We Can Use iPads

Hello, students of the seniors' class!

This week we learned about iPads. We learned the parts of the iPad (e.g., home button, icons, headphone jack) and a few useful verbs, such as tap, swipe, pinch and zoom. Thursday, each team of two gave a short presentation on how to use one particular app. They were informative; thank you!

Dina and Mike

On Fridays we read a short, interesting story connected to the week's topic. Today the higher level students talked about the story about Dina, the marathon runner who made an incredible recovery from a stroke. Lower level students talked about Mike, the politician in B.C. who fell into the ocean from his deck and injured his spinal cord. In pairs, higher and lower level students compared and contrasted the two cases.

Our CPR Kit with Inflatable Dummy

Hello, seniors' class!

This week we watched this video.  In discussion groups, we asked each other, "What would you do if you saw someone collapse in public?" We used the video to explore different scenarios and learned an odd idiomatic expression, to freak out.

Happy Lunar New Year!

Happy Year of the Wood Goat!

I share your wish for world peace this year.  Thank you for all the treats. That was quite a spread. The red tea was delicious! I loved it when the parade came from childminding, two children of about age three acting as the head and tail of the lion.

Ellis Software - Health Videos

Would you like to use Ellis software again this week? You are welcome to do so.


Or would you like to listen to some of our HEALTH CARE vocabulary pronounced? Medical words are here.

Getting a BMD Scan

Hello, students.

Watch this short video about a BMD scan.

The Skeletal System

This is a nice overview of the skeletal system, part by part.

This is a bit simpler. Hover over the parts to hear them pronounced.

Listen to this conversation between a patient and receptionist.

Here is a listening lesson about a medical appointment.

Orthoconnect is a great resource for Canadians who need information about orthopaedic care.

Here are informational publications from Osteoporosis Canada. One pamphlet is available in Chinese Simplified and Traditional, but not in Arabic, I'm afraid.

Take this "Calculate My Calcium" quiz to see if you got enough calcium for your age and sex yesterday.

Our Listening / Speaking Strategies

We have begun Listening Boot Camp!

What is a boot camp?

It is intensive training for new military recruits with a strict drill sergeant. Sometimes health clubs also offer boot camps for people who want to get in good shape fast. The personal trainer is there to motivate people to work hard for quick results. The personal trainer doesn't let you make excuses or take the easy way.

I am here to motivate you to awaken and strengthen different areas of your brains. We have agreed to close our bilingual dictionaries during listening lessons. The dictionaries can distract us from the main goal: improving listening and speaking skills.

This week we started building our tool box of L / S strategies. We can:

• Guess an unknown word from context. (Remember the Shillybog!)
• Listen for the gist.
• Use repair strategies. (Communication is a two-way street.)
• Talk around a word we do not know by explaining to the listener what we mean.
• Tune into CONTENT words.
• Practice good linking and prosody so your brain is prepared for the way native speakers really talk.

Here Rachel teaches you about consonant sound to vowel sound LINKING.

Watch this video about HOW TO GUESS A WORD FROM CONTEXT.  Here is another video about the same thing. There are many!

This is a great video on keys to improve your listening comprehension.

If you want to print the words to one of the 265 Short Stories on Mr. Zhang's Listening Page, call me over and we can do that together.

Staying Safer in Hospital

Hello, seniors!

Welcome back. I hope your winter break was pleasant. Mine was!

Continuing with our very in-depth health unit (part II), this week we will talk about staying safer in hospital. Specifically, we will talk about avoiding hospital-acquired infections.

Together we will explore these steps for avoiding hospital-acquired infections.

For level 6/7 students, here is a fascinating story on America's National Public Radio about the human microbiome.

You could also watch this TED Talk about the human microbiome with subtitles in your first language.

AHRQ Guide to Patient Safety

Read what other patients have to say about your family doctor or specialist on Rate MDs.

I found public reports for our local hospitals, but the PDFs are opening as blank for me. How about you?

There is no class next Friday due to the teachers' meeting.

Do It Yourself

Hello, seniors!

You have shown an enormous interest in DIY resources and frugal lifestyle websites and their newsletters.

Here is a good site for frugal gardening.

Here is a great site about frugal living.

Check out YouTube for an endless source of "how to" videos.  Try searching for "duct tape" or "how to make a cap."  Here is the "no sew" cap that one student is interested in making.

Have fun!

Lab Tests

Hello, seniors!

This week we learned about requisitions for blood work. I enjoyed watching your role plays with real cotton balls, gloves, and band-aids. Weimiao made a syringe from a pen.

Listen to these conversations between a patient and the laboratory staff.

If you enjoyed that one, take a look at the whole list. There is one about giving a urine sample, as well.

Happy learning!

K

Lots of Listening - Doctor

Hello, seniors!

Teacher Stephanie has a lot of listening activities on her blog. Her class is studying health now, too. Take a look!

Also: Maritza Goes to the Doctor

See you Monday.

Kelly

More Practice with Medical Language and the Body

Hello, seniors' class!

This week we are learning dialogues used during an eye exam.

First we will watch this video.

Listen to parts of the face and eye.

But don't forget to study the whole body. Listen and pronounce body parts HERE.

Pronounce more body parts.

Pronounce parts of the digestive system.

This British site has useful phrases that you can hear AND see translated. Click for Chinese or Arabic.

Our Posters

Hello, class!

Having requested a 'part two' to our health/medical unit, this week you agreed that breaking into teams to create posters of the systems of the body would be a good way to cement the new vocabulary into memory. I never dreamed you would do such a lovely job with your posters. You planned, sketched and coloured them beautifully. Crayons might have worked better for shading the organs. I'll remember that for next time.

First we had the planning stage...

Then you chose to colour in the organs.

Each team posed with their poster.

And finally we played "Each One Teach One."

In the end, you told me you want us to learn English this way more often. Creating the posters has helped you learn the vocabulary. From here, you've asked me to present lessons on the function of each organ. We will do that, as well as talking about the diseases associated with each system, tests involved in diagnosing those, and typical language used to discuss such investigations with your medical team.

Health, Part II

Hello, students!

You have voted to study health again, going further this time.

Last time we used English in Vancouver - Health. There are many good videos.

This week we talked about colds and the flu.

Here is a listening text about colds and flu.

Practice a few health phrases.

Learn some medical vocabulary.

For the very adventurous, you can view all the systems of the body HERE.

Our Main Traits

Hello, students! Take a look at the WIFF schedule.

Take this quiz on adjectives describing personality traits.

Watch this little video with adjectives describing personality.

Here is another one with great pictures.

Enjoy!

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.

More on Houses

Hello, morning class!

The last post gives you links to some of the resources we used this week. Here are some activities you can do to reinforce the new terms.

Listen a minute - houses

House vocabulary

Read and listen - My family's house

Take a tour of a Craftsman American Foursquare. I love all that unpainted woodwork.

You asked how much one of those homes on Victoria Avenue would cost today. Check prices of homes around downtown Windsor. You can see photos of the interiors, too!

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.