Last Class

Thank you to all of you who brought something today. Also I'd like to thank you for the beautiful card and the very thoughtful gift. I'll cherish it, I promise...

Beyond improving your English skills, you have also all made a lot of new friends.

I'd like to wish each one of you all the best in your future and career. Of course, I hope you all continue to be successful in your language learning.

Enjoy your break!

Sheila

P.S. Happy summer!

Favorite Restaurant

This is a place I'd like to visit... ;)

100 Penguins

A truck driver was driving 100 penguins to the New York Zoo when his truck broke down on the freeway. The driver got out of the cab and was looking at the engine when a second truck driver stopped in front of him and asked if he needed any help. The penguins' driver explained that he is taking the penguins to the zoo and asked if the other man would take the penguins there. He agreed. Some hours later, the second truck driver drove past the first one, who was still waiting on the freeway for help to come. The penguins, however, were still on the truck! "I thought I asked you to take those penguins to the zoo," shouted the first driver. The second replied, "I did, but I had some money left, so we're going to the cinema now."

See Spot Run

Write about one of the characters in the movie.

Gordon
James
Stephanie - neighbor

Mob (maffia guys):
Sonny - boss
Gino + his friend

Most memorable character: Spot, alias Agent 11

If you wish to learn useful expressions from the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," go to the following website and click on "Word" under the movie title to download the Word file:

http://www.eslnotes.com/synopses-m.html#Anchor-My-49575

For example, who said the following?

"You have a spirit. You want to see things, you want to learn."
In this case, a “spirit” is a lively or energetic attitude toward life.

Strange Salad

Can you spot anything strange in this salad?

Recommended Websites

The following websites have been highly recommended by your classmates:

ESL-related websites
www.eslgold.com - over a thousand pages of free information and resources (not bad for a site...)
www.eslflow.com (courtesy of Yassmine)

www.englishpage.com
www.breakingnewsenglish.com (courtesy of Nastaran)

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/ - OWL - Online Writing Lab (courtesy of Nasrin)

http://esllearning.com (courtesy of Vivian)

Cool websites:

www.boingboing.net - Some interesting videos
www.flavorpill.net (courtesy of Yassmine)

http://delittleprince.com (courtesy of Vivian)

Enjoy!

Useful Websites

If you know of any useful websites that are related to ESL, share them with the class. Furthermore, you can also share one "cool" website.

Here're a few websites that you may find useful:
http://www.pccc.cc.nj.us/library/asrc/esl/ - ESL writing and grammar lab (level 4 covers punctuation)

http://www.trainyouraccent.com/ - Train Your Accent - Exercises for accent reduction

http://simple.wiktionary.org/wiki/Main_Page - Simplified Wikipedia (encyclopedia + dictionary)

http://www.ezslang.com/ - EZ (pronounced Easy) Slang --> Helpful to learn useful expressions & idioms

http://www.odyssium.com/other.html - I like this website because it has a cool feature on the main page: to see it, just move your mouse over the image on the main page (TELUS World of Science website)

Global TV Moves to MacEwan (CCC)

On Thursday, March 15, Global Television will broadcast their entire 6:00 newscast from the cafeteria of MacEwan's City Centre Campus. More than 50 per cent of the newscast will focus on MacEwan's diversity of programs, campus life, and outstanding degree and career opportunities. Staff, faculty and students are welcome to be a part of the live studio audience. Global Television will be providing loot bags for the first 400 studio guests. There will also be an opportunity to meet the Global news crew: Lynda Steele, Gord Steinke, John Sexsmith and Nicola Crosbie. Autograph session will follow at 7:00 p.m.

Spiderman?

Alain Robert, the French climber who calls himself "Spiderman," crawls up the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority building in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on February 23. While other famous urban climbers sometimes used clamps or suction cups, Robert uses no tools or safety devices. Using only his bare hands and climbing shoes, Robert has scaled more than 70 giant structures around the globe including many of the world's tallest structures.

Share Interesting Websites

Please share one ESL-related and 1 cool website with your classmates.

How did you like the CBC website?

Please share your thoughts about this website.

If you'd like to visit the website again, just do a Google search with the keywords "cbc esl" or visit
http://www.cbc.ca/ottawa/esl/index.html/

What did you think of the listening website?

Please let us know what you thought of the listening website that we visited today in the computer lab. If you'd like to return to the website, here's the address:

http://www.esl-lab.com/



P.S. Here's a picture of a kung fu kitty:

Have you heard the latest news?

Headline: US model Anna Nicole Smith dies in Florida aged 39

(I EMPHASIZED some key words that we've covered and some verbs to show the use of verb tenses. However, I have to warn you, it's sad news.) :(


MIAMI (AFP) - US model and reality TV star Anna Nicole Smith DIED after being found unconscious in a Florida hotel room, police said.

The buxom, platinum-blonde Texan former Guess spokeswoman, 39, was found unconscious in a room at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel in Hollywood, north of Miami, Seminole police chief Charlie Tiger said.

Paramedics did CPR on the model-actress who was taken to a local medical center, he said. "The cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner. The Broward County medical examiner and Seminole police department will continue its investigation into this matter," Tiger ADDED.

Tiger said Smith checked into the hotel Monday, and was ACCOMPANIED by her lawyer and companion Howard Stern. He said Smith's private nurse found her, that a bodyguard performed CPR on her and that she died at the medical center.

Her attorney, Ron Rale, said he DID not KNOW the cause of death for Smith, who HAD BEEN LIVING in the Bahamas.

Her son Daniel, 20, DIED in September in the Bahamas, just days after Smith GAVE birth to a girl whose paternity HAS BEEN DISPUTED by a former boyfriend and Stern.

It WAS a tragic end to one of US pop culture's larger-than-life Cinderella stories.

Smith WAS BORN Vicki Lynn Hogan November 28, 1967, in Mexia, Texas. Her parents DIVORCED, and she WAS RAISED by her mother and aunt. She first WED at 17 and HAD her son Daniel, divorcing soon after his birth.

After working as a Wal-Mart cashier and waiting on tables, she STARTED working as an exotic dancer in Houston. There she MET a wheelchair-bound oil billionaire J. Howard Marshall whom she would woo and wed.

On June 27, 1994, 26-year-old Anna Nicole MARRIED the 89-year-old Marshall, who DIED the following year. A protracted court battle with her stepson E. Pierce Marshall over her late husband's fortune then followed. A settlement HAS not yet BEEN REACHED.

Modeling for Guess Jeans, she REPLACED Claudia Schiffer. She APPEARED in some Hollywood films including "Naked Gun 33-1/3." Later she STARRED (=played main role) in the reality TV show "The Anna Nicole Smith Show" (2002-2004), which FOLLOWED her musings at work and at home, and weight gain that reportedly was behind the show being cancelled. Smith also WORKED as spokeswoman for TrimSpa, a weight loss treatment.

A statement posted on Smith's website in September HAD SPOKEN of the model's sorrow at the death of her son. "Anna Nicole is absolutely devastated by the loss of her son. He WAS her pride and joy and an amazing human being," the statement said.

"I am very saddened to learn about Anna Nicole's passing," Hefner SAID in a statement. "She WAS a dear friend who meant a great deal to the family and to me personally."

Fashion Show

James, thanks for posting those cooooool pictures! Feel free to comment on the fashion show and Global College Week. What did you like about them?

Also make sure you've completed your introduction.

Image

Here's an example of using an image.




Reading as well as writing can open the door to improving your English.


Congratulations to all of you for setting up your blog page!

My First Posting

Hello Everybody,

Welcome to the online blog you've just created. Here you can keep in touch with your classmates or even your relatives. Once you've introduced yourself, post something else interesting.

Sheila