A Thank-You Note from Kathleen

Hello Level 4,5! 
Let me convey my thanks to you for a fantastic week of learning and fun!  I hope that you found the things we talked about to be helpful, and that you will be able to put them to good use in your daily lives.
There was some good discussion and great participation from all of you.  Keep practising your English;  set goals for yourselves, be self-confident and you will make real progress.
Take time to reflect on what you have accomplished!  It was so nice to be able to celebrate together at lunch on Friday.  Remember to celebrate all your successes, large or small.  
Thank you Joseph for allowing me to take over your class for the week (and maybe next time, you'll be able to join us for lunch!).
I hope we will be able to spend more time together soon.

Best regards - Kathleen

Thanksgiving Thoughts 2013

John A. MacDonald, then Attorney General

The Ecclesiastical Gazette, Nov. 8, 1859
Courtesy of research at York University in 1999.

O give thanks unto the Lord, and call upon his name; tell the people what things he hath done. Psalm cv 1
O let your songs be of him, and praise him: and let your talking be of all his wondrous works. Ver 2
The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all that have pleasure therein. Psalm cxi 2
His work is worthy to be praised, and had in honour: and his righteousness endureth for ever. Ver 4
He hath given meat unto them that fear him: he shall ever be mindful of his covenant. Ver 5

Rather than offering largely random, undirected thanksgiving, the original framers of the Thanksgiving Day petition to Queen Victoria clearly knew who they were giving thanks to: "Almighty God." Their choice of quotations from the Bible reflects that.

They also remembered those who were in need, asking for:

grace that we may learn alike from Thy mercies and from Thy judgments our entire dependence on Thee for the supply of our daily bread and that being fully persuaded that whatever blessing we receive at Thy hands is designed for our trial as well as for our comfort, we may impart a share of Thy bounty, in dutiful accordance with Thy holy will to the afflicted and indigent, the widow, the orphan, and the aged, and thus obtain for ourselves that mercy which Thou in Thy word hast promised to the merciful: through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen 

This Canadian Thanksgiving, 150 years on, can you think of anything better than to give thanks to this same Almighty God who still vouchsafes (gives) to "Canada the blessings of an abundant harvest" and gives "meat (food) unto them that fear him."

HAPPY THANKSGIVING 2013!

Monday's Assignment

Welcome to a new week and a new class schedule! The theme for this week, our last before the Thanksgiving Break, is Starting a Small Business.

Here are the tasks:

1. Explore the page Good Morning, Canada! for 15 minutes.
2. Write a journal on what you learnt in Skills for Life last week. Include at least one thing that you found surprising, one new skill you learned, and one aspect of the training that could be improved. Post your writing on your blog. This should take you 15 minutes.
3. Conveying our thanks with a good thank-you note is part of being Canadian. Watch this video, and then, over the next 15 minutes, post a short thank-you note to Kathleen on your blog:




4. Check out Enterprise Toronto's website. Did you see their new video? What major event is coming up on October 23? Discuss for 5 minutes how you feel about it with a partner.
5. Complete this online survey. Check with your partner or google for the meaning if you don't understand anything.

Hip Hip Hooray! Time to Makan! + Field Trip Announcement

Chicken rice

Famous stars who have been to the restaurant

Makan is the Malay word for eat.


To celebrate our successful completion of the Life Skills in Canada course, we'll be going out for lunch with our teacher, Ms. Kathleen Dearing.


Here's the lunch menu:

Gourmet Malaysia Lunch SpecialsMonday - Friday, excluding holiday and long weekend, from 11AM - 2PM. Dine-in Only with Cash Payment
(With Soup OR Ice Tea)

Special $6.88	L1馬來炒飯 Nasi Goreng Fried Rice with Belacan Sauce	L2海南雞飯 Singapore Special Hainanese Chicken on Rice	L3薑蔥雞飯 Chicken & Ginger, Green Onion on Rice	L4马拉栈豆仔饭 Green Bean with Belacan Sauce on Rice
Special $5.99	L5星洲炒米 Singapore Special Fried Noodle	L6雙丸雞河 Mixed Meat Balls Noodle in Soup	L7牛丸湯河 Beef Ball Noodle in Soup	L8 時菜牛河 Seasonal Vegetables & Beef Noodle in Soup
Special $6.88	L9炒貴刁 Char Kwei Teow Flat Rice Noodles Seafood in Dark Soy Sauce	L10馬來炒麵 Mee Goreng Yellow Noodles Seafood in Sambal Sauce	L11海鮮滑蛋河 Seafood Scrambled Egg Chow Fun	L12雜燴炒河 Hor Fun w Mixed Meat
Special $5.99	L13鹹魚雞粒炒飯 Salted Fish with Chicken Fried Rice	L14麻婆豆腐飯 Ma Po Bean Curd on Rice	L15辣汁豆腐飯 Tofu & Chili Sauce on Rice	L16涼瓜牛肉飯 Beef & Bitter Melon on Rice
Special $6.88	L17黑椒雜菜扒飯 Mixed Veggie with Chicken on Rice	L18黑椒牛肉或雞肉飯 Black Pepper w Beef or Chicken on Rice	L19咖喱雞或牛腩飯 Curry Beef or Chicken on Rice	L20馬拉棧牛肉苦瓜飯 Beef & Bitter Melon w Belacan Sauce on Rice

Here's the address for those who are car pooling:

Gourmet Malaysia Restaurant

Chicken satay

(near the northeast corner of Brimley and Sheppard)
4466 Sheppard Ave. East, Unit 101
Scarborough, Ontario M1S 1V2
Tel: (647) 764-1188
Tel: (416) 291-1883
Tel: (416) 332-8765

OUR NEXT FIELD TRIP

Just a heads-up, our next field trip  a concert at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts on Wednesday October 9.

Wait for the details next week, but chances are, we'll be leaving from the Westbound Platform of Bayview Station at 9:45 a.m. Mr. Kent Ng will be introducing us to the language and landmarks you will find in Downtown Toronto. Don't be late! Bring a pair of good walking shoes, perhaps an umbrella and some snacks, and definitely your camera! Be ready for a surprise itinerary!

Wednesday Morning's Assignment

Good morning latecomers,

The theme for this week is Life Skills. Let's look at the topic of Team Building today.



Is the above a team-building activity you might like to try out in class?

Here are your treats for this morning:

1. Go to Good Morning, Canada! and do your reading for 15 minutes.
2. Listening and vocabulary enrichment: Different Work Styles
3. Based on your activity in No. 2, write five sentences using the vocabulary that you've just learnt. Post them on your blog.
4. Learn the dialogue on Teamwork, and practise it with a partner. At 10 a.m., present your dialogue in pairs to the class.

USD$1 for a Photobook!

If you'd like to put all your family and holiday pictures into a printed photobook, here's a deal!

Check this out:



Please note the expiry date!

Coupon Code Details

Unique Coupon Code: Z099BOOKQSSCV   Expiry Date: September 30, 2013

Find out more by clicking into the link below.
http://www.artscow.com/photo-book-deal

Terms & Conditions

1. Coupon code is applicable for single use only.
2. Only one coupon code can be redeemed per household.
3. Offer is valid for first 20,000 orders only. ...

Friday's Assignment

Let's wrap up a week's work on the environment:

1. Check online the answers to the FAQ T/F Quiz.
2. Vocabulary Enrichment and Listening: Business Trends
3. Practise with a partner, and record your conversation on Trash and Recycling on Vocaroo.com.
4. Was the farm we visited organic? Check out Guy Farintosh's blog and discuss with a partner.
5. Blog your report on Wednesday’s field trip or respond to this article. Using the editing checklist, have two partners check it before publishing.

A Warm Welcome from Farmers Guy and Karen Farintosh

Nice group picture, courtesy Chang Liu

Baskets and bushels in hand, or else dragging along a buggy, there we were--Nora, Maribel, Cheyenne, Sabrina, Ying, Golnaz, Chang, Marjan, Susanna, Ming, and Katie--doing our best to gather in the roughage ere the winter come.

And a load of vocabulary we got as well, from vegetable names to road and place names. And, with the friendly owners on hand, what was there not to like? God be thanked!

Click for more pictures!

Field Trip Announcement and Monday's Assignment

Welcome to a week on the Environment!

But first, a few announcements:

We have a couple of field trips coming up, folks, to a PYO (Pick Your Own) visit at Farintosh Farms on September 25 and a concert at the Four Seasons Centre on October 9.

Our field trip on Wednesday, September 25, leaves from Don Mills Station's pick-up/drop-off area at 10 a.m.

Bring good walking shoes, a warm jacket, a camera, some water and snacks, and some pocket money.

So we'll be enjoying the great Canadian outdoors on Wednesday. One good way to help the environment is reduce the amount of things we throw away. What are the options? Here are your tasks for today:

1. If you have not started or updated your blog, do it first. Do not go on to the next exercise until you have set up or cleaned up your writing.
2. Read this article and submit your Comment.
3. Listen and role play: Trash and Recycling
4. Look at these examples of repurposing (or these ones) and tell a partner which are your favourite three.

Tips and Thoughts on Adult ESL Learning

One doesn't always come across good articles on learning a second language in a newspaper. But here are two that come from the British newspaper The Telegraph:

1. Are children really better at foreign language learning?
2. How to pronounce foreign languages

Check out the articles and think about:

1. What you agree with
2. What you disagree with
3. What you are surprised to read
4. What you plan to:

• Start doing with regard to learning English
• Stop doing with regard to learning English
• Continue doing with regard to learning English

Share those ideas--and a link back to this blog post--on your blog.

Friday's Assignment and Upcoming Field Trips

We have a couple of field trips coming up, folks, to a PYO (Pick Your Own) visit at Farintosh Farms on September 25 and a concert at the Four Seasons Centre on October 9. Stay tuned for details!

Today's tasks are:

1. Edit your blogs using your Editing Checklist.
2. Listening and Vocabulary: Pizza Delivery
3. Role play and record in Vocaroo.com: Speaking to a Store Clerk on the Phone