Field Trips in July: Tasty Thursday and Scarborough Ribfest

A monstrous deep fried blooming onion at the Ribfest!

On Friday July 29, we have a field trip to the Scarborough Rotary Ribfest. Besides ribs, you're free to enjoy the beer garden, hot dogs, french fries, corn on the cob, and plenty more. Bring some money with you if you'd like these or other entertainment. Parking is free, and some of us could car pool from Don Mills Station at 10:25 a.m., but let's meet for a group photo at the entrance at 11 a.m.

Thursday's Assignment

So what's between cottages and the city? Have a look at the following video and fill in the blanks below:

"We're _______ Happy Days now. So, this is Happy Days Houseboats. This boat's _________ Knot 1, and _________ boat's a 12-person. So we're going _________ to take a look at this one. So this is the insides of the 12-person. So it's got a nice _________ area there with dinette, TV on the wall ... here's the ________ station ... there's a nice ________ couch there."

So, who's going to organize our August/September field trip on a nice Canadian houseboat?

Anyway, moving on, let's start thinking about this coming weekend first.

Here are your tasks:

1. Take dictation of this movie from 0:33 to 0:49. The following wordlist might be useful: 
1. 1997, 
2. directors, 
3. the Griswalds, 
4. inexplicably, 
5. previous.
2. Read the comments on this article.
3. Check out the TTC service to Bluffers Park or Rouge Beach Park during the holiday.
4. Plan your coming long weekend with a partner, and publish your calendar.

Wednesday's Assignment

If the first thing that you think of when it comes to Canadian celebrations is John Graves Simcoe, you can jump up and shout Woohoo!

You may already know of Lake Simcoe and Simcoe Street downtown. Well, how about a Simcoe Day, and who really was Simcoe?

What Canadian celebrations are represented above?

Here are your tasks:

1. Look for at least 5 new words about Governor Simcoe here.
2. Listen to the story using a free TTS (Text-to-Speech) website online.
3. Find the meaning of those words.
4. Read the sentences containing those words to a partner to check for pronunciation.
5. Wait for class take up.
6. Write a dialogue using those words.
7. Read your classmates’ dialogues, and identify their words from Simcoe’s story under Comments.

Tuesday's Assignment

What happens when the weather in Canada gets really hot?

The barbecue gets hotter!

Is this how other people celebrate the summer?

Here are your tasks:

1. Identify the tenses used in the chairman’s message.
2. Then identify 10 useful adjectives.
3. Click on all the links at the site and tell a partner what the top three things are that you’d like to do there.
4. Under Comments below, list your proposed field trip itinerary for Friday, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Monday's Assignment

Are you excited about the holidays of summer? Or do you dread them?

Here are your tasks:

1. List the types of public holidays in Canada.
2. Compare and contrast the public holidays in Canada with those of another country.
3. If you had a chance to change the calendar of holidays in that country, what 3 changes would you make?
4. Discuss and publish your decision.

Friday's Assignment

Which do you like better as a national anthem, O Canada or Maple Leaf Forever?

Feel free to vote at this site.

Here are your tasks:

1. Take notes on Citizenship Test based on Discover Canada:
1. Modern Canada
2. How Canadians Govern Themselves
2. Check out this video tutorial.
3. Complete any assignments this week that you have not completed.
4. Interview a classmate and write one paragraph on what aspect of our last field trip (last Thursday) was most surprising. Include a picture from our FB album or anywhere else.

Thursday's Assignment

Who is a Canadian? What are we as a country? How does this compare with another country and its citizens? These are just a few questions relating to citizenship. Discuss them with a partner.

Here are your tasks:

1. Publish your chirbit.com audio links on your blog for:
1. Yesterday's conversation-extending Dictation Triptych exercise
2. Your singing of Canada's Royal Anthem, making sure to connect "save our," "live, our," and "reign over us."
2. Leave your feedback for the LINC class under Comments here.
3. Back to the Citizenship test, do your reading and listening of selected chapters here:
1. Who We Are
2. Canada’s History
4. Review your knowledge here: Video tutorial

Wednesday's Assignment

Who are these people?

Can you remember how to start a conversation at a party? How about:

"Excuse me, but I heard you were the person who made the punch. I just wanted to tell you it’s unbelievably good."

So you get talking for the next 10 minutes. Then what? Silence starts to set in. So does panic.

Can you keep it going? How can you keep the conversation alive? How would you do that in your first language? Write a few lines and check with a partner before publishing:

A;

B:

A:

B:

Tuesday's Assignment

What do you promise when you become a Canadian citizen? What if you are not sincere? Check out the following video and tell your partner what you think.

What other controversies do you think exist over the Citizenship Oath?

Here are your tasks:

1. Identify what the Canadian citizenship oath says and doesn’t.
1. List 3 things it promises.
2. List 5 things it does not promise.
3. Compare it to another country's citizenship oath.
2. Listen to five stories, and upload your story.
1. Publish the link to your story.
2. Comment on your classmates' links.

Monday's Assignment

Last Thursday we saw what happens at the municipal level of government. Hopefully, some of you have started dreaming about doing your part politically. Guess what you need to do first.
This week we begin on the theme of Canadian citizenship. What does it take to make you a citizen of Canada?

Why is this citizenship ceremony funny? What does it say about Canada?

Here are your tasks:

1. Read and list the eligibility requirements.
1. Which of the requirements is/are the biggest barrier to your getting Canadian citizenship.
2. Tell a partner what your plans are in regard to citizenship--when, how, and why.
3. Write an email to a relative overseas about those plans.
2. Read and comment below on this letter to the editor: Too Easy
1. What does the author think of Canadian citizenship?
2. List the reasons given in the letter.
3. Respond briefly with your position and reasons.
3. Class activity: review of Cheaper by the Dozen 2

1. Write down the new expressions in the movie.
2. Google for the meanings of those expressions.
3. Make sentences based on the meanings, and post everything under Comments, below.

Friday's Assignment

What community service telephone numbers are best-known in your country of origin? Before the Internet era and when watches were expensive, Singapore used to have a time-announcement phone number. What number can you call in Toronto to get help on social, dental, legal, and other services in your neighbourhood?

Here are your tasks:

1. Sign up to study up, call up, and sum up on one of these 211 services.
1. With one partner at the computer, role play a 211 call from the other partner.
2. Record your role play after 3 rounds of practice, and then reverse roles.
3. Go make the phone call!
2. It's been a busy week. How about reflecting on its impact on you?
1. How did you feel about this exercise? Describe in no more than 30 words.
2. How do you feel about this week’s activities? What worked best? What could be improved? What would you change? Describe in no more than 30 words.