Considering Hearing Aids

Hello, class!

You didn't get to these links last week because of the school survey. They are still here!

Bonnie from Canadian Hearing Society came and gave us a one-hour presentation.

This week you told me you want more information about hearing aid brands, where each is manufactured, which are the best, and how long rechargeable batteries can last. Below please find some short, simple videos to help you understand more about these topics.

In January, Bonnie will return on two days for your screenings. We have prepared for her visit by learning to read the screening form and practicing following the verbal directions she will give you when she administers your screening.

We also now know how to read a hearing aid bill of sale or invoice and receipt.

Enjoy!

ReSound is the manufacturer of my hearing aids. Here is their YouTube channel.

Miracle Ear is a hearing aid manufacturer. They have a lot of video ads that are cute.

What are "real ear measures?"

Pick the best hearing aid

Don't forget that you can make the video SLOWER. You can turn on Closed Captioning.

If you are not at school on Friday after break, have a good weekend.

Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan

This week we are viewing The Miracle Worker starring Anne Bancroft as Annie Sullivan and Patty Duke as young Helen Keller.

LOG IN to Spelling City to work with our new words and sentences. Put in your username and password--NO CAPITAL LETTERS, NO SPACES!!!

We listened to this summary of the story and did language exercises.

I'm glad we learned about fingerspelling before watching the movie.

Wikimedia Commons

We will really have a lot of schematic knowledge by the time Bonnie comes to speak to us!

Hearing and Hearing Loss

Hello, students!

Huarong reminded me that I had agreed to bring in a speaker to talk to you all about hearing aids. I'm sorry to say that my audiologist has never responded to my many messages. So I contacted the Canadian Hearing Society and was put in touch with Bonnie in their education and outreach department. She is happy to come out and give us a presentation on hearing, types of hearing loss, and hearing devices. She can even do a sort of screening, but it's not a hearing test. She is not permitted to administer an actual hearing test.

Meanwhile, let's begin learning about the ear and hearing, shall we?


And here is an instructional video on fingerspelling in American Sign Language.


And here is a little lesson on 25 basic ASL signs for beginners.

Taxi Alternatives

This week we are learning about the Uber app because you requested that. Lyft has not yet come to our city.

I got the information from WikiHow.

Here is a helpful video on how to talk to your driver.

Travelling Around

Hello, students of the seniors' class!

Most of you voted for us to study travel and transportation, especially the listening skills needed  in an airport and on a plane.

Use this website to practice some air travel vocabulary.

This video teaches air travel phrases and terms.

We cannot study ALL the announcements you may hear over the intercom while traveling through airports and while on board your flights. Our energy will be better spent learning how to ask the person next to us such questions as, "Excuse me, did they just announce the flight to Toronto?"

However, you can read through all of the most common air travel announcement scripts HERE.

Here is an in-flight announcement LISTENING text and quiz.

If you want to listen to some airport and in-flight announcements while reading them, click here.

Here's a great video to help you get ready for your summer airport experience.

Our Urban Foraging Expedition

Hello, students of the seniors' class.

We had a very successful urban foraging expedition, didn't we?

We learned a new word: ubiquitous. Plantain is ubiquitous.

Finally! Purslane!

Champion forager Saiying

Eyes to the ground

Back to class with our bounties

What we found

Catcher of big fish and big purslane

Here are some recipes for Burdock:


A Japanese Recipe for Burdock (video)

How to eat the stems and stalks (video)

More Burdock recipes (text)

Here you can learn about the benefits of dandelion tea.

Erie St. Clair LIHN

This week we are continuing to learn more about our Local Integrated Health Network and what it can do for us.

You can use this time to do your equipment shopping homework.

Read about Home and Community Care.


Click "I'm a Patient," and then "Getting Started" to learn how to get an assessment.

That's all for this week. You may wish to go back and watch some videos I posted in September. Have a good weekend!

Virtual Tours, LIHN, Equipment

Hello, students of the seniors' class!

Maria did a great job teaching us about long-term care homes and the residents' bill of rights. She said we can take virtual tours of Windsor's LTC homes. Here are some links for that.

First, here is a list of LTC homes in Windsor.

Huron Lodge 
Village of Aspen Lake
Banwell Gardens
Extendicare Southwood Lakes
Heron Terrace

We've decided to segue from long-term care homes to a module about our LIHN (Local Integrated Health Network). I wrote a book about this before. We can use it again if we remember to scratch out the term CCAC and replace it with the term LIHN.

We've just read the story of Olive Smith and have started a discussion. Next we will learn about equipment we can buy, borrow or rent. You can begin to look at Maxim Medical's aids to daily living and other products.

Care Home Residents' Bill of Rights

Hi, students!

Monday and Tuesday we are looking at the Bill of Rights for residents of care homes in Ontario. In this video, you can listen as someone reads the rights.

Here is a document where you can read about each right. I think Maria will give each of you a copy of this. The above are pretty dry, so this video may help make things clearer on Monday.

Victoria Ave Walking Tour

Do you remember reading about the six strategies for effective learning? One of them was "interleaving." That means studying one subject for a little while then switching to another thing for a little while and perhaps a third thing for a while before going back to the first. This is a better way to get information into long-term memory than studying in one big block of time and then moving on.

Thanks to the four seasons we have here in Ontario, we will be forced to do some interleaving this month. We want to get ready to study care homes with Maria, but now is the best time for the Victoria Avenue Walking Tour that you have suggested we repeat. We did that a few years ago and I am also keen to go again!

This website has a wealth of information about Ontario architecture.

Here is a good website for a quick view of many architectural styles we will see on our walk.

If you want to walk or cycle around Windsor and learn about houses that are on the heritage register, you can download and print that out from HERE.

Care Homes in Ontario

Hi, students!

Maria Giannotti of the Compassionate Community Project of Windsor-Essex Hospice will be with us on the 24th to give us information about care homes. We will begin acquiring some new vocabulary and concepts the weeks prior to her visit.

Friday in the computer lab, you can learn about a leader in creating a new model of care in long-term care homes in Ontario: Schlegel Villages. They have been pioneers in a culture shift from the medical model to a social model.

Here you can read the eight aspirations that guide them in growing and evolving toward what they want the experience to be for their staff and residents.

Schlegel Villages has a YouTube channel with a variety of short videos about life in their care homes, which they call "villages" because they are set up to resemble streets and neighbourhoods.

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Update: I have finished tallying the votes from this week's NEEDS ASSESSMENT. The topics we will study this semester are:

1. Health and Safety. Topics include safe urban foraging, how to fall, a fun line dance, the most common diseases, their symptoms and their diagnostic tools
2. Fun and travel (transportation). Topics will include airport announcement listening strategies and two new app-based ride services: Lyft and Uber
3. Canada. Topics will include our rights and responsibilities as good citizens in a local context, city government, our B.I.A.
4. Community Services. Topic will be our Local Integrated Health Network (LIHN).
5. Law. Topic you requested is traffic laws.

We decided to reserve the right to occasionally insert other short topics that may be seasonal or timely.

Who We Are

Welcome back, everyone! And welcome to the newest member of our seniors' class. I have a feeling this is going to be a great semester with lots of fun adventures and learning.

Today we filled out little templates to help us get better acquainted. Here are the intriguing results!

Excellent job, everyone! We rocked this!

Practice English this Summer

Here are some links to materials you can study over the summer:

Health - beginning. Scroll down to see the PDFs and the audio files.

Health - intermediate. Scroll down to see the PDFs and the audio files.

About Canada. This book is divided into levels and topics.

For listening practice, I suggest you watch English with Jennifer.

Don't forget to chat with Canadians wherever you go. Remember our gambits? You can talk about the weather, compliment someone on a beautiful dog or beautiful child, or ask the fishermen and women at the riverfront if they can share their catch.

Enjoy your summer!

Jackson Park in Lovely Weather

Hello, students!
Those who did not have appointments today came out to Jackson Park for a picnic and camaraderie. We saw flowers, Robins, dragonflies and park workers fixing everything up for the summer. Nahla was kind enough to bring enough kaleicha for everyone, while Manlin brought bananas. The statue of Rabbie Burns was hard to access due to construction, as were the washrooms. But we found some bleachers to sit on. Nahlah played badminton. She has a lot of energy.

Iris

Ostrich Fern and Colombine

Spiderwort

Peonies

Wild Geranium (?)

Reading the names of area pilots who perished

Movie Choices

Our picnic is Tuesday, June 11. Some students will go on the city bus with Kelly just after 9:00, meeting at the corner of Park and Ouellette. Other students will meet us in Jackson Park by the Tecumseh Road entrance. See you!

You've asked me for a movie. My NFB choices have not gone over that well. Nabil suggested Some Like It Hot with Marilyn Monroe. It is 2 hours and a minute. We would have to start it right at 9:00 and give up a few minutes of our break or run a few minutes over at the end of class.


Singing in the Rain is only 1 hour and 43 minutes.

I've emailed my mom for more ideas. She suggested Gigi, but it's too long.

What about The King's Speech? It's just under two hours, very tight but do-able.

Our Nutrition Label Presentations

Riming and Manlin: Milk Comparison, part 1

Riming: Milk Comparison, part 2

Xiumin and Caixia: Choosing Breakfast

Xiumin and Caixia: ending

Nabil and Raja: What's in Your Snack?

Saiying and Kelly: Three Surprises

Awatif and Marhamat: Five Kinds of Yogourt

Nahla and Saadallah: Ritz or Tabouli?

Read about white rice versus brown rice.

Between Presentations and Travel

Hello, students of the seniors' class!

We are finishing up our module on nutrition labels. We are learning how to give feedback that is kind, specific, and helpful. Next we will learn a bit about planning summer travel by train.

Here is a video about making a presentation that is not boring.



Here is the contact information for CAA in Windsor.

Visti the VIA Rail website to see where you can go on the train this summer.

Some students could use practice with vowel sounds. Is this interesting to you?

Reading Nutrition Labels

This is an excellent video to reinforce the concepts we are learning. This may be an American video. I notice her "rule of thumb" is just a bit different from the one we learn in Canada.

Turn on subtitles and maximize the window. You can also slow down her rate of speech, remember?



Here is another good video: https://youtu.be/fJsF9q2E9do

This video addresses whether cooking fruits and veggies kills the vitamins.

Calcium and Vitamin D

Hello, students!

We are starting our module on calcium and vitamin D. This will be followed by a module on reading nutrition labels.

This short video explains vitamin D and calcium absorption. https://youtu.be/FFhHXH5N7TY

Watch this video. What is the doctor's message? Can you remember how to turn on subtitles? He speaks clearly and slowly. https://youtu.be/gIwZOf_0Su0

Here are the 10 foods highest in vitamin D.
https://youtu.be/XWwv-KleBPQ

How can you get calcium without eating dairy products?
https://youtu.be/IrPWfI5m-sQ

We Visited Hospice

Hello, students!

This week we took a field trip. We rode the city bus to Rivard and Tecumseh. From there, we walked for 15 minutes to reach the Hospice. It was not raining, but it was chilly.

Everyone reported having learned something new and surprising. You told me you were very impressed by the team of dedicated, compassionate staff and volunteers who keep hospice running. I think a lot of minds were changed when it comes to thinking about death, talking about it, and considering hospice care as an option for ourselves or our friends and loved ones.

at the bus terminal

Around a Hospital

Take this tour of London Health Sciences Centre's North Tower. Can you turn on closed captions? Can you slow down the speed of the narrator's speech? Let me teach you how!


Practice medical vocabulary with British and American pronunciation.

This "doctors and hospitals" vocabulary list is in English and Arabic, I think.

Watch and listen as a boy gives other children a tour of a hospital in the U.S.

================= WEATHER FORECASTS ===========

For those wishing to improve your ability to understand the weather forecast, try some of these practice activities below.

Weather vocabulary with quiz

Or watch the weather and turn on closed captioning to see if you can catch some words. It gets easier the more you practice listening!

Preparing for an MRI, X-Ray, or CT Scan

Hello, students.

Strengthen your listening skills with relation to the diagnostic tests we have been studying by watching one or more of these videos.

English in Vancouver - X-ray

Getting an MRI

Getting an MRI (children's version)

Getting a CT Scan

Preparing for a CT Scan

Don't forget to turn on subtitles if you need them.

Also, if you would like to apply for travel medical insurance, click HERE.

Excellent Listening Resource - Diagnostic Tests and Imaging

Hello, class!

As we talked about last week, I have discovered a series of short shows on YouTube called "Mystery Diagnosis." These are fascinating cases in which doctors were not able to diagnose the patient's problem for many months or even years.

While you watch the episodes, you get to follow the patient through a series of tests such as MRI, CT Scan, blood work, allergy testing, ultrasound, and even genetic testing. Watching these videos could help you boost your listening skills when it comes to medical vocabulary.

I hope you find them useful and as interesting as I do.

Go to YouTube and search on the words "mystery diagnosis." For me the most fascinating story was that of Brooke Greenberg, the baby who did not age.

Diagnostic Tests and Imaging

Hello, students of the seniors' class!

Here is an excellent video to explain both computerized axial tomography (CT Scan or CAT Scan) and the concept of a contrast material to help the doctor see certain systems or organs better.

Get Your Family's KI Kit

You expressed an interest in getting your household's free Potassium Iodide (KI) kit from Windsor-Essex Health Unit.

Here is the link. Read the agreement carefully before you request the pills.

https://weki.wechu.org/default?sid=4

Pixabay.com

Tests and Screenings - Routine

Hello!

Before we get into special tests and screenings, let's spend some time on routine tests and screenings that every patient needs. We also want to learn about the tests and screenings recommended just for men or just for women, just for young people, or just for older people.

For example, a yearly physical exam may include giving a urine sample.

The nurse will check your blood pressure.

The doctor will order blood work, so you will have to go to a lab.

Here is a short news video about the annual physical exam or "check-up."

Health History

Hello, students!

We have reviewed parts of the body. Monday we will start a bit of in-depth study of the body systems. Meanwhile, we have learned to answer questions about our family medical history and our personal medical history.

Here is the video of a dialogue between a doctor and patient's mother.



Here are some short conversations between a doctor and a patient.

This is a link to the BODY SYSTEMS dictionary.

And Back to Health Again

Hello, seniors!

We have returned to your favourite topic: health and navigating the healthcare system. This week we are learning to describe symptoms.

Since I have taught health topics many times before, I would like you to learn how to find those old blog posts for yourself. There are many good links on each one. To do this, you will  need to find the Search This Blog box at the top of the sidebar of this website. Do you see it? If you put in the word "symptoms" and click the Search This Blog button, you will be taken to a blog post about that. Next try putting in the word "health."

Did it work?

Here is the audio for Lily.

Here is the audio for Jim.

Have fun exploring all those resources!

Kelly

Police, Witness, Victim

Hello, students of the seniors' class!

This week we continue with our topic of the police and crime.

Below is a very interesting story of a mugging that had an unexpected ending. Can you understand what he's saying? If you want to read the transcript, click this button.

https://storycorps.org/listen/julio-diaz/

Describing People for Police

Hello, students!

This week we are learning to describe people.

In this video, we hear two people discussing the physical descriptions of escaped prisoners.



This week we talked  about linking. Watch Rachel's lesson on linking.

You can also practice spelling and sentences with games.