at least 2 similarities.

Watch this short video, related to our in-class reading:
Student Rally

Then, read and listen to this related story. NOTICE THE DATE!
out of state tuition
Then do this:
fill in words

ALSO, if you have time, try Spreeder: http://spreeder.com/
Use a simple story for this, such as one from eslfast.com

A NEW site I ran into after class: www.weareamericastories.org.  You can explore it if you have time.
SEE YOU AT THE LIBRARY ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 7th!!




~~~~~~~~
1. Today, please read this and answer the questions on the handout. DO NOT USE YOUR DICTIONARY!

Los Angeles Times - Reporting from Fresno —  (abridged by E. Falconer)

He's the Cal State Fresno student body president — and an illegal immigrant

Campus officials say Pedro Ramirez, who came to the U.S. from Mexico at age 3, has not violated any school rules, and declined the $9,000 stipend because of his immigration status. Critics call for his resignation.

1) The parents of popular Cal State Fresno Student Body President Pedro Ramirez always talked a lot about el sueño Americano — the American Dream.

He was to study hard, get good grades and claim the prize, but it wasn't until that night in their kitchen when the high school valedictorian was filling out university applications that they told him a missing detail — he wasn't a United States citizen. He was born in Mexico. He came to this country when he was 3 years old.

2)Now, an anonymous tip to the college newspaper has forced Ramirez to publicly expose his secret and has put this son of a maid and a restaurant worker into the thick of a debate on immigration and education that has reached a boiling point in recent weeks. Some have called for his resignation while others have rallied to his defense.

3) "In a way, I'm relieved," said Ramirez, a 22-year-old political science major from Tulare, Calif. "I don't want to be a liability or cost the school donations. I never really thought this was going to happen. But now that it's out there, I finally feel ready to say 'Yes, it's me. I'm one of the thousands.' "

Ramirez's critics say he wasn't honest with the student body about his immigration status when he ran for president and should resign.

4) "He misled the students … he should step down," Cole Rojewski, president of the campus' College Republicans and one of Ramirez's opponents in the race for president, said in a television interview.

School administrators said Ramirez broke no rules by running for president of Associated Students Inc.

5) "To our way of thinking he hasn't done anything wrong," said Paul Oliaro, vice president for Student Affairs.

6)"This is a very diverse region, agriculture is dominant, and this is going to cause a lot of controversy. But the reality is that these students are … here, they're legitimate students, and if anything, Pedro shows what they can contribute," Oliaro said, adding, "We'll see how this plays out."

7)A foreshadowing of Ramirez's step into public discourse came with what at first seemed good news for him. After winning the presidency by a sizable margin in June, he found out that it came with a $9,000 stipend.

He was going to school under a law that allows students who attended a California high school for at least three years to pay the in-state tuition rate.

But with no documents, Ramirez couldn't receive any federal aid or legally work. He helped his father mow lawns and helped his mother clean houses to make money. Often he had less than $5 in his bank account.

He looked at the forms and realized he couldn't fill them out without a Social Security number.

8)"He personally notified me and ASI advisers about his immigration status, and volunteered to serve without pay as president, since his status does not allow him to receive a paycheck," Cal State Fresno President John Welty said in a prepared statement.

9)Ramirez said he had run on a platform focused on giving students more of a voice and more services. He didn't think his personal situation was relevant to the campaign.

10)He spends about 30 hours a week going to meetings as a student representative. He is also involved in the Dream Network — an organization of undocumented students working for passage of the Dream Act, a proposed federal law that would allow students living in the U.S. illegally to earn legal status if they graduate from high school and complete two years in college or the military.

11) Ramirez's exposure could not have come at a more contentious time.

On Monday, the California Supreme Court decided unanimously that illegal immigrants who graduated from state high schools can continue to receive lower, in-state tuition at California's public universities and colleges. It's the first state Supreme Court ruling of its kind in the nation.

12) On Wednesday, Ramirez said he had no intention of stepping down from his position unless the students who elected him demanded it.

He said he had only one concern: "Could you leave my parents out of it?" he asked. "They've done everything for me."  

Watch this short video:
Student Rally

Then, read and listen to this related story. NOTICE THE DATE!

out of state tuition
Then do this:
fill in words

What do you think about this situation?  Be ready to discuss in class.


Other online work - do with a partner!
SUFFIXES:
Movement
Awareness
Creation

CROSSWORDS:
Crosswords
LAST BUT NOT LEAST:
SPREADER!!!

REGULAR CLASS TODAY!

Meet on campus today....we'll try and do the field trip next week.....

TUESDAY CLASS CANCELLED!

Sorry but we won't be going to the library - all classes are cancelled due to snow.  HAVE A NICE THANKSGIVING.

Laurance Yep and more...

HOMEWORK FOR THIS WEEK:  Finish reading the excerpt from "The Journal of Wong Ming-Chung".  Please think about the writing style of this book as you read. Make notes about:
1.  What makes the book seem realistic?  Write at least 3 things.
2.  As an immigrant, in what ways is this similar to your experience?  Write at least 2 similarities.
Bring your homework to the library.

QUIA READING:  Please do this reading exercise at Quia: Tell the World
Make sure to log in first. (Daniel and Kelvin, please email me and I'll send you your login information.)

FOR FUN!  Try these crossword puzzles of OPPOSITES: Opposites
They start easy and get harder...how many can you do??

SEE YOU AT THE RENTON LIBRARY NEXT TUESDAY!

Computer lab, we did:
Today we are going to find out more about Laurence Yep, author of the book we are reading, "The Journal of Wong Ming-Chung".

First, read about him on on Wikipedia. Fill in the handout about him.

Then, take a look at this video:   Yep
How is his life different from his father's life?
How does he define writing?
In what way can you relate to what he has to say?

Here is a prefix practice page:
Prefixes


And work on homonyms here: Matching Homonyms
and here:
Think fast!


Today, last but not least: SPREADER!

NEXT WEEK:  FIELDTRIP TO THE RENTON LIBRARY AND HISTORY MUSEUM!

Week of Nov. 9th....

HOMEWORK THIS WEEK:
1) Do the casas test reading practice; please try level 2 or higher. (Link is on right.) If you print your results I will be happy to look at them with you next week!
2) I have posted a Compass Test Reading Practice to Quia. It is at: Compass Test Reading Practice
Please LOG IN and take the quiz.  (KELVIN: I WILL GIVE YOU A LOG-IN CODE ON FRIDAY.)

3) Continue reading "The Journal of Wong Ming-Chung."  Next week in class I would like to discuss some things relating to the story and your own life such as:
- Did everyone agree that you should come to the US?  What were some arguments for and against it?
- Did you have conflicting feelings about coming here?
- Do you feel you are lucky?  Do you think some people have good luck and some people have bad luck?
- What does the proverb, "Stinking money, fragrant ink" mean?

Also circle words or phrases that you would like to discuss in class.

GOOD LUCK!!



In computer lab today:
Read the first four paragraphs of this article, and be able to answer the main ideas of who/what/when/where/why: New Silk Road

Then take a look at the video (with text) at this site; listen to video first, then listen and read it a second time:  New Museum Opening
What did you learn?

Other activities to be announced!!

Week of Nov. 2nd....

A small but vibrant class today!! We are focusing this week on looking at reading/vocabulary building on a multi-dimensional level: When you are reading about something, new words can be better heard and understood when you listen to conversations or watch related videos.

This week:
- Do the last pages of the reading handout, about Yo Yo Ma and the Silk Road Project.
- Finish watching thevideo on Yo Yo Ma and the Silk Road Project. (Link is below) Listen for new vocabulary and listen for vocabulary that is also in our reading about him. As you listen, write down any unfamiliar words that you hear.
You might also be thinking about things such as: People "discovering" their roots; the "Americanization" of other cultures, and the importance of music in different cultures today. I think we can have a great discussion about this next week.

- Watch the short video of him playing classical music, so that you have an idea of his background.

I will bring in more Compass Test practice next week. I am really dissatisfied with the example I brought to class, which seems to be an incomplete reading.  The answers, according to the source, are: 1B, 2A, 3A, 4C, 5C, 6B, and 7A.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today in computer lab we worked on several things:
WHO? WHAT? WHEN? WHERE? WHY? These are the things that should be answered in the first paragraph of every news story.
1. Go to google news.  Look up Silk Road.  What is the latest news about it?

2. At google news,  search for news from your native country.  Find 2-3 articles and scan them for the main ideas.  Then we will print one article to bring to class for discussion. (Cut and paste the article into a word document first.)

3. As our pre-reading project for class, visit Silk Road music project.  Watch the first 7 minutes. (You can watch the rest during the week.)

(IF THERE'S TIME....and you want to hear him play a classical piece, visit youtube)

4. Last but not least, use these stories: visit to asia and The loose button at spreeder.com.

Oct. 26th...

We got lots of exercise in the rain today, as we were moved from room to room to avoid the orientation students who were in our classroom. Thank you everyone for your patience!
We did the computer lab projects listed below, and then we went over our reading of the Delaney Sisters and previewed next week's assignment.  We will be talking about the silk road.  In reading, we are concentrating on gathering information without using dictionaries, finding personal ways to relate to readings, and looking for ways to predict and find information BEFORE reading.
This week, do the take-home homework handout.  Also try to find ways to incorporate a few new idioms in your speech...this will help to strengthen your vocabulary skills. Remember, every skill strengthens the others......GOOD LUCK.

In computer lab:
Look up any images or information that will help you to further understand the homework assignment.
Then:
Go to Simple Wikipedia.
Skim the page, and be able to answer these questions:
1. What is a Wikipedia?
2. Who can change it?
3. Who can use the pages?
4.  What should you keep in mind when writing articles?
5. Which "knowledge group" looks most interesting to you?

Then, explore Simple Wiktionary
Look up xenophobia.  What is it?

NEXT: A place to look up IDIOMS!
Look in A-C. Find 2 or three that seem useful and bring them to class!

Last but not least, practice speed reading at spreeder.com, using stories from eslfast.com

Living a long life....

Good job in class today.  In the computer lab we explored wordia and worked on speed reading with spreeder.  We also did some online listening and reading exercises, and practiced scanning for ideas.
Our theme for the day was good health (including mental health!)

In class we read some more and talked more about "traffic signs" in reading....everyone is becoming more skillful at analyzing and preparing to read so that more information is understood and retained.

NOTE: HOWEVER is talking about a NEW idea:  I like tomatoes. However, I don't like ketchup.  (SURPRISE! I like A, but not B)
THEREFORE refers to the previous sentence: I like tomatoes. therefore I like ketchup.  (OBVIOUSLY! I like A, so I like B too.)

This week's homework:
1. Do the take-home handout on the Delaney Sisters.  Make sure to do the pre-reading questions BEFORE you read.

2.  Do the take-home handout on prefixes.

3.  QUIA: Do the two reading practice exercises for week five.  Make sure to sign in with your username ane password so that I can see your progress!

Oct. 19th...

Our new website to help us with reading iswordia.comPlease look something up and see what you think.

Today in computer lab,  we will be reading About Words
FIND AS MANY EXAMPLES OF SIGNPOSTS (But, also, for example, means) in the story as you can.
Write them down.

If there's time, listen to this article as well:
About handwashing:About handwashing


Last but not least, try to increase your reading speed with stories from   ESL FAST at spreeder.com

Week Four

Great job this week -- everyone is very focused and determined.
 Today in the computer lab we continued working on ways to make use of the computer to enhance our reading. We explored the KCLS library system and students who don't have cards ordered them. We put books on hold and looked at programs. Also we looked at "Mango" - a new language download offered at the library.
We also took at look at some images from last week's Quia readings to add depth to our knowledge of what we have read.
Last but not least we tried out spreeder.com - it seems that it has a lot of potential as a speed
reading tool.  In class, we scanned for words in "Mother Tongue" and looked over some ways to understand words without a dictionary.

THIS WEEK:
1.  THERE ARE FOUR QUIA ACTIVITIES for this week (Week Four). Please do them!
2. LISTEN TO AND READ the article about headaches.  We will be discussing it in class next week. Here is the link:
Headaches
3.  For fun!  Try these two activities to work on homonyms.  First, do this:
Homonyms 1
Pretty easy, right? Then, try this:
Homonyms - Speed words
Note: SPELLING CITY: If you have not completed last week's words from "Mother Tongue" please do that, print, and bring to class.
GOOD LUCK!

Columbus Day

Here is the text to cut and paste for "Spreeder" (in-class activity)

Nancy was new to America. She came to America speaking only her native language. She brought her 8-year-old son with her. He was all she had in the world.

They found an apartment in Arcadia. They were there for only two months when a neighbor’s dog jumped over the fence. The dog ran toward Nancy’s son. Nancy put her body in between the dog and her son. The dog stopped when it saw Nancy screaming at it. She was going to punch it in the nose. The dog turned around.

Shaking, Nancy took her son upstairs. They stayed in the apartment all weekend. Then Nancy found another apartment, close to the school that her son was going to attend.

She and her son walked everywhere. One day her son started coughing badly. He had an asthma attack. All the walking was making his asthma worse.

Nancy knew that she had to buy a car. So she called up the Honda dealer. She talked to a salesman who spoke her language. She told him that she wanted to buy a new car if he could come over to pick her up. The salesman said he would be right over.

Week Three

We practiced skimming and scanning for information today, in the computer lab and in the classroom. We found information about the Community College Summit, and read more about Amy Tan's life.  You did a good job of analyzing the content and tone of two different cut-up articles in class. We also went over the reading handout about non-verbal communication.  Then we did an initial reading of Amy Tan's "Mother Tongue" using our highlighters for the first and last sentences to the paragraphs.

HOMEWORK THIS WEEK:  Finish highlighting the first and last sentences of each paragraph, then read "Mother Tongue."  Read it twice; once to get the general idea, and a second time to understand and enjoy it more fully. As you read, think about parallels with your own life.  This week, notice the different kinds of "Englishes" that you hear while shopping, in class, at home. Also notice if and when your own language changes when you speak to different people.  Be ready to talk about that next week.

QUIA:  Do the "Week Three" reading activity.

SPELLING PRACTICE: There are 30 vocabulary words from "Mother Tongue" at the Spelling City link.   Learn them, and try to get 90% or more right.  Please print your test result and bring it to class. 

~~~~
In the computer lab today:
What is going on at the White House?  Skim the news at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/
What can you learn at this website?

Also:
- What is President Obama doing at 12:15 today?

See related news at RTC's website:
http://rtc.edu/News/articleview.aspx?id=273

and here:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/communitycollege

We will be discussing the gist of what you learned in class.

WEEK TWO!

We have a NEW CLASS MEETING TIME: 10:45- 2:45, which will hopefully improve the parking situation. Thank you all for your patience with this very frustrating situation.

THIS WEEK:
1) Please try to find an answer to at least one question you have come up with from reading about Amy Tan. (READING LEADS TO QUESTIONS. QUESTIONS LEAD TO MORE READING....)
Bring the information to the next class.

2) Do the take-home reading assignment and questions.  Bring to the next class.

3) Do the Quia assignment! (Link on top right.) I will be emailing you  a password for Quia so you can log in when you get there. That way, I can see how you do. If you don't understand, please email me!

4) Do the Spelling Practice! (Link on top right.)

5) OPTIONAL: IF YOU CAN, please visit a KCLS library or go the library online kcls.org and view (or check out!) books by Amy Tan or biographies about Amy  Tan.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK..FIND THINGS TO READ ALL AROUND YOU!

Our first assignment

It was great to get the course going today...this is a very motivated and focused class. I am looking forward to helping everyone improve their reading skills.

This week's homework:
1. Read and do the exercises for the Amy Tan handout I gave you. Bring to next class.
2. Check google news 3 times this week, and see if there are any follow-up  or related stories from the list that you created in class. Write short notes about them.
3. Go to the Quia link (upper right on this blog) and do the 2 activities.  One is a vocabulary-building exercise, and the other is a reading skills exercise. (You do not have to log in.)
Also   - If you know anyone else who would like to join the class, have them email me.

As always, email me at any time if you have questions!

Welcome to the Class!

Welcome to the class!

In our first class we will be taking an assessment for explore: What kind of learner are you?
The link is here: Learning Assessment for Students
We will also be creating our own google news page, and discussing reading strategies.

In class, we will be looking at a reading together.