Thursday, April 30, 2015

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, April 29, 2015

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, April 28, 2015

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, April 27, 2015

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, April 24, 2015

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, April 23, 2015

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, April 22, 2015

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

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, April 20, 2015

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, April 17, 2015

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.

Answer key to editing checklist appetizer

  Int excel