Field Trip Tuesday: Indoor Skiing in Mississauga

The photos are now ready at our FB photo album and other friends' pages. Be sure to make new FB friends and share the fun! And don't forget to tag yourselves in the pictures.

Monday Morning's Assignment

This week we will consider the theme of Skills for Life. Just a quick announcement, though: at 10 a.m. we're going back to our classroom for a workshop on Employment Rights. Also, please pay your $16 fee for tomorrow's field trip activity to your instructor before lunch.



Here are the tasks:

1. What do you think the most important skills are for your new life in Canada? Is it to pick up the phone? Is it to express your disagreement to an officer about a parking ticket? Is it to understand a letter from CRA? Or to email your local councillor?
1. Think of the top 3 tasks for each of the four language skills (LSRW).
2. Talk to a partner about your total list of 12 tasks, and compare your lists.
3. Publish your partner's list on your blog and say why you agree or disagree with it.
2. Make corrections on the printout of your blog writing using the editing checklist, and update your blog with the corrected version. Make sure the before and after versions are clearly seen.
3. Bonus Activity: Only when you've completed all of the above, you may take this survey. A four-step guide is available. If asked, the class name and class code are: LINC 4-5 and ON-00060-1.

Friday Afternoon's Assignment

So, you can get stuff in the brick-and-mortar library, and you can download stuff from the online library. What else can you get from your public library? Welcome back for the final assignment of this week:

1. Read the rules for the MAP.
2. In an email to a friend overseas, list 3 great things and 3 frustrating things about the MAP.
1. Then compare the Toronto Public Library to a public library system of another country. This could be the country you came from.
2. Have two partners check your work using the editing checklist, and post the email on your blog.
3. Complete any unfinished assignments from earlier this week.

Friday Morning's Assignment

Let's step back and have a look again at our city's public library. Do you recognize this place:

Drawing reproduced in Toronto Daily Star, 1922 (a clipping of which is in Toronto Public Library, Scrapbooks containing newspaper clippings, photographs, etc. relating to the Toronto Public Library, p.108, 1922). See also X 71-8. TEC 391.02. Date Created year approximate for 1922?

Here are your tasks for this morning:

1. Listen to this text using Natural Readers. Practise reading and pronouncing the words, and then post a recording of your reading on your blog.
2. Using your editing checklist and printouts from yesterday afternoon, update your posts with the corrections. Did you make any improvements to your writing? Make sure to show the writing BEFORE and the writing AFTER editing.

Thursday's Assignment

What are libraries made of? What kind of materials are used in building one? What's the opposite of online or web-based? What do you like or not like about "brick-and-mortar" places?


Here are your tasks:

1. Listening and vocabulary: A Taped Tour
2. Check out the programs at the 3 branch libraries nearest to your home. How did you find your answers? Did you arrive at your answers the same way as your classmates?
3. Listen to a few sample radio ads. Create a radio ad on Vocaroo.com for your neighbourhood branch library. What information would you include? Discuss with a partner. Leave comments on your classmates’ ads, too!

Tuesday's Assignment

Do you have a library card? What do you know about the online resources of Toronto Public Library?

Do you know what "pick-up lines" are? Do you know any examples in your first language? Tell a partner.

Check out the following tasks:

1. How many of the 16 public library resources here can you access? Comment on your favourite.
2. Can you really learn grammar online? Check this out: 7. Tense Buster > Access Online > Option 2 > Intermediate > Relative Clauses

Monday's Assignment

Welcome back! How was the Black Friday weekend? Did you know it's Cyber Monday today? Anyway, how about looking at an important community and government service for our theme for this week: Public Libraries?

Here are your tasks:

1. Listening and pronunciation--practise by yourself, then with a partner, and record your role play on Vocaroo.com: A Trip to the Library
2. Listen to 3 pairs of classmates’ role plays and leave a comment for each.

Be ready at 10 a.m. to go back to class for a workshop with Shankari on Healthy Eating on a Budget.

Wednesday's Assignment

You can get the good stuff right off your home computer if you have a library card. Some of the best resources of the public library are online, on demand.



Here are your tasks:

1. Listening and Vocabulary: DVD Movie Rentals
2. Role play: E-books
3. Compare the library’s e-videos and those offered on ShowBox. List 3 pros and cons of each on your blog, and discuss your ideas with a partner.

Friday's Assignment

TGIBF! The fun hasn't ended on our Black Friday! Here are our tasks for this afternoon:

1. Complete your writing of the field trip report, and have three partners check it before updating.
2. What other Justins represented Canada in this competition? Read about each one, compare notes with a partner.
3. Watch this video, and write down statements of encouragement, e.g. "That's it! No worries!" and "You've ____ it! So far, so _____?"
4. Using appropriate encouragements and imperatives, make a vocaroo.com recording on how you would tell someone how to use a computer to read email. For example, you could say, "Press the on switch on the computer. That's it! So far, so good?"

How was the field trip yesterday?



Here are your tasks:

Here they are, Justin time!

1. Write up your field trip report of 10 sentences, including details on what you liked, disliked, and were surprised by on the trip.
2. Sometimes famous people share the same first names. Who are Justin Trudeau and Justin Bieber? See their Wikis. What does Trudeau believe about marijuana (see this video from 1:13)? What was the news about Bieber (video)?
3. Then, on audioboo.com/vocaroo.com, record your likes and dislikes about the Justins you've just watched.

Field Trip Thursday Nov 27: Christmas Past at Black Creek Pioneer Village

Hark the herald, folks! We are going to Black Creek Pioneer Village on a yellow school bus on Thursday, November 27, leaving MicroSkills LINC, 200 Consumers Rd, at 9:15 a.m. and returning by 2:30 p.m.

The program is entitled Christmas Past, and it will show what Christmas was like and how it was celebrated 200 years ago. The bus ride is free to us, thanks to the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, but make sure to hand over your $11.50 for the program fee to your instructor by Monday. Spaces are limited, and latecomers are welcome to travel by TTC and pay the regular entrance fees.

Please dress appropriately for outdoor and indoor activities, and bring your camera, walking shoes, lunch (or lunch money), and a great attitude to learn and to enjoy!

The program description is as follows:

Christmas Past HAND OUTS: Gingerbread Man Chrismas Tresures Christmas Actibity

All grade levels

mid November to December 23 only *Maximum 400 students per half day

Curriculum Links: Language; Environmental Studies; Social Studies: Heritage and Identity-Changing Roles and Responsibilities (grade 1)Changing Family and Community Traditions (grade 2)Communities in Canada,1780-1850 (grade 3)Communities in Canada, Past and Present(grade 6) History: Creating Canada, 1850-1890 (grade 8) Traditions and celebrations of the different cultures that make up the Village provide a very special Christmas visit.  Scottish, Irish, British and Pennsylvania-German influences are seen in a traditional setting of 19th century homes, shops and community meeting places.  Each child makes a traditional Christmas craft.  Groups help to create a pomander, taste period treats, work at a printing press, try on pioneer winter clothes and play with old-style Christmas toys.  Join in the spirit of the season at this fun filled visit to the Village. *Activities depend on buildings visited

$11.50 per student

Info from Black Creek Pioneer  Village ...

Wednesday's Assignment

Not only science, but art and music also figure strongly among our famous icons.

A collage of samples from the Group of Seven

Here are your tasks:

1. Watch this video and write down the names of Canada’s Group of Seven. Take notes on each of them.
2. Post your notes with sample pictures by three of them on your blog.
3. Listen to the words of this song, and read the life story of this famous son of Port Hope, Ontario. Who was he? Now check out in how many countries Mr. Scriven's song is sung around the world in these Youtube entries.

   

   Scriven Memorial, Downtown Port Hope, Ontario

   
   

At 10 a.m., do feel free to drop by the school's garage sale in support of United Way!

Tuesday's Assignment

What do these people have in common?

Canada's eight astronauts, posing for a photo at the John H. Chapman Space Centre in St. Hubert, Que., in 2003: Back row, left to right, Marc Garneau, Steve MacLean, Julie Payette, Dave Williams; front row, left to right, Roberta Bondar, Chris Hadfield, Robert Thirsk and Bjarni Tryggvason. ((Andre Pichette/Canadian Press))

Here are your tasks:

1. How many Canadians have gone to outer space? Do exercises C, D, and E at the end of this webpage. Check your answers with two partners.
2. Identify where they went to school and two other interesting facts about each of our female astronauts. Share with a partner, and post these facts on your blog. Then comment on three of your friends' blogs.

Monday's Assignment

Do you recognize any of these faces?

Here is this afternoon's task:

What are the full names of these Canadian pop icons: Avril, Shania, and Celine? Listen to at least one song by each on Youtube.com, and tell a partner which song you like the most.

Today, we start a new series on famous Canadians. As a new Canadian, you may wonder who are the most famous people among your countrymen. Try to think of the names of five famous Canadians, and tell a partner about them.

Here are your tasks:

1. Take good notes on this ESL lesson. What other good videos are available?
2. Share your recommendations on your blog, and write your comments on your classmates' blogs.
3. Learn to spell the names of 10 famous Canadians.
4. Check out the latest reviews of Black Creek Pioneer Village's Christmas program. Read one of them out to a partner, correcting for any pronunciation mistakes, and publish your vocaroo.com recording of it on your blog.

Friday's Assignment

What's so funny about the above cartoon? Tell a partner.

Here are our tasks for the afternoon:

1. According to this source, which institutions offer the best rates for $1,000 over 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 years? Discuss with a partner and publish your findings on your blog.
2. Compare the banking options on this list and tell a partner which is best for you. Be sure to consider this discussion?

Welcome back! It's been a tough week of filling in language assessment e-portfolio forms. Great job! Now we direct our focus back onto financial literacy and banking:

Here are your tasks:

1. Practise and Role Play with a partner: Talking to a Teller.
1. Record your reading of the conversation on Vocaroo.com, and place the link on your blog.
2. Change the details, and record the new conversation with your partner on Vocaroo.com.
2. Remember that difficult exercise on Monday morning? Let’s give it another try: Take dictation of this report, 00:05 - 00:46. Check with 2 partners before publishing.

Pictures from Today's Grey Power Visit

LINC 4-5 clients latching on to every dropped pearl, apparently.

Hey everybody, didn't you enjoy the exchange with Grey Power reps today as part of their Days of Caring? Well, I hope the memories are sweet as you savour more pictures here. If you believe in what our LINC program is doing and would like to share your recommendations, feel free to write your comment below.

Friday's Assignment

Which animal has the most money? Which has the least? Do you see a pun?

Here are this afternoon's tasks. Those at home for PD Day may do this week's assignments at home for attendance.

1. Listen to a short explanation from a bank teller about different accounts to determine the advantages and disadvantages of each. In your own words, list two benefits of each kind of account; then compare with a partner before posting. 
2. Write your comments on the blogs of five of your classmates.

Some of you have clothes that are good and need no alteration. You just need to shop for a good bank account.

Here are your tasks:

1. Listen and take notes from this introductory video.
2. Practise with a partner this dialogue on various bank accounts.
3. Identify 3 future Enterprise Toronto events of interest, and discuss with a partner.

Thursday's Assignment

Apostle Paul says, "So we should be satisfied just to have food and clothes" (1 Timothy 6:8). But sometimes the clothes need a stitch or two. Now what can you do?

What is the meaning of "must" here?

Still continuing on the theme of shopping and customer service, here are your tasks:

1. Check out the vocabulary of clothing alterations.
2. Practise this dialogue on Shopping for Clothes.
3. This tasks brings together your knowledge from Nos. 1 and 2. Add two rounds of dialogue to No. 2 using your new vocabulary of clothing alterations from No. 1, and check the result with two partners before publishing it on your blog.
4. Read this article and take notes regarding "customer service." What are some precautions you can take while shopping? Write your Comments below.

Wednesday's Assignment

Welcome back from our Remembrance Day field trip! Hope the video gives a peppier performance on the same pipe organ we heard!



We continue this morning on the following tasks:

1. Write a trip report (with pictures from Facebook) on your blog:
1. In the first paragraph, write about where we went and what we saw or did.
2. In the second paragraph, write about one thing that surprised you.
3. In the last paragraph, write about what you learnt from the field trip.
2. Role play the following dialogues with a partner: 

1. Picking up a Rental Car
2. Questions about a Product
3. With the same partner, think of a 1-minute dialogue about renting a tandem bicycle from a neighbour for a week:
1. Publish the dialogue on your blogs.
2. Include a vocaroo.com recording of your dialogue.

Field Trip Tuesday: Remembrance Day Downtown

As planned, our field trip started down the subway line to Queen Station, where we popped out of the Bay store behind the crowds thronging the Old City Hall. From there we ducked back down underground for lunch in the PATH Underground City before heading over to St. James Cathedral for the free organ concert cum chaplaincy exhibition. What wasn't planned was the glorious 14-degree weather, thanks be to God.

Check out all the pictures on Facebook, and don't forget to tag yourselves!

Monday's Assignment

Good morning! Here we are at the start of one of the more exciting weeks of the year! Guess the theme for this week:

Which walker do you most closely resemble?

Here are today's tasks:

1. Check out the field trip announcement, and write down 5 True/False questions on your blog, e.g. "You should wear stilettos and summer dresses to the event."
2. Then check out five of your classmates' blogs, and answer the True/False questions in the Comments.
3. How about this customer service video? Write a note to an insurance company to cancel or change a policy and to request a refund. Use proper email formatting and state your reason clearly.
4. Practise this dialogue by yourself on vocaroo.com (comparing it with the website’s), and then with a partner.
5. Around 10 a.m., let's return to class for Shankari's presentation on Ontario's Healthcare System

Friday's Assignment

Click to see the picture full-sized. Can you guess what this is about? Write your answer under Comments below.

Refer to Thursday's assignment if you haven't completed it.

Then build your business/professional network at LinkedIn.

If you have finished all that, consult with your instructor.

Thank you all who bought poppies today! Do you know how to keep them on? Check out the article and video here!

Thursday's Assignment

This is our work for today for attendance. First, watch this short video about Remembrance Day ahead of next week's observance. What is its message? Do you agree with the message? What does the word "Lest" mean?


Here are your tasks for today:

1. Making friends in Canada is important if this is to be your new home. Go to the instructor's Facebook Page and make friends with five of your classmates. On each page, find at least one photo that you can "Like."
2. Many Canadian soldiers have given their lives so that we can enjoy the freedom of expression, freedom of religion, freedom of thought, freedom of belief, freedom of peaceful assembly, and freedom of association. On your blog, in your own way and with your own ideas:
1. Write how you and your family can best honour our soldiers for what they have done. Aim for about 5 sentences.
2. Imagine a child asking you why Canadians are wearing their poppies these days. Explain as simply as you can in less than 1 minute, and record your explanation on Vocaroo.com. Embed the link in your post, and publish.

Complete the above Tasks 1 and 2 on your Facebook and blog by 2:30 p.m. for class attendance on Thursday.

Newcomers' SuperShow in Mississauga This Weekend

New2Canada SuperShow & Expo

November 8-9, 2014  – FREE Admission!!

The New2Canada SuperShow and Expo is your “one-stop shopping” information fair and showcase of programs and services for newcomers & newly-settled immigrants in the Greater Toronto Area. 

Show Hours

Saturday, November 8: 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 9:   11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

AdmissionAdmission is Free. Registration required. Register at tinyurl.com/ozs3j9l

DirectionsThe International Centre, 6900 Airport Road, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L4V 1E8

We’re so easy to get to – right in the heart of the Greater Toronto Area – 
a quick 15 minute drive from downtown and just three minutes from Toronto Pearson International Airport. And, once you get here, there’s FREE parking for over 5,000 vehicles.

Parking

Free Parking. Over 5,000 spaces available.

Find out more about: Employment Resources Government Services Community Services Housing Education Credentials and Certification Healthcare Money Management Transportation

Wednesday's Assignment

What's the point of this cartoon? Can you guess who said what before the picture on the left?

Here are your tasks:

1. Read this report and summarize it on your blog in 20 words or less.
2. Read this report and discuss the amount of Canada’s foreign aid with two partners. Should we be helping refugees in Yemen? Is $3 million for Yemen too much or too little? What about Pakistan or the Philippines? Focus on what you agree with and what you disagree with. On Vocaroo.com, record 1 minute of your conversation with either of your partners. Then post the audio link on your blog.

Guess who and where and what's happening.

Tuesday's Assignment

Uh oh. What comes to mind when you see this flag?

Here are your tasks for this morning:

1. Role Play: Airport Security.
2. Watch the videos on this page. 
1. Take notes as though you were going to make a 9-11 call. Would you use the words gunman, opened fire, collapsed, bystanders, and hurry? What other words would you include? 
2. Compare notes with a partner.
3. Write comments on more international videos at Liveleak Freaks.
3. Take dictation from the video here, 2:01 - 2:21. Check it with two classmates, make a Vocaroo recording of it, and publish it to your blog.
4. Practise singing our Royal Anthem and National Anthem. Then help this guy sing the anthem.

Monday's Assignment

Think of a title to this world map. Tell a partner your title!

Good morning, and welcome back to school! This week, our theme is Global Issues: Canada in the Global Village. So, what do people think of Canada? What do Canadians think of the rest of the world?

1. Listening and Vocabulary: Do the lesson and the quiz on Immigration and Customs.
2. Identify the verb tenses in the International Efforts section. How many different tenses did you find? Check with a partner about the meaning of each tense.
3. Role play this with a partner: Negotiating a Peace Treaty.

Friday's Assignment

TGIF (Thank God It's Friday)!

Today, we try to put our corrections based on the Editing Checklist into our blogs. If you need to review your work with your instructor, do take the opportunity this morning to go over your writing and editing for 10 minutes. Make sure to complete the amendments on your blog completely.

How does this relate to our theme of the week, a Healthy Lifestyle?

Here are your tasks on a healthy lifestyle:

1. Role Play: Walking or Running
2. Search for “Halloween” on this our class blog, read the posts, and comment on at least 2 posts.
3. Complete all edits on your blog using the Editing Checklist; then get 3 classmates to check before updating.
4. Wish your friends Happy Halloween on Facebook!

Thursday's Assignment

What bad habits could hurt your health?

Who's the person in the cartoon? What's so funny?What's not?

Here are your tasks:

1. Role Play with a Partner: Breaking Bad Habits
2. CLB6S: Role play a call to make an appointment with a dentist next Friday at 4 p.m. to talk about your daughter’s mouth breathing. Post the Vocaroo recording on your blog.
3. Post your comments on two other classmates' blogs.

Wednesday's Assignment

Good morning!

Here are your tasks:

1. Role play by yourself and then with a partner: Caring for Your Teeth
2. Record your role play with your partner on Vocaroo.com, and place it on your blog.
3. Learn the following vocabulary on Dental Care.
4. Sharpen your listening skills: Friendly Dental Care.
5. Write five sentences on what you learnt from the Employment Laws and Rights session yesterday. Publish them on your blog.

Tuesday's Assignment

Are you ready for a healthy lifestyle? How's your diet?

Here are your tasks:

1. Learn the vocabulary and make three sentences from this lesson: Shopping for Produce
2. Role play the following by yourself and then with a partner, and record the dialogue on Vocaroo.com: Unhealthy Food

Be ready for the information session in class with Carl on Employment (and Human) Rights, starting any time from 9:30 - 10:00 a.m.

Monday's Assignment

Welcome back! If you haven't spoken a word of English all weekend, that's all about to change.

Is this funny? What do you think is the theme for this week?

We're going to practise the following dialogues and then each find a partner to role play:

1. Role Play 1: Infatuated
2. Role Play 2: Teasing
3. Role Play 3: Your Looks

Be ready for the information session in class, starting any time from 9:30 - 10:00 a.m.

Friday's Assignment

Here are your tasks for this afternoon:

Who are those people in the picture?

1. Write your report of yesterday’s field trip or Wednesday's Student Vote.
2. Have 3 classmates check your work before posting.

Why so happy? Where are they going? Who's that on the extreme right?

Good morning! Hope you had a profitable time at yesterday's Small Business Forum!



Write down the three new words/phrases, and make sentences that bring out their meaning clearly. Read them aloud to a partner, focusing to make sure of correct pronunciation.

Here are your tasks for this morning:

1. Vocabulary building: Being an Entrepreneur
2. Watch this video and write down names and a sentence from three interviewees.
3. Role play on Vocaroo.com: Starting a Franchise Business

Thursday: Field Trip to Small Business Forum

Best wishes in your business startups, Diego, Ben, German, Yun, Hong, Jian, and Wu!

Check out more pictures on our class album!

Wednesday's Assignment

What are they pitching? Did they succeed? Check out this video!

Some people promote themselves to serve the city (or that's what they tell us), and others do so obviously to get rich. Today, we are checking out both kinds of people:

1. Watch the videos on the municipalities and school boards in Ontario. Find the list of candidates running in our Ward. Ask two partners who they will vote for in the Student Vote later this morning.
2. Watch Dragons’ Den/Shark Tank on streaming, taking good notes with this worksheet
1. Dragon’s Den-CBC
2. Shark Tank-ABC

Tuesday's Assignment

Do you think it's a good idea for a businessman not to have a business plan? What do you consider a good or a bad business plan? Share your ideas with a partner.


Here are your tasks:

1. Vocabulary building: Business Plan
2. Check out this resource and identify the 3 most important and the 3 least important sections of a business plan. Write your list down on your blog.
3. List 3 upcoming events by Enterprise Toronto, and update them on your Facebook status. Be sure to say why you might be interested in them.

Welcome Back! Here's Monday's Assignment

Woohoo! The one-week Thanksgiving Break is finally over! Did you have fun? We have a busy and exciting week ahead!



Guess what this week's theme is. Is it about healthcare? Education? Or what? Look for some clues on this post. Then take a guess, and tell a partner. So, here are your tasks:

1. Be sure to register for Thursday’s Field Trip right away.
2. Think of a business you could start. Read this webpage and discuss your thoughts with a partner.
3. Write 10 sentences on your blog about your dream business, and include some pictures.
4. Imagine that your dream business has been on for 3 months already. Introduce yourself and your business in less than 1 minute on vocaroo.com.

Friday`s Assignment

Today, to round up our week on the topic of celebrations, we take a look at something old and something new.

For more scary images, click here.

Here are your tasks:

Halloween 1517

1. First, something contemporary: role play with a partner this Halloween exercise on Scary Things.
2. Second, we go back in time to the Halloween of 1517, the greatest Halloween of all. Watch this Video (focus on 3:00 - 15:30): Why is it so important in history? Take good notes. Discuss your answers with a partner.
3. As we celebrate and give thanks to God for the freedoms in our new land of Canada, let us not forget those who are not so free in some other countries (e.g. 1, 2, 3, 4). Write an email to a friend comparing Canada with another country, have two partners check it, and then post it on your blog.