Field Trip on April 30: CN Tower

Meeting time at the Ticket Office of CN Tower: 9:45 a.m. (Please do not be late!).

Entrance fees should be prepaid to your instructor by Friday April 24:

• Adult (13+): $20
• Child (4 - 12): $15
• Senior (65+): $15

Those who do not prepay may still join the tour but will pay the regular price.

Those who don't wish to tour CN Tower can have the free option of signing in at the meeting time and then checking out the picturesque neighbourhood , including Rogers (Skydome) Centre, Ripley's Aquarium, Steam Whistle Brewery, Fairmont Royal York Hotel, Harbourfront Canoe & Kayak Centre, HTO Park, and much more! What a photo opportunity for all, eh?

Wednesday's Information Session

Today we have a consumer rights information session in our classroom with Workplace English schoolmates.
While waiting, be sure to check out the pictures in my Facebook album.

Tuesday's Assignment

As the weather warms up, do you think Canadians would like to go out on a picnic?

Would you? How about this afternoon? Discuss with your classmates!

Look up the meaning of the word decoy. Does the cartoon make sense? How is it funny?

Here are your tasks:

1. Complete the updating of your editing from yesterday. Make sure to ask at least 2 partners to check that the updates are correct and complete.
2. Listening & Vocabulary: Preparing for a Picnic
3. Role play, and then give dictation to your partner for a new post on their blog: Having a Picnic

Monday's Assignment

Welcome back! So, how's life been in Canada? Do you like the culture here? 

What does the name Colin sound like? Was the joke funny? Was it sad?

Here are your tasks:

1. Listening & Vocabulary: So Who Started Knock-Knock Jokes?
2. Read this list of knock-knock jokes and discuss it with a partner:
1. What is the pun in each joke?
2. With your partner, share some puns from your first language.
3. Write a knock-knock joke together, and publish it on your blogs.
4. Role play your joke on Chirbit.com.
3. Role play with your partner: A Practical Joke.

Friday Afternoon's Assignment

Phrasal Verbs

Task 1:

Try to look up the meanings of these phrasal verbs, and then fill in the blanks below.

Practice Exercise 1

Phrasal Verb	Meaning
look after
hold on
do without
take up
run out of
break down
meet up with
check in
turn up
look into

EMAIL 1

TO: Robert Booth

FROM: Amy Cookson

RE: 1 Service Lift

The service lift in the warehouse has (1)____________ (stopped working) again.

Could you please get the Shindler engineer to (2)____________ (investigate) what has gone wrong and fix it as soon as possible?

This is urgent, because we really cannot (3)____________ (manage) it. We are having to move everything upstairs by hand. This is (4)____________ (occupying) a lot of time and soon everyone is going to (5)____________ (have no more) patience.

EMAIL 2

TO: Robert Booth

FROM: Amy Cookson

RE: Mr Senai

We are expecting Mr Senai from Japan sometime this afternoon.

I have rung the hotel, but he has not (6) ____________ (registered) there yet, so he may just (7)____________ (arrive unexpectedly) at the office. If he does, could you (8)____________ (take care of) him and ask him to (9)____________ (wait) until I get back?

I have to (10)____________ (visit) a client at about 3.30, but I should be back by

4.15.

Practice Exercise 2

Phrasal Verb	Meaning
back up
build up
close down
fill in
give up
take up
try out
break down
pick up
put off
meet up with
buy out
turn off
go through
look up
turn up
look after
help out
run out of

1) Did you ____________ your files last week?

2) Keith Sole quickly ____________ his shareholding to 10% of the company.

3) If we don't stop the losses, the company will have to be ____________.

4) After you've ____________ the form, can you leave it with Fiona, my secretary?

5) We've ____________ trying to get business from small companies.

6) Marvin Steel is in the process of ___________ many of the smaller shareholders.

7) Could you ask Paul to ____________ with arranging the company BBQ at the weekend?

8) If you don't know the meaning of a word, you should ____________ in a dictionary.

9) My plane gets in at 10.30. Could you ____________ at around 11?

10) The meeting has been ____________ until 17 April.

11) Have you had an opportunity to ____________ our evaluation software yet?

12) Don't forget to ____________ the air-conditioners when you leave the office this evening.

13) I'm afraid to say that the photocopier's ____________ yet again!

14) I think I'll ____________ Roger before I go home this evening.

15) During the recession, the company ___________ some difficult times.

16) Mary has decided to ____________ an offer from another company.

17) Whatever you do, don't ____________ to the meeting late.

18) Who will ____________ my children if I have to work full-time?

19) I ____________ John last night.

20) Please call Jane if you ____________ any stationery items

Task 2:

Create a short story of your own and use five to six phrasal verbs from the two lists above in it. Ask your peers to proofread it before you publish.

Friday's Assignment

So, now that you have your driving license, what's keeping you from buying a car and driving it around?

Here are your tasks:

1. Read and discuss the above chart with a partner.
1. What is the meaning of cost and benefit?
2. How much would you guess are the cost and benefit in 2015?
3. What is the reason for these changes, from 2006 to 2010? What's the meaning of: 
1. fraud, 
2. legislation, 
3. crack down on, 
4. disputed, and 
5. abuse?
4. What does this mean for newcomers? Does your partner share your view?
2. Role play with a partner: Auto Insurance
3. Listening & Vocabulary: Car Rentals

Thursday's Assignment

Beep! Honk if you agree that taking the road test is as scary as it is important.

Here are your tasks:

1. Watch this video.
1. Write down and identify the tense of all the main verbs.
2. What tense was used in 1:34 - 1:42, and why?
3. Discuss with a partner.
2. Role play: Driving Test
3. Listening & Vocabulary: Road Test

Wednesday Morning: Information Session 9:30 - Noon

Oops! Has this ever happened to you?

Tuesday's Assignment

Oh no, you're in a car accident!

Now what? Blame someone? Who?

So whose fault was it?

Here are your tasks:

1. Role play with a partner: Assigning Blame
2. Listening & Vocabulary: Car Accident
3. You just heard that your niece was involved in a car accident and, being the one who pays the insurance premium, you want to leave your advice for her on her voicemail. Using what you have just learnt, create a chirbit advice for her.

Monday's Assignment

This afternoon, we:

"Set off from the bus station, and go east on Main Street."

1. Complete our writing tasks from last week. If you have not finished your field trip report, please do it now. Feel free to use some of the phrasal verbs you've learnt, e.g. get on, set off, stop off.
2. Think about giving directions on this SPEAK test sample (pp. 6-7). Write your response to the following questions and record it on chirbit.com for publication on your blog:
1. Choose one place on the map that you think I should visit and give me some reasons why you recommend this place. (30 seconds)
2. 2. I'd like to see a movie. Please give me directions from the bus station to the movie theatre. (30 seconds)

Good morning and welcome back!
This week, we consider the theme of travel and transportation, especially about driving in Ontario.

Is this picture funny? Discuss all the verbs used.

How many of your classmates have driving licences here?
Here are your tasks for this morning:

1. Role play with a partner: A Traffic Report
2. Listening & Vocabulary: A Traffic Jam
3. Using the verbs you have learnt from the cartoon and the vocabulary from the role play and listening exercises, write a list of 10 sentences about what could happen if someone would only do something, e.g. 
1. I could go to Niagara Falls today if only my teacher would let me; 
2. I could drive faster if the rain would stop; 
3. If people would stop drinking and driving, the roads could be a lot safer; or, 
4. If you would hand me your credit card, my day would be so much better.
4. Rewrite the caption for the above cartoon using your own words. Ask if your classmates find it funny.

Friday's Assignment

Welcome back! TGIF! Just before going on your weekend, here are some things to do for this afternoon:

1. Make sure to complete your artefacts for your e-portfolio (blogs) for this week, especially your field trip reports.
2. Role play with a partner: Going to Business School
3. Leave a comment on your classmates’ trip reports.
4. Make 5 new friends on FaceBook.

Check out this website, and identify:

• one Adult Credit course, 
• one Learn for Life course, and 
• one Skills Development course 

that you can recommend to your classmates. 

Publish, and leave a comment on your classmates’ blogs.
Write your trip report on Wednesday’s field trip.

Thursday's Assignment

Have you ever taken a True/False quiz? What do the questions look like? What do the answers look like? Can you think of an example of a True/False question, and share it with a partner?

Check out this website for university-based continuing education, and post 5 T/F statements. Do not put the answers in your post, but record your statements with their answers on a Chirbit. Take the T/F quiz on your classmates’ blogs, and leave them a comment.

When you have finished check out the field trip pictures on my Facebook album.

Field Trip Wednesday: Peggy Baker Dance Projects

Our next trip is on Wednesday, April 15, and we're going downtown!


Where we're headed is to a free dance performance by Peggy Baker Dance Projects. It's part of a series of free lunchtime performances, including piano, jazz, voice, international music, and, yes, dance!

Come and find out if this can make you feel a little more Canadian this week.

To get there, take the subway to Osgoode TTC Station, and be sure to arrive no later than 11 a.m. The line-up to the theatre is above Osgoode Station.

Tuesday's Assignment

Some people say you cannot teach an old dog new tricks. Do you agree? How can you learn stuff right here in an affordable way? Stuff that you like? Maybe right here in the city?

Here are your tasks for this morning:

1. Find some “Zumba” courses in this guide book. Discuss your interests with a partner.
2. Role play: Learning to Dance
3. Open the Fun Guide again. Write down 5 activities, with their codes, that you and your family might like to register for.

Monday's Assignment

Welcome back! This afternoon, some of you will need to set up your blogs or update your blogs from this morning's work.

Here are the tasks for the afternoon: check out each the following and rank by what is the most useful.

• TEDxESL
• CBC Ottawa ESL
• CBC Calgary Newscasts
• EdX Courses
• Khan Academy Reading/Writing Course

Share your favourite items on your blog. Then visit your classmates' blogs and add your comments.

Friday's Assignment

Fire safety is not easy in skyscrapers and other tall buildings. How do you get people from the top floor of the building out quickly in an emergency? What if they have children on the ground floor?

Does anyone recognize this place?

Here are your tasks:

1. Role Play the following with a partner: Fire Evacuation.
2. Watch this video and, using a phone camera, create your own of 90 seconds or less. Work in groups of three or four. Discuss the best way for fire safety to exit from 9th floor, 200 Consumers Road. Focus especially on parents with kids in child minding. Upload your video to Youtube.

Thursday's Assignment

Idioms are phrases that mean something other than the literal meaning of their words. Can you think of some idioms associated with fire or burning?

Google for any idioms you see in the above. Discuss the meaning with a partner.

Here are your tasks:

1. Role play this with a partner: Dealing with Crises. Then identify two idioms in the passage.
2. Learn 5 idioms associated with fire, and compose a story of about 100 words using all five idioms. Check your story with a partner.
3. Make a chirbit.com recording of your partner’s story, not your own.

Wednesday's Assignment

Have you ever met a firefighter? Do you have what it takes to do the job? How important is a human firefighter in fire safety, or can a drone do an equally great job?

What does it say on the big helmet?

Here are your tasks:

1. With a partner, role play aloud: Firefighters.
2. Select 5 of the most important tips from this list. Record them aloud on chirbit.com. (If you need help on creating a chirbit recording, here are some resources: Video 1 and Video 2.)
3. Write down 5 surprising facts from this career website.

Tuesday's Assignment

Welcome back from the super long weekend! So what all did you do away from school? Did you paint the town red? Start a bush fire? Do a Chinese fire drill? Have a baptism of fire? Burn your bridges? I hope not. But let's talk about fire safety this week--that's our theme!

Here are your tasks for this morning:

1. Vocab: Learning Fire Safety
2. Record your reading of the last sentence on chirbit.com, adding your brief explanation of it.
3. Interview a partner and publish a 10-sentence report of their long weekend.

Thursday's Assignment

Funny or Not?

Are there any limits to our freedoms and rights? Or are our freedoms and rights absolute and unlimited? That's something people have thought about throughout history. Do you think there should be certain limits on what can be said or done? If so, what?
Think about it, and do the following:

1. Role Play with a partner: Limiting Free Speech. Save your chirbit.com link on your blog.
2. Read and identify examples of “reasonable” limitations on rights
1. Find (Ctrl-F) the section entitled "Canadians like reasonable limits."
2. What is the view of 56% of Canadians? Discuss with your partner.
3. What two activities do 82% want limited? Discuss.
4. Should newcomers in Canada tell Canadians citizens what rights to limit? Discuss.
3. Losing refugee status: What are your views on this? Publish your thoughts in a paragraph of 10 sentences, and include the link to the original article.
4. Read this article, making sure to click on the audio link (circled in yellow) and to work on pronunciation:
1. Listen as it reads from the beginning.
2. With a partner, listen for any pronunciation errors in the automated reading.
3. Select a paragraph, and practise reading aloud with the software.

Wednesday's Assignment

Good morning! Today, you get to enjoy Nevine's lesson!

Don't forget: Part 2.

Nevine's lesson