The Architecture of Windsor's Core

Hello, students of my morning class!

I am VERY excited that Doors Open Windsor has inspired you to want to learn more about the architectural heritage of Windsor, specifically here in the downtown core where there is SO MUCH POTENTIAL for a fun walking tour! This ties in beautifully with our goal of accessing free educational opportunities and achieving more social integration as we learn about Canadian culture.

I hope for us to be able to undertake this walking tour on Thursday.

In the meantime, we will learn the names of ten to twelve architectural styles and the terms needed to understand the main features of each one. I will be referencing this website in class a lot. I have asked the author for permission to use some of her photos in our handouts, but have not yet received a reply. Another good resource is the blog InternationalMetropolis. Andrew Foote has been blogging about Windsor and Detroit's history and architecture for some years now, so his is a rich site.

This "vernacular cottage" is the downtown home that first caused me to stumble upon the Heritage Register. It was built in 1900 and seemingly has no basement or crawlspace. I managed a peek inside when it was for rent two or three years ago.

I can't think of a better way to enjoy a mild September morning in the core than walking around looking at the beautiful Queen Anne, American Foursquare, and Craftsman style houses around us! It's like a treasure trove in our own backyard.

Free and Low-cost Continuing Education

This week e of four teams was assigned an educational venue and given materials in which to find course tuition (if any), times and days of classes, campus locations, etc. The venues were:

Mackenzie Hall
Canterbury ElderCollege
The YMCA
The City of Windsor (Activity Guide)
Free online courses offered by top universities

Also today we talked about Doors Open Windsor. I plan to ride my bike to Prado Place and take a tour of the unique architecture. It's a beautiful street! I will print off the Windsor Heritage Register for six of you. Let's turn that into a field trip soon!

You can use any English practice sites on the right, or use Mr. Zhang's page for listening practice.

Learning as a Senior

Hello!

Here you can take a quick dementia self-test.

Watch this video.

If you want the test, I can print it for you.

Here are short dialogues about staying healthy.

Here is a story you can listen to and read.

Post Office

Welcome back to lab Fridays, morning students! I'm very pleased you have voted once again to include an hour of computer time in your week. I think it's a wise decision.

Do you want to listen again to the text we listened to on Wednesday? It's HERE.
You can watch this video of a man mailing something ExpressMail.
You can listen, read and practice these sentences.
Try completing this dialogue about renting a post office box.

Want to visit the Canada Post website? It's HERE.

These are addressing guidelines.

Listen to Lazy Mailman Hides Letters (c) Oxford University Press.