Unit 7 Assignment: Exploration and Discovery

You must answer the following question, from page 135 of the text.

Where would you most like to explore?  Why would you like to go there?

You must choose one place, and have several reasons for going there.  You must show me the plan in point form, like the template/plan on page 138 of the text, before you begin writing.  The final version must be four hundred to five hundred words. The font must be 'Times New Roman', size 12.  It must be double-spaced.

Due dates:
- template/plan by the end of class Tuesday or Wednesday
- rough copy finished during class on Friday, 12/20, and printed, so that I can help you edit it before the holiday
- good copy will not be due until Friday, 01/10, so that you do not need to work on it over the holiday

We will decide how to present it in January, and work on completing the good copy then.

Friday 11/29 class, and homework due 12/02 and 12/03

Ms. M. will supervise your class on Friday, so I am assigning these things to be finished Friday, and over the weekend.

Copy each of these items into your CIS 2013/2014 planner.

Monday, 12/02 
We are starting unit seven in the text: 'Exploration and Discovery'.  By Monday you must have completed the following:
- read pp. 121-123
- complete the questions on p. 124
- read pp. 125-126
- complete the questions on p. 127

Tuesday, 12/03
1. A blog posting of your own choice  due in class Tuesday, 12/03.  Same length and expectations as always.

Homework for 11/22, 11/25 and 11/26

You will copy each of these items into your CIS 2013/2014 planner, and show me tomorrow!

Friday, 11/22
1. The rough copy of your '2050 daily life' is due in class Friday, 11/22.

Monday, 11/25
1. The good copy of your '2050 daily life' is due in class Monday, 11/25.  It must be five hundred words.  The font must be 'Times New Roman', size 12.  It must be double-spaced.

Tuesday, 11/26
1. The blog of your 'favourite present technology' is due in class Tuesday, 11/26. 

Homework, 10/21

You will copy each of these items into your CIS 2013/2014 planner, and show me tomorrow!

1. The good copy of your food opinion piece is due at the very start of your class Thursday, 10/24.  It must be five hundred words.  The font must be 'Times New Roman', size 12.  It must be double-spaced.

2. Bring your rough copy of the food opinion piece to the next class, Tuesday or Wednesday:  'Times New Roman', size 12, double-spaced.

3. Your blog for next week, due by Monday, 10/28, is your choice.

4.  Take your planner to every class in the school, every class, every day.  Take your ESL text to every ESL class.

Homework!

There are three different things from last week and from this week.

1. Your blog that should already be finished: due today, 10/14, on any topic you want.  If it is late, fix it before Thursday morning and you will lose only 5%.

2. Your blog for next week: due by Monday, 10/21, about your favourite teacher (not Mr. S.).

3. The rough copy (the first version of your writing) of your unit project about an opinion on food: due by Monday, 10/21.  This does not have to be perfect, and does not yet have to be five hundred words.  It should be more than three hundred words in the rough copy.  It must be typed and printed double-spaced before classes on Monday.  Remember, you may use the computers at ESL to print before 8:45.

4. The good copy of your food opinion piece is due at the very start of your class next Thursday, 10/24.

Weekly Blog: Due before school every Monday

1. Your blog has to be written in English. G7: 200 words each week in one, or several, postings. G8&9: 300 words each week in one, or several, postings.

2. Your blog may be on any suitable topic. Just be aware that I will read it, your parents may read it, and it will be visible to the world!

3. Do not share any personal information with the blogging site, or your readers. There are strange people on the Internet: stay safe.  Use initials for your name, not your whole name.

4. Moderate Comments. Set the comments section of your blog so that all comments must be checked by you before they are posted.

5. Always edit your writing. Both because Mr. S. will mark it, and to look as smart as you really are.

6. Use Blogger. Mr. S. can help you most easily with this site.

7. Back-up your blog at home periodically, in case you lose it. You can do this from the Blogger settings page, and onto your computer or external hard-drive, or to a USB stick.

8. Due Monday before 8:30. That means not at school on Monday morning...

9. Read each other's blogs and comment, nicely.

10. Add links on your page to things from this 'ESL CIS blog': class blog link, student blog links, etc.

Powerpoint/Prezi presentation on your blog?

This link seems to make sense for attaching Power Point: put it into Google docs and link to it, using the embed code (similar code to what you use for videos).  Here is a link for the way to do it with Prezi.

Thursday, 7/11 work to finish in the afternoon.

In this order of priority:

1. Your NOVEL ASSIGNMENT - print one copy, and make a post to your blog
2. Continue working on your project 


PROJECT
Tomorrow, Friday, I will be looking at what you have posted about your project and making suggestions for you as a comment to your posts about it.  Please start to create writing, so that I can help you edit the English, and you can correct it.

Make sure you have written about:
- the title of the project
- why you have chosen the project
- some information you have found
- how you are going to present the project (Prezzi, Power Point, poster...)

Novel Reading Project

I am going to go to your blog, and going to post a comment to your novel reading to tell you if it is finished, or not.  Check the comments section below your novel post.

Incomplete work: student/teacher blog links

LW, I do not have your blog link!

These blogs do not have any or all of the links to other students and to me:
- NK (Japanese)
- ZZ
- NW
- AI
- AW
- ST
- KH
- TA
- TM, after how many months?!

Summer HS ESL project

As we discussed, these are your choices.  Here is what you have told me:
- Soccer/Football, TA and LN
- Basketball, AW and AI
- Baseball, KK
- Dance, LW and ZZ
- Drawing, NK
- Violin, TM, this Friday!!
- Singapore, HK
- Stress Relief, MY
- Ukrainian Cuisine, NW
- Disney, RF
- Japanese Festivals, YU

How you can present it is your choice; however, it must include a significant amount of English preparation.  You may do everything written, on an audio file, or in a video, but the point is to use English and to expand your vocabulary.

You may use use Power Point, as that will be more interesting than using Word, but if it is too difficult to learn Power Point go ahead and use Word (include pictures): both are on school computers.  You can use Prezzi, or another presentation tool that you already know.  You may even make it on posters, if you would like.  We'll photograph those and put them on your blog later.  Do not try to learn something new for presentations, unless you want to work much harder.  Time is short!

How long should it be?  Well, this is the most important assignment you have, but you only have two weeks to finish it.  Also, you have to finish this week's novel presentation, and one more next week.  More than 500 words and less than 2000.  Quality is more important than length!

Novel Reading Presentations

It is due Thursday, 7/11; however, I hope some of you are done tomorrow, Wednesday, 7/10, so we can finish listening to half of you tomorrow.

Each presentation you do is short, since all fifteen ESL students have to complete in under one hour: three minutes each.  You will have to read everything that you have written about the novel on your blog (from a printed paper).

1. Write it as a post on your blog, titled - Novel Reading: XXXXXXXXXX

2. Two copies printed: one for you and one for Mr. S.

3. Write a summary of the story. This must be in sentences: 150 words minimum, 250 maximum.  I want you to talk about main characters, settings, and main events, in some detail.  Also talk about what genre the book is.

4. Quote a short interesting passage from the book that you will read to us.  Add it to your blog post too.  Explain why you chose it.

5. Write a short recommendation.  Did you like it?  Did you hate it?  Why?

6. Always edit your writing. Both because Mr. S. will mark it, and to look as smart as you really are.

Best student blog examples: look at them please.

NK's blog is the most complete so far (which it should be as she started months ago).

RF's blog is really good, for just starting this week.  So is LN's also.  HK's is coming along well, too.

MY and TM have more to do, even though they have had months!

A good start!

This week we have got a lot done already.  I will look over your blogs in more detail, and make a comment on your blog, over the weekend.  If you look to the right, on this blog, you will see a link to your blog, and to all of the other summer students (you can ignore what is at the bottom: that's from the school year).

Here is what you should have finished before Monday:
- your blog created, and tell me your URL (everyone but Yuka is finished)
- one post that is an introduction about yourself (do not post your family name, address, etc. to keep your privacy)
- another post about the project that you are interested in creating to present in the last week
- put up links to all of the other students, and this blog, the same as I have done: go to the 'Layout' page, click 'add an element' at the top-right, choose 'link list' from the pop-up window, put in the other blogs' URLs, and save

How to complete other things on Blogger:
- use the Blogger guide (you may even do this in your own language)
- there are even videos

Final Week

CORE and support:
- read the post below about your optional last blog post
- finish the grammar sheets on the relative pronoun that I gave out last week, pp. 238-243, before Thursday.  If you do not have this yet, get it from me, ASAP.
- P6 today, Tuesday, June 11, I will be doing a reading quiz with L W, so you can work on the grammar sheets independently.

CORE Exam
- Tuesday, June 18, 1245-1545 (it will not take that long) in the Resource Room
- no electronics, including phones
- yes to non-electronic dictionaries, including English-Japanese, English-Arabic, English-Korean...  Bring your own!
- Grade 7: you do not have the regular English exam
- Grade 8: you do not have the Social Studies exam
- Grade 9: you do not have the regular English exam

Monday, 6/17, optional 'Blog Post'

The final blog post is optional, which means you do not have to do it.  However, if you do it I will use the mark to replace the lowest mark you have so far for a blog post.  For about half of you, that is a '5', because you did not complete a blog once, or more.  You should do it, but I cannot force you to do it.

You're late!

Thank you to the students who have things finished on time.  Too bad that is only two of you: M A-Q and Nal. K.

Here is who and what is late:
- S-J K, Novel Pres. from last week
- L D, Novel Pres. from last week
- A A-Q, Novel Pres. from last week, and Blog
- K H, Blog
- T M, Blog
- L W, Blog
- A-H R, Blog
- F D, Blog
- Ny K, Blog
- M Y, Blog
- D-Y R, Blog

There is little time before the end of the year, and you should remember that I recently reduced your weekly work.

June 10th to 14th: final week of classes

Since Friday, June 14th, is the last day of classes, I cannot accept anything which is not complete by that date (except the 7 and 9 CORE blogs due the following Monday).

6/10-14, CORE 7
- Wednesday, Unit 3 writing assignment finished for editing

- Thursday, 'Current Events'

- Friday, Unit 3 writing assignment completed
- Monday, 6/17, optional 'Blog Post'

6/10-14, CORE 8
- Tuesday, 'Current Events'
- Wednesday, Unit 3 writing assignment finished for editing
- Friday, Unit 3 writing assignment completed

6/10-14, CORE 9
- Tuesday, 'Current Events'
- Wednesday, Unit 3 writing assignment finished for editing

- Friday, Unit 3 writing assignment completed

- Monday, 6/17, optional 'Blog Post'

6/10-14, Support, grade 9
- Tuesday, 'Novel Study'
- Monday, 6/17, optional 'Blog Post'

6/10-14, Support, grade 7
- Thursday, 'Novel Study'
- Monday, 6/17, optional 'Blog Post'

Exams
There is no ESL exam for Support students.
There will be an ESL exam for CORE students in the week of 6/17 to 6/21.  It may include:
- a reading evaluation with me
- comprehension based on watching a video
- comprehension based on a reading
- a writing assignment of less than two hundred words
- some sentences for you to correct

June 3rd to 7th independant work

Tuesday Party: there is a high school party from three to five Tuesday, 6/04, so there is no ESL class last period in the library.  There are a few changes to when things are due to be finished.

6/03-07, CORE 7
- Thursday, 'Novel Study'
- Friday, 'Blog Post'

6/03-07, CORE 8
- Thursday, 'Novel Study'

6/03-07, CORE 9
- Thursday, 'Novel Study'
- Friday, 'Blog Post'

6/03-07, Support, grade 9
- Tuesday, 'Current Events'
- Friday, 'Blog Post'

6/03-07, Support, grade 7
- Thursday, 'Current Events'
- Friday, 'Blog Post'

English communication: a world of accents.

You have listened to the English accents of speakers of your language, and most of you have commented.  Good work.

Just as in our school, there are far more speakers of English who are not native-speakers, than native-speakers.  This means that to communicate with English speakers around the world you must be able to understand dozens of different accents.  In our school you've only had to understand standard American, Canadian, British; Japanese, Korean and Arabic, and a few other accents.  Can you understand others?

Go back to the accents website to listen to native speakers.  Also listen to the non-native accents you are going to hear most in future: Chinese, Hindi (India), German, French, Russian and Swahili (East Africa).  How easy or difficult was it for you to understand these people?

Make comments to this post: several thoughtful sentences please.

Final Weeks' Assignments

Good news!  I am going to lighten your workload a little.  'Current Events' will now be every other week, alternating with your 'Novel Study': each week you will do either one, or the other, but not both.  Pay attention to what and which day of the week.  There are changes.

Next week:

5/27-31, CORE 7
- Monday, Unit 2 Assignment on 'Education'
- Thursday, 'Current Events'
- Friday, 'Blog Post'

5/27-31, CORE 8
- Monday, Unit 2 Assignment on 'Education'
- Tuesday, 'Current Events'

5/27-31, CORE 9
- Monday, Unit 2 Assignment on 'Education'
- Tuesday, 'Current Events'
- Friday, 'Blog Post'

5/27-31, Support, all grades
- Tuesday, 'Novel Study'
- Friday, 'Blog Post'


The week after that:

6/03-07, CORE 7
- Thursday, 'Novel Study'
- Friday, 'Blog Post'

6/03-07, CORE 8
- Thursday, 'Novel Study'

6/03-07, CORE 9
- Thursday, 'Novel Study'
- Friday, 'Blog Post'

6/03-07, Support, all grades
- Tuesday, 'Current Events'
- Friday, 'Blog Post'

CORE students: Unit 2 assignment, "Education"

Grades Seven, Eight and Nine: final copy is due on Monday, 5/27, at the start of P1.
- yes, you may print it in the computer lab P1
- no, you may not finish it in P1
- it should be finished before 8:45 on Monday
- four hundred word, minimum

'Five paragraph essay' style:

Introduction:
- tell me the three things you want to learn, and maybe what you hope to do, or be, in the future

Paragraphs 2, 3 and 4:
- the three things you want to learn, or need to learn
- in each, why you want/need to learn it
- how/where you will learn it
- what you already know about it

Conclusion:
- is really a summary of paragraphs 2, 3 and 4
- finished with something about your future in general

Speech Accent Archive: during regular or ESL 'study hall'

Your job is to listen to your own language's accent, and post a few sentences in a comment to this post, on my page.  I hope the sound on the website works well for you.  Wear headphones.  If you can, also record and listen to your own voice at home.  Finish this before the end of this week.

Turkish
Arabic
Korean
Japanese

Note that the 'generalizations' at the bottom of each speaker's page gives the technical vocabulary for the accent that the speaker has.  You do not have to use this vocabulary, but if you research it you will understand better.

You may want to listen to native English accents for comparison:
Toronto (similar to Mr. S.)
London (similar to Ms. Snooke, though not exactly)
New York (similar to Ms. Frances, though not precisely)

Answer these questions in your comment:
- What do you think about your language's accent in English?
- Do you think you make any of the same errors in English?
- Which of these errors cause most difficulty for people to understand your English?
- How do you think you can improve?

Grades Seven and Nine Core Blog Post length.

Grade 7 'Core', and all grades of 'Support': 200 words minimum total, in one post or several, each week by Friday 8:30.

Grade 9 Core: 300 words minimum total, in one post or several, each week by Friday 8:30.  You get two hours more in the week for 'study hall', so this is part of the extra work you should do.  Also, I am expecting more from you for 'Current Events' and for 'Novel Study', etc.  You are older, have more time for it, and have the ability.

Good luck.

Your link on this page?

Make sure that I have the right link to your blog, with all of your ESL work, on the top-left of this page.  If not, I am not seeing, or marking, your work.  Let me know.

ESL due-dates next week: 5/20-24

CORE students (10-14 classes/week including 'study-hall'):

Grade Seven  ESL Core students

Thursday - current events

before Thursday - in Bookworms Club Silver, read "The Five Orange Pips"

Thursday - novel reading presentation

Friday - blog post (before arriving at school)

Grade Eight  ESL Core students

Tuesday - current events

before Thursday - in Bookworms Club Silver, read "The Five Orange Pips"

Thursday - novel reading presentation

Grade Nine  ESL Core students

Tuesday - current events

before Friday - in Bookworms Club Silver, read "A Walk in Amnesia" on your own time

Thursday - novel reading presentation

Friday - blog post (before arriving at school)

Support students (6 classes/week including 'study-hall'):

Grade Seven support students
Wednesday - blog post
Thursday - current events

Friday - blog post (before arriving at school)

Grade Nine support students
Tuesday - current events
Wednesday - blog post

Friday - blog post (before arriving at school)

5/20, Monday P1 and other study-hall periods
Format your blogs as I have asked in previous posts...  You need a vocabulary list; links to all of the other CIS ESL students, and this blog; some other ESL links or interests; and all of your other written ESL work posted (unit writings, current events, novel reviews...).

Blog formatting

Vocabulary List

To keep track of vocabulary that you are learning, and should remember, make a vocabulary list on your blog.

Do this on the 'Layout' page:

- 'add a gadget'
- use 'list'
- definition is not necessary, although a short one is a good idea for you to remember what you've learned

Remember to get up the links like I asked in the last post:

- put up a link-widget and link to the class "CIS ESL" blog and every other student in ESL, like I have done in the top left of mine

Do this on the 'Layout' page:
- 'add a gadget' (do it at the top-left or top-right)
- use 'blog list' or 'link list'

ESL due-dates AFTER Golden Week

I hope you enjoyed the holiday and your trip to North Star.  Here are the due dates for the middle of May, in case you've forgotten

May 13-17 week for CORE students (10-14 classes/week including 'study-hall'):

Grade Seven  ESL Core students
Wednesday - blog post
Thursday - current events
before Thursday - in Bookworms Club Silver, read "A Walk in Amnesia" on your own time
no reading presentation!

Grade Eight  ESL Core students
Tuesday - current events
before Thursday - in Bookworms Club Silver, read "A Walk in Amnesia" on your own time

no reading presentation!

Grade Nine  ESL Core students
Tuesday - current events
Wednesday - blog post
before Friday - in Bookworms Club Silver, read "A Walk in Amnesia" on your own time

no reading presentation!

May 13-17 week for support students (6 classes/week including 'study-hall'):

Grade Seven support students
Wednesday - blog post
Thursday - current events
Thursday - novel reading presentation

Grade Nine support students
Tuesday - current events
Wednesday - blog post

Thursday - novel reading presentation


5/13, Monday P1 and other study-hall periods
Your blog pages are not fully formatted properly.  Besides posting blog posts, current events, novel reading presentations, and other work that CORE students do, you need to do the following with your blogs, like I have done on mine:
- make sure your blog has a clear and sensible title, such as "CIS ESL"
- make sure your blog page views in ENGLISH
- put up a link-widget and link to the class "CIS ESL" blog and every other student in ESL, like I have done in the top left of mine

That is a minimum.  There are many more interesting things you can and should do with your blog page.

Double-Spaced Printing

From now on, everything that you print to show to me should be double-spaced: otherwise there is nowhere to put my corrections.  This goes for drafts and for final copies.

Thank you.

'A Day in the Life': ESL CORE G9

Do not forget that your 'A Day in the Life' rough copy (first draft) is due to be finished by Tuesday:

- put your name and title on it
- make sure you have 300 words, or more
- print a copy before Tuesday P2
- give me a copy at the start of Tuesday P2

It has to be done so we can all work together on editing it tomorrow, Tuesday.  Yes, you do have Tuesday P1 as time to complete and print it, but don't leave much for the last hour...

'A Day in the Life' final copy is due Wednesday:

- put your name and title on it
- make sure you have 300 words, or more
- print a copy before Wednesday P1
- give me a copy at the start of Wednesday P2
- put it on your blog

Note: this is the assignment for the end of Unit One of the text.  It is much more important for your mark than current events, reading presentations, blog posts or literature circles...

'A Day in the Life': ESL CORE G7&8

Do not forget that your 'A Day in the Life' writing is due to be finished by Wednesday, 08:30, Tokyo time!

Here's what to do:
- put your name and title on it
- make sure you have 300 words, or more
- print a copy before Wednesday P1
- give me a copy at the start of Wednesday P1
- put it on your blog

Note: this is the assignment for the end of Unit One of the text.  It is much more important for your mark than current events, reading presentations, blog posts or literature circles...

ESL due-dates before Golden Week

This week for CORE students (10-14 classes/week including 'study-hall'):

Grade Seven  ESL Core students
Wednesday - blog post
Thursday - reading presentation you already had prepared for last week
Thursday - current events

Grade Eight  ESL Core students
Tuesday - current events
Thursday - reading presentation you already had prepared for last week

Grade Nine  ESL Core students
Tuesday - current events
Wednesday - blog post

Thursday - reading presentation you already had prepared for last week

This week for support students (6 classes/week including 'study-hall'):

Grade Seven support students
Wednesday - blog post
Thursday - current events
no reading presentation!

Grade Nine support students
Tuesday - current events
Wednesday - blog post

no reading presentation!

Next week for all students (4/29-5/03)
Nothing!  Golden Week!

The week of the overnight trip (5/06-5/10)
Nothing!

The middle week of May (5/13-5/17)
All the normal homework will be due on the regular days of the week for you:
- reading presentation for support students
- no reading presentation for CORE students
- current events from all students
- blog post for all grades seven and eights

Comment!

Good morning.

First, sign-in to your own ESL blog or the link-back to your own blog identity will not work properly.

Second, I need everyone's blog URLs.  If I already have yours on the top-left of this blog, go to the next paragraph.  If I do not yet have it, write it now on the whiteboard, with your name.

Now your job is to comment on every other ESL student's blog somewhere, nicely.  You may comment to any of their posts: blog post, novel review, current events, etc.  However, find everyone's blog from the links on the top-left of this blog, and blog once on each person's blog, or more.  Eleven comments total, or more.

Thanks.

Best post of the week: 2013/04/01

From Turkey, again!

However, the postings from our boys are getting much better.

Best post of the week: 2013/03/11

From Turkey, by a large margin!  Come on, the rest of you hardly tried!  You have until Wednesday to get this done, before I mark it.

Take a look here: http://icomefromturkey.blogspot.jp/2013/03/turkeys-historical-ruins.html