Editing Corrections Today

Congratulations, those who did stay and work through the editing corrections.

They're now available here for your use as you edit your writing!

All the best! Let's see if we can see the before-and-after artefacts of your writing next week!

Friday's Field Trip: IEP Conference

Chicken, tuna, or vegan?

Opportunities to network and learn--wow!



Here you go! Enjoy all the pictures from this year's IEP Conference!



If you haven't already registered for this important event, do so immediately. Then forward your confirmation email to your teacher to signal successful registration.

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Classmates at the 2013 IEP

Thursday's Assignment

Tomorrow's the day! Make sure you're all signed up and ready for the 12th Annual IEP Conference!

Now that you have looked into Express Entry, what do you think are other big changes in immigration policy this year? Think of four more possible big changes, write them down, and discuss your list with a classmate.

Here are your tasks:

1. Take dictation of the above video on the following:
1. 2:48 - 3:00
2. 4:02 - 4:16
3. 7:08 - 7:15
2. Check it with the transcript, practise it in a partner’s hearing, and record your reading it out loud on Chirbit.com.
3. Publish the details and Chirbit URL on your blog, and list which of the 5 changes you believe are good for Canada.

Answer (Transcript):

Wednesday's Assignment

If you have  been paying attention to the news or our class information sessions, you would have heard of the new Express Entry immigration policy.

Here are your tasks:

1. Take dictation of the above video on the following:
1. 00:57 - 01:20
2. 01:27 - 1:38
3. 02:10 - 02:18
2. Check it with the transcript, practise it in a partner’s hearing, and record your reading it out loud on Chirbit.com.
3. Publish the details and Chirbit URL on your blog, and leave a comment as you visit your classmates' blogs.

The old immigration system?

BONUS ACTIVITY AFTER YOU FINISH YOUR WORK

Here in Canada, we can thank God we have one of the lowest rates of slavery in the world. Laws against slavery were in place in Ontario even before the ban was confirmed in 1833 across the British Empire. Before this afternoon's movie to highlight Black History Month, here are a couple of exercises that might help you to prepare:

1. Listen, and put the words in order
2. Fill in the Blanks Quiz (easy)

Monday's Assignment

So, can you guess what the theme for this week is? If you said immigration or Canadian law, bingo!, you're right..

Here's this afternoon's tasks:

1. Practise by yourself, and then role play with at least two partners: Crossing the Border.
2. Blog writing:
1. Write a report on our ski trip. Make sure you quote from two classmates who were there. E.g. "I had never done that before in my life," said Kurniawan. OR According to Rajagopalmurugasu, putting on skis was "like going to jail!"
2. Include pictures from the class Facebook album.
3. Commenting: Write some positive comments on your classmates' ski trip reports!

Welcome back!

Check out the above cartoon. What do you think the theme of this week is?

1. Register for the IEP Conference if you have  not already done so.
2. Listen and list in correct order the events that led to this. Check your answer with a partner. Do you have the same order of events? Explain what went wrong with the family's decision?
3. Role Play with a partner: Talking about Immigration. Then record it on Chirbit.com, and publish on both partners' blogs.

Friday the 13's Ski Trip: Earl Bales Ski & Snowboard Centre

More pictures here! Can you tag your friends Eisa, Jay, Nader, Sara,  William, Wu, and Yun?

IMPORTANT ALERT:

1. It's going to be very cold. Check out the Extreme Cold Warning. Please layer up as you bundle up--wear a fleece inside, thick socks, face mask or neck warmer, and good gloves.
2. Please get there earlier, best not later than 9:45 a.m. There will be 2 other groups bigger than ours, and if you don't arrive early, you might get stuck behind them and spend more time waiting in line.

It's time again for our annual LINC ski trip to Earl Bales Park! It's a regular day, and there's a program for everybody to learn on, whether you are taking a paid skiing lesson or attending the free instruction. Let's all get ready to learn, and there's plenty for us to learn.

Thursday's Assignment

A blast from the past! Recognize anybody from these pictures?

Well, tomorrow's the big trip. Don't forget to bundle up and have fun!

1. Make sure you have done the survey. Your input is much appreciated!
2. Make sure you have signed up for the IEP Conference.
3. Make Facebook friends with 5 classmates from a different cultural background.
4. Watch 2 videos from this site and compare Canada’s cultural diversity to that of your country of birth. Tell a partner what differences are.
5. Watch this video, take dictation of 1:49 - 2:13, and check it with a partner before publishing.

Wednesday's Assignment

Welcome to Canada!

Canada receives immigrants and refugees from countries far away from here, which makes our culture all the more diverse. What are some of those countries?

1. Watch this video and tell your partner why people are laughing.
2. To prepare to use the Editing Checklist, review your grammar at Tense Buster Grammar Lessons:
1. Find two tenses or grammatical features you need more work in, and then study them using Tense Buster, e.g. UI - Modal Verbs and A - Phrasal Verbs.
2. Check your blog writing, and see how you might have used the tense. Did you use it correctly?
3. Learn the rule well, and copy it into your Editing checklist.
3. Watch this video ahead of our skiing lesson on Friday. Listen for the following words, and write down the counter position of each (the first one is given to you):
1. waterproof clothes 0:16
2. adjust the bindings
3. slightly bent
4. bunny slope
5. rope tow
6. snow plow, wedge position
7. upside down V
8. shift you weight opposite
9. lazy zigzag fashion
10. reach its summit

Tuesday's Assignment

If you were told February is Black History Month, what would you think? How would you feel?

The Underground Railroad: Welcome to Canada!

Here are your tasks:

1. Take dictation of any 5 sentences in this video.
2. Write down 5 Questions and Answers based on this video.

Compare, check, and correct your answers with your classmates, and publish them on your blog.

Don't forget to complete the survey from yesterday's assignment as well if you have not done so.

Monday's Assignment

Welcome to a week on the theme of cultural diversity!

But before that, let's think ahead about what ESL classrooms will be like in Canada in 10 years' time. Would there be teachers in classrooms? If so, where would they come from--from Japan, Latvia, Uganda, Uruguay, or New Zealand? Or would there be classrooms at all? What kind of technology would there be? What changes would you hope to see in learning ESL?

When you've thought about that, complete this survey before doing today's tasks:

1. When you have finished the above survey, watch and discuss with a partner the above video.
2. Read this section about Canada's Visible Minorities and:



Picture made on drawisland.com

1. write down 10 new vocabulary words/phrases
2. find out their meaning and make a sentence that brings out the meaning with each one
3. compare and check your list with 3 partners--did you find the same words/phrases?
4. write down 5 new facts about Visible Minorities in Canada
5. draw a picture based on your reading so far, save it and upload it to your blog, and publish it on your blog.

Friday Afternoon's Assignment

Complete your report on last Friday's field trip to University of Toronto:

1. Can you remember the trip? You may need to interview a few of your classmates for this. Think of 10 vocabulary words/phrases you are likely to use. To begin, you here are some: examples: Visitor's Centre, slippery, took pictures, freezing, suway, faculty, etc. 
2. Organize your writing in paragraphs that talk about Who showed up, Why we were there, What we saw there, and Which was the most exciting/surprising thing you saw.
3. Write 3 paragraphs and check for spelling and sentences. Then check with 2 partners before posting to your blog. Copy an image from our class album and publish it with your trip report.

Make sure to complete this exercise so that we can edit it together next week!

Friday's Assignment

T.G.I.F.! Hope everybody has had a wonderful week on customer service with Sonia (BTW, what was the verb tense in this sentence?). What were three most important lessons you learnt? Write them in the Comments section below.

1. Listen to this podcast on Training Salespeople, practise aloud, then with a partner, before recording your conversation on Chirbit.com.
2. Write Part 2 of the sales-training conversation, with the Consultant saying, "First, let's have a visit from a customer who's a real whiner. ..." Write 4 more lines and check with your partner before putting the whole dialogue with an additional Chirbit.com conversation audio recording on your blog.
3. Help a classmate to complete their assignments for this week.

Thursday's Assignment, With Thanks - It's Sonia's Last Day

Here's your work for this morning, folks.

What aspect of customer service do you think we'll study today?

Don't forget to leave a comment for Sonia!

Wednesday's Assignment - thanks to Sonia!

So good morning! This morning Sonia continues to direct our learning.

Guess what area of customer service we'll be considering today.

Check out your tasks on her blog!

Tuesday's Assignment - thanks to Sonia

Something special's in the air ...

For today's lesson, please click here for Sonia's instructions.


Be sure to write your comments for her at the bottom of her post.

Monday's Assignment - thanks to Sonia

Weather alert! Be safe!

Things to do today:

-Finish signing up / registering for seminars online

-Watch the video, “How to Order at Tim Horton’s.” Click on the link below to watch:

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

Did you catch any idiomatic phrases / expressions during the video?

-Do you know what double-double means at Tim Horton’s? Have you ever used it when you order? Write down any other terms you have heard or used at Tim Horton’s when you order a coffee or tea. Can you think of any terms you have heard but didn’t understand? We will share our thoughts as a class after computer lab!

- Did you try using the present perfect progressive tense this weekend? Try writing 5 or more sentences using the present perfect progressive tense in your blog J Look down below for the rules & examples to help you write your own sentences! After, share your sentences with your classmates by reading them out loud to each other.

Examples from last class:

I have been living in Canada for my whole life.

I have been learning English for 2 years.

She / He has been living in Canada for 2 months.

It has been snowing since this morning!

I have been standing in the rain for 1 hour!

RULES:

(I, They, We) HAVE BEEN verb+ING

(She, He, It, Name of person, Object) HAS BEEN verb+ING

-Imagine you are with a friend or fellow classmate at a coffee shop and you need their help with a task (ex. ordering food and drinks). Record yourself on http://www.chirbit.com/ asking your friend or fellow classmate for help with ordering (ex. could you order a coffee for me? How much are the bagels? Would you mind if I ordered first? Would you like me to order for you? How do you take your coffee/tea?) and practice ordering your friend’s and your order at the coffee shop. Don’t forget to share your recording on your blog.

-Read Sonia’s blog post about herweekend and write in your blog about what you did during the weekend in about 5-10 sentences.