Friday's Assignment (Work From Home)

As announced earlier this week, we're working from home today. Make sure to publish the assignment on your blog by 2:30 p.m. for attendance.

Have you ever bought stocks in Canada or overseas? What do you think of the above cartoon? 

Here are your tasks:

1. Role play: The Stock Market
1. Listen carefully to the podcast, especially for pronunciation of difficult words.
2. Speak it aloud at least 3 times.
3. Record your audio on Chirbit or Audioboom, and place the link on your blog--as always, include this question .
2. Read this flowchart, and create a table of brokers and features:
1. Create table in MS Word before copying it over to your blog. For example:

   FEATURE	BROKERAGE
   Lowest Possible Commission, No ECN Fees	??
   ??	CIBC Investor’s Edge
   Online Access to Global Markets	??
   ??	??

   
   
2. Write 5 sentences using: “If what you want is (noun phrase), your best bet would be (broker name).”

As always, be sure to copy and paste the above instructions on your blog and place your answers beneath the instructions.

Thursday's Assignment

Have you heard of RRSP, RRIF, TFSA, and RESP? Maybe you own one or more of them?

Discuss with a partner, and then google for some clues.

Here are your tasks:

1. Role play: Investing Your Money
1. As usual, practise by yourself and then with a partner.
2. Create an Audioboom recording.
2. Read this, and in groups, try to figure out what the investments mean in Canada.
1. Revise the above role play, making it more Canadian.
2. Then create another recording.
3. Copy out the list of 10 reasons for investing in Bitcoin. Discuss with a partner and rank the reasons in order of importance to you.

Super Tuesday (February 16) Tickets @ $12

During our school holidays in February, there are discount tickets to one of the best car shows in North America, which is held in Toronto, right in our city!

If you'd like to join me on that day, here's the link to the tickets.

Enjoy! See you there on Super Tuesday!

Tuesday's Assignment

Is this cartoon funny?

Have you ever taken out a mortgage or loan in Canada? Why would that be considered an investment, or not? Discuss your answer with a classmate.

Here are your tasks:

1. Under Comments, below, write as many examples of language "chunks" you'd like to learn in the future. Also, don't forget to leave your Feedback of the class here.
2. Role play: Getting a Mortgage Loan
3. Read this, and make sentences using comparatives and superlatives. Read aloud to a partner, who will check them online as you read.

Welcome Back!

This morning, in line with our weekly theme this week of Finance & Banking, we have a presentation from BMO's human resource specialists at 9:15 a.m.

If you have the time before or after the presentation, here are your tasks:

1. What did you learn during the presentation?
1. Name one thing, and write it out in fewer than 30 words. E.g. "What did I learn? Well, I learnt that ..."
2. Say it to a partner and get their feedback.
3. Record your voice on Chirbit or Audioboom.
2. Visit 5 of your classmates' blogs and leave a nice and helpful comment on each one.
1. You could leave a compliment like "Nice work!" "Great recording!" or "I like the way you described your experience!"
2. You could leave a helpful hint like "I hope the verb tense lesson this afternoon helps" or "It would be great if you could iron out the w/v and th sounds."
3. Write about last Friday's field trip, and like and add pictures from Facebook.

Friday Jan 22's Field Trip: City Hall and Skating

This Friday, our field trip will look at some of the fundamental processes of business law with a visit to a municipal government committee meeting in City Hall. What kinds of businesses are affected by the decisions of the lawmakers?

Here is the agenda:
Licensing and Standards Committee (2014-2018)
 Committee Room 1, City Hall, 9:30 a.m.

LS9.1	Amendments to Chapter 591, Noise  (Ward All)
LS9.2	Expanding the Sale of Fireworks to Include Labour Day  (Ward All)
LS9.3	Licensing of Wildlife Control Operators  (Ward All)  Confidential Attachment
LS9.4	Calgary Injunction Decision regarding Unlicensed Ground Transportation Providers  (Ward All)  Confidential Attachment
LS9.5	Toronto Police Services Board Response on Enforcement of Unlicensed Taxi-cabs pending Council's Consideration of New Regulations

To arrive on time, make sure to leave from Don Mills Station by 8:30 a.m.

At 10 a.m. we'll meet by the nail wall sculpture near the entrance of City Hall for a group photo, followed by a mini guided tour of City Hall and outdoor skating at Nathan Phillips Square.

Feel free to bring your kids and skates.

Welcome to Canada!

PLANNING ULTIMATE GIFTS PRESENTATION

Okay, folks, remember the promised presentation from Investors' Group?
Well, here it is!



Enjoy reviewing it!

Thursday's Assignment

Practise role playing the following cartoon with a partner. Is it funny?

Here are your tasks:

1. Today being the last opportunity to work in class before our field trip tomorrow, make sure to complete your work for the week. Pay attention especially to your blog.
2. Role play: Paying an Employee
1. Practise aloud.
2. Record and publish your audio link.
3. Listen to this, and discuss what you would do if you knew your employees wanted to form a union.

Wednesday's Assignment

Have you ever been caught for not having read a contract carefully? Share with two or three partners.

 

Here are your tasks:

1. Role play: Reading Contracts Carefully
1. Read aloud by yourself, with a partner, and into Chirbit or Audioboom.
2. Include on your blog a short story about what happened when you did/didn't read a contract.
2. With your partner, select one more role play to practise together.
3. Watch this, and select any useful vocabulary to learn.
4. Then pick one contract-related vocabulary exercise to try out.

Tuesday's Assignment

How are businesses formed in the country you came from? Continuing on our theme of business law, we have three kinds of business in Canada. Do you know what they are? Check out the following table:

Do they look familiar, or is there a different structure from where you are from?

Here are your tasks:

1. Read this article and discuss your chosen form of business.
2. Role play: Launching an IPO
3. Listen to this, and draw a corporate structure based on it. Publish a photo of your hand-drawn chart.

Vocabulary for Monday Morning's Session

So, good morning! Welcome back to a week on business law. This morning we have a special session on Solid Waste Management.

If you haven't studied the vocabulary, make sure to do so right away:

Is this true?

In preparation for Monday morning's presentation by Lisa Ward of Toronto Region Authority, please study the following documents:

1. Solid Waste Management
2. Household Hazardous Waste
3. Green Bin
4. Recycling Bin

What are the 10 best or most useful words/terms you learnt today?

Friday's Assignment

T.G.I.F.!

Here are your tasks before the weekend:

1. Do this dictation exercise.
2. Role play: Conducting a Search

PRESENTATION FEEDBACK FORM

Please fill in this form!

Please fill in this form!

Thursday's Assignment

If an event, such as a class, begins at 9 a.m., what time do you show up?

In some cultures, you show up at 9:30 a.m. or even 10 a.m. In others you turn up no later than 8:50 a.m., bright eyed and bushy tailed, all ready to go. In still others, you may not show up at all, blaming the will of heaven.

Discuss the topic of punctuality for 3 minutes with a partner. What are the most common excuses? What are the worst ones?

Here are your tasks:

1. Do this dictation exercise.
2. Role play: Being Late to an Event

Editing Exemplar

Monday's Assignment

We all make mistakes, but how we deal with them may be different in different cultures. Making an excuse is one of them:

Do dogs and excuses appear together in excuses in your L1? Here are more excuses in English.

Here are your tasks:

Pick a favourite.

1. Vocabulary & Pronunciation: Time Off from Work
1. Do not practise silently only. Speak aloud the new words, comparing the pronunciation carefully with the audio.
2. Make sentences using the new vocabulary.
2. Role play: Plagiarism
1. Listen. Then discuss with a partner.
2. Practise the dialogue by yourself and then with your partner.
3. Record your dialogue on Chirbit or Audioboom and place it, with these instructions, on your blog.
3. Write a brief trip report (no more than 100 words) for last Thursday's visit to TRL. 
1. If you didn't go, include your excuse and interview a classmate who did.
2. Add pictures (feel free to steal from my FB).
3. Have 2 classmates check your work before hitting the Publish button.

Friday's Assignment

So what else is left of Toronto Public Library? You have seen the stuff you can pick off the shelves. You have seen the stuff you can download. Now what?

What's funny? What's funnier? What's funniest?

Here are your tasks:

1. Click on Programs, Classes, & Exhibits. Identify and discuss ESL and Newcomer programs at 3 nearby venues.
2. identify 3 other kinds of programs (left column of programs home page) and discuss.
3. Write FAQs for the Museum + Arts Pass (how would you search for it?) using 3 WH questions and 3 Y/N questions. Do not include answers. Then respond to your classmates’ FAQs using blog comments.

Wednesday's Assignment

AND FOR THOSE WHO NEED THE REMINDER, WE'RE ON A FIELD TRIP TO TORONTO REFERENCE LIBRARY ON THURSDAY, DETAILS BELOW.

This morning you will all become mass communicators! With your blog post acting as an event poster, create an announcement of Thursday's library trip. You will work in pairs, first by asking all the relevant WH questions.

Do you have a library card?

Here are some of your tasks:

1. With your partner checking over your shoulder, Google for "Toronto Reference Library" and create a map with directions to get there from your home tomorrow, arriving no later than 9:55 a.m.
2. Embed the map in your blog.
3. Check the "posters" from other pairs.

Dictation Answers

1. Hi, are you the librarian? Could you help me check out this book? What if there isn't a bar code or RFID tag?
2. I don't know if this is fiction or nonfiction. It doesn't show in the online catalogue either.
3. It's supposed to open Monday through Saturday from 10 to 6 so I decided to see the new library for myself.

Practise out loud a few more times. Don't forget to create a chirbit of your voice.

Tuesday's Assignment

While much of our public library consists of clicks, we're going to make a visit this Thursday to the bricks:

What caption would you write here?

Here are your tasks:

1. Vocabulary and pronunciation: Visiting a Library
1. Identify 5 new/difficult words/terms
2. Make sentences using those words, and have a partner check your pronunciation of them
2. Do this listening exercise: Library Tour
3. Watch this video, and identify 3 things/places you hope to see.
4. Role play with a partner what you hope to see on Thursday’s field trip and make arrangements to meet. Practise once, and record your chirbit.

Monday's Assignment

Good afternoon! Now that you have discussed your past, future, and language goals, here is your writing task: Who I am and what I want to be in Canada

1. Your educational/work background
2. Your future life in Canada
3. How you’d like to work on your 4 skills (LSRW)--what are some of the most important tasks you’d like to be able to do in the next 6 months

Welcome back! This week we are looking at one of the most important community and government services. Can you guess which one it is?

For the interactive map, click here.

Here are your tasks:

1. Locate "Toronto Public Library" using Google All, Google News, and Wikipedia. Post one interesting item from each search on your FaceBook; don't forget to include links to sources.
2. Check out the Good Morning, Canada! Page of this blog, spending no more than 3 minutes on each item. Then identify:
1. the most surprising resource, 
2. the most difficult one, 
3. most useful one, and
4. the least useful.
3. Visit each other's blogs and add comments and suggestions on your classmates' blogs.