Assignment #4

STUDENTS! OUR RTC MAIL HAS BEEN DOWN SINCE SATURDAY. I CAN'T SEE YOUR MAIL. IF YOU NEED TO EMAIL ME, USE liz@kotoworld.com.
Great work today! Everyone proofread the assignment using the SWAP method.  We also discussed the use of adjectives with -ed/-ing endings.  Edits were made in the computer room, and then the posts were read aloud in class. I hope everyone is learning to really value the usefulness of proofreading and reading aloud.  The diversity of writing that came from the single topic of writing about the future was fascinating. I am looking forward to seeing what everyone writes this week!

This week:
1. Please write a paragraph using the conjunctions but, so, and about being a man or woman. (Use the handout as your basic guideline, but the main purpose is to use these words correctly.)Remember to put a comma before the conjunction. 
Liz's example: 
I love being a Woman, but.....
I love being a woman, but I don't like all the expectations that come with it. Women are expected to cook, but I am really not very interested in cooking. I cook to survive, so my meals are usually quite simple.  Housekeeping is another area where I don't really measure up. I usually get very involved with things I love - such as teaching - and housework is always last on my list, something that I plan to get to tomorrow. Beauty expectations are something else that I struggle with, and like many women I have to decide how seriously I am going to take them. I do love to shop for clothes, but I am very stubborn about prices, so I will only buy things if they are a good bargain.  I also love earrings, and wear them every day; they are sort of my personal mark of being "feminine".  (Although men of course wear them now too!) As an American  woman living in the US I feel I am very lucky, because  I can work, have a family, and develop my mind and skills. All in all, if I were to live my life over, I'd choose being a woman. 


2. Do the take-home handout on present and past tense. Bring it to class next week. 


3. Visit Spelling City three times, and practice Grade Two, Parts 1, 2, and 3.  (One part each time.)
You can do "Teach" to learn the words, and "Games" to work on various activities with the words.  


4. I will post 2 new Quia games by Sunday night.  Please try to do them. Good luck! 

Assignment #3

In class today we went over the homework on word order, and talked about the SWAPS method of proofreading: Sentences, Words, Agreement, Punctuation, and Spelling. In the computer lab students worked on typing, spelling, and making corrections.We also went over verb changes for present, present continuous, past, and future tense.  We also took a GRADE ONE SPELLING TEST - the results are above. Congratulations! These tests are harder than many students imagine. Students read their "Pet Peeve" posts aloud, and we had a lively discussion about several of the peeves.  We were so busy we didn't really take a break. This group is very dynamic; everyone is thoughtful and productive.  Keep up the great work!


 A few students are working on resumes and cover letters; if you want to write a resume, please BRING TO THE NEXT CLASS a list of dates and places you have worked and where you have gone to school. 


The homework is:
1. Write in the future tense. The topic is: "Tomorrow I'm going to spend the day with..."  Use your imagination, a variety of verbs, and make sure to proofread with SWAPS.  LIz's example is below.


2. Practice typing at least 3 times, for 20 minutes each time.


3. Work on GRADE TWO Spelling! There are MORE WORDS than grade one, and we will take a test in class next week. 


4. Do the QUIA activities for week three.


HERE IS LIZ'S EXAMPLE (Notice how the present tense is used as well.)

Tomorrow I am going to spend the day with Michelle.  "Michelle who?" you ask. Why, Michelle Obama of course. I am really looking forward to it!  First, we are going to go shopping for clothes, and I am going to ask her to give me some advice on what to buy. We are going to look for good bargains;  I know that we both love to buy things on sale.  For lunch,  I am going to take her to my favorite local restaurant, Naan-n-Curry. I hope she likes Indian food!  I am going to talk to her about ESL teaching, because I know she is interested in what is happening with immigrants in this country.Then we are going to take a helicopter ride over Seattle, and take pictures of the area from above.  I think we are going to finish the day with dinner at Bill Gate's house.  Hmmmm....what should I take?  I wonder if he likes banana bread. I guess I shouldn't worry;  with Michelle there, he probably won't even notice me or my banana bread. 


Have a great week - email me with any questions. 

Assignment #2

Everyone did a great job today -- pat yourselves on the back! We discussed some common grammar errors, and put our focus on word order and the present tense today. Everyone wrote about the ingredients for their own perfect day in class, and in lab put in corrections on the "Best and Worst" essays from last week.

This week:
1) Do the take-home handout on sentence word order, and bring it to class next week.

2) Write about at least one of the following topics:
- Your pet peeve. What is your pet peeve? Explain, and give an example. The beginning of the essay might be, "Life in the US is great, but I do have one pet peeve: ________________" or "I don't usually get upset, but there is one thing I hate: ________"
Here is Liz's example:
I am usually an easygoing person. Really, I take pride in my ability to not let others bother me.  But there is one thing that drives me crazy: Drivers who don't use their blinkers.  When I am sitting at a corner and waiting for a car to go by, and then the car ends up turning instead, I feel really irritated. It is not the fact that I have just wasted 5-10 seconds of my very precious time waiting for nothing. It is not even a problem, really, of the person being a bad driver.  What it comes down to is that I feel snubbed - like a friend has walked by and not said hello.   Don't they see that I was waiting for them?  Even though it is quite unreasonable, something inside of me feels distressed by this. I want to shout, "Hello! Don't you see me?" I know it will continue to happen, and that somehow I must find the strength inside to keep driving, in spite of the fact that, at any moment, on any given day, at any time, someone see me waiting, make me wait longer, and turn without signaling.  Ah.  Such is life for the easily injured.


- A folktale: either a retelling of a story from your country, or your own original folktale. Folktales are usually written in the past tense. They often start with, "Once upon a time," or, "Long, long ago..."To see an example of what a student from another class wrote, see Oanh's Blog, "How to Get Rich Quick".

3) Do the quia grammar practice activities - WEEK TWO. (See link on the right)

4) Spelling by grades: LISTEN to the Grade One words and practice spelling them. NEXT WEEK you can take the Grade One spelling test in class!

5) Practice typing - let me know when you finsih one lesson and go on to the next. (Send me an email.) Do this 3 times, 20 min. each time.
~~
Our inspirational quote for the week, shared by Victoria in class:
“Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.” (-Author Unknown)
~~
To answer our question about using "etc." at the end of the sentence:

According to Wikipedia, at the end of a sentence it should be followed by a period as in ", et cetera." or ", etc." or indicated by three periods (an ellipsis) as in:
We need a lot of fruit: apples, bananas, oranges...

SUMMARY: ONE dot or THREE dots are OK, but not TWO!

Good luck, writers - I'm looking forward to reading what you write. Email me with any questions: efalconer@rtc.edu.

Assignment #1

We had a great class today - I am very impressed with the determination and focus in this group. I think we will make good progress, even in this short quarter!
Today, everyone made their own blog. (Arturo, I need your CORRECT blog address; Phong, please create your blog and email me the URL address.)
This week, FIRST: please check the "comments" on your blog. I wrote to each of you there. Make the changes I suggested. (This will probably take about 20 minutes.)
ALSO do these 5 things:
1. Choose AT LEAST ONE of TOPIC from the following list and write the BEST and WORST thing about it on your blog ("New Post"). If possible, support your ideas with personal experience. (About 1 and a half hours total.)

computers
learning English
living in Renton
having kids
having a car
coming to the US
going to college
television
cell phones
BE PREPARED TO READ WHAT YOU WROTE IN NEXT FRIDAY'S CLASS. (I will print them for you.)
Practice reading them aloud to someone in your family, three times. (About 30 minutes total.)

2. Go to the Quia link on the right and do this week's assignments. (About 1 hour total.)
3. Go to another student's blog and make a brief comment. Do you like the color? The style? The writing? (NOTE: You should be signed in, and you have to do the "word verification" before the comment is published.) This will take about 30 minutes.
4. EVERY WEEK: Practice KEYBOARDING (TYPING) at the typing website. When you finish a lesson, email me so that I know. You should practice for 1 hour total each week. (About 20 minutes, 3 times, is wonderful.)
5. EVERY WEEK: Work on spelling by grades (see the link on the right.) This week is Grade one. (First, listen to the words, then try to write them.) You can type the words but also write them by hand. Bring your spelling paper to class for me to see. Each student will do at least Grades 1 - 3 this summer. This will take about 1 hour total each week.


If you have any questions or problems, email me at eflalconer@rtc.edu. See you in cyberspace!