Almost Finished - Fall 2012

Hi All, 

I hope you are having a good week. It's almost vacation time.

Next Tuesday, December 18, is our last class for this semester. Your teacher will return the registration papers to you in class. We will also learn some exercises and play holiday songs and games.

There will be an Associated Students party in the afternoon, from 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. It's in the Annex on Washington Street. Enjoy!

Spring Semester 2013 starts on Monday, January 14. I hope to see you at school next semester/next year. 

We'll look at the interactive Christmas Book if it's available. I'll show you how to use other interactive books in this series. They're very helpful.

Michelle Henry's website also has many holiday-themed links. We'll look at a few of them in class.

We finished Unit 8 - you can review this or any other unit in Ventures 3 online. Look at Unit 9, even though we haven't finished it. 

Ask me if you don't remember how to use the Ventures website. 

I hope you'll keep up your computer skills, either at your home or in our 2nd Floor Library, and that you've enjoyed studying at our new campus. 

I have enjoyed having such intelligent and hard-working students in the class this semester. Good luck with your future studies. 

If you want to keep in touch, here's my email: 
teacherlinda12@gmail.com

Testing and Registration Week

Hi Everyone

Don't be afraid of the rain! I hope to see you in school tomorrow and Friday.

Here's a song to celebrate the rain, or complain about it:              
Rainy Days and Mondays

Here's next week's schedule:

Monday, Dec. 3 - Promotion Test, Reading
Tuesday, Dec. 4 - Promotion Test, Listening
Wed., Dec. 5 - in-class registration for Spring 2013
Thurs. Dec. 6 - regular class (registration last 15 minutes)
Friday, Dec. 7 - regular class (registration last 15 minutes)

Today we'll review Unit 7 - Shopping, at Ventures Arcade 
Remember to choose Book 3, Unit 7 

We'll also look at gamestolearnenglish.com, a website with many levels and kinds of games to help you learn English.

Thursday Dec. 13 will be our last Computer Lab day. Do you have any requests for things you'd like to learn?  Please let me know. 

Thanksgiving Week and Time Clauses

Hi All 
This week we have 2 school days, Monday and Tuesday. The Thanksgiving Holiday starts on Wednesday this year. Have a great time! 

This is a very useful TIME CLAUSE exercise. See if it helps you understand how to use before and after clauses.

Here's a VOA report on Thanksgiving that you may enjoy:

Learn about Thanksgiving


November 26 - 30 we'll have regular ESL class. We'll take a practice test sometime during the week.

The week of December 3 - 7 is Promotion Testing and Registration WEEK. 

Let your teacher know if you can't be there for part or all of the week. You'll need to make arrangements to register for SPRING 2013.

Test-taking tips and Thanksgiving

Getting ready for the Promotion Test on December 3 and 4?

Click here for some Test-Taking Tips

What do you do when you don't understand a question? Let's look at these ideas.

Here's more information on test-taking that you can listen to and read. Good practice for the listening test.

Do you know how to make a vocabulary table? Let's look at one in class. Here's a video that may help.

You can list the words you want to study, add photos to remind you, or definitions or translations. 

Don't forget to look at Ventures Arcade, Book 3, Unit 6 to review.

Next week is Thanksgiving Week. We have a 5-day holiday, from  Wednesday November 21 to Sunday November 25.

What do you know about this holiday? We'll look for information using google search and YouTube in class. 

Hint: food is very important for Thanksgiving. Enjoy! 

Spelling Words for Unit 6

A BIG THANK YOU to all the students, friends and family who supported City College of San Francisco. Our college is much stronger because of your support. 

Some announcements:

1. Monday, Nov. 12 is Veterans' Day, a school holiday

2. Thursday, Nov. 15, class meets in the Computer Lab Rm. 803

2. Wednesday, Nov. 21 - Sunday, Nov. 25, Thanksgiving holiday

We will practice this listening website. You can listen to news stories and answer questions about them. Each story includes a vocabulary list.

Here's more information about dependent clauses.

And here's One more website with dependent clause examples.

Spelling words in Unit 6:

1. chores 琐事

2. tasks  任务

3. prioritize

4. procrastinating  拖延

5. due

6. deadline  期限

7. impatient  不耐烦

I'm practicing Chinese, but I couldn't do #3 and #5.  If the translation is wrong, please let me know. Thanks.

November is Here

Wow! Today is November 1st. 

We have two holidays this month, 

and we set the clock back one hour on November 4th. 

November 12 - Veterans' Day

November 22 - Thanksgiving Day

In the Ventures text, we are studying Present Perfect tense again.

Here's a video explanation. There are many more videos that you can watch at this address. We will see some of them in class. 

You can also go to these addresses to practice online: 

the perfect tense in English - good explanation with practice

present perfect vs. past tense - explanation and quiz

Pronunciation Practice - this is a very useful pronunciation site

Wendy's Cats Halloween Game

Here's a Halloween Game to play 

First, watch the slide show about witch Wendy and her 13 cats.

Why have 13 cats? What do you think?

Second, take the "Rags to Riches" quiz. 

Answer questions about witch Wendy and her 13 cats. If you can't remember, look at the slide show again.

Halloween Costume Contest

Let's have a Halloween costume contest in our class next week. You will win a prize for participating. Sign up in class.

Here are more ideas about Halloween costumes.

Do you know the vocabulary related to Halloween? 
Let's look at this website to learn more

After the Unit 4 test, we start Unit 5 - Around Town. The grammar in this unit is verbs + infinitives and more present perfect. Check back to the October 15 blog entry to see a video on how to use the present perfect tense.

Halloween Vocabulary Video

  

Halloween is October 31st

Next Wednesday, Oct 31, is Halloween. 

Click What do you know about this holiday?  

And what is your favorite Halloween costume? 

Check some out here

Go here to read and listen to news from the VOA. You can also find grammar information here. We'll take a look in class.

Here's a spelling game you might enjoy

This Friday, October 26th, at the Great Star Theater

see Inner Senses

Get free tickets from your teacher or at the Counseling Office

U.S. citizens, register to vote online before Oct.22

Today in the computer lab (Rm.803), you can register to vote. 
Go to www.sos.ca.gov and click on Voter Registration. Next, click on Register To Vote Now.  You will need your California ID or Driver's License. It takes about 5 minutes. Ask me if you need help. REMEMBER: you must be a U.S. citizen to vote.

We will also look at Unit 4 - Health on the Ventures website.

Let's check out a CCSF internet resource for students: 
tinyurl.com/eslccsf  

Go to this website and find your ESL level.

Next, choose what you want to study. 

We'll practice VERB TENSES at eflnet.com.

Look for Intermediate Low 6 and Higher 

Choose Listening, Pronunciation: 
http://www.englishcentral.com/videos

We'll practice this in class. 

Be sure to relax and take a break while you're in the computer lab.

More present perfect info??

Here's one more video explaining the present perfect tense.

      If you're interested in applying for a job at Trader Joes (at Hyde Street and California Street), here's how to get an employment application:

1. www.traderjoes.com

2. careers

3. TJ's employment application

4. Open the application

5. Print it (file --- print)

6. Take it to the store between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Good Luck!!

We'll be in the Computer Lab Rm. 803 this Thursday. 

What did you used to do on the weekend?

Welcome to the second half of Fall Semester. Yes, we're half finished with the first semester at our new campus. 

Today there is a Teachers' Meeting from 9:45 - 10:45 a.m. Our class will start a few minutes late. 

Our next topic is 'used to' meaning something you did at some past time but don't do now. For example, "When I was a child, I used to ride my bicycle every day." 

Be careful: 'be used to' means be familiar with or accustomed to something.
It has a very different meaning, but sounds (almost) the same.

Here's some more practice with the 
present perfect vs. past tense

Use the Learners' Dictionary here

When to use Present Perfect

Here are some resources for practicing the present perfect tense:

1. present perfect vs. past simple

2. present perfect explanation and exercise

3. EnglishClub.com present perfect

4. A video about the present perfect tense and the present perfect progressive (-ing) tense

5. A video with songs that use the present perfect tense

                                           ENJOY!

Unit 4 - Health

Before we start the Health unit, see how well you can follow directions: 
The Magic Gopher

Here's some information about the
'food pyramid', which is now a plate.

And here's the official U.S.D.A. website about the food guide, which is called 'myplate'

This is our Unit 4 vocabulary:
advice
diet
exercise
health
medication
pressure
tired 
weight
chart
healthy
Listen and practice these words

More Writing Practice

More Writing Practice

Write a sentence or two about each cartoon:

Summer Weather in the Fall

I hope you enjoy this 'warm' weather. It will be over soon.

Here's a website to check on the temperature. We'll look at how to use it this Thursday, Oct.4, in the Computer Lab (Rm. 803).

Let's learn how to leave messages on this blog, too. I've never done it before, but I see there is a 'comment' button. We'll try it in class. 

Blue Angels

We'll also look at programs 
you can use on the Internet:
Chat
Email
Skype
Facebook
Youtube

Can you think of more? Let me know. We'll look at them in class. You can learn how to use them at this website:  www.gcflearnfree.org


Here's an intermediate vocabulary building website.

And some beginning vocabulary word lists are here.


One more thing: 
Monday, October 8, is a holiday for students. Teachers will be learning new technology, but our school will be closed. 

Neighborhoods of San Francisco

I found a couple of maps that may help us get to know the neighborhoods of San Francisco.

This one shows us the neighborhoods near our school.

And here's one that shows most of the neighborhoods in the city.

Chinatown Campus Open House Sept 21, 2012

Lend and Borrow / Because and Because Of

Let's look at another explanation of LEND and BORROW. It may help you understand how to use these words.
Here's a video that explains the same thing:

We'll also practice Because and Because Of: 

I hope this helps.

Our wonderfull Open House at Chinatown Campus

Chinatown Campus at 808 Kearny Street

Congratulations to all of you who volunteered or attended the Chinatown Campus Open House on Friday. It was wonderful!



This article is from the San Francisco Chronicle, our local newspaper. Learn about the history of our new Campus here. 


Here's an easy parts of speech game you might like. We'll look at it in class.