Reminder

 


1. Please remember to complete your vocabulary assignment
 which is due next Tuesday, October 7th. Send the Word document to my email address.

2. Check the previous blog and make sure you are familiar with the contents of the article.

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Soft Skills

http://www.prepareforcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/9SoftSkills_PrepareforCanada.pdf

Please read the article and be prepared to discuss it on Thursday.

Reading Assignment

Homework for Friday
Read the following articles and be prepared to work with them in class.


http://canadianimmigrant.ca/work-and-education/post-secondary-what-to-expect-when-you-go-back-to-school


http://canadianimmigrant.ca/community/fall-is-here-10-activities-to-help-you-enjoy-the-season

Reading

   
I'd like to see your reading journals this week. Keep track of everything you read in English.
Stephen Krashen: "reading extensively is the best way to promote vocabulary development."

Did you know that English has the largest vocabulary of any language?
It follows then, that the number of English words you know will help to predict how successful you will be in school.

Idioms

Check out this website:http://canadianimmigrant.ca/work-and-education/canspeak-w

How many of these expressions do you know?

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Good morning! It's time to work on speed reading in the computer lab. Remember to record your progress on the handouts provided. Please be back in the classroom promptly at 10.00.

Friday, September 19, 2014

Here's some vocabulary from a reading we did in class, for those of you who are absent. You will need to catch up when you return to school, but finding synonyms for these words will help.

1. fanfare
2. fervor
3. furtively
4. visage
5. infatuation
6. lust
7. tranquil
8. exhilaration
9. craving
10. awe
11. novelty
12. threshold
13. mundane
14. pageantry
15. prime
16. quip
17. thrill
18. gusto
19. conception

For Tuesday, please complete the crossword, comprehension questions, and the vocabulary exercise related to the words above. Check the file at the back of the classroom for hand-outs.

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Please prepare for a vocabulary quiz on sublist 2. The quiz will be next Thursday.
Remember that idioms and any vocabulary that comes up in class will be included. If you are unsure of the meaning of an idiom, look it up on the internet.

Just for fun

Here's a vocabulary challenge for you:
This is a complicated way of wording a common saying:

Compute not your immature gallinaceans prior to the puncture of their brittle epidermis.

Can you figure it out?

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Good morning. I hope you are more wide awake than this little one...

 

Spend 30 minutes using the speed reading program to increase your reading speed. Remember to record your wpm.


Please read the following article and paraphrase each of the eight paragraphs, using the paper provided.


http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/04/08/adequate-napping-plays-key-role-in-memory-learning-development-study/

There is a typo in the article: did you notice?

Friday, September 12

Good afternoon! Take the opportunity to test your grammar skills by doing exercises 18-22.
http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbtenseintro.html

Please check the schedule and bring the appropriate supplies to class.

Another useful site for vocabulary development is
www.vocabulary.com

More Vocabulary Practice

Here is another link to an opportunity to practise AWL sublist 1:
http://www.ieltsbuddy.com/awl-exercises.html
There will be a quiz on the prefixes handout as well as AWL sublist 1 on Thursday, September 19.

If you missed our lesson about journal writing, please research the benefits of journal writing online.

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Remember to check with your peers as well as the hanging folder in the classroom regarding missed work. Are you an autonomous learner? Vocabulary Quiz on Thursday. Ask your peers about the idioms we learned. Come prepared to talk about what you are reading for pleasure.
Tomorrow is Orientation Day!

Quiz on Thursday

Yes, there will be a vocabulary quiz on Thursday, September 11, based on the prefixes handout and sublist 1 of the AWL (Academic Word List). You can practise using this site:
http://www.englishvocabularyexercises.com/

Please come to class prepared to discuss reading you have done for pleasure, and/or information you wish to share on current affairs.

Self-Introduction

If you were absent today, please write a self-introduction, answering the question, "Who Am I?"
Then write a few sentences about your short-term as well as your long-term goals. DS and bring a hard copy to class.