tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63062736612498154522024-03-18T21:53:49.671-07:00TESOL TIPSAll about teaching English!TESOL GLOBALhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00848846541133971114noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306273661249815452.post-5433871340023106972012-05-30T00:00:00.002-07:002012-05-30T00:01:44.590-07:00English is a foreign language.<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="goog_1573104735"></span><span id="goog_1573104736"></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidTRCH3bYk7gqbUyLILOfhY8-DJs0JSGgbiouOt1q90m9XAzWJoK0lr5WrCnakUbj8JCLnj37LJ8aWD6wGEsa7yV64l2O29T_wHMH8nkmpBv1ESPwrdgnpoNvwW0Ie3AavYXFtiNO1gZA/s1600/world.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidTRCH3bYk7gqbUyLILOfhY8-DJs0JSGgbiouOt1q90m9XAzWJoK0lr5WrCnakUbj8JCLnj37LJ8aWD6wGEsa7yV64l2O29T_wHMH8nkmpBv1ESPwrdgnpoNvwW0Ie3AavYXFtiNO1gZA/s1600/world.gif" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">There are many words in English came from other languages. Such as ‘boulevard’ and ‘garage,’ for example, come from the French language, while ‘violin’ and ‘balcony’ are on loan from Italian. Teach your students about it and come download this week's lesson plan!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B-j6oNaJEQDwTWY0bnpSekFPeGc/edit"><i>English is a foreign language</i> Lesson Plan</a></span><br />
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</span>TESOL GLOBALhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00848846541133971114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306273661249815452.post-4395115700427398942012-05-22T23:28:00.005-07:002012-05-22T23:31:18.101-07:00How to place your students Part 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm3hUncxX3y7fD7ltGu-tgmZ0AM55xtil2Rr3KkFduOLtqrRwLbfergrQoD2pdBmuHegPhDZMrNEiq647iKUTwdWcKSnBUI2ceNnYKaWOgZpxm3K1Yld75jg-oPDeZQRUuZQFnZxPmsGY/s1600/DSC08662.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm3hUncxX3y7fD7ltGu-tgmZ0AM55xtil2Rr3KkFduOLtqrRwLbfergrQoD2pdBmuHegPhDZMrNEiq647iKUTwdWcKSnBUI2ceNnYKaWOgZpxm3K1Yld75jg-oPDeZQRUuZQFnZxPmsGY/s320/DSC08662.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Following our previous articles, now it is the finally two levels that your students should be able to perform. However, please keep this in mind that many school in Taiwan place students according to their age, not with their ability. Often you will have class full with beginners and one kid who can speak perfect and fluent English.<br />
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<b>Upper-intermediate</b><br />
At this level students can speak and write with reasonable fluency using a range of tenses and expressions for linking ideas. They can use appropriate language in a variety of situations demonstrating an understanding of formal and informal language.<br />
Grammar to cover includes:<br />
✓ To have something done: students are used to speaking about actions they do themselves. With this grammatical structure they can express the idea of paying or instructing other people to do things. For example, I had my house painted.<br />
✓ Third conditional: If I had known, I wouldn’t have done it.<br />
✓ Reported speech: She said that she . . .<br />
✓ Defining relative clauses: The man who is standing over there is nervous.<br />
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✓ Modal verbs in the past: I could have come.<br />
✓ Passive verb forms: The room was cleaned.<br />
✓ The verb to wish: I wish I could go, you wish you were me (after wish you use a verb in one of the past tenses, so students have to learn this verb separately)<br />
✓ To be used to/ to get used to: I'm used to London now but I'm still getting used to my new job. Students easily confuse these two grammatical structures.<br />
✓ Past perfect continuous tense: I had been working.<br />
✓ Future perfect: I will have written it.<br />
Vocabulary to cover includes:<br />
✓ Adjectives of personality: generous, manipulative.<br />
✓ Medical problems: ache, bruise, sprain.<br />
✓ Crime words: to arrest, fraud, mugging.<br />
✓ Feelings: hurt, fascinated, relieved.<br />
✓ Science and technology words: software, appliance.<br />
✓ Media and communications words: broadcasting, the press.<br />
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<b>Advanced</b><br />
Students at this level are able to communicate with native speakers without much difficulty. They get the gist of most texts and conversations and have sufficient vocabulary to express themselves on a wide variety of topics. The grammar and vocabulary they use is similar to that of native speakers even when it's not strictly necessary to be understood. Question tags, which showed in the following grammar list, provide a good example of this.<br />
Grammar to cover includes:<br />
✓ Prefixes and suffixes: respect/ disrespect/ disrespectful<br />
✓ Compound nouns: tooth + paste = toothpaste.<br />
✓ Active and stative verbs (actions and conditions): She bought (active) a motorbike and also owns (stative) a car.<br />
✓ Future perfect continuous tense: I will have been working.<br />
✓ Detailed rules on phrasal verbs: Phrasal verbs consist of a verb and a preposition or two that together make a new meaning. For example: to get on with someone, to put up with something.<br />
Vocabulary to cover includes:<br />
✓ Newspaper headlines. There are a number of words that are favorites for newspapers but hardly used elsewhere, for example, Minister Rapped After Expenses Probe. Journalists also like to be very playful with the language. They use nicknames, rhymes, and slang and students want to be in on the joke so that they can understand the press for themselves. However, it sometimes takes a great deal of explaining and a detailed<br />
analysis of the language for students to get the point.<br />
✓ Words with different connotations. Old and elderly have basically the same meaning. However, elderly is more polite than old when referring to people, so the connotation (attitude behind the word) is different. When students understand that words have similar meanings they also need to know the subtle but important differences between them.<br />
✓ Metaphors and similes. You use metaphors when you say that one thing is another because they're somehow similar. There was a storm of protest. Storm is a word that describes violent weather conditions but here it means a violent outburst.<br />
.Yoyohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421968758496775588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306273661249815452.post-1925879197871083292012-05-22T05:35:00.002-07:002012-05-22T09:10:25.634-07:00My TOEFL iBT experience and tips<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitba6UQhVy8T_Gks9rA2lNTNo9ynxOklDDva2X31HTTzXDPTerFrCdXPnCbPAp3JWhfhfSTp03qvlYBODCLexBZHstpf_0B8SrrUChMfRBKKyF9-pPDcNXdXbf9lKLvUBJ855gKKFz4y0/s1600/980614_006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitba6UQhVy8T_Gks9rA2lNTNo9ynxOklDDva2X31HTTzXDPTerFrCdXPnCbPAp3JWhfhfSTp03qvlYBODCLexBZHstpf_0B8SrrUChMfRBKKyF9-pPDcNXdXbf9lKLvUBJ855gKKFz4y0/s320/980614_006.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Many of us might teach TOEFL class before, but how many of you have ever taken TOEFL before?<br />
I took my first TOEFL iBT last weekend and with my first hand experience, here are the suggestions and tips I will pass onto my students.<br />
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1. Time:<br />
Since not all the testing centers here in Taiwan are run by ETS. Most of them are run by other authorized institutes such as Global Village. It is very important to be punctual but don't be there too early. They will NOT let you take the test first. ( ETS testing center in the states are first come first test based, hence you can choose take the test as soon as you arrived.)<br />
Other than managing your time during the test, you also need to pay closer attention on your break time. In ETS regulation, it does not allow any test takers to have watch on them, and the test center I was at does not have a clock on the wall. Therefore I almost missed my test...I went in when there was only 20 seconds left which was cutting really close.<br />
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2. Noise<br />
ETS testing centers in the states will provide noise canceling headphones or ear plugs, not in Taiwan. It might be really noisy and distract your attention. There was a microphone testing section before the test starts. When I took the test, there were two people who couldn't nail the sound check. They just kept testing and testing while I was on my reading section. For 5 minutes, I couldn't focus because their sounds just kept coming and I couldn't block it. So make sure you bring a pair of ear plugs with you.<br />
As for the speaking section, it is kind of ridiculous to be honest. I took my sweet time reading through the instructions, so I started my section a bit later. When I was still reading the instructions, I could hear the question/answer of the guy who sat next to me. And guess what, two minutes later, computer gave me the same question. And another two minutes later, I heard someone else was answering the same question. So for those students who might need a bit more time to prepare. I will suggest them to take their time reading through the instructions and try to listen to others. In that way, you would have a better idea of what you might encounter and can be prepared. You might be getting the same questions as they did.Yoyohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421968758496775588noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306273661249815452.post-51569257010418630832012-05-15T21:32:00.001-07:002012-05-22T05:06:35.812-07:00Free Worksheets and other great stuff!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTom6vYX11XU5zLw8IFOGo5Y6y6-DzIYaLKJIUr6vunzsCGqUyWb89wKECAlU-6HFdLuidWij8F_TCNod7pns9jlVOIGGSjWkCjq_LTmRS_GcAQwi4YrDKeD0xDakSpKhEXTNKy_lckkI/s1600/Free+Math+worksheets,+Free+phonics+worksheets,+Math+Games+and+Online+activities+and+Quizzes-123142.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTom6vYX11XU5zLw8IFOGo5Y6y6-DzIYaLKJIUr6vunzsCGqUyWb89wKECAlU-6HFdLuidWij8F_TCNod7pns9jlVOIGGSjWkCjq_LTmRS_GcAQwi4YrDKeD0xDakSpKhEXTNKy_lckkI/s640/Free+Math+worksheets,+Free+phonics+worksheets,+Math+Games+and+Online+activities+and+Quizzes-123142.png" width="640" /></a></div>
Do you need to teach elementary school math or need worksheets for your classes? If the answer is yes, this website is going to be a great help. <br />
This website contains addition, subtraction, fraction, multiplication and algebra worksheets and online games for your students to practice! What is great about this site is that you can set the criteria and design your own worksheets. It is great for homework or classroom practice. I often use it as time fillers that I can have some one-on-one reviewing time with student who doesn't understand that what I taught in class so the rest of the class won't go crazy.<br />
It also has great amount of worksheets on phonics, handwriting, science and social study.<br />
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<a href="http://www.softschools.com/math/" target="_blank">Softschool.com</a>Yoyohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421968758496775588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306273661249815452.post-36735563636800318542012-05-15T00:44:00.002-07:002012-05-15T00:45:28.312-07:00Who should be more responsible to children, parents or teachers?<div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Today at </span></span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/10/parent-report-cards-are-n_0_n_1507386.html?ref=education" style="color: #333333; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" target="_blank">Huffington.com </a><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> has an article discussing the state of Tennessee passed law that requires parents to grade themselves for participation in their children's work. </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">From my personal experience, there are so many parents in Taiwan think just because they send their kids to school, they have no responsibilities. Everything are the teachers' responsibilities. I personally witnessed numerous parents will call in our school and ask if</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="color: #333333; display: inline; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> the kids finish their homework yet. If not, they will refuse to come pick them up....We (teachers) have so many students per class, sometimes we might miss a mistake here and there. The parents will get extremely angry at us for "being lazy" where in fact they didn't bother to check once again before the kids hand in their home work. Not to mention if they did bad in their test in school.... I have seen countless examples like these. I think it is really important that parents have to assume their role as "parents" and stop pushing their responsibilities onto teachers.</span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++</div><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"></div><h1 class="title-news" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 32px; line-height: 36px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Tennessee Parent Report Cards Aim To Boost Support In Schools</h1><div class="comments_datetime_new border_none relative v05" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(219, 219, 219); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: black; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 9px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: relative;"><a class="print-link absolute" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/10/parent-report-cards-are-n_0_n_1507386.html?view=print&comm_ref=false" rel="nofollow" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://s.huffpost.com/images/v/authors_follow_icons.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: -80px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #c68700; display: block; height: 17px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-decoration: none; top: 0px; width: 20px;"></a><br />
<div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #999999; font-size: 11px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="bold color_1A1A1A" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #1a1a1a; font-weight: bold !important; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">By LUCAS L. JOHNSON II</span> 05/10/12 12:11 PM ET <span class="ap" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #d62d1c; font-weight: bold; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><img alt="AP" height="18" src="http://s.huffpost.com/images/v/ap_wire.png" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="18" /></span></div></div><br />
<div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Educators exasperated by the need for greater parent involvement have persuaded Tennessee lawmakers to sign off on a novel bit of arm-twisting: Asking parents to grade themselves on report cards.</div><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Another Tennessee measure signed into law recently will create parent contracts that give them step-by-step guidelines for pitching in. The report card bill – which would initially apply to two struggling schools – passed the Legislature, and the governor has said he is likely to sign it. Participation in the programs is voluntary.</div><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Only a few states have passed laws creating evaluations or contracts that put helping with homework or attending teacher conferences into writing. Tennessee is the only one so far to do report cards, though Utah has parents fill out an online survey and Louisiana is also considering parent report cards.</div><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">The measures are meant to address a complaint long voiced by teachers and principals: Schools can't do it alone.</div><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">"It's a proven fact that family engagement equals students' success," said James Martinez, spokesman for the National Parent Teacher Association.</div><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">"It's one of the key ingredients to education reform, to turning around schools, to improving our country's children's knowledge base compared to the rest of the world."</div><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Under Tennessee's contract legislation, parents in each school district are asked to sign a document agreeing to review homework and attend school functions or teacher conferences, among other things. Since it's voluntary, there's no penalty for failing to uphold the contract – but advocates say simply providing a roadmap for involvement is an important step.</div><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Michigan is the only state that has enacted a similar measure, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.</div><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">In the case of Tennessee's report card proposal, a four-year pilot program will be set up involving two of Tennessee's struggling schools. Parents of students in kindergarten through third grade will be given a blank report card at the same time as the students, and the parents will do a self-evaluation of their involvement in activities similar to those in the parental contract. Parents will give themselves a grade of excellent, satisfactory, needs improvement or unsatisfactory</div><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Tennessee Rep. Antonio Parkinson, a Memphis Democrat and the House sponsor of the measures, said the program may be expanded depending on how many parents participate.</div><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">"What we're hoping will happen with the parents grading themselves is that they will, at a minimum, become aware of either the good job that they're doing in regards to children's education, or possibly become aware of some areas where they may be able to make some improvements," said Parkinson, adding that educators can review the report cards with the parents if they choose.</div><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Utah recently passed legislation that creates an online survey where parents can evaluate their involvement, but the school does not assign them a grade and it's voluntary. Louisiana is currently considering legislation to grade parent participation, according to the NCSL.</div><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">While cajoling parents through state laws is a new trend, the underlying idea is one that few would deny. A 2002 study by the National Center for Family and Community Connections with Schools at the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory found that no matter the income or structure of the family, when parents are involved students have higher grades, stay in school longer and are more likely to go to college.</div><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam said he's likely to sign the report card legislation, but like the other proposal he wants to see how it's implemented.</div><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">"The spirit behind it is 100 percent right," said the Republican governor. "The question is, if folks could mandate parental involvement, other people would be doing it before."</div><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">The state has previously been praised as a leader in education reform by U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan for other changes in state law including toughening the curriculum and teacher evaluations.</div><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">The Michigan measure that created the parental involvement contract also set up a "Parent Engagement Tool Kit" website that provides ideas on engaging parents, said Bob Kefgen, assistant director for government relations with the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals.</div><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">"That contract language was one really important piece and we've gone much further than that," he said. "It's really about having a host of resources at your disposal because there's really no silver bullet."</div><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Nada Fouani, principal at Iris Becker Elementary School in Dearborn, Mich., said she's noticed more parents getting involved since the measure was enacted in 2001.</div><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">"Our PTA has become larger and much stronger," she said.</div><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Nashville resident Christi Witherspoon favors the measures. Despite her busy schedule as a doctor, she and her husband, Roger, spend as much as three hours each night helping their two young daughters with homework.</div><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">"I think it's of the utmost importance because I don't think children can be consistently successful without parental involvement," Witherspoon said.</div><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Her daughters appreciate the help.</div><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">"I really enjoy my mom going over my homework," said 9-year-old Gabrielle. "If it's wrong, she helps me out with it."</div><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">And if mom isn't around, Rachel, 6, knows who to turn to: "I have my dad, or my sister."</div><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Some families, though, face greater obstacles.</div><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Corey Jenkins is a single father of three children ages 10, 12 and 14. The recently divorced 39-year-old just got a new job after looking for work for months. But he said he hasn't let his problems interfere with his involvement in his children's schooling.</div><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">"I can make excuses, but there are none that make sense," Jenkins said. "My children are most important in my life and so I make time when they need it. I enjoy attending parent/teacher conferences."</div><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">James W. Lewis, president of the National Society of High School Scholars, said that whether parents are single or married, they can make more of an impact when they know ways to help.</div><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">"In the state of Tennessee, they'll have to make sure those resources are put out there to allow for fair and equitable distribution of this training for parents," he said. "And if that's done correctly, I think there could be a very positive move toward helping students understand the value of education and also allow the parent to understand the value and the connectivity between education and their students' opportunity for learning."</div><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Gera Summerford, president of the Tennessee Education Association, agrees. The teacher said she's encountered a number of parents in her 30-year career who seem disengaged and need direction.</div><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">"There are ways that the schools can promote that parental connection," she said.</div><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">The SEDL study identified several ways that schools can assist parents in supporting their children's education. A key way was providing information about how to help their children at home.</div><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Tennessee Education Association lobbyist Jerry Winters said he believes the state's parental proposals will be effective because they seek to forge a partnership between parents and schools.</div><div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">"Parents don't need to go it alone, they need support," he said. "Schools certainly don't need to go it alone, they need support. A parental-school partnership is the ideal environment for improving student achievement."</div>Yoyohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421968758496775588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306273661249815452.post-61730357681898351292012-05-08T23:01:00.002-07:002012-05-22T23:12:02.658-07:00How to place your students Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifRojCPZ1Tg5PBX7c5CEXM1P3uTvuFAZjTkFgTtD2XZmZ1jxEqoq6FVmDTFetx2WDIhEJhT8rKM6GtkyPnIDsvVuPkoKDKppA8pT2PxKknq-LKNDHtqYAcGUZ3bVYHp7rr4IChbSNrIhc/s1600/DSC08638.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifRojCPZ1Tg5PBX7c5CEXM1P3uTvuFAZjTkFgTtD2XZmZ1jxEqoq6FVmDTFetx2WDIhEJhT8rKM6GtkyPnIDsvVuPkoKDKppA8pT2PxKknq-LKNDHtqYAcGUZ3bVYHp7rr4IChbSNrIhc/s320/DSC08638.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US">Pre-intermediate<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">At pre-intermediate level students learn to discuss their experiences and future plans. They learn vocabulary related to travelling. In addition they’re able to discuss leisure activities and explain their preferences.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> Modal verbs: can/can’t, must/mustn’t, will/won’t, should/shouldn’t, may/ may not </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> Possessive pronouns: mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> To be going to: This isn’t a tense but you use this structure to talk about plans. </span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US">I am going to have steak for dinner tonight.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> Present perfect tense: I’ve eaten.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> Past simple tense with irregular verbs: ate, was, were, bent, became, broke, taught, cut, chose etc.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> Past continuous tense: I was watching TV.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> Adverbs: well, fast and adjectives+ly .</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Vocabulary to cover includes:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> Types of films: comedy, tragedy, romance, scary/thrill, detective.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> Location words: hospital, library, courthouse, fire station, movie theater, grocery store, supermarket, gas station, hotel, restaurant.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> Superlatives: the best, the most wonderful</span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US">Intermediate<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">At this level students tend to lose their initial enthusiasm for learning English. They already know how to make sentences that refer to the past, present and future and they have a basic vocabulary for everyday situations. At this level the language you teach adds sophistication and fluency, instead of basic communication. It becomes harder for students to measure their progress so you need to work hard at maintaining interest by using topics they really enjoy.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Grammar to cover includes:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> More modal verbs: (should, may, might). Too many modal verbs exist to teach at once so you teach a few at a time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> Conditional: If it rains, I use my umbrella/ </span>If it rains, I’ll use my umbrella/ If it rained, I’d use my umbrella.</div>
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<span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> Non-defining relative clauses: The man, <i>who I thought looked great, </i>was at the office.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> Gerunds and infinitives: <i>going </i>and <i>to go</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> The verb <i>will </i>for spontaneous decisions: I’ll pay!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> Present perfect continuous tense: I have been singing, he has been dancing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> Past perfect tense: They had seen it, you had not watched it.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Vocabulary to cover includes:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> Comparing and contrasting: both, neither, whereas.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> Polite forms: Would you mind? I<span style="font-family: 新細明體;">'</span></span><span lang="EN-US">m afraid I can<span style="font-family: 新細明體;">'</span></span><span lang="EN-US">t.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho'; text-indent: -18pt;">✓</span><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;"> Reviewing films, books and so on: describing the plot, characters, strengths and weaknesses.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">If you enjoy this week's blog, don't forget to come back for next week which will reveal the final two levels: Upper-Intermediate and Advanced</span></div>Yoyohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421968758496775588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306273661249815452.post-88005706103097352372012-05-03T02:40:00.001-07:002012-05-03T02:43:42.504-07:00How to place your students Part 1<div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpNaVeABoqjbUg3Ca7fYyMLcvVZfEjC1JpG0PL0CH4lhFh51xzF49-qANFYX_zVY3-n0rkoTP64XQKs_EXZMLnhWlKkk_WVI07_qprHeEQkHq0HUk_6Aa0cnjTh7lGDYsFcY3cMVGNQmQ/s1600/DSC07587.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpNaVeABoqjbUg3Ca7fYyMLcvVZfEjC1JpG0PL0CH4lhFh51xzF49-qANFYX_zVY3-n0rkoTP64XQKs_EXZMLnhWlKkk_WVI07_qprHeEQkHq0HUk_6Aa0cnjTh7lGDYsFcY3cMVGNQmQ/s320/DSC07587.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span lang="EN-US">Do you have private tutoring students? Or have you ever experienced that you don’t know which level should place your students. The following is the general guideline on how to place your students and what skills required.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">The following separated into six levels and you can combine them into lesser levels or make more. In general, according to their ability, students can be placed into the following levels: Beginner, Elementary, Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate, Upper-Intermediate, Advance.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US">Beginner<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Beginner-level students aren’t necessarily children. They could also be adults who have the need to learn a new language. Students at beginner level can’t speak or write accurately in the present simple and present continuous tenses. There are students who might already learn English for years but are not ready for the next level; these students are called “False Beginners.” </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Grammar to cover includes:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> The subject pronouns: I, you, he, she, we, they.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> Demonstrative pronouns: this, that, these, those.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> Question words: what, who, where and how.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> Possessive adjectives: my, your, his, hers,theirs, ours .</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> Singular and plural nouns (s/es/ies)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> The verb to be in positive, negative and question form: I am, I am not, am I?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Vocabulary to cover includes:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> A-Z.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> Numbers 1 to 100.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> Jobs: teacher, doctor, nurse, postman, police officer, fire fighter.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> Countries and nationalities: </span><span lang="EN-US">He is from the UK. He’s British.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span style="font-family: 新細明體;"> </span><span lang="EN-US">Basic food: fruit, vegetables, meat.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> Days of the week.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span style="font-family: 新細明體;"> </span><span lang="EN-US">Everyday objects: apple, bag, desk, chair, pen, eraser.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span style="font-family: 新細明體;"> </span><span lang="EN-US">Immediate family: mother,father, brother, sister, son, daughter.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> Rooms in the house: living room, bathroom, kitchen.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US">Elementary<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">At elementary level, students learn to use many more verbs instead of only to be (I am, you are, it is). At this level students learn to talk and ask about matters related to daily routines. They also begin to refer to past and future time.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Grammar to cover includes:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> Basic verbs in the present simple positive, negative and question forms:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 27.0pt; mso-para-margin-left: 2.25gd;"><span lang="EN-US">I live, I don’t live, do I live?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> Simple adverbs of frequency: usually, sometimes.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> Quantities: How much, how many? Some, any.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> Showing ability: using can/ can’t.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> The past simple tense with to be: was / were.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> Future simple tense: I will go.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> Past simple tense with regular verbs: I looked, I listened.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Vocabulary to cover includes:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> Simple adjectives: opposites, colors.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> Language for telling the time: What time is it? It’s half past three.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> Language for shopping: types of shops, asking for what you want.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> Asking for directions: straight ahead, turn left / right.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> Months and years.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> Weather: What’s the weather like? It’s raining.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-char-indent-count: -1.5; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: 'MS Mincho';">✓</span><span lang="EN-US"> Comparative adjectives: bigger, nicer, and so on (superlatives wait until the next level).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-char-indent-count: -1.5; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><br />
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</div>Yoyohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421968758496775588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306273661249815452.post-21593739651519345872012-05-01T23:07:00.002-07:002012-05-02T00:15:23.074-07:00Classroom Atmosphere I found a great article on classroom atmosphere and would like to share with my fellow English teachers!<br />
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<span style="background-color: initial; color: #666666; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.3; text-align: left;">December 15, 2002</span><br />
<a href="http://www.eltnews.com/features/kids_world/2002/12/classroom_atmosphere.html" style="background-color: initial; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: left;" target="_blank">Classroom Atmosphere</a><br />
<div class="column-text" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.3; text-align: left;"></div><h3 style="background-image: url(http://www.eltnews.com/css/img/collected-headers.jpg); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">by Helene Jarmol Uchida</span></span></h3><div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;"><img align="left" alt="Kids" height="213" src="http://www.eltnews.com/features/kids_world/kids1.jpg" style="border-bottom-style: solid; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(85, 85, 85); border-left-style: solid; border-right-color: rgb(85, 85, 85); border-right-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(85, 85, 85); border-top-style: solid; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 3px; padding-right: 3px; padding-top: 3px;" width="320" />For many of our students, the classroom is the focal point of their English exposure. It is the base of where, when, why and how they speak English. The physical appearance of the classroom in itself is very important. And because of its importance, I am often amazed at how many English classrooms in Japan lack stimulating visual English materials. From a Westerner's viewpoint, most schools here appear plain and gray; English classrooms looks too Japanese. And since they look so Japanese, it seems only natural that students speak Japanese in such an environment.</div><div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;">I think English teachers should try to give the impression to students that they are making a visit abroad each time they enter the English classroom. Not only is their visit there a chance to speak English, it should also be a cultural dip into a foreign setting and international atmosphere.</div><div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;">How can we do that? At our school, we have travel posters in the office, and we have the American flag and state flags scattered throughout the building. Maps of the U.S.A. and the world hang in the lobby. And in each classroom, posters not only decorate the rooms but are also used as instructor's tools for warm-ups, teaching new concepts, reference and review. For example, there are ABC Posters which teach alphabetizing, initial letter sounds and vocabulary expansion.</div><div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;">Color Posters are a great physical warm-up booster; often we ask students to stand up and touch something in the room which is the same color that the teacher is pointing to on the color poster. Consonant and Vowel Charts help teachers reinforce phonics; the Body Chart is a good follow-up after singing "Head & Shoulders." Opposites Posters are often children's first exposure to adjectives; Animal Posters (both farm and zoo) help elementary school students learn the names of all their favorite animals.</div><div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;">We have three classrooms at our school whose posters are rotated every few months. Thus, the students feel the atmosphere is fresh, and they also get to learn or review basic concepts on a constant basis. In addition, the parents, waiting for their children in the lobby, get to see English from any position in the school. And for them seeing is believing.</div><div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;">I also think a bulletin board filled with pictures of the students in their classrooms with their teachers and classmates or from their trips abroad triggers a sense of community at their "home away from home".</div><div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;">Needless to say, after their lessons, students feel like they have made a mini-trip abroad, and the usage of Japanese has been kept at a minimum. They leave class feeling they "have been somewhere else" and they look forward to coming back next time. I firmly believe good visual materials help create an atmopshere which contributes to this experience.</div><div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Yoyohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421968758496775588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306273661249815452.post-27877703932479922282012-04-27T23:49:00.000-07:002012-04-27T23:49:54.104-07:00Verbal Correction Technique<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuxYGnUGEmoG0gB5-UjBM34DfjsSPhbboN8dRz5dgL0M5a4qmvAivI9g82T2X7EEpfS7_9KXrxJCNfmet6vEgwZcIQS0fu75vee-6F4tQOi-ZJ3hLFiqbR0j28pfglVPTx5m8UF3Wk3vA/s1600/fingers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuxYGnUGEmoG0gB5-UjBM34DfjsSPhbboN8dRz5dgL0M5a4qmvAivI9g82T2X7EEpfS7_9KXrxJCNfmet6vEgwZcIQS0fu75vee-6F4tQOi-ZJ3hLFiqbR0j28pfglVPTx5m8UF3Wk3vA/s200/fingers.jpg" width="166" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Correction is one of the most essential parts of teaching English or anything other subjects. With the following verbal correction technique, you can correct your students without having them feel embarrassed and makes learning fun and effective!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">As we all know, learning is a comprehensive process that requires all the senses. Some students might not have keen hearing and are not able to catch your corrections. If so, you need to combine visual aids and physical movement to help them. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">“Let your fingers do the talking.” </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">The main concept of this technique is that “You can use your hands to indicate where a student has made errors in a spoken sentence.</span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: CheltenhamStd-Bold; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: CheltenhamStd-Bold; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"> </span></b><span lang="EN-US">Using fingers as words or syllables:<b> </b></span><span lang="EN-US">to indicate where the error is in a sentence is by using your fingers to represent words.”</span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: CheltenhamStd-Bold; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: CheltenhamStd-Bold; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">For example, a student has come up with the sentence “I is a tall boy.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Then, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I--- thumb</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">is--- index finger</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">a--- middle finger</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">tall--- ring finger</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">boy--- little finger</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Go through the sentences with your student and let he/she knows which words represent which fingers. When you say “is” waggle the index finger and use a questioning tone, then carry on to the next finger. Repeat the process if your students are still puzzled. You can also ask them to correct it into the right form.</span></div>Yoyohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421968758496775588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306273661249815452.post-33504239895862039262012-04-25T00:20:00.002-07:002012-04-25T00:28:36.759-07:00How to choose the right materials<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 27pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaDWiIruNkArHIfZ9yynYALlt_vsluHlR5L0WkrB5Yn5-GzlWRqhME2ZKxDWgHUaUwhm6prxU3ok2wqwDRqVQfe_MX1B8Uj7pERAj_bIrjDUffVCqN3JsDrSWkE3NBsevUwAUb28ae3WY/s1600/398991_390999754273957_135937709780164_1152108_1537290757_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaDWiIruNkArHIfZ9yynYALlt_vsluHlR5L0WkrB5Yn5-GzlWRqhME2ZKxDWgHUaUwhm6prxU3ok2wqwDRqVQfe_MX1B8Uj7pERAj_bIrjDUffVCqN3JsDrSWkE3NBsevUwAUb28ae3WY/s320/398991_390999754273957_135937709780164_1152108_1537290757_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span lang="EN-US"><br />
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<span lang="EN-US">Have you been asked to pick up the materials for your school or your private tutoring students? Do you know what to look for when making this kind of decisions? If you don’t, please continue reading this week’s blog entry! If you do, please read it too and make sure you got it all covered!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 27pt;"><span lang="EN-US">Language learning process is never static, instead it is dynamic. Therefore we need to the help of instructional materials and teaching aids. Instructional materials could be text books, and lesson plans. Teaching aids include visual aids, audio aids, and audio visual. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 27pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 27pt;"><span lang="EN-US">In order to choose the appropriate materials, we need to figure out the general objectives and specific objectives of teaching English. For example, grammar focused, or skills of reading, comprehension, writing and conversation.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 27pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 27pt;"><span lang="EN-US">The characteristic of good instructional materials should include the following:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: bold; text-indent: 27pt;"><br />
</div><ol start="1" style="font-weight: bold; margin-top: 0cm;" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US">Supplement of Oral Teaching<o:p></o:p></span></b></li>
</ol><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-US">During conversation class, the verbal statement made by teachers sometimes might not help clarify the view points. A pre-stage visual/ audio material might help students to get into the situation better. Student can also review and practice at home with it. Also, the audio/visual teaching material can sometime serve as a mood-changer in the classroom and keeps your students excited.</span></div><ol start="2" style="font-weight: bold; margin-top: 0cm;" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US">Effective Learning Aids</span></b></li>
</ol><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-US">Audio Visual aids involve more than one sensory organs of the learner. By using multi sensory organs, it helps improving retentiveness and making learning permanent. </span></div><ol start="3" style="font-weight: bold; margin-top: 0cm;" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US">Time and energy saving<o:p></o:p></span></b></li>
</ol><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-US">When teacher only demonstrates one skill such as verbal, it will take longer time for students to understand the content. Sometimes visual aids such as flashcards or pictures will make students understand it easier and faster. It saves more time and energy of both teachers and students.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: bold; margin-left: 18pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt;"><span lang="EN-US">If you enjoy this week’s teaching tip, then you have to come back! Because we are going to talk about how to pick up the right text book!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><br />
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</div>Yoyohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421968758496775588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306273661249815452.post-57823938654102181302012-04-18T22:53:00.000-07:002012-04-18T22:53:44.343-07:00Test Anxiety<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOnHOz074C5N6fVfCdo_Wkg3w0kkY_uEC-Uz7to6RpfS4FjDJNYVz_V60_ZM4Q_mXL-NKVlDOBr1wtfmUqeO70pWwWHTTyIegH7bCgKBmyZijZJXeOJhxZOk31sFrv2q4xdjfFBsf7ryU/s1600/a_3_011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOnHOz074C5N6fVfCdo_Wkg3w0kkY_uEC-Uz7to6RpfS4FjDJNYVz_V60_ZM4Q_mXL-NKVlDOBr1wtfmUqeO70pWwWHTTyIegH7bCgKBmyZijZJXeOJhxZOk31sFrv2q4xdjfFBsf7ryU/s320/a_3_011.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Teaching and testing often goes hand in hand. (sadly….) For some students, test anxiety is a real-life nightmare, especially for big exam like TOEFL. As a teacher, it is important to train your students how to get over their test anxieties.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Here are few tips that can help easing the anxieties:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span lang="EN-US">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span lang="EN-US">Know you material <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-para-margin-left: 1.5gd;"><span lang="EN-US">Don’t let the test/exam be a total surprise. Help your students to be familiar with the materials, question formats, testing tool---score cards, computer, etc. The two-hour exam is not the place or time to figure out how to use a mouse.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-para-margin-left: 1.5gd;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span lang="EN-US">2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span lang="EN-US">Learn actively, not passively<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-para-margin-left: 1.5gd;"><span lang="EN-US">Students are more comfortable taking the traditional roles---passively taking notes. However, you must force your students to be active learners. Memorizing old examinations will not help the students at all. Involve your students in the hands-on running of the class, so they are never sitting down for any length of time. Active learning needs active movement!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span lang="EN-US">3.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span lang="EN-US">Set goals<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-para-margin-left: 1.5gd;"><span lang="EN-US">Test requires dedication and diligence. You should set up standards with your students. Standards could include time, score, etc. These standards can help your students to be more familiar with the test and also easier to track their progress!</span></div>Yoyohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421968758496775588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306273661249815452.post-63788559244584486552012-04-16T22:15:00.002-07:002012-04-16T22:40:33.769-07:0010 Easy Tips on Teaching Grammar Pt.3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLMPv4YKFpsKVumw4VKtJyIj72tS0qFwUKscXqesrO2ls0Qk18VDJ9UHmReidLNXc2M1-PPHMRv3GlZTwTgz_mtyN85tyaaNBD61UEDrqxI2mJ7UD6pSiLqWaCU5FRS50EE8-ZPQ7nLGk/s1600/a_3_020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLMPv4YKFpsKVumw4VKtJyIj72tS0qFwUKscXqesrO2ls0Qk18VDJ9UHmReidLNXc2M1-PPHMRv3GlZTwTgz_mtyN85tyaaNBD61UEDrqxI2mJ7UD6pSiLqWaCU5FRS50EE8-ZPQ7nLGk/s320/a_3_020.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US">7. “Teach idioms, reductions, and slang to intermediate level students.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-para-margin-left: 1.5gd;"><span lang="EN-US">Most of these idioms, reductions and slang did not follow the grammar rules. In order to avoid any confusion, it is better to teach these after they reach a higher level. Students need to understand the rules before they learn to break it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-para-margin-left: 1.5gd;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US">8. “Have your students peer-edit each other.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-para-margin-left: 1.5gd;"><span lang="EN-US">Have your students edited each other’s work, it can train them to proof-read. Furthermore, it can remind them where to look for mistakes or not to make one. Another advantage is that it won’t overwhelm your students with sea of red marks---if your students made lots of mistakes. When they edited it before the paper get to you, they would have the chances to correct their mistakes.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-para-margin-left: 1.5gd;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US">9. “Bring a concise English grammar handbook.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-para-margin-left: 1.5gd;"><span lang="EN-US">Tired of students kept asking you the same questions and they just couldn’t remember it….. I know I am! Having an English grammar book in class provides the opportunities for students to look up the answers themselves. By doing so, your students will remember and actually “own” the answer.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-para-margin-left: 1.5gd;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><b><span lang="EN-US">10.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></b><b><span lang="EN-US">“Never say you don’t know the answer to a question a student has about grammar.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-para-margin-left: 1.5gd;"><span lang="EN-US">By saying “I don’t know” devalues your position as a teacher. The best way to handle a situation like this will be “This is a good question and let’s deal with it next time,” and then go home, do your research, find out the answers. Next day give a mini 5 minutes lesson on the subject.</span><br />
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One more week till <a href="http://globaltesol.com.tw/news_detail.php?serial=19" target="_blank">Global TESOL college’s amazingGrammar specialization courses</a>! Hurry up! Sign up and learn more about teaching grammar! </div>Yoyohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421968758496775588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306273661249815452.post-76600474205167955352012-04-15T20:48:00.003-07:002012-04-15T21:36:38.747-07:00“I Decided to Just Teach”<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoAuFtjBozpIsjf6ApfVZ-OM3zLDONs3SCwdRgVZx16gPgVb2wZNRSNs-LmxyNb3Pmd7eiLyrfli7avbl4-uKMgMGWVbddtqLg8YlDRZgqtvQh3tCHyU04vrtSu3VsidEK5WIrFtjM5go/s1600/980614_003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoAuFtjBozpIsjf6ApfVZ-OM3zLDONs3SCwdRgVZx16gPgVb2wZNRSNs-LmxyNb3Pmd7eiLyrfli7avbl4-uKMgMGWVbddtqLg8YlDRZgqtvQh3tCHyU04vrtSu3VsidEK5WIrFtjM5go/s320/980614_003.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Here is an article I read the other day. It is something we teachers should all ponder on!<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ideas-That-Really-Work-Activities/dp/1877673846" target="_blank">“I Decided to Just Teach” by C. M. Thurston</a><br />
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A teacher I know, who wishes to remain nameless (presumably out of modesty), started teaching last year at a school where everyone was worried about improving state test scores. Teachers were fussing, fretting, and doing everything they could think of to help their students perform well. They structured lessons around what was going to be on the test. They gave lessons in test-taking. They gave practice tests.<br />
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The teacher I know decided that she had entirely too much to worry about, as she was teaching new subjects in a new grade in a school new to her. She was overwhelmed with responsibilities. “I just plain didn’t have time to worry about the tests,” she said. “I decided to just teach.”<br />
At the end of the year, guess whose students made the most progress in the school, as measured by the tests?<br />
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Hers.<br />
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Okay, maybe she just lucked out. But maybe she succeeded because she did not focus on improving test scores. She focused on teaching and learning. Instead of boring her kids with practice tests and endless worksheets, she focused on keeping her students interested and involved. Maybe, just maybe, her approach is a sound one—to just teach.<br />
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It’s something to consider.<br />
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Cheryl Miller Thurston, <i style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ideas-That-Really-Work-Activities/dp/1877673846" target="_blank">Ideas That Really Work!</a></i> (Colorado: Cottonwood Press Inc, 2009) 13Yoyohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421968758496775588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306273661249815452.post-68108130174749220042012-04-11T19:17:00.001-07:002012-04-16T22:39:09.951-07:0010 Easy Tips on Teaching Grammar Part 2<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span id="goog_1465337133"></span><span id="goog_1465337134"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6FjHlwoEkxucrmaZhjX_l9HybChya8SrwD1B1OFP4StfLA5MrQ_u9rfBXQJwjtP_vc0dCkPgMV3fimvP7J3tI509jt5sa8b4SAapMmH0H7S8HvFTiVOGIh1bXERPSKI8Q8uK-1MDTJuY/s1600/980614_007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6FjHlwoEkxucrmaZhjX_l9HybChya8SrwD1B1OFP4StfLA5MrQ_u9rfBXQJwjtP_vc0dCkPgMV3fimvP7J3tI509jt5sa8b4SAapMmH0H7S8HvFTiVOGIh1bXERPSKI8Q8uK-1MDTJuY/s320/980614_007.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span lang="EN-US"><br />
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<span lang="EN-US">Here are more tips on grammar teaching!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 21.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 21.0pt; text-indent: -21.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US">4.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US">“<b>Once students have acquired enough language to understand the process, start teaching them the rules so they can apply them for themselves.”<o:p></o:p></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-para-margin-left: 1.5gd;"><span lang="EN-US">Before they acquired enough language skills, your students won’t be able to understand the rules. Some more tangible grammar rules such as is/are, he/she etc. can be taught at beginner level. However it could be confusing to explain to your student the difference between adjective and adverb. A teacher’s role is to facilitate the process of learning. So the more students understand, the better they are able to tell when the form and the function are used.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-para-margin-left: 1.5gd;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 21.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 21.0pt; text-indent: -21.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US">5.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><b><span lang="EN-US">“The higher your students’ speaking abilities are, the more they need to study grammar.”</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-para-margin-left: 1.5gd;"><span lang="EN-US">Some teachers/ students* believed their advanced students should be free-talking, conversational only class. However, we never really acquire our first language completely, so there is no point in a student’s life where he or she needs to stop learning. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-para-margin-left: 1.5gd;"><span lang="EN-US">* Many advanced students often request conversation class to maintain their English abilities. Though they might only request free talking, it is important to combine grammar into conversational class. Since these students are more advance, they would appreciate and understand the grammar rules better.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-para-margin-left: 1.5gd;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 21.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 21.0pt; text-indent: -21.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US">6.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><b><span lang="EN-US">“In a classroom setting, never correct a student’s error more than twice.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-para-margin-left: 1.5gd;"><span lang="EN-US">Some students might feel embarrassed and shut down. This happens quite often in Taiwanese classroom setting, since “face(</span><span style="font-family: 新細明體;">面子</span> <span lang="EN-US">mianzi)” is a key factor in the culture. If the student is still making the same mistakes, move the error correction into a much more private setting. Language leaning should be taught in a safe and comfortable environment.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-para-margin-left: 1.5gd;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">If you enjoy this week’s tip, please leave your comment and come visit us again next week!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">You may know the rules of grammar, but do you know how to teach them effectively?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <a href="http://www.globaltesol.com.tw/news_detail.php?serial=11" target="_blank">Global TESOL College Grammar Specialization</a> course can show you how! Sign up now!</span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://globaltesol.com.tw/class/class.php#top3" target="_blank"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">Teaching Grammar Specialization </span></u></b><b><u><span lang="EN-US">TESOL</span></u></b><b><u><span style="font-family: 新細明體;">文法師資班</span></u></b></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Tuesday ~ Friday: April 24th ~ 27th</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 新細明體;">星期二~星期五</span><span lang="EN-US"> : </span><span style="font-family: 新細明體;">早上</span><span lang="EN-US">10:00</span><span style="font-family: 新細明體;">到下午</span><span lang="EN-US">5:00</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Yoyohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421968758496775588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306273661249815452.post-56977122323532340702012-03-27T23:23:00.000-07:002012-03-27T23:23:41.258-07:00Teaching Adolescents<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHie5li9To-8k6vNLillJRdxY433lymIEIaqfUQpPX-_sQVnZjX0PKK1_7IAaCIzyTWoZye7jMiti6ACbzpe0v45BLvVaAJ3zMOSwD-2jW1p6zW8dZCjPe5wxbaVHJ0hB-Ur43tvIUQqM/s1600/DSCF6071.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHie5li9To-8k6vNLillJRdxY433lymIEIaqfUQpPX-_sQVnZjX0PKK1_7IAaCIzyTWoZye7jMiti6ACbzpe0v45BLvVaAJ3zMOSwD-2jW1p6zW8dZCjPe5wxbaVHJ0hB-Ur43tvIUQqM/s320/DSCF6071.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Do you have any teenager students? They could be quite a handful sometimes. If you want to be an effective teacher for adolescent learners, first you have to understand their characteristic.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">From my GLOBAL TESOL COLLEGE Adolescent English Specialization Training, I learned that<i> “Adolescents do not approach learning with as much wonder and interest as children, yet they are not like adults because they also do not approach learning with as much focus.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Adolescents and children share the following characteristics:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">The need to be physically active in the classroom.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US">2.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Require reminders to stay focused in given task.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US">3.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Sense and language through exposure.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US">4.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Need to have firm and fair discipline and structure to follow.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US">5.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Humor and games are important within classroom settings.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Do you want to know what characteristics adolescents share with adults? Come read my blog next week and learn about it more!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Yoyohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421968758496775588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306273661249815452.post-91090565957291307272012-03-27T21:25:00.005-07:002012-04-16T22:39:47.566-07:0010 easy Tips on Teaching Grammar<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL-jFs1Gz0GlWE9sQb5Acpo67kfUe3sdyvZM1h_ui05pdzluOMKH9WYXJNysxcrAkRYuojVcGnptlS9FahOLGWaZ2d3FYMaqHornkiPqCjP7Idvtbcxij3sIkiVg-XZCbkzUwrlQnUHQE/s1600/mygd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL-jFs1Gz0GlWE9sQb5Acpo67kfUe3sdyvZM1h_ui05pdzluOMKH9WYXJNysxcrAkRYuojVcGnptlS9FahOLGWaZ2d3FYMaqHornkiPqCjP7Idvtbcxij3sIkiVg-XZCbkzUwrlQnUHQE/s1600/mygd.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Are you constantly struggling with teaching grammar? No matter how hard you try, your students just don’t seem to grasp the concept or remember it. If you have these troubles, then come read this week’s Teaching Tips on teaching grammar!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">From my <a href="http://www.globaltesol.com.tw/news_detail.php?serial=11" target="_blank">GLOBAL TESOL COLLEGE Grammar specialization training</a>, I learn that there are easier and more effective ways to teach grammar! Here are 3 easy tips for teaching grammar:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><b><span lang="EN-US">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></b><b><span lang="EN-US">“Don’t try to teach formal grammar unless you have EXTREMELY motivated learners. Grammar should be taught in conjunction with something else.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I can still see my students’ faces diming when I said “It’s grammar time, please take out your text book.” Textbooks, worksheets somehow have the magic power to turn your classroom into a lifeless dessert. Sometimes even I got bored myself teaching it. Try to combine your teaching with other activities such as games or role-play. When students think they are engaging activates, they are more focused and easier to remember the lesson.</span><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><b><span lang="EN-US">2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></b><b><span lang="EN-US">“When correcting students, never phrase what you are saying in a negative form. It is easier just to rephrase what you are saying with the CORRECT grammar inserted.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">This technique could avoid your students feeling discouraged and shamed in front of the class. Students will realize that that what they said and what you have said are not the same thing. However, from my personal experience this method only works with more advance students or students who have better perceptions. There were times when students could detect the differences. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><b><span lang="EN-US">3.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></b><b><span lang="EN-US">“Don’t overwhelm your students with the correct terminology. Use simplest terms possible”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">If your students are younger, instead of telling your students that they will learn about VERBS today, you can easily replace it with ACTION WORDS. In this way, it is in a more familiar context for them and they would feel less intimated. If they are more advanced, you can use verbs and noun without scaring them but you should use verb-ing instead of gerunds, helping verbs instead of auxiliary verbs.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Here are this week’s teaching tips on teaching grammar. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Come back next week for more tips on teaching grammar! </span></div>Yoyohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421968758496775588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306273661249815452.post-16723417773424352222012-02-07T08:11:00.000-08:002012-02-07T08:11:35.759-08:00More on American Football<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-FZgnciAVilcN9Hvc69RtPvRPYslySEoJw_nqveJzGAMaNfuwCXsL6cGZKFR4CKnNDNGEBPZ85MkJd2c4Uaj4zi3kBGD9MKlv55zN2VbXq2GuaCAZD6yPCzTK1GmQ8xAoq_l7rYsJFM/s1600/226449-super-bowl-2012-vince-lombardi-trophy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-FZgnciAVilcN9Hvc69RtPvRPYslySEoJw_nqveJzGAMaNfuwCXsL6cGZKFR4CKnNDNGEBPZ85MkJd2c4Uaj4zi3kBGD9MKlv55zN2VbXq2GuaCAZD6yPCzTK1GmQ8xAoq_l7rYsJFM/s320/226449-super-bowl-2012-vince-lombardi-trophy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
If you enjoy my last blog post or want to teach your students more on the topic of American football.<br />
Here are two useful website that I came across with:<br />
<a href="http://www.elcivics.com/lifeskills/football-lesson-1.html" target="_blank">elcivics.com</a><br />
This website has great flashcards that explain all different parts of the game really well. They also have four different types of worksheet for exercises. Great for game time!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.eslgo.com/classes/nfl.html" target="_blank">eslgo.com/</a><br />
This one has a fantastic grammar lesson plan using NFL reference. The lesson plan might be a bit old (2002)but the general concept of the lesson plan is still solid!Yoyohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421968758496775588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306273661249815452.post-18672904724266067612012-02-06T12:36:00.000-08:002012-05-29T21:53:37.723-07:00American Football Lesson Plan: Vocabulary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBYtVJ-B0Gfmf-G5oztS4Xw9YpIIMXY5D25RgHSMKc5wAB3tPrNyhwzTYNtqB2gIXKuU2wD450nV3xZw9qxSi-iZ3_GX23pfH99t7UcK2vD0q3rt3p14oVA0i1cP-tgnswSlwZXtiv_GQ/s1600/football800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBYtVJ-B0Gfmf-G5oztS4Xw9YpIIMXY5D25RgHSMKc5wAB3tPrNyhwzTYNtqB2gIXKuU2wD450nV3xZw9qxSi-iZ3_GX23pfH99t7UcK2vD0q3rt3p14oVA0i1cP-tgnswSlwZXtiv_GQ/s320/football800.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Super Bowl just ended, did your favorite team win?<br />
Super Bowl is one of the most important sports events in America and has became the culture icon for American pop-culture.<br />
Why not teach your students something about American football ?<br />
<br />
This lesson plan includes the following vocabulary:<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">stadium </span></b><b><span style="font-family: 新細明體;">體育場</span></b><b><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"> </span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 新細明體;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">---a large building with seats for sports fans and a field for players.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"> “The largest stadium in the America is the Michigan Stadium.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">goalpost </span></b><b><span style="font-family: 新細明體;">門柱</span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"> <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">---one of a pair of posts (usually joined by a crossbar) that are set up as a goal at each end of a playing field.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">“In order to win the game, each team tries to kick the ball into the goalpost.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">referee </span></b><b><span style="font-family: 新細明體;">裁判</span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">--- someone whose job is to make sure that players in a game obey the rules.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">“My father will be the referee for tomorrow’s basketball game.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">quarterback </span></b><b><span style="font-family: 新細明體;">四分衛</span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">---an important player in the sport of football who gives instructions to other players.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">“I am the quarterback of my team.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">offense </span></b><b><span style="font-family: 新細明體;">進攻</span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">---</span><span lang="EN-US"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">the part of a game such as football that involves trying to score points.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">“They’re a team that has always been stronger on offense.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">defense</span></b><b><span style="font-family: 新細明體;">防守</span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">---the players in a team game who try to prevent the other team from scoring points.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">“Our defense team is not as strong as our offense team.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">touchdown </span></b><b><span style="font-family: 新細明體;">底線得分</span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">---</span><span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">An act of carrying, receiving, or gaining possession of the ball across the opponent's goal line for a score of six points.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">“The football fans screamed out in joy after they saw their favorite team scored a touchdown.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">end zone </span></b><b><span style="font-family: 新細明體;">得分區</span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">---</span><span lang="EN-US"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">the area at the end of a football field where you have to take the ball in order to score points.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">“After he received the ball, he ran as fast as he could to the end zone.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">fumble </span></b><b><span style="font-family: 新細明體;">漏接</span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">---to try to hold, move, or find something using your hands in a way that is not skillful or graceful. In football, it means dropping the ball.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">“He fumbled at the goal line.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">Super Bowl </span></b><b><span style="font-family: 新細明體;">超級盃</span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">---</span><span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League (NFL).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">“Super Bowl is one of the biggest sports </span><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"> in </span><st1:country-region style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';">.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style';"><a href="https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B7OsNs_EQFB6YjcwY2NhNjYtYzAzZi00ODY1LTgzOTctNTJjYmJkMmY4ODU3" target="_blank">Download American Football Lesson Plan: Vocabulary</a></span></div>Yoyohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421968758496775588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306273661249815452.post-76581843206021646692012-02-01T12:48:00.000-08:002012-02-01T12:48:15.072-08:00Teaching Grammar<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYa3lGAyi1rqch8IvcQRN9KO0ZUIMyii0F4vEtTStGzzPIhZ9KLgZkuq6sjD4G0fz4YOYBnaJvjXVD1Wl4ChE0GDe4xCanUD4YmAnUGo1YwsoIPxK-8St8Ep7qWPpBNgB_E4oa3A9dkY8/s1600/DSCF6789.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYa3lGAyi1rqch8IvcQRN9KO0ZUIMyii0F4vEtTStGzzPIhZ9KLgZkuq6sjD4G0fz4YOYBnaJvjXVD1Wl4ChE0GDe4xCanUD4YmAnUGo1YwsoIPxK-8St8Ep7qWPpBNgB_E4oa3A9dkY8/s320/DSCF6789.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I used to teach all the subjects in my English school. The subjects ranged from reading, writing, listening, grammar, phonics, to science, math , and project. Among all these subjects, grammar is the least favorite subject from my students.<br />
Instead of drilling them with lots of paper-based exercises, I noticed that if I spent less time explaining the rules and more activities-based drills. It created a more joyful learning atmosphere and my students seemed to learn faster and actually remembered it better. However, this method is a two-blades swords, by decreasing the paper-based exercises, it also decreases students's familiarity to the test/evaluation formats. Different teachers, students, classroom settings will all effect on the results.<br />
<br />
So how do you manage your class when teaching grammar? Please share with us!Yoyohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421968758496775588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306273661249815452.post-65117150221534125902012-01-24T07:54:00.000-08:002012-01-24T07:55:12.368-08:00Elementary school subjects<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXkku0J_zWXGB_mRcozTQ8s7_YX06aDN-mvwHTHeuu-UjAfLj171t2Pl0lCXp8aO2vgTXhO9vwURgFu-E_yqFfHKWIFflUPwV8Jtx3dtZn3TNw6BCkmb7DJNxaWegFmqdJfgUvnczbabI/s1600/DSC06368.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXkku0J_zWXGB_mRcozTQ8s7_YX06aDN-mvwHTHeuu-UjAfLj171t2Pl0lCXp8aO2vgTXhO9vwURgFu-E_yqFfHKWIFflUPwV8Jtx3dtZn3TNw6BCkmb7DJNxaWegFmqdJfgUvnczbabI/s320/DSC06368.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
As an English teacher, do you know all the subjects that your students take? I often find myself wondering what other subjects/courses my students take other than English. If you share the same wondering like I do, then please continue reading!<br />
<br />
Ministry of Education outlined all courses for both elementary and junior high school into six groups at the following:<br />
<br />
歷史文化 culture<br />
自然生態 nature<br />
生命教育 life<br />
人文藝術 art<br />
科學教育 science<br />
健康醫學 heath<br />
<br />
Each school can decide and choose what kind of materials they want to use for all different groups. In general, for most elementary schools these different groups translate into the following subjects:<br />
<br />
國語 Chinese <br />
英語 English <br />
數學 Math <br />
自然 Science <br />
社會Social study <br />
藝文 Art<br />
健體 Health<br />
生活 Life<br />
, and with optional 客語 Hakka and 閩南語 Fukanese.Yoyohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421968758496775588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306273661249815452.post-47144415762486254742012-01-10T12:10:00.000-08:002012-01-23T08:24:12.431-08:00"Taiwan's education situation"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgacQSz4Xkp8s8VTfsNhezZ4-KBInyopTogiGur5Mh3q2rT8cpe-imq8uixiHDUVqrMgUwCq2uS2w3x6PWZg6ZM-z7P7iCmdueKWMYuRbK3PgNHLhgyJ67O5DBtrMJT3AB8E_PrdUTSj4I/s1600/DSCF6459.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgacQSz4Xkp8s8VTfsNhezZ4-KBInyopTogiGur5Mh3q2rT8cpe-imq8uixiHDUVqrMgUwCq2uS2w3x6PWZg6ZM-z7P7iCmdueKWMYuRbK3PgNHLhgyJ67O5DBtrMJT3AB8E_PrdUTSj4I/s320/DSCF6459.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I am extremely honored to be invited to write for </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c2a47; font-family: inherit; line-height: 25px; text-align: left;">Collegia Vanguardia Educativa, a Mexican magazine. My article was to introduce Taiwan's education situation to the Mexican reader!</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #1c2a47;"><span style="line-height: 25px;">Here is the link to my article in the Magazine: </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #1c2a47;"><span style="line-height: 25px;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B7OsNs_EQFB6MDkzYTJlYWItYzZjZC00ZTNhLTgzZmEtN2FmMTQ1NDA1MWI4" target="_blank">Taiwan's education situation</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #1c2a47;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #1c2a47;">Here is my article,</span><br />
<span style="color: #1c2a47;"><br />
</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Education Situation in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Taiwan</st1:place></st1:country-region><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-char-indent-count: 2.25; text-indent: 27.0pt;"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span lang="EN-US">Taiwan</span></st1:country-region><span lang="EN-US"> is a small island situated next to <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">China</st1:country-region></st1:place>. <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Taiwan</st1:place></st1:country-region> is influenced greatly by Chinese culture and passes the same vision of the importance of excelling in academic activity to their young generation.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-char-indent-count: 2.25; text-indent: 27.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US">The current Taiwanese education process includes 2 years of preschool education, 6 years of elementary school, 3 years of junior high school, 3 years of senior high school or vocational education, 4 years of college or university, 1-4 years for master degree program and 2-7 years for a doctoral degree program. Taiwanese students usually go to school 8AM to 4PM, Monday to Friday. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-char-indent-count: 2.25; text-indent: 27.0pt;"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span lang="EN-US">Taiwan</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #222222;"> adopts the 9-year compulsory education system. Therefore 6-year elementary school and 3-year junior high school are mandatory. With the social consensus on high academic achievement, cram schools for all kinds of talents such as English, math, science, writing, music, art and dance class are very popular. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-char-indent-count: 2.25; text-indent: 27.0pt;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #222222;">Children start going to cram school at the age of 6. Since most public schools end around 4PM, cram school will send team of teachers to pick up kids from school and take care of them until their parents are off work. Sometimes kids will stay in cram school until 9PM to finish and review their homework. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-char-indent-count: 2.25; text-indent: 27.0pt;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #222222;">The amount of homework is not too overwhelming, it usually takes students 2-3hours to finish it. However, the amount of test is, most students have different quiz on different subject at any given day.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-char-indent-count: 2.25; text-indent: 27.0pt;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #222222;">The average of total expenditure on 9-year compulsory education per public school student is 4,967 USD and extra 14,767 USD on cram school(s); per private school student is 37,067 USD and extra 553,267 USD on cram school(s).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-char-indent-count: 2.25; text-indent: 27.0pt;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #222222;">After graduating from junior high school, students have to take the Basic Competence Test for Junior High School Students in order to apply for high school or vocational school. Every junior high school tries its best to deliver the highest entrance rate for entering the best high schools. Therefore curriculum, materials, teaching style hence became test oriented and memorize based. Sometimes “less important subjects”---such as physical education, art and other classes which are not included in the test--- will be shorten or replaced by “important subject”---such as Chinese, English, math, science, geography, history. Junior high school students on average will spend 14 hours on studying per day. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-char-indent-count: 2.25; text-indent: 27.0pt;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #222222;">The same situation continues to high school since high school graduates will once again take College Entrance Examination to apply for college or university. Although with the high acceptance rate of 90.44% for college in 2011, the competition reminds intense. After all, everyone wants to be the best of the best.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-char-indent-count: 2.25; text-indent: 27.0pt;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #222222;">For those who want to be a teacher in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Taiwan</st1:country-region>, you will have to either graduate from teacher’s college, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Normal</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype></st1:place> or take education courses at undergraduate level. After that they need to pass the Teacher Qualification Assessment for Kindergarten to Senior High School in order to teach. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-char-indent-count: 2.25; text-indent: 27.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #222222;">Under graduate and graduate education is more relax for Taiwanese students and allows them to have more free time to learn more about themselves.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>Yoyohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421968758496775588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306273661249815452.post-4498996018945050982012-01-10T11:57:00.000-08:002012-02-03T07:01:43.432-08:00Aesop's Fable: The dog and the shadow.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG9QUDsC0OGTaC7Qtt0NtVaj-vHZMyxCf57MRTgiVMbvj-nzTjDlWeaMUhaDIyzLz1qOrRffnnZ6CDbcSXG8amoQk96LBlNP0FXl0z0OXtbR8cT-9WxQT5EQo_BfBiyCtsVPywxDeYay0/s1600/399px-wenceslas_hollar_-_the_dog_and_his_reflection.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG9QUDsC0OGTaC7Qtt0NtVaj-vHZMyxCf57MRTgiVMbvj-nzTjDlWeaMUhaDIyzLz1qOrRffnnZ6CDbcSXG8amoQk96LBlNP0FXl0z0OXtbR8cT-9WxQT5EQo_BfBiyCtsVPywxDeYay0/s320/399px-wenceslas_hollar_-_the_dog_and_his_reflection.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
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After New Year vacation, are you refreshed? I know I am!<br />
Let's kick off the year with the classic Aesop's fable!<br />
This lesson plan includes the following vocabulary:<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; mso-bidi-font-family: Bembo; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">peace: (noun.) a state of mutual harmony between people or groups.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; mso-bidi-font-family: Bembo; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">plank: (noun.) a long, flat piece of timber, thicker than a board.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; mso-bidi-font-family: Bembo; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">brook: (noun.) a small, natural stream of fresh water.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; mso-bidi-font-family: Bembo; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">shadow: (noun.) a dark image cast on the ground or some surface by a body intercepting light.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; mso-bidi-font-family: Bembo; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">reflected: (verb.) to cast back (light, heat, sound, etc.) from a surface. reflect-reflected-reflected.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; mso-bidi-font-family: Bembo; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">beneath: (preposition.) below; under.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; mso-bidi-font-family: Bembo; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">snap: (verb.) to make a sudden, sharp, distinct sound.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; mso-bidi-font-family: Bembo; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">beware: (verb.) to be wary, cautious, or careful of.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; mso-bidi-font-family: Bembo; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">lest: (conjunction.) that (used after words expressing fear, danger, etc.)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; mso-bidi-font-family: Bembo; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">substance: (noun. ) the actual matter of a thing, as opposed to the appearance or shadow; reality.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; mso-bidi-font-family: Bembo; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">grasping: (adjective.) greedy.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style"; mso-bidi-font-family: Bembo; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><br />
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B7OsNs_EQFB6MjE5ZDAxMGMtZWM1ZC00NjA4LWIxZmUtOGVmMzIwZGI5ZDNk" target="_blank">The dog and the shadow lesson plan.</a>Yoyohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421968758496775588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306273661249815452.post-19536205526513849122011-12-16T11:31:00.001-08:002012-04-11T19:45:58.192-07:00CD or no CD?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE087kjJFE3j21FNVGcyjDF5kcSlpMUrklj2uCh9Fz4BgrmcK8jvxXKWCrQxuGaZuOkBeHq7ejUcO3kzyT6SwbKc_Q_KQ_Geytw2W6aWU3S9ZHHxboSNImUTKWCXyGcJmTSmYkd7q_zvo/s1600/audio.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE087kjJFE3j21FNVGcyjDF5kcSlpMUrklj2uCh9Fz4BgrmcK8jvxXKWCrQxuGaZuOkBeHq7ejUcO3kzyT6SwbKc_Q_KQ_Geytw2W6aWU3S9ZHHxboSNImUTKWCXyGcJmTSmYkd7q_zvo/s200/audio.gif" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Most textbooks often include an audio CD. An audio CD is like a two blades knife. Sometimes it creates great effect but other times it might not be so effective. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Here are the advantages and disadvantages of the recorded audio:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US"><br />
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</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US">Advantages:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">--- An audio CD allows students have the opportunity to listen to few different voices and accents instead of only one person.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">---Audio CD is portable and ready to use. You don’t have to read through or be trained for the text. It is already there, all you have to do is to hit PLAY! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US"><br />
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</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US">Disadvantages: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">--- The volume and the quality of the recording could be tricky. There were a few times that the recording was simply not loud enough for everyone to hear it clearly or the quality was so bad and distorted. Nowadays everyone uses CD for recording, sometime there are might scratches on the CD and it just won’t play. These technical problems could go on for a full list.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">---- Another interesting thing I observed throughout the years is that like all students have to ability to listen and comprehend at the same speed. Some students of mine, they understand the materials completely but it takes them a longer period of time or slower speed to react to it. Therefore using pre-recorded materials might restrict the possibility for your students to learn at their own speed.</span></div>Yoyohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421968758496775588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306273661249815452.post-31846498528140118452011-12-13T15:01:00.001-08:002012-04-27T22:52:17.839-07:00Extensive Listening<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM4ZZeKXY-74u6dZY4iW6m44bSenqAU8AXuB67hVewe_sodmN8__SKNOIUEuBCBqYiDt1lCVfjBvHGO1Q1Tv8OxpGqGl86cLfFDr-bz3kNcs3Vt58fjUy28_0kHNUa1oYAnT2eI9i2SIM/s1600/listening.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM4ZZeKXY-74u6dZY4iW6m44bSenqAU8AXuB67hVewe_sodmN8__SKNOIUEuBCBqYiDt1lCVfjBvHGO1Q1Tv8OxpGqGl86cLfFDr-bz3kNcs3Vt58fjUy28_0kHNUa1oYAnT2eI9i2SIM/s320/listening.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">As a teacher, sometime I found myself in the situation that my students struggled with listening. No matter how hard I try, they never seem to improve at all. Later, I learned that through extensive listening and intensive listening, students can improve their listening skills. So what is extensive listening?</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Extensive listening is “where a teacher encourages students to choose for themselves what they listen to and to do so for pleasure and general language improvement.(303)” according to<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Practice-Language-Teaching-Handbooks-Teachers/dp/1405853115" target="_blank"> <i>The Practice of English Language Teaching.</i></a> </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Extensive listening could be done during class time. However, it might take up too much time. As a result, extensive listening is best executed at home or outside of classroom. For example, I often assigned my adult students to listen to English radio one hour a day. They might not be able to understand it at first. But after a few months of listening to it on a regular basis, they start to pick up. They learn new vocabularies from it! </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Another good example of extensive listening is Christmas caroling. Instead of simply teaching your students the lyrics, you can make a CD with all the songs you want them to learn and ask them to listen to it everyday. My young students learned how to sing the song before I begin to teach them!</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">However, there is still downfall for extensive listening. Extensive listening is only effective when your students have strong will enforce it. And the materials got to be exciting enough for them to follow through. </span></div>Yoyohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421968758496775588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306273661249815452.post-84191447585330046292011-12-05T11:50:00.000-08:002011-12-05T11:50:22.686-08:00More Christmas Craft Ideas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw4TkPNXq1tU-56pG50k5sNJvKdNhSibuObgVRB3X_VCKXHD5LEfW7GVplWWyIPpjGNV7etJHfqs0EXbDZ2zd4wAXaCY6qvzorKLInx9W4ezHaPbn0zVJWclVPo3Qd1Tl7HLabxQr1qZQ/s1600/ka98981_hol01_advent_xl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw4TkPNXq1tU-56pG50k5sNJvKdNhSibuObgVRB3X_VCKXHD5LEfW7GVplWWyIPpjGNV7etJHfqs0EXbDZ2zd4wAXaCY6qvzorKLInx9W4ezHaPbn0zVJWclVPo3Qd1Tl7HLabxQr1qZQ/s320/ka98981_hol01_advent_xl.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><br />
If you have seen or made all the crafts on my previous blog entry and want to tone the Christmas craftness up a notch. You go visit <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/275712/kids-christmas-crafts/@center/307034/christmas-workshop#/265851" target="_blank">Marthastewart.com</a> for up to 49 kids-friendly crafts!Yoyohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15421968758496775588noreply@blogger.com0