Wednesday May 20th: Happy Summer !

Hi class,

Today is the last day of official classes and I don't want to give you any lessons.

I just want to leave you with a beautiful picture of San Francisco today.

Thank you so much for studying with me this semester.

I will bring you information about registration soon via email.

Stay well and I look forward to seeing you again in August.

We will zoom tonight and on Friday and decide on a summer schedule for zoom classes.

Happy Summer to all !!!

Email me with any questions you have !

Diane

Tuesday May 19th Lesson: Future pages 96-97

Good morning everyone !

Today, let's look at pages 96-97 and practice looking at a college course catalog.

Open to page 96:

1. A: Look at the  questions. Read the course descriptions on page 97 and answer the questions.

    B: Read the schedule on page 97 and write answers.

Now look at page 97:

Read the information and complete the exercises on page 96.

Check your answers to page 96 below:

Answers to exercise 1B page 96:

Answers to exercise 2 Practice on page 96:

I'll email you a pdf of these pages !

Hope everyone has a good day.

See you on Zoom !

Diane

Monday May 18th Lesson: Job Training Opportunities

Good morning students ! How was your weekend ?

Today, please look at page 94 in your book:

1. Look at the job training classes in the ad.

2. Read the statements in part A. Then listen and write true or false for each statement.

Listen to track 5:

Check your answers to page 94 below:

Now look at page 95:

3. Look at the questions in exercise 3.  Listen to track 6 and try to answer the questions.

Listen to track 6 here:

Look at the audio script and practice the conversations:

We can practice together on Zoom later !

Friday May 15th Lesson: Although and Unless

Hi class,

Today, let's look at pages 92-93 in your book.

We have a grammar lesson about: "although" and "unless"

First, take a look at this information on Coordinating Conjunctions from englishclub.com:

You can also try the quiz here:

Now, let's look at page 92:

1. Read the grammar info and examples. Then try the 1 Practice exercise.

Check your answers to page 92 below:

Now, look at page 93:

2. A: Complete the sentences with phrase from the box and "although" or "unless".

2. B: Try to rewrite the sentences using "although" and "unless".

Check your answers to page 93 below:

How did you do ?

We can talk about this lesson on Zoom later today !

Extra exercise with "although" and "if" from ecenglish.com:

Extra exercise with "if", "unless" and "as long as" from soundgrammar.com:

One more from soundgrammar.com:

Have a great weekend !!!

Diane

Thursday May 14th Lesson: Workbook Reading - Performance Reviews

Good morning !

Today, let's try a reading from the workbook about performance reviews.

Look at page 60 in the workbook:

Scan: Read the article quickly to find what time periods the article mentions.

Was the answer a, b, or c ? The correct answer is: c

Now look at page 61:

Try the exercises and then check your answers below:

Check your answers:

That's it for today !

Enjoy the day and see you on Zoom tomorrow !

Diane

Wednesday May 13th Lesson: Constructive Criticism

Good morning class !

I think we talked about "constructive criticism" a bit. When you try to look up that term in a dictionary, sometimes it is difficult to find a definition of both words together. So, we can start by understanding each word.

constructive = ideas or materials that are helpful when building or developing something

criticism = to make a judgement or express opinions about what is good or bad

If we put those words together, the idea is to communicate what is working well or successfully and to offer suggestions on how to improve something to make it more successful

Here is more information from definitions.net:

Constructive criticism

Constructive criticism is the process of offering valid and well-reasoned opinions about the work of others, usually involving both positive and negative comments, in a friendly manner rather than an oppositional one.

How do you feel when others evaluate your work and give suggestions ? Do you feel comfortable or uncomfortable when people point out weaknesses you have ? Most of us feel uncomfortable at first. It takes practice to learn how to respond to criticism but it's necessary in many work and personal situations.

Today, let's look at page 90 to learn more about this concept:

1. Think about the questions and try to answer them in your own words.

2. Listen to track 3 and answer the questions in 2A.

    Then listen again and try to fill in the chart in 2B.

Listen to track 3:

Now look at page 91:

3. Listen to two people respond to constructive criticism. Do you think they responded well ?

Read over the list of expressions and then check the ones you hear:

Listen to track 4:

Listen again and read the script for pages 90 - 91:

Finally, check your answers to the exercises:

That is all for today !

I hope this was an interesting lesson for you.

Let's look over this lesson tonight when we Zoom !

Have a wonderful day and thanks for studying English with me !

Diane

Understand Performance Reviews - Future pages 88-89

Hi class,

Let's continue in our textbook.

When you work, many times you get evaluated by your boss or supervisor to give you feedback on how you are doing at your job. Sometimes this is called a 'performance review".

Look at page 88:

Answers to exercise B:  

1. interpersonal relationships   2. attention to safety   3. quality of work + time management 

Now read the performance review on page 89:

How is Eva doing at her job ?

We can look this over tomorrow when we Zoom !

Have a great day and hope to see you soon !

Diane

Taking Initiative At Work: Workbook 58-59

Hi class,

I hope everyone had a good weekend !

Last week, we talked about the phrase:

take the initiative = to identify things that need to be done and do them before you are asked to

Today, let's practice that phrase a bit more.

Look at page 58 in the workbook:

1. Read page 58 and circle the main idea above the reading.

Look at page 59:

2. Read the article again and them try exercises A and B:

You can check your answers below:

Answers:

Extra reading:

Visit this link to see where I got the list below if you want more information:

4. 25 Ways to Have Initiative at Work

There are many ways and opportunities to take initiative at the workplace.

Typical ways to demonstrate or show initiative at work include the following: (detailed explanations are available below this summary)

1. Seeking more responsibilities.
2. Tackling challenges/solving problems.
3. Training others/sharing knowledge.
4. Helping your coworkers.
5. Providing regular status updates.
6. Building strong working relationships with coworkers.
7. Doing things and projects that others avoid.
8. Volunteering to work with different teams and departments.
9. Stepping in when someone is unavailable or absent.
10. Being innovative/improving systems, processes and procedures.
11. Resolving interpersonal conflicts at work.
12. Offering to mentor others.
13. Volunteering for leadership roles.
14. Referring good potential employees.
15. Helping in the interviewing and hiring process.
16. Brainstorming ideas to improve the company.
17. Becoming a good team player.
18. Supporting your supervisor or manager efficiently.
19. Helping others to see their strengths and qualities.
20. Anticipating and preventing problems.
21. Dressing to succeed.
22. Sharing the credit.
23. Maintaining high quality standards.
24. Making good decisions and being decisive.
25. Doing quality control for finished projects.

See you soon !

Diane

Ahmaud Arbery

Hi class,

The video above shows Ahmad's father and his father's attorney being interviewed.

Full PBS News Hour link from video above with transcript:

Yesterday Pien brought up this story she has been following in the news. It is a terrible example of how another African American young man was killed for no reason. In the news video below, you can see Ahmaud's mother speak and learn more about this story. As Pien said, two men (a father and a son) have now been arrested. This story makes many people understand how much racism there is the United States and how dangerous it is for people of color to live their lives without fear.

PBS News Hour story about Ahmaud Artery:

More from the PBS News Hour:

I want to thank Pien for bringing this up. We need to pay attention to this story and other stories that show what happens to people of color in the US so we can make sure there is justice for all people in our country.

I'll continue to update this post as I find new information.

Friday May 8th Lesson: Unit 5 pages 86-87

Hi class,

Let's do a few pages from a new unit - Unit 5.

Please take a look at page 86:

1. Look at the reading skill information.

2. Read the newsletter and then listen and read again:

Listen to track 2 page 86:

Take a look at page 87:

3. Try and choose the main idea in the reading and then answer the questions.

That's all for today

See you on Zoom at noon.

Enjoy your weekend !

Writing: How to Put Groceries Away Safely During the Pandemic

Hi class,

Well, I asked you to write about something you do differently now and explain how you do it more safely. So, I'm going to write a short paragraph about bringing food home from the supermarket. I'm going to use imperatives and signal words to help make my instructions clearer. Here goes:


How to Put Away Groceries Safely

        First, leave groceries that you don't need to refrigerate in bags outside the house for 2-3 days. You can also leave them inside your home in the bags. Second, take out groceries that need to be refrigerated. Clean off packages or cartons with disinfectant. Put items like eggs or bread in new bags and containers. Leave the old containers outside for a few days. Then, take fruit and vegetables and wash them in warm soapy water. Dry them and then put them away in the fridge or on the counter. Finally, after you finish cleaning things, disinfect any surfaces (counter tops, tables) that you put new groceries on. Store the bags you brought from the supermarket outside for a few days. If you can't leave things outside, you can put them in a bag and store them outside your front door or inside your door. I hope these extra precautions will make bringing home food safer for you and your family.

OK, that is my paragraph.

Now, can you write one paragraph about how you do something more safely now ?

Possible topics:

1. How to exercise safely
2. How to shop safely
3. How to do laundry safely

I bet you can think of more things to write about.

Email me your paragraph and I will correct it and reply to your email.

Have a great day and I'll see you on Zoom tomorrow I hope !

Diane

Wednesday May 6th Lesson: Grammar Review and a video from: Stories from the Stage

Hi gang,

Today I have a short, one-page grammar review worksheet.

Try it and then look at the answers to check yourself.

Then, look at the link for a video from the worldchannel.org program: Stories from the Stage

Here are the answers:

Extra practice: Watch Abel Sanchez talk about a new class he started for Mexican girls:

The video is title: Abel's Optimization of STEM

You can turn the captions on if you click on the little gear wheel (Settings) and click on.

Questions:

1. What is the class about ?

2. Did his wife think it was possible when he first mentioned his idea ?

3. Where does Abel Sanchez usually teach ?

4. What is the name of the program ?

5. How long was the class ?

6. How many girls did he teach last summer ?

7. How many girls will he teach next summer ?

8. How many countries now want to replicate the program ?

9. Who does he say was not surprised by the success of this program ?

Tuesday May 5th Lesson: Workbook Reading p. 56-57

Good afternoon everyone !

Yesterday we were looking at an example of writing about preventing falls at home.

I asked you to think about how you do something safely and write about it.

Today, we can look at another reading about a safety hazard at home - fires.

At the end of this lesson, take a look at a writing exercise on stickyball.net.

1. Let's look at page 56:

Read the text: How to Prevent Fires in the Home.
Underline the imperatives. (imperatives = verbs that start a sentence)
Circle the signal words. (first, after, finally)

Now look at page 57:

2. Do exercises A and B and then check your answers below.

Check your answers:

Extra practice with signal or transition words on stickyball.net:

That's it for today !

I'll see you on Zoom at 6:00 p.m. tomorrow.

Have a wonderful day !

Diane

I was wondering when the last day of class is. vs. When is the last day of class ?

Hi class,

Last week on Zoom, Cindy was telling us about practicing questions with: I was wondering...

This is an example of an indirect question.

Sometime we also call these kinds of questions: reported or embedded questions

You can see here that we don't use a question mark at the end of the sentence. (?)

We use a period. (.)

Many times, people use indirect questions in formal situations or with people they don't know.

We also use "I was wondering..." to ask someone for a favor.

Watch this video:

Take a look at this information about "I was wondering...":

It shows that we use this phrase to ask for a favor.

You can also ask a big favor indirectly with the phrase “I was wondering…”:

I was wondering if you could help me move on Saturday. 

Notice anything different here? This example does not have a question mark. It is not a question. However, when we use “I wonder” or “I was wondering,” in a statement, we usually are seeking information, just like a question does.

Using “I was wondering” is a very common way to politely ask a favor or seek information in English without sounding too demanding.

Here’s another example. Listen to the direct question:

Did you finish the report?

And the indirect question:

I was wondering if you finished the report.

Extra practice: Look at the links below.

Listen here for the podcast from voanews about indirect questions:

Difference between reported questions and embedded questions from busy teacher.org:

Read about and practice indirect questions with "Can you..."/"Could you"...

Monday May 4th Lesson: Workbook pages 50-51 Reading

Hi class,

How was your weekend ?

Let's try a reading exercise from the workbook today !

Take a look at page 50:

1. Match the 4 vocabulary words and phrases to the corresponding pictures.
2. Read in B about bicycle safety. What is the main topic ?

Now look at page 51:

3. Try the true/false exercise in C.

4. Look at the information in the charts and try to answer the questions.

Check your answers below:

You are finished !

See you on Zoom at noon !

Diane

What is May Day ?

Hi class,

Let's learn about May Day in the US and around the world.


Here is a good short reading about May Day with a quiz from myenglishpages.com:


Video about May Day from time.com


Here is a long article from the Industrial Workers of the World website:

History of May Day from the history channel:

More history in May Day from time.com:

Friday May 1st: Write Safety Instructions pages 82-83

Hi class,

Wow, it's already May 1st ! Time flies...even when we're stuck inside !

So, lets see if we can work on the last lesson in Unit 4: Writing.

Take a look at page 82:

1.A. Read about giving instructions:

   B. Think about a topic you can write about to give instructions.

             example: How I shop for groceries safely during the covid-19 pandemic
                             How my partner removes clothing before coming inside the house
                             How to wear personal protection equipment at work and other safety measures

   C. Read the model paragraph for Unit 4 on page 207: How to Prevent Falls at Home

2. A.  Look at the 3 questions and think about them. Try to answer them in your notebook.

    B. Read the model article again and underline signal words (first, then, next, finally).

Now look at page 83:

3. A. Look at the chart Eva used to organize her writing. Sometimes we call this an "outline".

    B. After you choose a safety measure topic, try writing a chart or outline to organize your info.

4. Practice writing a short paragraph or two about how you can do something safely. Email Diane your writing and I will check it !

See you on Zoom later today !

Happy weekend !!!

Diane