Summer English Lessons - Is Anyone Doing Them?

Hello?

I have posted three summer assignments and I have not received any comments.  When I receive some comments showing me that you have done the prior lessons, I will post new lessons.

In the meantime, you can always visit Mr. Zhang's Page for some good listening practice. And you can visit Rachel's English for pronunciation practice.

Enjoy the summer. I hope that I soon get comments saying that you have been practicing English in public and trying to make Canadian friends, trying to talk to people outside your cultural group, trying to talk to neighbours, etc.

--Kelly

Summer English Lesson #3 - Go to a Yard Sale

Yard sales are a great opportunity to practice English.  Look in the paper today. Or look on the internet. Click here to see the Windsor Star classifieds - Garage Sales.

Here are some useful questions:

• How much do you want for this?
• Is [$5.00] your best price?
• Would you take [$3.00] for it?
• Would you take $___ for both of these?
• Would you take $___ for all three?

Go to a yard sale on Saturday.  Will you accept this challenge?  If you use English at a yard sale, leave a comment below.

For more practice with the language, click HERE.

Summer English Practice #2 - Social Integration

Did you watch the fireworks Monday night?  I did.  My boyfriend and I took a couple of lawn chairs downtown. We rode the bus.  The bus was free all evening.  We didn't have to pay to ride.  We found a good spot for watching the fireworks.  I saw Tareq and Widad when I went to buy ice cream.

There is only one way to become fluent in spoken English. You have to practice every day.  Also, you have to talk to people outside your cultural group.  I challenge you to try. Are you willing?

Today when you are out in public, try saying this to someone:

A: The fireworks show was beautiful, wasn't it?  Did you watch it?

B: Yes, I did.  /  No, I didn't.        

 A: We watched them from our apartment.   We have a great view of the river.

Good luck!  If you accept this challenge, please leave a comment below.

Summer English Practice #1 - Air Travel

Hello, students!

Xiumin said she wanted more practice with TRAVEL English. So...

Go to THIS WEB PAGE.  First do the pre-listening exercise.

Next scroll down and play the conversation.

Answer the questions.

Finally, do some grammar and vocabulary exercises.

Don't forget to APPLY all the travel English we learned when you travel this summer.  Enjoy your trip!

Summer's Coming!

Hello, seniors!

I was very pleased when you asked me today to post something on this web log for you to do during the summer break. I'm so glad you want to keep practicing English.

taken May 30 (we'd forgotten to change the date on the board)

Talking to the Doctor

Hello, LINC 2 students!

Please watch this video.  I will call you to come talk to me about it.

When you are finished preparing for the test, you can:

• practice spelling
• play a game
• learn parts of the body
• learn parts of the face
• learn medical words
• watch this video
• watch another video

Thank you!

Welcome Aboard

Hello, LINC Seniors!

We have been studying a lot of English for air travel. Yesterday we listened to some pre-boarding and flight announcements.

Today I will play some REAL boarding announcements.  I will give each of you a boarding pass with your flight number and destination city.  Here are the questions we will practice:

To your travel companion:  "Did you catch that?"

To your travel companion: "Did they just announce our flight?"

The answer will probably be, "No, I didn't."  "I'm not sure."   "I couldn't understand a word of it."

So now we have to know how to walk up to a stranger or an agent and ask:

"Excuse me, did they just announce flight _____ to _______?"  This question just became your best friend.

These are two of the four recordings we listened to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRmEMPhmY0I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8E5vP4FEXk

The Government

Hello, LINC 2 students!

This week we are studying the government.

First watch this short video about the levels of government.

To practice spelling the words, click HERE.  Don't forget: you can play games, too. The green ones are free.

GRAMMAR

Here is a quiz on possessive pronouns.

Here's another one.

Here is a quiz on possessive adjectives.

You may also use ELLIS software.

--K

Confederation

Hello, LINC 2 students!

This week we learned about Confederation.

Practice spelling HERE.

Unscramble the sentences.

Play a game.

GRAMMAR

Here is a quiz of basic tenses we have studied.

HISTORY

Watch a 1-minute video about Sir John A. Macdonald.

Laura Secord

Hello, LINC 2 students!

CANADA

If you want to practice spelling, click HERE.

To unscramble the sentences about Laura Secord, click HERE.

Here is the 1-minute video about Laura.

GRAMMAR

Try this QUIZ about adverbs.

Here you can practice present continuous.

Or you can practice with Mr. Bean.

Have fun!

Early History

Hello, LINC 2 students!

Here is a short video about Canada's name.

If you want to practice spelling this week's words, click HERE.

After spelling, play a game or unscramble the sentences.

Can you answer these questions? If you're not sure, click the link.

Who was John Cabot? What did he do?

Who was Jacques Cartier? What did he do?

Who was Samuel de Champlain? What did he do?

Learn and have fun!

Canada - Geography and History 1

Hello, LINC 2 students!

This week we learned some quick facts about Canada. Wednesday we began studying a little about the first people to live here.

SPELLING
Practice spelling some words from our lessons.

GRAMMAR
Here is an easy quiz on the present continuous.
This one is also not too difficult.
This quiz is a little harder.
This one is fun, too.

Present simple or present continuous? Try this quiz!

CANADA
Do you know where all the provinces and territories are? Try this quiz!
If you want, you can watch this 10-minute video about the Aboriginal Peoples.

Dear Teachers

Thank you to those who stayed till the end and those who gave up and left early but who are now trying to create a blog from home. Please don't hesitate to call on me if you get stuck or can't figure something out.

Thank you for your kind words of appreciation.  Having things not go as planned is a (recovering) perfectionist's worst nightmare. So thank you for making it easier on me by so graciously rolling with the punches.

I hope you have a wonderful time exploring these links and creating your own site.

Please leave me a comment here and let me know where I can come peek at your new web log.

Happy blogging!

Kelly

A Classroom Blog for Beginners

What is a web log (blog)?

A blog is a personal website where one may regularly record opinions, activities and experiences for others to read and, optionally, comment upon.

There are many free online blogging platforms with tutorials to help you get up and running quickly.

What prompted me to start using a blog in LINC classes?

• I wanted a place to park links to sites I would use again and again
• I wanted computer lab day to be less stressful for me
• I wanted to make students' experience in the lab stress-free
• I wanted to empower students, make them more self-sufficient in the lab, able to choose among activities and set their own pace

What are some other reasons teachers use web logs?

There are as many reasons for blogging as there are teachers and classes. Here are some ways you may wish to use a web log:

• to speak to your peers, as do Jennifer (Cultivating Learning) and Rp (ESL Learning Journal)

• to make resources available publicly, as Susan Bates does on English in Vancouver

• to make computer lab day easier, as many of my colleagues have done (see sidebar), and as I have done for my seniors and for my literacy class

• to give your students a forum for expression, exploration and collaboration

How will you use your new blog? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Canada's Geography

Hello, LINC 2 students!

This week we studied Canadian geography.

Watch this 10-minute tour of Canada's festivals and highlights.

Please practice your Canadian map skills HERE.

Practice spelling the provinces and territories HERE.

GRAMMAR

We also learned "be going to" for future.

Watch this video to revise the grammar.

Take a quiz HERE.

Helping Your Child Succeed

Hello, LINC 2 students!

This week we learned these adjectives to describe people. We used these words on the Ontario report cards that we made for four students: Sarah, Todd, Tommy and Mary.

Have fun with them. Spell them and play games.

We reviewed comparative and superlative.  Take this quiz to practice.

Then we watched a video about newcomers with children. How can we help newcomer children succeed in school? You can watch the video again in English, or in Chinese, Arabic or French. I'm sorry it's not in Karen.

-K

School

Hello,  LINC 2 Class!

I am happy to be your teacher now. You are good students!

Here are your links for this week:

Vocabulary (words)

•  Click here for vocabulary
•  Take the vocabulary quiz.
•  Here's more vocabulary.
•  This vocabulary test is harder.
•  Here is a vocabulary game.

Reading and Listening

• Listen and read.
• Listen and read - a parent talks to the teacher (Level 3)

Spelling

• Practice spelling.
• Take the spelling test.
• Play a game with the spelling words.
• Play word unscramble.

Grammar

• Watch a fun video about NOUNS. (Lyrics are HERE.)
• Unscramble the sentences.
• Study possessive nouns with this video.
• Here is a past simple quiz.
• Another past simple quiz.
• You can do another past simple verb quiz here.
• And finally here is an object pronouns quiz.

Some Helpful Videos

Hello, Seniors!

During our unit on health, medicine and talking to our doctors, the videos on this web log should help us a lot.

Kelly

Talking to Our Doctors

Hello, Seniors!

Well, we've just completed another needs assessment and have found that the topic you most want to study is health / medical. You want to be able to talk to your doctors, especially the specialists who do not speak your first language.

After we learn the parts of the body, we'll be listening to some patients communicating with receptionists, nurses and doctors.

Cheers!

Telephone Talk

Hello, Seniors!

Unscramble these sentences.

Kelly