Wednesday, January 27th, 2016

Good afternoon CLB 7/8,

This afternoon, you'll be working on 2 tasks. First, I would like you to complete a listening quiz for the unit that we've been working on.

Click on the link for the quiz and read the instructions carefully before you begin.  Do not use any dictionaries during the quiz. NOTE: You will need to come back to the blog for the audio after you open the quiz and read the instructions.

Quiz

Here is the audio file that you will need to listen to.  Remember to listen to the audio only two times.  Please use the coloured paper that I've given you to take notes and hand in your notes before you leave.  

Quiz audio file

Once you've completed the quiz, please work on your commercial with your partners.  I would like to record each group using my cell phone for better audio quality.  

After you've recorded your commercial, please complete the 'Self-Assessment' portion of the rubric for your '2 Minute Commercial,' and I will complete the rest of the rubric. Make sure to hand in both your listening notes and speaking rubric before you leave.

Finally, here are the answers for the AVL #1 worksheet. I'm sorry we didn't have time to talk about in class, but please ask if you have questions.

AVL #1 Worksheet

1. We need concrete proof of your accusation before we act on it. (Adj)
2. The approaching storm could bring 20 cm of snow. (Sorry, Jaspreet! L) (Adj)
3. Ivette has an uncontrollable urge to drink coffee every day. (Adj)
4. There’s little demand for winter clothing in Saudi Arabia. (N)
5. Be sure to include enough factual information in your presentation. (Adj)
6. Many newcomers are surprised to discover how cold winters in Canada really are.  (V)
7. What can you infer from the speaker’s tone of voice? (V)
8. Ironically, the car thief crashed into a police car while trying to get away. (Adv)
9. The students in our class are from many different backgrounds. (N)
10. The students were metaphorically over the moon when school was closed because of the snow storm. (Adv)
11. TED-Ed Lessons are an abbreviated version of original TED Talks. (Adj)
12. Which genre of music do you prefer? (N)
13. Some people can be very opinionated. (Adj)
14. English has many illogical and well-established exceptions. (Adj)
15. The students asked for clarification about what to include in their presentations. (N)

Enjoy!

Fact or Opinion Survey

Please complete the survey before class on Wednesday morning.

Click here for the survey

Wednesday, January 20th, 2016

Good afternoon CLB 7/8,

This afternoon, you will be watching some videos and preparing for a group discussion that we will have on Monday, January 25th.  On Monday, I will assign each of you a role in the discussion. Here are the different role and the responsibilities for each of them:

Roles:

·        Group leader

·        Reporter

·        Evaluator

·        Group members

Responsibilities of the Group Leader:

• Introduce the topic and participants
• Get the discussion started
• Encourage all group members to participate
• Provide transitions between each part of the discussion
• End the discussion when the time is up
• Thank the participants for their hard work

Responsibilities of the Evaluator:

• Consider the wider context of the topic
• Consider the genre, audience, date, and purpose of the text
• Prompt a critical discussion of the topic/text among the group members

Responsibilities of the Reporter:

• Take notes during discussion
• Present a summary of the group’s discussion to the rest of the class
• Note who has participated and how they have contributed in the group discussion

Responsibilities of Group Members:

• Interrupt another group member if you have something important to say
• Listen carefully to what the other group members say
• Ask follow-up questions if you would like more information
• Refer to all group members by name
• Make comments about what another group member said
• Be prepared with information about the discussion topic
• Contribute many times during the discussion

Please familiarize yourself with the roles. You will have a turn in each of the roles during the term. 

Now, please watch these two videos and take detailed notes as you will need them for the discussion on Monday. You can watch the videos more than once if you need.  I will also give you a hand out to help you evaluate the videos.  Please remember what we talked about this morning about facts vs. opinions.  

Here are the video links:

Video #1

Video #2

Here's a link to the rubric that I will be using you evaluate you on Monday.  Please note all the things I'll be looking for.  

Discussion Group Rubric

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on Monday! Enjoy!

Wednesday, January 13th, 2016

Good afternoon CLB 7/8 ,

This afternoon, you will be completing a few different tasks.  First, I would like you record your responses  Part A and Part B from 'Your Pronunciation Profile' which I gave you this morning. Please record yourself reading either Reading 1 or Reading 2.  Then, choose either 1, 2, 3 or a similar topic from Part B and record your response.  You can use Clarity Recorder again for this.  Remember to look for this icon on your computer's desktop. 

Please save your file using this format:

Name_Date_Part A (or B).mp3 (Ex. Kim_13012016_Part A.mp3)

Once you have recorder both Part A and Part B, please complete pp. 5-8 of the handout and return it to me before you leave this afternoon.  I will complete p. 4 and give you some specific feedback about your pronunciation.  

Finally, please work on the spreadsheet for the Academic Vocabulary List #1.  I have already posted the link and something to help you with your vocabulary building called '10 Things Students Need to Know to Really Know a Word (And How a Teacher Can Help Them)' in the blog.  You don't need to finish it today, but you can begin to fill in spreadsheet.   

Enjoy!

Academic Vocabulary List (AVL) #1

Click on the link to find the Google Spreadsheet for AVL #1.  Please complete the chart. Note: that not every word will have synonyms, antonyms, etc. 

AVL #1 Spreadsheet

10 Things Students Need to Know to Really Know a Word (And How a Teacher Can Help Them)

Wednesday, January 6th, 2016

Good afternoon and welcome to my CLB 7/8 blog!  

I'm excited to work with all of you this term on developing your listening, speaking, and pronunciation skills. On the right side of the blog, you'll find some 'Useful links.'  I'll update these when I get to know you a little better, so they reflect your needs. 

This afternoon, I would like to collect a little more information about your skills.  First, I would like you to record a short introduction where you tell a little bit about yourself and your goals (language, professional, academic, etc).  Please only share what you're comfortable with.  On your computer, you will find a program called 'Clarity Recorder.'  The icon looks like this:

Please record yourself and then save your file using this format :

YourName_069012016.mp3 (For example: Kim_06012016.mp3)

If you have any difficulties, I'll be happy to help you.  Once you've saved your file, please email it my Mohawk email account (you will find it on your class schedule).

Next, I'd like you to listen to a podcast and write a one-paragraph summary of the main ideas of what you've heard.  Please type your paragraph and email it to me with the same format (name/date). Don't forget to include the title of the podcast you've chosen.  

Choose any topic that interests you from this website: 

BBC 6 Minute English

Finally, please here's the link that we looked at together this morning.

5 Essential Listening Skills

Enjoy!