AVISO A PADRES DE FAMILIA EN RELACIÓN AL FIN DE CURSOS

ESTIMADOS ALUMNOS / PADRES DE FAMILIA,

AQUELLOS QUE NO HAYAN PODIDO ASISTIR AL OPEN HOUSE, PUEDEN RECOGER SUS CALIFICACIONES FINALES EN DIRECCIÓN, PREGUNTEN POR LOS RESULTADOS DEL GRUPO 12 DE COMUNICATIVO I, PROFESOR LUIS JAIME GUERRA. AHI LES PUEDEN ORIENTAR TAMBIEN EN RELACIÓN A LA RE-INSCRIPCIÓN DEL ALUMNO.

SALUDOS

OPEN HOUSE

ESTIMADOS PAPÁS Y ALUMNOS :

ESTE SÁBADO 20 DE JUNIO SERÁ NUESTRA ÚLTIMA SESIÓN EN LA QUE CELEBRAMOS EL OPEN HOUSE. SE LES HACE A LOS PADRES UNA ATENTA INVITACIÓN A PARTIR DE LAS 10 A.M. PARA CONOCER EL RESULTADO FINAL DE LOS ALUMNOS. LOS ALUMNOS POR SU PARTE TENDRÁN QUE LLEGAR EN EL MISMO HORARIO DE COSTUMBRE PARA PREPARAR LO NECESARIO PARA RECIBIR A SUS PAPÁS.

PARA ESTA CLASE LOS ALUMNOS LLEVARÁN A CABO UN SPEECH UTILIZANDO COMO HERRAMIENTA UNA PRESENTACIÓN EN FILMINAS Y ALGÚN PLATILLO RELEVANTE AL TEMA ESCOGIDO. ESTA ACTIVIDAD ES EN EQUIPO.

¡¡¡TODOS LOS ALUMNOS DEBEN PARTICIPAR!!!

EN SEGUIDA TENDREMOS UN CONVIVIO CON LO ANTERIOR, MIENTRAS EL PROFESOR HACE ENTREGA DE LOS RESULTADOS, MISMOS QUE PODEMOS VER CON DETALLE SI ASÍ LO DESEAN. 

UNA VEZ QUE EL PAPÁ / MAMÁ HAYA RECOGIDO LOS RESULTADOS, SE LES PIDE A LOS ALUMNOS RECOGER SU MATERIAL Y DEJAR EN ORDEN SU ESPACIO PARA PODER RETIRARSE.

SALUDOS CORDIALES,

JAIME

hoogdalem@gmail.com

Tasks for the remaining 2 weeks...

Jun. 06: NO CLASS (CIDEB is closed due the admission tests)
Jun. 13: Essay (10% of your final grade): On either a book review or your personal view towards the swine flu.
Jun. 13: Your homework for this session is the Reading Comprehension Questions Part 1 and 2 from "Origin of the English Words".
Jun. 13: Study the lesson's vocabulary for Quiz No. 9 and 10.
Jun. 20: Open House Activity... The final activity is in teams of 3 people. Choose your partners wisely.

Chicos, la semana siguiente tengo que reportar calificaciones finales. Por eso, la actividad especial para rescatar algunos puntos será la misma del Open House. Como la exposición es el día 20, voy a pedirles que me hagan llegar sus filminas ENTRE SEMANA (due date: June 18th) voy a evaluar el contenido de las filminas en función de:

1) la creatividad 

2) cómo reintepretaron la información de sus fuentes. NO VOY A TOMAR EN CUENTA COPY PASTE DE WIKIPEDIA NI OTRAS FUENTES. Quiero la información redactada en sus propias palabras.

La cantidad de puntos por su esfuerzo será a juicio del profesor, tomando en cuenta también su desempeño INDIVIDUAL a lo largo del semestre y no estará sujeto a discusión, pues ultimadamente no es obligación mía darles este tipo de oportunidades. Suerte.

THERE ARE SPECIFICATIONS REGARDING EACH OF THESE TASKS. FOLLOW THE RULES.

You have 2 weeks to start with these tasks. No excuses.

regards,

Jaime

May 16th: TASKS FOR THE NEXT 2 WEEKS

Dear Students,

There's no class this May 23th, we are back until May 30th. My advice for you is to use the time wisely. You already know the up-coming activities and may already start with them:

1) Essay (10% of your final grade), Due date: June 13th

Times New Roman, size 12, 1.5 paragraph. 1 page introduction, at least 2 page body, and 1 page conclusion.

Topic: you have two options for choice:

• Read a Book in English and make a review that includes some facts about the author, a summary, your opinion, and explain why did you choose this book. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO COPY A SUMMARY FROM THE INTERNET.


• "My own personal view/opinion about the swine flu". Prior writing your essay, watch a movie about diseases (Outbreak, Resident Evil, I'm Legend, The Happening, Quarantine (Rec), 28 Days Later, Dawn of the Dead, etc.). Describe in 1 or 2 paragraph the plot or main ideas of the movie. The paper is not about the movie, but about your opinion! Here are some hints for you to fill the paper: How was this disease (influenza) originated? How are the events in the movie similar/different from those that are happening in our country? How do I feel in relation to the sanitary measures? In what extent do I believe in this disease? Have the authorities made a good work to prevent the infection spread or are they exagerating? What do I think about other countries' views towards us? Do I believe that somehow the events in the movie could happen? EXPLAIN YOUR REASONING, WHETER YOU BELIEVE OR NOT YOU NEED TO JUSTIFY WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT INFLUENZA.

Whether the topic you choose AVOID SENSELESS CONTENT TO FILL THE PAGES!

2) Prepare your 2m speech with a power point presentation. Include in a slide all the vocabulary that we need to know prior your presentation. You'll explain to the audience the definitions. Due date: May 30th.

3) Homework, besides your speech, your homework is to send your plan to my e-mail address. Please, only 1 person per team!


Questions? Write me an email.



Regards,



Jaime

May 9th: Let them decide!

Dear students,

This is the homework from our last class on May 9th.

1) Prepare a 2m speech with a powerpoint presentation.

- Include a slide with your vocabulary highlights, you'll explain to the audience your list of unusual terms.

- Do not read it!

- Topic: Extreme or unusual sports

Due date: May 16th.

2) Prepare for your 8th Quiz.

a) The political staff members usually consist of:

Campaign manager: will coordinate the team effort, overall performance, and campaign's operations. Besides the candidate, the campaign manager is the most visible leader.

Consultant: will advise campaigns on virtually all of their activities. Ads are usually designed by them.

Activits: are the "foot soldiers" loyal to the cause, perform volunteer activities such as canvassing door to door or making phone calls on behalf of a campaign.

Candidate: is the indidvidual who seeks or is in nomination for an office, prize, or honor.

Identify the common association of colors and symbols:

Red: socialism and/or communism.

Yellow: liberalism, capitalism, and judaism.

Black: anarchism or fascism

Blue: conservatism

Light Blue: peace, United Nations

Gray: liberalism during the 19th century

Brown: nazism

Green: environmentalism

Orange: nationalism, populism

White: pacifism (peace)

Purple: monarchism

Liberalism: emphasizes the individual rights (such as freedom of though and speech; limitations on power of government; and the right on private property.

Conservatism: support for traditions and values.

Capitalism: economic system in which wealth and the means of producing wealth are privately owned.

Socialism: grows out of capitalism it is the first form of a new society.

Communism: is a further development or "higher" stage of socialism.

Fascism: advocates the creation of a single-party  state and promotes the unification and expansion of influence, power or control of their nation

Anarchism: considers the state as oppresive and undesirable and should be abolished.

Environmentalism:  concerned for the conservation and improvement of the environment.

9-MAYO: AVISO IMPORTANTE

Buenas Tardes Maestros y Personal Admón.-R

Reciban un cordial saludo, y a su vez me permito informarles lo siguiente: Por indicaciones del Director del CIDEB el Dr. Socorro Guajardo González, y con el visto bueno del Rector de la UANL el Ing. José A. Treviño González este sábado 9 de mayo regresamos a clases como estaba previsto en nuestro calendario. Por lo cual se les pide que difundan e informen del mismo a sus estudiantes y sus padres de familia vía email.

Las indicaciones a seguir al entrar al edificio del CIDEB serán las siguientes:

*Maestros y alumnos deberán portar cubre bocas.

*Todos deberán lavarse las manos antes de entrar al edificio.

*Los estudiantes deberán tener el menor contacto posible con sus compañeros.

* Los estudiantes no podrán compartir, ni prestar sus útiles escolares: lápices, sacapuntas, plumas, borrador, libros, libretas etc.

*Maestros y Personal Admón. deberán de prestar especial atención los estudiantes que presente cualquier síntoma de influenza A(H1N1) {So far most people who have contracted the new A (H1N1) virus have experienced influenza-like symptoms (such as sore throat, cough, runny nose, fever, malaise, headache, joint/muscle pain)} y en caso de detectar a alguien con un síntoma, deberán hablarles a sus padres para que pasen por él lo antes posible.

Al respecto, les solicito compartir la información con sus estudiantes, así como con los padres y madres de familia para su conocimiento, difusión y cumplimiento en sus respectivos ámbitos de responsabilidad.

Sin otro particular por ahora, y agradeciendo de antemano la seriedad y profesionalismo con los que difundirán, supervisarán y acompañarán el cumplimiento de las medidas señaladas en los materiales oficiales anexos, quedo como siempre a su disposición y les envío nuestros mejores deseos de salud y bienestar para ustedes, para sus seres queridos, y para el alumnado a su cargo.

Atentamente,

Lic. Mónica Denise Molina Estrada
Coordinadora del Departamento de Extensión
Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo de Educación Bilingüe
Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo LeónAve. Lázaro Cardenas Ote. s/n Unidad Mederos C.P. 64930Monterrey, Nuevo León, México

Estimados alumnos,

Recuerden traer su material (marcadores, tijeras, pegamento, revistas o periódico) para participar en la actividad de la campaña electoral. Hágamos el esfuerzo por seguir las indicaciones ya mencionadas.

**No  olviden que tenemos dos tareas: los ejercicios 1 y 2 de las hojas que les entregué el sábado y documentarse para la actividad que arriba menciono.

**No olviden estudiar para el quiz #7 sobre el vocabulario de "Visual Media" que ya conocen: media, nevertheless, household, disatissfied, furthermore, channel surf, advertising, entre otras.

Gracias.

Apr. 04: Famous People

Dear students,

We're back from vacations on April 25th. Please notice:

1) 2nd Parent's Meeting: 12 to 12.30 

2) Quiz #6 based on the vocabulary of this lesson: blockbuster, box office hit, cast, director, leading role, plot, soundtrack, stunt and stuntman/woman, predictable, hilarious, thriller, action-packed, achievement and other related to this lesson.

3) ATTENTION. There is no Written Homework, but I need you in turn to prepare for this class' activity based on marketing and advertising. Please, read or watch the news and keep up-to-date regarding the political (electoral) campaigns in the city. Learn about:

1.- What are the main concerns of the people?

2.- Who are the representatives? for governor? for the city's mayor?

3.- What ideas do the candidates want to share with the voters?

4.- Share opinions. Ask your relatives and discuss the information above, with them. 

With this information you are ready to think:

"If I were the City's Major (Alcalde de Monterrey) how will I solve the people's concerns? What will I propose ti improve on each of the following: Security, Investment, Health, Education, and Environment."

During class, we would make our own campaign and discuss the plans to choose among students the "School's Mayor". Bring markers, scissors, etc. anything you want to develop nice posters to support your Party and representative.

4) If you missed this class, ask someone for the definitions or look them around the net or your English Dictionary. People that missed ANY of the classes before will have the pending quizzes the same class. No excuses. STUDY!

Regards,

Jim

28-Mar: Today's News!

Dear students,

We are almost by the half of the semester. I'll be more demanding. So, please, consider the following guideline for improving your assignments at home. I'm not pleased with the effort from some of you.

I)  Guideline for homework

1. I'm not accepting more late assignments (unless you were absent under true-well founded reasons).

2. In other words, hand in your homework on the advised date.

3. Write your name, date and the title of the homework on the top.

4. Handwritten or done by hand, in other words: do not make your assignment on your computer.

5. I want neat writing. I'm not wasting my time figuring messy writing.

6. Do no use cursive or joint-writing! (specially Juan Carlos and Roberto)

7. Do not use red pen.

8. Explain your reasoning. Provide broad (extensive) answers to open-ended questions.

9. Poor assignment will be considered as incomplete. Is up to you to decide if you want to make it again and improve the grade.

10. Finally and not least, my advice is to keep your homework. In the end, I may have a mistake but I need your evidence.

II) Homework (due date: 4-Apr)

You will perform as a CRITIC. Write a 1 page Book or Movie Review. You will share your opinion to the class.

III) Quiz #5: Study the following vocabulary from the lesson Today's News (you already have the meanings on the worksheets I gave)

Gossip columnist

Commentator

Cub reporter

Correspondent or on-the-scene reporter

Metereologist 'the weatherman'

Anchor or nNewscaster 

Sporstcaster: a sports commentator

Editor

Paparazzi

Badge: an emblem of honor worn on one's clothing (eg: a decoration or medal) to show that you are a member of a team. The boy scout earn 3 badges for his skills and spirit of service.

Research: an investigation

broadcast: the transmission of a radio or television program.

erosion: the natural process of dissolution, abrasion, or corrosion: acids erode certain metals.

Important! The bonus section of this quiz will be the missing exercises from Activity 11A (Listening). Bring these worksheets again.

IV) Special task

Last class, some of you refused to participate or made a poor effort to achieve the activities: Jasid Del Val, Antonio González, Ingrid López, Ana Luisa Zavala, Roberto Navarrio, Raúl Morales, Monserrat Alvarez, and Juan Carlos Reyna.

This is the last time I allow this type of faults and misbehaviors. Next time I'm just asking you to leave my class. 

In turn,  your duty is to make the following task (besides the homework):

Write a 1 page story using the vocabulary from Crazy Relationships and the Personality Traits List. I want at least 15 words between both lessons.

If you don't bring both assignments complete, you WILL NOT earn the chance to take the quiz.

Assignments with short sentences or senseless content will be banned and considered by the teacher as not delivered.

regards,

Jaime

Mar. 27: Comments on your up to date performance...

Dear students,

Last week, I've only received homework from 8 people... Emilia, Natalia, Juan Carlos, Marcos, Roberto, Jorge Arturo, Ana Karina, and Jasid.

What happened to the others?

I decided not to accept late homeworks, unless you had a mistake or were absent.

My advice is to take your time to check what's the homework, some people are handing in things that does not correspond to the tasks. PEOPLE LISTEN AND FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS!!!!!!!

An additional advice... Quiz #4 will be difficult. STUDY HARD, review also personality traits as I saw that some of you did not understand the difference between a cheerful, deceptive, reliable, etc.

And lastly, DO NOT FORGET to bring the homework.

Regards,

Jim

Mar. 21: Crazy Relationships

Hi people. These are the tasks for our next class:

Quiz #4 based on:

1) Study the vocabulary from Crazy Relationships (Rihanna and Chris Brown)

1. glitter: Brilliant or sparkling.
   
2. attorney: a lawyer
   
3. debate: a discussion; to fight or quarrel:
   
4. alibi: an excuse: My friend is cheating on his wife and I am his alibi. When he’s with his undercover girl, he’s telling his wife that he’s with me.
   
5. nix: to reject or cancel: She couldn’t buy the dress because her credit card was nixed.
   
6. former: past or previous: George W. Bush, the former president of the United States of America
   
7. outgoing: friendly; sociable to others: People like him; he has an outgoing personality.
   
8. deceptive: dishonest or misleading.
   
9. thoughtless: careless
   
10. allegedly: according to someone’s allegation: The suspect was allegedly involved in the robbery, but his alibi placed him in another state at the time.
    
11. allegation: A statement asserting something without proof
    
12. unscathed: She was at the accident were her friends resulted injured, but fortunately she came out unscathed.
    
13. rough up: Beat up; subject to physical abuse: He was rough up by a bunch of cowboys.
    
14. bruise: an injure caused by a hit.
    
15. book: To record charges against (a person) on a police blotter.
    

2) Review the personal traits.

3) Answer to the following questions:

a) How would you define a healthy relationship? Provide several examples and explain.

b) Should people in a relationship be jealous? Why or why not? Explain.

c) Is fighting a normal part of a relationship? Why or why not? Explain.

d) In a relationship, what is violence? What is not?

e) Should someone ever use violence?

HANDWRITTEN

Regards,

Jaime

Mar. 14, 2009: Desert Island Survival

Pay attention, the homework for next week is:

1) Write a 1 page essay about a list of 8 inventions that you think are the most importat to humankind. EXPLAIN YOUR REASONING ON EACH.

2) QUIZ #3: Study the vocabulary from "Desert Island Survival" (below) besides "Charity Appeals", "Thirst", and "An annoying experience".... YES, AGAIN!

scarcity, commodity, privatization, World Bank, profit, income, loan, bill, wealthy, charity, widow-er, rag, heritage, Wall Street, spoil, annoyance, disturbance, tip, oversee, outcome.

**Remember, not only to review the vocabulary but to recall as much as possible of what we discussed during the class. As you see, I'll start to make questions about the topics to verify if you are paying attention!

Desert Island Survival vocabulary

• dew: tiny drops of water coming from the air as it cools at night: My car is wet with dew during the mornings.
• lush: green and fertile.
• personality traits: traits are distinguishing qualities or characteristics of a person.
• sextant:  navigational instrument used for measuring the altitudes of celestial bodies to determine latitude and longitude.
• stranded: 1. left helpless or abandoned: He was left stranded in Nepal without money or passport. 2. stucked: The ship was stranded on the rocks.
• wreck: something in a very bad condition; to destroy or damage: The ship was wrecked during the storm.

My teacher gave too much homework for this weekend! He wrecked my plans.

• Bonfire: a large FIRE built outdoors, as for signaling or in celebration of an event.
• Trap: a device for catching animals.
• Bait: food that you use to catch animals, fish, etc.

Personality Trait List: You're not required to memorize them, but to understand their meaning, synonym or opposite.

reliable, dependable, responsible vs. irresponsible, unrealiable, deceptive

well-organized vs. disorganized, messy

good self-control vs uncontrolled, spoilt

high achiever, performer

cautious vs careless, thoughtless

conscientious vs unconscious, unaware

independent vs. dependent

self-confident vs uncertain

serious vs cheerful, humorous

patient vs impatient

diligent, active, hard-working vs. lazy, sluggish or slow moving

outgoing, friendly, amiable, sociable, extrovert vs. introvert, shy and quiet

a negotiator vs. a people pleaser

easygoing, relaxed, calm, even-tempered vs. demanding, bossy, moody, temperamental

generous vs stingy, selfish

a leader vs a follower

a peace-maker

creative, original

March 07: "Famous Firsts" and "The best shopping street in the world"

Hi people.

The vocabulary from "Famous Firsts" and "The best shopping street in the world":

race: a competition

purse: a handbag

coat: an outdoor garment usually forming the top part of a suit

belt: worn around the waist to support clothing

ring : wear it in a finger

earring: a piece of jewelry attached to the ear.

necklace :string of jewels, beads, etc worn around the neck. DO NOT confuse with a pendant.

pendant: the ornament hung from a necklace.

bracelet: worn arounf the wrist or arm. DO NOT confuse a bracelet with a watch.

bargain: to argue about or discuss the price of something to buy it cheaply.

However, there are other words are well that I will include in the quiz and are not shown above.

Rememer that I've asked if you understand the meaning of certain words and you all agreed. I suppose its easy and you're taking notes.

No excuses!

March 07: ALL THE TASKS

People, pay special attention to the tasks for our next class (Mar. 14)

1. Answer the "Unknown Presidents" worksheets 

2. Study for our Quiz #2, vocabulary from "Charity Appeals",  "Thirst", and "An annoying experience".

Include: "Famous Firsts" and "The best shopping street in the world" 

3. Prepare and bring a meal with green ingredients, we're celebrating St. Patrick's Day. (To share with 4 to 6 people). Snacks or beverages (sprite, ruffles queso, etc.) does NOT count 

4. DO NOT wear any black outfit, make an effort to wear green colors in your outfit.

Información para los papás: Nuevamente, estoy reiterando lo siguiente.

¿Cuáles son las fechas para presentar el exámen del CIDEB? (si mi hijo quiere ingresar a esta prepa)
Las fechas vienen en el calendario que se les entregó: MAYO 23: Examen TOEFL y JUNIO 6: Examen de Conocimientos. Recuerden que el examen de admisión consta de dos partes.
Para más información, es necesario que pasen por el Tríptico Informativo aquí en las instalaciones, de lunes a viernes de 8 a 3 P.M.

¿Qué puntaje requiere para ser admitido?

Son 550 pts del TOEFL más 480 de Conocimientos

550 + 1030 = 1030 pts necesarios para ingresar a esta preparatoria.

Sin embargo, sólo ingresan los primeros 500, los cuales suelen ser de 1300 o 1400 para abajo.

Para más información, favor de acudir a las oficinas y/o recoger el Tríptico Informativo.

Quiz #2 on March 6th

Dear Students,

Besides our hw on "An annoying experience" we're are having our 2nd quiz, based on the vocabulary from the following lessons:

1) Thirst, the quarrel for water: scarcity, commodity, privatization, World Bank, profit, income, loan, bills.

2) Charity Appeals: wealthy, charity, widow/widower, ragged, heritage, Wall Street, spoil.

3) An annoying experience: annoyance, disturbance, tip, oversee, outcome

My advice is not only to learn the meanings but to know how to apply them. This quiz will not be a simple match the word with its meaning.

Questions regarding the vocabulary? Search the meanings in our blog, review your notes or get a dictionary.

Jim

Feb. 28: An annoying experience

Hi people.

I wan't more effort on your performances and role plays. This activity intends to make you aware about annoying behaviors!

Please answer to the following questions, I don't wan't YES/NO or short answers!!!!!!!!

1) Choose one of the role plays from your classmates (except yours).

2) Answer to the following questions:

a. Explain in your own words what is portrayed (shown) in the play.

b. What are some other annoying experiences in {restaurants/with neighbors/movie theaters/meeting with friends} ...remember to choose one, except yours.

c. How will you deal with an annoying experience in {restaurants/with neighbors/movie theaters/meeting with friends} ...remember to choose one, except yours.

d.Have you ever performed an annoying character? Where? How?

e. Where you aware that you were irritating with the people around you?

f. What was the outcome (result) of your annoying behavior?

Vocabulary

disturbance: a noisy or disordely happening: 

Emilia was watching the soccer game and causing disturbance at the restaurant.

Jasid and Annie had to deal with the disturbance from the annoying people around.

tip: money given in exchange for a personal service: A gave a generous tip to the waiter because the food at the restaurant was awesome!

customer: a client or person that buys from a shop: Monserrat likes chocolate cakes, she's a regular customer from Delicias del Contry.

oversee: to watch or supervise someone: Manager Natalia oversees the service of Paola the waitress with the clients. She's also in charge of keeping order in the restaurant.

outcome: a result: They didn't know how to perform their role play, and the outcome was a dissaster.

KEEP CHECKING THE BLOG FOR ANY FURTHER NOTICES. WE MAY HAVE A QUIZ ON NEXT CLASS.

En relación al TOEFL

¿Cuáles son las fechas para presentar el exámen del CIDEB? (si mi hijo quiere ingresar a esta prepa)
Las fechas vienen en el calendario que se les entregó: MAYO 23: Examen TOEFL y JUNIO 6: Examen de Conocimientos. Recuerden que el examen de admisión consta de dos partes.
Para más información, es necesario que pasen por el Tríptico Informativo aquí en las instalaciones, de lunes a viernes de 8 a 3 P.M.


Mi hijo no llevó el Nivel Grammar, ¿se trata de un curso de apoyo o remediales?
Se trata más bien de un curso para desarrollar y practicar la gramatica, el maestro decide si el alumno lo necesita o no. Al final del Nivel Comunicativo II, lo puede llevar si quiere, en caso de que ninguno maestro haya sugerido llevarlo anteriormente.

Mi hijo tuvo un resultado muy inferior al que ustedes solicitan para comenzar este nivel. ¿Por qué lo aprobaron entonces?
El Score del Toefl no tiene nada que ver con acreditar un nivel. Son cosas muy diferentes, en muchas ocasiones los alumnos lo contestan sin cuidado.

El examen Toefl que aplicamos en el Dpto de Extensión es uno de práctica, para que se den cuenta cuánto necesitan tener, pero no significan que estan mal.

Este ejercicio le va a ayudar al estudiante tambien a incrementar su puntaje y aprender estrategias para contestarlo con mayor rapidez. No es necesario bajar a un alumno de nivel por este resultado, eso no le ayudaría en nada con su score.

Aviso a los Padres de Familia

Por este medio voy a procurar dar respuesta a sus inquietudes.

Denme oportunidad de averiguar lo que haya quedado pendiente.

MATERIAL DE APOYO

Se recomienda contar con un diccionario, en clase sólo será permitido consultar uno totalmente en inglés.

1) LAROUSSE, Chambers Learner's English Dictionary

Editors: Sandra Anderson Kay Cullen

1a edició, 23a reimpresión.

- Designed for lower intermediate learners of English

- Over 20,000 words and phrases, and 23,000 examples of current English

2) LAROUSSE, Chambers School Theasures

1a edición, 7a reimpresión

- Over 155,000 synonyms and antonyms

Papás, en relación a lo anterior:

1) Es un diccionario sugerido en inglés que pueden encontrar en cualquier librería como Ghandi, pero hay también muchos otros con excelente contenido que pueden servir para el mismo propósito, ej. Merriam-Webster's

2) Los THEASURES son libros de sinónimos, no es tan indispensable como el diccionario, pero puede ser muy útil, sobretodo si desean extender su vocabulario.

TAREAS

Ya están disponibles los encargos para la próxima clase, se les pide a los alumnos que esten al pendiente en la semana de cualquier aviso.

Actividad: Charity Appeals

fecha de entrega: 28-Feb

Feb. 21: Charity Appeals

Activity: "Charity Appeals"

Hello people. This is the description of our last activity:

Pick one of the following charities and discuss why do you think people should donate to them.

1) A charity that helps elderly (old) people with food and housing

2) A hospice for people who are dying of an incurable disease

3) An organization that provides emergency supplies and medicine for disaster victims

4) A charity that helps homeless people

5) Cance research

6) A charity that helps people with AIDS

7) Animal shelters

In other words, try to give as much reasons as possible to convince people on why should they support a particular charity. THIS WAS A CLASS ACTIVITY THAT WE WILL FINISH AS AN INDIVIDUALHOMEWORK.

Due date: 28-Feb

Vocabulary:

wealthy: adj. having a lot of money: Milton Petrie and Hetty Green were wealthy people, they have a lot of money.

charity: refers to the kindness, especially in giving money to the poor people: Petrie was a generous businessman. Her widow, Carroll, said his charity was a result of the poverty of his early years.

widow: A woman whose husband is dead: After he died, his widow, agreed to share the money with the poor people.

widower: A man whose wife is dead.

ragged: torn pieces of clothing: At school, she was asked to change her clothing because she wore ragged jeans.

heritage: wealth passed on from generation to another.

Wall Street: a street in lower Manhattan, N.Y. where major U.S. financial institutions are located.

spoil: 1. to damage or ruin; to make something bad or useless: You will spoil our dinner if you touch it with your dirty hands. 2. to give children too much of what they want and make they characters worse by doing so: Don't give your children so many presents, otherwise you'll spoil them.

ESTIMADOS PAPAS:

SE LES PIDE A LOS ALUMNOS QUE PERMANEZCAN AL TANTO DE LAS TAREAS Y/O AVISOS QUE PUEDAN SURGIR ENTRE SEMANA. NO DESCARTAMOS REALIZAR ALGUN CAMBIO AL PROGRAMA DE LA CLASE SIGUIENTE CUANDO ASI LO CREEMOS CONVENIENTE. POR LO CUAL, EN ALGÚN MOMENTO SE LES PUEDE LLEGAR A PEDIR EN LA SEMANA QUE REALICEN ALGUNA ACTIVIDAD ADICIONAL O SE PREPAREN PARA ALGUN EXAMEN.

SE ESPERA DE ELLOS QUE SEAN RESPONSABLES Y SE TOMEN EL DEBIDO TIEMPO PARA AVERIGUAR CUALQUIER PENDIENTE DE LA CLASE DE INGLES.

DEJO MIS DATOS PARA CUALQUIER DUDA O ACLARACIÓN:

Lic. Luis Jaime Guerra

hoogdalem@gmail.com

1ST PARENTS MEETING THIS SAT. 21 FEB

PEOPLE, REMEMBER, THIS SATURDAY WE'RE HAVING OUR 1ST PARENTS MEETING.
FROM 12.00 TO 1.30

ALSO, THIS WEEK I AM SHARING YOUR GRADES.
********MY ADVICE FOR YOU IS TO BRING ALL OF YOUR HWs DONE BEFORE, JUST IN CASE I MISSED TO INCLUDE ANY OF THEM IN MY GRADE SHEET.

PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT WITHOUT YOUR EVIDENCE, I AM NOT ABLE TO CHANGE YOUR GRADE, DESPITE THE CHANCE THAT I MADE A MISTAKE.

DONT FORGET TO MAKE THIS WEEKS HWS. A LOT OF YOU ARE NOT HANDING IN HWS.

Thirst, The Quarrel for Water

Hi guys. I have to tasks for next week.

1. Answer to the following questions regarding our discussion on water scarcity:

• How will our lives change if water was scarce in our community?
• What did I learned from the discussion?
• What was my role-play? How was my opinion affected after performing this role?
• Historically, water has been viewed as a shared common, but ¿do you think of it as a) a public good or right or b) a market commodity? Explain your answer.

*Remember! HWs with answers type YES/NO will be incomplete.

Vocabulary:
commodity: Any good that can be exchanged in commerce; any good that can be bought or sold.
bill: a note showing how much money is owed for goods: A water bill.
scarcity (scarce): lack or shortage of something: Rapid industrialization and increasing agricultural use have lead to worlwide water shortage and scarcity.
privatization: a business term referring to the transfer of ownership from government to a privately owned entity, such as a company.
World Bank: a branch of the United Nations that provides financial and technical assistance to enhace economic growth in developing countries.
income: the amount of money received during a period of time in exchange for labor or services: His monthly income while working on Hispanic Teleservices was enough to pay his studies. (ingreso)
profit: refers to the money gained in business, for example, by selling something. Profit is not the same as income. (ganancia)
loan: the lending of money.


2. Don't forget to tell your parents that this Saturday 21st, we're having our 1st Meeting!
12.00-1.30

FEB. 14: SPECIAL TASK

DEAR STUDENTS, I HAVE A VERY IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT TO MAKE. I AM VERY CONCERNED REGARDING YOUR GRADES ON OUR 1ST QUIZ. I BELIEVE MOST OF YOU DID NOT STUDY AT ALL. THIS WAS NOT A HARD TEST, YOU WERE ONLY REQUIRED TO MATCH THE WORD WITH ITS MEANING. STILL, I HAVE A SPECIAL TASK FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT WANT TO IMPROVE YOUR GRADE.

HOMEWORK #2- MAKE A 1 PAGE STORY ABOUT YOUR LIFE USING THE VOCABULARY FROM 'HOOKED ON THE NET'- HANDWRITTEN- NO MISTAKES IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THE POINTS. DUE DATE IS TOMORROW, FEB. 14. NO EXCUSES. REMEMBER, THIS IS ADITTIONAL HOMEWORK (BESIDES STARTING A NEW CIVILIZATION),

REGARDS,
JIM hoogdalem@gmail.com

Feb. 14 Happy Valentines Day

I want to know if you would like to have a small celebration for Valentine's Day.

So, if you agree, I need your cooperation with any meals, beverages, etc. depending on what you want.

Hence, let me know by the weekend (friday) your opinion through our blogspot. 

Perhaps, I could bring a cake and you deal with the cokes, dishes, napkins, etc. and we could get together outside, early before leaving, let's say 12.40 - to 1.15

If you decide to ignore this message, we are having our normal schedule for this week, like a regular class. 

Feb. 07: Starting a New Civilization

Starting a New Civilization

Hi people, it takes a lot of time during the week to prepare your activities . I want your best effort as well to perform them as good as possible and ON TIME.
Because we didn't finish the Starting a New Civilization Activity on class, you homework is to hand it in, this is now INDIVIDUAL HOMEWORK, including the teams that came up to the front!!!!

1. Choose 6 survivors from the list.

2. Choose a shelter, it can be either a shopping mall, a bunker, a big house or whatever you want.

3. Make up a survival plan in a 1 page essay.

4. On the back, answer to the following questions regarding your survivors:
a) For each survivor, you will answer:

Character:

Reasons for survival:

Reasons against survival:

b) With these survivors, what type of of leadership do you think your group is most likely to have? Liberal, authocratic, democratic leadership? EXPLAIN WHY.(If you are not sure about the types of leadership discussed in class, search over books or the internet to find more information).
c) Based on the descriptions of the survivors, what type of prejudices did you have towards the people? How could these beliefs be detrimental to people?

1.A U.S. marine that will not give-up his weapon (male, age: 25)

2.A judgeful (biased) priest

3.A journalist from a popular celeb-gossip magazine (female)

4.A thoughtless (careless) nurse

5.A naughty (bad-behaved) 13 yr. old boy

6.A cook with a huge appetite

7.A very rude but funny clown

8.A philosopher with existential attitudes and trends

9.An atheist scientist (female, age: 41)

10.The leader of a trade union (male, age: 33)

11.A mother with a strange obsession with good manners

12.An old wise man in a wheelchair. (male, age: unknown)

13.A pregnant woman

14.An young anarchist (male, age: 19)

15.A blind woman that knows to play the piano and is not willing to stay unless she keeps her dog.

16.A indigenous peasant that does not speak your language.

17.A tradesman with hard trading skills

18.A government bureaucrat with bad reputation

19.A sometimes arrogant English Teacher

20.A very enthusiast homosexual willing to help in anything

21.An arbitrary but brilliant businessman

22.A very moody-temperamental manager

23.An easy-going (perhaps too relaxed) mediator

24.An engineer with a severe obsessive-compulsive disorder

25.A pretty girl with no concern in anything (age: 17)

26.A charismatic leader that is too sensible to failure

27.An intellectual with liberal and feminist tendencies (female, age: thirty-some)

28.A self-restrained carpenter with no interest in involving with others.

On your survival plan, do not focus on surviving zombies. Write about how you plan to start a new civilization with the avaiable people.

Vocabulary:
bunker: an underground shelter built with strong walls to protect people against bombs or heavy gunfire.

prejudice: preconceived judgment or opinion.

shelter: a place or refugee that provides cover or gives protection.

Jan. 31: Homework

Guys, last class some of you didn't hand in the HW due to 'problems with my computer'.

Notice that I'm not allowing this type of excuses. You better have ready the phone or email address from one of your partners.

Remember the homework for this week. Due date is Feb. 07. Thanks.

1. Study the vocabulary from 'Hooked on the Net' and 'Who wants to be a Millionaire' activities.
I may also include a bonus section for those of you that learn the vocabulary from previous activities. All the vocabulary is avaiable in our blog.

2. For those, still missing the paying bill, I'm begging you to please bring it!

3. Most of you are still missing the signed rules by your parents.

4. Remember, this week we may probably have our TOEFL test.

Have a nice week.

Jim

Jan. 31: Vocabulary "Hooked on the Net" and "Who Wants to be a Millionaire"

Hi people.

This is our last class vocabulary. Please learn it, next class we're having our first quiz.
If you have any doubt, feel free to write me an e-mail, I'll answer as soon as possible.

hoogdalem@gmail.com

Regards!
Jim

Hooked on the Net

come out: appears, to be revealed.
Raul is obsessed with videogames. He has to have every new edition from Guitar Hero as soon as it comes out.
The new movie from Jim Carrey just came out.

turn in: identified a person to the police or authority.
She noticed her colleague was sharing company secrets with a competitor, so she turned her in. Her boss fired her immediately.

turn into: to become
She was so thrilled at winning $2,000 playing "pachinko", a Japanese pinball-slot machine game, that she turned into a real pachinkoholic.

crave: to need or have a extremely strong physical desire for something
Although he quit smoking two months ago, he still craves a cigarrette after each meal.
I crave coffee all day and couldn't wait to get my next cup.

hooked on: addicted to something
He got hooked on golf when he movied to Florida. He loves the game so much that he misses work twice a week to play golf.

cold turkey: 1. a slang expression that refers to a sudden withdrawal of something from which you have become too dependent, such as a drug. 2. to talk plainly or getting to the point
1. Instead of reducing the number of cigarretes gradually, the smoker simply quit cold turkey.
2. I'm going to talk cold turkey with the press about everything I know.

to lose track of time: to get so involved in something that you forget what time is it.
Netaholics (people hooked on the net) spend hours and hours without realizing how long they've been on-line. It's easy to lose track of the time when you are surfing the Net.

willpower: ability to control one's desires
She has tried several diets but hasn't lost any weight because she has no willpower.

cut off: to isolate or stop communicating with
Lincoln Burrows was found guilty for the murder of Terrence Steadman. The prisoner became cut off from his son L.J. and incarcerated in the Fox River State Prison.

cut down: to reduce
She couldn't give up coffee completely, so she decided to cut down to the number of cups she drank each day.

drag away: stop doing something (even though you don't want to)
When she started winning hundreds of dollars at the slot machines, it became impossible for her to drag herself away.
No matter how hard I tries, I couldn't drag myself away from the coffee bar.

withdrawal: uncomfortable physical symptoms while giving up an addiction.
After he gave up cigarretes, withdrawal was very uncomfortable. He felt hungry and irritable for weeks.
This is easier but I still suffer from uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms like headaches and dizzines.

all-consuming: to enjoy something so much that you want to do it as much as possible.
The movie director and producer Steven Spielber is a well-known workaholic. He readily admits that his passion for work is all-consuming.

detrimental: harmful
Most people know smoking is detrimental to one's health. It causes cancer and other illnesses.

Who want's to be a Millionaire?

windfall: an unexpected sum of money you receive.
When he bought the Sorteo Tec ticket, he wasn't expecting any windfall at all. He is now looking to split his fortune among his relatives.

beg (begging): to ask for something very strongly.
Natalia was begging to win this time, she had already lost 3 rounds before.

linked: connected
Doctors said mad cow disease is linked with blood transfussions.

broke: having no money
After playing for an entire afternoon, the lady gave up all of her money. She was finally broke.

withdraw: 1. to leave or retire 2. to remove (money) from a bank account
After several discussions with his girlfriend, he decided to withdraw his account from Facebook.
If I were to withdraw from Facebook, I would no longer have access to my friends' photos and they would no longer have access to mine. How scary!

Jan. 24: Homework

Hi guys. This is the Homework for this weekend.
Please, bring it in a page and handwritten!

1. Write a one page length essay.
Topic: What would I do with a million dollars?

2. Choose one from any of the two activites: Shipwreck! or The Travis Walton Case (these activities are avaiable in our blogspot). Answer to each of the questions and bring them to the next class.

3. Ask your parents to sign the rules and bring them to me on our First Meeting.

4. Those still missing to show me the paying bill, don't forget to bring it.

PAPÁS: ESTA CLASE SE LES HIZO ENTREGA A LOS ALUMNOS DE LAS HOJAS QUE CONTIENEN EL CALENDARIO, LOS HORARIOS, EVALUACION Y REGLAMENTO. POR FAVOR, LES PIDO DE LA MANERA MÁS ATENTA QUE CUANDO LO LEAN LO FIRMEN Y ME LO DEVUELVAN EN NUESTRA PRIMERA JUNTA (21-FEB).
PONGO TAMBIEN A SU DISPOSICION MIS DATOS PARA ESTAR EN CONTACTO CUANDO ASI LO DESEEN, ESPERANDO TAMBIEN PODER CONOCER LOS SUYOS.

Atentamente,

Jaime Guerra
hoogdalem@gmail.com

The Travis Walton Case

The Travis Walton Case

In 1975, Travis Walton was working with his logging crew in a forest, near the small town of Snowflake, Arizona. Shortly after beginning to drive home, the crew reported they saw a bright light from behind the upcoming hill. They drove closer and say they saw a large silvery disc hovering above a clearing and shining brightly. The boss, Mike Rogers slowed the truck to stop, and claimed that Walton leapt from the truck and walked toward the disc. He was nearly below the object, when the men in the truck reported that the disc began making noises similar to a very loud turbine. The disc then began to wobble from side to side, and Walton began to cautiously walk away from the object.

Jerome Clark, one of the witnesses, wrote that just after Walton moved away from the disc, the others saw a beam of blue-green light emanate from the disc and “strike Travis”. Clark went on to write that Travis "rose a foot into the air, his arms and legs outstretched, and shot back stiffly some 10 feet (3.0 m), all the while caught in the glow of the light. His right shoulder hit the earth, and his body sprawled limply over the ground.”

Rogers later said he was convinced Walton was dead, so he drove away very quickly over the rough road, afraid that the disc was chasing the truck. After about a quarter-mile, the truck skidded of the road and Rogers stopped. After some discussion, the crew claims they decided to go back to the site and find Walton. The disc was gone, and his co-workers said they searched for Walton for a half hour but found no sign of him.

By the next day, many officials and volunteers had scoured the area around the scene where Travis went missing. Police suspicions were growing that the UFO tale was a made-up to cover up an accident or homicide.

By November 10, all of Roger’s crew took polygraph examinations. The questions asked if any of the men caused harm to Travis, if they knew where Travis’ body was buried, and if they told the truth about seeing a UFO. Cy Gilson, an Arizona Department of Public Safety employee, concluded that all the men were truthful, and the exam results were conclusive. Following the polygraph tests, Sheriff Gillespie announced that he had to accept the UFO story.

The same day, just before midnight, Grant Neff, Travis’ brother in law, reported that he answered his home telephone in Taylor, Arizona, a few miles from Snowflake. The caller spoke in a weak voice: “This is Travis. I’m at a phone booth at the Heber gas station and need help. Come and get me.”

Travis reported that after approaching the UFO near the work site, the last thing he remembered was being struck by the beam of light. When he woke, he was on a reclined bed. A bright light shone above him, the air was heavy and wet. He was in pain and realized he was surrounded by three figures. The figures, he said, were not human. When he woke again, Travis says he was outside the gas station in Heber, Arizona.

The medical examination revealed that Travis was essentially in good health, but they did note three unusual features:

1. A small red spot at the crease of Travis’ right elbow that was consistent with hypodermic injection. Travis would later speculate that he’d gotten the mark in the course of his logging work.

2. Analysis of Travis’ urine revealed a lack of acetones, a chemical found naturally in the environment and in small amounts in the human body. This was unusual, given that if Travis had indeed been gone for five days with little or no food as he insisted (and his weight loss suggested), his body should have begun breaking down fats in order to survive, letting to very high levels of acetone in his urine. Critics would argue this inconsistency is evidence against Travis’ story.

3. More difficult to explain is the absence of bruises, which one might expect in the wake of Travis’ alleged beam-driven collision with the ground.
Travis told Sheriff Gillespie that he was willing to take a polygraph or undergo hypnosis to support his account. Travis and his sister Duane Walton drove to Scottsdale, Arizona where a meeting with APRO consultant James A. Harder had been arranged. Harder hypnotized Travis, hoping to uncover more details of the missing five days, but results revealed that his conscious recall and unconscious memory were the same.

Homework.

1. Do you think the Walton Case has enough evidence to support the story or the entire affair is a hoax or another UFO tale? Explain your reasons.

2. Do you think polygraph tests or hypnotism are legitimate methods to conclude that men are telling the truth? Why or why not?

Vocabulary (this is our vocabulary for both the Activity Beliefs Exercise and The Travis Walton Case).

UFO: an unidentified flying object.

proof: same as evidence; anything that shows definitely that something is true.

astrology: the study of the stars and their influence on people’s lives. Usually, an astrologer draws a horoscope.

gift: 1. a present: a birthday gift. 2. A natural ability: She has a gift for music.

liars: plural from liar, a person who lies.

Activity: Shipwreck!

Please answer the debrief quesions.

1) How were the decisions made in your group?

2) How did you feel about the decisions? Do you think it were fair?

3) Were you straight and honest? Have you exposed true reasons to survive?

4) How is this exercise like our English Course?



Vocabulary.

Shipwreck: the accidental sinking or destruction of a ship.

Castaway: a shipwreck survivor.

Chemistry: the science that deals with the nature of substances. A chemist is a scientist who studies and works on Chemistry.

Gynecology: the branch of medicine that deals with the health care of women. A gynecologist is a woman's doctor.

Engineer: 1. a person who designs, makes or works with machinery. 2. a person who designs and constructs buildings, roads, bridges, etc.

hire: to employ someone: Annie will hire the soccer player to play for her team.

Psychology: the science that deals with mental processes and behavior. A psychologist is a person who is trained in Psychology.

Forensic Science: a science used to examin crime scenes and gather evidence to be used in the prosecution of offenders in a court of law. The main areas of Forensic Science include: Biology, Chemistry, and Medicine. Most forensic scientists specialize in one area of science.

English is FUN!

Watch this funny video about Japanese people making an effort to avoid laughing at class.