Story - The Christmas Presents

The story we're reading this week, "The Christmas Presents" is a simpler version of a very famous short story by a U.S. writer named O. Henry. He wrote it in 1906 - more than 100 years ago.

Here's a longer version than what we read. If you see a blue word, you can put your mouse on it to see a definition. http://serc.sogang.ac.kr/erc/Reading%20Listening/The_Gift_of_the_Magi/The_Gift_of_the_Magi_1.htm After each part, there are a few questions to answer. Then go to the top of the page and click on "Go to Part 2" to continue reading.

The original story is called "The Gift of the Magi" and you can read it here http://www.auburn.edu/~vestmon/Gift_of_the_Magi.html A lot of the vocabulary is difficult and literary, but you already know the basic story, so you may be able to guess the meaning of some new words. Read it and let me know what you think! You can also listen here

Asking about Jobs & Filling out Applications

Listen here and take notes http://programs.sdce.edu/elcivics/resources/work?q=resources/calling

Listen here and take notes http://englishclass.podomatic.com/entry/eg/2008-03-04T21_20_39-08_00

Click the link and try the Intermediate Low and Intermediate High activities. http://programs.sdce.edu/elcivics/resources/work Please ask me if you need help with it.


Fill out the online application (it's just for practice!) and let me check it when you're finished.
http://programs.sdce.edu/elcivics/sites/default/files/OnlineApp.pdf

New Baby!

Hi Everyone,



Our baby arrived exactly on her due date, last Tuesday, October 6th. Her name is Claire Sylvia Dunn. Here's a picture of all of us at the hospital.


Thanks to all of you for your good wishes!

Liz

Places to Visit

If you had the time and the money to go anyplace in the world, what place would you like to visit and why?

To answer, click on COMMENTS below. Write your answer in the blank box, then write your name.

To post your comment, choose Anonymous from the drop down menu where it says "comment as". Then click on Post Comment. If you need help, let me know!
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Birthdays

This week we read about how people in different countries have different customs to celebrate birthdays. How do people in your family, your area, your country, or your religious group celebrate birthdays?

To answer, click on COMMENTS below. Write your answer in the blank box, then write your name.

To post your comment, choose Anonymous from the drop down menu where it says "comment as". Then click on Post Comment. If you need help, let me know!

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Fall Semester 2009

Welcome!

This is the website for our level 4 & 5 English class. You'll find lots of useful things here, especially on the right side of the page. There are links to websites to help you practice reading, listening, vocabulary, spelling, grammar, and more.

If you have questions about how to use this site, or if you find any problems with it, please tell me!

Welcome to our class!
Liz

Michael Jackson

I hope you're enjoying the last two weeks of class!

If you're interested in listening and reading about Michael Jackson, here's a link to the Voice of America news article about him.

http://www.voanews.com/specialenglish/2009-07-04-voa3.cfm

To listen, go to the UPPER RIGHT corner and click on MP3 Stream (MP3) The file should download automatically and start playing after a few seconds.




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Week 4

Practicing with Infinitives: http://www.quia.com/pop/339763.html


Which One? Gerund or Infinitive Quiz #2: http://a4esl.org/q/f/z/zz97mkm.htm

Another Quiz: Gerund or Infinitive? Which one is correct? Or are they both possible? Be careful.... http://www.quia.com/quiz/1865413.html



LOTS of practice with Gerunds and Infinitives - This is NOT EASY!!! We've studied just the basics. Here's a whole lot more information and many practice exercises if you want more. http://www.englishpage.com/gerunds/index.htm

Week 3

Grammar - Practice with Gerunds (-ing forms)
http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/courses/elc/studyzone/410/grammar/gerund.htm


Reading News on the Internet

• California Distance Learning Project * www.cdlponline.org This page has older stories, but you can listen, practice new words, etc. Click on a topic and picture on the page to find a very big list of stories.

• News for You * http://www.newsforyouonline.com/default.asp This website has stories written for intermediate English learners. Click on a month to find stories that you can listen to and read.

• VOA Special English * http://www.voanews.com/specialenglish/ Current news stories from the Voice of America. You can listen and read about many different topics.

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Week 2

Grammar Practice:
Phrasal Verbs- Practice some more of the 2-word verbs that we've studied this week. http://www.quia.com/pop/333963.html (Each time you practice, the quiz will be a little different, so try it more than once.)


New Words:
from The Garbage Project, page 100
Here's the link to practice some of the new words. http://www.quia.com/jg/1043355.html


Listening:
Here's a conversation about trash and recyling systems in Japan. http://www.elllo.org/english/0601/650-Keiko-Trash.html Listen to it and then try the quizzes.

Summer - Week 1

Listen & Read: This website may ask for your email address. You can type any address. :)

- Amish Traditions Clash with Economic Realities http://newsforyouonline.com/story.asp?ID=106 (Don't forget to try the exercises after you read & listen)

- After 100 Days in Office, Torture Debate Still Follows Obama http://newsforyouonline.com/story.asp?ID=105 (Don't forget to try the exercises after you read & listen)



Grammar Practice: Phrasal Verbs

- Practice some of the 2-word verbs that we've studied this week. http://www.quia.com/pop/333963.html

Try this (Difficult!) Grammar Test

Here's an online grammar test you might enjoy. We've studied some of it, but not all of the items will be familiar. If you want to, work together with a classmate to try it. Let me know what your final score is.

http://www.esl-languages.com/en/study-abroad/online-tests/english-test/index.htm

Summer and Fall Class Schedule

Hi everyone,

I've had lots of people ask me questions about classes during the summer and fall. Here's the schedule for our class for the next few months.

Friday, June 5th - Spring Semester ends

Monday, June 8th - Summer Classes begin (8 weeks)

Friday, July 3rd - Holiday for Independence Day - School Closed!

Friday July 31st - Summer Classes end

August - No English classes (but there are lots of others if you are looking for something to try!)

Tuesday, September 8th - Fall Semester Begins- Welcome Back!

Communicating with Healthcare Professionals

We're going to work on 4 different things in the next couple weeks. I'll be updating the links here as I add more material, so check back frequently.

Task 1: Call and make an appointment.

Type the patient's part of the conversation. Tell me that you completed it and I'll check it for you to make sure everything is correct. http://www.quia.com/sv/294139.html

Task 2: Follow the nurse's or doctor's instructions.

Task 3: Talk to a doctor about a health problem and symptoms.

• Listen to this man talk about his symptoms. What treatment does he choose? http://esl-lab.com/sick1/sick1.htm
• Choose the correct sentence to describe a health problem. http://www.quia.com/quiz/697670.html

Task 4: Answer questions about a medicine label.

• Watch and listen to the slide show. http://www.mcedservices.com/medex/Eprelabs.html
• Try the first quiz. http://www.mcedservices.com/medex/1quiz/CQ1-1Q01.htm
• Then do the second quiz. http://www.mcedservices.com/medex/2quiz/CQ2-2Q01.htm
• 
  

Obesity - What's your Body Mass Index?

BMI or Body Mass Index is a new way to measure your body to see if you are normal, overweight, or obese. Click on the links below to try it. All you need to know is your height and weight.


If you use inches and pounds, click here http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

If you use centimeters and kilograms, click here http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/bmi-m.htm
Type in your height and weight, and then click on Compute BMI. The number will appear and you can check it with the chart to the left.
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Florence Nightingale - More Information

To read more about Florence Nightingale, try this website
http://www.florence-nightingale.co.uk/cms/index.php/kids-zone


Click on the BLUE questions to find more information about Florence Nightingale.

Helen Keller - Information and Photos

Click on this link to read more about Helen Keller and see lots of pictures of Helen and her teacher, Anne Sullivan. Start with Childhood and continue from there.

http://www.afb.org/braillebug/hkmuseum.asp

Rosa Parks - Read about her Life

This week we've been reading about Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycotts. Here's a LOT more information about Mrs. Parks and the boycotts.

http://teacher.scholastic.com/rosa/index.htm Click on Start to begin reading about Mrs. Parks, then click Next after you read each page.

Weekly Homework

Hi Students,

Don't forget that your homework for this class every week is to write sentences with the 10 words from our vocabulary list. We'll study the words in class all week, so I suggest that you wait until Thursday or Friday to do this homework. By that time, you'll probably understand the words well and be able to write the sentences more easily.

If you have any questions about this homework, please ask me!
Liz

Week 3 Grammar Practice

This week we're reviewing the past tense, starting with the verb TO BE.

Go to this page - http://tinyurl.com/bs7hlw

Scroll down and read the examples of Past Positive, then look at the upper left part of the page and click on Exercise to practice.

Then try 10b, the Past Negative and the Exercise.

Finally try 10c, the Past Questions and the Exercise.

Week 2 - Grammar Practice

Click on the link to read about USED TO in English. http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/usedto.html

When you finish, try the practice exercises on this page.
http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/exercises/exercise10.html

(you can get the answers by clicking at the bottom of the page)

WELCOME STUDENTS!

Hi! This is the website for our level 4 & 5 English class. You'll find lots of useful things here:

• Listening Practice (I record our reading every week so you can listen to it.)
• New Words (Vocabulary practice from our reading.)
• Websites for studying English