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.