Summer 2020

Hello, dear students.

It's been almost three months since we have seen each other. Soon it will be summer break. I'm sorry we cannot have a picnic in Jackson Park nor go together to the Sculpture Park as in years past. We also missed out on a trip to the François Baby House and the long bus ride to the outdoor ping-pong table in Kiwanis Park. Wasn't it fun? If you search for the words "field trip" on this blog, you can reminisce. https://my-teacherkelly.blogspot.com/search?q=field+trip

Right now I am under isolation orders because I crossed the border last Saturday. I cannot go out for 14 days. My groceries are delivered.

It is my hope that you all take advantage of the many services offered this summer online. Take advantage of Ziad's computer lessons and Conversation Café every other Friday. Stay connected.

If you cannot read this jpg image, contact your orientation worker for the PDF.

Leave me a comment below with your first name if you want me to continue posting here over the summer. I love you all so much! Take good care.

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.

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.

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

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

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/

Our Field Trip to Windsor Sculpture Park

Hello, students of the seniors' class!

photo - Legacy.com

Next week, weather permitting, we will take a field trip to Windsor Sculpture Park. This open-air art museum started life as Odette Sculpture Park, named after the generous benefactors who established the collection with commissioned and purchased works of sculpture, Louis and Patricia Odette and the L and P Odette Foundation.

I have created a little book to help us prepare for our adventure.

Watch this video about washing Tembo.

To continue with our study of articles, let Jennifer teach you about articles with geographical names.

When you finish, check out some of the links in the sidebar or watch more videos with Jennifer.

Need Something to Do?

Hello, students of the seniors' class!

Are you enjoying the last weeks of your summer break? Did you know that there is a conversation class each Wednesday afternoon from 1:00 until 3:00 at the YMCA? Yes! It is upstairs in the first classroom.

My mother and I joined the conversation circle this week. Zakieh told us about three things happening in Windsor:

Thursday, August 24, 2017 from 2:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. is "Women Only" swim time at the Jewish Community Centre at 1641 Ouellette Ave in Windsor. The cost is $5.

Friday, August 25, 2017 at 8:30 p.m. - Bruce Park Outdoor Movie Night! Come early for snacks and fun. The movie is free; bring a couple of dollars for snacks for your family. Bring a lawn chair or a blanket. The movie will be good for children and adults.

Monday, August 28, 2017 from 1:00 until 3:00 p.m.  - Bike Riding. Meet at the YMCA and walk to the Downtown Windsor Community Collaborative office on Wyandotte Street and Bruce Ave to borrow bicycles. We will ride together and return the bicycles after the ride.

See you soon!

Kelly

Summer Greetings

Hello, extra keen students!

If you are reading this, you are a keener! You visit my blog even during summer break.

Would you like to see pictures from the annual YMCA gathering that our classmate Baoli attended in London? Those are HERE.

Qinsi has asked me many times about ordering silkworms. Why don't we do a silkworm project in our classroom this year? I can easily find silkworms of the "feeder" type that people feed to their pet reptiles, but I am having trouble finding quality silkworms for silk production. Let's try to find them.

I will bone up on "project-based learning." Can you guess what that idiom means (the words in bold)?

Oh, by the way, I sailed through my operation. This is an idiom. It means there were no complications. It was easy. I'm certainly relieved about that.

Have you seen the free 22-minute film in the Sesqui dome theatre yet? I was wrong about the colour. It's a big RED igloo-shaped theatre, not white. I might try to go on Monday, July 10th.

What are you doing this summer? Leave a comment below.

Kelly

We Taught Each Other

Spelling City is now in the sidebar ----->

What great presentations you all did! You really rocked it.

You made posters.

You gave presentations. You spoke clearly, took turns, and used props well.

We even improvised a ping-pong table and had a live demo!

Excellent work, everyone!

What's Happening this Weekend?

Two events of interest to us this weekend are:

The city's annual plant sale at Lansperry Park on Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.  They will have some amazing prices. I plan to be in line early!

The other event is a "Jane's Walk" that will meet at 1:00 at Festival Plaza on the riverfront to begin a guided walk for one hour. You may learn some new things about the buildings and history of that area.  This will be a leisurely walk with opportunities to stop and rest periodically.

If you would like to work on the GSL, you can use Quizlet. There are 50-word blocks you can work on.

Free and Low-cost Things to Do in Windsor and Essex County

What	Cost	How do I get there?	Details
Ojibway Nature Centre	free admission, free parking	South Windsor 7 bus goes there.	Watch this movie
Windsor Folk Music and Arts Society	donation appreciated	Transway 1C, Crosstown 2	First Friday of every month at MacKenzie Hall (Sandwich)
Lee Lee Hats	free	Library	Help make hats for hospitalized babies.
Knit Night at Levigator Press	free - tea and snacks	Crosstown 2
Riverside Chess Club	free	Riverside Library, bus 2
DWCC Bike Clinics	free	Wigle Park, Bruce Park (downtown)
Community Gardens	free	Wigle, Bruce, Glengarry (downtown)
Women's Drop-in Coffee and Social (Games, etc.)	free	Downtown Windsor Community Collaborative
English Practice	free	Central Library, 1A	Wednesdays from 6 to 8 p.m.
Life After Fifty (Seniors Centre)	Yearly membership + class fees	Transway 1C, Dominion 5 bus	Variety of activities, many of them free after membership
City of Windsor Activity Guide	cost varies	locations vary	See catalog.
Windsor Summer Festivals	Some free, some free for seniors
Windsor PublicLibrary	free	downtown, 1A	books, DVDs, periodicals, audiobooks, etc.
YMCA classes	subsidized memberships available	downtown, bus 2	See schedule.

Remember to check the bulletin board at the library for lots more free stuff happening every month!

Our Gardens

Hello, students of the seniors' class!

Spring is here. Many of us have gardens. Some of us have container gardens on our balconies. Others of us have backyard gardens. I have a narrow vegetable garden in my front yard; I also grow herbs in pots on my deck. Finally, many of us have plots in nearby community gardens. We enjoyed exchanging open pollinated, heirloom seeds this Thursday.  I am excited about that!

We recently learned that the downtown branch of public library has a seed exchange.

Listen and learn these words relating to the garden / yard.

Here is a short listening text about gardening.

Here is another listening text about a garden. How much do you understand?

Do you know the names of all these vegetables?

What about these herbs? I use all these in my cooking. I grow them on my deck.

Here are some more herbs. I use all these in my cooking.

Do you know all these fruits? (Yes, the plural of fruit normally does not take an -S, but in this case I mean varieties of fruit. So it takes an -S ending.)

Here is a video to give you a brief overview of some basic gardening terms.

These are some terms we discussed on Thursday. The last frost date for our area is April 25. We are in hardiness zone 6B. That means THIS WEEKEND is good for starting seeds indoors. Have fun!

Volunteering

Hello, students!

Aiying asked me if I could record "Lazy Mailman." I did. You can listen to it HERE.

Would you like to create a profile in the WEVolunteer database?

Do you want to practice spelling our adjectives?

Try to unscramble these sentences. This helps you with English syntax.

Or listen to this 1-minute audio about volunteerism.

Here is a news podcast about volunteering. It's a bit harder.