2nd Reflections: Feedback

Dear Students,

Check virtual ("files" folder) for feedback on your second reflections. Be sure to check your final papers to be sure you do/did not repeat any of the same mistakes.

Have a great weekend!

Sabrina

FINAL PRESENTATIONS

Dear Students,

I'd like to clarify the contents of the final classes so you can plan accordingly:

Friday, Nov. 18th, workshop with Valeria to review U23 and see CAE contents.

Monday, Nov. 21st, FINAL PAPERS ARE DUE. Please submit all drafts and outlines.

Monday, Nov 21st, QUIZ on U23.

Wednesday, Nov. 23rd and Friday, Nov. 25th. Presentations on final projects.

Friday, Nov. 25th workhop with Valeria--opportunity to develop strategies for CAE testing.

Subjunctive in English...really.

Did you guys know that the subjunctive IS used in English? It's not nearly as common as in Spanish, but still, you should be aware that certain verbs do require the subjunctive. To learn more, click below:

SUBJUNCTIVE

The reason I mention this, in your writings I'm coming across instances when you need it.

Now, please do NOT memorize the list on the above link. Instead, build your awareness (increase your opportunities for language acquisition) by looking for examples of the subjunctive while you read, listen to discourses, etc. See if you can identify the use of the subjuntive IN CONTEXT.

Footnotes & Citations

Class, here are some links that may be of interest to you:

how to do citations

when to do citations

how to do footnotes

Friday, Nov. 11

Dear Students,

Today we will not be able to have class as I understand it. I hope you all are able to participate in and thoroughly enjoy your R&R opportunity today!

On the subject of LVIII, please remember that to sign the list on Monday, you need to arrive on time with your completed Final project rough draft. You should also bring your outline (adapted or modified as necessary) and a dictionary to make peer editing as valuable as possible.

With regards to lessons on Taboos, please continue to work on lesson 23. You can move forward with the reading and tackle exercises 3 and 4 on page 135 if you'd like to get ahead. If you're very short on time, at the very least, please study page 133 "No sooner had...than...".

Take care,

Sabrina

Final exam!

Dear Students,

Please review the Virtual calendar to see when your final LVIII exam and interviews will be held.

On the note of CAE review, I'd like to remind you of and/or clarify the following:

1) A communicative language approach prepares students for International test.

2) Your interest should be to familiarize yourselves with the kinds of tasks the CAE requires. This helps to reduce anxiety and increase your comfort level. The need to be familiar with HOW skills and competences will be assessed is not unique to an international, standardized test. Students should always have prior practice with a task before confronting it on a marked assessment.

3) For the purposes of number 2, you can make use of internet sites to gain experience with Cambridge-type tasks. Your assistant, Valeria, can also help you. She's covering some material on CAE in workshops.

4) For the purpose of learning English (content!) and doing well on ANY standardized test, you should just continue to go to class and workshops, do homework, study, etc.

5) Use this experience to improve your teaching in the future. If/When the time comes to prepare your students for standardized tests, avoid the temptation to put communicative teaching aside in favor of "

Final Papers

Dear Students,

ANNOUNCEMENT:

After talking to you guys (and gals) about the deadlines of your other papers (for other subjects), I think we can extend the deadline for the first draft of your final project to Monday, Nov. 14th. We will spend part of class on that day peer editing and working on the papers, in general. Be sure you arrive on time with your paper completed and printed.

TED: Personalized learning

Dear Students,

Reflecting on your thesis statements, I realized that TED has many talks that will be of interest to many of you. Did you know that talks also count as bibliography for your papers? It's true. So, to help you hit two birds with one stone (= great idiomatic expression), I've designed your second reflection around the final project. Here's what we've got on our plate:

1) Choose a video from here

I urge you to focus on the area you're writing about (as your final project) as this could help provide the support, explanation, examples you seek. For example, Alejandro--how does this look? How to learn from mistakes. Javier, this might be up your alley ( = great idiomatic expression): One laptop per child. Anybody writing about apathy (ah...motiviation in the classroom!)? If so, click here. Oh, and here's a video on Language and thought (Attention, Franco).

2) After you watch your video of choice, write up a 2-paragraph reflection. Be sure you comment on the content--don't tell me what the speaker says. Tell me what you think about what the speaker says.

3) Assess with the "old" rubric: Dig up (= great phrasal verb) the feedback I gave you on your last reflection to avoid making the same mistakes.

4) Get constructive feedback. Ask a classmate to comment on development, accuracy, content, etc. Don't just say "please correct my mistakes." You won't learn that way, but DO ask somebody to point out how your writing could be improved.

BTW: If you want to present a reflection on a non-TED video, let me know. I'll Ok it first. (Did you know OK could be used as a verb? It's true!)

Questions? Ask me!

Don't force kids to share

This is a very interesting article as it questions the typical behavior of adults as they "teach" little ones to share.

Here's the link:

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/family/2011/10/children_and_sharing_don_t_force_kids_to_share_.html

It's also a great example of a well written essay. What is the thesis? What are the main points?

RIDDEN

Here's the scoop:

http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=1100588

So, yes, "ridden" means "loaded with" or "full of". Here are some common examples:

She is bed-ridden. (She must stay in bed).
I won't sleep in that flea-ridden bed.
Many people are debt-ridden these days.

As always, thanks for your marvelous questions!

Feedback on Oral presentations

Dear Students,

Here are a few errors that I'd like you to see if you can fix. Take a second to test yourselves.

1. They were advised to don’t go…

2. Other point is that they don’t have money.

3. The populars get everything.

4. Show them the different

5. It’s nice go home.

6. They researched on poverty.

7. It’s important that this person know his rights.

8. They are very committed with their students.

9. They live in the schools they’re attending to.

10. They are used to live themselves.

WILL vs WILLINGNESS

Click here to review "will" as a noun.

Click here to review "willingness" as a noun.

By the way, I looked both words up in a bilingual dictionary, and this is how the words were translated. Does this make sense to you?

will = voluntad
willingness = buena voluntad, disposición

Outline Requirements

Dear Students,

I feel the need to clarify something with regards to your outlines:

You must include your thesis explicitly.

Valeria uploaded an excellent resource in Virtual ("files") on the outline. On slide 9, you will find exactly what it is that we expect from you. If you have questions, you can e-mail Valeria. She has extensive knowledge on this topic!

Secondly, by Wednesday afternoon, I will upload into the "files" folder the rubric that we will use to assess the outlines. It is to your benefit to review it to be sure you understand what we are looking for.

Kind regards,

Sabrina

LINK to semester marks

Dear Students,

This document is for you! You can write your marks in the boxes. Be sure you ONLY write in the boxes that correspond to your "word" (=ID).

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ak3hKTH8HaaCdDV3RWFnaFlxazVNd3M1dEFjWkdYZ1E&hl=es

thesis statements

Check these links out:

http://writingcenter.unc.edu/resources/handouts-demos/writing-the-paper/thesis-statements

http://www.kean.edu/~roneilfi/How%20to%20write%20a%20thesis%20statement.htm

Friday, Oct. 7

Dear Students,

Look! This is your opportunity:

Click here: Essay contest.
(It's OK if you're motivated to do this out of pure greed for money! You can save for traveling, right?)

Today in the lab you are free to work on your oral presentation, done individually, or final project outline. With regards to the latter (new word! Use it in your essays.), please remember that you need to do some research before you begin to help you with the contents.

Last but not least, please remember on Wednesday, Oct. 12, you will have a short quiz on uses of "would" (p. 170) and "out of".

You have lots to do, so don't waste time out of boredom, and don't start crying out of fear--the quiz will not be that hard!


Have a great, long weekend!

Kind regards,

PS:

Oral Presentations: Oct. 12 and 17

Dear Students,

I would like to suggest the following for your next oral presentations. We will keep the same format as last time (circle with peer interaction), and you can choose one of the following:

1) Travel and new perspectives

Share experience with conversing with SIT students. What got your attention? What did the students say about Chile? What was their view on the current student movement? How did it come about that they came to Chile? What is your reaction/thoughts about any cultural issues/differences that appeared? Did something shed light on an issue or topic connected to Chile or teaching that you were not aware of.

2) Cooperative Learning for youth

Visit one of the sites listed in the program and provide a brief summary about key points. You can share your reaction/opinion on the subject as well.

Let's plan to hold these on October 12th and 17th.

Note: Be sure you review your last oral assessment to determine the areas in which you need most improvement.

Questions? Ask me!

Sabrina

Writing!

Famous quote: "A writer doesn't solve problems. He allows them to emerge." -Friedrich Dürrenmatt

Dear Ana, Natalia, Giordano, Franco, Samantha, Paola, Camila, Javier, Alfonso, Támara, Jocelyn, and Alejandro,

In today's class you will work on writing. (No comma because the prepositional phrase introducing the sentence--"in today's class"--contains fewer than 5 words.)

Allow me to explain: In this blog post I'm about to publish, (comma--the prepositional phrase introducing the sentence more than 5 words) I will explain two assignments.

Writing Assignment 1: This is a 1-2 paragraph reflection on the video we saw on Monday. Depending on how many central ideas you have, you will write one or two paragraphs in which you share your ideas about the video with me (and your classmates). This assignment is due on Monday, October 3rd. To see how you will be marked, see the "LVIII writing rubric published in Virtual ("files" folder).

Writing Assignment 2: This is your LVIII Writing Project due in November. The details to this project are in the "files" folder on Virtual as well. This project is very step-by-step; it includes 3 deadlines. The first deadline is just around the corner so be sure you at least read about this assignment before you leave today so you can organize and plan your semester. A note about the full-sentence outline: On Monday we will apply this structure to the video we saw on Monday so that we can create together a model you're familiar with.

Related to writing assignment 2, note that external sources can be videos. If you happen to be a fan of Sr. Ken Robinson, you could use his quotes as support. Check MLA links to see how to do the bibliography for that type of format.

I will spend today's class giving feedback to those people who still have not had me edit "live" a sample of their writing.

Other questions? Just ask!

Now, get busy!

(Have a great weekend!)

Sabrina

Wednesday, Sept. 7: No class (read below)

Dear Students,

I'm sorry to say that I will have to cancel today's class as both my baby and I are sick. Therefore I would like to share with you the following:

Friday's workshop with Valeria will be compulsory. It begins at 13:30. Check Virtual for the classroom. Probably you will spend part of that module with me, but that will be worked out later.

Please bring to the workshop the homework I gave you on Monday and the article, "Searching for Level VI."

For those of you eager to review for the CAE, the following tests are item focused if you would like to concentrate on one specific area (i.e. collocations). Remember you should be working individually on the different parts of the CAE to familiarize yourself with the different tasks.

http://www.flo-joe.co.uk/cae/students/wordbank/index.htm

You can leave a comment to this post if you have any questions.

Thank you for your cooperation!

Sabrina

Searching for Level VI: Class reflection

Class Assignment: Searching for Level VI

Individually: Scan the article and choose 2 statements that you would highlight as the most catching because you strongly agree (or disagree) with it; it puts into words something you’ve always thought; it explains a question you’ve already had, etc.

In small groups, share the following:

1) Your general reaction to the text.

2) Its pertinence in Chile, in general, and in schools.

3) How the article relates to you.

Friday, Sept. 2: Searching for Level VI and CAE practice

Dear Class,

The items on today's menu are...

1) CAE practice tests. (Proposed time: 20 minutes)

Remember you have a marked quiz mid-September--in just 2 weeks! Why do these here and now instead of at home? You can immediately ask me for an explanation of why an answer is incorrect shall you have a question.

2) Writing: What motivates you? (Proposed time: 15 minutes)

Please write responses to these questions in Word and print it. You'll need this on Monday!!! Do NOT write your name on the document.

a) Why do you come to class regularly?
b) Why do you pay your bus fare (use your "tarjeta Bip") when you take the bus?
c) Why do you want to be a teacher?
d) Why are you doing this assignment?

Note: Treat this like a journal entry rather than an academic paper. You should, however, use correct pronunciation and spelling. See the board in class for more details!

3) Searching for Level VI. (Proposed time: 20 minutes)
This is a 6-page text that can be found in the "Files" folder of virtual. This is a phenomenol text that came to my mind while listening to your presentations. It connects very well to our talk on goals and students' objectives and even makes a bridge to our next topic: Beliefs. I ask that you all read this short article and bring it to Monday's class (printed) so that we can work with it in class. (You do NOT need to bring your Innovations text book).

4) Review of commas. (Proposed time: 15 minutes)

See the last 2 posts on this blog.

Would you like to do some online quizzes?

Click here: Practice comma quiz
and here: Quiz on comma usage

To print: Comma explanations

Sorry, class: the document is too long for me to get copies for each of you. Still, I condensed it into a printable version of just 5 pages. Click here if you want it.

Your comma quiz!

So, this is the deal: as promised, I'm giving you a quiz on the use of commas. Nonetheless, this is going to be a very different format than what you have probably ever done. This is a class quiz--not an individual quiz. So you all get the same mark, and this mark will either be a "7" or a "0". Seriously. But, this is the catch: you get several tries to get a 100%. This is how it will work. I will project 15 sentences on the board. We will go around the room and each person, individually, will have 1 chance to fix his/her sentence. As soon as 1 student messes up, the quiz ends. The day we complete the circle (i.e. the day you each punctuate correctly the sentence given to you), you all get a 7. If the semester ends before this day happens, you all get an O-N-E. So, collaborate! Work together! Help those students out that need more guidance. If you are confused, ask for clarification.

I will make copies of the "comma rules" for you as posted on the website I sent you last week.

Best,
Sabrina

Study Guide: Key Expressions

Dear Students,

I'd like to clarify what expressions you will be held accountable for on your quiz. You need to study the following...

a) Expressions that I connected to "Voices of LVIII". These were given to you last week and follow the following format, in general: "Who speaks of not throwing in the towel?"

b) The expressions that I used in my last blog post that are in bold. I wanted to use these in a "real-life" context.

c) Expressions that express degrees of certainty. I suggest you review page 115, ex. 5 and the book's grammar explanation on page 169-170.

d) Last but not least, Felipe and I have agreed that these are the expressions that you are most likely to run across in your academic/professional lives. Many are repeated from what I already highlighted, but this list will also be of use, I expect:

to lack a certain self-belief

to be the weak link (of a chain)

to be on something (i.e. drugs!)

to have days off (= vacation)

to have drive (determination)

to be underrated

to fulfill your potential

to give up

to handle pressure

to throw in the towel

to pull punches

a mind numbing effect

(a subject) dominates the media + saturation coverage

a bid for something

to have your sights set firmly on sth

the ball is in their court

to keep your head above water

to touch base

to foster

to subsidise

I hope this offers you some guidance.

Sabrina