Midterm Project Proposals Due Monday February 7th

For Midterm Project I am letting all of you choose your own projects. You must write a PROPOSAL (about a paragraph) telling me what you would like to do. I will approve your project and you may begin to work on it as soon as I approve it. Here is an example of a proposal:

Name: Lisa Barrett

Type of Project: PowerPoint Presentation

Topic: History of Chicago

Description: For my midterm project, I will present interesting facts about the history of Chicago. I will have about 15 slides of information, including pictures and references from websites that I used.

Visual Aid: I will also be creating a poster to hang in the class of the most important information in my presentation.

Please remember that you must do your own work. I will not accept copied information from websites. You must put it into YOUR OWN WORDS. Please, post your proposals to the blog by Monday 2/7/11.  You may choose to do a presentation, write an essay, do a demonstration, or anything else you might think is interesting. If you have questions, please talk to me.

Basic Assignment Due Monday 1/31/11

What are simple machines? What do we use them for? What are some examples of simple machines?

Please post your answers below.

Intermediate Assignment Due Monday 1/31/11

For today's project we will be writing a short personal statement. Personal statements are very important, especially when you are trying to get into a college or graduate program. First, let's look at an example of a personal statement:

       One of the principles of my religion, The Bahá’í Faith, is service. Therefore, after high school and before I started college, I traveled to Ecuador to do a year of service through the Bahá’í Faith. Through this experience, when I entered college I felt a few years older than the average freshman because I had gained a great deal of the knowledge, life experience, ability to deal with difficult situations, and the ability to live alone in another country. I owe much of my success in college to that year of my life.

       Now that my undergraduate education is coming to a close, I explored the idea of going to another country again. Then I realized how much service was also needed in the United States. I realized that I could use my skills of a second language, Spanish, my teaching experience, my love for math and science, and my drive to serve and make a difference right here in my own country. Skills are only of benefit if you put them to use to help all of humanity. I would love to join Teach For America to put into practice my skills and help to motivate and inspire the same thirst for knowledge that was instilled in me through my parents from the time I was born.

What would make you an effective corps member?

       I strongly believe that one of the most important elements for the academic success of any child comes directly from the involvement and enthusiasm of the parents. In San Joaquin, Ecuador, I taught Virtues Classes at a school of all boys from grades kindergarten through 7th grade for 9 months. During this time I not only had to learn a completely new language, but I also had to use it to teach coherently in a short period of time.

       As part of my work, my teaching partner and I developed a program for the parents of the children in our classes. We invited all the parents to learn about the principles we were teaching their children such as honesty, generosity, justice, and kindness. I gained a great deal of experience dealing with uninvolved or upset parents. Based on these experiences, I believe I would be most useful in an area with a high Latino population because of my ability to communicate directly with the parents in either English or Spanish.

       I am a very outgoing and self-motivated person and have no trouble stepping into difficult situations to help mediate them. I believe that we need to give children of every race, cultural, and socioeconomic background the opportunity to grow up with an education. I promote the need to value education and put energy into making it fun. I welcome the opportunity to facilitate a positive learning environment and communicate with students and parents in two languages. As I graduate college, the best way for me to put into practice the principles that I uphold is to serve as a teacher in the Teach for America program.

As you can see, this person is discussing his or her skills, qualifications, and abilities and WHY this person is a good candidate for the Teach for America program. Every person should have a personal statement that describes them to the best possible manner. Now, let's read some tips on how to write a personal statement:
Writing the Personal Statement: Top 10 Rules

1. Strive for depth rather than breadth. Narrow focus to one or two key themes, ideas or experiences
2. Try to tell the reader something that no other applicant will be able to say
3. Provide the reader with insight into what drives you
4. Be yourself, not the 'ideal' applicant
5. Get creative and imaginative in the opening remarks, but make sure it's something that no one else could write
6. Address the school's unique features that interest you
7. Focus on the affirmative in the personal statement; consider an addendum to explain deficiencies or blemishes
8. Evaluate experiences, rather than describe them
9. Proofread carefully for grammar, syntax, punctuation, word usage, and style
10. Use readable fonts, typeface, and conventional spacing and margins

Writing the Personal Statement: Top 10 Pitfalls

1. Do not submit an expository resume; avoid repeating information found elsewhere on the application
2. Do not complain or whine about the "system" or circumstances in your life
3. Do not preach to your reader. You can express opinions, but do not come across as fanatical or extreme
4. Do not talk about money as a motivator
5. Do not discuss your minority status or disadvantaged background unless you have a compelling and unique story that relates to it
6. Do not remind the school of its rankings or tell them how good they are
7. Do not use boring clichéd intros or conclusions
   • "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is..."
   • "This question asks me to discuss..."
   • "I would like to thank the admissions committee for considering my application."
   • "It is my sincere hope that you will grant me the opportunity to attend your fine school."
   • "In sum, there are three reasons why you should admit me..."
8. Do not use unconventional and gimmicky formats and packages
9. Do not submit supplemental materials unless they are requested
10. Do not get the name of the school wrong
11. Do not incorporate technical language or very uncommon words

So for today's project, you will write a short personal statement. What is your career path? What do you want to study? What makes you a good candidate for a career in that field? If you are not sure what career you want to study, then make one up. The point of this exercise is to write about your qualifications, skills, and abilities.

Short Personal Statement by a Student Applying to the Teach for America Program

Why do you seek to join Teach For America?

Advanced Assignment Due Monday 1/31/11

ANGER MANAGEMENT!!!! 

We all can get angry sometimes, but how we handle our anger can be important, especially in front of an important person, like a teacher or a boss at our job.

When you get angry about a situation, how do you deal with it? What do you say to the person who angers you? Do you stop to think before you act? What are some positive ways to manage anger?

Below, describe the ways YOU manage YOUR anger, both positively and negatively. How can you be more positive in dealing with your anger?

Advanced Assignment Due Wednesday 1/26/11

Let's face it! Stress is a part of all of our lives. Many things can stress people out. In a comment below, please type one thing stresses you out. This could be work, school, your family, or something else.

Next, how do you manage that stress? After the first comment, please type what things you do to "destress" yourself. 

My example:

Traffic really stresses me out. I work almost everyday and I do a lot of traveling. Sometimes traffic makes me late for work, or late for something important. I hate sitting in traffic and I get very stressed out while driving my car. In order to avoid becoming stressed out, I often listen to dance music while I drive.  Sometimes this helps me to relax, but not always. Also, when my car is clean I tend to be less stressed while I drive.

Basic Assignment Due Wednesday 1/26/11

Sometimes machines break and that can be a big pain in the butt!  I am sure you have expressed frustration and anger if a machine doesn't work. Has your computer ever broken? What about your car?

Below, write about a time when a machine made you really mad! How did you solve the problem?

My Example:

I was so mad the other day when my cell phone wouldn't work. Everytime I tried to call my sister, my cell phone would say "Call Dropped." It was really making me angry. I got so angry that I wanted to throw my cellphone out the window. In the end, I realized that my phone cost a lot of money, so I took a deep breath and relaxed. I hope AT&T fixes their service so my phone doesn't drop a call anymore. 

Intermediate Assignment Due 1/26/11

A regret is to feel sorrow or remorse for (an act, fault, disappointment, etc.). We have all done things in life that we regret. Maybe you failed a big test, or missed an important appointment, or forgot your best friend's birthday.

Below, write a comment about something that you regret. When did it happen? Why did it happen? Did you ever try to make amends (solve the problem)? If you could do it over again, what would you do differently?

My Example:

One of my biggest regrets has to do with my Dad. He died in February of 2007. I never had a perfect relationship with my Dad, but I did love him very much. I don't think I told him enough how much he meant to me while he was alive, and I regret that very much. If I could do things differently, I would go back in time to when he was alive and tell him how much he meant to me in my life and how much he had taught me. Today, when I think of my Dad, I always have that regret in my mind.

Midterm Project- Everyone Read!

This is your chance to tell me what YOU want to do for midterm project. Please write a comment below telling me what type of thing you'd like to work on. Do you want to do a PowerPoint presentation? Do you want to write an essay? Do you want to make a poster?

Also, what kind of topic would you like to work on? Something about geography? History? Favorite movies? Favorite foods?

The point of this post is to see what the majority of students want to do. Please, give me some interesting suggestions!

Thanks!

Advanced Class Assignment due Monday 1/24/11

Hello Advanced class!  For your first assignment, you will describe your shortcomings. In literature, a shortcoming of a character is called a character flaw. A character flaw is "a limitation, imperfection, problem, phobia, or deficiency present in a character who may be otherwise very functional." To start, look at the bottom of page 39 in your Summit 2 book. Then, once you've reflected on your possible shortcomings, reply to this post as a comment and write 2 or 3 of your shortcomings by Monday 1/24/11. We will then use these shortcomings to complete our first project on Monday. For more information about Character Flaws, please click the link below. It will open on the same page. To get back to the blog, simply click the browser's back button. 


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Character_flaw

Intermediate Class Assignment Due 1/24/11

Hello Intermediate class. By Monday, please post the name of a person you haven't seen or talked to in a while. On Monday you will be writing a short, friendly letter to this person. Please click the www.englishpractice link below to review personal letter writing tips. This link will open in the same page. To get back to the blog, simply click the back arrow button on the browser. Don't forget to hit the comment button under this post and write the name of the person you have chosen by Monday 1/24/11.

http://www.englishpractice.com/letter/personal-letter-writing-tips-samples/

Basic Class Assignment Due Monday 1/24/11

Hello Basic class! By Monday please choose a MACHINE to research. Please look at page 43 in your Top Notch book for examples. When you have chosen a machine, click on comment and tell me which machine you have chosen.

Introductions

Assignment #1 Directions:

Post a comment below describing yourself. Please include your full name, country of origin, fun facts about yourself and your future academic plans. What do you expect from this class? What kinds of activities would you like to see in this class? How can your teachers help you achieve your goals? At the end of your comment, please post one clear MEASURABLE goal for our 10 week class session. A measurable goal is a goal that I can check and make sure you've achieved. Examples of goals are: write an essay in English, read one book in English and write a summary, watch 3 movies in English and write a review of each, etc. If you are having trouble thinking of a goal, please see me and I will help you figure one out!