STAR WARS TODAY!

Please, come after school and enjoy one of the greatest films ever made. I will be giving 10 Extra Credit points for attending and behaving appropriately. I will also be giving 10 Extra Credit points for completing the worksheet that goes along with the film.

After that, your homework is Listening 3-3b, parts 2 and 6. Also, please read the following article and be ready to journal about it tomorrow before your Reading, Listening, Writing quiz.

http://www.buzzworthy.com/alex-medical-marijuana-used-to-combat-autistic-rage/

Also, Sean, please remember that I do not want to hear anything about the Avengers movie. 

Homework for Wednesday, April 29th

Please read the rest of To Build a Fire this evening. Hopefully you enjoyed the library today and will be able to access it as a resource. Make sure that you are taking good notes on the text because you will be able use those notes on the quiz tomorrow.

Tuesday, April 28th

Today, we studied the great American author Jack London. He is a very influential author and has many great works. We get to read his classic short story To Build A Fire. For homework this evening, you will read the first 8 pages. Here is the link:

https://docs.google.com/a/usa-english.com/file/d/0B8xlAVmXr2uLdHQ2QnZEcV95OTA/edit

Please, take notes and be prepared to journal about the first half of the story. The notes that you take tonight and tomorrow will be available for use on the quiz on Thursday, so make sure that you take your time and write good notes. Enjoy the weather!

Homework for Monday, April 27th

It's Monday again. Hopefully, you all got some rest and came back ready to go. It's going to be a glorious week, full of learning and sunshine. It was nice to see you again this morning. I really appreciate how you come into the classroom ready to write the journal entry for the day. Please remember to work on your blog, grammar, and weekly writing. You're all doing a pretty good job of it, keep it up.

For homework tonight, read the following article:

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/increasing-number-doctors-are-trying-reconcile-traditional-chinese-medicine-and-western-medicine-180953246/?no-ist

and be prepared to journal about it in the morning. Also, please complete exercise 3-1b part 2 for tomorrow morning. Have a great evening.

Weekly Writing 5

1. Read the article MRI Scans: Waiting for Public Health Care vs. Paying for a Private MRI Clinic frombcliving.ca.

http://www.bcliving.ca/health/mri-scans-waiting-for-public-health-care-vs-paying-for-a-private-mri-clinic

    b.    Write 100-200 words explaining difficulties Canadians have getting special services              like MRI scans. Is this the same or different in your country?

Remember, this is due on Monday May 4th.

Happy Friday!

The weekend is upon us! We have two-and-a-half days for ourselves. Take the time to refresh yourself and find some Americans to speak English with. We have finished three weeks of level 6, and you are all doing great work. Over the weekend, please read the following article and be ready to journal about it on Monday.

http://www.healingfoundationschicago.com/blog/1128/chinese-herbs-and-western-herbs-is-there-a-difference/

Remember to complete your weekly writing for this week. I posted the link on this blog on Monday.

Have fun and be safe.

Can you smell the weekend?

I sure can. Tomorrow is Friday, just one half day away from some well earned rest. You guys are doing a wonderful job and I'm very proud of you. Keep up the good work. For tomorrow, please read the following article about one of my favorite people, Stephen Hawking, and be prepared to journal about it.
http://www.livescience.com/50302-stephen-hawking-trademark.html

Make sure that you are staying on top of your blog and your grammar work. Please take the time to get 100% on each of the grammar quizzes. I know that you can. For those of you who missed the Rocking Horse Winner quiz today, I will be giving makeup exams at 8 o'clock tomorrow. At 9 o'clock we will write in our journals and then we will take RLW quiz 2. See you then.

Wednesday, April 22nd

Please read the rest of The Rocking Horse Winner ( https://drive.google.com/a/usa-english.com/file/d/0B8xlAVmXr2uLWnBmUmo5TThOUlk/edit ) for homework tonight and be prepared to journal about it tomorrow. Remember, we will also take a test over the whole story. Have a great evening. I have included the rest of the short film. I want to restate, DO NOT watch the video and think that you can pass the quiz. You must read the story.

Tuesday, April 21st

What a beautiful day! For homework, you only have to read pages 1 - 10 of D.H. Lawrence's classic short story The Rocking Horse Winner. Hopefully, it won't take you too long. https://drive.google.com/a/usa-english.com/file/d/0B8xlAVmXr2uLWnBmUmo5TThOUlk/edit

You learned a little bit about this author this afternoon, now you get to experience his work first hand.


Please, take notes and be prepared to write in your journal about what you read this evening. I've included the first half of the video of the story; but be aware, the video is not the same as the story. You are not required to watch the video if you don't want to. If you choose to only watch the video, you will not be able to fully answer the journal prompts tomorrow or Friday. When you watch the video, note the differences between the video and the book. There are quite a few.

When you finish your homework, get out and enjoy the sunshine.

Start the week the right way!

It's Monday, which means that it's time to start a new week and build on the experiences that we had last week. By now, you should be getting into a routine of writing your blog and the reading the daily reading assignments and writing in your journal in class. It seems like most of you understand the process and are working hard to get better at writing. I really enjoy seeing your notes when you come to class to write your journals. Learning how to prepare is one of the best skills you can have.

This week we should be able to settle into the day-to-day routine of level six and focus on learning. Josh and I have come up with some reading assignments for the week that we hope will be interesting and informative. Here is the reading homework for this evening. Please read it, take notes, and be ready to write a journal entry about it in the morning.

http://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/garlic-onions-and-cow-stomach-medieval-remedy-todays-superbugs


You also have 2-1a parts 3,4, and 5 for homework tonight. Start the week the right way, keep working hard on your grammar, continue reflecting in your blog, and watch the video to complete your weekly writing.

1. Watch the video Reading and Responding and take notes. Then check the tape script.
2. Write 100-200 words explaining what was stated in the video and how it relates to the work you have done and hope to do.

Go get busy and have a great evening. 

Happy Friday!

It's Friday! I can smell the weekend, and I'm sure you can too. The weather is supposed to be pretty great, so enjoy it. But, don't forget that Monday is our first due date for the Grammar Exercises. You need to complete all of the Week 2 exercises from the Bedford Handbook site. Also, as far as work goes, make sure your blog is complete and that you have completed the weekly writing that I have provided a link to in a previous blog entry. Here is the reading that you will complete for your journal writing on Monday, April 20th:

http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/traditional-vs-western-medicine-which-one-is-easier-for-chinese-consumers-to-swallow/

Enjoy a little bit of free time this weekend and I'll see you all on Monday.

American Popular Culture Learning Opportunity

On Thursday, April 30th, I will be showing Star Wars: Episode 4 here at SCEL after school. This is an opportunity for you to see a film that is extremely important in American pop-culture. This film, and the other two that I will show, are referred to and quoted very frequently in various television programs, movies, and books.



I will give extra credit points for those students who attend and stay until the end of the film. I will show Episode 5 on May 7th, and Episode 6 on May 14th. Each showing will allow you to earn 10 extra credit points. Let me know if you have any questions.

Homework for April 16th

Happy Thursday! Tomorrow is our first RLW quiz of the quarter. I'm sure you're all very excited and ready to show me how awesome you are at English. I know that I can't wait. For this evening, please read this article and be prepared to write about it in the morning.

http://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/head-transplant-volunteer-might-face-fate-more-terrifying-death

Also, the theme for the RLW quiz tomorrow is Longevity. Feel free to learn about this topic in advance of the quiz. Good luck tomorrow.

Wednesday April 15th

Tomorrow is our first quiz, it will be over the short story the Necklace. Here is a link to the Sparknotes page for the Necklace.

http://www.sparknotes.com/short-stories/the-necklace/

Feel free to read the information on this site and write down any notes that you feel will be helpful. Remember, you will only be allowed to use hand-written notes. Computer printouts will not be allowed.

As you read, you should take notes. Sparknotes and other sites that are similar do not cover every detail of the story that might be on the quiz. You should use Sparknotes in addition to reading the story on your own. Tomorrow, you will be responsible for the entire 11 pages of the story. If you did not take notes last night, go back and write notes for the whole story.

Remember to complete the weekly writing for week 2, there is a link on this blog. If you complete it before Friday, you will have a little bit better understanding of the topic of the RLW (reading, listening, writing) quiz this Friday.

Weekly Writing For Week 2

This week, please fill out the Life Expectancy Calculator under week 3. Here's a link.

https://www.livingto100.com/calculator

1. Complete the Life Expectancy Calculator from Living to 100 and read the results in the feedback section. (You can use your own or a false email at the end of the survey to get your results)
2. Write 100-200 words explaining the results. Does your calculated life expectancy surprise you? Which factors do you think contribute most to your calculated age? Are there other factors that should have been added to the calculator?

It aligns better with the quiz that we will take this week. Our quiz will be about the topic of Longevity. You should learn what that word means and how it applies to your world.

Homework for 4/13/15

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2015/04/pine-beetles/rosner-text

Please read the article in the link provided and come to class prepared to write in your journal about it. Also, please complete 1-1a parts 2,4, and 5, as well as 1-1b parts 2,4, and 5. Don't forget to write in your blog and work on your grammar quizzes. Have a great evening!

For the weekend

Make sure that you have completed the weekly writing assignment for Monday morning.

https://www.ted.com/talks/sally_kohn_don_t_like_clickbait_don_t_click#

Also, make sure that you have posted on your blog at least three times on three separate days (starting next week, you will be expected to post four times per week). Get started on those grammar quizzes. You have the opportunity to get a head start, please take advantage of it. The first grades for the grammar quizzes will be given on April 20th. Relax and get ready for the week ahead. This first week was fairly laid back. Starting on Monday the work is going to get more difficult. Please come to school on Monday ready to rock and roll.  

Test Taking Skills

Today, we focused on test taking skills. In addition to all of the material that Josh and I covered, you need to remember to relax. Show up early and get yourself mentally prepared. Watch this video about how to make yourself more confident. Practice the skills that Amy Cuddy teaches in this video. They may seem strange, at first. Even if it doesn't work, it can't hurt to try. Be confident in your skills and show me what you know. All of you have worked hard to get to this level in your English education and you have good skills. Don't let the fear of taking a test stand in the way of your dreams.

http://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are?language=en

Reading homework for April 9th, 2015

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2010/11/14/classical-rhetoric-101-an-introduction/


This article is a modern explanation of why we study rhetoric, as well as a brief discussion of the history of rhetoric. Please, read the article, take notes, and be prepared to write about it in the morning. Have a great evening.

Reading Homework 08/Apr/2015

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2015/04/08/397364328/doctors-test-tumor-paint-in-people

Please read the article in the following link and come to class tomorrow prepared to write a journal entry about it.

Weekly Writing 1

https://www.ted.com/talks/sally_kohn_don_t_like_clickbait_don_t_click#

Write 100-200 words describing the main message of the speaker and what you can do to change the culture of the internet.

Please write your weekly writing on your blogger page.

First day of Spring quarter

It's already April! We start a new quarter today and with the new quarter come new challenges and new expectations. The biggest change for most of you, aside from a new level, is the new attendance policy. This new policy places much stronger emphasis on your own personal responsibility. I don't foresee any problems with attendance because I know that you are all great students with a strong drive to succeed. It's going to be a great quarter.